Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Brrrr-lin.

We got up and got ready pretty quickly, then headed down for the hostel´s breakfast. Then we put on our rain gear and headed on yet another sight-seeing adventure.
We had already seen the tv tower and had no desire to climb to the top of it, so we went straight to the Historisches Museum. All we wanted to see there was the staircase designed by IM Pei, but we couldn´t see it from the main lobby, so we decided to keep on truckin.
We passed the Humboldt University on our way to the Deutsche Guggenheim, which we were all excited about becasue its a museum dedicated entirely to contemporary art. However, it was closed, and we were bummed.
So we kept walking down the Unter Den Linden, a main boulevard in Berlin, until we reached the Brandenburg Gate. This gate was one of the main city gates and is most known for the Berlin wall having stood right in front of it.
After snapping a few pics, we walked to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Above ground, there are thousands of stelae built at all different heights and angles - it is really difficult to describe, you just have to see it. It is very cool. Underneath the ground are descriptions of the progression of the Nazi extermination policy, personal accounts written by the prisoners, a description of the fate of fifteen families, etc. It was intense.
After spending a decent amount of time there, we headed to the Parliament Building, which has four exterior facades that are very ancient in appearance, but the inside boasts a gigantic glass sphere that you can climb. We hopped in line and then learned that the sphere was closed for renovations, so we decided to pass altogether and walk to our next stop, the Hamburger Bahnhof - a museum of modern art.
We got in and checked out a few of the exhibits, namely Joseph Beuys and Andy Warhol. Neither of us really understand Beuys, even with studying him in school, which is who was mostly represented in the museum, so we just sort of glanced around and then left.
By this time our shoes were full of water and making squishy noises, and Nicole´s stomach was growling, so we grabbed lunch and headed back to the hostel.

1 comment:

KT mom said...

You have seen so much and been so many places. I am always excited to read your blog. I'm glad you got to experience some of that Nazi/jewish memorial. Are so many of these museums closed because tourist season is supposedly over? You are however, beginning to sound a little tired! Maybe it is just knowing this is the last stop. I am looking forward to your return.