Tomorrow is our last day. Tonight we had an incredible Italian meal and on our way home we strolled through the city of Frankfurt. On our last day in Germany we will be touring the city of Frankfurt, taking a bus trip to Heidelberg. While there, we will be taking a guided tour of a brewery and having dinner. Have I mentioned how good the beer is in Germany?!
Friday 07.11
This morning we went on a tour with our guides through Frankfurt. Like many other German towns, Frankfurt was 80% destroyed after WWII so most of what one sees while here is new. We went to the town hall, which still has the old facade of the building that existed prior to WWII. We visited the Goethe House. And were left to our own for lunch and shopping.
At 2:30 we met for a bus trip to Heidelberg. Just when I thought I saw the most beautiful city, I was introduced to another city filled with charm. After walking throught the castle that sits atop a mountain top, we walked down over 350 steps to walk through the cobblestone streets. A bit later, we met for a tour of Kulturbrauerei (Culture Brewery) and sampled three of their best. We also had dinner at this establishment for our last dinner together.
We all will be parting tomorrow and some of us will be leaving ealier than the rest to tour around to different parts of Europe. Most of us are going to be leaving together for the Frankfurt airport to fly back to the east coast of the US.
I want to thank the Goethe Institut for such a wonderful program for teachers. As a teacher, I felt extremely honored and I look forward to sharing my experience with my students back in New Jersey. Thank you Martin and Katarina for incredible tours of Berlin and Leipzig. Thank you Stefan for EVERYTHING!
26.6.08
Wednesday 07.09.08 - Thursday 07.10.08 Depart Nurnberg for Frankfurt
Before departing Nurnberg, our guides, Suzanne and Alexander took us to the rally party grounds of the Nazi Party. We walked onto the Zeppelin Grandstand (1935-1937) that was partially preserved after it became UNESCO protected. the Zeppelin Field is parade ground and was bigger than 12 football fields. Up to 200,000 peeople were said to find a place here. The area in Nuremberg that became the Party Rally Ground was tremendous in size. It was used for the once a year rally of the Nazi Party members, and this included the Hitler Youth.
Strangely there were people roller blading on the grounds in front of the grandstand. The area has become a natural party of the town Nuremberg and it is clear by standing on these grounds that the citizens who live here have tried very hard to continue to recognize their history and to incorporate a very painful part of their history into their present lives. In the 1970's Bob Dylan played on the old party grounds.
We visited the Documentation Centre, a museum that is focused on the "Fascination and Terror" of the Nazi Party. Again, it was clear that the Germans have come to terms with a terrible part of their history. The museum was housed in the Congress Hall, which was meant to be a central feature of the party grounds. It was never completed. From the photos, it is celar that the Roman Colleseam was modeled for this party architecture building.
These grounds were primarly used for the Nazi Party's stage managed propaganda rallies.
After visiting the Documentation Centre, we left Nurnberg for Frankfurt, our last leg of the trip. We arrived at 7:00 p.m. and were greeted by Annika, our guide. We of course had dinner soon after. We were brought to a local Frankfurt restaurant were we had another enjoyable meal and the local apple wine.
Thursday 7.10.08
As I write this, I'm watching "Run Lola Run" a great German Film. Its great even if you don't like reading subtitles because it is seriously mostly Lola Running. Running through city scenes in Berlin. Lola's father works for Deutsche Bank, which is the company that funds the teachers to come to Germany as part of the Goethe Institut.
Today we went to Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt to have a luncheon with ...
Strangely there were people roller blading on the grounds in front of the grandstand. The area has become a natural party of the town Nuremberg and it is clear by standing on these grounds that the citizens who live here have tried very hard to continue to recognize their history and to incorporate a very painful part of their history into their present lives. In the 1970's Bob Dylan played on the old party grounds.
We visited the Documentation Centre, a museum that is focused on the "Fascination and Terror" of the Nazi Party. Again, it was clear that the Germans have come to terms with a terrible part of their history. The museum was housed in the Congress Hall, which was meant to be a central feature of the party grounds. It was never completed. From the photos, it is celar that the Roman Colleseam was modeled for this party architecture building.
These grounds were primarly used for the Nazi Party's stage managed propaganda rallies.
After visiting the Documentation Centre, we left Nurnberg for Frankfurt, our last leg of the trip. We arrived at 7:00 p.m. and were greeted by Annika, our guide. We of course had dinner soon after. We were brought to a local Frankfurt restaurant were we had another enjoyable meal and the local apple wine.
Thursday 7.10.08
As I write this, I'm watching "Run Lola Run" a great German Film. Its great even if you don't like reading subtitles because it is seriously mostly Lola Running. Running through city scenes in Berlin. Lola's father works for Deutsche Bank, which is the company that funds the teachers to come to Germany as part of the Goethe Institut.
Today we went to Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt to have a luncheon with ...
Tuesday 07.08.08 Depart Regensburg for Nurnberg
Our stay in Nurnberg was in a five star hotel, the Arabella Sheraton Hotel Carlton. We have been eating in the best restaurants and we have been treated as "rock stars". Its truly incredible how much the Germans have influenced me to feel proud to be a teacher. Today was a good day. We visited a local elemantary schule (school) called the Gebruder-Grimm Schule. Here we visited a teacher and witnessed an excellent lesson. 
Later we were greeted at the Rathaus Wolffscher Bau by a local city council member in the conference room of the Town Hall. He provided each and every one of us with Nurnberg Eurobags which was a very unexpected gesture.
After the recpetion, I headed to the top of the castle in Nurnberg. Nurnberg was a Medieval City that focused on trade with North and South Europe. The city was a walled city that was 85% destroyed after WWII. The city was rebuilt as it was before the war.
Later we were greeted at the Rathaus Wolffscher Bau by a local city council member in the conference room of the Town Hall. He provided each and every one of us with Nurnberg Eurobags which was a very unexpected gesture.After the recpetion, I headed to the top of the castle in Nurnberg. Nurnberg was a Medieval City that focused on trade with North and South Europe. The city was a walled city that was 85% destroyed after WWII. The city was rebuilt as it was before the war.
Saturday 07.05.08 - Monday 07.07.08 Depart Leipzig for Regensburg
Martin and Katarina left us at the train station in Leipzig. We were headed to Regensburg. When we arrived, we met Alexander and Susanne, our guides for the next part of the trip.
There were about 16 of us wheeling our luggage from the train station and we pleasantly arrived at the Maximillian Park-Hotel a four star hotel.
After 300 years the Romans left the military camp for a warmer climate. The photo above shows the original walls that were built with limestone brought by the Romans. The Bavarians soon followed and took advantage of what the Romans left behind. Hans commented that the "Bavarians are very very smart". Rogensburg became the first capital of Bavaria. In 1810 it became part of the Bavarian kingdom. It is the 4th largest city in Bavaria with 150,000 residents. It has been given UNESCO status due to the number of original structures in the city. It had little industry so there was very little damage from WWII. 
The Danube River flows throught the medieval town. This River changed the function of this town from a Roman border to a trade route - it had the only dependable stone bridge from Northern Europe to Southern Europe.
There were about 16 of us wheeling our luggage from the train station and we pleasantly arrived at the Maximillian Park-Hotel a four star hotel.
We quickly refreshed and met for a very late night dinner. Again, we were all pleased with our German fare.
We met in the morning for a tour of Regensburg. Hans gave us the historical significance of Regensburg which starts with the Romans. The town began by the Romans as a military camp to protect the most northern part of the Holy Roman Empire. It is referred to as the "Castle by the River". An entrance gate still stands today (there are only 2 remaining gates in Germany today).
After 300 years the Romans left the military camp for a warmer climate. The photo above shows the original walls that were built with limestone brought by the Romans. The Bavarians soon followed and took advantage of what the Romans left behind. Hans commented that the "Bavarians are very very smart". Rogensburg became the first capital of Bavaria. In 1810 it became part of the Bavarian kingdom. It is the 4th largest city in Bavaria with 150,000 residents. It has been given UNESCO status due to the number of original structures in the city. It had little industry so there was very little damage from WWII. The Danube River flows throught the medieval town. This River changed the function of this town from a Roman border to a trade route - it had the only dependable stone bridge from Northern Europe to Southern Europe.
In Regensburg there are several churches. According to Hans, "for every week one church and for every day a chapel" - there are over 50 churches in Regensburg alone. Regensburg is often visited by the Pope, who is German. He visits his brother. We ate at his favorite restaurant.
On the biggest cathedrals in Regensburg is a French Gothic style that was built from 1275-1872. The church took so long because there was a 300 year break after Regensburg became Protestant. There are several areas on the outside of the cathedral that are discolored due to pollution from mostly the railroad. It was also pointed out by our tour guide that those that built the cathedral would often mark their "signature" on the stone. Most of the builders did not read so they would use a symbol to designate their work. I was reminded of a book I recently read about Tom the Builder, Pillars of the Earth. 
We ate lunch at Alte Linde, an outside biergarten and in the evening we caught a Choral music concert performance at St. Ulrich Church.
On Monday July 7th, we visited the Domspatzen Music Gymnasium of Regensburg to see a 10th grade history class.
We at lunch at the Pope's favorite restaurant, Bischofshof am Dom with four teachers from the gymnasium.
We departed Regensburg at 4:30 p.m. and arrived in Nurnberg an hour later.
Friday 07.04.08 Happy Independence Day America! - Saturday 07.05.08 Depart Liepzig
09:00 Leipzig Forum of Contemporary History Museum was interesting - focusing on the area under GDR time (post WWII under the Soviet regime). In front of the museum is an incredible statue that reflects the contrast of dictatorship and freedom. If you notice the top of the sculpure has his hands free and wide open while the back hand is in a fist. The front foot is open with his toes exposed while the back one is clearly a military boot. We weren't sure, but the toe appeared to be rubbed by many tourists so you can see I decided to do the same.
11:00 Ephraim Carlebach Foundation more to come...
FREE TIME
When I say our tour guides Martin and Katarina are keeping us busy, I'm not kidding. Today there was time to walk around for three hours on our own. I broke away from the group, which was kind of hard to do. I've spent my time with Betty, Quinn, Dana, Dorothy, Bob, Heather, David, and others and it was actually difficult to say I'm going off on my own.
Tonight we meet for a Bach program in a local Protestant church with a farewell dinner for the next half of our tour will be spent with different travel guides. Nobody will replace Martin and Katarina. Martin was a very interesting person. He does freelance documentaries for a living, another testatment to the Germans appreciating the arts. He made a film taking a coffee bean from Brazil to a cup of coffee in Germany by tracing the process used every step of the way. He is a tour guide on the side. He always winds up taking us through some underground artistic area that we would never have found on our own. Somehow he always ties what we are looking at to old Germany and reunified Germany. The Germans always seem to make connections which seems like a very healthy way of dealing with in some cases, a painful past.
When I say our tour guides Martin and Katarina are keeping us busy, I'm not kidding. Today there was time to walk around for three hours on our own. I broke away from the group, which was kind of hard to do. I've spent my time with Betty, Quinn, Dana, Dorothy, Bob, Heather, David, and others and it was actually difficult to say I'm going off on my own.
Tonight we meet for a Bach program in a local Protestant church with a farewell dinner for the next half of our tour will be spent with different travel guides. Nobody will replace Martin and Katarina. Martin was a very interesting person. He does freelance documentaries for a living, another testatment to the Germans appreciating the arts. He made a film taking a coffee bean from Brazil to a cup of coffee in Germany by tracing the process used every step of the way. He is a tour guide on the side. He always winds up taking us through some underground artistic area that we would never have found on our own. Somehow he always ties what we are looking at to old Germany and reunified Germany. The Germans always seem to make connections which seems like a very healthy way of dealing with in some cases, a painful past.
At 6:00 p.m. we headed to the Thomas Kirche Church for a Back choral program. Afterwards we went for dinner at a spot where Goethe once spent a great deal of time. Here I am pictured with Martin, the German tour guide who can speak English, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Tonight a few of us had a little fun. We went out to a place called NATO and saw a live Maori band from New Zealand. Vonderbar! The singer mentioned how too many people are in the center and we need to walk out to the edge a little more. She mentioned how Germans and Maori's both share a painful past. A member of the band performed the HAKA, the Maori war dance. A great cultural experience shared with Martin, our tour guide, Stefan, the representative from the Goethe Institute from D.C. (A German), Heather, David, and Alex.
Tomorrow we leave Leipzig. Arrevaderchee Leipzig!
Wednesday 07.02.08 - 07.03.08 Depart from Berlin for Leipzig
Today I felt like I was in Germany forever. Its’ only been four days. The highlight for today was a Boat Ride down the river that flows through the middle of Berlin. Wiess bier. Free time to break from the group. I walked to the Berliner Dom with Dorothy from Tennessee. Our common silence was incredibly comfortable and truly enjoyable for some quiet time away from the group. While we sat in the Berliner Dom, I closed my eyes and got lost in my thoughts. I was ready to leave Berlin. Excited for the next phase of our trip. We headed to Leipzig. Accommocation Park Hotel Leipzig http://www.park-hotel-leipzig.de/
http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/about_driv.html Driven to Defiance"I would never have thought that such a storm would rise from Rome over one simple scrap of paper..." (Martin Luther)
We also visited St. Andrew’s Church which was the location of the last sermon of Martin Luther. After our return trip back to Leipzig, we dined again over German Food, beers and Reisling. I was again pleasantly surprised to find very enjoyable German Food..jpg)
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Arriving in Leipzig was like a breath of fresh air….aaaaaahhhhhh - Cobblestone streets, winding alleyways, late 18th century and early 19th century facades, with church bells ringing on the hour. Dinner tonight was spent with Betty, David, and Heather over Weiss biers, the best German food I’ve had yet, and great conversation. I didn’t want it to end. Europeans really know how to live. We were sitting outside dining until 11:00 p.m. on a Wednesday night and there were tons of people right along side us. Doesn’t anyone have to get up for work? Leipzig’s architecture was virtually ignored while under the GDR. Since reunification it has become one of the most charming cities in Europe.
07.03.08
This morning brought our group to a few nearby towns, Halle (which means Salt in German) and Eisleben, the birthplace of Martin Luther. We went to visit the Francke Foundation in Halle, Germany, an organization that was founded as an orphanage and to help the poor outside the gates. The original buildings dated over 300 years old still exist today.
Under GDR times, (German Democractic Republic – Soviet Controlled) the buildings of the Francke Foundation were left in disrepair and the foundation lost its independence. Since the end of the communist regime in Eastern Germany, the foundation has continued its’ influence in the surrounding community. Interestingly enough, Halle lost over 90,000 citizens after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today it is faced with a declining Salt and Copper Mining industry, and high rates of unemployment.
As part of our tour, we went inside one of the schools on the Francke grounds. Clearly art is stressed in German culture. There were a few students who were part of the Poland-German partnership working on their own masterpieces.
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From Halle we took the train to Eisleben, the birth and death place of Martin Luther. Eiseleben was another quaint quiet German town that has Martin Luther as its main tourist attraction. Martin Luther was born in 1483 in a house that we visited. Luther’s birthplace was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this town is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, the location of Luther’s baptism. In Eisleben has an incredible marketplace reflecting the Late Middle Ages. The focal point of the marketplace is the statue of Martin Luther, which was done in 1883 by Rudolf Siemering.
http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/about_driv.html Driven to Defiance"I would never have thought that such a storm would rise from Rome over one simple scrap of paper..." (Martin Luther)
We also visited St. Andrew’s Church which was the location of the last sermon of Martin Luther. After our return trip back to Leipzig, we dined again over German Food, beers and Reisling. I was again pleasantly surprised to find very enjoyable German Food.
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Tuesday 07.01.08
I had an awful night sleep. This doesn't help when there is a very timely schedule and a full day of tour, activities, and lecture. We started out walking to Humboldt Universitat to the site across the main entrance where a book burning was held in 1933. Surprisingly this was not done by the Nazis (as I previously thought) but by university students. A famous German once predicted,
“Where they burn books, so too will they in the end burn human beings."
We were given a tour of more of Berlin. We went to Potsdam and a walk onto the Memorial in Berlin dedicated to the over 6 million Jews who were targeted in the 1930-1940's.
The Brandenburg Gate http://www.berlin-landmarks.com/brandenburg_gate.html The Brandenburg Gate was commisioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace. The Gate was designed by Karl Gotthard Langhans, the Court Superintendent of Buildings, and the main architectural design of this landmark hasn't changed since it was first constructed in 1791. Ironically the gate was incorporated into the Berlin wall during the years of Communist government. The Brandenburg gate is probably the most well-known landmark in Berlin, it now stands as a symbol of the reunification of the two sides of this great city.
“Where they burn books, so too will they in the end burn human beings."
We were introduced to Ms. Pohl who spoke with us about the migration and integration of Muslim citizens in Berlin. There is approximately 9 % of Turks in Germany and this makes up the highest minority group of the country. Interestingly, Germans only view those who have German citizenship as true Germans. For the most part, the "German" Turks do not have citizenship in Germany. Germany only allows for a person to have citizenship of ONE country. Most Turks have citizenship of Turkey and thus must give up their Turkish citizenship in order to become a true part of the German nation.
There is such an overwhelming amount of Turks in Germany as a result of the need for workers after 1945 and the Marshall Plan, financial assistance provided to Germany by the United States in order to help the country rebuild after WWII. They were invited as "guest workers" who were anticipated to return back to their homeland. In most cases this never happened. More to come....
We had an excellent "Germany Today" lecture followed by a Q&A session with Daniel K. He truly helped me understand the generation of Germans who are the children of those who witnessed the atrocities of the Nazis. Daniel was not shy to admit that when he was a child visiting neighboring nations, he lied when asked where he was from. To say you were German was humiliating. He admitted to never singing the national anthem, waving the German flag, or having strong nationalist feelings for his country. He was born in the mid 60's and was fighting establishment. Waving a flag would feel like Nazism all over again and this young generation made every attempt to move away from that.
The healing process has come recently for himself and other Germans as a result of European Soccer. Germans as a nation have come together to celebrate their country, wave their flag, welcome their team home after the loss on Sunday, and he says that it is moving in the right direction.
After hearing him speak I have a much clearer understanding of the German people. Here is a man who has such a clear understanding of the role his country played in one of the worst forms of barbarism. The fortunate thing is that Germans today are moving away from feeling guilty, shameful, and remorseful. They accept what happened in their country and are doing an excellent job of sharing their history with the world. I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable here but it is just the opposite.
Germans have such a sense of learning from the past.....and in the healing process they are making strong attempts to make things better for the future. This includes the majority of the population being in favor of doing what they can to help climate change. More to come...
We were given a tour of more of Berlin. We went to Potsdam and a walk onto the Memorial in Berlin dedicated to the over 6 million Jews who were targeted in the 1930-1940's.
The Brandenburg Gate http://www.berlin-landmarks.com/brandenburg_gate.html The Brandenburg Gate was commisioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace. The Gate was designed by Karl Gotthard Langhans, the Court Superintendent of Buildings, and the main architectural design of this landmark hasn't changed since it was first constructed in 1791. Ironically the gate was incorporated into the Berlin wall during the years of Communist government. The Brandenburg gate is probably the most well-known landmark in Berlin, it now stands as a symbol of the reunification of the two sides of this great city.
Monday 06.30.08
Day 2 in Berlin was a very busy day. We crammed so much into one day. At 9:00 a.m. We were provided with a guided tour of the Bundesrat and discussion about the German federal system of government. See the following link for information about this branch of the German Federal Government: http://www.bundesrat.de/EN/Home/homepage__node.html?__nnn=true
The building the bundesrat is housed was formerly part of the Soviet sector of Berlin. The building was completely rennovated after the 1990's. Looking outside a window from the Bundesrat, one can see the empty lot across the street. It was once a department store, Wertheim's owned by a Jewish family before the 1930's. This family lost the ownership of their business after Hitler's Final Solution.
At 10:45 a.m. we arrived at the Auswartiges AMT Federal Foreign Office. This is a building that required all those that enter to show their passports. A very interesting discussion was held with Mr. Daniel Kriener, the German ambassador for US relations. He detailed the relationship that Germany has with nations around the world. One specific topic he addressed was climate change and going green. Germany is no doubt moving to the lead in terms of what they are doing to encourage the international community to cooperate with this issue. Below the lobby to the AMT Federal Foreign Office is clearly reflecting this goal. It is filled with natural light. In addition, the building, like so many others in Berlin are climate controlled.
12:30 Lunch at the invitation of the Directorate-General for Culture and Communication at the Internationaler Club
Just north of Berlin, Sachsenhausen was one of the most notorious death camps of the Nazi empire and was liberated by Allied troops in 1945. The freedom was short lived. The Soviet secret police turned it into a prison camp, and the misery and death continued for
another 5 years.
The largest prison camp in East Germany, Sachsenhausen was home to some 12,000 inmates from 1945 to 1950, when the prison was shut down. Mass graves of the former prisoners were discovered here only in 1990.
A museum has opened on the site documenting the tragic history of two totalitarian regimes, the Nazi and Soviet enslavements. Exhibits show that, during World War II, Sachsenhausen was the administrative headquarters for all the concentration camps, winning the praise of the dreaded SS chief, Heinrich Himmler. The SS learned its methods of mass killing at this camp. Most of the 30,000 or so victims of the Nazi regime were prisoners of war and included Stalin's oldest son.
Sachsenhausen Main gate reading "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" (work makes you free); Roll call area. Wall in distance with barracks silhouette indicates former location of semi-circle of barracks.; Close-up of wall showing outlines of former barracks; Two watchtowers.; Camp wall; Stone sculpture Liberation by René Graetz.
The building the bundesrat is housed was formerly part of the Soviet sector of Berlin. The building was completely rennovated after the 1990's. Looking outside a window from the Bundesrat, one can see the empty lot across the street. It was once a department store, Wertheim's owned by a Jewish family before the 1930's. This family lost the ownership of their business after Hitler's Final Solution.
At 10:45 a.m. we arrived at the Auswartiges AMT Federal Foreign Office. This is a building that required all those that enter to show their passports. A very interesting discussion was held with Mr. Daniel Kriener, the German ambassador for US relations. He detailed the relationship that Germany has with nations around the world. One specific topic he addressed was climate change and going green. Germany is no doubt moving to the lead in terms of what they are doing to encourage the international community to cooperate with this issue. Below the lobby to the AMT Federal Foreign Office is clearly reflecting this goal. It is filled with natural light. In addition, the building, like so many others in Berlin are climate controlled.
12:30 Lunch at the invitation of the Directorate-General for Culture and Communication at the Internationaler Club
After lunch, we headed to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
Frommer's Review http://www.frommers.com/destinations/berlin/A33828.htmlJust north of Berlin, Sachsenhausen was one of the most notorious death camps of the Nazi empire and was liberated by Allied troops in 1945. The freedom was short lived. The Soviet secret police turned it into a prison camp, and the misery and death continued for
another 5 years.
The largest prison camp in East Germany, Sachsenhausen was home to some 12,000 inmates from 1945 to 1950, when the prison was shut down. Mass graves of the former prisoners were discovered here only in 1990.
A museum has opened on the site documenting the tragic history of two totalitarian regimes, the Nazi and Soviet enslavements. Exhibits show that, during World War II, Sachsenhausen was the administrative headquarters for all the concentration camps, winning the praise of the dreaded SS chief, Heinrich Himmler. The SS learned its methods of mass killing at this camp. Most of the 30,000 or so victims of the Nazi regime were prisoners of war and included Stalin's oldest son.
Sachsenhausen Main gate reading "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" (work makes you free); Roll call area. Wall in distance with barracks silhouette indicates former location of semi-circle of barracks.; Close-up of wall showing outlines of former barracks; Two watchtowers.; Camp wall; Stone sculpture Liberation by René Graetz.
Saturday 06.28.08 Depart for Berlin - Arrive Sunday 06.29.08
Our flight to Berlin was six hours long. On the plane I met Doug. He was returning to Iraq after a two week trip home in Georgia. He has been in Iraq since 2003. I asked him the positives of the United States being there. “Schools are being built” was the first thing he pointed out. Electricity and running water were other factors that he pointed out. I was glad I met Doug. It reminded me of what was going on in Iraq. Like most Americans, it has not been on the forefront of my mind.
We landed in the morning. Here we were welcomed by two representatives of the Goethe-Institute, Martin and Katarina.
Our accommodations are at the Hotel park Inn in Alexanderplatz 7. http://www.parkinn-berlin.com/. We were all pleasantly surprised to have our own rooms. From my hotel window I can see an incredible veiw of Berlin, including the antenna that is in former East Berlin. The Park Inn is in Alexanderplatz, which is also in former East Berlin. I recall this area 10 years ago when I was in Berlin. The facades were very much outdated. Since the reunification of Berlin, the look of Alexanderplatz has been updated.
We arrived at the hotel at 1:00 p.m and we were told that we had 20 minutes to check in and freshen up. Our tour guides were very good at pushing a group of 16 hungry, tired, jetlagged people to get moving. I was truly exhausted, but new I was in for an incredible experience. After a brief stop for lunch, we took a coach to the Reichstag building with an explanation of the German parlimentary system. While on our tour, the city of Berlin was preparing for the Euro Cup where Germany was playing Spain. The city was crazy with young and old, men, and women, Turks and Germans, easterners and westerns all filled with nationalist spiri.t for one of the biggest events of the year. A chance for Germans to come to together as ONE Germany.
Click here for your own guided tour:
The Reichstag was constructed from 1884–94 by Paul Wallot, since a representative building was needed to house the parliament of the newly-founded German state. The inscription "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German people") was only added in 1916 during the First World War, because Wilhelm II had previously been against it.
On 9 November 1918, the politician Philipp Scheidemann announced the establishment of the Republic from one of its windows. Part of the Reichstag was destroyed in a fire on 27 February 1933: the exact cause has never been identified, but the fire was used by the Nazis to ju
stify their persecution of political opponents. After the war, the devastated building was rebuilt in a simplified form from 1961–71, but it was not used for parliamentary functions. The dome, which had been blown up in 1945, was not re
built. After reunification, the German Federal Government decided to use the building as a parliament once again. From 1994–99 the Reichstag was reconstructed and extended by the Architect Sir Norman Forster, taking into consideration both the immense historical implications and its function as a modern working parliament, and adding an accessible dome. Before the renovation work began in 1994, the 
building became the stage for one of the most spectacular art events in Europe: it was wrapped by Christo and Jeanne Claude. The glass dome, which was at first the subject of great controversy, has now become one of the newest landmarks in the city. The glass dome is another example of Germany's concern for the environment. It is a completely climate controlled part of the building with natural light. Since 1999 the Reichstag building has once again been the seat of the German Bundestag.
On 9 November 1918, the politician Philipp Scheidemann announced the establishment of the Republic from one of its windows. Part of the Reichstag was destroyed in a fire on 27 February 1933: the exact cause has never been identified, but the fire was used by the Nazis to ju
stify their persecution of political opponents. After the war, the devastated building was rebuilt in a simplified form from 1961–71, but it was not used for parliamentary functions. The dome, which had been blown up in 1945, was not re
built. After reunification, the German Federal Government decided to use the building as a parliament once again. From 1994–99 the Reichstag was reconstructed and extended by the Architect Sir Norman Forster, taking into consideration both the immense historical implications and its function as a modern working parliament, and adding an accessible dome. Before the renovation work began in 1994, the 
building became the stage for one of the most spectacular art events in Europe: it was wrapped by Christo and Jeanne Claude. The glass dome, which was at first the subject of great controversy, has now become one of the newest landmarks in the city. The glass dome is another example of Germany's concern for the environment. It is a completely climate controlled part of the building with natural light. Since 1999 the Reichstag building has once again been the seat of the German Bundestag. After the tour, we headed back onto the coach for a tour of Berlin. We were brought to Check Point Charlie, remnants of the Berlin Wall, and other areas throughout the city. Lots of great photos were taken on this day. Below, one can see the line that once marked where the wall stood separating West Berlin from East Berlin. The Germans are very clear about this part of their history and are very interested in sharing it.
Later after the tour, we were treated by the Goethe Institute to dinner while watching the soccer match. Unfortunately, Germany lost 1-0 to Spain. The next day things resumed as normal.
What is the Goethe Institut?
Today I flew into Reagan Airport in D.C. I was provided directions to the hotel and checked in at 1:oo p.m. The first session began at 4:00 p.m. so I had time to hit the pool, nap, and relax. I met a few "fellows" and we walked to the Goethe Institut building two blocks away.
At the opening session I met the other 15 teachers who will be accommpanying me on this journey. I also was introduced to our guides, Kelsey, Wood, and Stefan. David Sheehan, I told them you said hello and that you were responsible for my being there! Wood said you were in his favorite group of all the time.
After a quick dinner, I headed back to the hotel and came back to the room to relax. Looking forward to tomorrow, an opening orientation at 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and from there to Dulles Airport to fly to Berlin.
We arrive Sunday morning, in time to watch the Germany vs. Spain 2008 Soccer Finals later that night. We were told it will be complete chaos (similar to the Giants winning the Super Bowl - but crazier!).
---------------------------------
As answered at the following website: http://www.goethe.de/uun/enindex.htm, the Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institution operational worldwide.
At the opening session I met the other 15 teachers who will be accommpanying me on this journey. I also was introduced to our guides, Kelsey, Wood, and Stefan. David Sheehan, I told them you said hello and that you were responsible for my being there! Wood said you were in his favorite group of all the time.
After a quick dinner, I headed back to the hotel and came back to the room to relax. Looking forward to tomorrow, an opening orientation at 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and from there to Dulles Airport to fly to Berlin.
We arrive Sunday morning, in time to watch the Germany vs. Spain 2008 Soccer Finals later that night. We were told it will be complete chaos (similar to the Giants winning the Super Bowl - but crazier!).
---------------------------------
As answered at the following website: http://www.goethe.de/uun/enindex.htm, the Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institution operational worldwide.
The three principal objectives of the institute are:
1. to promote the study of the German language abroad
2. to encourage international cultural cooperation
3. to convey an all-round image of Germany by providing information on its culture, society and politics.
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