I am sorry, this is going to be a really long post
I always get so anxious, excited, and nervous when going to a new place. The night before leaving, my stomach was turning and my mind was going a million miles per hour. I couldnt help but spend the time that i should have been sleeping, thinking about galleries, chocolate, shopping, and what i wanted to do in the three short days I would be in Berlin.
Monday:
The morning came earlier than ever at a 5 am wake up call. The bus would be there around 6 to pick us up from the house. I spent the next eight hours driving and flying to Berlin. Upon arival, we took a tour bus around the city and to our hotel. It was such a strange place. I could tell instantly where I was- form follows function- the room was so sleek and modern looking there was no mistaking Berlin for another place. Our hotel, being in a central location, increadibly cheap, and having a cool bar in the lounge, was filled with kids ranging from 12-25. I think I saw one older person there the entire time.
After throwing our bags in the room, we met in the lobby for a stole around the city. We went to see Maya Lin's Holocaust Memorial, which by the way is breath taking. At night, it was a magical landscape of blocks undulating and growing for what seemes like an eternity. I spend time wondering through the grid of blocks until i was dwarfed by ones that were three times my height. Absolutely amazing how beautiful, but at the same time cold and isolated it feels to be in the middle of this memorial.
The rest of our walk consisted of the Parliment, the Berlin Wall, and then over to Mette, which is an artist area with cheap living and galleries out the wazoo. We went to this increadibly grungy bar that had a flame thrower and a disco ball child on the ceiling. We spent some time walking around that area, eating delicious cuban food, and wondering around the city.
Tuesday:
We got up early Tuesday to start on our gallery quest. We went to the a lot of larger galleries and national museums, then broke off into groups going back to the Mette area and going basically door to door to small and private galleries. I got to see a large range of work that day between Isa Genzken, Joseph Beuys, Wolfgang, and many other huge name artists. It was mind blowing. Some of the small galleries were interesting- but a lot were more commercial galleries that I did not have a lot of interest in.
After a long and exhausting day of looking at art and walking around, we took the Uban to this district that has a lot of weird shops, food, and record stores. We spent the night wondering up the road looking for thrift stores. It was a little dissapointing, I must say, because nearly everything was closed or way too expensive. I did buy these weird cds though for a euro.
We all got back to the hotel around 10, and we prepared for going out to a club. Okay, I did not bring anything remotely nice to ireland. All I had to work with was a whool sweatshirt and jeans. I was soo hot dancing! We ended up going to this place that looked like a wedding reception. It was in a white tent with a bunch of tables and a small dance floor. I dont care where I am, dancing is fun!
After a longgg day- walking and dancing from 8 am to 3 am I was pooped!
Tuesday:
We got up early again, and took the Sban West to Charlesburg, where we went to the New National Gallery (which is surreslism and realism) and the Picasso Museum. Both were fairly interesting. It was weird seeing picasso and giacometti in person though.
After the noon sushi break, we split into groups. My group going to the Jewish Museum and the Berlin Wall, which by the way, was the most emotional and amazing afternoons. The Jewish Museum had an overwhelming amount of information- way too much for a two hour walk through. But I was so impressed with the archetecture of the building. It was designed so specifically for this exibit and also for the bodily experience. The walls were positioned for confusion as well as wedge shapes to make you feel isolated and controlled. There was this room called the Holocaust tower, whic was a skewed pentagon with a small crack at the top, probably at least 300 feet tall, all cement walls. Not only was it this huge, dark, cold, and lonely room, but you were directly under the city streets and could hear the city hum of cars going by and life happening, but you were in this room below. It was the most moving moment of the trip. I spent probably twenty minutes standing in there with my eyes closed in silence.
As if going to that Museum wasn't enough, we took a train to see the longest-standing strench of the Berlin Wall, which is now the East Side Gallery. It is about a mile long, and the entire wall in ten twenty foot long murals about life, interpretations of the wall, representations, and metaphors for the unification of east and west germany.
After we got back to the station, Alyson, Steph, and I took a train back to the area we were at the previous night. We ate at a really good italian resturaunt and looked around the neightborhood for artist squats and music houses. It was pretty nice to learn the train stations for ourselves.
We went back to the hotel around 11, had a few cocktails, and went straight to bed. This walking all day business is very tiring.
Wednesday:
In the morning we left early to go see the holocaust memorial at sun rise. The last time we were there is was very dark and we were intereseted in seeing the change during the daytime. AFter spending some time looking around, we went on a walk, and ended up at the university's book sale.
We left the hotel around noon for the airport, and then spent the rest of the day traveling back the Ballyvaughan.
Overall, Germany was a wonderful, creative, and interesting place. So much history, places to go, and things to see in Berlin. It was overwhelming to try to comprehend everything and absorb what was happening. I was like to try and go back again in the next year or two to experience the city at my own pace.
