Guten Tag, this is Rita speaking…..
The last weeks in Germany have been very interesting, exciting and fun for me – but also emotional. I use to travel to Berlin many times for example, but for professional reasons only. Never took the time to tour the sites and of course, much has changed over the last 20 years after Germanys reunification. We were able to walk along the “left over” of the Wall, passing names of people who lost their lives when trying to climb over during the 29 years of the separation of East and West. We were standing on the “no man land zone” between the former East and West, but what hit me emotionally was when we entered the Museum of Hitler’s Gestapo and SS called “Topography of Terror”. It illustrates the horrible things planned and carried out by the officials in power before and during WW II and is documented by pictures. WOW, difficult to take and not show emotions. Mostly because both my parents had to flee their homes, where separated from family, displaced and lost their belongings. Seeing those pictures turned their “stories” into reality for me. Walking through this documentation, seeing the unimaginable and horrible things reminded me why Germans aren’t much loved around the world – and I understand it and feel ashamed! I am glad to see that there is a lot of interest in this documentation and hope from the bottom of my heart there will never be a repeat.
On a lighter note – I am a tourist in my own country and I am happy to experience it together with Geoff. He gets so excited about old buildings, cobblestone streets and is very eager to learn about when a building was built and “oh my God, it’s been here since “1498”….can you believe it”? Well, that’s the other side of “my” Germany and I am happy and proud we can share this trip together, especially when we discuss it over coffee and cake. On this trip, besides touring, walking and exploring we are enjoying a lot of good meals .....hmmm, I am in heaven, this is “my” Germany and I am “loving it”.
On a lighter note – I am a tourist in my own country and I am happy to experience it together with Geoff. He gets so excited about old buildings, cobblestone streets and is very eager to learn about when a building was built and “oh my God, it’s been here since “1498”….can you believe it”? Well, that’s the other side of “my” Germany and I am happy and proud we can share this trip together, especially when we discuss it over coffee and cake. On this trip, besides touring, walking and exploring we are enjoying a lot of good meals .....hmmm, I am in heaven, this is “my” Germany and I am “loving it”.
That must of been hard To see, but as Geoff & I can testify, great loving people come out of Germany as well. Love Jenny.
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