A Catholic Library and the Gutenberg Museum of Mainz

Deutsche Bank and Frankfurter Kunstverein

You know you have arrived in the financial district of Frankfurt as soon as you encounter numerous high-rise buildings and see men and women in dark suits in 80 plus degree Fahrenheit temperatures.  We met with Deutsche Bank officials who briefed us on the history of the bank and its commitment to global society.  Deutsche Bank is a leader in not only its global commitments to underserved populations, but to green technology, as well.  The main office with its twin towers in Frankfurt (you can see one of the towers in the photo on the left)  is a model of how a huge corporation can go green.  For instance, Deutsche Bank uses natural granite as part of their radiant floors to cool and heat the entire complex.  Surplus energy from elevators traveling down has been harnessed to power the radiant floors and to power the bank's ten electric cars that employees use during the day to visit clients or to travel to other banks.  They use gray water and rain water to flush toilets, water plants, and wash the floors.  Gray water is the water that is used to wash your hands.  The bank's water consumption has been reduced by 74% because of their commitment to conservation.  Shaded glass and solar panels help conserve energy.  Every other window can be opened to allow air flow from the outside in.  Electronic controls serve this purpose in the state-of-the-art twin towers. 

The opening and closing of the windows is normally done in the evenings when the temperatures are cooler and on cool days to allow hot air to escape and allow cool air inside the building for the next business day.  The views of the city are also quite amazing from all the floors, which makes for some very content employees.  The photo to the right shows a view of Frankfurt from a top floor of the bank with skyscrapers and a large park (background) in the distance.

Deutsche Bank has had a 67% savings on its heating and cooling since incorporating this green technology.  The photo on the left is part of the green technology which uses natural light and solar panels. The indoor air quality and the employee comfort have also risen since the green updates were completed in 2010.  The carbon footprint of the main bank is 89% less than it was in 2009 and earlier.  The bank is constantly looking at ways to reduce its energy consumption rather than maintain its current energy levels.  Deutsche Bank believes that deals are short term while relationships are long term.  Their motto 'Passsion to Perform' embodies all that their employees do both locally and around the globe; whether it is planting deciduous trees for more drinking water or for some other noble cause that will benefit the people in their community or around the world..  

Frankfurt has many skyscrapers and has been the financial center of Europe for a long time.  Now, because of the bank's green initiatives, it is quickly gaining the reputation as Europe's greenest city.

Historic Frankfurt am Main

Point Alpha Stiftung

Four Generations of Stained and Art Glass

A UNESCO Site, Halle, and Handel

We are now in a very old town called Quedlngburg.  Houses are half timbered and the town dates back to 919 A.D.  As you walk through the cobblestone streets you are swept back to the 11th and 12th centuries because of your surroundings.  I will write more later about this historic village and a similarle old city nearby named Halle.  For now, let me say that Halle is the birthplace of Handel.

So much to see and do.  We have been treated like royalty!

Wittenberg

Imagine a concrete prefab structure in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany).  Many of the buildings in previously Soviet-ruled East Germany were indistinguishable and plain.  But in the early 1990's the art students at the Luther-Melanchton Gymnasium ( also known as the Hundertwasser Secondary School) in Wittenberg, contacted avant-garde Austrian artist Freidensreich Hundertwasser to bring new life to their school.  The artist was so impressed with the students' initiative that he designed the renovations to the school free of charge.  The exterior now emanates with color, unique architectural features, and even trees growing from balconies, all conceived by Hundertwasser, himself.  The interior hallways continue the color palette with permanent pieces of student art embedded into the walls, as well as, changing exhibits of student artwork.  The wildly colorful school is in sharp contrast to the medieval architecture of this historical city.

The school is an Europaschule, meaning that it teaches a wide range of languages.  Students at this school can learn English, Business English, French, Russian, Latin, Spanish, Greek and Swedish.  Students also engage in economic research and participate in a stock market simulation sponsored by the Sparkasse Bank.

The morning of our visit, we were divided into four groups.  The group that I was a part of visited a sixth grade classroom on the third floor.  The students had just returned to school from a field trip.  After the class settled down, the students sang a song in English about making choices.  Then we were invited to travel three flights down to the outdoor stage area where the students performed a short skit about the end of the school year in German.  Due to the unrelenting strong winds, we were ushered back to the third floor to an indoor stage area where the other two student groups performed their skits for us.  Their teacher critiqued each group's performance and then we returned to the classroom where the students asked us questions about our respective states, our hobbies, and pop culture.  The class was then broken up into groups of four students.  Each U.S. teacher had an opportunity to interact with a small group of students and learn more about their educational system and their way of life.

After our school visit we had a walking tour of Wittenberg.  This city's historical significance goes back to the 16th century during Martin Luther's lifetime.  It is the cradle of the Protestant Reformation.  The Wittenberg citizens' fervor for Lutheranism is evident wherever you look.  Mini two-foot sculptures of Luther in different colors can be found all around town.  In addition, a life-size statue of Martin Luther is prominently displayed in the Market Square.  Luther's statue survived destruction during WWII because it was safely stored nearby. 

All Saints Church, also known as Schlosskirche, is an important landmark in this city.  It is the church where Martin Luther's  95 theses were nailed to the church door in 1517.  The wooden doors were destroyed in a fire in 1760  during the "Seven Years War" with France, but were replaced with bronze doors in 1850 bearing the Latin inscription of Luther's entire 95 theses (photo to the left).  Inside the church are the tombs of both Luther and Melanchton, a collaborator and friend of Luther.  Another church nearby, St. Mary Church, is also known as the Town Church.  This 14th century church is where Luther was married and all of his children were baptized.  Luther often preached from the pulpit here as well.  A triptych by Lucas Cranach the Elder, located near the altar, has a center panel that depicts the Last Supper with the faces of Luther and other reformers (photo, below on right).  Cranach was not only a Renaissance artist, but he sold medicines and paper, as well.  He was a member of city council and was elected mayor of Wittenberg three times.  In addition, Cranach printed the first edition of Luther's New Testament in 1522.  The area around Cranach the Elder's residence is currently under restoration. 

The final Wittenberg landmark our group visited was Luther's home.  It was originally an Augustinian monastery where Luther studied and lived as a monk.  The monastery was quickly dissolved once the Reformation took hold.  An aristocrat who supported Luther's movement dedicated part of the monastery to students as a residence hall and gave the rest to Luther to use as his family residence.  The Lutherhaus is the most comprehensive museum of the Protestant Reformation and has been designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site.  It contains several artifacts from Luther's life, including a pen and ink drawing of Luther when he was a young monk, small individual oil portraits of Luther and his wife, a chest and metal bowl used for buying indulgences (photo below), a wool clerical robe thought to have been worn by Luther, his writings, including a copy of his hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God", family furniture, and several other artifacts attributed to Martin Luther and his family. 

Sachsenhausen

Not much left to this concentration camp.  But we heard of another technique used to exterminate prisoners.  I will write more later.

Tomorrow we will visit a school for college prep students (normally determined after fourth grade, but not here).  We will also visit the church and see the doors where Luther nailed his 95 thesis.  Both of these are in Wittenberg.  Then we are off to Quedlingbuerg.

Kreuzberg, a Home Visit, and the Berliner Dom

On Tuesday morning we took a subway to Kreuzberg.  Our day began early again and we did a lot of walking throughout the day.  Some of my colleagues are so fit that they get up early in the morning and run before breakfast.  Oh, to be young again!

We were met at the Kreuzberg Museum by a young Turkish girl named Zara.  We visited the Kreuzberg Museum to learn more about the multi-immigrant area of this part of Berlin which is mainly populated by Turkish immigrants.  In fact, it is known as "little Istanbul" even though several other countries are represented in this multi-cultural population.  Turkish parents decide whether their children, who are born in Germany, will be Turkish or German citizens. 

As we walked toward an older mosque, we passed a contemporary mosque which was inconspicuous and looked more like a retail establishment rather than a mosque until one viewed skyward and saw the symbols of the Islamic religion.  When we reached the older mosque, we were shown the ritual steps in the proper procedure of removing our shoes before entering the prayer area in our stocking feet.  Socks minus the shoes were required of all who entered the worship area.  Zara explained the Muslim rituals and pointed out that the arrows on the individual areas of the rug pointed to Mecca for daily prayers.  She also explained that since the exterior of the building looked like any other older brick building in the Kreuzberg area, without a minaret, a model of a minaret sat in the corner of the worship area to call worshippers to prayer.  Zara answered many questions that the teachers posed before we all headed out to a Turkish shop which had a wide assortment of fresh nuts and seeds for snacking.  We were treated to a handful of seeds and nuts as we headed out to area SO36 of Kreuzberg.  Zara explained that drugs were sold legally in the underground area of this section of Kreuzberg.  When questioned regarding an increase in crime, she responded that everything took place underground and stayed underground so that it did not affect those above ground.

After leavingt Kreuzberg, we said our good-byes to Zara and then we headed off to the Turkish market (photo on left) where we had lunch-on-the-run.  I tried to find the legendary Central Anatolian (Turkish) pastries amongst the fresh vegetables, scarves, purses, jewelry, and many other commodities, but I was unsuccessful.  Because of the time constraints, I settled for some spinach and cheese ravioli, only to find out after the first bite that the ravioli had to be cooked.  It's amazing what one will do to ensure that she or he will have the energy to walk to the next visit ... I broke open each ravioli, ate the spinach and cheese centers and disposed of the raw pasta.  I met up with the others in plenty of time at the home of the director of the Goethe Institut Visitor Program.  The hospitality of our hosts was evident once you stepped inside their living room.  An assortment of homemade pastries, coffee, tea, plain and lemon flavored water greeted us.  This visit allowed us to view apartment life of a family of four.  The boys, both in elementary school, were quiet and shy.  From the equipment in their bedroom, one could surmise that they were both soccer players and sports fans.  The rooms in the apartment had high ceilings and were of an adequate size, except for the guest bath and the kitchen, which were both small in terms of those found in the U.S.; however, the kitchen window (photo above, right) held a delightful view of the small, enchanting garden area.  Finally, our hosts took us to the roof of their apartment building (we walked up seven floors) to get another panoramic view of Berlin.  Berlin is such an enormous city!  It is several square meters larger than New York City.

After a leisurely visit with Ulrike, her husband, and two children, we walked to the Ampelmann Restaurant.  As we waited for our entrees, we were served baskets of bread, olive oil, vinegar, and salt.  We poured olive oil on our individual bread plates, added a small amount of vinegar, sprinkled that with a little bit of salt, and dipped our bread slices.  I ordered wiener schnitzel and an Austrian red wine.  Everything was perfect!

Our day concluded with an evening concert at the largest church in the city of Berlin, the Berliner Dom, which is located on Spree Island.  The church was originally built as a Catholic church run by the Dominican order, but it became a Lutheran church in 1539.  The current church was completed in 1893 after the old cathedral was demolished.  The dome portrays the beatitudes and contains over 500,000 tiles of 2,000 different shades of color (photo on the left).  A walkway located in the dome can be reached by walking 240 steps or by taking the elevator.  The entire city of Berlin can be viewed from 114 meters up from the street level.  The cathedral's interior and exterior chronicle Reformation church history.  Atop the pillars in the main church are the four great reformers:  Luther, Melanchton, Zwingli, and Calvin.  The church's organ was the largest in Germany when it was initially built in 1903 by Wilhelm Sauer  of Frankfurt.  Today, it is the largest organ of that period in its original condition.  The cathedral is an amazing venue for classical music.  The Berlin Orchestra filled the cathedral sanctuary with the sounds of Shubert, Puccini, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky.  I was swept away to another time and place as I closed my eyes and allowed the music to permeate my inner soul.

Deutscher Bundestag, the Brandenburg Gates, and the Holocaust Memorial

Monday was quite a day!  As I mentioned in my blog two days ago,we began walking around 8:30 A.M. and it continued throughout the day.  However, one gets used to it very quickly and it becomes routine.  Several of my colleagues are so fit that they even have time to wake up early in the morning and run before breakfast.  Ah, to be young again!  This grandma is lucky to keep up with this younger crowd.

Two days ago I ran out of time writing about the German parliament.  It was getting close to midnight and I wanted to get back to the hotel.  As all of you know, I am directionally challenged and it becomes worse in the dark of the night.  I looked for the former East German radio tower to get back to my hotel, but the problem was that I ended up directly underneath it instead of near it.  Eventually, I did make my way back to the hotel with the help of a woman who was walking toward me.  The phrase, "Entschuldigung, sprechen sie English?" came in very handy. 

We were in our formal business attire on Monday when we visited the Deutscher Bundestag (German Parliament) at the Reichstag.  What was interesting about seeing this building a second time was the fact that the tour guide had offered some new information.  During my 2008 visit a parliament member gave us the tour.  This time I saw some distinctive parts of the Reichstag that I had not seen before and I also got a slightly different perspective of the Deutscher Bundestag.   

Our tour began in the grand halls that contain Russian graffiti.  You might be puzzled as to why Russian graffiti is found on the interior walls of a German government building.   As you may recall, the Red Army pushed the Germans all the way back to Berlin and occupied the city and the Reichstag in 1945.  This Soviet victory over the Germans was a cause for celebration for the Red Army.  Soviet soldiers decided to scribble their sentiments on the walls of this historic building.  On this visit, one of my colleagues who had worked for a Think Tank dealing with Russian/U.S. relations for twelve years, before joining the ranks of educators, was able to translate this piece of history.  One sentiment read, "Praise and glory to Stalin!"  Another listed the birthday of a soldier.  There were many, many more; however, we needed to move on.  "How lucky we are to have Bill with us in this group!" I thought.  This time we were fortunate to have someone who could actually translate the graffiti for us.  Thank you, Bill!  

The Reichstag is not only historical, but it is also environmentally "green".  The contemporary glass dome which sits atop the old building allows for natural light to travel all the way down to the parliament chambers and consequently use less electricity.  The dome also makes passive use of solar power and the thick, well-insulated walls help retain heat in the winter and cool in the summer.  An underground generator burns clean, refined canola oil to produce electricity when it is needed.  The canola oil, a vegetable oil, is a renewable resource.  Because the building is energy efficient, it has cut back its carbon emissions by 94%.  Surplus heat is stored as hot water in an aquifer deep underground and can be pumped up to heat the building.  The Reichstag's energy requirements are so modest that it produces more energy than it uses. What an exceptional model of green sustainability!

Seats in the Deutscher Bundestag for citizen-onlookers are purposely designed to be very close to their elected officials.  Combine that with the glass dome as a symbolic reminder of transparency in government, is it any wonder that Germany doesn't have career politicians?  Our group is pictured in the front row of the citizens' seating (see photo above).  You can see how close it is to the elected officials' seats.

After the Reichstag, we walked over to the Brandenburg Gates (photo on the left).  This view is from the former East Berlin side.  Then trekked over to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also know as the Holocaust Memorial (photos on the right).  This work of art covers 4.7 acres of land between the Brandenburg Gates and Potsdamer Platz.  The concrete slabs vary in height although their depth and width remain the same throughout the memorial.  It is a massive maze with long aisles that pop up rhythmically as you travel from one end of the memorial to the other.  Peter Eisenman, an architect from New York created this non-traditional concept of a memorial.  Its size seems to represent the enormity and scale of horror of the Holocaust.  My first visit to this memorial four years ago shocked me when I saw young people sitting or standing on these concrete slabs ("stellae").  It just seemed to dishonor those who had died in such horrific ways.  But this time I viewed it as a work of art and the sitting, standing, and running amongst the slabs didn't bother me as it did in 2008.  Now I thought of it as a young people's tribute to those who lacked the freedom to sit, laugh, and run as they pleased.  The laughter, the kisses, and the joy that the Holocaust victims were denied were now present in the midst of these cold, hard, chuncks of concrete. 

 

Dinner, a Sociologist, and Auswartigen Amt

Last night"s Thai food was incredible!  I ordered a duck dinner which appeared on the table as a work of art.  First came the salad.  Then that was followed by the entree (see photos).

We left the hotel around 8:30 this morning.  The subway took us to the Federal Foreign Service Visitors Center for a lecture by sociologist, Dr. Wolf Wagner.  We had to produce our passports and were only allowed inside the main building after secure doors were unlocked. 

Dr. Wagner used his research paper to compare and justify German and American attitudes toward social relations, nationalism, education, economics, the European Union crisis, politics, and the current challenges both countries face.  He used his sense of humor and his experiences as a student in the United States to express his admiration for our country.  His time in South Dakota opened his eyes to an entirely new world that was in direct opposition to his upbringing in Germany and shaped his adult life.  His demeanor was relaxed and his approach more western than German.

After the lecture, we took a brisk walk over to the Federal Foreign Service Office a few blocks away for a sumptuous three course meal with David Schwake, the Deputy Head of Division for the U.S., Canada, and the European Union.  Herr Schwake had additional responsibilities outside the European Union, as well.  He gave the group a brief history of the Federal Foreign Service and answered many questions posed by the social studies educators.

We walked quickly to the bus stop several blocks away and just missed the city bus that was to take us closer to the Reichstag.  The Reichstag is the name of the building where the German parliament meets.  We waited for another city bus to arrive to take us to the Deutscher Bundestag which is the German parliament.  However, when we noticed the schedule for our next bus, we decided to walk to the Reichstag instead, since we had a scheduled appointment.  When we arrived at the Reichstag, we entered through the rear entrance and were escorted inside after a quick security check.  The latter was a new addition.  Four years ago our group entered through the rear of the building without any checks of any kind and we were met by a member of the German parliament.  More about the Deutscher Bundestag tomorrow.

A Note from Berlin

We arrived´at our hotel in Berlin from Frankfurt around 1 P. M.  We had an hour to shower and then meet in the lobby to take a quick walk around Alexanderplatz and familiarize ourselves with the shopping, ATM areas, Internet cafe, as well as food areas.  A view of the Alexanderplatz area can be seen in the photo.  One has to be on guard while crossing the street.  You must watch out for the streetcars that run in both directions.  You can see the rails in the streets and the overhead cables in the photo.

We are to meet at the hotel lobby in about 45 minutes.  It is taking me a while to relearn the keys on the German keyboard (you might remember that from my Germany blog four years ago).  Not only are some of the keys in different locations, but the keyboard is split to the right and to the left where the "g" and "h" meet on our keyboard.  It is an entirely different experience to type this way.  It is like typing on two keyboards since the keys are several inches apart.

A bus (coach) ride around the city gave us an overview of the expanse of the city and its landmarks.  The building with the copper dome (photo on the left) and the other buildings around it are a part of Humboldt University.  Humboldt is the oldest university in Berlin and was used as a model for intense research by John Hopkins University here in the states.  Humboldt university has an impressive roster of alumni, including the Brothers Grimm, Bismark, Max Planck, and Albert Einstein, among numerous others.  The square in front of the university is where 20,000 books were burned by the Nazis because they were considered "degenerate" and in direct opposition to the state.  A monument to this tragedy (not visible) bears an inscription written by Heinrich Heine from an 1820 work which translates into English "That was only a prelude; where they burn books, they ultimately burn people."  How right he was, both literally and figuratively. 

We are off to a restaurant for dinner.  No, it's not German food.  That will come later.  Tonight it will be Thai food.  I will let you know what it was like tomorrow if I have time to write.

Afternoon at the Goethe Institut

The airplane ride from Columbus to Washington, D.C. was uneventful for a Friday the thirteenth.  I walked over to the Institut from the hotel with Beth Bucher from New York.  We recognized each other in the elevator.  Beth is an enthusiastic sixth grade teacher.  She has traveled extensively abroad.  I know that she will add a lot to this experience in Germany.

Our meeting at the Goethe Institut began with some introductions of the staff and group leaders.  Then we had a chance to introduce ourselves.  What an amazing group of social studies teachers!  After an ice breaker, we had a crash course on the German language which was followed by a Middle Eastern feast.  The dinner consisted of stuffed grape leaves, falafil, lamb, and a seemingly endless buffet of Middle Eastern delicacies.  An assortment of beverages were offered, too.  As a native of Croatia, my first choice was a red wine.  The dining experience gave us an additional opportunity to mingle and to get to know each other better.  We were also given a sheet with deadlines we'll have to meet when we return to the states.  Included with this sheet was a packet of additional materials consisting of a, pen, notepad, and our official name tag which we will have to wear in Germany.   

One teacher from Huntington, West Virginia who teaches across the river in Ohio just returned from Morocco.  Her best friend's daughter married the nephew of the King of Morocco.  Colleen and I walked back to the hotel together.  She shared her experiences of this extraordinary wedding (cost was in the millions of dollars) as we meandered back to our hotel room.

We will meet again at the Institut tomorrow morning after breakfast.  This meeting will be about German courtesies.  Then in the late afternoon we are off to Dulles to fly to Frankfurt.  I can hardly wait!

Mediterranean Feast and D.C.

Pat and I arrived at Aggie's Thursday evening.  She had the grill going and served a colorful and scrumptious dinner.  It was a gourmet meal, indeed!  I didn't recognize the steak which was topped with feta cheese, olives, and spices.  The salad was complimented with a choice of organic dressings consisting of yogurt blue cheese (definitely my favorite), raspberry merlot, or balsamic vinagerette.  Then came a light dessert ... an Italian ice.  What a wonderful summer meal!  Thank you, Aggie.

It was decided that we should spend the night with Aggie since my flight to Washington, D.C. leaves shortly before 9 A.M.; otherwise, I would have to get up in the wee hours of the morning since it is a two and a half hour drive to the airport from our home. 

TOP will hold an orientation for all of us on both Friday and Saturday before flying off to Germany Saturday evening.  It will be great to finally meet the other fifteen social studies teachers with whom I will be traveling.  We're all looking forward to having Sarah Yabroff, an experienced traveler and TOP assistant coordinator, guide us on this remarkable journey.

Independence Day and Germany

Today is Independence Day and we spent part of the evening with Toni, Andy, and Andy's brother's family. Andy's nephew and niece, Carter and Chloe, loved the sparklers. Oh, my, how sparklers have changed! The new ones show off their colors even before they are lit; and they are three times in length than the sparklers we had when our children were little.

We had invited Debbie and Carl to join us with Blaise, Isabella, and Sam, but they declined since the children had already taken their baths.

When we returned from Andy's wonderful display of colors and shapes in the sky, I began to think about my second visit to Germany. In a little more than a week I will be flying to Germany with fifteen other social studies educators from throughout the United States. Sarah Yabroff, the TOP assistant coordinator at the Goethe Institut in Washington, D.C., will be our group leader. Sarah is fluent in German and has traveled abroad many times. She, like my peers, is a world traveler. Our study tour of Germany this time will include some new historic sites. I can't wait to experience them and learn more about this country which is a global leader not only financially, but environmentally, as well.