Wandering in Berlin

So to wrap up our trip we had a night out on the town!  We left the hostel around 1 am, arrived in line for the club at 1:30 (this is when US clubs are doing last call normally).  The club, Berghain, was recommended by two different and one said it was the best club in Berlin.  We waited an hour in line outside, just looking at the building which was an old warehouse.  The music was loud enough for us to hear outside and the windows were flashing purple, red, blue and green.  We got to the front and the bouncer asked how many, I said 6, and he rejected us.  We asked why and he responded, "we don't give a reason."  So we trekked back to the club that was right across the street from the subway station.  It turns out that place was great!  The cover charge was half the price, and there were three dance floors with different styles of music at each one.  We stayed in the one with the most people that was playing mostly American dance music, with a twist of 90s throw backs: the Spice Girls, the Macarena, and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song.  We watched the sun rise from the dance floor of the club and at 4:30 decided to make our way back to the hostel.  It was full daylight by the time we laid down to sleep at 5:30.

Luckily the next day was our free day.  Katie and I decided to spend the day going to a museum.  We chose the Pergamon museum on Museum Island.  We got the full access pass so we were able to see the special exhibit that was a panoramic view of the ancient city of Pergamon that was located in present-day Turkey.  We entered the special exhibit, walking up 5 stories of a scaffolding type tower in the middle of a round room.  At the top we were greeted with a life-like portrait of the city in its hay-day.  The exhibit went through the day, getting light and dark.  In the dark you could see fires glowing in the piece.  There was also a soundtrack that went through the day also, peaceful noises at night and bustling noises during the day.  It took the artist 11 years to create the view.

We continued through the museum viewing sculpture pieces, like the ones below recovered from the ancient city.  There was also an entire section on Islamic art which I found very beautiful.  I have a fascination for Middle Eastern culture.  I wanted to take Arabic in college, but UNCP didn't offer it.  Realistically I will probably not be able to work in a field that allows me to experience the Middle East, but I find it interesting to learn about regardless.

I'd also like to say that visiting a museum is on my 101 in 1001 Challenge!  So, yay for marking off #11!!!  And I learned something while I was at it.

We wrapped up Sunday evening with our farewell dinner at another traditional German beer garden getting our last fixes of sausages, strudels and beer (for those who enjoy it).

And then auf wiedersehen, Berlin!