Day 10: Our final day in Europe

Today was our last day in Europe.  It was an amazing one!!!

Our whole group on the last night of our trip.

We had a later than usual wake up call today which allowed me, and the kids, to get a little extra sleep.  The sun was shining brightly as we boarded the bus for our Berlin city tour.  Our local guide was Matt.  He is British and I think he might have been a tour guide for me before.  Overall, I thought he was great.  That dry British wit mixed seamlessly with the history and culture of Berlin.  As we drove, and walked, around the city, Matt explained the most difficult parts to our kids and they really enjoyed it.

One of our first stops was along the Berlin Wall.  In the 90's, a group of artists, with permission of the city, created an art gallery with the wall.  What once stood as a symbol of oppression now stands as a symbol of expression.  In the past, we have been able to sign our names on the wall, but it looks like the city is making an effort to preserve the artists' work...we honored that effort and did not sign.

Every time I've visited, I have photographed the curriculum vitae sign.

This image may look familiar as Hitler used these steps for many propaganda speeches.

The Reichstag Building

The Berlin Holocaust Memorial.

Matt also took us to Berlin's (and the world's) best chocolate company.

The Brandenburg Gate made out of Chocolate

An Active Chocolate Volcano. I tried three times to get a shot of it erupting, but missed each time.

At the conclusion of Matt's tour, we visited the Topography of Terror museum.  It highlights the history of the Nazi Party and how it took power, used Nationalism for evil, and perpetrated the Holocaust.  It is part of a new wave of thinking in Germany which means confronting their past. The museum is new, only 7 years old, and continues to impress me and the kids.

This part of the museum is open-air and runs alongside of the Berlin Wall.  It is just down the street from Checkpoint Charlie.

It was our final museum on the tour.  It isn't an uplifting experience, but it is a worthwhile one.  We didn't do a real debrief afterwards, but for those who took the time, this museum will stick out in their memory.

We hopped onto the Metro for a quick ride to Alexanderplatz.  It was to be used for lunch, last minute souvenirs, and high end shopping! (I might have made a couple visits to Dunks!!!)

Our final train ride was accompanied by music!!! "Hit the Road, Jack" never sounded so good!!!

My last currywurst, served inside a taco salad shell?

The East German walk sign...Appelbuamman.  

First Dunks in 10+ days...we may have ordered another 20 minutes later.

Soviet Era Communications Tower juxtaposed with Dunkin Donuts (Capitalism)

There is always money in the banana stand...but did the Bluthes know the banana stand was in Berlin?

It was soon time for our final dinner.  We walked from Alexanderplatz to the Hackescher district.  It is an artsy part of town with lots of restaurants and boutiques.  For dinner, we had pork-type meat loaf-dumplingish thing.  It was served over rice, gravy, and peas.  It wasn't necessarily a hit, but mostly everyone had their fill.  It was bittersweet, after dinner, when Norbert picked us up.  His work with us ended tonight.  A different driver, and different bus, will be taking us to the airport.  A good trip is based on several factors...and a good bus driver is one of them.  I will remember him for many years.

And now I sit here in the hotel. It is just past midnight.  We have a very early wake up call and trip to the airport.  We will be traveling back to the comforts of our own beds, our loved ones, and school on Monday.  The likelihood of the 26 of us every being together again is slim, but each of us will hold this trip as something special.  We learn on these trips.  We learn about the Hapsburgs.  We learn about the Cold War.  We learn about humanity.  Most importantly, we learn about ourselves. I hope each of these students can share with their loved ones what they learned the most.  What moment, of this trip, changed them?  I'm hopeful that their memories will fill, not just the car ride home from Logan, but many many years.

I have been lovingly criticized by some readers of this blog for not writing a proper conclusion for the past couple of trips (sorry, Mom), but I am going to make a concerted effort to do such a thing. It might be on the flight home tomorrow or in a couple days, but I will try to reflect on the whole experience...not just for you, but for me.  I thank you for reading and sharing this trip with us.  I hope I gave you peace of mind. I hope I shed some light on how I see the world.  I hope I was able to capture this experience for you in some type of meaningful way.

Mr. Lavoie, currently closing the laptop for the final time in Europe...we are headed home!!!