DDR Museum

Last week my German class went on a field trip to the DDR (East German) Museum.

This model car was supposed to rival the Volkswagen in West Germany, but it was made out of cheap materials and broke down all the time.

Puppets-for you mom haha

All the "artifacts" in the museum are relatively new since they were used up until the early 1990s. It's weird that it is a representation of a way of life that many people still remember vividly.

This closet was my favorite part; the clothes were made out of the worst fabric and looked so uncomfortable and ugly!

Checkpoint Charlie

This is a short post because I was not allowed to take pictures inside the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. I put these up because I thought that Grandma and Grandpa Clement would appreciate seeing the difference between the checkpoint now and when they had to go through it before the wall came down.

This shows what used to be the East Side.

This is the West Side. There is a Starbucks on the corner now.

UCEAP Dinner

On Wednesday night the UCEAP coordinators arranged a dinner for all the FU-BEST participants that attend UC schools. We had traditional German meals that were delicious! This plate was a sampling of several different Fleische (meat).

Apple Strudel for dessert!

The snow was so powdery and fresh outside that I couldn't resist playing in it.

My very first snow angel!

The Allied Museum

On Sunday we went to the Allied Museum, which has artifacts and pictures from the Allied occupation of Germany during the Cold War. This is one of the independent field trips required in my class about Integration, Conflict, and Security in Europe.

The museum used movies, newspaper clips, pictures, signs, computers, radios, and artifacts to tell the story of the Allies in Germany.

These signs were up everywhere in Berlin before the Wall was built. This strict demarcation was what allowed the Soviets to begin construction on the wall with little to no resistance.

This is a model of the tunnels of spy caves that snaked underground all through Berlin.

It is amazing that in a matter of years after 1945, our Soviet ally became a deadly enemy, and the "evil" Germans became our friends who had to be protected.

Grüne Woche

On Saturday we went to Grüne Woche, an international food fair that comes annually to Berlin. Basically, countries from all over the world set up booths in a HUGE convention center where they give away samples and sell their native food and drink. We spent almost 6 hours here; it was literally one of the most fun things I've ever done!

Here we are with some Bavarians, from a region in south Germany known for their beer consumption and love of their German heritage.

This cheese is hand made by Swiss monks. It was the best cheese I've ever had in my life!

There were big wheels of real parmesan cheese in the Italian section. Wish I could have bought some for you Dad!

There were so many interesting countries here, including Croatia, Turkey, Albania, Lebanon, Japan, Australia, and Holland. It was crazy to see and try tons of different food.

There were several rooms devoted to Germany and it's regions.

There were also big rooms full of flowers, plants, and outdoor furniture for sale. This place was truly huge!

We spent a lot of time in Bavaria, because that was where the party was! We tried different beers on tap, and two girls went wine tasting.

They were singing traditional German songs and most of the crowd was singing along!

There was also a few rooms with animals and a horse arena! In America, we would never have a stand selling bacon and sausage literally RIGHT next to this mama pig with her babies, but apparently this does not bother Germans.

Every room smelled so good! It kind of reminded me of the EPCOT center at Disney World, since the people at each booth were actually from that country.

We tried this salmon from Norway, and it was delicious. Look how huge these fish are!

We found the flower room at the end, and couldn't resist taking tons of pictures.

Germans truly do love their beer. This booth showed how beer is made and had bottles from breweries all over the country.

BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!

Tour of the Chancellor's Office

Last Friday we got to tour the Chancellor, Angela Merkel's, office. That is equivalent to touring the White House! We had to bring our passports and go through a strict security system to get in, but it was worth it. This is a picture of me at one of the big train stations in Berlin, where we met the rest of the group.

Each Chancellor since the end of WWII gets to commission a portrait from the artist of his choice. Anglea Merkel is the first woman Chancellor, and her portrait will go up when she leaves office.

This is one of the conference rooms. The egalitarian setup is supposed to represent the leadership style of the German government. The only way to determine which chair is Angela Merkel's is to see her special "silence" button that lets her speak.

This is the press conference area; it is set up in the open hall of the Chancellor's office because it is so airy and pretty.

They have many gifts given to previous Chancellors on display. This Stetson cowboy hat was given to Chancellor Ludwig Erhard by President Johnson.

This box set of American DVD's was a gift from George W. Bush.

Shopping in Berlin

We thought it would be a good idea to go to an outdoor flea market because the sun was finally shining in Berlin. Little did we know that cloud coverage actually keeps the heat in...it was freezing! But we saw some cool stuff.

This booth sells only buttons!

I was so excited to find LUSH stores in Berlin. Chelsea and I both bought hair masks because the dry cold air makes our hair extremely static-y!

This "mall" is called the Galeria, and is more like a HUGE department store. It had normal sections like women's shoes, purses, cosmetics, etc, but it also had awesome stuff like scuba diving gear, a year-round Halloween section, and a grocery store!

These hats and hat boxes were beautiful!

We ate lunch at the food court at the top of the Galeria. It was my first fully German meal; potatoes, sausage, schnitzel, mushrooms, and carrots!

Good thing we do so much walking and dancing here!

This mall is located in the Mitte district of Berlin, where new buildings stand next to old architectural masterpieces.