On
the 15th of January, we began our day with a delicious German hostel breakfast.
Our whole party woke up significantly less refreshed than desired due to a
rambunctious group of students staying on our floor. Tiredness aside, we left
for the Berlin Academy of Science where we were shown around by Dr. Eberhard Knobloch.
We began the tour with a history of Euler's works accompanied by some of his
original manuscripts and writings. It was fascinating to see books penned by
the great man hundreds of years before our time.
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| Original copy of one of Euler's books |
After the history of Euler, we
got to listen as Dr. Knobloch gave a PowerPoint presentation on the
history of the Berlin Academy of Sciences as well as his personal history as a
mathematician. He has won many prestigious awards including a Blaise Pascal
Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities and made many great contributions
to his field.
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| Dr. Knobloch's Blaise Pascal Medal |
After we finished at the Berlin Academy of
Science, we headed off in search of the coffee and food that Donna claimed we
all needed (to be fair, she was absolutely correct). I ate a delicious sandwich
with chicken and tomatoes and some sauce similar to pesto. I also had a coffee
to ensure maximum awareness at our next stop: the Jewish Museum. The museum was
different than what I expected in that only the first portion of it was
dedicated to the Jews and the atrocities committed against them during World
War II. The majority of the museum was dedicated to the history of the Jews and
the rich culture that they come from. The parts that were linked to the
Holocaust were deep and thought provoking. The most interesting and even
disturbing part for me was the Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves) memorial. Walking up
to where the memorial was, I thought I heard the sound of breaking glass or
construction of some kind. As I got closer, it got increasingly louder and then
I saw the source of the noise. The display consists of 10,000 metal faces on
the floor of a poorly lit room. Guests are invited to walk through the art and
their steps made the sound I heard. I stepped out onto the display and gazed
down at the faces, all distinct yet indistinguishable from any other face in
the pile. To me, this signified that each Jew murdered in the Holocaust had a
distinctive story, family, and life yet the Nazis stripped this from them when they relocated them to concentration camps all over Germany. Each of the faces had
its mouth agape in a silent scream of terror, signifiying the
hopelessness that must have faced each victim at the end of their days. The
rest of the museum was interesting and conveyed the loss of the Jews in a
cultural sense, but the Shalekhet memorial was the most moving aspect of the museum
for me.
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| The Shalekhet Memorial by Menashe Kadishman |
After the Jewish Museum, which we explored at our own pace, we broke
off into groups to go explore until Evensong at 6 at the Berliner Dome. My
group went back to the fantastic chocolate shop because some people didn’t get
as much chocolate as they wanted the previous day… and it’s one of the only places
in the city where you can use the loo for free. After we wandered around for a
bit, we headed in the direction of the Berliner Dome. We waited outside for
several minutes in the bitter cold, quoting Monty Python before we were allowed
in. The interior of the cathedral (shown here) was absolutely beautiful.
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| Altar at the Berliner Dome |
The
Evensong service consisted of a Scripture reading, in both German and English,
as well as an organ solo, some hymns and a final blessing, again in both German
and English. After Evensong, we took a chilly walk back to a bus station and
made it back to the hostel around 7. After dinner, a large group of us hung out
in the 1st floor lounge to play a rousing card game. I daresay none
of us will forget the evening soon and for some it may have been the start of
something special. All in all, a fabulous end to our last day in Berlin.
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