#berlinpics

Riding on the cob-stones of Brandenburg is certainly a bit shaking, but the view is a reward for it. #germany #brandenburg #berlin #berlinphotography #berlinpics #cobstone #cobstones #wood #forest #village #yellow #brompton #bromptonlovers #bromptonlife #bromptonbicycle #bromptonbike #bromptoncommunity #bromptonsociety #bromptontravels #bromptontravel #bromptontravelers #bromptonbicycles #bromptonsecond #bromptonbag #foldablebike #foldablebicycle (at Teltow) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeMLb8DrBIp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Instagram | @helenapeculiar

Day 22: My final day of tourism. Bear with me because there’s a lot that happened today. So I was supposed to go to Frankfurt for the day. Frankfurt is where my mother’s family is from. My great grandfather was raised Jewish, and escaped Germany (with my Christian great grandmother) before the Holocaust began. I draw my research inspirations from my family history. So, when I found out that my only opportunity to go to my mother’s family’s home city was cancelled due to bad weather when I got to the train station at 5am this morning, I was so deeply saddened. But I channeled the sadness into a pretty good day of more Berlin tourism. I found the Berlin Wall and #checkpointcharlie fairly close to my hotel, and wandered to the Jewish Museum, where I managed to respect my great grandparents’ migration story. If you scroll through these, it will get progressively darker in theme until you see my very German dinner. My great grandparents were exiled to Los Angleles, where they raised my grandmother, and my grandmother raised my own mother. I am so honored to be here and it drives me to learn more about the horrific event that changed the course of my family history. I wish I had been able to make it to Frankfurt, but I know that my grandmother and her parents would have been so proud just to know I’m in the homeland. #neveragain #marianneseuropeanadventures #jewishmuseumberlin #memoryvoid #berlinpics (at Jüdisches Museum Berlin | Jewish Museum Berlin)

Day 21: it was snowy, rainy, and freezing cold in Berlin today. I waited an hour for my tour bus, only to be incorrectly told it was the wrong tour. After waiting an hour for the NEXT stupid bus, they finally took me to what I came all this way to see: The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. As I embark on my MA thesis on sexual violence against Jewish women during the Holocaust, I wanted to take a moment to respect those who lost their lives and to take in the immensity of the genocide. The memorial brought tears to my eyes. #neveragain Also pictured: my “look ma I’m in Berlin!” Selfie, and a street pic...for your viewing pleasure? #marianneseuropeanadventures #berlinpics #memorialtothemurderedjewsofeurope (at Brandebourg Tor (Berlin))