Winter break 2012. (Berlin: part 1) =)

My first travelog of winter break in Berlin.=)

Alhamdulillah, managed to travel 2 countries in a row (Berlin & Istanbul) and then headed to Dublin utk mengutip mutiara ilmu mengenai surah Kahfi yg dikupas oleh Uztaz Hasrizal dlm PUISI 2012.

mind the language.

16-18 December 2012
pengembaraan musafir bermula ke Berlin, Germany. 2 hari yg padat dan seronok utk belajar mengenai sejarah German from a tourist guide yg sgt passionate in it.. and it was a FREE TOUR! hehe.there were 60 people from different nationality in the group. we walked around the berlin city to explore some of  the historic places.

Our FREE TOUR offers a great way to see the city, and is designed to provide a funny and enthusiastic overview of the city, no matter your budget – walking three and a half hours through the city of Berlin, we will cover Pariser Platz, The Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Site of Hitler’s Former Bunker, Luftwaffe HQ, The 17. June Memorial, The Berlin Wall, The Former SS Headquarters, Checkpoint Charlie, The 1920s Cabaret Mile, Gendarmenmarkt, Bebelplatz, The Old Royal Boulevard, Neue Wache, The TV Tower and Museum Island.http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours.html

One of the important lessons from ibrah sejarah German that need to be addressed is:

1. Wujudnya Berlin Wall yg merupakan sempadan memisahkan East and West Berlin. imagine waking up in the morning, realising that you are separated from your family and friends who used to live in the same neighborhood, but have then separated for 28 years!! However, it was also the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War. [August 13, 1961 -- November 9, 198]

Berliners were shocked when they woke up that morning. What had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could the approximately 60,000 commuters head to West Berlin for well-paying jobs. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades. http://history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall.htm 

From these, we cud see that tembok physical ini byk membawa mudarat kpd masyarakat dari pelbagai aspek. bagaimana pula dgn 'tembok hati' yg lebih dasyat?

 Dan sesungguhnya Kami jadikan untuk neraka jahanam banyak dari jin dan manusia yang mempunyai hati (tetapi) tidak mahu memahami dengannya (ayat-ayat Allah), dan yang mempunyai mata (tetapi) tidak mahu melihat dengannya (bukti keesaan Allah) dan yang mempunyai telinga (tetapi) tidak mahu mendengar dengannya (ajaran dan nasihat); mereka itu seperti binatang ternak, bahkan mereka lebih sesat lagi; mereka itulah orang-orang yang lalai.Al-A'araf:179

2nd bottom from left is the former bunker(underground) where Hitler died commit suicide

2. Betapa besarnye hikmah Allah da tentukan dlm setiap qada' dan qadar Allah. In this case, kecuaian Schabowski membongkar rahsia terbesar mengenai Berlin Wall dlm satu media conference telah menyebabkan runtuhnya tembok tersebut. which is a big blessing to people who have been separated for 28 years from their family and friends.

It was nearly 7:00 pm on November 9 when Schabowski, at the time spokesman of the central committee of the ruling SED party, pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and read out a decree stating that visas would be freely granted to those wanting to travel outside or leave the country.

"As of when?" asked an Italian journalist.

Schabowski hesitated and then improvised: "As far as I know ... as of now."

The news conference was carried live by television networks and within minutes news bulletins were proclaiming that "The Wall has fallen".

Thousands of East Berliners started streaming towards the checkpoints leading to West Berlin, where baffled East German border guards, unsure what to do, kept phoning for instructions.

Eventually as the crowds grew ever larger, one barrier went up and bewildered East Berliners, who had been unable to cross freely for 28 years, staggered into the West.

2. visited the Memorial Holocaust as fitting tribute to the Jews that died before and during World War II as part of Hitler's plan to exterminate them.  the  use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it resulted in 50 million to over 73 million fatalities. These deaths make World War II by far the deadliest conflict in all of human history. the monumens may look different in terms of height but actually they are the same. we are the same! peace , humanity!

 Each is a five-sided monolith, individually unique in shape and size. Some are only ankle high while others tower over visitors. The paths that are shaped between the slabs undulate as well. Eisenman hoped to create a feeling of groundlessness and instability; a sense of disorientation. Most will agree that he succeeded.