Berlin: And Everything In Between

    This was the craziest trip of my life. 

   It was a school trip, and instead of taking a bus, we crammed nine people into a van, four of which were young, rowdy boys who didn't understand the concept of inside voices, or simply good manners, and who wrestled, screamed, and chatted the ENTIRE DRIVE. To make matters worse, my headphones had died, and I was left to face the sensory overload head on. Thank God for blessings like Keegan. He lent me his headphones for a good portion of the trip and this was all that kept me sane. 

   To make matters worse, I was in the middle of drafting and editing my final exam for Ancient Art History, in which I was tasked with writing around a dozen short essays about different pieces of Roman Period Art. This was a task which had to be done in the van, while being kicked in the small of the back, or in the few hours of quiet I had at midnight in the hotel. 

   I've learned that Bogi trips are quite chaotic. We are usually running from place to place, without really being told what our schedule is or where we are going, and everything just feels a bit, under-planned. Like, for our example, our first day of driving I woke up thinking we'd made it to Berlin, but we were in some random town called Nuremburg. I kept asking where we were and why we'd stopped but no one knew. We walked into the courthouse and for approximately fifteen minutes I was wondering why we were coming to this random town to learn about the modern German justice system, until it hit me this was not a modern courthouse, and instead the location of the Nuremburg trials. 

   The states of confusion, chaos, and overstimulation that I've described above were my constant companions on this week-long trip to Berlin, but honestly, it was overall a good time. 

This "BeReal" about sums up how I felt.

 We visited Wartburg Castle and saw the room where
Martin Luther would have translated the Bible into German. 

Sanssouci Palace

    Berlin was not my favorite European city. Because it was bombed out during WWII, its entirely modern, and basically looks and feels like Denver (in my opinion). Unlike our trip to Vienna, most of our stops were not palaces and museums of luxury, but landmarks of a dark and sobering past. For example, we visited a soviet prison, the Berlin underground (which people used to escape the east side of the city), and of course, the wall. 

   Something that was very disappointing was the fact that the Berlin Museum and the Pergamum Museum were both closed for renovation. Now, I've really never cared to visit Berlin to begin with, but if I were going to go, it would be to see these two museums. The Berlin Museum is where the Babylonian Ishtar Gate is, and the Pergamum Museum houses the Altar of Zeus, one of the most significant Hellenistic sculptures in the world. And I didn't get to see either of them! I was so upset. People kept telling me, "Well, now you have an excuse to come back to Europe." No, Barbara, if I'm going to spend that much money to travel back to Europe, I'm not going to spend it going back to a city I've already seen. 

   However, we did get to visit the Neues Museum. Here, I saw the bust of Nefertiti and some incredible Amarna Period art. Yes, I know that probably means nothing to you guys. I acted as a tour guide for my classmates in this museums, which I enjoyed.

An illegal photo of the queen herself. 

I simply can't express the importance of this stele. This is a textbook artifact.

Oh wait! I guess I can. Here's a short essay I wrote for school relating to these two images if you are curious. No pressure :).

A pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty and the founder of the “Amarna Period”, Akhenaten is perhaps the most infamous Egyptian pharaoh because of his radical religious “reform” and reinterpretation. Originally named Amenhotep IV, he was fathered by Amenhotep III, and seems to have been sheltered and outcast as a child, which may be one of the reasons for his radical behavior as an adult. Only three years after ascending the throne, he celebrated the Sed-Festival, which was usually reserved for the thirtieth year of reign. This was the first precursor to what was to come. Two years later, Amenhotep IV abandoned the old gods altogether and became a monotheist, worshipping only the sun god Aten and changing his name to Akhenaten. Many scholars believe that Akhenaten’s conversion to monotheism was a political move. Before his reign, the power of the priesthood had been steadily increasing. Monotheism would ensure that the priesthood was cut back and remained small and manageable. 

Regardless of why Akhenaten chose to abandon his kingdom's traditions, his choice had a profound impact on art and architecture. Art shifted from images of the gods to images of the royal family. It seems to take on a less idealistic feel and looks almost alien in appearance with saggy features, protruding stomachs, narrow shoulders, and pronounced buttocks, as can be seen in the picture above. Although mature male figures in traditional art are often seen with larger stomachs, the traditional idealistic male usually exhibits a flat stomach and more musculature, along with idealized or even severe facial features. 

Even the architecture changed to fit the new religious themes, with the royal family and the sun at the center. For example, the sun temple built in the new capital city, Amarna, featured an open sun court instead of the hidden chapels that had previously housed the gods, and tombs no longer depicted everyday-life scenes but had a major focus on the royal family. 

It is clear through this that worship has shifted from a large pantheon to the royal family alone. These divine individuals seem to have acted as intercessors between man and the higher god Aten, and “average” individuals were not permitted to worship Aten, but had to petition the royal family in their worship. 

The picture above is a great example of this. It is an example of the kind of images that would have been set up in households across Egypt. Here you can see the new, strange style used during the Amarna period, but also symbolism that suggests a new way of thinking. The king's family is posed in a relaxed, naturalistic manner, something that had never been done in Egyptian art prior. Above them, the sun god Aten stretches out his arms towards them and holds the Ankh, “breath of life”, to Akhenaten and his famous wife, Nefertiti’s (shown in the bust above) nostrils, symbolizing his approval of their rule. It seems to stress Aten’s interaction with the royal family and the royal family alone. The idea of the household shrine is reminiscent of the Roman lalarium. 

There are many speculations on why Akhenaten decided to start so far from the classic Egyptian art style. One such theory that has found traction is that Akhenaten aimed to exaggerate certain physical traits that would associate him closer with Aten. For example, the king is often depicted with pronounced breasts and a “curvy” figure, and this may have been because Aten was considered androgynous. Thus, Akhenaten, Aten’s manifestation on earth, was also to be depicted in such a manner. Similarly, Akehnaten’s corpulence may have been intended to associate him with the Hippo god Hapi. Regardless of the exact reason, it is obvious that there was a political agenda behind the radical changes that took place during Akhenaten’s reign. 

They didn’t last long, however. Not long after Akhenaten’s death, his young son, Tutankhamun, assumed the throne and returned Egypt to the old orthodoxy, settling much of the unrest his father had created. However, the question still remains whether this was entirely Tutankhamun’s decision or if he was pressured by the old priests to do so.

Checkpoint Charlie. I know that I have a photo at Checkpoint Charlie, but I can't find it.
This was my first time being back on American soil after nine months.

We also visited the parliament building as the sun was setting. It has a glass dome on the top that you can go up into. The dome allows you to see into parliament and represents the transparency of government in Germany. Well, of course we had to go through security to enter, but for some reason, Aiden, an American student, had a giant knife in his backpack. None of us understood why he'd brought it to Europe in the first place, and furthermore, why he chose to pack it around Berlin with him. Regardless, he was detained by the police. It was pretty entertaining fort those of us who made it into the dome. Eventually, he got to come in, but his knife was confiscated.

All of us waiting for Aiden to get released from custody and enjoying the sunset. 

On our last day in Berlin, we visited a spy museum. It was a very fun and interactive exhibit and we enjoyed goofing off. There were lie detectors, rooms where we could hunt for "bugs", and secret radio transmissions to decode.

After that, we headed to Dresden, a city which was also bombed out during WWII. Unlike Berlin, however, Dresden was restored to its original state before the war. Thus, it carries a unique and pricey feel. My teacher shuffled us through Dresden like it was TSA and we were about to miss our flight and had us sprinting through a museum in thirty minutes. I was running to see all of the Ottoman weapons, armor, clothes, and so on. This was the first museum I'd been to that had Ottoman period artifacts and I had to go through it so fast everything was a blurry haze (much like the week itself). Good thing I have an ingenious streak every once and awhile and I snapped pictures of things as I passed. But this was the kind of hustle and cramming I endured the whole trip.

Ice cream in front of some soviet artwork

We made it back to Bogi at two in the morning, and the entire car ride home the boys talked. I was dead tired when we got back and absolutely miserable. I think at this point in my school year, I was a bit checked out. I was done with Bogi, the disorganization, lack of communication, and unhealthy school environment. I love all of my friends and its a beautiful campus, but I didn't come away being charmed by the school itself. Therefore, I'm not surprised that my view of this trip isn't the best. I had fun, and I enjoyed a lot of it, but it was also very high stress. By this time, Greece was just a week away, a trip that would mark the end of my Bogenhofen schooling experience, and I know I was ready to get away from the Bogi environment once and for all. I'm sorry this post couldn't be a bit more detailed, nuanced, and positive, but honestly I can't remember very many good talking points about the week. Like I said, this part of my year is a bit blurry. But don't worry guys, next stop: Greece! And I have a lot to say.