Two days in Berlin

I've spent the past two days exploring Berlin, and though this is a longer stop then I intended, there was enough to see that I don't regret spending the time. The I put the bike away and took on Berlin's bus and subway system which was a little intimidating at first. The staff at the hostel were very helpful in marking up my maps and providing recommendations. The museums are closed on Mondays, so with a little bit of wondering the downtown area, I found a “hop on/hop off” tour bus with German and English narration. I used this for the day, seeing sites listed in the brochure, as well as taking side trips to do a few errands. I spent the most time at the Berlin Wall exhibit. Only part of the wall is still standing, and they've made an effort to preserve this history. The accompanying museum stands on what was the soviet headquarters during the war, but has been bombed down the foundation. The museum walks a fine line of preserving history by stating facts very plainly. The Holocaust memorial and fallen soldiers memorial are nearby as well. Being there was a bit of an experience. It is hard to imagine that this space occupied the central intelligence of the soviet party. Aerial photos show the city in ruins, and some structures that did not get rebuilt show the effects of war today. The wall itself, though it came later, is equally difficult to imagine dividing a city. I also visited “Check Point Charlie” which was a replication of the border patrol used when the wall existed. The wall's fall was symbolic with the fall of communism, and really shook things up when the city was stitched back together. Today people pass back and fourth freely, and you may not notice what side you are on. Some of the architecture is different, as in newer, on the east side of the wall, and there is a slightly different feel, but things are mostly harmonious at this point.

After a serious afternoon, I decided to lighten things up by going to the Hofbrauhause, a famous German beer hall. The one in Munchen is more popular, but I hear the on in Berlin actually came first. The beer went down easy, and I had to stop myself at two, along with dinner, of course.

The second day I bought an all access museum pass and hit all 5 museums on what's called museum island. Like the first day, my history knowledge was put to the test as they had artifacts from around the world, include Greece & Ron, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Turkey, as well as notable German artifacts and antiquities. Some of these included paintings from Napoleonic wars, and showed topics ranging from battle scenes, farm life, and the industrial revolution. Some of the reconstructed Roman and Babylonian exhibits were particularly interesting, where structures were exhumed and reconstructed in the museum, talking up large spaces. Egyptian tombs were recreated, and the famous bust of Aphrodite was on display (no photos allowed). If anything, I was surprised how open the exhibits were; it seemed these 2500 year old artifacts were left open with little barriers or protection, I could have easily reached out and touched any number of them, which added to the experience, but I have mixed feelings about. The museum buildings are interesting mix of old construction rebuilt with new materials and modern upgrades. Each building had an audio guide, and I spent about seven hours exploring these five buildings. I was hungry and tired of walking by the time I finished, but would have stayed longer if not for these reasons. See photos for details.

On the way home I stocked up on food for tomorrow. After looking into Poland, I decided it's just more then I can handle at this point. It would mean a new language currency, and customs etc., just when I'm starting to learn some German. I also need to watch my time as I'm already two weeks into my 3 month Schengen limit, and have a bunch of places I want to see yet.