Berlin, Germany

"Berlin, Germany"

It's one thing to learn about a dark part of history from over 5,500 miles away in a different country, but it's a completely different experience to see first hand where some of the most despicable events in the world have taken place.

"BERLIN Wall"

In Berlin, my travel buddies and I got the opportunity to tour a concentration camp just outside the city and visit a couple memorial sites for the Jewish lives taken during the Holocaust. Among these sites was the Jewish Museum.

"Through the Window..."

This museum consisted of Jewish belongings, such as a picture or trinket that was significant to that individual, and the stories that accompanied these memories. Also inside were "voids," or an empty spaces, throughout the building. There was one void which essentially was a large room with its only source of light coming from a small sky light in the top corner. Architect, Daniel Libeskind designed the room to make you feel alone and trapped just as the Jewish people felt during the times of the Holocaust. Libeskind also created a series of these "vertical voids" throughout the building to simulate "the absence of Jews from German society." It was a real disheartening feeling for me.

"Shalekhet"

In addition to the voids, there was a room with 10,000 iron faces covering the floor. This exhibit is called "Shalekhet," or "Fallen Leaves" by artist, Menashe Kadishman (pictured above). According to Kadishman, the faces represent "all the innocent victims of war and violence." In this room, you're able to walk on the iron faces which in itself is an eerie concept. The clinking noise from the iron that echoes in your ear as you walk forces you to deeply think about all the tragic lives lost during this time of distress and chaos.

However, there were some more positive sections of the museum, like a tree where you could place a pomegranate stating your wish. There were hundreds of paper pomegranates with people's wishes for themselves, their loved ones, and the world as a whole which I thought was inspiring, especially in a Jewish museum partially about the Holocaust.

"Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp"

The Sachsenhausen concentration camp, similar to the museum, was a sobering experience. The cloudy weather seemed to set the darkened mood for the day. There were remains of bunkers, uniforms, and graves from the days when the concentration camp was functioning under Hitler's rule. It's sad to imagine all the horrid events that took place in this very location.

"White Rose Memorial"

In between the museums and the site seeing, we of course sought out the authentic German food, from the beer to the pretzels and brats. Despite the overcast weather we had all weekend, Berlin was warmer than anticipated which was a nice surprise. This allowed our outdoor activities, like walking along the Berlin Wall and traveling from place to place, to be much more tolerable!