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. 
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