Berlin - the Christmas Capital

Before the official last day of school but after classes finished (and, more importantly, after I finished my essays), Tessa and I took off for another country: Germany. It was the week before Christmas, and Berlin was in the spirit. It was snowy (and COLD), each shop was decorated with lights, there was a massive tree in the center of the city, and ... Christmas Markets. They were everywhere, and they heralded in the Christmas season with lebkuchen (gingerbread) and gluwein (mulled wine) and spiced nuts and all manner of ornaments and wool hats and little gifts. Because of its history, Berlin can be a very depressing city, but the Christmas markets and general cheeriness of the people lighten the mood quite a bit.

We stayed at a wonderful hostel run by a group of New Zealanders; they were extremely helpful, told us everything we should see, and most importantly - they spoke English. So, following their advice, our first evening we went north to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp just outside the city. It was built during the Second World War but was kept in use throughout the Communist period in East Germany. It was growing dark and the visitors were leaving; it was an extremely eerie and moving place. I could almost feel the weight of the people who had suffered and died there still present in the air.

The following morning, after our New Zealand breakfast, we chose to walk towards the center of the city and see some sites along the way. One of the first things we saw was this: The beautiful door plus the graffiti and trash is a perfect embodiment of Berlin. Then we came to a portion of the Berlin Wall that has been turned into an art gallery. It's so long, and so incredibly beautiful. Some are about the war or about communism, others about people in self-exile in other parts of Europe and the US, others about peace. Here is just a sampling:


After the Wall, we decided to take a guided tour. This is absolutely the best way to see the city and to learn a little history. Our tour guide was funny and knowledgeable, and somehow kept us going through three hours of walking sub-zero weather (-20C = -4F). First stop: the Brandenburg Tor, and Giant Christmas Tree. (The chariot statue on top was once stolen; I'm not exactly sure how they got it down...or back up, for that matter. In putting it back up, they decided it was indecent for the woman to not have any clothes, and so they tucked a robe around her. No more mooning visitors coming into the city!)
This is affectionately known as "the washing machine," and is the German senate building. All the windows are so that the government stays transparent and accessible to German citizens.
The Reichstag; the inscription over the entrance reads, "Dem Deutchen Volke" - "for the German people."
Holocaust Memorial. Dark, confusing, oppressive, moving.
Under these bricks lie what used to be Hitler's bunker, where he and his closest companions spent their last days. It was blown up by the Russian Army, and the remaining bits were used to build the Communist apartment buildings that now surround the spot.Bebelplatz. 30,000 books were burned here. The small glowing square in the center is a window that looks down into a room lined with empty bookshelves. A plaque next to it says, "Those who begin by burning books, end by burning people."

One of the many Christmas markets we visited - decorated with lights and trees, serenaded by singing angels, and made fragrant by all manner of delicious German foods. On our last day in the city, we went to the Jewish Museum. This is a massive museum dedicated to chronicling the history of the Jewish people, from the arrival of the first Jews in Europe to the modern day. I liked that it didn't dwell on the Holocaust - there's enough about that elsewhere - but rather focused on the large sweep of history filled with crimes against the Jewish people.

Berlin offers a perspective on history and all the opportunities you need to get in to the Christmas spirit. It was the perfect way to relax after a hellish week of finishing final essays...especially with Tessa to join me.

Last Days

After Berlin, I returned to London as a tourist and not as a student/resident. I no longer lived in the uni residence hall, most of my uni friends had already left, and now I was with my family visiting the sites and museums. It did not feel like a return to the city I had lived in as much as a visit to a place from my memory.

Of course, I returned to some of my favorite places - Camden Markets, the churches in the City, Regents Park, the National Gallery, to name a few. There were also some new things on the agenda: a carol service at St Pauls, the Victoria and Albert museum, Christmas Eve service at Westminster Abbey, and much of southeast London that I'd never been in before.

Trafalgar Square at twilight
Twining's is the oldest shop in the world to be on the same location and owned by the same family since its foundation (in this case, in 1706).

St Paul's before the carol service
Tower Bridge and the reflection of lights in the Thames, on Christmas Eve
Then it was off to Bath (again) and the Cotswolds to get a sense of English life outside the capital. This area is gorgeous - completely lovely. We took a fantastic bus tour of the area that took us to prehistoric sites (Stonehenge, Avebury) as well as beautiful villages (Lacock, Castle Combe). Let me show you - a picture's worth a thousand words, right?

Pig and photograph exhibit outside Bath Abbey


It was a lovely day for a walk along the canal that runs through Bath
Houseboat with teapots serving as flowerpots (very English), the canal in Bath
First stop on the tour: Stonehenge. Early morning, before the tour buses arrive, and when the light and mist make it look even more magical.
Avebury: Stonehenge's lesser known sister site, perhaps even more impressive since it is many times larger and more elaborately constructed.
You're not allowed to touch the stones at Stonehenge, but at Avebury they don't mind. So we made the most of this opportunity to hug a stone put in place by prehistoric Englishmen.
Lacock, filming site for both Hogsmeade and Meryton (Pride and Prejudice).
Castle Combe, another adorable English village. Filming site of Wall (Stardust).
The newest house in Castle Combe is this one, built in the 18th century. I'm not sure what the oldest one is.
Brighton, not the best place to visit on a rainy December day.
Back to London... Last night before flying home, we went to a pantomime of Aladdin. Christmas pantos are known for their audience participation, ridiculous humor, and cross-dressing actors and actresses.
Good night, London, and goodbye!
Until we meet again...

Bath

Yes, I've been back in the US for five weeks now, and yes, I'm at Whitman by now, but no, I'm not going to leave this blog unfinished. I will finish what I have to say and share.

Bath. Last weekend of term, my flatmates and I decided to leave behind our essays and hop a bus for this fine historic city. Jane Austen lived here but hated it. I spent a day here and loved it. It's a fairly small city, but on this particular Saturday it was packed with people - shoppers, tourists, people giving out free hugs, a massive drum circle, and this guy: a "hang-playing hedge monkey." Yes. The instrument in his lap is called a "hang," and on it he plays the most beautiful haunting music.


Around the corner stands Bath Abbey - in this picture, you can just see, extending up on either side of the window, ladders on which angels are climbing up to heaven.

And the inside is graced with a lovely fan ceiling. It's so open and full of light.


The baths themselves, for which the city is named, were originally built almost 2000 years ago by the Romans, in conjunction with a large temple complex. They were subsequently forgotten and rebuilt in medieval times, and again in the 18th century, when Bath became a resort town for the rich and famous. Sadly, no one can swim in the pools any more, but they've done a lot of excavation work and have put on display a lot of the Roman-era artifacts associated with the original baths-temple complex.



Jennifer, Brooke, Kasumi, Priyanka, and I just above the largest pool.


Even though you can't swim in the water, you can drink it. It's disgusting - warm and sulfur-y and heavy. I don't recommend it, no matter what your ailment.


Next stop was the fashion museum - uninteresting and pretty sparse, except for the room where you can try on corsets and hoop skirts. They are surprisingly heavy, but fun nonetheless. This is Jennifer, me, Kasumi, and Brooke posing.

Bath is also famous for its architecture, dating from the 18th century when there was a population boom as rich families moved to the city to "partake of the waters." This is the Royal Crescent, probably the most beautiful apartment building in the city; it sits atop a hill and overlooks parkland and the sunset.
Then it was back on the bus, out of the countryside and to the city, to London (home!), to essay-writing...the final stretch.