I’m in Berlin, Germany and it’s awfully sobering. In the centre of the city there is a timeline of Hitler’s reign of terror. The Holocaust memorial is saddening and the constant dedications to war, like Checkpoint Charlie, make you face the realities of how horrific humans can be. There’s no escaping it in this town.

On this trip, I ate far too much in Prague, had fun in Bremen where I bought too many things and now Berlin. It stops me dead in my tracks. It makes you feel pretty sobered up and helpless. My mind won’t let go of this one question – why? Why did this happen, after all Hitler was just one man? Why have we not learned from the horrors of the past and why did all those wonderful people have to live in fear, live without freedoms, why were they persecuted, why do some people think they are better than others, why, why, why….

Today I’m going out to see the other side of Berlin feeling pretty proud of those that gave so I could live the life I do. I can only hope that they would feel the life I lead was worth it and that the work I do has in some way contributed positively to the world. After all, what else could they have done it for if not for a better world that I am privileged to live in today.