Berlin

After France, Germany was second on my list of European countries I wanted to visit. I had intended to check that off last fall, but for various reasons my travel plans had to change. The first time I made it Germany was shortly before New Year's, when a certain large storm rearranged all travel plans in the northeastern United States and after more than eight hours of nail-biting in the airport and another eight hours of sleep deprivation on the plane, I made it back to Europe by way of the Frankfurt airport instead of going straight to Geneva.

I was in no mood to appreciate any part of Germany that day, and declared that the Frankfurt airport could not be representative of the country. My introduction to Germany must be better than that.

That better introduction was completed by way of Berlin this past August. This is why I needed to get my hair cut.

Neues Museum

I was prone to slightly obsessive crazes when I was young, and after the ones for the color purple, horses, and greek mythology had passed, one with all things Ancient Egyptian took hold for about two years. I read every book about Egypt my school library had, skipping over some of the more gruesome mummy pictures in an attempt to prevent any nightmares. So I had to see the bust of Nefertiti in person when I had the chance. The rest of the Egyptian collection is pretty impressive as well, and I apologize to my friends and everyone else within earshot who so graciously put up with my stream of Egyptian trivia.

German Democratic Republic Museum

I only had a couple days in Berlin, and I budgeted most of my time for museums art and historical. The GDR (or DDR if you visit with German speakers) museum focuses on life in the German Democratic Republic, or eastern Germany under communism. This was the most interactive museum I've ever been in, with clothes and toys from the GDR that viewers could pick up and play with, tapes of the music and TV they had, and even the most common car model. It was a sobering experience to see how the citizens endured the deprivation and limitations that came with the GDR.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie was the crossing point between East and West Berlin, and while none of the wall remains here, where it stood is marked. The old sign with a replica guard office is there, and a large timeline of the Cold War. I found it hopeful. There was so much posturing during the Cold War, it seems a miracle that a war didn't break out.

Berlin Wall Memorial

Most of the wall was torn down, pulled apart by average citizens with picks and hammers. The largest remaining section I saw stands in a little park, fenced off and covered in graffiti. It's a quiet place, that remembers those who died attempting to cross over to West Berlin