The morning started off with us going on a trip to Sachsenhausen. Sachsenhausen is the closest concentration camp to Berlin. While it was a work camp and not a death camp toward the end of the war it was used for mass killings. It is in the middle of a town now which in itself is a very strange thing. But as you approach the former walls there are blocks with name of the camp running across them every so many feet. Once you walk on to the grounds there is this eerie feeling. The sun was shinning and it was a beautiful day but something just didn't feel right standing there. Our tour guide was great and very knowledgable as he walked us around the entirety of the complex. Our first task was to walk down the camp road and through the main gate. We were informed this was the same path that the prisoners would come down when they were being taken into the camp. The gate and the guard houses in the camp are all still original but there are only two barracks left since the Soviets knocked them all down. But once you pass through that gate it feels as if your whole world changes. There is such a heavy feeling that right where you are standing some 300,000 people marched through on their way to work and possibly die. The camp is organized in a triangle with the main guard tower at the base to watch over all the barracks which were radially arranged. From the gate we walked over to the two reconstructed barracks to go inside. Here at these barracks lies another layer of history. They were reconstructed in the 60s when the camp became a memorial but then in the 1990's a group of Neo-Nazis came and attempted to burn them down. The walls still bare the char of the flames and its a further reminder that there is still prejudice in the world. Walking through the flame scarred barracks into the rooms that are laid out in the same fashion they were when the camp was operational was quite strange. The description on every room was the name of the room and then how people were tortured in it. Bedroom: Jews were smothered with sheets, Bathroom: Jews were drowned in foot basins. It may have been overkill but it was still very uneasy. From there we went to the real serious part of the camp. Known as Station Z because it was the Crematorium and the "Doctors" where they killed and cremated the bodies. It was Station Z because most people entered through Tower A and left through Station Z. We were able to walk in to the bunker where they lined people up to be shot. We stood against the same wall countless others stood against face to face with death. Then we were taken in to the "Doctors" office. Only the foundation remains but they rooms are still there. We saw the room where after being examined by the "Doctor" the people would go to be shot. One small room probably 3x3 where the blood of over 2,000 people was spilled. Right next to where we standing lives were taken on a daily basis. It was enough to make you ill if you thought about it. You learn about all this stuff in school but it honestly doesn't carry the same impact unless you basically stand in the shoes of those people.
We we got back from Sachsenhausen and were off the rest of our cultural roller coaster of a day. We were seeing a show at the Berlin Philharmonie. The Berlin Philharmonie is one of the most famous buildings in the world designed by Hans Scharoun and houses one of the most famous Orchestras in the world. Before he show Casey, Rob, and I were sitting enjoying a beer at the Sony Center when a bachelor party goer decided to strip down to his skivvies and attempt to swim across the fountain and he ate it as soon as he touched the fountain and then promptyl removed by security. We then found our way into the hall and into our seats. Our seats were great especially since there isn't a bad seat and they were only 10€. The show was made up of three Nordic pieces; a warm up and two longer pieces each with four movements. It was spectacular. I didn't fancy myself much of a fan of orchestral music but in that hall with that Orchestra it was awesome. It was a nice way to brighten our spirits after a depressing day at Sachsenhausen. So now its on the final week before the my final critique. Time to buckle down and get done.
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