I just wanted to post a few pictures of where I'm staying so those of you who are interested can see where I'm living for two weeks. My bed's the one next to the mirror in the second picture down; it's the one covered in stuff of course :-)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The daily life
I just wanted to post a few pictures of where I'm staying so those of you who are interested can see where I'm living for two weeks. My bed's the one next to the mirror in the second picture down; it's the one covered in stuff of course :-)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Delayed sunday update
Let me catch you up on yesterday (Sunday). It was such a long day that I didn't get a chance to post anything. We did a walking tour for most of the day through historic areas of downtown East Berlin. Lots of museums, famous buildings, communist and Nazi historical sights and lunch at the infamous Checkpoint Charlie between the East and West were on the agenda.
Following, we met with Isabelle and Stine Knispel at a Dunkin' Donuts in Potsdamer Platz. The two sisters were interested in our project, and we talked to them for over an hour about potential story ideas. They also told us about what it's like living in Berlin. The most interesting and profound thing they said was how they've had to grow up dealing with the guilt of the Holocaust. They expressed their fear that non-Germans will judge them for what past generations were responsible for, but kept reiterating that they knew it was only they who could change the future. It was very meaningful to me that they took the time to be with us and were so honest and open.
A memorial for the books burned during Hitler's rule
A photographer shoots a low-angle shot at a memorial for the prisoners of concentration camps
Tulips outside of international embassies next to the Brandenburg Gate
The historical buildings of Berlin are juxtaposed by constant growth and reconstruction
A low-angle shot from the memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe
Gypsy watch
Today has been fairly relaxed. We headed out from the hotel at 11 a.m. and took a bus to the center of the former West. Along the way we passed the Tiergarten, Berlin's version of NYC's Central Park, a beautiful place where Berliners are rumored to sunbath topless or naked. There's also a zoo there that I hope to go to before I leave.
In the city center we saw an incredible 14th-century church that had been bombed out in WWII but hasn't been restored to show the destruction of war. It was juxtaposed nicely with a modern church built right next too it.
While downtown we also checked out the massive and exceptionally nice KaDeWe department store and watched some street performers break dance.
Something you have to watch out for in the touristy areas is the gypsies. The women will walk up to you holding a baby or with their children and ask you if you speak English. You have to look right at them and forcefully say "nein!" (German for no) so they leave you alone. They are just trying to get money from you and/or have their children pickpocket you! We had to deal with a lot of them today and yesterday.
From there we headed to the former American sector and walked through a neighborhood where Freeman had lived with his family while his father was stationed at the air force base. We also went to a small museum on the allied forces that occupied Berlin.
In Alexanderplatz on the way back to the hotel I saw my first grillmaster! I've been excited to see one of these since Freeman told us about them. They're basically the mobile, one-man band of fast food
I'm just back at the hotel now, relaxing before searching for dinner and going to a see a band. Talk to you later!
In the city center we saw an incredible 14th-century church that had been bombed out in WWII but hasn't been restored to show the destruction of war. It was juxtaposed nicely with a modern church built right next too it.
While downtown we also checked out the massive and exceptionally nice KaDeWe department store and watched some street performers break dance.
Something you have to watch out for in the touristy areas is the gypsies. The women will walk up to you holding a baby or with their children and ask you if you speak English. You have to look right at them and forcefully say "nein!" (German for no) so they leave you alone. They are just trying to get money from you and/or have their children pickpocket you! We had to deal with a lot of them today and yesterday.
From there we headed to the former American sector and walked through a neighborhood where Freeman had lived with his family while his father was stationed at the air force base. We also went to a small museum on the allied forces that occupied Berlin.
In Alexanderplatz on the way back to the hotel I saw my first grillmaster! I've been excited to see one of these since Freeman told us about them. They're basically the mobile, one-man band of fast food
I'm just back at the hotel now, relaxing before searching for dinner and going to a see a band. Talk to you later!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Wonderwall
Ahh, our first full day in Berlin. Today we biked about 20 kilometers (7 miles) with Fat Tire Bike Tours as part of our crash-course introduction to Berlin. And there were a few near-miss crashes today between bike and curb, bike and person, bike and pole, and bike and car. Luckily we all made it through the 5-hour tour in one piece and got to experience some genuinely 'real' parts of Berlin with our wonderful tour guide Marielle.
Of course one of the highlights was visiting parts of the original Berlin Wall, which was virtually completely covered with graffiti.
We covered a lot of ground today, visiting everywhere from busy, commercial Alexanderplatzt to the eccentric and somewhat seedy Gorlitzer Park, which was full of Turkish immigrant families barbecuing and Rastafarians smoking weed.
For lunch we had delicious Durum Kabobs - sort of similar to a gyro, but wrapped like a burrito - at a little restaurant in the former West.
Later that evening (it stays light here till about 9 p.m.), Professor Freeman took us to an outdoor carnival he had found out about online. After walking through another questionable park, we found the fair in all of its muddy glory.
Boasting the typical mix of spinning rides, midway games and various fried foods, the carnival was a photo-op gold mine. Or at least it was until the sky decided to open up and give us a good dousing.
We all basically sacrificed keeping ourselves dry for the sake of protecting our precious camera equipment; always a must. But a hot shower and delicious meal at the Chinese restaurant around the corner from our hotel ended the night nicely for us.
The longest day ever
I'm in Berlin, and man am I tired!
My three flights - Orlando to Philadelphia, Philly to Brussels, Brussels to Berlin - were all on time and essentially uneventful, but still ended up totaling 24 straight hours of traveling. Wow. And that only includes about two or three hours of sleep on the planes. Surprisingly, the overseas leg of the trip was on a pretty small plane. There was only one aisle with three narrow seats on each side. Every other overseas flight I've taken has been in a wide-body plane with two aisles. But at least I was sitting in the aisle seat next to two nice, slim women so I wasn't too squashed. The women spoke some other language, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was. It sounded like a cross between French and German. Finnish maybe?
After arriving in Brussels, I had a 6-hour layover until my flight to Germany. I spent some of my time taking pictures in the Brussels airport.
The international terminal had some interesting, industrial-looking architecture
Travelers heading to customs
Part of a Lego display at the airport
After an incredibly long, though successful, 24 hours I'm at the Transit-Loft Hotel in Berlin. The hotel is in a renovated factory on a quiet street near Alexanderplatz, which is a large plaza that was the center of the former East. Although I took a cab from the airport (hey, I was tired, and my bags were really heavy!), the hotel is right near the above-ground tram that takes you right to Alexanderplatz.
When I got to the hotel around 6 p.m. Berlin time (noon Florida time), the group had already gone to dinner at the famous, outdoor Prater Biergarten so I went to find the place by myself.
The walk was really nice even though I didn't know where I was going. I passed beautiful tree-lined streets with cute restaurants, shops, outdoor markets and parks. There were also a ton of dogs walking around. They all seemed to be with an owner, but barely any had leashes. They were very well behaved!
I was so relieved to finally arrive at the beer garden; about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. The place was really nice and relaxing - it literally was a huge outdoor space in the middle of the city with picnic tables, trees strung with white lights, a playground for kids and an outdoor amphitheater. Around the perimeter of the gravel covered Biergarten you could buy food and beer, and by 7:15 I was enjoying my first German brat and beer, mmmm!
After taking the scenic way home (read: we got lost) and showering, everyone is ready to pass out, and I plan to join them.
Goodnight!
My three flights - Orlando to Philadelphia, Philly to Brussels, Brussels to Berlin - were all on time and essentially uneventful, but still ended up totaling 24 straight hours of traveling. Wow. And that only includes about two or three hours of sleep on the planes. Surprisingly, the overseas leg of the trip was on a pretty small plane. There was only one aisle with three narrow seats on each side. Every other overseas flight I've taken has been in a wide-body plane with two aisles. But at least I was sitting in the aisle seat next to two nice, slim women so I wasn't too squashed. The women spoke some other language, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was. It sounded like a cross between French and German. Finnish maybe?
After arriving in Brussels, I had a 6-hour layover until my flight to Germany. I spent some of my time taking pictures in the Brussels airport.
The international terminal had some interesting, industrial-looking architecture
Travelers heading to customs
Part of a Lego display at the airport
After an incredibly long, though successful, 24 hours I'm at the Transit-Loft Hotel in Berlin. The hotel is in a renovated factory on a quiet street near Alexanderplatz, which is a large plaza that was the center of the former East. Although I took a cab from the airport (hey, I was tired, and my bags were really heavy!), the hotel is right near the above-ground tram that takes you right to Alexanderplatz.
When I got to the hotel around 6 p.m. Berlin time (noon Florida time), the group had already gone to dinner at the famous, outdoor Prater Biergarten so I went to find the place by myself.
The walk was really nice even though I didn't know where I was going. I passed beautiful tree-lined streets with cute restaurants, shops, outdoor markets and parks. There were also a ton of dogs walking around. They all seemed to be with an owner, but barely any had leashes. They were very well behaved!
I was so relieved to finally arrive at the beer garden; about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. The place was really nice and relaxing - it literally was a huge outdoor space in the middle of the city with picnic tables, trees strung with white lights, a playground for kids and an outdoor amphitheater. Around the perimeter of the gravel covered Biergarten you could buy food and beer, and by 7:15 I was enjoying my first German brat and beer, mmmm!
After taking the scenic way home (read: we got lost) and showering, everyone is ready to pass out, and I plan to join them.
Goodnight!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The beginning...
Well there's nothing like procrastination.
I leave for Berlin in 24 hours, and I just now created this blog to document my 2-week trip. Nothing like a deadline to get yourself in gear, I guess.
Hi, my name is Jennifer Keil, and I am a 21-year-old journalism student from the University of Florida. Tomorrow (or technically later today), I will be leaving from my home in Orlando and traveling to Berlin for a photojournalism study abroad program. During my visit I will be working on a photo story and updating this blog with my pictures and impressions.
John Freeman, a photojournalism professor at UF, is leading our group. This is the fourth year he's led the program, and the first time a blog has been required of students.
To get an idea of what the photo stories are like, check out the Web sites from the 2005,
2006and
2007trips.
When the program ends on May 29, I will travel in Europe for three more weeks with my boyfriend, Seth, visiting Munich, Rome, Cinque Terra, Zurich, Paris and Amsterdam.
More to come, but I have to finish packing now!
I leave for Berlin in 24 hours, and I just now created this blog to document my 2-week trip. Nothing like a deadline to get yourself in gear, I guess.
Hi, my name is Jennifer Keil, and I am a 21-year-old journalism student from the University of Florida. Tomorrow (or technically later today), I will be leaving from my home in Orlando and traveling to Berlin for a photojournalism study abroad program. During my visit I will be working on a photo story and updating this blog with my pictures and impressions.
John Freeman, a photojournalism professor at UF, is leading our group. This is the fourth year he's led the program, and the first time a blog has been required of students.
To get an idea of what the photo stories are like, check out the Web sites from the 2005,
2006and
2007trips.
When the program ends on May 29, I will travel in Europe for three more weeks with my boyfriend, Seth, visiting Munich, Rome, Cinque Terra, Zurich, Paris and Amsterdam.
More to come, but I have to finish packing now!
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