It has been a full circle. Berlin to Bonn, London, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and now back to Berlin. Plans changed. Ideas changed. Questions changed. Attitudes shifted, weight was lifted, discoveries were found. This crazy idea to go to Europe was realized and now is imbedded in my bones. A shift that is unexplainable and detailed. There is a feeling in each country, even in each city. I can make generalizations, but it feels unfulfilled. I can put it all in boxes and separate the boarders further than they already are, but it seems like all is running parallel. There is a place for each group of people and learned, or unlearned societal norms. I can talk about the history, about the government, war, repression, victories, religion, and bars, but it is all arbitrary when you walk into a hostile at 2am after an emergency train ride to Berlin before ANOTHER train strike, and you get greeted with people that feel familiar immediately. The connection is humanity, seeing a person as a person, an animal as a beautiful soul, and have care for fish. There is an awareness that I have gained of protection. I am less, although still naive that I need to have discretion when it comes to letting people into my sphere of interactions.\u00a0 There are enough people in the world that I can be met deeply by few, and leave many to the outskirts of awareness. I have been pulled into some peoples spheres on this journey that I did not enjoy. I can’t walk around Germany or France without protection, aka a slightly grumpy face or efficient walk. Nothing negative happened but I was unaware of men clinging for attention to such degrees before entering Berlin and Paris. This was very annoying and I had to be rude to get them to leave me alone. I’d rather just walk fast and not give the chance that that is going to happen. I have met many like minded people at shows that I have attended and this is comforting and inspiring. When I ask what is the difference between America and Europe, the first thing that comes to mind is the transportation system. There is freedom on the rail. I do not feel trapped in a small town when I am in a city like Berlin. I do not feel limited to my own ideas here, people readily have been open to share ideas. I met a friend on the train and instead of continuing separate ways we are meeting up tonight.<\/p>\n
I am sitting in my hostile in Berlin. The wifi only works in the main area. The main area is a bar with separate rooms with black leather couches. The table I am sitting at is dark chipped wood, with classic\u00a0 wooden chairs chairs. It is 12:08 am and this is the first time I am sitting down. The receptionist is telling me to go outside to see the fire spinning show.\u00a0 How am I supposed to write about what I am doing when I never have time to sit down?<\/p>\n
In the hostile I am staying in (Berlin) I have met two people who have spoken to me about Darwinism. One attitude was that there was no afterlife, that everything was black. They understood that energy never dies. This to me is like a candle that is lit and blown out. The body is a vessel for the flame of life that holds the fire that will go out, but the potential for fire never dies. Fire can burn any vessel. He was also a very extreme socialist. He believed in the collective, more than the individual. Like a flame, he saw that we are all the same spirit.<\/p>\n
The fundamental principle to how a society functions is a moral compass that subconsciously or consciously directs individual actions.<\/p>\n
When I read the myths of German folklore all of the characters actions are based on a belief system that is ruling them. What is the difference between a God and a heathen, their perception? What we worship external is a reflection of what is inside.<\/p>\n
When I walk through a city I see only what catches my eye. What catches an others eye may be completely different. What I see is built upon my perception. And yes, I have an agenda, without an anticipated outcome.<\/p>\n
Some of the oldest houses in Germany were built in the 14th century. The LVR-Freilicht Museum is a great example of the beginning to building a city. Tied by the scriptures carved into the door frames, the tiny cathedral and the wine press, a village turned into a city. Over time technology advanced with investors of interest. What was all cobblestone and dirt before is slowly being paved with smooth streets now. Before sky scrapers the villages were quiet, without cars, beeping transit lines, and the electronic drone.<\/p>\n
The ways of the village were simple.<\/p>\n
Presses for wine<\/p>\n
tools for woodworking,<\/p>\n
wooden barrels for butter<\/p>\n
dried herbs for tea<\/p>\n
crosses for protection<\/p>\n
churches for divination<\/p>\n
closet beds<\/p>\n
drawers for clothes<\/p>\n
The road is made of mud and cobblestone<\/p>\n
The village is a tightnit space where bread is baked fresh<\/p>\n
The beds are tiny and when a person dies the stayed in the house for days<\/p>\n
for the family to say their final goodbyes<\/p>\n
The steeple is a tiny house<\/p>\n
where prayers are lit with candle light<\/p>\n
The doors are etched with words<\/p>\n
around the outside<\/p>\n
The past is praised in museums<\/p>\n
We are standing on the shoulders of graves<\/p>\n
Moving on with the future<\/p>\n
is like trucking the past on the cracked cobblestone<\/p>\n
The cobblestones are heavy<\/p>\n
and old houses are bought to be moved into a museum.<\/p>\n
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Travel has been the remedy to see all of the invitations<\/p>\n
To cast security away and find reverence in every story untold<\/p>\n
of the history that lives in the walls heavy with story like a cobblestone<\/p>\n
The story of how things are the way they are now<\/p>\n
The old is mixed with the new<\/p>\n
History is preserved and destroyed<\/p>\n
A constant debate<\/p>\n
Do we hold the time we have now<\/p>\n
With the reverence we have for the past<\/p>\n
How can we see what will be missed later?<\/p>\n
When we destroy history<\/p>\n
As developments grew, society was imbedded with the interpretation of the bible set by the catholic, and now christian moral compass. My thesis is that what people believe, is how they behave.<\/p>\n
My time in London allowed me to see the extant of the wealth of the royal families. The wealth of the people also seems high. The people in the subway were more rushed than anywhere I have seen in Europe. It genuinely felt like a race, a place to get out of the way. The people were dressed nice in white and tan colors a lot. They all must work hard if they hardly have time to walk slow. The people pay taxes to both the parliament and monarch.<\/p>\n
Under God lives royalty<\/p>\n
Drinking from golden bowls<\/p>\n
drenched in gorgeous luxury<\/p>\n
Diamond crowns<\/p>\n
Golden spoons<\/p>\n
While peasants pray to have their sins forgiven<\/p>\n
While the king changes religion<\/p>\n
in search of an heir to the throne<\/p>\n
in a wives body<\/p>\n
The facade of the church falls away<\/p>\n
King Henry’s heir is the daughter<\/p>\n
of the wife he beheaded<\/p>\n
All books burnt<\/p>\n
speak to us now<\/p>\n
to be written again<\/p>\n
I don’t have any answers about what is right, or what is wrong. Christian, catholic, paegan, monotheism, polytheism, monarchy, patriarchy, socialism or darwinism.<\/p>\n
It is clear though, that each country has its own style. Berlin is a place that is not concerned with cacky pants. It is in fact cheap and sexy. When I return to Berlin I feel like the world opens up. One plot of land, several districts and I can’t believe I’m coming back to the states in 2 days.<\/p>\n
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![\"Arc](\"http:\/\/blogs.evergreen.edu\/berlinstudy\/files\/2015\/05\/Louvre-Arc.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nArc of triumph at the Louvre. A small version of the main one in Paris, and Berlin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nNotre Dam and a street performer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSaint Chapelle Cathedral in Paris.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe doors to exit were exquisite<\/p>\n<\/div>\n