This month, however, I was able to take the student role when I was invited to join my colleague and her class to Berlin. Given that I have visited every continent, I was intrigued by the only major European city which I have never seen. My curiosity was even more filled with enthusiasm as for years I was more than a bit obsessed with the history of WWII. So when prof. Veronika asked, I eagerly said “ yes”. Of course, I didn't know at the time that I would have to wake up at 4am to catch something which was suppose to be a bus :-)
Well, we got there. We walked, we listened and we learned – or maybe I should replace the pronoun “we” with “I” as at one point the students thought more about the sausages than the architecture… But I was in awe. I swallowed the info about the Reichstag Building and the Brandenburg Gate, as well as Nefertiti at the museum island and Humboldt university...and about the Berlin Airlift. The Topography of Terror and the Holocaust museum left chills down my spine.
And then I chewed some currywursts… Extra spicy.
And although I was more than satisfied with my field trip (and ashamed for the lack of my German language skill,) it wasn't till the day after my return that the true meaning of Germany hit me like a falling star. It was the next day, while I was walking through the streets of Prague that I saw this ….
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| Not the usual banners.... And oh …this |
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| Just a bit odd to see them walking towards me |
My bewilderment was immeasurable. I was stunned. Nothing like a 6 ft bling Nazi standing next to me. History lesson comes to life. The power of one symbol, the power of one man, the power of one ideology still bring goose bumps to all.
Ps. I did google the film being made at the moment in Prague. It the “Anthropoid” about the Heydrich assassination starting the one and only Jamie Dornan (the Fifty Shades of Grey guy) .
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