Contrasts

The following poem was written from a beach chair while on my honeymoon in Cuba. I couldn't get over the incredible contrasts I noticed throughout the country, and attempted to write something that would accurately capture what I experienced during our week on this unique Caribbean island. 

A seaside resort,

a plethora of hospitality,

a hundred people basking in warmth

under shaded huts and palm trees.

A decrepit shack,

a street of gates,

an aging horse tied to a fence

frantically trying to find a meal.

A smiling server,

a wealth of tips,

a hundred staff catering to the

rich tourists' every whim.

A military uniform,

a limbless beggar,

a fading population of heart-

hardened Cubans trying to survive.

This is a country of contrasts.

Of those who come to escape,

and those who long to run away.

It is a country of wealth,

of poverty,

of communist ideals mixed with

sea, sun and endless struggle.

A rich man,

a poor man,

an endless surge of people

longing for something better

than what they have today.

2011 in a nutshell

Things have been a little hectic for me over the past few months. As a result, I have definitely neglected my blog. Part of me wasn’t interested in writing – another part was too tired to think about it. But now that 2012 is finally underway, I will make a conscious effort to write and update this blog that I’ve come to love so much.

When looking back at 2011, here is a brief list of the most impactful events that took place in my life…

January – I spent three weeks as an intern at MTS, where I realized that I actually AM interested in pursuing a career in PR.

March – I launched my first novel – Pieces – at Cre8ery Art Gallery.

April – After two years of intense work, I attended my last CreComm class.

May – Copies of Pieces became available at McNally Robinson Bookstore.

June – I attended my CreComm convocation.

July – My close friends Tyler & Kristen were married, and I was the MC at their reception.

August – Jeff & I travelled to Toronto for a week.

September – I was the publicist for the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, and had the opportunity to meet writers such as Miriam Toews, Guy Vanderhaeghe and Elizabeth Hay.

October – Jeff proposed.

November – I started working as the Communications Coordinator for DUC.

December – Jeff’s dad – my future father-in-law – passed away after a seven month battle with cancer.

Overall, I would consider it to be a positive year, even though the recent death of Jeff’s dad has been very difficult for everyone (and you can expect to read more about that later).

Now, as I enter 2012, there are a number of things that I am looking forward to. In addition to my wedding and honeymoon – both of which are only a short, nine months away – I have plans to attend concerts, plays and cultural events. I look forward to lots of time spent with family and friends, and will hopefully have many more good days than bad…

‘Sarah’s Key’ by Tatiana de Rosnay

Recently, I have started to spend my weekends hunting through the Bargain Books section at McNally Robinson.

Part of me is in search of unique holiday presents for family and friends, but a larger part of me is looking for myself. Regular-priced novels are something that I usually don’t purchase, due to the fact that I am a RIDICULOUSLY FAST READER. I’ll spend $35 on a hardcover, and I’m finished in an afternoon. For some people, spending the money is worth it. For me, it isn’t.

My McNally book hunts have taken me in a lot of different directions. About a month ago, I purchased Gonzo, a biography about Hunter S. Thompson. Then, I went on a Philippa Gregory splurge, and purchased four titles by the historical fiction author. Last weekend, I came across the novel Sarah’s Key by French author Tatiana de Rosnay, and it was fantastic.

The cover of Sarah's Key. It has recently been made into a movie as well...

The novel cycles back and forth between two different stories. The first is about a 10-year-old girl named Sarah. She is a French-born Jewish girl living in Paris during the Second World War. In the middle of the night, the French police bang on her door and demand the family leaves their home at once. Convinced she would only be gone for a short period of time, Sarah locks her four-year-old brother Michael in a hidden cupboard. Pocketing the key, she promises she will return soon to set him free.

The second story is about Julia, an American-born journalist living in Paris. Set in modern-day Europe, Julia prepares to move into a newly-renovated apartment with her French husband and teenage daughter. However, a story Julia has been chosen to write for a local newspaper unknowingly connects Julia’s new apartment with Sarah’s past 60 years prior.

The central event that both stories revolve around is the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup. It was a Nazi decreed raid and mass arrest in Paris by the French police on July 16-17, 1942. The aim of the roundup was to decrease the Jewish population in occupied France. Over 13,000 people – mostly women and children – were rounded up and given little time to collect personal belongings before being whisked away into the night.

Most of the arrested people were taken to the Vélodrome d'hiver. It was a large recreational facility primarily used for biking, and was located near the Eiffel Tower. The arrested Jews were held prisoner in the stifling-hot facility. They had no lavatories: of the 10 available, five were sealed because their windows offered a way out and the others were blocked. There was only one water tap, and food was infrequently available. Those who tried to escape were shot on the spot, and a number of people took their own lives.

French Jews held prisoner, circa 1942.*

After five days, the prisoners were hustled into city buses and transported out of Paris. They were first taken to internment camps on the outskirts of the city, and were later distributed to extermination camps. The majority ended up at Auschwitz.

The Vel' d'Hiv Roundup is an event that most people know little about. When I visited Paris in 2009, my hotel was located blocks from where the biking facility once stood. I had no idea such a tragedy occurred, and if I did, I would have made sure I took a moment to walk by the site where so many people suffered.

Sarah’s Key is a tribute to the families who were taken from their homes on July 16, 1942, never to return. It is a somber, graphic and heart wrenching story, and I guarantee you will feel haunted after reading it. With that being said, I believe it is a magnificent and important novel that sheds light on a less-known yet equally tragic event that took place during the Second World War.

Read it. McNally Robinson’s Bargain Books section is waiting for you…

*Images taken from Google.

I want you to want more…

A few weeks ago, I was invited to be the guest speaker at a book club meeting.

Somehow, the stars had all aligned at the proper moment, and Pieces was selected as the book everyone in the club would read. Nine copies were purchased at McNally Robinson Booksellers, and when everyone finished reading, they wanted to meet me.

Flattering, right?

Obviously I said yes, and I also brought my mom along for the ride. It’s her family history too, and she offers a unique perspective. The novel I wrote is historical fiction, which means it’s based on fact but some sections have been made up. Mom knows the story as it actually happened, and I knew she would be a great addition to the evening.

Well, let’s just say the club asked a lot of tough questions…

As a writer, I want a certain amount of mystery to remain with the reader after they have finished the book. I don’t want to give it all away, and it’s a good thing for people to want to know more. If a reader were to finish a book and say “that was a decent story, but I never need to think about it again” the writer has failed.

Everyone in the club wanted to know more, which was fantastic to see. It became difficult, however, when they wanted to know specific details that I wasn’t particularly interested in sharing. I never stated that the content of Pieces is 100 per cent accurate. As I mentioned at my launch, it was necessary to take certain liberties with characters and events because all the people who could confirm what I needed to know were dead.

The club wanted to know what I had made up and what was real. I told them a few things, but tried to keep the rest back. They pushed, and I pulled. Mom provided a bit of additional information – some of it being details that I didn’t even know – and in the end, I think the club was satisfied. They are now privy to SOME of the secrets of Pieces, without knowing everything.

Like I said, I want people to want to know more.

Participating in a book club meeting was a great experience, and it taught me a lot. I learned that I actually do need to prepare answers to questions ahead of time if I don’t want to be stuck. I also learned that people will not give up asking a question if they really want to know the answer.

Finally, I learned that the club truly enjoyed my book. I’m pretty sure they would have told me if they didn’t, and knowing I wrote something people take pleasure in is the highest form of flattery a writer can receive. I hope they weren’t too disappointed that I didn’t answer every single question they asked.

But, in the end, a girl’s gotta keep some secrets to herself…

Remembering NOT to forget

The following was a CreComm journalism assignment I wrote on November 11, 2009. I think it's one of the best stories I've ever written, and I'll let it speak for itself...

Remembrance Day at the Minto Armouries was celebrated by hundreds of sombre men, women, and children. They crowded the main floor and filled the balcony, eager to find a decent spot to watch the ceremony. Military personnel wearing formal uniforms, camouflage, and kilts stood in formation and awaited instructions. Many people in the audience wept throughout the ceremony, especially during the moments of silence.

Sgt. Smith, from the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders, quietly explained that attendance at this year’s ceremony was down. “There are fewer people this year than last, and I believe that is directly related to H1N1,” he said. “But since our troops entered Afghanistan in 2002, many more people have started coming. I’ve attended for 35 years, and it’s moving to see that people care enough to come to a ceremony.”

The young Air Cadets were among the many uniformed personnel who stood in formation on the main floor. Trevor Malcolm, a former cadet instructor, explained that his favourite part of the ceremony was watching the youths break formation.

“We count every year,” he explained. “They have to stand at attention for the whole ceremony, and many start to get dizzy and sick. They are instructed to go down on one knee when they can’t stand anymore, and someone comes to get them.” A number of officers swarmed the area, waiting to rescue anyone who began to sway.

In total, 28 white-faced cadets were removed during the ceremony.

“We think it’s a metaphor,” said Malcolm’s wife, Nancy. “They drop so quickly. But, in an actual war or conflict, that’s how quickly a soldier dies. One second they are fine, the next they are dead. It’s sad... so very sad.”

“It’s easy to forget about Remembrance Day, if you sit at home and don’t get involved,” she added. “But it’s important for everyone not to forget. These are our people, this is our history, and if we forget we’re destined to repeat the past.”

Note: All of the above names have been changed.

My little book of history

I have literally spent years of my life immersed in the study of history.

Even before I declared history as my major at the University of Manitoba, I was buying books, watching shows and conducting Internet searches related to topics of interest. My notes about the Titanic filled five binders, and my books on the World Wars weighed as much as a small child.

In total, I must have written about 30 historical academic papers during my time at the U of M. I could tell you all about the rise and fall of the Soviet Union without stopping to think, and I could explain the importance of D-Day in a way that would make you want to jump up and cheer.

Remembering dates was always a specialty of mine, and I could pretty much recite the day, year, and occasionally, time of most important events throughout the 20^th century. I was a walking encyclopedia of historical information, and I loved it.

Unfortunately, if you don’t use it you lose it.

I can still remember the overall concepts of what I learned in university. The parts that I’ve become a bit shaky on are the details. For example: I can recite the overarching themes and dates of the First World War, but I don’t remember the specific battles or people involved.

Now that I’m no longer a student, I have time to revamp my historical knowledge. To some people, this may seem like a silly waste of time. But, when you spend four years of your life learning something, it’s a bit difficult to simply walk away.

Meet my little book of history.

Last night, I grabbed one of the many gorgeous yet unused journals I have in my possession, and started writing. With my laptop on my left and my journal on the right, I researched all the dates that I used to know but have forgotten. Carefully, I copied them into this new book – with small yet descriptive explanations included.

Now, my task is to carefully research major historical moments (such as the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the Rise of the Iron Curtain or the Chernobyl Disaster), and record the details in the book. I will create some sort of fancy colour-coded tab system to keep everything organized, but my goal is to have a book filled with everything I used to know.

Every evening, I will record another historical moment in the book. The plan is also to carry this book around at all times – in case I have a few free moments where I can Google a date or two.

This might sound slightly psychotic, but anyone who knows me will get it…

Facebook updates from beyond the grave

This morning, a friend on Twitter posted the following: “I hate getting Facebook birthday reminders from friends who are dead. It’s creepy.”

Immediately, I responded with: “Ack! I really hate that too.”

I continued with my morning, but there was something about the brief Twitter exchange that I couldn’t erase from my mind. When I started to really think about it, I realized that I have wanted to write this blog post for a very long time…

Many people have the unfortunate experience of losing a loved one. Now, with social media being so prevalent in our world, the loved one who passed was probably a Facebook user. The family left behind is faced with the daunting and uncomfortable task of contacting Facebook, explaining the situation and asking for the profile to be removed.

No one wants to do that, and I can’t imagine it’s an easy process.

As a result, some families leave deceased Facebook profiles as they are. Friends can continue to post for days, months, or in some cases, years after the person has died. And, friends also receive pre-set updated from that person – including birthday reminders.

Currently, I am friends with two deceased Facebook users. I refuse to delete them, because I feel as though that action would dishonour their memories in some way. Eventually I will delete them, but for the moment I am stuck receiving their notifications.

This brings me to the question that lies at the heart of this blog post: Is it okay to ask the family of the deceased person to have the Facebook profile removed?

If I am not particularly close to the family, I wouldn’t ever think of asking. But what if the person who died was a best friend, a relative or an ex-lover?

I don’t know if there is a “right answer” to this question. I guess I just had to get that out.

Top five gallery experiences

On Wednesday, I visited the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) with my friend Leah. She’d never been there before, and we both wanted to spend an afternoon doing something cultural.

Visiting the museum was fantastic – just as it normally is – and as I walked through the marble hallways I began to reflect on past experiences…

I have always loved art. Paintings especially have always held my interest, and it was the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movement specifically that first drew me into the art world. The soft colours of Monet’s Water Lillies, the vivid swirls of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and even the vibrant details of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Can Can Dancers have always fascinated and comforted me.

Looking back, I can’t remember the first time I visited an art gallery. However, I can rate my top five art gallery experiences of all time without hesitation…

Five: Andy Warhol at the WAG

It was January of 2007 when my boyfriend Jeff and I visited the WAG for the first time. We wanted to see the Andy Warhol Exhibit, which was fantastic. What made the date even better was the fact that we accidentally stumbled across Frank Warren’s Post Secret Exhibit on our way out. We both love his books, and didn’t know the collection was being shown at the gallery.

A favourite Warhol painting...

Four: The Art Institute of Chicago’s hidden treasures

I visited Chicago twice during CreComm, and both times I spent a few hours at the Art Institute. It houses a huge collection of art, including a few surprisingly important pieces. It was here that I saw

Three: The Art Gallery of Ontario and Jackson Pollock

This past August, Jeff and I again stumbled across an exhibit by an artist we love. The travelling New York Exhibit features work from a variety of artists, including Jackson Pollock and his wife, Lee Krasner. We had literally just watched a documentary about Pollock before getting on the plane to Toronto. What are the odds of that?

Two: Musee d’Orsay and a floor of Impressionist art

When travelling to Paris everyone visits Musee de Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, but for me it was Musee d’Orsay that held the appeal. Built inside an old train station, the museum doesn’t just hold paintings, but antique furniture, clothing and models of Paris.

Standing in front of Van Gogh's Starry Night over the Rhone -

my second favourite Van Gogh painting!

I spent a number of hours surrounded by famous paintings (including Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Rembrandt), but the museum as a whole is worth spending a day wandering through.

One: The National Gallery in London and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

It’s funny, but even after spending half a day in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, I still remember the National Gallery as my favourite Van Gogh moment. My brother and I had just arrived in Europe, and we stumbled across the gallery on a day when admission was free. We both desperately wanted to hide from the rainy and gloomy day, so we went inside.

It was inside this ancient museum that I saw Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. It was the first Van Gogh painting I had ever seen in person, and I didn’t want to leave the museum. Photography of any kind was prohibited in the National Gallery, but my brother could see how much the painting meant to me. While I distracted the nearby security guard, he snapped a few poorly angled shots of the masterpiece so we would always remember the moment.

Toronto – just far enough away to count

Travel has always been an important aspect of my life, and I am usually in the process of preparing for a trip, returning from a trip or planning a trip.

I couldn’t imagine a life without travel. Experiencing new places and new people makes me a better person, and each trip teaches me something new about myself that was previously undiscovered.

This past August, my boyfriend Jeff and I decided to travel to Toronto for a week of sightseeing. We also wanted to assist our two friends, who would be moving to the “Big Smoke” the day after we arrived for our vacation. We booked a hotel on Carlton Street, which is located directly off Yonge – the longest street in the world – and were pleased to find we were located in the heart of downtown.

Exterior view of the AGO.

Something interesting – that I just recently learned about myself as a result of this trip – is that I am not good at flying. If I were to critically analyze the number of times I have been on a plane, I would return with a figure close to 100. One would assume this means that any fear of turbulence has disappeared, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

The flight from Winnipeg to Toronto is known to be bumpy in general – especially when flying over the Great Lakes – and I spent the better part of three hours digging my nails into Jeff’s arm. It was the same scenario during the return flight, and I sincerely hope he will get on a plane with me again…

Upon arrival, Jeff and I were first interested in the “touristy” aspects of Toronto. We walked on the glass floor at the CN Tower, and rode the elevator to the Skypod that swayed gently from side to side. We visited the Hockey Hall of Fame, and touched the real Stanley Cup.

(Note: It’s a replica Stanley Cup that the winning team drinks beer out of and travels with each year. The real one is locked safely away in an elaborate room with stained glass windows and security guards who have zero sense of humour).

Inside the AGO with a $50 million Pollock painting. See below for a description of this event...

An interesting surprise was the visit to Casa Loma. Located deep in Toronto’s interior, this 19th century castle boasts secret passageways, lavishly decorated bedrooms, an 800-foot tunnel, stables, towers, and five acres of beautiful estate gardens. Plans for the castle were drawn up in 1911, and it took three years and $3.5 million to build it.

In addition to being historically significant, Casa Loma has been the movie set for a number of well-known feature films. It was “Xavier’s House for Gifted Youngsters” in the first X-Men film, and was the resort in Tom Cruise’s Cocktail. In the basement – across the hall from an overpriced café – one can find posters of each film that used the castle in whole, or in part, as a filming location.

One of my favourite stops during this week long adventure was the trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario. I have been to a number of galleries in my life, and this one is by far one of the most beautiful I’ve seen. It consists of high, glass ceilings and wide, wooden staircases and archways that rival the revamped train station that houses Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

The highlight of visiting the AGO was experiencing the New York Exhibit - a travelling group of paintings from the 40s and 50s. The featured artist in this collection was Jackson Pollock, the ill-fated, alcoholic genius who reached his peak as an artist shortly before dying in a car accident. Lee Krasner – his wife, who was also a gifted painter in her own right – accompanied his work with a few pieces of her own.

A shot of downtown Toronto at night - one of my favourites...

A trip or vacation doesn’t have to be something extravagant. It can be as simple as a weekend in Grand Forks or a jaunt to Alberta to visit friends. My week in Toronto was entertaining and enlightening, and I’m currently planning my next round of travels, which will be a snowboarding trip to Banff!

The "Shape-ups" challenge

Recently, a good friend of mine introduced me to her new Sketchers “Shape-ups.”

They are specially designed running shoes that apparently work out a person’s legs, butt and core without the hassle of a regular workout.

She swears she can feel herself “getting into shape” just by walking around everyday. I – on the other hand – am quite skeptical of the actual benefits of the shoes.

Therefore, I decided to conduct an experiment…

I purchased a pair of “Shape-ups” sandals (which set me back about $60). I will wear them every single day for one month. My job at MPI involves a lot of walking around, so it will provide what I feel is a fairly accurate representation of their effectiveness.

Throughout the month, I will blog when I notice anything report-worthy. At the end of the month, I will decide if the shoes are legitimate or simply another gimmick designed to convince women they could look fantastic with minimal effort.

Sorry, Sketchers. I’m going to try to call your bluff…

Stay tuned.

A craft fair can be a lucrative enterprise

When I first published my debut novel – Pieces – I had a few plans for its distribution.

First, I would create a Facebook page. I would encourage my friends to “like” this page.

Second, I would hold a book launch and encourage people to attend.

Third, I would heckle friends and family to force THEIR friends and family to purchase a copy.

I did all that, and sold 150 copies in a month and a half. Not bad if you ask me.

The next goal on the agenda was to purchase another 150 copies and sell them to my secondary audience. Friends and family are pretty tapped out at this point, and I now have to find strangers (a.k.a. the “general public”) who are interested enough to invest $15 in a copy.

Initially, I was unsure of how I would be able to reach the general public. I was becoming slightly nervous I would be sitting on the second printing of Pieces indefinitely when my mom mentioned the Winnipeg Beach May long weekend craft fair. My brother makes jewellery, my mom makes cards, and she suggested we purchase a table for all three of us to sell our creative products.

It sounded like fun, so I agreed.

The Saturday of the craft fair was cold, wet and rainy. We arrived at the arena – with honorary Hope family member Tiffany Lachuta – at 8:00 a.m.

As we arranged our merchandise on the table, I convinced myself I would be lucky if I sold one copy of Pieces. A craft fair isn’t exactly the most likely place for people to purchase a novel, especially when there are so many interesting, handmade items to choose from.

Well, I should have had more faith in my selling skills.

My first sale took place at 9:23 a.m. to a lovely woman who actually came around the table and gave me a hug. A second and third sale quickly followed, and my lunchtime I had sold over 15 copies of my book. I was having so much fun talking to people, and the praise, support and positive comments I received were truly heartwarming.

After eight hours of sitting at our table, I managed to sell 27 copies of Pieces. I surprised everyone – including myself – and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. My mom, my brother and I plan to enter one craft fair a month for the rest of the summer. We will travel the province, sell our products and enjoy each other’s company. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

I want to take a moment and thank each of the 27 people who bought my book. You were all so kind and supportive, and it means so much to me that you wanted to read about my great-aunt’s life.

Stay tuned for info about the next craft fair…

P.S. To watch my book trailer, click here, and to watch my launch footage, click here...

Chicago, Picasso and a girl from Winnipeg

Last year after I returned from my school Chicago trip, I wrote thousands upon thousands of words about my experiences. The trip was amazing, and I fell in love with the city that has been dubbed the “Winnipeg of the South.”

This year, my trip was also fantastic. But instead of writing a long post about everything I did, I want to talk about only one thing.

The Chicago Picasso sculpture.

Located at Daley Plaza in the heart of downtown Chicago is a 50-foot unnamed Picasso sculpture. It has been featured in such movies as The Lake House and Mercury Rising, and I have wanted to see it for years. When in Chicago last year, I simply didn’t have enough time to visit it. I left the city with regret, and vowed I would return.

Thankfully, I have amazing friends, and a group of my CreComm BFF’s accompanied me on a night of adventure that ended at the sculpture. The front of the Picasso sits on a 45-degree angle, which means it is possible to climb it and slide down.

Of course, we all slid down the sculpture. Repeatedly. We also raced, slid down backwards and took a plethora of ridiculous photographs. I can honestly say that it was one of the best moments of my life, and I will never forget it.

Visiting Chicago: Round Two

Almost exactly a year ago I spent three fantastic days in Chicago. I fell in love with the city and experienced so many new and exciting things. So when the opportunity arose to go to Chicago again this year, I knew immediately I was going back.

After the trip last year, I wrote two very detailed blog posts about my travels. I thought they might be interesting to those coming on the trip for the first time this year.

If you would like to read the first post, click here. And, if you would also like to read the second post, click here.

In just under a week I'll return to the Windy City, and I can't wait! Get ready Chicago. I'm baaack!

Today in history: "Iceberg, right ahead!"

I’m sure that most people are aware of the significance of April 14th. It was on this day – 99 years ago – that the world’s most famous ocean liner struck an iceberg.

I have been a Titanic-lover since I was a little girl. Even before the movie was released in 1997, I wanted to learn everything possible about the disaster. I would watch every single documentary I could get my hands on, and take notes as I learned new facts. By the time I moved away from my Titanic addiction, I had filled three binders with information.

Below, I have included a few Titanic facts that I find interesting. They are from the collection of information I accumulated over the years*, and I hope you find them interesting…

• The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912.
• It took 2 hours and 40 minutes to completely sink.
• There were roughly 2,200 people on board the Titanic. Only 705 survived.
• One of the first boats to leave the Titanic carried only 28 people. They were designed to hold over 60.
• There were six iceberg warnings received by the Titanic on the day of the sinking.
• The ship could have stayed afloat if four of the watertight compartments flooded. Unfortunately, five flooded.
• The watertight compartments were actually not watertight at all. They were open at the top, which caused a wave to flood over each compartment as the ship sank.
• The cost to build the ship was $7.5 million and it took 3,000 men two years.

*The information included in the above statistics comes from many different sources.

Berlin: My day continued

Many people have asked why I bothered to visit the Berlin Zoo when there were so many other things I could have done in the city that afternoon. My response was “why not?”

We walked back along Unter den Linden, where I tried “currywurst” from a street vendor. It was actually pretty good. I could have travelled to the top of the Fernsturm, or gone inside Humboldt University, but after the Berlin Wall, I needed an emotional break. We decided as a group that the Berlin Zoo would be a fun, relaxing way to spend the rest of the day, and so we went.

Initially, we decided to walk through the Tiergarten, because the zoo is located inside the park. After about forty-five minutes of walking, we realized the park was gigantic, and it would take hours to figure out where we were going. In front of the Napolean Monument we stumbled across a bicycle taxi, and for €4 each he took us the rest of the way. It was the greatest idea ever, because our driver pointed out interesting sights in the park as we passed by.

The highlight of this little side tour was when we crossed the Rosa Luxembourg Bridge. It is the location were Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht - both Marxist theorist philosophers – were assassinated in 1919.

After spending a few hours at the zoo, the three of us hopped onto the subway and headed back to the hostel. We knew we needed to get off at the Rosa Luxembourg stop, so it was actually quite a painless ride home.

I would recommend stopping at the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche (Memorial Church), which is right outside the zoo. It was a lovely church that was bombed during the Second World War in 1943. Instead of rebuilding the church – when many other buildings were rebuilt and reconstructed – the ruins were left as they were. A modern glass structure was attached to the ruins, and now the church represents both old and new. There is a square – Breitscheidplatz - around the church, and a subway station nearby. Even though it is off the main beating path, there are restaurants and shops in the surrounding area, and I suggest anyone travelling to Berlin checks it out

The remains of the church. You must check it out if you go to Berlin.

Our group went on an evening walking tour to another area of Berlin where sections of the wall still remained intact. This area was very different, and as our tour guide explained, a section of the wall was built on either side of a local cemetery. Whenever there was a funeral, family members would hang over each side in an attempt to pay their respects and hopefully catch a glimpse of surviving family across the graves. I couldn`t imagine living like that, and seeing the cemetery brought home the fact that families were literally torn in half when the wall went up.

There was also a reconstructed version of what “No Man’s Land” (the space between walls that separated the Allies from the Soviets) looked like, and this was very interesting. But what stuck out for me more than anything was when our tour guide walked us down a street full of apartment buildings.

One side of the street used to be East Berlin, and the other side used to be West Berlin. Even twenty years after the wall came down, it was still easy to discern the differences between communist and capitalist architecture. The East Berlin apartments were dull, simple, ugly, and looked very "stiff." In essence, I was staring at a concrete jungle. The West Berlin apartments looked much friendlier. The paint wasn’t as chipped, the colours were brighter, and each building wasn’t an exact carbon copy of its neighbour.

The area of the city we walked through was also one of the places where Berliners attempted to tunnel underground from one side of the wall to the other. Our tour guide could even point out the exact locations where people died underneath the road.

The Ampelmann is also a reminder of the differences that used to exist between the east and west sides of the city. At intersections, on pedestrian crossing signs, is a little man wearing a hat that tells people when to walk and not walk. As we ventured through the city, we realized that this little man was only featured on some of the signs. When we brought this to our tour guides attention, she explained that it is a Soviet soldier. When the USSR had control of East Berlin, they changed the signs. In West Berlin, they remained the same. Now that the wall is destroyed, it was decided to leave the reminder of what used to be.

The significance of the Ampelmann similar to the double line of bricks in the street in front of Brandenburg Gate. It`s not a blatantly obvious reminder, but a symbol that the past will never be forgotten.

Berlin: The most important moment

This is a multi-entry blog. For the first part, click here. For the second part, click here.

Next, we walked by the American Embassy. I found two things to be very amusing. First, it was located directly beside Brandenburg Gate. That must be a prime piece of land, and I thought it was hilarious that it belonged to the Americans. To add insult to injury, there was even a Starbucks across the street.

Second, there appeared to be more security at the American Embassy than anywhere else in the city. The military personnel pacing back and forth around the perimeter looked ready for a fight. They appeared to be just waiting for someone to jump onto a bench, pull out a gun, and start screaming. It didn’t happen, but every time I passed by the American Embassy, the men patrolling outside looked like they were ready to rumble.

As I mentioned, the American Embassy was directly beside Brandenburg Gate, and that’s where we went next. We had briefly stopped at the Gate the previous day when we arrived in Berlin, but now we could actually take time to marvel at it. I took as many pictures as humanly possible, then simply sat back and stared.

The entire structure is larger than I imagined it would be, and I felt so small beside it. In front of the gate, on Unter den Linden, is a double line of bricks weaving awkwardly down the street. I asked Katie what the line was, and she explained it is where the Berlin Wall used to be. Even though the wall has almost been completely removed, it is still important to remember where it stood. The wall cut off Brandenburg Gate, and separated the street into two halves. Not very practical, if you ask me.

Brandenburg Gate was a short distance away from the Holocaust Memorial, and that is where we went next. The memorial is fairly new, and it was erected in 2005. I took a number of photos, but I really can’t do this incredible structure justice. It was designed by Peter Eisenman, and takes up 205,000 square feet. Each of the 2711 gray stones are a slightly different shape and size. They seem to wave and undulate when you walk through them, and the floor rises and falls as you work your way into the middle. Eisenman wanted to create a feeling of disorder, and he succeeded.

Officially, the memorial is named the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and it can be visited anytime – night or day. There is also a subterranean visitor’s centre, where photographs and information is available.

An interesting piece of information is that the company that makes the grey anti-graffiti paint the memorial is painted with is also the same company that produced the Zyklon-B gas used on Jews in concentration camps during the Second World War. Startling and upsetting to be sure, but the company has volunteered to re-paint the memorial free of charge every seven years indefinitely.

We next walked about half a block and arrived at the site of Hitler’s Bunker. There was nothing left, as the Soviets filled in the underground space with cement during the Cold War, but standing on top of it was enough. There is an information billboard set up nearby that explains where everything was, but otherwise the spot just looks like a pile of grass in front of an apartment building. It was intense – to say the least – to be standing on top of the exact spot where Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide together during the last days of the war.

The second last stop on our walking tour was a large piece of the Berlin Wall. Throughout the walk, I was becoming increasingly emotional, and I was growing concerned that I wouldn’t be able to hold it together when we finally reached the wall. As a history lover, I have studied Germany for years. I wrote essays and reports about each of the locations I visited that day, but this was the first time I had actually visited them all in-person at once.

Thankfully, Jill understood my feelings, and helped me have a moment alone with the wall before the rest of the tour arrived. We ran ahead, and reached the wall when no one else was around. Taking a deep breath, I ran across the street, and Jill started snapping pictures. She managed to capture a photo of me standing in front of the wall, alone and contemplating. It is my absolute favourite photograph from my entire European adventure. You can’t tell in the picture, but I was crying my eyes out the entire time.

The last stop on the tour was Checkpoint Charlie, and it was the most anti-climactic part of the walking tour. There was a museum – which was gigantic and interesting – and also a number of information billboards, but everything was a re-creation. The real Checkpoint Charlie was destroyed years ago. I spent a few moments taking it all in, and then Chris, Jill and I took off on a very important mission. We decided to spend the afternoon exploring the Berlin Zoo.

I think that’s enough information about Berlin for now, so I'll pick up the rest of my tale later...

Auf Wiedersehn for now.

Berlin: The walking tour continued...

This is the second part of a multi-entry blog. To read the first part, click here.

I won’t go into detail about every single building and monument we visited, and instead I’ll stick to the highlights. We walked down Unter den Linden – an iconic boulevard - in what used to be East Germany. It is named after the lime trees that run down the boulevard. They were removed during the Second World War, because Hitler felt they interrupted the fluidity of his marches, but were replanted in 1951.

This street is very important, because it is down it that Hitler marched during numerous parades. At one end is the Berlin Cathedral, a gorgeous Gothic structure. At the other end is the Brandenburg Gate. Through the gate is the Tiergarten, and down the street is the tall, impressive Napoleon Memorial. The street is a combination of large, important buildings, shops, restaurants, embassies, and hotels. It’s absolutely magnificent.

Gorgeous St. Hedwig's Cathedral. The famous domes are impossible not to stare at.

We passed St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, the Berlin State Opera, the Neue Wache (National War Monument), and stopped at Bebelplatz, a small cobblestone square off Unter den Linden. This square is significant because it was the site of the Nazi book burnings on May 10, 1933. Over 20,000 books were burned. There is a small plaque that marks the spot, but it is in German. If you walk a little bit further into the square, there is a huge sheet of clear glass built into the ground. Underneath the square, a memorial has been constructed. In a large white room are many empty bookshelves. Enough room to house the 20,000 books that were burned.

Across the street from Bebelplatz is Humboldt University. Some of the most famous students and professors include Albert Einstein, Otto von Bismarck, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, and Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm. The building is still used as a university today, and I hope the students there appreciate the historic place where they go everyday to learn.

Further down the street, we stopped at the Russian Embassy. There wasn’t really much to look at, but Katie wanted to point out that a hammer and sickle is still chiseled above every window and doorway on the building. Even though the USSR officially fell in January of 1991, there are still reminders of the past communist presence everywhere, because for nearly forty years, the Soviets controlled half of the city.

There also used to be a statue of Lenin in front of the embassy, but it was removed to the interior years ago. We could only observe the building through a very high, very imposing metal fence, but I still was glad to have the opportunity to take a look. Imagine all of the people who have walked inside those walls, and conspired behind the security of locked doors and closed windows.

I quickly want to talk about Hotel Adlon. It is located beside the American Embassy, and is about fifty feet from Brandenburg Gate. This hotel is significant because it is where Michael Jackson held his son out the window while paparazzi snapped photographs. When I was in Berlin it was right after Jackson died, and Katie was unsure if she should tell the story or not. We all convinced her to keep sharing the detail with her tours, because it was a legitimate piece of interesting history.

A photo I snapped of Hotel Adlon. I also zoomed in on the balcony...

TO BE CONTINUED...