Monday, 28 May 2018 Energiwende Tour & Garten Der Welt (Gardens of the World)

Today we visited Energiwende and toured Germany’s renewable energy transition at Adleshof-Feld. Our morning consisted of a presentation of the work that has been going into Germany’s infrastructure as well as the culture built around renewable energy. After our classroom setting, we got a tour of the structures and equipment used throughout the area. Many of the landmarks are historical buildings that were used to test the earlier stages of flight. We saw uses of solar energy, reusing water runoff, and using the advantages of architecture to preserve and create buildings.

In the afternoon, we headed to Garten Der Welt (Gardens of the World) where we spent several hours observing and wandering the park. We began out adventure on an aerial tram ride that brought us to the highest point in the park; from here, we could look out over the city. From there we took the tram to the other side of the park and wandered around the different gardens. They had sections that were dedicated to different countries, cultures, and religions. These sections were as large as entire fields and as small as 40ft by 40ft and enclosed on all four sides. Some sections also included buildings, fountains, and restaurants, but all used the native plants from the culture and country they represented. Some gardens were connected more to an idea than a culture or religion; for example, the Mind Garden focused on emotion and reflection. Even after spending hours in the park I wish we had more time to explore, some of us plan on going again to spend the day and picnic among the flowers.