The end of our stay . . . .

So, we have reached the end of a fabulous two weeks in Berlin, Germany. Today we are planning to visit the Jewish neighborhood of Berlin where there are lovely shops and a great bakery/cafe.

Here, though, students are commenting on their experience, what they've learned about the culture and education system here, and what it was like to live with a host family.

Potsdam, city of castles and history

As we traveled via tram into Potsdam, we knew we were in for an historic adventure. Today we visited Sanssouci and CÄcilienhof, the castles of King Frederick II and Kaiser Wilhelm II respectively. Our first stop was at the Tudor style castle of Kaiser Wilhelm, most notably known for its role in the restructuring of Europe after World War II. At this castle President Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Communist leader Joseph Stalin met to discuss the future of Europe including boundaries and socio-economic issues. After a bus ride and short walk through the lovely medeival town, we arrived at King Frederick II´s summer residence which he called Sanssouci (in french this word means ´to be carefree´). We were fortunate to have the opportunity to tour this home. We saw the room he made for Voltaire, as the two often discussed philosophical ideas in this very place. We enjoyed the French-inspired Rocco style interior design that incorporates the seashell design with gold. Lastly, we visited the gravesite of King Frederick II; his dogs were buried at that site as well. Upon return into Berlin, we had a final meal at Kartoffer, an authentic German restaurant with our group. All in all, this was a wonderful trip into the historic world of the 18th and early 20th centuries.

Wittenberg, home of Martin Luther

Tuesday, 2-26 we went out of the city to the medieval city of Wittenberg. What a beautiful place! Cobblestone streets, cute houses, and the monestary where Martin Luther lived. And, we saw the door where he nailed his theses (picture above). Again the weather was cold, but the rain held off until the afternoon. The train trip to and from Wittenberg was also fun. It was over an hour through the countryside, so we were able to see things other than city buildings.

A Visit to the Olympic Stadium

Monday of our second week, we began with a trip to the sight of the 1936 Olympic Games. It was during this Olympic Games that Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals, angering Adolph Hitler. After a visit that included freezing rain, we went to lunch and out shopping, which was much needed!

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

On Friday 2-22, we visited this concentration camp, which was primarily a work camp for political prisoners. Nonetheless, many people were tortured and killed, most as a result of medical experiments. There was also a bunker devoted to the containment of Jews who were also killed in this camp.

As you might expect, this was a difficult place to visit, but we are glad we went. Strangely, the day was ominous, cloudy, rainy and cold. When we arrived, our guide told us to split into groups and go quietly where we wished. He said the experience would be very personal and so there was no need for a structured tour. He was right; we all needed time to ourselves.

Weekend in Germany

So, after a week in Berlin we had the weekend to experience different activities, students with their host families and Ms. Prevosti and I with our host from Partnership International, Klaus Wuttich.

Ms. Prevosti and I travelled about an hour out of the city where we stayed at a lovely Bed & Breakfast. From there, Mr. Wuttich took us to Gorlitz, a medieval city on the east border of Germany. There we toured the town, sitting at a cafe that looks at the Neisse River across from Poland. After our lunch, we walked across a bridge and were in Poland! In Gorlitz we visited a church that dates back hundreds of years and other historic sites including a building where Napolean once slept! That evening Mr. Wuttich treated us to dinner at a beautiful restaurant that used to be the old cellars of various homes. We chose a spot that looks like a cave where we ate a delicious meal. Then, on Sunday, we went to Dresden. OMG! What a beautiful city. Dresden is famous for its beautiful palaces, all of which were badly damaged in the fire bombing during WWII. The weather was fabulous, nearly 70 degrees, so we had a lovely day.

Tschuss! (German for bye)
Mrs. Kaplan and Ms. Prevosti

A sight for sore eyes

In the cold wind and the damp rain, we made our way to the sights of Berlin. After taking a tram to Alexander Plats, we began our tour. We visited buildings that were used as homes to royalty and shelter for German and Russians during the war. We discovered that the buildings are being used as universities today.
After a long, dreadful walk, we decided to stop and have lunch at Humboldt University. The food was not that good, but the laughs that we had were priceless. After lunch, we jumped on a bus and decided to stay on. The bus ride was probably the best part of the day. On the tour, we saw the hotel in which Michael Jackson held out his child from the top floor. Some other sights we saw were the oldest church in Berlin, a monument to Marx and Engels, and a war memorial to the victims of all wars. After taking many pictures here, we headed off to the Brandenburg Gate. This is where the Berlin Wall used to be. The wall divided Germany into two parts, East and West.
After taking more pictures, we decided to shop.