visit-germany

[visit-germany]

First Stop: Berlin

We truly do not know how big our world is until we step foot out of our own country. I had no idea what was in store for me until I took a trip to Europe.

My destination was Berlin, Germany exactly 4,837 miles from Memphis, TN. The trip began on June 7, 2014, with other members of my Historical Humanities class. We departed the airport in Memphis, TN and flew 12 hours to Berlin.

I always hated flying and I knew that the plane ride was going to be brutal. Luckily I slept for most of the flight and woke up to a hot breakfast.

When we finally landed, we were met by our tour guide and boarded a shuttle bus. Immediately everyone had their phones out, trying to capture the world around them.

One thing I remember clearly from that bus ride is how bad the traffic was. Bicycle riders weaved their way through traffic, not seeming to care if they cut off a car or bus.

Instead of going to our hotel we decided to visit the Berliner Fernsehturm, also known as the Television Tower. The TV Tower is one of the tallest buildings in Berlin and it provides a bird’s eyeview of the city.

The TV tower provided many views of the city and the river Spree.

The next day we traveled to many well-known locations including the Berlin Wall, the Pergamon Museum and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Each location held pieces of the past and was historically significant at one point in time.

Our first stop was the Berlin Wall. To say I was surprised at what I say is an understatement. Parts of the wall still stand and it is covered entirely in graffiti.

On the other side of the Berlin Wall is the river Spree. Our tour guide explained that the river had acted as an extra barrier for Germans who had tried escaping East Berlin during the Cold War.

Our next destination for the day was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial was designed by architect  Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete slabs arranged on a sloping hill.

We were able to walk through the memorial and read the names of all the Jewish victims that died during the Holocaust.

The final location we visited that day was the Pergamon Museum. The Pergamon Museum is home to many historical artifacts such as the Ishtar Gate and the Great Altar of Zeus.

In my Historical Humanities class, I had studied the Ishtar Gate and was thrilled to be able to see it in person.

The Ishtar Gate used to surround the city of Babylon, and now it surrounds the entrance to one of the halls in the Pergamon Museum.

I had also studied the Altar of Zeus in my class. When I entered the room where it was kept, I was surprised to see how big the altar was in real life. It took up the entire room, and I was able to climb up its stairs and sit on the actual altar.

My trip to Berlin was the first stop on my European adventure, but it remains one of my favorite destinations to this day. Being able to see all of the history that the city holds amazes me.

To step out of my small corner of the world, and to take in what else the world has to offer has been one of the greatest gifts and lessons of my life.