Author: Alec Twining

Köln was an interesting city to visit. It was different than Berlin because it was much smaller than Berlin, but it’s also a lot nicer ( in my opinion) to be in. However, the one thing that was a turn off for the city was the large groups of women there for Bachelorette Parties who would ask you to buy liquor or other things from them (they earn points this way and try to get the most points).

It was also interesting to see the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral). This Cathedral is the most “touristy” churches I have been to. It was so bad that there were tourists in the church during the church service. The church was definitely beautiful in a Gothic era way but the over commercialization of it kind of saddened me. I liked the church service, but it was hard to feel spiritual with so many tourists taking pictures. Also the fact that the church had a gift shop built in seemed biblically wrong.

However, despite this i still loved the city, especially the authentic German restaurant that we went to where I got Sauerkraut and Pigs Knuckle (better than it sounds). Oh and a hotel with AC . . .

Studying for German to go on this trip has given me several opinions or ideas about Germany. I came to these opinions through my own research or what my professors  told me in class. However, actually experiencing Germany was an entirely different and more accurate (I believe) depiction of what German is like. For one example, I was told that talking to people on the street was looked weird and that Germans don’t really talk to strangers (preferring a few really good friends than “superficial” friendships), but I have had several Germans start a

Continue reading “Reflections on Germany”

Our visit to the Concentration camp Sachsenhausen was a depressing occasion with buildings that were used in all the atrocities against the Jews. While Sachsenhausen was not as large of a killing camp as Auschwitz there were still an ungodly amount of murders here.  Some of the things I saw were a track used to test shoe materials for troops (the Jews and others in this camp were forced to run all day with large loads), ovens for burning deadbodies. However, that is not to say it wasn’t worth the hour trip. It was a useful trip to gain insight into the German past and the culture of Germany today. It’s one thing to hear about what happened in the 30s and 40s but its another thing to visit the place where these things happened. Germans have a word Vergangensheitsbewältigung which translates roughly to “Overcoming the Past” this is the word used when Germans talk about their Nazi past. Going to Sachsenhausen I was able to get a glimpse of how deeply emotional this history and word is to the Germans because even as an American that is not associated with these things I felt a deep sadness cling to me when I visited.

This feeling of sadness or maybe even shame about their past has led to a culture that is vastly different from ours. Germans are very rarely outspokenly “patriotic”. That is to say that Germans don’t act like Americans that are typically prideful of few things more than being an American. Germans on the other hand are not openly prideful of their country (that is not to say they aren’t they are just wary of being extremely patriotic). The one place that Germans show their national pride (something that I have seen personally while here) is in sports, especially Soccer. While Germany is not over what happened in WWII, they are learning how to have pride in their country while not ignoring their past.

I am really excited to travel to Germany this afternoon!!! I think that one of the main reasons that I am so excited to be on this trip is to experience a culture that is so different than the one I live in. A culture that puts value in  having a few really close friends rather than trying to get the most “friends” possible just to name one. Continue reading “First Thoughts”