2026 Germany and Switzerland

 2026 Germany and Switzerland

DAY 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 there was a workshop and a small presentation area where we learned the purpose of Restlos Glucklich was to reduce food waste and allow for more food sustainability.

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. 

DAY 4 MORNING by Chloe and Oliver

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.

As we rode the bus, we passed by Little Istanbul. Patrick told us about how Turkish workers originally came as temporary labor to rebuild the city. We had free time for lunch. Some of us went to get Vietnamese food, some to a ramen spot and to a cafe.

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.

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.

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.

On the bus tour, we discussed the history of Berlin (start: 1237) and its East German communist propaganda.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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

Today was very eventful and tiring. From the endless flights, to the long bus ride, and the tiresome walks.

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.

Finally, we went to our hotel and settled into our rooms to end a long day.