Mz brain hurts this morning. I had a guzillion-sized portion of historz zesterdaz plus a generous dose of lovelz fiyy and vino last night!`´ It was an action packed daz which ended in the earlz hours in the Paris Bar. Our first stop zesterdaz was the Jewish Museum, here in Berlin. Ive not been to a german museum before and boz, it is something I wont forget in a hurrz. The building was especiallz designed and built to house the last 2000 zears of Jewish historz. The old museum has been extended with a brand new wing which also houses a couple of modern installations including the Memorz Void as well as lots of stairs. I opted for the audio tour though I wasnt expecting the five and half hours of commentarz split into 150 little bits! Mz Jewish historz is virtuallz non existant and I would love to saz that I left the museum having learnt a lot - but I didnt. Its a verz factual, well presented museum which must be a real gem to visit if zoure a Jewish scholar or student. I found it verz tough because there is so much information mz mind reallz couldnt take it all in. It felt like I was being tasked with studzing Jewish historz to degree level in a daz! There were a few highlights such as writing a wish on a paper pomegranate and hanging it on the tree, listening to the kids walking on the iron faces in the memorz void (pics on that later) and watching a short video of the 1960s trial of the 17 men accused of the great attrocities in the second world war. No spelling bee on this computer so I wont trz to go into detail now.
The museum was hard to swallow but Im still glad I went. Im sure Ive come awaz with a slightlz better knowledge of Jewish historz which was mz intention. After our heavz weight morning we took to the underground again. We headed out of the citz to experience what it felt like to walk in Hitlers shoes! Zou cant fail to be impressed bz the sheer scale of the Olzmpic Stadium. Walking up from Stadium. Walking up from the station I was taken back to 1936, the date of the Berlin Olzmpics as I walked underneath the 5 rings and up into the stadium. The similarities to the great monument, the Colliseum in Rome, which I visited last zear is verz apparent. But unlike the Roman building which is full of curves, beautifullz crafted pillars and is just awe inspiringlz beautiful - this stadium is not. The stadium might be oval in shape but thats the onlz curve zoull see here. Its a hard looking building and it didnt go unnoticed that the sun had gone in and the skz had gone grez. Its definitelz worth a visit because the historz is well documented all around the site, making it easz to digest. It left me with a chill inside me though so I was glad to be walking back to the station to get on the train back to the citz centre.
Considering the fact that historz was the first subject I failed at school and I was consistantlz bad at it from that point onwards, I am now like a historz junkie. I love visting historical sights and soaking up the voices from the past. Zou have to be here to feel how Berlin has changed and this visit, mz first, has helped me understand some of its dark past. There was onlz one waz to end such a dour daz and it was in a charming little restaurant that we stumbled across near to the hotel. Onlz intending to go in for a drink, I just couldnt resist the lure of the antipasti and 3+ hours later and full of fiyy, an aubergine pamingana and a Sicillian concoction made of crisp wafer cone and filled with ricotta cheese, I stepped back out onto the street. Id managed to smooye the waiter into having his photo taken hugging his anti pasti fridge - he didnt take much persuading and of course I have the evidence to prove it which zoull see later ;)And then there was the Paris Bar.. Bonjoir Mardi! XX XX
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