2026 Germany and Switzerland
DAY 8 Afternoon - William and Thomas
After finishing a pleasant but probably overpriced lunch still partway up Mount Titlis, we returned to surface level through one final gondola ride around 2:00 pm. As we rode down, we took in the scenery one last time and enjoyed the sounds of the cowbells of the cattle roaming on the fields below.
When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, we boarded the bus (driven by our awesome bus driver, Lucas) and headed out to the most visited city in Switzerland, Lucerne. During the start of our drive, our tour director Patrick mentioned how the several lakes around Mount Titlis are not natural but rather reservoirs used for hydroelectric power. Also, apparently the town near Mount Titlis also had a cogeneration heat and energy plant, in a similar vein to the one at Breitnau we visited yesterday. Many of us used the ride to nap, and thus not many of us were awake when we crossed the border. The border crossing was an easy process as both Germany and Switzerland are within the Schengen Area, in which internal borders are abolished. Around 45 minutes after our departure, we arrived at Lucerne, Patrick and Ms. Maggio’s loud voices stirring us awake.
We began a new adventure in a new location, even though the trip to Mount Titlis was so incredible that for many of us it already felt like we had spent the whole day touring. Alas, we had an hour and a half of Patrick guiding us through Lucerne ahead of us. We departed the bus and by 3:10 Patrick had brought us to the Lion Monument, one of the most famous landmarks of Lucerne. Above the sculpture etched in a rockside read some Latin text that translated to “For the faith and virtue of the Helvetians (a people group in Switzerland). This monument was completed in 1821 to commemorate the Swiss Guards who were killed defending the French royalty during the French Revolution of the late 1700’s. Mark Twain once described the Lion Monument as “the saddest piece of rock” he had ever seen. On the monument the cross symbol of the Swiss flag and the Fleur-de-lis of the French are visible on the stone carved shields. Impaling the lion, which represent the fallen Swiss Guards, are broken spears.
Patrick added on by telling us how Queen Victoria once visited the Lion Monument, spurring a
surge of tourism to Switzerland in the 1800’s.
Fun fact: many of the stores and hotels in the area of the monument are named after the
monument, such as the Swiss Army Knife retailer Victorinox.
Not so fun fact: the Lion Monument has been co-opted by some fascist, monarchist movements
which have held demonstrations there.
After this, Patrick continued to guide us around Lucerne and told us about how the city survived the Second World War unlike many historical areas in other places we visited in Germany. Throughout our tour, we saw ornate frescoes and elegant buildings that were built centuries ago during the Renaissance. Lucerne has many plazas represented by symbols, such as Falkenplatz (Falcon Square, symbolized by a statue of a person with a falcon) and Hirschenplatz (Stag Square, symbolized by a deer). In Hirshenplatz was a picture of the famous German poet Goethe, who stayed there centuries ago.
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After this, we saw the picturesque river Reuss, from which are visible many landmarks such as the Gütsche (a palace located on one of the two mountains visible from our vantage point) and Wasserturm (“Water Tower”, a prison-turned-archive tower in the middle of the Reuss). Of course, we had to take a group photo there. We also saw the ornate Baroque-style Jesuit Church, St. Peter’s Church (the oldest church in Luzerne), and the double-spired St. Leodegar’s Church (the most important church in Luzerne).
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Then we went to a Bucherer watch shop, full of really expensive watches and Patrick had us find the most expensive one we could find (without cheating by asking an employee). George found the most expensive one, which was at an astonishing 600,000 Swiss francs. Afterwards we went into a Casa Grande souvenir and watch store and picked up some Swiss army knives with engravings some of us had ordered the previous evening.
Then we went to a restaurant called Losteria and enjoyed a meal of salad, pizza, and tiramisu. By around 8:30, we returned to our hotel, full of food and our legs aching from a long but fun day of exploring and learning in Switzerland.
DAY 8 Morning -
Hi parents and friends, today is July 5th and here’s everything that happened!
We first woke up really early to eat breakfast (around 6) to depart at 7:15. Turns out our morning activity was nearly 2 hours away on the other side of the country, so this made sense. We arrived at the bottom of the Swiss Alps and when exiting the bus, we were taken aback by the breathtaking nature of our surroundings. We then waited outside the terminal in order to apply sunscreen before then boarding the cable car (little did we know, we had to do this like 6 times).
We took the car up to the first stop, which was in the grassy area of the mountains, but not yet at the snowy parts. Along the way, we saw lots of goats, cows, pigs, and sheep from farmers who worked near the cliffs. After going up a bit higher on another cable car, our tour guide Kristoff (like from Frozen!) talked a lot about the glaciers in the area, so here’s a slight detour so I can give y’all a summary of what he said…
This one’s
surprising! The snow here isn’t usually white anymore because lots of Sahara
sand (wow) and dirt fly onto it. Sand can travel all the way up to Germany.
This makes snow yellow and gray.
Rain kills
the snow here because water and heat goes in and melts it. Because our lovely
glaciers are melting, more and more snow is disappearing.
The
glacier here, in the last 30 years, has lost HALF of its substance. In 40 ish
years, there may be no more glacier up there. More than half of the population
of nature around there would die if this continues and could happen anyday. The
glacier may come back, but definitely not in our time.
The mountain has started fallen apart, splitting rocks and ice. When ice melts, rings in the rock disappear and the gap stays open. New water goes in and freezes, expanding the crack. Over years and years the gap gets bigger and bigger and eventually breaks off. Uncommonly known, this has already happened before about 50km from the alps. So many rocks were falling onto a nearby glacier causing it to explode, completely wiping out the nearest town. Kristoff compared it to the result of Mount St Helen!
Why is the glacier melting a problem? Consequences include loss of drinking water and for agriculture, impacting many of the farmers around here. This isn’t as important but residents and workers also lose energy, as Hoover dams rely on the runoff from glacier.
Direct quote from Kristoff- “We can’t win!” So we gotta take care of our nature right guys?
Anyways, there’s your daily dose of information! This chunk of knowledge was pretty much the only learning we did in the morning. After this, we took another cable car to an ice cave. The ice was from the glacier and was especially smooth (the walls AND floors were all made of ice). Amtej tried to slide on his stomach onto the ice and but didn't quite manage it! I tried to get a video of it, but hit record too late. At this point of time, things were getting really cold, so it was good we all bundled up!
After leaving the cave, we traveled across a suspension bridge hanging over a cliff. Some of us thought it was fun while others were terrified. It was pretty windy, and the bridge kept on wobbling. When we all got across, we went on something like a ski lift down and back the valley. The sightseeing was incredible, and we all took many pictures (this was a great decision-we almost dropped our phones getting these generational photos for you all…).
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At this
point, we were really hungry, so we went to a nearby food court to grab lunch.
This isn’t really important, but Switzerland prices are so expensive and the
portions are SO BIG! I couldn’t even finish my food and it translated to $31
USD. Afterwards, it was 2pm, and we all hopped onto the bus to…the afternoon!!
DAY 7 Afternoon Jenson and Sebastian
After lunch we went right next door to a Wastewater Heat Recovery mechanism serving the Hofgut Sternen complex. Riley, the tour guide, explained that treated graywater, water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, and washing machines couldn’t just be released into the environment. Even though it has been treated, the graywater is 6 degrees Celsius, or 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the environment stream water. When the two waters interact, a foam is formed and disrupts the wildlife. Thus, with this in mind, and as energy used to originally heat up the graywater can also be extracted through heat extractors, thee Hofgut Sternen complex uses this system to both cool down the graywater so it can be released into the environment stream water, and to reduce energy loss This ensures the environment stays stable, and ensures the Hofgut Sternen complex uses less energy, helping to promote sustainability. Additionally, we learned how the complex used to have a wood gasifier, allowing it to produce energy from wood heated to a high temperature and under high pressure. Riley also told us how sustainability also included how the idea was sold. He mentioned how many entities use the technique of greenwashing, or when things are presented as more sustainable or environmentally friendly then they actually are. This technique is common, and risks the exhaustion and dilution of the term sustainability. Riley told us how the message shouldn’t be pushed in the face of the beholder, but should instead be more educationally presented. From this, and the tour of the Berlin urban center earlier on the trip, we learned how sustainability incorporates multiple factors such as water, the environment, energy, and marketing/presentation
After this, we went to an inn named the GoetheHaus. It gets its name from Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe, a famous German writer. He stayed at the inn, and so did Marie
Antoinette, who visited the inn while on her way to France from Austria, to help
facilitate peace between the two countries through a political marriage.
We then walked a short way up a hill to arrive at St. Oswald’s Chapel. Arriving there, we peered a grated window on the side of the chapel. A pile of bones greeted us, and later in the chapel Riley explained why. Previously in the morning we passed by a grain mill that eventually went out of service due to the inefficiencies associated with farming in the area. The ground, made out of sandstone and granite, and coated with a thin layer of soil proved difficult to farm on. Unfortunately, this made burials in the ground impossible. Instead of bringing them to the next town, they placed the bodies in stone boxes, and after they had decomposed, they gathered the bones and placed them into an ossuary, which was the structure we saw.
Riley further explained the history of the chapel: It was constructed in 1148, becoming the first parish church in the Black Forest. It was dedicated to St. Oswald, a king in the 7th century in England. By the time of its construction, he had become a patron saint. Over the almost 880 years of the chapel’s history, there have been renovations done to expand the place. For example, there are traces of Gothic architecture, and during more recent times new windows have been added, as the originals have been blown out. Additionally, the altar was stolen and sold in a flea market in Bavaria, and although it was eventually recovered, it’s in a separate church currently, and the altar which we saw was a replica of this. Afterwards, we thanked Riley for his tour and returned to the Hofgut Sternen complex for a short break.
During the roughly 45 minute break of free time, we split off into groups and
further explored and shopped in the area. There were a few places to visit, including
an ice cream cart, a glassblowing shop, and the clock shop from earlier. Additionally,
the complex had a few interesting sights, including a collection of signs showing
the distance to major cities around the world (and the clock shop), a hill with
goats, and a building acting as a giant clock, when the free time ended at 3:00
pm, the music played and on a balcony above wooden couples danced.
At around the same time we boarded the bus and headed to
Switzerland. Interestingly there was no customs, as Switzerland and Germany
have an open border. The only interruption was Patrick’s joke with the plus on
the Swiss flag, and we arrived at the Rhine Falls a short while later. As the
name denotes, they are waterfalls on the Rhine River. We got off the bus and
spent around 25 minutes along a series of observation decks, taking in the sight.
A series of drops in the river resulted in a collection of roaring white mists
leveling out in a giant body of glimmering teal water.
We continued to Zürich, and along the way we spotted numerous cattle. After arriving at the hotel and checking in, we had a dinner of rice and chicken-mushroom gravy with mixed greens. Afterwards, we had a desert of a scoop of ice cream.
DAY 7 Morning Peter and Kathy
This morning, we had breakfast at seven, later meeting in the lobby at eight forty-five. We dropped off our luggage in the bus and listened to a lecture on cuckoo clocks. They explained the different parts used in constructing them as well as their use in the cuckoo clock’s function.
These parts include the box, decorative pieces, ringing mechanism, and weights. There are two different types of ringing mechanism, those of which that need to be winded once every day and once every week. The weights are used to display time, play music, and convey the ringing noise, which happens once every half hour and once for every hour that passes. The wooden box used to house the ringing mechanism amplifies the noise created, making it audible to us, while decorative pieces rest around the box and the weights hang from chains that connect below the box. We were then given a few minutes to look around the different items listed in the shop before making our way the Black Forest.
Upon arrival at the Black Forest, we met our tour guide, Riley. He guided us through the town, eventually leading us to a power plant. He explained how a power plant in this location locates its fuel, as well as its sustainability and issues that challenge them.
This power plant, being located right next to the Black Forest, is able to sustainably fuel their system using the wood from the trees. Its sustainably using this particular fuel source stems from the fact that the area has established laws that require two trees to be planted for every one tree cut down. This law has made it so that there are in fact more trees being planted than being cut down currently.
Riley and Patrick even taught us how to make Owl Calls. Ms Maggio loved hearing us make these noises as we hiked through the forest!
After this lecture, we began our hike down from the top of the Black Forest. The trees and waterfalls made for beautiful views while making occasional stops to talk about the history of the Black Forest and the culture around it. Historically, the Romans occupied an area that resided in the middle of the Black Forest and a sister mountain range. The darkness of the Black Forest made Romans fearful, leading to the lack of occupation of this area and its name. Additionally, there used to be mills in the forest that created wooden spoons.
Riley explained that in the past, the people used to each carry around their own spoon where ever they went, and that they hang up a person’s spoon after they have passed away; thus creating the phrase “Their spoon is hung up” to say that someone is deceased. Riley also told us that the fairytale legends of the gnomes were created in the Black Forest, as there are many silver mines.
Miners started their work at young ages, and because they did not get much sunlight, they were usually very short. They also wore special hats to protect themselves in the mines. These characteristics became inspirations for the creation of the gnomes. As we neared the end of the hike, we encountered a large bridge, which was the site of a famous battle where the most decorated WW2 American soldier, Ozzie Murphy fought in. After finishing the hike, Riley described typical wildlife seen in the area as well as the different architecture around the area and their time periods.
For lunch, we made our own German pizza (flammkuchen), using sour cream, onions, cheese, bacon, and tomatoes.
DAY 6 Afternoon by George and Sophia
We started off our afternoon with a small orientation of Vauban, the neighborhood we visited in Freiburg.
Vauban is special because of its energy efficient buildings and environmentally-friendly habits. From the
start we split into groups and went to explore the city. With our tour guides, we explored how Germans in
Freiburg reduce carbon emissions by riding bikes, taking the tram, renting cars, or walking. Many of the
streets in Vauban are quiet because of the low presence of cars, since the goal of the neighborhood is to
fully avoid the usage of automobiles. To further explore Vauban, we did a scavenger hunt around Vauban
to study the lives and cultural practices of the citizens that live there. Then, one of the groups went to a
small park where they relaxed and had fun. In the end both groups met up to have drinks and cool down
at a nice cafe.
Then we took the tram to the center of the city, where we had free time for 2 hours. Some
people played frisbee with Patrick (and got destroyed), while others explored the city.
On the bus back to our hotel, we sang karaoke, which included songs such as Toxic, Hotel
California, and Piano man. We had dinner at a buffet at the hotel with Black Forest Cherry cake for dessert, which is named after the Black Forest, the forest at which we’re staying.
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DAY 6 Morning by Amtej and Bonnie
Today, we had a breakfast buffet at 7 AM and left on the bus at 8. Patrick told jokes on the bus and we
talked about the Brothers Grimm stories. These tales originated from the Black Forest, and some of
them were Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel.
We also sang along to Sweet Caroline and arrived in Freiburg just when it ended. Here is a recording of us singing!
Our first guide for the day was Hans, who was a karate master. He showed us some of his moves and
we did a short workout with him. Our second guide, Luciano, then arrived.
The odds went with Luciano, and the evens went with Hans.
On the tour, we learned about the history of Freiburg and how the city and the rest of Germany used
energy. Luciano had us divide into three groups, which were named Sunscreen, Group 2, and Group
Name. In these groups, we would play a game where we would answer questions and get the question
cards if we got it correct.
We were shown a graph of the worldwide consumption of energy with a peak at the discovery of fossil
fuels. Luciano then explained Germany’s use of gas as their main source of heat and energy.
Luciano then told us that the water streams, called bächle, stretched 9.9 miles in the city and came
from the Dreisam River in the Black Forest, where our hotel is. The water in the bächle was not for
drinking, but rather for washing clothes, cooking, putting out fires, and other uses.
For drinking, there were 57 fountains around Freiburg. We went to one and some students helped
water a nearby tree with that water.
We went farther into Freiburg after that, entering a market where the teachers bought fruits, and where
they returned later for more. Luciano told us there were 16 markets across Freiburg with local
businesses selling fresh produce.
Then we went to the cathedral and learned how a pulley system was used for building. On some bricks in the cathedral, there were shapes carved in to represent the sizes of bread loafs, for
people in the past to see if they were getting what they paid for.
Unlike now with all our technology, muscle power was used in the past. Back then, 1 calorie of labor
made 3 calories of food. Now, 12 calories of fossil fuels only produce 1 calorie of food.
Hans and his group discussed the impacts that a recent heatwave had had in the town. For example,
grass surrounding the train tracks meant to dampen the noise had all died, and a large tree in the
center of town was estimated to have lost over 400 Liters of water per day when the temperature was
above 100 F. We also discussed methods to reduce the impacts of rising temperatures, for example
painting the roofs of buildings white, or by creating “living walls” by having vines grow along the outside
of walls which, along with other vegetation being placed on the outside of and around buildings, helped
to absorb heat from the air. Hans also demonstrated how soil in the shade vs concrete in the sun can
have a temperature difference of nearly 20 C or 70 degrees.
Luciano stressed the importance of supporting local food since our energy from fossil fuels and growth
of crops with fertilizer wouldn’t last forever, and reducing the use of cars. More environmentally friendly
options for travel were taking the train, taking the bus (or tram in Europe), walking, and biking.
Later, we took the tram to Freiburg’s town hall, which Luciano said was the most modern building in the
city in terms of energy. It was covered in solar panels, ventilation systems, and was able to keep itself
cool during the summer and warm during the winter. In groups, we learned about its regulation systems
like heating and cooling with pipes below the ground and presented them to the others. We also
learned about the Law of Thermodynamics, which stated that 1 degree of global warming equaled a
7% increase in humidity.
After this was our 1 hour lunch break.
DAY 5 by Georgy and Chanie
Today our journey led us to leave Berlin and continue to the city of Freiburg. Checkout from the hotel
was very early, between 6:00 and 6:15, so we were given bags with our breakfast rather than using the
hotel's amenities. The plans were slightly delayed as multiple students overslept, so we ended up
leaving at 6:25.
We then had a new bus driver take us to the train station from which we would travel to Freiburg. At the
train station the chaperones watched our bags giving us time to explore the nearby floors of the station
and get some proper breakfast before the train had arrived. Considering that the breakfast bags were
unsatisfactory to put it lightly this was a blessing - there was a lot of food in the bags but little was
appetizing to us.
We were back on our platform by 8, and by 8:30 the train had arrived and our journey started. Here
there was a bit of a derailing from the original planned time once again. Partway through we got stuck
behind a malfunctioning train, then the crew switch at another station took ages, and other
inefficiencies led to an intended 7 hour train ride to take a whopping 9 hours. This may have been a bit
of a blessing in disguise however, as most of us passed the time by listening to music, catching up on
sleep, or using the train's wifi for media entertainment.
Upon arriving in Freiburg, the contrast to Berlin was immediately obvious. As we walked its medieval
style streets and squares in a walking tour it felt like a jump to the past. Along the paths clear water ran
in a brick ditch in which children played and adults cooled their feet while sipping wine, all the while
petite trolleys slid past lazily. The city gave a serene feeling of Europe, the opposite of Berlin's buzz
and sprawl.
After a brief lesson on Freiburg's history of merchants fighting for their sovereignty and freedom
against oppressive barons, we made our way to the tallest structure in sight, the city’s towering
Catholic Cathedral, called the Freiburg Minster. We learned that it was actually the only authentic old
building left. The rest of the city had been bombed during ww2 and was rebuilt to resemble a historic
city. The cathedral had been spared because bomber pilots used churches as landmarks for
navigation.
After that we were given from 6:05 pm until 8:00 pm to free roam and get dinner.
After which, we finally boarded our bus and headed to the hotel. Which I must say definitely outclasses
Tomorrow we will be back in Freiburg, so look forward to the next blog about our adventures.
4 AFTERNOON by Matthew and Yahli
After lunch we split into two groups and alternated between activities, the Air Lift Memorial and
a talk led by Restlos Glücklich. The Air Lift Memorial, is a decommissioned Nazi air field that had
been converted into a public park.
There, we walked around the urban garden and also found a dog, which roamed around with
us for a few minutes before returning to a German man with a bike.
We were then given 20 minutes to explore the surrounding neighborhood, with most people
spending their time getting ice cream. While they waited in line, I (Yahli) walked around and
met a lady named Grete who showed me around her shop, which sold silk painted scarves and
handcrafted corsets. We had a really fun conversation, and she invited me to her fashion show
on Saturday. Overall, the neighborhood and public park were both lovely, and I’d be happy to
see more places like this one on the trip.
When we arrived at Restlos Glucklich, we were led down into a red bricked basement where
Food sustainability is a method in which food waste and the resources used to prepare food are
reduced. A simple way to ensure food sustainability is to reduce the use of meat and animal
products, as well as making sure that food is stored properly. We also played the “positioning
game” which was where we stepped in a position scale from one to ten on sustainable food
questions.
Finally, we performed a workshop where we attempted to manage our imaginary food items in
an attempt to mimic sustainable food choices, which wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,
only required a little consideration.
Overall, I would rate the entire experience an 8.5 out of 10, and the most important takeaway I
learned is that sustainable living is not complicated, it just requires determination and dedication.
- Mathew
After we left Restlos Glucklich, we arrived at an Indian restaurant named Amrit, where we
also celebrated Sophia’s birthday.
Our group had breakfast in the hotel dining room between 7:30 and 8:15. The morning started with a rock paper scissors tournament. George was titled the champion. Afterwards our tour guide Patrick talked to us at the front of the hotel about culture in Berlin and his own experiences with the evolution of culture in neighborhoods that he lived in. Patrick talked a little bit about Berlin’s gentrification and Ms. Maggio made connections to gentrification back in New York. We then walked to the nearby neighborhood of Holzmarkt, where we met Ben and Hannes.
We learned about the history of Holzmarkt, which was a timber market 300 years ago because
of its location by the river, Spree. The area was originally full of techno clubs but the city
planned offices. This made the rent skyrocket and caused the gentrification of culture. Eventually,
Switzerland bought and leased the land for 75 years. The land was developed by the people.
Our group split into two separate groups and took different tours of the property. First we did
a scavenger hunt on different businesses found in the Holzmarkt and made guesses on the
workforce and yearly visitors number of the place, which were 200+ and 1.5 million.
It has a bar, restaurant, bakery, physical therapy office, kindergarten, beach bar, club, offices,
and many artist studios. Holzmarkt was created by 2 cooperatives; the 11 founders have one vote
each and the financial planner has one. The goal of the cooperative is to keep the land public for
the people, preserving their connection to the river and the cultural history of the area.
Then we walked over to a club on the property and were briefed about the strategies of abstract construction that the owners of Holzmarkt used. Then we went to the waterfront and our tour guide told us about the story of how they changed the law in Berlin that the waterfront had to be tall walls rather than natural banks. Next we gathered on a balcony and discussed ideas about the use of available space by the water and what it could be used for.
We then had a short workshop in which we created urban development plans for less undeveloped plots of land adjacent to the property. Those were then presented to the tour guide and a popular idea seemed to be bowling alleys and housing although the best one was an urban garden/ nature classrooms. After that we gathered in the Holzmarkt for some free time and a bunch of people descended the slide that was there.
Some of the boys participated in the teledisco - a mini club inside a phone booth!
Ms Maggio and Ms Lindemulder did as well.
DAY 3 AFTERNOON by Kory and Mariam
After lunch we went to see how gray water from apartment buildings (water from sinks and
showers) is processed in an urban center and being used in order to produce crops. Our tour
guides were Amy and Anya, two landscape and urban researchers. Based on our numbers,
half of us went with Anya and the other half went with Amy. No soil is required for these farms,
only water. They mentioned gray water is water that's not from the toilet, but is recycled to use for
toilets. This gray water is recycled almost up to drinking quality, their research of ten years allowed
them to figure out that this was usable for farming and is safe to use. They get their water sources
from the neighborhood and processed using solar energy. 70% of waste water from buildings is
just grey water so this recycling will be deemed very helpful. The idea of roof water farms is in order
to help and develop ways to use all water in an effective way. These farms use very little energy.
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This roof water idea was created in order to test if recycled water is able to be used to create
foods. Another main reason for why this research started was because during the time of the
Berlin Wall, West Berlin would be given all the sewage water, hence where recycled water came
to be an idea.
This idea is also very cost effective and requires little space, for 70 people only 7 cubic meters
is needed. The gray water treatment follows in these steps; Firstly two filters for larger pieces.
The tanks have microorganisms inside to decompose organic compounds within the water. Then
it’s a sand filter which removes the microorganism, then UV light cleans out any bacteria left
within the process.
After learning all of this information, we visited the greenhouse and learned about the vertical
hydroplane farm system. Some of us got to try the basil, proof of how fresh and trustworthy
the ecosystem is.
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After this lecture we went to the Futurium Museum to think about what the future is going to
be like. Unfortunately, a private booking got into our way so we instead returned to the plaza
where we got delicious ice cream.
We took the subway again to our dinner restaurant, where we either had fries and vegetables
or sausage and mashed potatoes and coleslaw.
Afterwards, we had chocolate fudge dessert and enjoyed time together. Post dinner, we took
a scenic walk to appreciate and look at Berlin Wall graffiti.
DAY 3 MORNING by Ben and Teresa
So first we ate breakfast, which was a full buffet (had mixed reviews) and then we went on a bus
tour around Germany.
We also learned how various Fredericks and Williams expanded their empires through taxing,
uniting Prussia in 1871.
After World War 1, and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919; heavy war reparations
were placed Germany (in gold), and had to set up a democracy (named the Weimar Republic,
because they signed a constitution there).
This was not that effective, and caused the government to print more money, causing extreme
inflation. At one point, one US dollar was equal to 6.2 billion marks!
In 1929, the US stock market crashed, causing a ripple effect and recession in Germany. The
people were crushed and hopeless, causing them to vote extreme parties (enabling Hitler to rise
to power). This led to World War 2, but after, the Western powers had learned their lesson, and
split Germany into 4 sections, including Berlin split, helped Germany get on its feet again.
However, in the June of 1948, Stalin cut off land supply to West Berlin (Berlin Blockade),
the West decided to fly in all supplies.
This was obviously extremely expensive, but luckily, in May of 1949, Stalin reconnected land
supply because the blockade didn’t work. West and East Germany formed that year (Soviet vs
Western). In East Germany, over 2 million East Germany left (1/6 of the population at the time)
to go after jobs, housing and money in West Germany, causing East Germany to close its border
and build wall on August 13, 1961.
This eventually led to unrest and revolts among the people, causing the wall to fall in 1989. In
the October of 1990, Germany united again, and the federal capital moved from Bonn to Berlin
in 1999. While learning about Berlin’s history, we stopped the bus and explored the Berlin Wall
Memorial. We were able to peep inside the walls to spot “No Man’s Land” and got an overhead
view from a nearby lookout tower.
Our next stop was the German Parliament, where we learned about its history, particularly the
historic Reichstag fire, and how the Nazi party used it as a symbol to consolidate power.
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After this, we walked to the memorial for Sinti and Roma victims of the Holocaust. Students read
the stories of victims and experienced the memorial’s water features.
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We then visited the Pariser Platz, where we saw the famous Brandenburg Gate, and learned
about its history as a prize of Napoleon’s conquest. The plaza also showcased the French
Embassy and the Hotel Adlon, famous for being the location where Michael Jackson
dangled his baby.
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Our next stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, where students walked
through the Memorial’s immersive walkways, and created their own interpretations of the
memorial, influenced by its intentionally vague design.
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From there we walked to the historic Checkpoint Charlie, where we learned of its significance
as the closest the Soviets and Americans got to armed conflict during the Cold War. We got back
on the bus and viewed one of the few standing examples of brutalist Nazi architecture in Berlin.
Finally, we walked to the Berlin Mall and split off to eat lunch at the food market inside.
DAY 1 and 2 WRITTEN BY GRACE AND SAM
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However, when we landed in Berlin and finally got to walking it was like a breath of
fresh air. After being stuck up in plane after plane and not being able to actually walk
for a bit, stretch our legs, and interact with each other, this was HEAVEN.
Some of the most memorable moments were when we looked at the cathedral in
Berlin and Patrick pointed out the patches that were made to cover up the bullet
holes from world war 2.
It was also intriguing to hear that kids our age were fighting and hiding behind the
same pillars that we were looking at. As Patrick said, you never realize how real
and detrimental war is until you're standing there looking at the aftermath of it.
After that we went to walk along the Spree river, which flows through Berlin.
Along the way we viewed the Fernsehturm, which is a cell tower that was built
by the DDR (or East Germany) in order to both symbolize communist power
and provide practical radio transmitters. It is also the tallest structure in Germany.
We also visited an artist district full of street art and cafes.
Then we went to Grand Bar for a dinner that consisted of curry chicken, rice, and green beans,
as well as a chocolate mousse dessert.
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Finally, we went to our hotel and settled into our rooms to end a long day.
