Berlin: Day Three

Note, I appologize for the delay in updates, I know a lot of you were wanting to hear about the rest of what's happened and get caught up to the present but the main computer we use here at the center got messed up and I couldn't get on it for the last two days. If you're filthy rich send money for a new computer to Santa Chiara Center.

So, March 15 was our third day in Berlin. We slept in after being out for a good while the night before, then headed out to the eastern side of town.

A view of the Deutche Bahn building at Potzdamer Platz on our way to East Berlin

The first place we went for the morning was Checkpoint Charlie. This is a pretty interesting place. For those of you who remember it was the only significant connection between East and West Berlin in the Cold War. The checkpoint is no longer functioning of course but has been maintained somewhat in its original form to serve as a reminder of the historical conflict between east and west.

We arrived at the Berlin Wall and found this monument to the people who were killed trying to escape to freedom from communisim


The Wall as it was built


This sign shows an American Guard, the reverse side shows a Soviet Guard

It was really interesting to see the signs in the area and stuff. There were signs indicating that you were approaching the forbidden area on the communist side, and on the west there were signs indicating the approach to the wall and the hostility of the communists. One of the more moving things was, in my opinion, the field of crosses marking the vitcims of the communist oppression, where there was a large plaque offering thanks to the American people, "to whom all europeans and people of the world owe the freedoms and liberties they take for-granted." The plaque describes the bravery with which the Americans fought, and suggests that Europeans should be ready to stand up and fight for freedom and democracy as the Americans have done for the last 300 years. I wish that it was required for Europeans to visit that place and read the sign and touch the wall and really think hard about the fact that they have the right to do so. For the last three centuries the only real force spreading democracy and freedom in the world has been the United States and our strong allies in the United Kingdom. It's really sad to me that in present times the Germans don't feel any desire to stand with the rest of the free world in opposing despotic regimes and freeing people from them. With regards to that I reccommend everyone start reading a website I found called Iraq: The Model which is written by a doctor in Bagdad who feels it is important to showcase the great improvements in life that have come because of the US liberation.

Back to vacation... after looking at the wall and grabbing lunch we headed across town to the Pergamon Museum, which is a fantastic collection of ancient historical artifacts from Sumeria, Greece, and Rome. On the way we passed a really awesome car dealership...

Hmm, matches my favorite sunglasses. I'll take it!


Twelve cylinders of AWESOME

As we were walking down towards the museum we passed the unthinkable, a TEX MEX CANTINA!!! But we had just eaten... Brett, Jason, and Jon decided it didn't justify having lunch twice.

I love you, Mexican Food

So finally we arrived at the Pergamon Museum. It's a rather large, gray, monolithic building on the outside, but chock full of goodness. I'll let the pictures tell the tale.

The Pergamon Musuem


A reconstructed Greek temple inside the museum


The ancient walls of Babylon, really crazy

I took a lot more pictures and video, which I'll show you all when I get back. One really cool video is one I took of the Ishtar gate, the old gate to the city of Babylon. It wasn't possible to get it all in one photo so you'll just have to wait on the video.

That afternoon we walked back towards the Brandenburg gate where we saw a Frank Gehry building which wasn't really that impressive on the outside but was quite cool on the inside. See for yourself.

It's like an ameoba

After that we headed back to Potsdamer Platz (sort of the old center of Berlin) and took some cool pictures of the Sony Center...

Buildings at Potsdamer Platz


Sony Center


A Garden in Sony Center

That pretty much wraps up that day. We hung out at the hostel for a while and I had an interesting conversation with an Israeli about international politics. He suggested that one major problem that the world has is that its impossible for people from Europe and the Middle East to relate to the idea that Americans have been free for so long they can't remember or imagine what it would be like to be controlled by the government, and that we've been so successful as a culture that we truly believe that hard work will be rewarded where as Europeans still are adjusting to that idea (the main tennant of Capitalism). He and I agreed that the main reason Israel and the US have so much respect for eachother is that really we are the only two nations who took it upon themselves to fight for their own creation, to establish democratic governments on their own, and to remain true to the idea of representative government. There was an Austrailian guy in the room who seemed to agree with us mostly but also thought it was important to point out that America would be bankrupt in 20 years or so and he was interested to see how we'd adapt once we were taken over by the Japanese and Chinese. Well we all have our own opinions I suppose.