Berlin Buds

For my last day in Berlin, we decided to do some light touring and planned to meet at the Gemäldegalerie which is known for Old Master paintings. It’s in the middle of the Kulturforum in Berlin. Here’s the ceiling at the entrance and some photos of the paintings:



Vermeer’s “Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace”:



A Rembrandt self-portrait:



Canaletto’s “Santa Maria della Salute in Venice”:



Botticelli’s “Tondo Racynzski”:



And here, the new face of the Kulturforum - John! We had fun with some videos in the lobby!



We then roamed the grounds which included the Berlin Philharmonic. I had viewed it peripherally on Wednesday. Here’s a selfie in front of the concert hall:



We had some fun with a Richard Serra that was on site:





And a Keith Haring:





Finally, a Mark di Suvero:





According to some signs, there was supposed to be a Nam June Paik, Frank Stella, and Rauschenberg, but we couldn’t find them. We think they were taken down or moved and the signs were old. We did stumble, however, upon this Korean unity temple:



The Kulturforum is near Potsdamer Plaza and there was a street fair and some food trucks. We got very excited for this Korean taco truck called Fraulein Kimchi! We decided we had to try and the server was very German, but his boss was Korean and Mrs. Kimchi! The kimchi was solid and the bulgogi beef tasted like sloppy joes. Way better than expected and the disappointing part was really the quality of the taco which I suspect is hard to come by here.





We then headed into the Sony Center which has lots of outdoor restaurants. We found one that served curry wurst which we split with some grilled sausage. John had unfiltered beer and I had a radler beer - yum!



Then we hopped on the bus to the Jewish Museum, so we could see a James Turrell exhibit. You couldn’t take photos of the awesome lighting where we had to cover our shoes and walked around in this ambient room. So here are some photos of the building designed by world famous architect, Daniel Libeskind.





We explored the outdoor gardens:





The main museum was closed for renovations, so we explored the underground and a temporary exhibition. The underground explored the different trajectories of the Jewish people - whether it be the Holocaust, Exile, or Continuity. Each axis had a special room and the exhibits explored the sad history and journey of the strong people and culture. The museum also had many empty spaces where you’re supposed to reflect on those that were taken before their time and was very overwhelming. Below is the Garden of Exile - the columns are on a slanted hill, showing how hard it is to go somewhere new and the uphill climb it takes to stand tall....





With sadness and reflection, we were ready to leave the museum. Here’s a photo John took of inside a lampshade hanging from the ceiling. Not only did we think it was cool, but hopefully we will see the light of the future as we reflect on historical atrocities.



After going through Checkpoint Charlie for like the 5th time, we headed to my hotel which was nearby, picked up my luggage, and went to the Waldorf Astoria which is on the way to the airport. John and I sat on the top floor, shared a bottle of rosé and lobster club sandwich while chatting with Maximilian, our world traveler server. The views and conversation were very enjoyable! Here’s a photo of the Victory Column in the middle of the park:



Here’s a photo of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which was bombed during the war - left untouched to remind folks about the toll of war. It’s nicknamed “the hollow tooth”. The hexagonal structure in front is the new church:



Our delicious snack which included two types of fries!



Then John dropped me off across the street at the bus depot, where the X9 express brings you straight to the airport. What a wonderful few days running around Berlin with my new friend! As we spoke Korenglish and enjoyed art, it was a fun-filled few days! I hope the rest of your birthday trip in Berlin continues to be just as much fun and see you back in NY!

At the airport, where the check-in, security, and passport control are right in front of every gate, I got on my Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. The flight was about an hour and I hopped on the train into the city which took less than 20 minutes. After a two block walk out of Frankfurt Main Station, I was at Ibis Styles Frankfurt to enjoy my one night and day here!

Berlin

What a busy museum day! Today, John and I met on Museum Island, famous for a group of world class museums. We first went to the busy Pergamon Museum, which is named for the Pergamon Altar. However, all the buildings have been going on a series of renovations for years, and the altar area is closed until 2023.

We received a timed entry ticket for museum opening, and the museum is known for having so many built in structures - or rather the museum was built to house them. Here is the famous blue Ishtar Gate from Babylon:





And a model of what it would look like in Babylon:



Roman Market Gate of Miletus:







Some lamassu and dorky Koreans! There are lamassu statues at the Metropolitan Museum in NY too!





The Aleppo Room:



John learning about tapestries:



A facade from a caliph’s palace called Mshatta



A ceiling honoring the Alhambra:



We then headed to the Neues Museum which is connected via a new underground passageway:





The museum is famous for a bust of Nefertiti - here’s a replica as you can’t take photos of it:



And the Berliner Goldhut:



They built a nearby Panorama museum in preparation for the Pergamon Altar not being viewable these few years. It was pretty cool as they tried to show you what life would be like in Turkey - in and around the altar:





A closeup of the altar frieze:



We then went to the Bode Museum where we first sat down in the café for some cold drinks and a vegetarian quiche. Here’s the entrance of the museum which has an equestrian statue of Fredrich Wilhelm:



Canova’s Dancer:



A gold medal of Alexander the Great:



Carvings by Tilman Riemenschneider - the Four Gospel Writers:



Anne and her Three Husbands:



We then walked for awhile to get to the oldest restaurant in Berlin which was a recommendation from my friend Noelle. But as there were such few tables, we couldn’t be seated and were unwilling to wait over an hour. Here’s a photo of Zur Letzten Instanz which opened in 1621:



We ate at a café nearby where we had beers and vegetable wraps with side salads. The sauce was curry and they brought out a free curry and coconut soup. They really do love curry here. We then walked over to the Berlin Cathedral and climbed the steps all the way to the top! By circling the dome top, I got to see 360 degree views of the city!













After the Cathedral, John went back to his hotel, and I went to Alte Nationalgalerie. John is here for 6 days while I leave tomorrow for Frankfurt, so I wanted to make sure to take it all in. Here’s the front of the museum:



Here’s Schadow’s Statue of Two Princesses:



A view out the second floor:



They had Gustave Caillebotte’s “Rainy Day in Paris” on view. When I was in Chicago in May, the museum advised this was traveling through Europe and on exhibition! Confirmed!



“Monk by the Sea” by Caspar David Freidrich:



Then finally, I finished at the Altes Museum. Here’s the Berlin Goddess:



Praying Boy:



The rotunda:



Caesar and Cleopatra:



And the front of the museum!



I caught a bus in front and made my way back to my hotel where I showered and napped. It was not only super hot today, but there was no air conditioning in any of the museums. After resting, I enjoyed my welcome drink in the lobby and headed to Nobelhart & Schmutzig. It’s considered one of the best restaurants in the world. You entered by ringing a door bell and I got in trouble for taking a picture of the dining room. Apparently, you can only take a photo of wine bottles inside the dining room. They reminded me to take memories, not photos.

They are famous for only using German locally sourced food and flavorings. So no olive oil, black pepper, and etc. John met me here a few minutes late and although we appreciated the preparation, John was concerned he’d still be hungry afterwards. I’m not sure German food is considered the most tasty cuisine...

Interestingly, our beverages were amazing. I started off with rosé champagne, and John had an unbelievable local vodka. We sat at a large communal table, so we constantly made eye contact with a Spaniard and half Cuban - half German fellow across our way. They were a wine distributor and sommelier, respectively. The restaurant pampered them with wines and they shared their bottles with us. Their last bottle was phenomenal and we chatted through the meal. Here are some pictures below - but no food collage! Just memories...

John then went off to meet a friend and I walked to the hotel which took about 5 minutes as the restaurant was right next to Checkpoint Charlie. What a day of walking, exploring, and museum-ing. I laugh because when John and I realized we were going to be in Berlin at the same time, we both exclaimed we had the museum card! Indeed, we maximized the pass today and made many museum memories!