berlin museum

Posted way after the fact but typed up a week ago.

I think the museum of German history is supposed to emphasize continuity but does not succeed in doing so. They attempt to cover the same subjects in each epoch but have so many subjects and too much information in each subject the physical and mental distance between matching exhibitions in different time periods made the connections difficult to match. It would be like sticking the National Native American Museum and all of the Air and Space in the same building and attempting to create those ties.

Finally, there’s bound to be at least two exhibits that you will find particularly interesting.  Be prepared to discuss the following in class:

The jousting suit of armor- a lot of revolutions have an undercurrent of knights being neither nobles nor commoners and there was no idea of a middle class in the middle ages.

A tie in exhibition was the first set of guns. They represent the death of knights and castles to me. Warfare takes on a nasty tinge with the development of guns. Guns led to offensive arms race. Previously European cities and nobles built heavy fortifications but because of gunpowder became useless. A good offense is a good defense became the new game. This ties back to our visit to the DDR museum (GDR for you Americans) where the Berlin wall was put up to prevent the mass exodus of talented East Germans to West Germany. What is extremely interesting about this is that since German reunification the states that were part of East Germany have all had decreasing populations. 

Home Stay food

Looking back over my older posts I bitched about German food. After my home stay I can safely say that I need to go to the gym. Petra knows how to cook like a fiend. My host mother cooked for an army and I ate for the entire army. My favorite thing was by far the cake and tee. The cake from what I could tell was flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. All in copious quantities. I officially love german food. But I still hate sauerkraut.

Halle

I am beginning to think that German cities fall in to two categories: those that got the shit bombed out of them and those that didnt. Leipzig is a beautiful town that I just love the downtown area so much. Halle is what some say "a good example of pre-reunification architecture" ie ugly as all get out but we dont feel like replacing it. My question that I think is going to last all trip is, all of the German cities have some story but ultimately they all share a similar history, why are certain ones more 'important' than others for our trip, why does some of the history matter and not other pieces. I think the easy answer to why we are visiting the cities that we are is because they are geographically close to Lutherstadt Wittenberg. I would like to get the chance to visit Hamburg but I dont think it is in the cards because it is so far away. Anyways back to Leipzig, I really like Leipzig because it is an old town with very pretty buildings but isnt stuck in the past like Wittenberg is. Wittenberg seems to preserve its old town because of 'Luther,' Leipzig seems happy to put new things in when it is needed. For example, the University at Leipzig has a gorgeous cathedral of sorts made of glass and steel. Right across the square from this new cathedral is the opera house. I have for a long time thought that opera was horrid due to my experiences as a child with Madame Butterfly. However, after seeing Macbeth I could become an opera fan. The music, sets, lighting, and acting was incredible. The only downside of watching incredible shows like that is that it makes me want to design sets and play with the fancy rotating stage.

grouchy germans

I went out to 'The Independent' tonight (its a local bar) and had the most amazing hot chocolate and caprese on a baguette. I have discovered two important things about germany: german food is awful, food in germany is really good. Tonight in the colleg they served us stuffed cabbage. I know that stuffed cabbage can be really amazing because my dad makes an amazing version. The stuffed cabbage here was bland and lacking in any spice. My other major observation is that there are two types of people that work in shops here. Either, they are extremely friendly and try and talk to everyone in their native tongue or they are grouchy and stare. I dont quite understand why these are the only two categories I have encountered. Further investigation of coffee shops must happen in order to confirm my observation.

Blog Irony

So one of the most amusing things happened to me. I discovered that we are supposed to be keeping a diary of Germany where we reflect on what we encounter. I guess reading those initial materials given to me would have been good. Oh well; my first impressions of Germany is that the country is a lot like the U.S. in a lot of ways. The cell network is good, the highways are relatively similar, and if you drive an hour outside of a big city you tend to hit farmland. The stereotype of Germans being unfriendly is totally incorrect, they are some of the most friendly people I have met in a long time (particularly after a few drinks). I have discovered a new way to move past jet lag, get a really bad hangover so I have to go to sleep early the next day. That way my body is right in sync with how I should be in this new time zone. Did you know that all of western europe is in one time zone? It makes for interesting daylight hours with the sun in some parts. I think I am going to like being here in Germany, the language doesn't even seem to bad so far.

.....and stretch

I now officially have a blog post on angryphilosophers.blogspot.com and here. I think I shall reward myself by stretching.

joe