Another week in Berlin.. more exploring and so much more to do..
Starting with..
We took a trip to the city center to Museum Island.. an island in Berlin's downtown that was once a landfill and now houses 5 museums. So important are the artifacts in these museums that it was added to the World Cultural Heritage list in 1999.
We had a visit to the Neues Museum on Museum Island. THE most stunning Egyptian collection I have ever seen. The most famous object is the bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti (which was indescribable - gorgeous - it had its own room - like being with the Mona Lisa (but she sadly does not get her own room)), which Germany refuses to give back to Egypt, and the skull of the Neanderthan from Le Moustier. The museum traces the evolution of homo sapiens from 1,000,000 BC to the Bronze Age. Ruby hangs out with some vases... thinking more for water than for flowers.
The head of Nefertiti looks a little something like this...
The sky looked lovely that evening.
After the photo below we stopped under the bridge behind Brent and listened to a man playing some classical music on the keyboard. Ruby gave a 'yay' after each song so we stayed for a while as she enjoyed it so much.
The next day, Ruby and I went to Berlin's Aquarium and checked out the jellies...
as well as the big fish in many tanks.
Sunday afternoon we went to the area of North Kruzberg by Treptow. Reminds me of Williamsburg Brooklyn - likely in the 90's. warehouses, cafes, graffiti, parks, artists.. party people left over from the following evening. We found a cafe on the river with some music and had some snacks.
On the walk home we stopped at an art book store then Brent found this... we didn't know Brent's brother has a bar in Berlin? Small world!
and by the magic of Facebook, a friend of a friend from NYC, was passing through Berlin so we went out for a drink. It was fab to have a 'meet up' with an NYC friend!
"BERLIN is like New York City in the 1980s. Rents are cheap, graffiti is everywhere and the air crackles with a creativity that comes only from a city in transition."
Day 1:
We landed in Berlin around 12pm local time. Berlin is 1 hour ahead of London. Our Airbnb host Aino welcomed us to her building. We are staying in a block of flats with a garden in the center. Aino, her husband and her 3 year old son live in the building too. Our flat has very high ceilings, an eat in kitchen, lots of windows, a reading couch 'nook' and a bed with a loft storage / bed above it. Ruby has her own cot, highchair and toys to play with that Aino gave to us to use.
We are staying in the area of Kreuzberg in the South East of Berlin. Berlin is divided into districts as NYC is divided into boroughs... and it's just massive. On our arrival afternoon, we walked to a lovely area of cafes, yoga centres and shops near the river. We THOUGHT this walk would take 20 minutes.. it took 45! I just thought to myself - wow! I think I will be using the Ubahn quite a lot.
We stopped by the river for some pizza at a nice Italian spot and some ice cream. The ice cream shop was buzzing and had kids chairs all outside of it. Ruby had a kiddie cone - we all did too - for only .50E - about .85 cents. Ruby finished her kiddie cone, pointed to the door of the ice cream shop and said 'more'? - the girl knows what she likes. Our evenings are quiet ones.
I have vowed NOT to go nuts on the computer (I know I write this ON the computer) however, my interaction is low. I am determined to finish at least one book while I'm here so in the evenings, I've been listening to classical music and reading.. can't remember the last time I did that.
More ice cream?
Day 2:
We met up with our Glasgow friends Tom and Sarah who are here in Berlin for the art show. They also have a 6 month old daughter Martha. They are renting a flat in Mitte - the city center. They are on the top floor and have virtually a 360 degree view of the city. It's amazing. The weather was hot and sunny so Sarah packed a picnic and we headed to the Tiergarten. The Tiergarten is massive.. more like Central Park North than the landscaped parks of the UK. It then started to rain a bit so we strolled back home dried our things and did a bit of food shopping. We are close to a massive market so shopping is very easy.. that said, there are amazing cafes all around us - thai, indian, vietnamese, american, turkish, mexican.. this food budget is going to be tricky. That evening I headed to a Jivamukti Berlin Yoga Class in English. It was blissful. Walking in a tank top and flip flops on a hot night after finishing an evening yoga class must be one of the most satisfying feelings. Ever.
Day 3:
90 degrees. We decided to get some tourist stuff in so we headed to Bernauer StraBe - a point of the Berlin Wall - remember that the wall was demolished only in 1990 and therefore, is a very important recent part of history to view. This walk gave a a look at some of the remnants and gave you an impression of how is brutally divided the city, forcing people from their homes, separating families and even passed through a graveyard in which headstones were removed as not to impair the sightlines of the boarder guards.
The 'death zone' between the wall and the tall gate dividing East and West with the original lights to view those daring enough to cross.
More of Bernauer Strasse, where desperate scenes took place and people jumped from their houses to their deaths to escape to the west.
This was a HOT day so, after our very long wall walk, we headed home.
Day 3:
95 degrees. Ruby and I found a pool and took a dip in the morning. She LOVES swimming - no suprise there. She walks by the pool saying 'pool', 'pool' and pointing. The pool also had a playground and kiddie area.
We then headed to the nearby Jewish Museum. A comprehensive history of the Jews opened in 2001. The building is designed by Daniel Libeskind and is amazing. The content inside is powerful, comprehensive and laid out very well.
Day 4:
Stopped at the Berlinische Galerie - a comprehensive contemporary collection with a Berlin focus from 1870 to today. It reopened in 2004 in a beautiful building. I liked their section on Dada - to which I have slowly grown an appreciation for... then as it was boiling hot, we had another dip in the pool.
Day 5:
We headed out to the big shopping district of Charlottenburg. We started off at the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtnis Kirche (Church). One of Berlin's best known sights built in 1891 and destroyed in 1943. They are still rebuilding it. There are cracks in the walls and it serves as a reminder of what the war did to this city. The renovation work is set to be finished next year. We did stop in the chapel which is covered 360 degrees in stained glass.
At a fountain in Charlottenburg.
Legoland!
We then stopped at Ka Da We. Europe's largest department store! This tutu was so soft.. Ruby had to try it on .. (and over $150!).
The food hall is crazy! Better than Harrods, if you ask me.. terminals of different cuisines.. food to buy, taste (including a wine tasting we participated in.. ;-) ) . We decided to stop at the Gourmet Sausage area for lunch - Ruby is perfecting 'cheese'...
then.. I stopped by the American food section.. which they only sold Tomato Cambells soup.. I wonder why?
This week.. more museums.. more yoga.. more outside time and Brent starts working on his show installation.
We're here... more to come.. but all I can say is Berlin is vibrant, alive and a total mix of old and new.. We've been here before.. but this time, we're diving in deeper to this amazing city. Berlin reminds me of what NYC might have been in the late 70's / 80's - lots to discover around every corner... something for everyone.. PLUS affordability to live close to or inside the city center. ps: Berlin is so much bigger than I remember it.. 2 subway stops = a 40 minute walk! I have my walking shoes on.
Here we are ready for takeoff on the orange covered EasyJet. The best part, there is no seating assignment, 3 seats across, no one wants to sit with a baby so we had a row to ourselves... I have many more words to say about leaving Scotland but, that's for another time.
Our first day walking the wall...
I have more but it's another beautiful day in Berlin and it's time to get outside. Auf wiedersehen!
We've also been doing our best to learn German.. this is a start...
We had some many wonderful photos from our trip... Here's some more to share...
One of the highlights for me is that on the drive up North to the ferry, we stopped at Castle Leod which is the MacKenzie Clan Castle. It is located 30 minutes North of Inverness... although, the MacKenzies were once one of the largest Clans in Scotland, they were also one of the poorest therefore, the castle is not as large as some others we have visited. Clan Mackenzie held the largest single area of land of all the clans. Look at this map below (MacKenzie land is pink in the center of the map):
The woodland areas around Inverness and the Black Isles in the Highlands were once very much MacKenzie territory however, because many did not marry of wealth or have much money to build estates etc.. all of this is currently all set in history - you can still find remains (a memorial stone here, or a plaque in front of a house where a battle took place - however, you need to know where to look).
The current Clan chief actually lives there. I think that 1/4 of the castle is a residence whilst the rest is a museum. They just received a half a million pounds from Visit Scotland for restoration which is great as I think there are more restoration plans in the works. We were lucky that we actually got to visit because the castle is only open 1 weekend every 6 weeks.
Here is Ruby and I with our MacKenzie Clan Chief; John Ruaridh Grant Mackenzie. I asked him if he gets a lot of MacKenzies that visit.. interestingly enough, he said 'no'... most of the people that visit are those touring the Highlands who want to visit a castle - and I would consider this one a find as it is a bit 'off the beaten path' to get to.
Outside the MacKenzie Castle.
We did manage to take an inside photo of Brent.. can you see the whisky jar with the tap? Niiiice...
Inside the castle, we also found a buggy!
A little MacKenzie history connection of Scotland to Canada.
After the Castle, there is a tree walk... lots of rare and interesting trees from around the globe. Ruby and I are posing with a stone which says: "This stone commemorates the memoriam and endurance of MacKenzies of all the alleigiances during the Jacobite Campaigns of..(can't see the date.. think it is the 1700s)." - for more on the Jacobites.. read here.
Then we hit the road up North to Orkney.. here is a video of an encounter with some magic horses on the island.
Walking on the beach in Orkney...
One of the 4 whiskey distilleries we stopped at Old Pulteney.
On the ferry.. it was a beautiful ride.
Our campervan! Here we are on our first night.. the only ones in this area. Very isolated, nice and quiet.
Brent discovers what the pre-historic people ate in one of the actual homes.
Another night camping...
Can you spot the bunnies from our hike? There were loads.. Ruby loved them.
After hiking up - which we thought we were going to the landmark on the right, we found this view.. inhabited by birds.. plus a rare breed of flying penguin.. there were loads of bird watchers in Orkney. The land is protected and unspoiled.
Ruby standing with a 5,000 year old standing stone.
Ring of Brogdar Standing Stones.
Beautiful views on a beautiful day.
Another night camping by the sea.
A beach walk after dinner.
This is the way to relax!
The ferry back home.. tricky to walk while sailing.
Brent and Ruby at top of an ancient burial ground.
I must say, this was the trip to beat all trips.. originally, we were going to do a final trip to London but, then we thought... London is a jump away from the states.. let's do something rare and special.. and I'm so glad we did.
