Berlin: Donnerstag 10/03

Today started with results. I did better in DT but worse in German. Herr Nicholls is chasing it up because of his disbelief. However, I got an A in Media for Zombie Plan, so that's cool. School was uninteresting to be honest. Everyone was hung up over results, so we didn't get much done.
If you analyse my tone here, you can tell that I was still hung up over results. In fact, I spent the whole of school just not part of it because I was pretty upset. But hey, these things happen. 


After that we went to Hackescher Hoefe for lunch. We firstly got Haagen Dazs, which is delicious, and then we got some chicken kebabs, which were also delicious.

You know what I've realised? This is currently more like a diary entry than a blog post, so let's spice it up a little.

We all met in Alexanderplatz. Well, that was the plan. Caitlin and Harpreet managed to get lost, despite Hackescher Hoefe being one stop away from Alex. In this time we also saw a TV crew walking around, so Josh, Hannah and Mairaid set it upon themselves to get an interview with them.
Josh asked, "Was filmen sie?"
"Nichts."
"Dann warum tragen sie eine Kamera?"
"Uh... kein Grund."
They weren't very nice people.

Anyway, once Caitlin and Harpreet arrived we got on the Stassenbahn to ... a place near the Stasi prison. It's actually really cool. I say cool as in interesting. So it was a hot ginger German lady showed us around. We first learned about the Stasi no-go zone. Basically, there was the huge prison... and then the town around it was also a prison. There was only ever one escape, and they don't know how it was done. Investigations still happen today. Kind of like Jack the Ripper. Perhaps it was even Jack the Ripper who escaped. It'd certainly explain ... nothing really. But I guess we'll never know.

Okay, so we first went to the post-war prisons which were underground.

You see that? Yup, at first four people stayed in there. Then twelve. The ventilation was literally three holes and it was lit by a single bulb four twenty four hours a day. They weren't allowed to sleep in the day and were interrogated at night. That's a very effective torture method, sleep deprivation. Many people just gave up the information as quickly as possible, even if it was false, just to get out.

This is a picture of a Chinese water chamber. You basically have your head between those bars above the bucket and water is dripped onto the back of your head for hours on end. It'd drive you mad. In fact, it'd be painful because it'd just be on the same spot over and over.

This is another water torture room. Here, the prisoner stands in about three inches of water for a few hours and because the walls are rubber none of the water is sponged up. After a while, it does give you the sensation of drowning, even though it'd just be your ankles in the water.

New block

Traffic lights

Windows

We moved on to the new block. When the Stasi took over this prison from the Ruskis, human rights kicked in. I think it's that sort of time frame anyway. Something like that. Now these rooms had natural light and time for sleep. However, they were now completely isolated from each other and there was actually a traffic light system so that the prisoners didn't see each other. The only person to talk to was the interrogator, so it was again very effective. In fact, they were so isolated that there were enough bedrooms for 120 inmates (102 rooms, to be exact, so some did double up), but 120 interrogation rooms. Now that is taking things a bit far.

"Kill them" Interrogators were friendly people

Inmates had to sit on their hands, but when the guard leaves, the interrogator lets them sit in a comfy seat

Because of all this, the inmates actually invented a system for communication by tapping the walls. Joe's first thought was Morse code, but who actually knows Morse code? Basically, it was one tap for A, two for B and so on. A short conversation would take hours, but they had time to waste.

Anyway, I have to show you this.

So. Many. Cows.

The final important event of today was dinner at an Italian restaurant. There were loads of pictures of Chez Guivarer (spell check) everywhere, which was weird. It was nice, and Hoier naturally ate everyone's food. After that we covered Caitlin in coats and hugged her because she cold, bless her. Also, if I can get back the six word Berlin stories, I'll blog them.

Anyway, I'm tired and I have school in the morning.

P.S. Today Westie wrote in here that he has to call the masseur institute down the road. Intriguing.