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.

Checkpoint Charlie

Today we travled to Checkpoint Charlie via the Underground and visited the Checkpoint Charlie museum. We read true stories of people who successfully and unsuccessfully escaped into West Berlin over the Berlin wall. Some of us acquired small pieces of the wall at the shop at the end of the exhibit. Afterwards, we walked to Gallery Lafayette, a lovely mall with intriguing architectural design. On our way to the mall, we crossed over the location where the Berlin wall once stood. With one foot in East Berlin and one foot in West Berlin, we were living history! With so much excitement in a short time, we were tired. We walked around Alexanderplatz and made our way home for a much-needed rest. Mrs. Kaplan and myself had the opportunity to meet and greet some of the wonderful John Lennon Gymnasium school this evening!

205+ Steps in Berlin

Tuesday, 2-19 in Berlin!

Today we visited the Berliner Dom, a cathedral that dates back to Kaiser Wilhelm. Talk about amazing. The inside of the ground floor is filled with gold, and there is a gigantic organ. Our host, Klaus, asked if we wanted to climb to the top in order to see a view of the city. I immediately said absolutely, not knowing the top was over 205 steps away. And the stairs were a tight spiral. It was a trek but worth it! Afterwards, we went to the Bundestag (formally known as the Reichstag), or German parliament. There we had a short tour then went again up a circlar staircase to another dome where again we had a fabulous view of the city. We are pictured there. In the evening we were welcomed by the staff of Partnership International at an evening party.

Tshüß (see yä!)

Nancy

CSI Students in Berlin

February 18, 2008, John Lennon High School

We arrived yesterday to a crowd of Germans holding welcoming signs. Right away everyone was off to their host family homes. Heather and I, separately with our hosts, went bike riding through the city. I rode through the Brandenburg Gate and walked on the remains of the Berlin Wall. After, I went home and fell immediately to sleep. ---Mrs. Kaplan

We arrived yesterday at around 10:00 A.M. I had jet lag but stayed up till 7:30 P.m. The house I am living in is large in size and Karl’s family is very nice. The house is split in two almost, one side blasts classical music while the other blasts heavy German metal. We took a trip down to a flea market after breakfast. The food is very enjoyable thus far and the trip looks to be a great one. ----John Harden

We arrived and I went to my host family’s home, a nice little apartment/flat. The kitchen is small, but cute. After we came home, we ate lunch, which was more like a dinner, and then went sightseeing. We saw a lot; I feel like we walked the entire city. Then we came home and had dinner, which was bread, cheeses, spreads, and deli meats. I went to bed early, at about 7:30, after staying up for thirty hours. --Samantha Goodman

Marie-Terese and I went to this park that she goes to a lot, where there was also this like, “gigundous” flea market. We looked around for awhile, but I didn't get anything. Then we climbed up the hill to this giant wall, which is apparently the one place in Berlin where graffiti is legal. So this huge wall has about 25-30 coats of spray paint underneath it! When we got back we had tea and cookies, lol, and then we took a nap for two hours. After that was dinner, which was potatoes, steak and carrots, which was good, and I gave them the gifts. Hedda loved the puzzle, lol. Then we got ready to go to the movies because this big two-week film festival called Berlinale is going on. On the way we stopped to see if the moneychangers's was open, but alas, it's Sunday. Lol, apparently like, nothing's open on Sunday. I sorta felt guilty, trying to go change money, but at least it wasn't in front of a temple! At dinner they were asking me if my family was religious, and I was like, Yeah, we're Catholic, and if we go to church, and I was like, Yeah, every week, and they apologized for not being at all, but told me there was a church down the street if I need to go "confess." I found that pretty amusing, but I just said thank you and smiled, lol.

The movie was...pretty boring, actually. It was like one of them Indie films they play at festivals, and it was like, the European premiere and all, but it was just really bad. Like, it takes place in the Mississippi Delta, and I guess the beginning was kinda good, it was about how this like ten year old was being hunted down by these like twenty-somethings because he owed them a hundred dollars worth of drugs...? But then, like, the whole direction of the movie changed to this kid's mom trying to keep open a store her dead husband's brother lost interest in...? I admit it, I fell asleep, but so did Marie-Terese, so I didn't feel that bad, lol. ---Kasey Fausak