Berlin

A city with a lot of history.  I was lucky enough to spend 3 full days exploring the city with my friend Fudge.  Many major events have played out in this city in the last century, and the effects of World War 2 and the Cold War are still very evident.  About 90% of the city was destroyed during the later part of WWII and most of the buildings are newer.

Today it has become some sort of center for artsy and alternative youth and has a very cool feel to it.  There are a lot of immigrants of various ethnicities in the city, making for a vibrant population with lots of different kinds of people.  This became evident when I met and befriended my seatmate on the plane ride – a Portuguese fellow named Miguel who had previously lived in Berlin and told us all about the highlights of the city.  The German flight attendant was also a character; when asked by Miguel what clubs were popular he sat down next to us and chatted us up.  Easy Jet.

We began our time on Friday with a 3 hour walking tour of the city to get a lay of the land and learn more details about it’s past.  We started at the infamous Brandenburg Gate, and continued through to see the Reichstag (German Parliament), Holocaust Memorial, the mock up of Checkpoint Charlie amongst various other frequently visited sites.

Brandenburg Gate

The Reichstag

Berlin's Holocaust Memorial

Some guy named Einstein went here?

On a walk through the Tiergarten

Shooting up the TV Tower, we found the view from above to be cool, but somewhat unimpressive.  Taking a 40 second elevator ride to the observation point somewhat trivializes the view, as if it’s too easy to reach.

The always visible - TV Tower

Berlin at our feet

Much more interesting was the view from the Berliner Dom, a large church built in 1905 and rebuilt after the war.  Architecturally overstated, it looks kind of ridiculous, yet still quite impressive.  The best part was the view from the observation deck around the dome where we watched the sun set over the city (and you have to wind your way through a series of small stairways and passages to get there, no elevator!).

The Berliner Dom

I found Germanys approach on their very dark and shameful points in history very honest and direct.  In a museum titled ‘Topographies of Terror' the Nazi history is addressed and documented.  An unflattering building on the site where the former SS headquarters stood (before being reduced to ruble by the allies) documents the rise of Hitler and the National Socialist Party.  It attempts to explain exactly how such a terrible régime could come to power as a form of education and warning to future generations to prevent the events of past from ever reoccurring.

A corner riddled with bullet holes.
 Some soldier was taking cover right behind this as a battle ensued.  Who was he?

Signs of the Berlin Wall are very evident throughout the city, and portions of it still stand.  The last rendition of the wall, the 4^th generation, is that which so famously was overcome by the citizens of the city. It was actually 2 walls with a so-called ‘Death Strip’ in between, and a section of this is preserved for onlookers.

An existing portion of the Berlin Wall

What it looked like

The preserved 'Death Strip' between the two walls

There is also the East Side Gallery where artist painted a long portion of the wall after it’s failure.  So that’s where those famous paintings come from…

East Side Gallery from 1990

There are many other notable sights that we saw along the way, and the city is crammed full of spots to visit.  It’s probably obvious by now that I like history, and I must apologize if this bores anyone who reads this expecting only stories of my adventures.

On the topic of adventures, Berlin boasts quite a nightlife, something we had to experience as well.  And the Jägermeister flowed - turns out they actually do drink the stuff in the fatherland.

Movies about Berlin that I now want to watch again:

-The Tunnel

-The Lives of Others

Amsterdam

This past weekend I took a trip to the famous little canal city of the Netherlands.  We traveled in a group of 6, Kyle, Sam, Fudge, Anne, Giorgia, and myself.  After arriving Thursday evening we made our way to our hostel, ‘Shelter Jordan.’

I love waking up in a foreign place to see what it looks like in the daylight for the first time.  The canals really give the city a cool feeling.  The cobble stone streets are very busy with bikes, cars, trams, locals, and tourists.  I learned a lot of the local history on a 3-hour tour through the historic city center.  Many of the old buildings were built during the Dutch ‘Golden Age’ of colonialism.

During WWII the city escaped bombing, preserving the historic regions.  However, the large Jewish population was devastated as famously told by the story of Anne Frank, whose place of hiding was not far from where we stayed.  The effects of the war are not distant history.

 

Our Dutch tour guide, Nouschke, enlightening us with history

Above the door of the office building for the Dutch East India Trading Company.

Hooks can be seen protruding from the top of all houses.
They were/are used to lift things up through the windows.

A Scene in Dam Square

Yeah we are 

A walk through Vondel Park

NEMO, a science museum that we climbed on top of.

Of course, in modern times the city is famous for it’s policy of toleration.  The coolest coffee shop that we experienced went by the name of ‘Dampkring’.  George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt all filmed a scene in Oceans Twelve inside the groovy little establishment.

We saw some very cool sights before leaving Sunday evening, but I’d love to visit the city in the summer.   I still have to bike through the Dutch countryside full of tulips and windmills.  And eat panakuken.

Next trip, Berlin!

The First Weeks

 It’s been two weeks since I arrived here in the capitol of Denmark, and I’d like to say that I’m settling in quite nicely.  I’m getting to know parts of the city, and learning the way these Danes do things.  I even feel comfortable shopping for groceries with everything written in a language I don’t know (just look at the pictures on the package).

First of all, the school I’m enrolled in, the Danish Technical University (DTU), is located in Lyngby, about 10 km to the north of central Copenhagen. It’s a 20 min ride by bus or train to the downtown tourist area, a trip that I make a couple times a week for the nightlife or other explorations. 

DTU Campus

Waiting for this to turn green.

The Library

I’m living in housing run by the university, in a little abode named Campus Village, harkening back to collegiate images of yore.  These ‘containers’ as they called are literally large shipping containers, stacked next to each other and furnished with all the comforts of home.  They were constructed in an ad hoc manner, but hey, it’s a place to sleep, and the people aren’t half bad.  They are reserved for international students studying here who have a fairly large presence on campus. 

Campus Village

My Pad

It’s an interesting experiment to take people from all different parts of the world out of their comfort zones, away from their friends and family and have them live together.  Most are very open to getting to know you, and I’ve learned a lot about many different cultures in this short time.  I’ve befriended people from Italy, France, Spain, Latvia, China, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, and Germany amongst other places.  I’m often asked, “Are you Erasmus too?”  English is the common language as all courses are either taught in Danish or English.  It’s funny, I haven’t gotten to know many Danes yet, but will soon throughout my classes and friends.

Our intro group. Photo as edited by Adam.

DTU has a student population of about 6,000 all of technical backgrounds.  Even though it’s a much smaller school that my beloved UW, the programs that I’m involved with are comparable in size.  My semester includes 4 courses with some Danish Language instruction on the side.  ‘Electrical Machines in Wind Turbines’ and ‘Power Electronics’ both have to do with wind power generation, and who better to learn these concepts from than the Danes (they source 20% of the electricity from wind).  I’m also getting an eye into their view of sustainability in a class titled ‘Energy End-Use’ that has proven pretty interesting so far.  And for fun I’m taking ‘Planetary Physics’ because astronomy is sweet, and people don’t look up anymore.  I have most classes only once a week for 3 to 4 hour blocks, which takes some getting used to, but hasn’t been too skull numbing so far.

Oh yeah, but why did I really come here..  It’s been thrilling to plan different trips throughout Europe that I want to do, and I hope to get a fair amount of traveling in during my 5-month stay on the continent. This Thursday I leave for Amsterdam to see exactly how it is that the Dutch live their lives. I’ll be sure to update on the trip and all those that follow.

With the Pack in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, I had no choice but to watch the game.  It started at midnight here, and class came far too early at 8:00 the next morning.  My sleeping habits are as consistent as Brett Favre.  Go Pack!

Super Bowl Party 2011