Most Fun EVER in Berlin

M left Berlin this morning to return to his internship in Belgium. That left P and me alone for our last weekend day together this trip. We'd tossed around a couple of ideas for the day, but the outdoor one had no tickets left and the indoor one was not particularly appealing because it was another sunny day. Off the top of my head I threw out "how about a Segway tour"? Tickets were available, so we booked it on line.

We still had several hours -- the tour didn't start until 3:00 p.m. -- so we went to lunch. We headed to Oranienburger Straße, where P knew there was an entire street of all kinds of restaurants. After walking by a few and checking their menus, we settled on Mirchi, which serves a mixture of Singaporese-Indian-and I'm not sure what else.

We chose two different dishes, which turned out to be pretty much the same except for the meat, and shared them. One was chicken; the other was duck. Both were served with the same vegetables in a coconut-curry-peanut sauce that wasn't too spicy/hot. The food was tasty and ample.

From there we headed towards Alexanderplatz, where the tour was to start. We still had about an hour, so we located the office we needed to find for the tour, then we settled into a nearby coffee shop to wait. There was an over-crowded Starbucks on another corner, but this little shop was an oasis of peace and quiet, nearly next door to our ultimate destination.

When we arrived for our tour, we signed away our lives and limbs, were fitted with helmets, and were given about 15 minutes of instruction and practice on the Segways. It's amazing how quickly you can go from fear to confidence on those machines. I want one! Stupid New York... last I knew they were illegal.

Not sure who the photobomber is in the background.
The company also gives tour on "Fat Tire" bikes, hence the name.

It turned out to be a private tour, as no one else had signed up. Our tour guide, Waleed, was a cool guy with a British accent. The tour itself covered some places I'd already visited, as well as some obscure corners I'd never seen.

We visited Rosenstraße, where the non-Jewish wives of Jewish men staged a successful protest to have their husbands returned to them during WW2. Around the year 2000 a movie was made with the same name; I'd previously seen it, so I was familiar with the story. There's a memorial on the site of the detention center.

We visited Sophienkirche on Große Hamburger Straße. During the cold war, Martin Luther King gave a speech at the church. The Russians were generally racist; by allowing the speech, they primarily wanted to poke a stick in the eye of the West.

In front of the church stands a building still riddled with bullet holes from WW2. According to Waleed, they were Russian bullets.

Markers in the pavement have been placed around Berlin as close as possible to the last known residence of people who were taken to the concentration camps.

Down the street is the first Jewish Cemetery in Berlin.

A bit later we found ourselves back on Oranienburger Straße, where Waleed pointed out the New Synagogue, which survived Kristallnacht, but was destroyed by Allied bombing. It was reopened in 1995, but the main sanctuary was not restored. Some history is available on their website.

He also pointed out the Telegraph Building. During our underground tour, we learned about the system of vacuum tubes under Berlin (like the tubes we use at the bank drive-through). This building was the central station for the system.

In all, our tour was about 2 hours long. Because we were the only participants, Waleed was able to make some accommodations for my knee, and we took some rests along the way. Two hours is about right. I don't think I could have done much more. But I really didn't want to give the machine back. Did I mention that I want one?

Afterwards, we went back to the same coffee shop to do a little resting (me) and warming up (P) before heading back to the apartment.

SO MUCH FUN!

Squee Time

The Zoo. In spring. Baby animals. Squee!

OK... so these babies were, for the most part, born last spring and summer. But they're still babies and still adorable.

In all my trips to Berlin, this was my first visit to the Zoologisher Garten, a mere 3 stops on the subway from P's apartment. Given a beautiful springlike day, and also given that she hopes/plans to move soon, the time seemed ripe.

The line to get in was relatively long -- though P says she's seen it longer-- but it didn't take very long to pay and gain admission. Family groups always make lines seem longer. It also helped that P noticed them open another line. 

Once inside, the crowd spread hither and thither, so the grounds never felt particularly crowded. And spring flowers were out in full force.

Crocus everywhere.

My first azalea sighting.

We opted to purchase the cheaper tickets and bypass the aquarium, since we knew we wouldn't have time to see everything and I'd recently been to SeaLife Berlin. An iguanodon would have been worth seeing, though. Just sayin'...

In the center of the park, I spotted another gray heron. Then I spotted a whole lot more of them. The treetops were littered with their nests.

We finally found some of the crowd when we visited the zoo restaurant for lunch. It was hard to find a seat, but the food was good. M had a foot-long curreywurst and P and I had schnitzel. It's humbling when a zoo canteen makes better schnitzel than you do.

I was amused by their play on the word "gastronomy". Gast means guest in German.

We found the rest of the crowd on the playground.

I wasn't too disappointed that the ground hogs were hibernating. I can see them in my backyard anytime, unfortunately.

I particularly liked the display of mountain goats. This was one of several.

And while I'm not a big fan of monkeys, the orangutans have a quiet dignity and extremely expressive faces. This old patriarch also has an impressive coat of hair.

And, of course, there's the babies.

These two are the same species. I'm guessing the darker one is younger.

This hippo IS a baby. It's much smaller than the others. Really.

Late afternoon we headed to Potsdasmer Platz and the Sony Center for an English language showing of American Hustle. 

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The theater is a great place to see a movie -- it's where they have the red carpet events in Berlin. But I could have waited for the DVD.

Oh well... Hakuna Matata.

Dalí Berlin

Today I postponed heading out for the day until after lunch. M wanted to make some homemade schnitzel, and I was only to happy to help him eat it. He definitely passes muster as a cook. It was delicious.

My major objective of the afternoon was Berlin's permanent Salvador Dali exhibit. The actual address is Leipziger Platz, but the U-Bahn stop is Potsdamer Platz. When I came up the elevator from the subway, I was right next door.

I've always been fascinated by what I'm guessing are his later works, probably in oils... the melting clocks, etc. Not one was included in this collection. In fact, the pictures featured in the front windows were not included n the display, although there were a couple that were probably from the same series.

As such, I feel this exhibit is oversold. It would be interesting for an art history major or any serious student of art. But for me -- I like what I like -- I would rate it a resounding "Meh".

Sadly, the lobby was more interesting than most of the pictures.

Since no photography was allowed inside, this will be a word-heavy post. I was going to include links to examples below, but that proved to be difficult, since most of the images are for sale in some gallery or another.

Most of the works on display were drawings with watercolors or other coloration. A lot of it was dark and ugly. Some was more primitive than surreal.

That's not to say it was a total waste of time/money. I did bring away some positive observations.

I was surprised at how much of his work was illustration: Don Quixote, Tristan and Isolde, Dante's Inferno, and perhaps more that I've forgotten. Especially with Tristan and Isolde, I was impressed by how few lines Dali needed to create an expressive representation of a human figure.

I noticed a tendency to experiment with materials. One series included a material similar to gold glitterglue. In another series he experimented with photographic montage. He also ventured into film with some bizarre results. Two short films are included in the display, including one he made with Disney.

Of the works they had one display, my favorites were the sculptures and bas-relief coins, such as the 1984 Olympic medals. The seemed more focused with less "messiness".

For someone with an interest in art history, the arrangement of similar works together makes the exhibit coherent. The small guidebook adds background information, but doesn't make it much easier to follow the exhibit. I had to do some searching to find the descriptive information for what I was looking at. If anyone would like my copy of the guidebook, let me know.

From Potsdamer Platz, I walked to Unter den Linden to pick up some pastries at the cafe by the Brandenburg Gate that I'd visited early in my trip. That walk felt a lot like "Goodbye Berlin", as I passed the Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Tor, and the other sights that have become familiar. From there, I went home to share Kaffeetrinken with M and wait for P to come home from work for my last weekend in Germany.

My Scariest Moment in Berlin

When one rides the subway in Berlin, the ticket is purchased from a machine. But... you don't just buy the ticket, you must also validate it before boarding. This sounds redundant, but it allows you to purchase a bunch of tickets in advance -- a 4-pack costing less per ticket -- and then validate them as you use them.

It's more or less an honor system,  but fear promotes honor. From time to time an "enforcer" boards and asks to see tickets... after the doors close. Being caught "black riding" carries a 40€ fine and the risk of prosecution. So yeah... I validate my ticket... except when I forget.

Step One: Buy Your Ticket

Twice on this trip I forgot. Both times I realized my mistake quickly and got off at the next station to validate, and both times I was lucky and not asked for my ticket. Until today.

M and I traveled to P's place of employment to meet her for lunch. On our trip home, an enforcer boarded. Neither of us had remembered to validate. And neither of us remembered until that very minute.

Step Two: Validate Your Ticket

We got lucky. We were sitting between doors and the distance between stations was short. Someone asked the ticket checker for directions, distracting him from his duties. M and I got off immediately, vaguely waving our tickets in his direction as we disembarked. And we wasted no time getting off the platform, like we were headed someplace.

Where we were headed was the nearest validation machine. A few minutes later, we were back on our way. The train we'd been on was gone. Luckily, so was the ticket checker.

For lunch we went to an Italian restaurant called Sedici.

The restaurant is sort of non-descript from the outside, but there's a cool-looking courtyard behind, where they probably set up tables in warm weather.

That floor looks like it lights up.

The neighborhood is near the Wahrschauer Straße station of the U1 line.

Other than that, not much happened today. M and I were both a bit weary from our visit to the Zitadelle yesterday and, although still temperate, it was a bit gray and gloomy. So we were both content to hang around the apartment for most of the day.

BTW - one can also use the subway/S Bahn tickets on the bus. In that case you validate the ticket right after boarding. If you're transferring to the bus from a train, you just show the ticket to the driver (unless you've entered by the rear door, in which case it's usually honor system). It sounds more complicated than it is. Really.

Zitadelle

I can't nurse my sore foot forever, so today I padded it well and M and I set off to visit the Spandau Citadel. 

Truth be told, I was glad to have M with me, as the transport connections to get there are a little complicated. But that wouldn't have stopped me from going alone. I've gotten "misplaced" in Germany more than once, and I've always found my way back.

I first learned of the existence of the Citadel from this image on Pinterest, so the Julius Tower was one of the things I most wanted to see. According to my guidebook, Spandauer Zitadelle is

     "one of the most important and best preserved Renaissance fortresses in the world. With it's moat, drawbridge and arrowhead-shaped bastions, it is also a veritable textbook in military architecture."

However, it has evolved through the years and was used as recently as WW2 as a munitions depot.

I also learned that the Citadel is home to about 10,000 native bats, with a viewing room open to the public. So, of course, I also wanted to see the "bat cave". 

After an early lunch at home, we set off via U Bahn and bus. Either is an easy walk from the fortress, with the bus stop right outside the gates and the subway a short walk down the street. The bus ride was rather long, so we chose the subway for the trip home.

The bridge leading to the fortress has railings that
depict the history of helmets, from knights to 1939.

The bridge crosses the moat.

After buying our tickets, we failed to notice the door to the left that told us to start our circular route there. It turned out to be the only way into the Julius Tower, which is wrapped in scaffolding. 

This is not the door. A door, but not THE door.

We didn't find the door until 15 minutes before closing, so I never made it inside the tower; by then my legs weren't interested in one more set of stairs.

Instead of the door, we passed through the archway into the courtyard. Other than being inside a curtain wall, this could have been any German town square. The architecture, for the most part, did not look Renaissance, and reflected the various centuries of use. 

This was where we came into the courtyard

Building 4, the larger building on the left side of the courtyard as you enter, houses artists' studios and the bat cave viewing room.  

Building 4 is the taller of the two connected buildings.

None of the artists were in residence today. However the bat viewing room was open. It's accessible, in the basement, through the center entrance of the building. No one was in attendance, but there was an abundance of information about bats and bat behavior on display. The viewing room was small and very dark. The bats were visible (behind glass) when they flew about, but hard to see when hanging. There were a couple corners, close to the lighting (black lights?) where they were visible, but mostly not. Even sitting in the dark and letting the eyes adjust didn't help much. So... no photos were possible. 

After leaving Building 4, we climbed the ramp to the battlements. 

This ramp was probably built to accommodate horses.

We walked first to the King's bastion on the front of the fortress. In the center of the bastion was a hill planted with ancient chestnut trees. 

From the top of the hill, it was possible to see the surrounding city, as well as the water defenses. 

The benches and the low volume of human foot-traffic made this hillock a nice place to sit, and I could imagine paying the small admission price and bringing a book to while away the hours on a summer day. (Unlike most parks, the fortress has restrooms.)

It was also possible to get a view of most of the courtyard below.

From one of the defensive positions, we spotted what I've tentatively identified as a Gray Heron sitting at the top of a tree, probably guarding a nest.

A little fuzzy because I was on maximum possible zoom.

The circular path led next to the Crown Prince Bastion. This corner is topped with a cannon tower.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to go inside.

From the wall, it was possible to see the Havel River, which passes through Brandenburg. Note the swan in the lower right corner of the photo.

The circular route is not yet complete, so we had to descend from the wall and walk a ways before climbing again to see the next short stretch, in the Brandenburg Bastion, that was accessible. Other than a closer view of the Havel, there was not much to see. I think the only reason that stretch is open right now is that they use a small building at the top for a children's art school.

The rest of the wall, including the Queen's Bastion is not yet ready for visitors, but along that side of the courtyard are two museum buildings. The first, a long low building, is a cannon museum, the back part of which has a non-related exhibit on  fishing and a collection of statuary. 

Along the walls are other displays relating to the history of warfare. While wandering through, I was struck by the amount of ornate artwork that was lavished on objects of destruction.

The second building is a museum, which was the only place they asked for our tickets. M spent some time wandering through, but I was more comfortable sitting outside and reading while waiting for him. 

The building on the right is the museum; on the left is the cannon display.

From there we made our preparations for departure and noticed the door we'd missed upon arrival.

My overall observation is that some day this will be a wonderful attraction. Right now, they're still in the development and restoration stage, with scaffolding and construction everywhere. 

The barracks, at the far end of the courtyard. Note the scaffolding.

What is accessible is still worth a visit, but it was a bit of a disappointment, since there was so much we couldn't see.

Parting shot, because I like it, of
the sun getting low in the sky over the moat.