Going back (for 4 days at least)

Hello again:)) I feel like I'm only writing about holidays nowadays. (There's a second post on the way, but I'm splitting this up because it's about two different places.) Anyway. From Feb 3 until Feb 6 I went to Berlin with a friend, and I had the most amazing time everrrr. Here is a few things we did/places we saw:

-"Topograpy of Terror"
-an amaaaazing restaurant that did great falafel burgers
-memorial of the protest of June 17, 1953
-Checkpoint Charlie (although we didn't stay long)
-Alexanderplatz
-Berliner Dom
-Brandenburger Tor
-Reichstag
-memorial of the Jews murdered during the Holocaust
-Museum deutscher Geschichte/Museum of German history
-the Jewish museum
-East Side Gallery
-Hohenschönhausen
-a concert of classical music
-Schloss Bellevue

So now I will try to say someting about each place. The topography of terror was brilliantly done. It's only about the NS regime. (That's one thing that annoys me, by the way. The official name that we always have to use in history exams or when anything is analysed or research is being done is NSDAP - Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, that was the official name of the party. Over time, that was shortened to "Nazis" by everyone. Which is totally fine. But apparently that is actually an establised word in the English language. In all the texts you could read there, the German texts said "NSDAP" and the English one "the Nazi Party". I know everyone said it and still does, but it is incorrect if you use it in serious texts and not colloquially. It's like saying "Stasi" instead of "MfS" for the German state security service in the GDR. Also, when it's another party that doesn't happen - in both languages you could read about the "SPD", for example, which is another party in Germany. Do you get what I mean? At least in Germany it is a serious slip if you use the term "Nazis" instead of "National Socialists" or "NSDAP", "NS regime" etc when you do a history exam, so it should be the same in English because it used to be just a kinda nickname. So it always annoys me a bit when I read that in museums because museums are supposed to be like that too. I'm not trying to start a debate here. Just something I wanted to say, so no fights over this please.

Aaaanyway. We went to the Berliner Dom, and not just inside but also up, and the view from there was fantabulous. As you can see here. Definitely worth the seven euros it cost us.

Next one. The Brandenburger Tor is just obligatory I suppose. Aaaaand a huge tourist trap. (But it was still pretty cool:))

One of the most interesting places we saw was the Reichstag. You can actually get a tour there for free if you book it early enough. So we had a tour that was focusing on German history. The outside is really old (or at least most of it is still as it used to be before the war, two thirds if I remember correctly), except the dome, of course, and the inside is really modern. It's all very bright and very well done, I think. The architect did brilliant work there. There are even some graffiti inside that used to be on the outside walls and that the Russians put there when they occupied Berlin in 1945.
The MPs weren't in that day because at that time the parties were still trying to decide about the future government (another drama right there), so we could see everything without disturbing anyone. Apparently the youngest MP ever was 19. Incredible, isn't it? My age. I think there is a lot I can do and that I want to take on, but being a MP at 19 is not really one of them.
Anyway, it was amazing to be there where all the important decisions are being made and where some of the mot interesting historical events happened. I'm not sure why, but this again made it clear that it is just really, really important to inform yourself and know about politics.

Next: The memorial of the Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It's right next to the Brandenburger Tor and consists of stone/concrete blocks of various size. We were just walking through there when there was a family - a whole family, not just the kids but the parents as well - that was playing hide and seek or I don't know what in there. In there. What did they think, that it was a maze or what? A playground? A place to shout and be all disrespectful and annoying? You'd think that people would actually be considerate, but seeing that, or even people taking selfies there and climbing on the blocks just made me sick and angry and wonder where we've come to. That is exactly the reason why it's absolutely necessary to constantly remind people of what happened under the NS regime.

Aaaaanyway. I will try to get not too carried away. We went to the museum of German history, which is fantastic. You can read about pretty much anything there. We spent about 3.5 hours in there. I highly recommend it. The Jewish museum is absolutely worth seeing too. It is kept very simple, but really gets to you. They also had a huge exhibition about modern day Jerusalem on the first floor, which was really interesting to see. This is one of the places I really want to see.

Next one - the East Side Gallery. I'm really glad we went there. All the graffiti that you can see there were really special. And luckily, the one of Gorbatschow and Honnecker kissing was the only one that you almost couldn't see because of all the tourists ;) At some point we decided to make a game of ruining other people's pictures. Just the thought of  a wall going through Germany seems so strange though. I'm so happy this is over.

Also, Hohenschönhausen. In case you don't know what that place is, in this part of Berlin is a former prison used by the Soviets and later in the GDR/DDR. We went there on our last proper day and had a guided tour by a former immate of the prison. The tour lasted for about 2.5 hours but never got boring. I could have listened to that man for hours. The things happening there were just so awful. The guide was a real inspiration - despite what he went through, or maybe because of it, he stayed positive, he was beaming and trying to give us confidence and was clearly enjoying life so much, traveling, learning languages, and just spreading happiness. He told us so much, it was incredible. He did a great tour, and that was the difference between this place and Auschwitz: When I left Auschwitz, I was really depressed. When I left Hohenschönhausen, I was happy. Such people really give you faith in humanity.

The last few things: We saw a concert one night (Mozart, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich), and it was so beautiful, I can't even:)) We also went to see "The Darkest Hour", a film about Churchill, which was really really good. Also, we saw Schloss Bellevue, where our president lives, and the current home of Angela Merkel. And we also had some German food:)

There is loads more to tell, but I will wrap this up here, I'm really tired. (I did a 25 km walk today.) But I had a great time. It was very strange being back after 4 months. When I went there I realised that not going home for Christmas was definitely the right decision.
Sorry if I sometimes get a little passionate about things, but I can't help it;) Sorry about typing errors. Night night!