I loved Germany!! I was so excited to get there and explore and was certainly not disappointed! I spent my first day on a field lab for my Acting Techniques in Interviews class. We had to spend the day observing people in various locations around the city. We started off by heading to a small market in an outlying neighborhood. The second spot was the Rathaus, or town hall. After lunch, our tour guide brought us on a detour to a “surprise” visit somewhere. It was a German elevator, and incredibly different from anything I’ve ever seen! It worked on a pulley system. One side went up and the other went down…there was no door. Instead, you just walked onto a platform and it brought you up, around, down, around and back up again! It was the coolest! After our detour, we headed to the smaller of the Alster lakes and my partner and I got gelato…pistachio, of course! Wouldn’t have it any other way! Our final stop of the day was to an outer neighborhood that is a little more artsy and edgy. It reminded me like the Village…I loved it! I could definitely see myself living somewhere like that. On the way back, we took a ferry back to the ship, which was a fun experience! It was a surprisingly fun field lab! After dinner and napping, I woke up feeling like a new person and was ready to go out. We headed out to Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s Red Light District. Soon, however, our group of six turned into a group of twenty, which quickly turned into a group of fifty. Dani and I finally decided that we just couldn’t handle them all, so we separated ourselves and found a quiet bar and got a glass of German wine. We definitely salvaged the night! We headed back nice and early so we could get a jump-start on the next day.
In the morning, Dani, Emily and I went on the NewHamburg walking tour at 11. It was amazing, as usual. With every tour I do, the more I feel like I would absolutely love to work with that company one day. We saw everything from the Rathaus to various churches (which he gave us time to go in and explore) to various architecturally intriguing buildings. We saw the place that the Great Fire of 1842 started, as well as the new part of the city that is currently under development. After the tour, we continued with the guide for lunch at a local pub. I presented the server with my gluten-free card and they did everything they could to accommodate me! She brought over another server who got the owner who then brought the card back into the kitchen. They asked me what I would like to eat then created a special GF dish for me! It was so incredibly hospitable of them- very few restaurants have ever been so great, both in the US and abroad! After our amazing lunch, we made our way up to Alster Lake to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. There was no way that any of us were going to rally for a pub crawl, so after dinner we decided to just go to a nearby bar and share a bottle of German wine. It was wonderful! Relaxing and delicious, and exactly what we needed to unwind after a long day of exploring the city.
The past few weeks have consisted of a nonstop array of boat engines, traffic, chatter, and music. We’ve navigated the busy streets of London, St. Petersburg and Moscow, and have traversed the North and Baltic Seas. The next day, however, the hustle and bustle that had become the soundtrack to our lives came to a discomforting halt as we stepped out of the bus and onto the unsettlingly peaceful and beautiful grounds of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp right outside of Hamburg.
My first introduction to the Holocaust and World War II was in the second grade when my class read the book Number the Stars. Since then, I haven’t stopped learning about this period in history. I’ve taken classes that cover it from both an American and European perspective, and have discussed it in length, both in an educational setting and a personal one as well. But no number of history lessons, stories, or movies could have prepared me for the feelings that come along with seeing the places they depict in real life.
At any one time, the camp housed anywhere from 12,000 – 14,000 Jews and prisoners of war and it’s primary purpose was a work camp. Though there weren’t any official extermination facilities on the grounds, the people there still suffered the same atrocities that those in other camps did. Women were forced into prostitution, children were separated from their parents, and none were given enough food to survive. A slice of bread was a reward at the end of a good day. At Neuengamme alone, 42,900 people died from suicide, starvation, disease or murder.
I had a few friends who went to the camp earlier in the week and came back and said it was “cool” or that they went in expecting a very emotional experience and never got one. After leaving the camp, I was left baffled over how they couldn’t have reacted the way I did. The unexpected silence was what initially shocked me the most, but what truly got me was one of the quotes from an Italian man, Rinaldo Rinaldi, that was imprisoned at the camp. Almost all the quotes were in German, and this was the only one I could actually read. The quote was hanging over the book that held his personal biography and read “…questo è l’inferno, sarà il purgatorio, l’inferno, io sono morto, ma quando sono morto?” Essentially, he was saying that he was in hell and “I am dead, but when am I going to die?” The testimonies were the most touching parts, but we couldn’t understand any that weren’t printed in English on the information cards. So the fact that in a sea of German, the one Italian quote stood out, hit me like a ton of bricks. Reading that testimony put the rest of what I saw into perspective. From uniforms to bunks, to videos and sketches, everything made the fact that I was walking through the halls of hell that this man once inhabited even more real.
Outside of the barracks, we were able to see where the prisoners worked. They built railway tracks, dug out the Elbe River so the boats they built could get through, made artillery shells, and created bricks out of clay. They were worked like animals, with few breaks for food or water, many of them suffering from extreme exhaustion and exposure to the elements. There was little shade, and the warehouses they worked in were dark, damp, and had one chimney to keep it warm. The working conditions were just as sickening as the living conditions.
Our tour of the camp concluded after walking around the grounds. On the way out, Carlos, my RD who was the trip liaison, caught up with me and asked how I was doing with everything. The only thing I could respond with was, “It’s all hard to process.” It took the rest of the day for me to do just that and put what I was thinking and feeling into words.
Our concentration camp visit was sandwiched between two other stops where we learned more about Jewish history that was especially pertinent to the Hamburg area. In the morning, we went to the small Jewish quarter of the city and our tour guide pointed out gold squares that have been laid into the ground. They all rest outside the residencies of the Jewish people who had been deported and killed. Thousands of stones rest in the ground not only across Hamburg, but of Germany and other European countries as well. We saw an all-Jewish school and walked by Joseph Carleblach-Platz, which is a square commemorating a synagogue that used to stand here. The end of our day was concluded with a visit to the largest and oldest Jewish cemetery in the area. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to tour because it was the Sabbath, but from the outside, it was an absolutely beautiful place.
On the bus on the way back from the bus, Carlos spoke to us about how to cope with everything we experienced today. He told us about a tactic he uses: “What, so what, and now what?” I seriously thought about all this while trying to process the day’s events and here is what I came up with:
I went into this day expecting to view everything from a historical standpoint. I was going to see the places I’ve studied for so long, and was looking forward to being able to put all those facts into context and put an image to the stories. I never expected that I would be hit so emotionally by it all. Within all the ugliness of the time, however, there is one positive piece that shines through. Despite the horrors that they all went through, the prisoners in these camps did everything they did to stay happy, keep themselves entertained, and always remained true to their religion, believing that they would one day be delivered from the hell they were going through. There will always be an evil in this world, and unfortunately it will shine through more prominently throughout different times in our history. What we need to do, however, is not give that evil more power by concentrating on them; instead, we need to look for the one ray of light that may sine through and hold true to it. By doing this, evil will never win out over good. We should thus remember the poor souls who suffered and be inspired by the strength they maintained despite the most terrible conditions.
On the last day of Russia, I was ready to leave. I had loved everything that I saw and did, and was sad to have that time come to an end so soon, but I was eager to get to our next port. Our last day in Germany was different, however. I absolutely fell in love with this city, and wish more than anything that we could have more time to spend here. Our first two days were so much fun, and yesterday was such an emotional and moving experience. To top the wonderful time we spent here off, a big group of all went out for a nice dinner.
Strangely, there were just as many Italian restaurants as there were German restaurants in the city. And almost every one of them had menus written in Italian- my mark of a truly great Italian restaurant. So, we decided to head to this one place we kept walking by near the Rathaus, called Dolce Vino (perfect, I know). I was able to read the menu and figure out if there was anything I could eat, and there was! It was a done deal.
We all sat down inside and our waiter approached us, asking if we spoke German or Italian- there was no English option. But I absolutely could not have been more excited! I got to spend the evening speaking completely in Italian and translating for the whole table. They were so impressed with me that they let me order my favorite wine (Montepulciano, which they normally only sell by the glass), in a liter bottle and at a discounted price. I ordered an amazing carpaccio and had caprese with buffalo mozzarella. The great group of people I was with and I ate fabulous food, drank incredible wine, and I spoke the most beautiful language on the planet. I couldn’t have been a happier girl.
We finished off the night by heading to the Rathaus to check out the free rock concert we had passed a couple times in the past few days. It was so much fun! We had no idea what they were singing, but we all enjoyed it, and it was great to see local Germans soaking in their own culture.
We got an early the last morning so we could do everything we were hoping to fit in. We started the day off by going to the Fischmarkt, which we had heard was something not to be missed! They had everything you ever could have wanted there. Just walking around, seeing everything interact with each other, was such an interesting experience. The fish vendors were all yelling at customers and each other in German. Everyone was laughing at what they were saying and I wish more than anything that I could have understood what was happening. Dani and I then decided to climb the 452 steps up the tower at St. Michaelis church to get a panoramic view of the city. It was breathtaking! From the very top, we could see the MV Explorer!
I really wish we had more time to spend in this amazing city. I truly felt welcomed here by the locals, everyone was so nice, and it was all so beautiful. The culture and history of this country is so rich, and there’s so much more I’m hoping to see. I know I’ll be coming back to Europe soon, and Germany will definitely be one of my stops on my next adventure!
Russia was AMAZING! I was very nervous about how this port would turn out (either very overwhelming or very underwhelming), but I had such a wonderful time. Pulling in was very interesting! It started off being surrounded by very industrial areas, and then slowly, as we started getting closer to the city, you began to glimpse the tops of churches. The transition between industry and culture was so cool to experience. We docked around 8am (next to a submarine, which I found ironic) and you could see the Winter Palace just down the river! For the first day, I had booked a walking tour and Hermitage Museum visit. Unlike Windsor Castle, the Winter Palace now only serves as a museum, and does not function as living quarters for anyone anymore. Instead, it is filled to the brim with breathtaking works of art and artifacts ranging from the Antiquities to the 20th century. Every aspect of these rooms was ornate- even down to the door handles. Before I went to Italy, I didn’t understand the appeal of museums. By the time I left, however, my opinion of them was totally flipped. Now, I can take hours walking through a museum, completely enthralled by what I’m looking at. I can even recognize names of artists! We saw works by major artists such as Van Dyke, Rembrandt, and Da Vinci. After we left the Hermitage, we did a ten-minute “walking tour” from the museum, by Pushkin’s apartment, to the Church on Spilled Blood and Kazan Cathedral. Once everyone was back on the ship, a few friends and I decided we wanted to go out, but that we wanted to stay on our side of the bridge (the bridges in St. Petersburg go up at 1:30am, so if you miss it you’re stuck until morning). When we found a bar to go to, we came across two problems: no one spoke English, and they didn’t take credit cards (I hadn’t gotten out any rubles yet at that point). It was an issue, but it was also an opportunity to see just how nice and helpful Russians really can be. One of the servers physically walked me to the ATM that was down the street since he couldn’t explain to me where it was. When we got there, it was closed, so we started walking until he found some locals he could ask about a different bank. We finally were able to go to that one, and he walked us back. It was something he absolutely didn’t have to do, especially since he was working. When we walked back into the restaurant, we saw the rest of the group trying to communicate with the owner about what we wanted to drink and how much. He was bringing over different bottles trying to figure it out, and there was someone there who spoke a little English trying to aid us as well. Through his help and lots of hand motions and trial and errors, we were finally able to figure everything out. Even though I couldn’t try the Russian vodka (it was made with wheat), we truly enjoyed our time there. Not only because it was great company, but we were also so thrilled to see how hospitable the Russians in the bar were.
The second day was very much an adventure. The first order of business was to find a ticket agent because I had decided to take a spontaneous trip to Moscow the following day with a few of my friends. We searched everywhere, but could not find one of an agent!! Finally, after lots of asking around and playing charades with various shop owners, we were able to find a train station. Unfortunately, not a single employee knew English and almost none of them were willing to work with me to help me find out what I wanted. Finally, as I was in line at the last window, I noticed that the couple in front of me were speaking Italian and using an Italian-Russian dictionary to communicate what they wanted to the ticket agent. I pulled the woman aside and asked if she could help me when they were done. After two hours, we finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel! I used Italian to speak to the couple who then helped me translate what I wanted into Russian, all the while playing Pictionary with the woman at the counter to figure out where in the train I would be sleeping. It was such a production, but I have had few other moments in my life where I have felt such an immense feeling of accomplishment. I was able to overcome an INCREDIBLE language barrier, using skills I have picked up in the past few years, and the help of very patient people, to get me where I needed to go. It was going to make my trip to Moscow even more memorable than it was already going to be! Our next stop was Kuznechny Market. Dani knew the stop we needed to get off at, but not quite exactly where it was. After running into my roommates, we followed their directions to the market and it was incredible! All the stands gave you free samples of whatever they were selling, whether it was fruit, vegetables, nuts, or cheese, and it was all so delicious. Dani, Kait (who we ran into there) and I really loved a particular kind of melon and were able to haggle the stand owner down to a price were we would all pay about a dollar each. I found a type of cheese I really loved and paid about a dollar for a big chunk of it. We got our lunch! Thinking about it even now is making my mouth water! Markets are one of my favorite parts in exploring other countries. You get to talk to locals and try different food for so cheap. It’s the perfect glimpse into a part of their everyday lives and their culture that many other people look over. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around. We went back to the Church of Spilled Blood, went souvenir shopping at the market across the street (I haggled a beautiful music box down from 1800 to only 600 rubles!) and got cheesecake at a restaurant Dani had discovered the day before. It was one of the best cheesecakes I had ever had! We headed back for dinner on the ship and to rest before I headed back out to catch the train with my friends. The group ended up being Byron, Erin, three girls Kayla (an ADPi!), Sara and Megan, and me. The train got to the platform around 11 and we headed to our cabins. Byron and Erin had bunks together, and two of the girls did as well. I was very worried about the ride because I was by myself. It ended up being nothing to worry about though! Apparently, the only tickets available for the ride there were in second class, so I got a private car with two other Russian women (another relief…I was so happy not to be with men!). They tried so hard to communicate with me, but I was finally able to explain that I was an American student visiting for a few days and really knew nothing of language. They were so nice, and made sure I knew when we were leaving and getting in, and that the box of food on the table was my dinner/breakfast! It was actually a very comfortable bed, even though I didn't have any room to sit up. As the train began to pull away from the station, that feeling of accomplishment I had earlier just began to grow, and despite the a cold and some serious blisters, I absolutely could not wait to explore Moscow the next day.
The train pulled in just after 6 the next morning. The Moscow train station was a ways out of the city, so we figured out how to get to the Kremlin and headed that way. We were all hungry, but nothing was open that early, so we ended up at a McDonald’s. While we were there, we met a new Russian friend! Nikita, who was presumably finishing his crazy night of drinking with some drunk breakfast food, came over and introduced himself to us so he could practice his English. He was such a sweetheart! He wanted to know all about each of us- where we were from, what we’re doing in Russia, and all about Semester at Sea. We talked with him for a solid hour; it was so great chatting with a local! Upon leaving our new friend, we just wandered around the Kremlin area until everything opened at 10. It was all so beautiful! While we were waiting, we made our way to the Red Square. As we approached the square, I swore I heard the Game of Thrones theme song and was terribly confused. That was closed off as well, but one of the surrounding churches, Kazan Church, was open. We took a look inside and there was a service going on! It was very moving, even though we had no idea what was going on. A small, old, Russian woman tried pulling us aside and explaining what was going on and what we had to do, but I don’t think she realized that we didn’t speak Russian. It was so cute and so nice of her to try and communicate to us though! After watching in for a few minutes, we made our way back outside. As soon as we opened the door, the serene atmosphere of the church was abruptly interrupted by the theme song to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was such a strange combination of tradition and pop culture, and we needed to figure out what was happening. It wasn’t hard to do, however, because as soon as we stepped out of the church, we saw what was going on. From the front steps, you could see all of the Red Square. They were setting up for a festival that would be going on the next day to honor a national holiday in Russia (their own Victory day, I believe). The music was coming from the rehearsal of one of the acts- synchronized horse trotting! It was one of the strangest and most intriguing things I had ever seen. There were about twenty horses and riders trotting along with some of the major action TV/film theme songs! There was Mission Impossible, James Bond, Game of Thrones (which explained the music from earlier), Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. They even pulled out swords at one point. I have never seen anything like it, and can’t imagine that I ever will again. Everything finally opened at 10, and we made our way inside the Red Square. We went to St. Basil’s first. I was so happy to have my ISIC card from SU Abroad, because it got me discounted rates at every place we went to that day! It was so cool inside and very unlike any other church I’ve been in before. It was a maze through many different rooms and chapels. It serves now as a museum, so there were many artifacts from it’s history and paintings that were created for it. At one point, I ran into an Italian tour group and was even able to hop on to get a guided tour of it. The best part of the tour was the show that they had organized. Inside the main chapel, the tour guide had gotten a group of four men to sing one of the typical Russian church songs. Their voices and the echoes they made in the chapel gave me goosebumps. It was one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, even though I had no idea what they were singing about. We then made our way back outside the square to get in line for entrance to Lenin’s Mausoleum. Against his wishes, Stalin had his body embalmed after his death in 1924, so he has been preserved in the same state that he died in almost 90 years ago. You aren’t allowed to bring anything in at all, and are not permitted to speak in order to pay the deepest respect to him. There are guards at every turn and it kept incredibly dark. It was the creepiest atmosphere I had ever been in. You wander through a labyrinth of passages until you get to where he is on display. Then BAM! There he is. Lenin, in all his glory. It was the coolest and freakiest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I couldn’t believe I was seeing him in person (sort of). After lunch, we headed over to the Kremlin itself to tour the churches. On our way, we passed two brides making their way over! I have never seen as many weddings as I did in Russia…apparently they all get married during this time of year because it’s so miserable during the rest of it (which actually makes total sense)! We made our way inside the walls of the Kremlin, and I was in awe. While it is still very significant politically, it used to also be the religious center of Russia- such an important part of Russian history! Inside, there was a main parliament building, surrounded by Napoleonic cannons that were captured from the French when they lost the war. Just around the corner was the plaza that hosts the cathedrals. The walls of the churches, the stone of the plaza, and the walls surrounding it were all white. It made me feel very peaceful. We went in most of the cathedrals, and they were absolutely beautiful. Byron had printed out a Lonely Planet guide packet before we left, so he was able to tell us the history and significance of each place, which fascinated me. No matter how many churches I go into in whatever country I’m in, I will never get sick of them. They’re always part of my favorite things about each new place! We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Kremlin and learning about the different histories of each section. We spent the rest of the day wandering, getting dinner and Internet. I was able to FaceTime with Julia and mom! It was great to see their faces. It was eventually time to make our way back to the train station. This time around I was in 3rd class, which is open. Somehow, I felt much safer and was more comfortable this time around! I absolutely passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until it was time to get off the train.
The last day we spent close to the ship. Dani and I were too tired to do much of anything else, so we spent the morning getting Wi-Fi and planning future adventures.
I definitely experienced some problems in Russia with language barriers, but I can truly say I enjoyed my time there. I’m so incredibly glad I went to Moscow, because I know I would have absolutely regretted not going. St. Petersburg was so much fun and absolutely beautiful and Moscow was just amazing. I really loved my time there, though I was also happy to move on to the next port: Hamburg!
