Through My Eyes, In My Words:

The Open Wall and the New Europe of the 21st Century: Berlin, Prague, and Munich

Taught by Rado Pribic, Oliver Edwin Williams Professor of Languages, and Robert I. Weiner, Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of History

Ashley Parks of Easton, Pa, is majoring in economics and business. A member of the Japanese Interest living group in Keefe Hall, she is secretary of Anime Club.

By Ashley Parks ’06

There was so much to do, see, and learn as we visited Germany, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and drove through Austria.
The course started in Berlin, an excellent place to begin because there is so much variety there. On one hand, we were able to experience the culture first-hand through restaurants, the Berlin Zoo, a New Years Eve celebration, and Berlin Philharmonic concert. On the other hand, the city also contained so much interesting history. We toured by bus and on foot, visiting the Berlin Wall, Prussian and Russian monuments, and numerous important buildings. Everything became more real because, after seeing these things, you had time to go learn more about what you were most interested in by visiting places like the Checkpoint Charlie Museum.

On the way to Praha, we stopped in Dresden, a city the British had firebombed during World War II. It was extremely interesting to see how the city’s major buildings and monuments are still being carefully restored.

In Prague, once again we walked and took bus tours. I really enjoyed the Charles Bridge. There was a beautiful view and 30 interesting statues. It was fascinating to hear the stories behind some of the statues. We also visited some beautiful and old churches and synagogues as well as numerous other important places such as the Prague palace.

Krakow was the next stop, one of the most somber experiences of the entire class because we went to Auschwitz and Birkenau. You have to go there to understand what an impact it has. It was so large, and you walked where so many died. It was very informative and really showed what horrors people are capable of.

On the way to Munich, we stopped to tour in Bratislava. The old town was so beautiful to walk through, and it was really interesting to see the city from the palace. We also drove through Austria’s beautiful countryside.

Our trip concluded in Munich. The churches were breathtaking. We also went to the technical museum, which was a lot of fun because it was very interactive. Lastly, we visited the Dachau KZ Memorial Site. It was a unique experience to see the concentration camp that the other German camps were modeled after.

Overall, it was a wonderful 19 days. I got the opportunity to see and learn a lot while developing friendships. It was an awesome experience that I would recommend to anyone.