(Written by Philip)
This Wednesday our group had the chance to get a good look at Germany through two museums and a concert.
The first museum we visited was the Marine Museum, it is the German naval museum and is still quite small, due to the fact that their naval history is even shorter than our own. We were provided with a tour guide who is a retired German naval officer. He took us through the entire history of the German Navy, starting with it's inception as a slave ship fleet, it's continuing rearrangement throughout the nineteenth century due to changing interests of the kings during that time, the Great war and the creation of the U-Boat, World War Two and Hitler's insufficient naval strategy, the time of German segregation and Russian control over east Germany, and finally the reuniting of Germany, and the strengthening of the modern German Navy.
Next we entered the the Wattenmeer Museum, in which we learned about the local and unique ecosystem of the North Sea. First we learned about the importance of the North Sea to seals and migrating birds, and the food it provides to the thousands of animals that pass along its shores. Next we learned about the creatures that live in the Wattenmeer and their usefulness to the locals as well as the previously mentioned migrating animals. The next thing we were presented with was the endangerment of both the harbor porpoise, a very small whale, and the wolf, which has begun to return to Germany by way of Poland. The German National Park system has gone to great lengths to protect and conserve these animals. Lastly we learned about the process of becoming a world heritage site like the Wattenmeer and all that entails.
The concert was the the last part of our day, it was held at a place called Pumpwerk, the old pump station of Wilhelmshaven. It has since been renovated and is now an event venue where bands and comedians can come to perform. it was quite enjoyable, more like a gigantic barbecue than what one normally thinks of as a concert. Rather than being a crazy mosh pit you can just pick a spot in the grass, grab a beer, kick your feet up and relax.
On a whole it was a good day and I can say with surity now that I like Germany very much.