Saturday, November 4
Our last day was "free," so Jordan and I tried our best to cover the highlights we wanted to see: the Pergamon Museum, boutiques in Mitte, and the German History Museum. We did a decent job, and wouldn't have been able to find our way around without the guidance of Rebecca Lubens. Since we overlooked a great number of sites, a future trip to Berlin looks likely.
At the Pergamon Museum we viewed the Pergamon Altar (ca. 2nd century BC), which was excavated by the Germans in the 19th century in modern-day Turkey. Coincidentally, I visited Pergamum this past August, so it was nice for me to see what I missed at that time. If the reconstructed altar were returned to Turkey, I imagine that it would be a HUGE tourist attraction (the site was quite empty when I visited). But I don't mean to make a recommendation either way...
We then visited the Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon constructed by order of King Nebuchadrezzar II (ca. 6th century BC). Unlike the altar, I don't think this grand and beautiful monument would attract too many tourists if it returned home.
We skipped many of the museum's other exhibitions (again, an excuse to return!) to check out the boutiques in Mitte. They weren't much different from what you might find on Melrose or in SoHo, but they were significantly more affordable (yet far from cheap!).
After walking around the city some more, we finally made it to the German History Museum about an hour before closing. Apparently, we did not prepare well for this visit. Rather than spend our time in the brand new I. M. Pei extension, we walked around the rather lousy contemporary history exhibit (from the end of WWI onward). I was disappointed not to see one display on the Berlin Airfit (unless you counted the one Care Package from the United States Army in 1948, without an explanation). On the other hand, there was plenty of information on Eastern German apartments, Western German railcars, automobiles, etc.
From there we headed over to David Kipp's apartment in Kreuzberg to have drinks with him, his sister Laura, and her friend Isabelle. His flat offered a beautiful of the city, and we had a pleasant time just taking it easy before we headed out to our fantastic Italian dinner.
David then got word from a friend about an intriguing party in the Prenzlauerberg area of Berlin. We hopped on the U-Bahn and got off near an abandoned lot, where we heard some rather unfamiliar music. We followed it to a make-shift building and entered. This is what we saw:
It was a belated Halloween Party, and I hope that the party-goers appreciated my costume as a conservatively-dressed, slightly shy, and uptight American. I think it worked. The MC even invited me to strike the pinata.
I had never seen a party like this one, which gave a hint at what else remained and made it all the more difficult to leave. Of course, I wouldn't have known what was out there in the first place if it were not for our gracious hosts.
I hope to be back soon...
Cheers!
At the Pergamon Museum we viewed the Pergamon Altar (ca. 2nd century BC), which was excavated by the Germans in the 19th century in modern-day Turkey. Coincidentally, I visited Pergamum this past August, so it was nice for me to see what I missed at that time. If the reconstructed altar were returned to Turkey, I imagine that it would be a HUGE tourist attraction (the site was quite empty when I visited). But I don't mean to make a recommendation either way...
We then visited the Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon constructed by order of King Nebuchadrezzar II (ca. 6th century BC). Unlike the altar, I don't think this grand and beautiful monument would attract too many tourists if it returned home.
We skipped many of the museum's other exhibitions (again, an excuse to return!) to check out the boutiques in Mitte. They weren't much different from what you might find on Melrose or in SoHo, but they were significantly more affordable (yet far from cheap!).
After walking around the city some more, we finally made it to the German History Museum about an hour before closing. Apparently, we did not prepare well for this visit. Rather than spend our time in the brand new I. M. Pei extension, we walked around the rather lousy contemporary history exhibit (from the end of WWI onward). I was disappointed not to see one display on the Berlin Airfit (unless you counted the one Care Package from the United States Army in 1948, without an explanation). On the other hand, there was plenty of information on Eastern German apartments, Western German railcars, automobiles, etc.
From there we headed over to David Kipp's apartment in Kreuzberg to have drinks with him, his sister Laura, and her friend Isabelle. His flat offered a beautiful of the city, and we had a pleasant time just taking it easy before we headed out to our fantastic Italian dinner.
David then got word from a friend about an intriguing party in the Prenzlauerberg area of Berlin. We hopped on the U-Bahn and got off near an abandoned lot, where we heard some rather unfamiliar music. We followed it to a make-shift building and entered. This is what we saw:
It was a belated Halloween Party, and I hope that the party-goers appreciated my costume as a conservatively-dressed, slightly shy, and uptight American. I think it worked. The MC even invited me to strike the pinata.
I had never seen a party like this one, which gave a hint at what else remained and made it all the more difficult to leave. Of course, I wouldn't have known what was out there in the first place if it were not for our gracious hosts.
I hope to be back soon...
Cheers!
posted by Louchheim at 7:28 PM
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