Berlin Finale: the Wall

A bit south of the city center is a 1.3 km section of the Berlin Wall that still stands along the river Spree. Beginning in 1990 over 100 international artists were commissioned to paint different sections on one side and it is now known as the East Side Gallery.

Before reaching the Wall itself we saw this odd structure and checked it out, though we were unable to find out what it was.

But when we got to the Wall we saw a photo of the structure and learned that it was originally a crossing point between East and West Berlin.  The towers have been restored, and one of the U-bahn lines now runs through it.
 

The Wall/East Side Gallery.

 

A few photos of painted sections that I especially liked. 

I love my buck-toothed friend.

Berlin 5: Misc.

A mish-mash of misc. photos from different days in Berlin:

Street scene.  Like Amsterdam, there are a lot of people who commute by bicycle in the city.

A lot of stores and restaurants we saw had candles lit out front.  It was so welcoming, especially in the freezing cold.

These above-ground pink pipes are apparently used to pump out sewage from construction sights.  Hopefully they never break on anyone...

After the Pergamonmuseum we stopped at a restaurant called the 12 Apostles.  Katie had read about it, and that they have a different type of pizza named after each of the apostles.

I opted for Jacob, and it was delicious!

The best part of the restaurant, however, may have been the ceiling, which was painted with scenes from the Sistine Chapel.

More food.  Every night we were old ladies, and by 6pm or so would be exhausted from being out all day and being so cold, so we would stop at the grocery store and get things for dinner.  We were over the moon when we found things that are almost impossible to find in Rome: cheddar cheese, honey roasted peanuts, and Dr Pepper.  Best dinner ever.

At the DDR museum, which is an interactive exhibit documenting life in East Berlin.  The car we're in here was the only type of car available in East Berlin, and it essentially was a small box of plastic.

Christmas markets!  They weren't all open yet because it was still early in the season, but we were able to see a few.

Berlin 4: Misc. Churches and the Neues Museum

The Domkirche, Berlin's cathedral.  The original architecture dates back to the mid 15th century, but much was reconstructed after the War.

Both the interior and exterior were modeled on St Peter's in Rome, to make it the Protestant equivalent in the north (except in size, as it is tiny in comparison).  Typical of protestant churches, there isn't a lot of art or decoration except for the high altar, seen here.

But, meh.  I'm a snob, and I prefer the real St Peter's.

View from the dome of the church, looking towards Alexanderplatz.

Another church, the Marienkirche, built in the 13th century.  See what I mean about the TV tower?  You can see it from everywhere!

Interior of the Marienkirche.  Normally I love stark interiors like this, as they emphasize and highlight the architecture, but since it was restored after the War it's so new looking and looks almost fake.

I will give the Protestant churches this: they know how to build a beautiful organ.

Facade of the Nikolaikirche, the oldest church in Berlin.  The upper portion of the church was badly damaged in the War, and hence the odd juxtaposition of styles seen in the facade.

The area around the Nikolaikirche is a really charming neighborhood of restored medieval buildings and houses.  It was the only area of Berlin that I felt a sense of how the city must have been like before the War.  Even today, there is so much of the city that is still being restored or rebuilt, and there is constant construction everywhere.

At the Neues Museum, which is best known for its amazing collection of ancient Egyptian art.  This is a relief of the Pharaoh Akhenaten (on the left) with his wife Queen Nefertiti and their three daughters.  The sun god in the center is blessing them with rays that have little hands at the end that almost touch their faces.

A portrait of Akhenaten.  I love him not only because he was a fascinating Pharaoh who changed the entire system of worship during his reign (only to quickly be changed back after his death), but also because he commissioned a new style of art during his lifetime, the only time Egyptian art strayed from an otherwise incredibly stable style.

Hand of Akhenaten offering an olive branch to the sun god.

Bust of Akhenaten.  I love this one.

The main highlight of the museum is the painted limestone bust of Nefertiti, which has become iconic in today's world.  This is the one section of the museum where photos were not allowed, so this image is from google.

I was glad I was able to find this image as well, because the way the bust is displayed is beautiful.  She is in a small and richly painted atrium by herself.

Berlin 3: Pergamonmuseum

After the Bode Museum we hit the Pergamon Museum, one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Berlin.

The museum is most famous for, and named after, the second-century BC altar to Zeus from Pergamon in what is now modern-day Turkey.

Model of what the altar is thought to have originally looked like.  The structure was enormous, and most of what survives is now reconstructed in Berlin.   

Same model, from a different point of view.  Through the columns at the top of the gate would have been the sacrificial altar.

View from the top of the stairs.  Most of the columns in the museum are modern reconstructions.

The altar is probably best known for its over 400 foot long sculptural frieze that wraps around the entire monument.  About 100 larger-than-life figures show a depiction of a Gigantomachy, or a battle between the Gods and the Giants.  In this scene the goddess Athena (standing in the center) pulls the hair of the Giant Alkyoneos (on the left) as Nike (or Victory) flies in from the right to crown Athena.  Gaia, the earth goddess, is on the bottom right.

Detail of Alkyoneos, from above, showing the detail of carving, and the intensity of emotion portrayed.

Details from other sections...

One of the best things about the sculpted figures is that those bordering the staircase appear as if they are climbing up it, as seen above.  It totally brings the viewer into the scene and makes it feel as if the battle is happening in the moment.

Two art nerds happily geeking out :)

The other main attraction in the museum is the c. 575 BC Ishtar gate from ancient Babylon.

A reconstruction of the processional walkway leading up to the actual gate.

There was a model of the entire structure in the museum, but it didn't photograph well, so here is a drawing of what it may have originally looked like.

Another drawing, showing the gate.

Detail of the gate.  All of the blue stone is lapus lazuli.