My mother had a marketing conference in Cologne, Germany, and so the entire family decided to tag along. Germany was a wonderful place to visit. Although my family loves to travel, we had yet to make our way to Germany, and I was eager to see how Germany was compared to some of the other European countries (England, France, Greece, etc.).
Whenever I visit a place, I try to imagine living there-- and try to consider what lifestyle the average citizen there has.
We first stayed in Berlin-- where we got to experience the culture to the fullest. We visited the underground bunkers, made sure to taste some of the German cuisine, and spent a lot of time walking around the city. Of course-- we also saw the Berlin wall and Check-point Charlie while we were there.
While in Berlin, we grabbed a train to see the concentration camp in Sachsenshausen. Lonely and prison-like, the thought of the many atrocities that had occurred within the walls of the camp sent shivers down my spine.
After a few days, my family took a train to Cologne, Germany, where my mother's conference was located. Cologne is famous for having one of the world's largest cathedrals. It stands, imposing, in the middle of the city... and constant reminder of the marvelous engineering of past generations.
An added bonus? Our family was lucky enough to hear the wonderful organ playing of Professor Bönig, from the University of Cologne. To imagine! Hundreds of years of history-- to be able to sit and listen to some of the same music that would have filled the cathedral years ago was quite breathtaking!
To be able to walk around the streets of both Berlin and Cologne was lovely in itself. One can learn so much from simply observing!
Beautiful, no?:
A segment of the Berlin Wall:
My brother and I in front of the Brandenburg Tor in Berlin:
