This past spring break, I had the opportunity to go to Berlin, Germany as a part of my PO 351 Berlin seminar class. While there, we toured the city, ate at local restaurants and bars, visited memorials and went to what seemed like virtually all the museums in the country. While the daytime often included discussions about heavy topics and historical atrocities of Germany’s past, the evening was filled with joyous times with friends and the opportunity to interact with locals. I figured I would detail some of my most memorable experiences from the trip and highlights from the itinerary. 

On Thursday March 2nd, we embarked on our journey to Berlin and arrived at the hostel (which was actually quite comfortable) in mid-afternoon the following day. Afterwards, we took a short walking tour of the surrounding area which was filled with local pubs and authentic restaurants. Later that night, we ate at a traditional German restaurant and ordered dishes like schnitzel (fried, breaded veal) and spätzle (egg noodles with a side of gravy). 

The following days consisted of trips to the Jewish museum, a tour of Jewish Berlin and a visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. This was definitely a heavy component of the trip and admittedly a very difficult experience to take i

n. However, seeing the camp in person allowed for a much deeper understanding of events that I was previously able to remain emotionally detached from. 

Although I’ve read many books and seen numerous films about the Holocaust, visiting the camp gave me a new perspective by forcing me to walk through places where individuals were violated and inhumanely killed. Rather than dissociate myself from these events, it was transformative to actually envision the true atrocities of the past where they actually took place. 

From here, we traveled to more museums and monuments throughout the city. We visited everything from the Berlin Wall Museum and the Stasi Museum to meeting government officials at the Bundestag building and taking a tour of the Reichstag. We heard from members of Germany’s Green Party, the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SDU) on current events and how they see Germany playing a role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These days were spent touching on a lot of material covered in class. We were able to put our readings in connection to real world occurrences. Not to mention, it was an exceptionally cool experience to meet with politicians and ask questions. 

During my final days in Berlin, our group went on a tour of Kreuzberg, a multicultural neighborhood of Berlin with a rich history. This was an interesting experience as our guide was quite new to the area and (hopefully) unknowingly used some politically incorrect vocabulary. While describing his “fun times” at a gay pride protest, our guide exclaimed he brought his “ghetto blaster”, or as we would say, speaker, to jam out to music. 

Our guide also went on to speak about the issues of gentrification which has been causing immigrant families who have lived in the community for generations to leave, but also claimed his reason for moving was the attraction of Kruezberg’s “trendy, alternative scene”. However, despite its problematic nature, the tour was certainly an experience that will stick with me and provide a deeper understanding of the city of Berlin in its entirety. 

Altogether, I would recommend this trip to anyone at JCU that is remotely interested in history, politics or is just looking to explore a European city. The Berlin trip was a great way to experience a city with a long history of oppression and political upheaval and how far it’s come in reconciling the wrongs of the past. Monuments and memorials throughout the city are aimed at remembrance and Berlin now boasts a progressive and lively community. Through my ten days there, I was able to take in much of the culture and experience a lot of educational components that examine Berlin’s history through a more nuanced lens.