The last day 03.08.12

The plan for today was to go and visit churches, lots and lots of churches. But after 2 days of non-stop museum going. Oh God please save me!!  So in a change of heart it was decided to go shopping, a fool proof plan. Or at least I thought so. 

The Guardian's list of top ten cafes in Berlin (obviously it would be slightly problematic if it had been a list for elsewhere) told me that I had to go Oliv on Münzstrasse (in case you are wondering) which I did…twice.  For no sooner had I left the premises than the heavens opened.  Oh well I’ll just have to get some cake then till it blows over.

Whenever I get excited or slightly panicky about something I always end up getting there really early. For example in the case of parties I can pretty  much guarantee that I will be ready and waiting to go at least two hours before it even starts, forget fashionably late, I prefer fashionably early. So you can imagine that in the case of flying home, naturally I was at the airport 3 hours before my flight and it wasn’t even a big airport.

Eastside vs. Westside

Oppression was the dish of the day. Mainly that caused by the Berlin wall that effectively divided East and West Germany as well as that of the poor old Jews. Some people would think that 6 hours spent in museums was a bit oppressive, my feet would definitely agree. My mother would probably be proud of how much I walked today. 

This morning saw a trip to Checkpoint Charlie –The Wall Museum. I tried and failed to stop myself from bursting into tears at the selfless acts of some people to help others escape. Like Franz Walander. Franz was a German officer of some sort, who printed lots of foreign passports to help the Jews escape persecution during the Second World War, Only to get to Sweden (the goal) to be seized himself. 

Another case was much later when Germany was divided by the wall, John (I think his name was John) Ireland converted his car so that he could hide people inside. At the risk of his own life e helped ten people to escape from the East.

I’m all for interactive things in museums but when, in the case of the Jüdisches museum, you get Albert Einstein doing a dance across the screen, is that really a good idea?

Nevertheless, I learnt all about Einstein and the theory of relativity as well as the history of Nivea. The name was taken from the Latin word ‘Nix’ meaning snow.

After all that ‘intake of knowledge’ I was in the need of sustenance (read cake). On the quest for cake I stumbled upon ‘Berlin Lacht’ a sort of fair with a load of street artists. The first ‘comedian’ I saw wasn’t even funny. ‘Lachen’ I did not, especially when he lifted and swung an anchor (an actual ships’ anchor) by his ear lobes.

It’s a bit weird to be sat in a deck chair with a Bratwurst in the middle of a city square at half seven at night. A bit like summer.

A photographic interlude

  Brandenburger Tor

 Reichstag

 Berliner Dom

 Altes Museum

 Checkpoint Charlie

 Juedisches Museum

 Obligatory pictures of cake - yummy cake

Day 1 of getting hopelessly lost without even trying

They say (well my mother does) that the best way to see a city is on foot. Yeah that's the best way if you want to walk in completely the wrong direction on the way out of town.

Everything seemed to be going so well this morning; sleeping through my alarm so instead of getting up at the 'maximum sight-seeing' time of 7.30, I got up at 9, bother.

Going down the wrong street. "Are you sure there's supposed to be a roundabout there? (just to clarify I wasn't talking to a random passer by there but to myself)

And lets not mention the 'walking headlong into a wall' bit

On today's to do list were:

The Brandenburger Tor: It's really just a gate so not really all that much to do there except a photo opportunity.

The Reichstag: Admittance is by appointment only, well it is a government building. Again more photos

The Palace of Tears: but for the life of me I could not find it. This would have resulted in tears of my own if it had not been for the German telly buildings around the riverside. Yet more photos.

And last but not least Museum Insel. For those not familiar with Berlin this last one is not actually on an Island. Gutted I know! But rather a load of museums grouped together.you can buy a  ticket for all of them. 14 Euros for 19 museums challenge accepted. but after 3 of them I was fully out museumed. Too much ancient history if you ask me, although I was rather a fan of the ancient jewellery room. May just have to invest in a Roman necklace.