Our last post dealt with the Berlin Wall and some of the remaining scars in the city, but we didn't get the chance to post these portraits on former sections of the wall (moved a bit from their former position). Qaddafi's section (second from left) has mort spray painted on it - 'dead'. This will be all of our fate, but how long for example does Omar Al-Bashir have?
How long does Bashar Al-Assad have?
One of the highlights of Berlin is the absolutely incredible Pergamon Museum, named after the incredible Pergamon Altar, a 2nd century BC Greek temple excavated and carted off to Berlin for this museum. The entire temple complex was surrounded by a frieze depicting the gods battling Gaia's giant children. While damaged in spots, the total effect is breathtaking.
From that room, you pass to a second room with the following view, merely an entrance to a Roman market!
Emily and I (and others we've talked to) agreed that the real highlight of the Pergamon is not the Altar itself, but rather the Ishtar Gate, a huge gate of Babylon. Or, rather, not even the gate itself because that was too big to put in a museum but rather the inner gate. The gate is decorated with dragons and aurochs (now-extinct wild cattle) and was used annually in New Year's celebrations for the procession of deities into the city.
It's a bit hard to see in the smaller picture, but the larger one shows this inscription well:
While in Berlin, we knew we needed to try the famed local currywurst - a curried sausage. We paid for a small plate that comes sprinkled with curry powder and with a small bun:
Not even our enthusiasm could save our mediocre currywurst, unfortunately. The sauce tasted like a straight commercial barbecue sauce and there was so little curry powder that you couldn't taste it over the barbecue sauce. Oh well!
Our next post will cover a bit more of East Berlin stories and adventures. Stay tuned!
Great pictures but the best one is the one of the two of you. The currywurst looks like a sliced hot dog with ketchup on it.
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