Easter Break -- Berlin, Amsterdam, and Dublin

The Berlin Wall.  Dutch cheese.  The Cliffs of Moher.  Galway.  Sauerkraut.  The Anne Frank House.  

These are just a few of the highlights from my Easter Break travels, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that was made possible by EasyJet, cheap hostel and Airbnb room rentals, and a lot of late night planning!  

I set out on Saturday, March 24th, and returned to Brighton yesterday, April 1st after spending two nights in Berlin, three nights in Amsterdam, and three nights in Dublin.  It was an action-packed week that included four plane rides, seven train treks, one boat cruise, several bus stints, and one VERY entertaining Dublin Uber (but more on that later!).  

In order to properly catalog my experiences in each city, I've decided to divide this post into three sections.  Without further ado, I commence with the economic capital of Europe...

Berlin

Berlin is a hoppin' place.  The first thing I noticed when I arrived last Saturday was the excellent public transportation system.  Buses, trams, trains, and a subway keep Berlin humming like a (dare I use a cliche here...), well, like a well-oiled machine!  A local tour guide informed me that there is actually a reason why Berlin's transportation system is so efficient; Berlin was built to accommodate eight million people!  However, due to the multi-faceted cycle of destruction and despair wrought by two world wars and the Cold War era, the city has never reached its full capacity.  In fact, Berlin's current population is just 3.5 million people.  It is growing, though, thanks to Germany's booming economy and a certain fearless chancellor named Angela Merkel!

My roommate, Justin, and I actually visited one of Merkel's favorite restaurants (a Turkish kebab place!) while we were in Berlin -- it was just one block south of where we were staying!  On a darker note, though, our hostel was also located very near to where Hitler's bunker would have been in Nazi-era Berlin.  The Bunker has now been completely destroyed and replaced with a children's park and a parking lot, and the only trace of its existence is a historical marker that includes a map of the site in the 1940s.  The Nazi's left their dark mark on Germany, on history, and on humanity; however, Berlin is a very different place today than it was just two generations ago.  

Modern citizens of Berlin certainly do not hide from the nation's past.  Just up the street from the site of Hitler's bunker is a memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, and nearby are memorials to the Romani People, Soviet prisoners of war, physically and mentally disabled individuals, and homosexual individuals who were also murdered by the Nazis.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe with the American Embassy in the background.  The Memorial was constructed in 2005.

I learned more about the atrocities of World War II and the Cold War by visiting local museums and Berlin Wall sites.  Undoubtedly one of the most emotive (but also very educational) sites in Berlin is the East Side Gallery -- a long strip of the original Berlin Wall that has been decorated by a host of talented, and, if I may, very "woke" artists.  This wall is a plea to humanity to remember the past and to fight division at all costs.

Just a few pieces of the Berlin Wall that make up the East Side Gallery.

A different portion of the wall -- this piece stands outside of the "Topography of Terror" Museum that catalogs the atrocities committed by the SS and the Gestapo.

Though it was divided for some three decades from East to West, Berlin is now a seamless, unified city.  However, a cobblestone line that traverses the urbanscape reminds Berliners of where the wall once stood.  Additionally, the street light "walk" signals are different in what used to be East Berlin than in what used to be West Berlin.  The western side of town uses a regular "green man" walk signal, while the eastern side uses the "ampelmann" -- one of the last holdovers from communist Berlin, and now a funky symbol of the city's divided past. 

 Quirky ampelmann walk signal.

Of course, many East Berlin buildings still survive, though their functions have changed drastically.  The most recognizable of these is the TV tower, or "Ferhnsehturm", now an observation deck and restaurant.  The tower was our first stop in the city, and the views from the top were stunning.  The tower was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (communist East Germany) in the late 1960s to serve as a symbol of communist might.  However, following the tower's completion in 1969, West Berliners noticed that when the sun hit the glass at the top of the tower, the reflected light seemed to form a Christian cross. This enraged the anti-religious communist government in the East, which then hired workmen to dent the glass in an effort to change the shape of the reflection.  It didn't work.  The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and the sunshine cross now shines over a free Berlin. 

Berliner Dom Cathedral -- originally a Lutheran church -- pictured with the East Berlin TV tower in the background.

I REALLY liked the food in Berlin.  Perhaps due to my German roots, I've always liked the taste of sauerkraut.  The kraut in Berlin was incredible!  As was the sausage, potato salad, German meatballs, and Berliner Kindl Beer!

A very tasty German meal!

David Bowie once called Berlin "the greatest cultural extravaganza one can imagine."  That was in 1970, but I think this description still holds true today.  Many of the world's most famous artists and outspoken advocates for human rights now live in the city.  It's a diverse and vibrant place, and I hope to visit again someday. 

Amsterdam  

The first thing I noticed about Amsterdam was the bikes.  EVERYBODY rides a bicycle in Amsterdam.  Our walking tour guide told us that there are, in fact, more bicycles in Amsterdam than people.  As a historian, I am normally very skeptical of bold claims like this one without seeing the evidence, but in this case I was inclined to believe our guide out of sheer respect at how incredibly green Amsterdam is.  Not only does most everyone ride a bicycle to get around, but it seems that everyone ELSE rides one of the electric trams that services the city.  

My attempt at an artsy night photo.  Notice all of the bicycles on the left!

So, why IS Amsterdam so green?  And why is the infrastructure so good??  Well, the Netherlands is a very rich country, and unfortunately a LOT of that wealth stems from the imperial period of a few centuries ago, when Dutch traders exploited populations in Africa, the West Indies and southeast Asia.  I will admit that I didn't know all that much about the Dutch East India Company, the Boers in South Africa, or nineteenth-century Dutch trading ties with Japan when I arrived, but I learned a lot by visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  This enormous collection of art, artifacts, and commodities brought me up to speed on the last several centuries of Dutch history.

Vincent Van Gogh self-portrait in the Rijksmuseum.  There is also a museum in Amsterdam that exclusively houses his work.

In addition to learning more about Dutch history by visiting the city's largest museum, I also took a walking tour AND a boat tour of the city.  The boat tour was my favorite -- our group got to see a lot of cool house boats clustered on the sides of the city's many canals.  I was informed that the boats are hooked up to city water, sewer, and electricity when they are docked!  

I also enjoyed learning more about Amsterdam's tall skinny houses.  Their unique shape stems from the fact that property tax used to be leveled in the city based on the width of one's house!  Many of the houses are also crooked, due to decay in the wooden stakes that shore them up from below.  The extensive stake networks are necessary due to the swampy nature of the ground on which Amsterdam was built.  In fact, the name of the country, "Netherlands", means "lowlands."  Dutch people have been re-directing the flow of water for centuries, and this is why many of the world's best water engineers still hail from The Netherlands. 

Aside from learning more about Dutch history, touring the city, and eating stroopwafel and Dutch cheese, I also had the humbling experience of visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Door to the Anne Frank House

Forced into hiding due to Nazi occupation of The Netherlands, the Frank family lived in the attic of this house for some two years.  They had to be almost silent during the day, for fear of detection.  The courageous Anne spent her time writing her now world-famous diary, and planning for her future career as a writer.  Of course, that career was cut short in 1945, when Anne, her sister, and her mother were murdered in Nazi concentration camps.  The only member of the family to survive was Anne's father, Otto.  It was immensely sad to stand where Anne once did, to think about the brave words that she wrote in her diary, and to contemplate the darkest dregs of humanity that stole her life force from her. 

The museum that was attached to the house highlighted a quote by Otto Frank: "To build up a future, you have to know the past." These words ring true across space and time, indeed, to me, these words MUST be woven into the very fabric that makes up the human consciousness.  Museums like the one at the Anne Frank House are helping us to weave that fabric.  

I'll admit that I knew very little about Amsterdam, and very little about the Netherlands, before visiting the city.  Suffice it to say, though, spending three days in Amsterdam definitely piqued my interest in Dutch history.  I will note that the drug culture in Amsterdam wasn't as present as I was expecting it to be.  Now, a man did try to sell me cocaine on the street, and there are certainly many cannabis shops and bars around town, but I would say that the drug culture is more a part of the culture in Amsterdam than a definitive aspect of it.

I will end with a fun fact:  "Holland" and "The Netherlands" are actually not the same thing.  Holland refers to just two of The Netherlands's 12 provinces -- Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland.  However, these two provinces are heavily populated, so many Dutch people DO, in fact, hail from Holland.  

Amsterdammers (or, "mokummers") are mean, green, bicycle-loving machines!  What's not to love?!

Dublin

I arrived in Dublin last Thursday, a little road weary, but nevertheless hungry to see more.  Dublin did not disappoint.  I was struck by how friendly the people were -- not that the people in Berlin and Amsterdam weren't friendly -- but the Dubliners were downright kind.  When I was a little lost in the street one day and looking at my map, a woman went out of her way to come over and give me directions!  I also met a very friendly couple at a seafood restaurant who told me about Irish rugby (which, along with Gaelic football, is very popular throughout Ireland).  

The first thing I did in Dublin was visit the Trinity College to see The Book of Kells -- a 9th century illuminated medieval manuscript and gospel book.  Created by young monks, this book is one of the best surviving examples of medieval art and culture.

Inside Trinity College Library

My roommate and I also visited "The Little Museum of Dublin" -- a tiny overview of Irish history since the country gained its independence from Britain in 1921 -- and the Guinness Storehouse.  I really enjoyed an exhibit at the Little Museum dedicated to the Irish rock band U2.  I consider myself a pretty big U2 fan, and it was really cool to learn about the origin and evolution of the band and its members.  I might even venture to say that Bono is revered in Dublin as one of the Irish Saints!  

The Guinness Storehouse was an interactive experience that included a history exhibit on the life of Arthur Guinness, multi-media educational rooms centered on the brewing process, tasting rooms, and an observation tower!  Though definitely a large advertisement, the storehouse was a very ENJOYABLE large advertisement at that!  There is no denying that Arthur Guinness helped mold Dublin into the internationally relevant city that it is today.  I learned at the Storehouse that some 6 million pints of Guinness are produced every single day at the brewery in Dublin!  WOW!  

Aside from visiting the museums and Guinness, I also enjoyed just walking and riding around the city.  Everything is very close and easy to get to.  The pubs are always busy, and the beer is certainly always flowing!  One night, my roommate and I took an Uber from the Guinness storehouse to the Temple Bar (central pub street) area of town, and the driver regaled us with tales of his life in Austin, Texas, where he had lived for seven years!  He told me he had driven through Arkansas many times.  He also told us which pubs to try and informed us that this is the first year in 90 years that said pubs were allowed by the city to be open on Good Friday!     

The Temple Bar Area

On my last day in Ireland, I went on a full-day tour to the west coast.  Our group visited the Cliffs of Moher, Burren National Park, and the city of Galway.  We lucked out and had a very sunny day!

The Cliffs of Moher on Ireland's west coast

Burren National Park -- a veritable limestone (and cattle) extravaganza in County Clare!  This area was originally part of the ocean floor.

Galway is a very old maritime town that is now an Irish cultural hub (and has in fact been named the "European Capital of Culture" for 2020 by the Commission of the European Union).  We ate some EXCELLENT fish and chips here and walked around the bustling streets, which were flooded with rugby fans who had just come from a local match.  I wish I would have had more time in Galway, but I enjoyed getting to spend a few hours there!

Downtown Galway

Simply put, Ireland is beautiful.  The landscape and the people exude happiness.  Recent Irish history -- The Troubles period of domestic terrorism -- coupled with the long struggle for independence and of course the great famine of the 1840s, no doubt still weighs on the minds of the Irish people, but the future looks bright.  I plan on going back to Dublin for a few days at some point during my stay in Brighton, as it is very accessible from the airport here.  I hope to see the Irish Emigration Museum on my next visit!

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Whew!!  If you made it this far, WOW! Thank you very much for reading all of this!  This blog space has allowed me to not only catalog all of my experiences, but also to experiment with and flesh out many of the ideas that I've been having about each place that I visited.  As a student in the humanities, I am always trying to draw connections across space and time -- to question the social and cultural make-up of each city and country that I visit in the hopes of understanding how society developed into the shape it takes on today.  

This week I will be catching up on sleep and on laundry, spending a day in London, and polishing up a few essays for class.  Again, thank you very much for reading.

Cheers, and happy Easter Monday!

-BD