This morning, I started off the day thinking I'd lost my change purse. It only had a few € in it, but I was frustrated.
On top of that, my phone still wasn't phoning, and I had no idea when I'd be able to do something about it, so I was really nervous about that.
But then we went on our trip for the day, and it was amazing.
We started off the day in the Berlin Cathedral, which is absolutely gorgeous. A protestant cathedral built for the King's private worship, the cathedral today is more museum and musical performance space than house of worship. But what a sight to behold.
We saw the interior with the first of what I'm sure is going to be many simply STUNNING pipe organs. This is becoming a slight fixation of mine (and possibly a topic for a final paper??), because they are more amazing than I could ever describe with words. Hundreds of pipes displayed more gracefully than I've ever seen.
We then travelled up to the dome, where we stood outside on a (well-guarded) ledge and saw most of the city from above. Amazing views! We could see Christmas markets, many construction zones, and gorgeous historic buildings, all from above.
Next we traveled to the basement, where we saw the caskets of many of the old German royal family. the crypt was more than a little spooky, but it was also beautiful in the way that the Germans have preserved pieces of their history wherever they can.
Before lunch we also traveled to several places, including Humboldt University (the Harvard of Germany, according to Dr. Wolf). We saw halls where Einstein has lectured, and then stopped by a memorial for all of the figures of the university who were killed in WWII. Many more (Einstein included) were forced to emigrate to the USA and other countries.
We also travelled to St. Hedwig's Catholic church, one of the only Catholic churches in Northern Germany. the church, built during the Enlightenment, was completely destroyed by bombs in WWII, and was only recently renovated. This was the second home of a stunning pipe organ, and was generally awesome because of it's split level design.
We stopped by several other exciting places, including the memorial to the Nazi Book Burning site, which was breathtaking, and then got a break, during which I tried Russian Hot Chocolate for the first time: hot chocolate with rum! It was so delicious, and really warmed us up.
Many of us skipped lunch to see the German History Museum (which was AMAZING) and afterwards we went to the New Watchtower Memorial, a memorial to all victims of all wars, constructed in 2010. But the most amaying thing we saw yesterday was the New Synagogue.
The New Synagogue was once the largest and most ornate synagogue in all of Europe. It had thousands of members, and was a highlight in its community. But during WWII it was destroyed, and not until recently was it reconstructed. The participants decided not to completely rebiuld the synagogue, however; they wanted to highlight the permanent damage created by war and hate crimes. The past cannot be undone or forgotten, so the engineers decided to honor what was lost by creating a new space that was part prayer room, part museum. The result was breathtaking.
Following this we went to dinner at what is probably the oldest brewery in the world. The food was excellent, but the beer was OUTSTANDING! It was such an amazing end to the day.
When I went home I found my change purse...WHEW. But still no luck with the phone. But all in all a great second day in Deutschland.
I will catch up on my day three when I can, but right now I need some sleep...we have a very early start tomorrow. Auf Wiedersehn!
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