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.