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.

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.

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.