Part 65: Berlin: The weather situation continues to look bleak. Feb 25, 2013

The next morning, free ticket (reservations are required) in hand, I was off to visit the dome of the parliament building.  The parliament building was mostly blown to pieces during WWII and was gradually restored in the years following.  Instead of putting the old-style dome back on top, a very modern glass dome that serves to provide natural light to the parliamentary sessions was constructed.  It is architecturally fascinating and very green.  Based on the excellent audio guide, I suppose it also has great views, but I mostly saw grey mist. 

 

From there, I hopped on the train to go see the 1936 Olympic Stadium.  There was an interesting exhibit outside the stadium about the Olympics, Hitler’s plans for Aryan dominance, and Jesse Owens’ destruction of said plans. 

Lastly I went to the Neues Museum.  This museum has some really old stuff including the prehistoric and Egyptian Collection.  The museum building itself and several of its artifacts were damaged during WWII, but the building has been restored and the artifacts were pieced back together as best as they could be.  There is still a little room for “unknown” pieces. 

The crowning glory of the Egyptian collection is the famous bust of Nefertiti.  The sculpture is 3,300 years old and it looks good.  It was discovered in 1912 in sculptor Thutmose’s workshop’s ruins.  Nefertiti is thought to be one of the most beautiful women to have ever lived and while artists have been known to “pretty-up” their subjects, the bust of Nefertiti is thought to be a very realistic representation.  She even has some crinkles around her eyes. 

The other major artifact in the museum is the gold hat.  It is made out of about 500 g of very thin gold and dates from 800-1000BC.  Apparently it is the best preserved of the 4 known gold hats known to exist from the Bronze Age.  The hat may also be a calendar, but the description is really complicated, so click the link if you really want to know.

 After the museum, I went back to my hostel, picked up my bags, and headed back to the airport to go fly back to Sofia.   Overall, I probably learned more on this trip than any trip prior to it, especially relating to the physical, political, and social implications of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.  It was a great trip, despite the constant snow.  

Brandenburger Tor