A U.S. Embassy visit and a bit more of “Free Berlin” On Tuesday, we had the privilege of meeting with two U.S. Embassy officials, Robert Greenan and Cherrie Daniels. Diplomats have such a unique vantage point from which to provide us with insight as we try to understand the present situation in Germany in light of the terrible recent past that we are studying. Our discussion primarily focused on the experiment that Germany has undergone as the only country in history to so openly and fully claim ownership of it’s troublesome past. Is it working, or are the upcoming generations

Free Berlin Day! Today we had the entire day to explore Berlin and follow our own interests. For the students, this included the zoo and aquarium, shopping, chasing down an abandoned radio station, and consuming lots and lots of food. See pictures below. I took the opportunity to go to several new locations, namely Marx-Engels Forum, the DDR Museum, the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, the Espionage Museum, the ruins of a bombed out Benedictine Monastery, the Evangelische Parochialkirche, and St. Nicholas Church. See the second gallery of photos. A quote found at the Wall Museum, “Escape is the mother

Churches and Museums On this Mother’s Day, many students started off by attending a service at the Berliner Dom while others went to St. Mary’s, the oldest church in Berlin. In the afternoon we managed to visit two very important venues – The Jewish Museum of Berlin, located in the heart of the city, followed by The House of the Wannsee Conference, positioned way out near Potsdam. For a large group, we really moved through the city well and showed great endurance to get this all in today. Below are some pictures: Tomorrow is a much-needed free day in Berlin.

Sachsenhausen On Saturday we visited our first of three camps, Sachsenhausen. This camp sits just north of Berlin and was important for several reasons – its size, its proximity to Berlin, and the number of techniques and tactics that were learned here and implemented across the rest of the Nazi camp system. The experience was very challenging for all of us, to say the least. There is no way to soften the reality of the brutality and inhumanity that occurred in these places. Educationally, not only did we learn a lot of particular facts, but we began to ask many

Wittenberg, the Reformation, and a bit of Rail Confusion Day 4 was a break from the Holocaust and National Socialism, although there were contextual connections that were made – namely, a brief look at a pre-enlightenment, pre-biological expression of antisemitism. Challenges on the rails on the way home did not damper what was a wonderful day spent in the city of reformation. The Asisi Panorama, City Church, and Castle Church were the most significant locations visited. Below are a few pics. Tomorrow we venture just north of the city to the concentration camp most proximal to Berlin – Sachsenhausen.

Of Beginnings and Endings Today was our hardest day thus far. Not as many steps taken nor as many locations visited, but the content was tremendously heavy. Before places like Auschwitz were even imagined, Brandenburg was. It was the location where what had previously only been imagined was first put into practice – the medicalized and state-sanctioned killing of other people. The critical first step taken at this facility and the practical, methodological, and contextual lessons that were learned by the perpetrators here in Brandenburg would form the procedural foundation for the millions of deaths that would follow. Our day

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

Arrivals and First Things It took most of the day, but we got everyone here safe and sound (minus one piece of luggage, sadly). Despite jet-lag, dispersed landing times, and rail construction complicating our movements, we were able to find about 4 hours in the evening to do some exploring downtown. Among other sites, we checked out Alexanderplatz, Rosenstrasse Protest Memorial, Hackescher Markt, Museum Island, Humboldt University, Bebelplatz, and the Brandenburg Gate. Below are some pics. Everyone is exhausted and needing rest. Tomorrow we will further explore by local rail and foot the sites of Berlin.

(The students arrive tomorrow.) Day minus 1 allowed me to gain virtually all of the rail tickets we need (took nearly 2 hours, whew!), find our hotel for this year (conveniently located near Alexanderplatz), and do a little exploring on my own. What I set out to find was the Berlin Wall Park and Memorial which is located in the north-central part of the city. This particular venue features several memorials, large stretches of the outer wall peppered across the park’s western edge (a bit of the inner wall is there as well), and many markings on the ground where