to wittenburg.The past few days have meant me treking across most of Germany. So please excuse the typos. Yesterday I bid farwell to Munich in hopes of spending a few hours in Wittenburg. Munich was a bunch for fun. The Baverian region is where lederhosen, beer and bratworst actually live in harmony. I saw everything from where the Nazi party started to the second most over-rated tourist attraction the Europe, the Glockenspiel. Please YouTube it and be amazed by the slow motion movements and out of tune bells.
the most impressive street musicians ever. please note the cello, oboe, flute and baby grand piano.
Now, on to something really great. Witternburg. For those of you who have not yet Googled the name Wittenburg is where Martin Luther (the monk not the King Jr.) spent much of his life and posted his 95 thesis on the Castle Church doors.
To say the least, awesome.
95 thesis doors and me.
Now granted the actual church doors that Luther posted his thesis on burnt down with the rest of a church but they did rebuild the church in the same place to the same specifications. Doors are the same in the same place, tomato-tomoto. It was wonderful though to walk through the admittedly overwelming mueseum that was once Luther's house. Every peice of history displayed represented the standing up of God's people for the true Word of God. In Luther's time men were only allowed to study theology as the highest of pursuits. First they were required to master science, history, liturature, language, philosopy and mathimatics. Only then would one be let into the study of theology. It was considered the most difficult and worthy of pursuits. Sadly that recognition seems lost today to some degree.
After leaving Wittenburg it was on to Berlin and Berlin is where I write this post. Today I was up and out early from my host Casper's flat (yes like the friendly ghost). First I visisted the German parliment building and then it was off to a walking tour of Berlin. It would take far too long to describe what all I learned and saw today but I will list a few and then let the photos speak for what they show.
1. Germans never, never and lastly never cross the road unless they are at the proper location and have the go ahead from the signal. Seriously, jaywalking is some sort of grave sin here.
2. Berlin Wall: no less imposing and important than I thought, but not as thick. The wall is only four or five inches thick. Still though, the shoot-to-kill death zone and barbed wire added a bit to the lethality of the whole ordeal.
3. Tram system here: Not quite as good as London but on par with Paris. It is however much better than Rome which can be easily compared to a five-year-old pulling a three-wheeled red wagon.
4. Lastly, the German people are kind. Almost everyone you meet here is happy to help and usually smiling. Compared to many other major European cities this is a rarity. The city is clean and I really like it here. Berlin feels a lot like Chicago. In fact, Berlin's city symbol is a Bear so there you go. I think my Dad would fit in here except they have no baseball team losing all the time here to get mad about.
museum island upside down.
east and west of the berlin wall line.
That is Berlin so far. Two more days here and then to Ireland. I hope to post one more time from Berlin with even more photos.
Good night from Berlin!
Hi Chris, Alfredo speaking here. I appreciate you had a torough recognition of the door of Wittenberg. It was actually a real shame for all of us as Catholics what Pope Alexander VI Borgia did, which caused the split of the Christians. He actualy had hundreds of lovers, a concubine who run a inn in Rome and well known by everybody, he liked young girls to the point that the young Giulia Farnese was sent inside his bed to take advantages for the Farnese family and then made married for convenience to the last noble stupid found somewhere.And on and on and on. Bur do not forget the the rebellion of the German nobles who gave their help to Martin Luther was anything but heroic. They were just waiting for the right moment to get possession of land and the goods of the Catholic Bishops in Germany. Once they got it,prosecutions of the so called heretics were not less than those carried on by Jesuits and Catholic Inquisitors. I think that anyway northern people feel more confortable in a belief where confession ( and the consequent control over the souls ) don't exixst any longer. Anglosaxons are more rational in general and supposedly need less control by high hierarchy of some Church. Chatolicism is actually more practicized in equatorial and mediterranean countries, where people are more passional and supposedly where a stricter control is needed on their action (from the point of view of the hierarchies of Catholic church (of any church - that is in itself a tool of power, Buddhism included).
ReplyDeleteC u soon - Alfredo Italy
brother. Can't wait to see you next week. Your posts bless me.
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