The Journey Home from Berlin

On June 5, 2024 By Barbara GreenstoneIn Berlin1 Comment

We said auf wiedersehen to Berlin for the second time yesterday as we made our way home from this beautiful city. We had eight days filled with music, art, and history in a city that has so much to offer, and we made some new friends along the way.

We left our hotel at 6:00 am. (midnight EDT) and arrived home at 10:30 pm. after traveling on a U-Bahn train, a bus to the Berlin airport, a flight to the Dublin airport, a bus from the plane to the terminal, a flight to Boston, and a bus to Portland where we picked up our car and drove home. It was a long day, but we arrived home to find the huge rhododendron in our front yard had bloomed profusely in our absence.

I still have many photos to upload to this blog, and I’ll do so over the next few days. You can find them in the Berlin section of the Photos tab. We’re happy to be home, but already thinking about our next adventure.

Thanks for following our journey and we hope to see you again, in person or on the interwebs.

Memorials, Tiergarten Statuary, and Philharmonix

On June 3, 2024 By Barbara GreenstoneIn BerlinLeave a comment

Today was our last day in Berlin, so we tried to visit a few places we missed when we were here in December, or that were too covered in ice and snow for us to appreciate at that time. We began this morning in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This installation consists of 2711 concrete blocks of different heights, placed on uneven ground and meant to reflect a feeling of uncertainty. Unlike most memorials, it’s a quiet place to wander, and reflect, and bring your own meaning to the experience. The number of blocks is not significant; it’s merely the number that would fit into the space. There’s also an underground exhibit beneath the memorial, but it was closed today (and every Monday). We also visited the Sinti and Roma Memorial remembering genocide of these groups during Nazi rule, and the White Crosses memorial honoring those who died at the Berlin Wall during the Cold War.

Getting around the Tiergarten area was tricky today because many streets were blocked off in preparation for the FIFA World Cup and the European Football Championship. We managed to find the Soviet War Memorial and the Beethoven–Haydn–Mozart Memorial and several statues including Amazon on Horseback and some animal sculptures by Rudolf Siemering that are copies of sculptures around Siemering’s equestrian statue of George Washington in Philadelphia. There are many other statues in the Tiergarten, and we would have tried to find them all if we had the time and energy.

This evening we had dinner in an Italian restaurant (as one does in Berlin) and then went back to the Berliner Philharmoniker to hear Philharmonix, an ensemble composed of members of the Berlin Philharmoniker and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a fun concert with a mix of classical, jazz and pop tunes played by some highly skilled musicians.

Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Berlin and head home via Aer Lingus.

Furturium and Flames

On June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 By Barbara GreenstoneIn BerlinLeave a comment

Today was the first day in Berlin when we left the hotel without jackets, though we did take our umbrellas ensuring that it would NOT rain. We began our adventures at the Futurium or The House of Futures where the central question is, “How do you want to live?” It’s one of those exhibits where you wear a bracelet that collects data as you answer questions throughout and gives you a summary of your answers at the end. The focus was on how human lives will change in the coming years due to environmental and political factors.

Solar Panels on the Skywalk of the Futurium

Our visit ended with the Skywalk where we strolled around the perimeter of the roof to admire the view of Berlin and a huge array of solar panels.

After our visit to the Futurium we took a walk along the Spree River and waved at the tour boats that went by. Then we caught a bus to the Deutsche Oper where we had an early dinner before attending the last of our four Ring operas, six hours of Götterdämmerung.

The Orchestra Gets a Bow in Götterdämmerung

This one had everything you could ask for in a Wagnerian opera: weddings, potions, swords, a beheading, fire, and a lot of angst. The ending was glorious as Valhalla went up in flames and the ring went back to the Rhine. Actually, the whole thing ended with a woman sweeping the stage, as if say, “We’ve told you a story and now it’s over.” This “play within a play” concept explains (maybe) the omnipresent piano that characters occasionally pretended to play and other directorial choices in the production.

Tomorrow is our last day in Berlin. It’s our last chance to visit the sights we’ve missed, and in the evening we will go to our final event, a Philharmonix concert.

A Walk in the Park

On June 1, 2024June 2, 2024 By Barbara GreenstoneIn BerlinLeave a comment

In the Rose Garden of the Berlin Botanic Garden

We had no events scheduled for today, so we decided to take it easy and enjoy the warm, sunny weather. After breakfast, we hopped on a train to the Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum for an opportunity to stop and smell the roses. Unfortunately a large part of the park was closed due to construction and renovation. What we could see was lovely and made a nice break from all our indoor activities. The rose garden was particularly impressive with its low bushes and pergolas covered with blooms and the walkways lined with lavender plants.

Heron in a pond at Berlin Botanic Garden

We spent several hours strolling through the Botanic Garden and then went back to the hotel to watch some tennis and soccer on TV (something we didn’t need an English translation to understand). There’s a grocery store across the street from our hotel, so we decided to grab some sandwiches, fruit, and a bottle of wine and have dinner in our room. In all, it was a restful day that we both needed.

Tomorrow we will visit the Futurium and maybe learn a thing or two before we head to Deutsche Oper for our final opera in the Wagner Ring Cycle, Götterdämmerung.

The DDR, the Captain Morgan, and Siegfried

On June 1, 2024June 1, 2024 By Barbara GreenstoneIn BerlinLeave a comment

We began today with a visit to the DDR (German Democratic Republic) Museum, an exhibition of life in East Germany during the almost 41 years of its existence. The museum is full of interactive exhibits that chronicle the DDR years and give a taste of what life was like in East Germany before reunification. The museum was also full of tourists and school groups so it was a bit crowded, but still worth the time we spent there.

Near the entrance of the DDR Museum is the start of a one-hour Spree River cruise on the Captain Morgan. The rain had stopped and we finally had some sunshine, so we decided to take the tour. It was quite relaxing and somewhat interesting. The tour guide spoke in German, but switched to English occasionally for the benefit of the four or five English speakers on the boat. We didn’t drink any Captain Morgan on the boat, but we did have a beer.

After a late lunch (or early dinner) of Currywurst, we made our way to the Deutsche Oper for the third opera in the Wagner Ring, Siegfried. As with the first two operas, the orchestra and the singing were superb, but I was really impressed with the stagecraft in this one. I never take pictures during a performance because it’s verboten here as in most theaters and opera houses, but I do wish I had a photo of the dragon because it was awesome! (There are some great photos here and a video here that are worth a look.)

After six hours (including two intermissions) of Wagner, we were ready to call it a day. Tomorrow is a free day with no performances, but I’m sure we will find some interesting ways to fill the time.

To Italy and Beyond

Month: June 2024