We took it easy this week since it’s been a rather busy past few weeks; however, there were some exciting things that happened. On Thursday we found out that Logan got into the pre-school we wanted him to go to. In August, Logan will be attending the Berlin Cosmopolitan School where he will continue his education until he is ready to move on to first grade. This International School prides itself on having kids from around the world, having proficient 50/50 English to German language skills by the age of 5, and an environment where he will be with his classmates all the way through to secondary school (the school changes buildings at age 5 but the institution remains the same). They offer three teachers per class and have individualised curriculums depending on how the kids are doing. Some of Logan’s favourites from the tour were the playground, the art lab, music lab, and science lab. While they take great pride in education the main purpose at this age is to get the children used to playing well together and remaining curious and open to the world around them.

On Friday we celebrated Georgia’s 13th birthday. For those unaware, Georgia has lived in 3 parts of California, Georgia, Arizona and now Berlin in her 13 years. Of all of us, Georgia has probably adjusted the best to her new soundings in Germany. She remains active, feisty, and always wants to get after it. With Spring here, she spends her days laying in the sun and on the terrace. On Friday Logan repeatedly sang Happy Birthday to her, insisted that she needed a cake, and gave her countless hugs - he loved her HARD, which in turn keeps her young.

Saturday brought forth our first true outdoor shorts and t-shirt weather. We took advantage of the spring air and walked to the farmers market at Hackescher Markt. We delighted in the wonderful fresh vegetables, fruits and fresh handmade pasta they had to offer. We walked for a bit and stopped at one of Logan’s favourite spielplatz on the river where he got to play for a bit. As we walked a little more we found ourselves at a nice restaurant where we sat back and watched all the summer tourists awkwardly drive away in rented scooters wondering how many of them would return in one piece.

In the afternoon we met up with our new friend Emily, an expat from Riverside by way of Chicago, who also recently moved to Berlin. We walked to see the cherry blossoms on Lottumstrasse and then to the street festival in Prenzlauer Berg. This weekly open air festival sports various goods from clothing to wineries and different food stands of all types. We walked around for a bit, grabbed a bottle of wine from a local merchant, and headed to the park with the rest of the local families to enjoy the weather.

About a month ago Doreen made reservations for a tour of the Reichstag, home of the German Bundestag [Parliament/ Goverment]. The popularity of this old and storied building is such that reservations are made months in advance. There are over 500 people cruising through it every hour and over 2.5 million will walk the tour by the end of the summer. The Reichstag is not even close to the oldest building in the city but it carries with it some of the most tumultuous history Berlin has to offer. The glass dome on the top of the structure serves a a tiered mirror system letting light into the chamber below. The German and EU flags are proudly displayed on the corner towers and a sense of old construction meets the best of what’s new is all around.

It’s easy to forget that Germany is a young country - younger then the US. In 1871 Germany was finally unified into one nation state under the Unification of Germany Treaty. In 1872 there was an architectural contest to see who would build the building that would houses the new German government. In 1882 the architect Paul Wallot of Frankfurt won the contest to design and build the building. Wallot was best known at the time for his work on the Philadelphia Memorial Hall where the centennial anniversary of the United States Constitutional Congress was held. The building was finally completed in 1894. The Reichstag would be where Wilhelm II would eventually force his will onto the parliamentary proceedings and declare himself as true leader of Germany. In 1916 the words Dem Deutschen Volke [To the German People] were added much to the displeasure of Wilhelm II. In 1918 Wilhelm II would abdicate the throne at the end of the war and open a new era in German government.

In the years of 1920-1930 the Reichstag was ground zero to a country figuring out its identity, its politics; and most important, its place in a world where it was blamed for the most violent conflict man had seen to date. In the streets people often rioted. The parliamentary system allowed for too many groups to come into power and therefore couldn’t ever support a clear majority further dissolving the democratic process into chaos by 1930. During the 1930s the German Worker’s Party [Nazi Party] (founded a decade earlier) started to take advantage of the rifts in parliament. Slowly they managed to get a working majority and by 1933 named Hitler Chancellor on January 30th. The order of events in the 24 hours leading up to Hitler being named Chancellor and in the month after are worth noting. On January 30th, the Nazi party showed up unified in full uniform to the Reichstag having previously and suspiciously met the evening prior . Due to some political wrangling, president Paul von Hindenburg took an unsanctioned vote - the results of which would promote Hitler to Chancellor. The following month on February 27th the Reichstag would burn to the ground mysteriously. Unbeknow to everyone except the Nazis, Hitler would decide not to rebuild the Reichstag, instead having a moc-parliament at the Kroll Opera House for the remainder of the Third Reich’s reign. Many historians believe that the Reichstag was burned to the ground because of a provision in the 1919 Weimar Constitution which granted temporary suspension of most rights of the people in case of fire.

In the years during the war the Reichstag was badly damaged - often being used as a fortified position for anti-aircraft fire and later serving as the front line in the battle for Berlin. In 1961, as the wall went up, there were some revisions done to the structure. During the DDR period the building stood in no-mans-land and was a frequent reminder of times past. However, in 1989 the Reichstag would rise again. When the wall came down this was one of the main rallying points for citizens of both East and West. Where the Reichstag once served the purpose of uniting a newly founded country it would once again be needed to serve that purpose over 100 years later. The Reichstag became the rallying cry for for a united Germany, free of segregation, and transparent to the public. It was with this purpose of transparency that the building was renovated in 1992 and completed in 1999 with a glass dome where the once mighty stone had stood over 100 years prior.

Thursday marked 19 years since the Bundestag’s first official gathering. The new building is stunning and truly showcases the old and new. It’s a testament to how good will can prevail even through the darkest mankind can offer. When Paul Wallot first conceived this structure in 1884 he had no understanding of the impact his design would have on this young nation. In the 100 years since his career masterpiece had stood to remind the world that although democracy is hard and often messy it is ultimately what truly brings humankind together. Wallot died in 1912 before any of the destruction befalling the Reichstag would happen. He would not live to see the Great War nor his beloved structure fall into the hands of a brutal Nazi party as it burned to the ground and would be recently bombed for years to come. Although it has been through much, and is likely more a modern building then an old building today, the underlying values of bring people together still hold true. Wallot prided himself in designing places for celebration of the common good of mankind. This version of his classic design would make him proud.

After a nice experience at the Reichstag we walked across the river to a wonderful beer garden that has been in existence since before Germany was a country and before the Reichstag was built. We had a feast that would make any German proud.

Until Next Time,

The McNeills