You are still thinking how to spend you holidays to remember it for long
time to go? Beaches, cocktails and basking in the sun seem boring and
cumbersome? Have itchy feet? Want to try something completely new? So, get
ready to learn what is the best way to make your holidays out of this world!
Just some days have passed since
I returned from my trip to Germany, or, better to say, from my volunteer work
in “Deutschland”. Now just photos of guys and me in front of Brandenburg Gate
and Berliner Dom, a nutcracker and receipts remind me of those 18 days of my
acquaintance with “Kartoffeln” culture.
Germany is a surprising country as many other European ones which
combine the retaining ancient character and ascending modernism. A mix of
artistic splendor and architectural brilliance intertwine to allure more and
more people!
My first stop was Berlin. Here I was going to spend the most of my time,
because the site of work was the Jewish cemetery in the region Weissensee. At
first it was unbelievably tough to imagine working there. The area we had to clean
out was overgrown and destroyed since it had never been cared before. My delicate hands which had never experienced
working in the moisture could not touch a leaf there! Everything seemed to me
so gloomy that episodes of “Supernatural” emerged in my mind. But time wore on
and a fragile doll was metamorphosed to fearless G.I. Jane. But a man can adjust to all conditions, so
the next day pulling the grass out with fatty slippery snails looked like a trifling
activity which then became a kind of a game. Other guys and I were always in a relentless
pursuit of new tasks! This zeal to finish the work as fast as possibly was
contagious! We logged about 5 hours every day and the result was dazzling: we
had cleaned the area to the 12th day of our stay! But then we took
up another one just to trim the grass and ivy.
I guess it was a great experience! I made new friends, picked up some
German words and overcame myself to face my fears. At least now I do not
perceive a cemetery as something grey and frightening. It is just the
continuation of some people’s history.
I cannot say I was mesmerized by Berlin. It reminds me of other
country’s business hubs which can be associated with hectic traffic, rushing
people with non-stop ringing cell phones.
The bank of the river Spree which is just the stone’s throw from the
East Side Gallery became for me a comfortable retreat from the hustle and
bustle of the noisy ambience of the city. During my stay in hostel I used to
come there and sit at the grassy ground reading, listening to music or just
enjoying the last moments of my trip. Sometimes I tried to overhear children
playing with the ball nearby and make out what they were talking about. But
their speech was so fluent that I barely could understand. Then I went along
the Gallery just to gaze not at the graffiti and paintings but at tourists
scurrying with their cameras like ants with small sticks. Their happy, funny,
grinning faces made me a little sad because that day when my new friends and I
went to the Gallery had already been lost in the mist of time.
I am not going to enumerate all “MUST SEE” places. It was made long time
ago by Wikipedia and all those guidebooks you can find in a bookstore which can
give you an illuminating lecture on the sites and their history.
But I cannot pass up the chance to tell you about my next destination
which was Dresden. It is so far the most beautiful place I have ever seen!
Everybody can find in this city something that comes naturally to them. For me
it was a 20-minuit trip to the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters
Gallery). I remember seeing the posters with the face of Sistine Madonna at the
narrow and crowded streets of Dresden. Then it struck me “I must see HER! I do
not care about the price! I will push the boat out with pleasure just to see
HER!” Fortunately, the price was reasonable – just 10 Euro but there was no
time to lose because our train was arriving in 30 minutes! We rushed fast into
and snatching the ticket went to the Sistine Madonna. She is really beautiful.
The delicate features of the face, a kind, timid look and a protective motherly
instincts embodied by Raphael’s brushes and paint conveyed the air of Divine
grace. I could not believe that I was standing so close to the masterpiece of
the top level. I wanted to snatch that moment and burry it in the safe place
where nobody could steal it. I whisked my phone out of a pocket and made a fast
click. The quality, certainly, leaves much to be desired and some tourists’ head
cast a shadow on the masterpiece, but I cherish this visual memory of my
acquaintance with HER! 
Leaving the Gallery I stole a glance at the painting once again and gaze
for a fraction at it. It was the brightest commemorative event during my German
holidays.
If you are tired of “lazy” holidays and stuffy hotels, take a plunge
into a volunteer job. There is nothing to lose. Helping others you will gain new
knowledge and emotions that will be enough till the next holidays.
