Whole Lotta Walkin’ and Talkin’ Goin’ On

Our first full day as a team in Berlin brought with it renewed strength, renewed hope for the return of some lost luggage, and over 20,000 steps of exploration. Among the places visited include Checkpoint Charlie, The Topography of Terror Museum, Potsdamer Platz, the Aktion T-4 Memorial, Hitler’s Bunker, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Soviet War Memorial, and the Reichstag. In addition to taking in these sights, wonderful discussions are being had about the nature of memorials, the absorbing power of a desired narrative, the concept of self-deception, the conflicting moral narratives of East and West Germany, the complexities of history, and why the grass doesn’t seem to be mowed enough around the train paths. :) The group is really diving in and working hard to familiarize themselves with all that happened in this city over the last century. Tomorrow we start to drill down and focus in on the state-sanctioned killings known as the Holocaust – our port of entry being the Euthanasia Memorial and Education Center at Brandenburg.

Below are some pics from today’s explorations.