Germany

Long(er) night at museums Jan 27,2008

(AKA, 4 days of going with very little sleep). Wow What a weekend. I need a break from all the go go go, but hey, if my weekend is any consolation, at least I’m young enough to have enjoyed it completely. There will be 3 entries posted in one day (Jan 28) so forgive me y’all – I wrote it up but didn’t have time to post
Ugh – I woke up Saturday morning with a bit of a hangover, but nothing that I can’t handle. The concert was great and I had a fun time hanging out with everyone. I wondered briefly (after getting home at 3 AM Saturday) if I was going to make it out to the Long night at museums, but yes, I did. (With the caviot to NOT Drink – I was successful here too!)
In case you don’t remember what it is, the Long Night at Museums is a huge night from 6pm – 2am the next morning where all the state owned museums in Berlin are open extra hours. Tickets cost 15 euros and cover all the museums, transport and so on. Most of the museums have some kind of event going on (think exhibit opening, special tour, music, or costumed performers) to enhanse the visit – and make it extra special for those visiting the museum.
This 6 months series long night was themed “Time”. Basically, all the museums had a different take on it (time related to archaeology, time related to the planet earth, time related to astronomy, time related to painting or religion, a special exhibition on clocks, etc.).
Once again, Kat, “bubba” and I wound up heading out to this – despite the cold, rainy blustery weather. It was great. I went in 2 churches, and 4 museums I’d never been in before, and 1 church I had seen before. I took a few pictures, and had a really nice time.
A few highlights – the Kultureforum at Potsdamer platz had a nice exhibit on black and white photography. I couldn’t take pictures of course, but this made some interesting images come into my mind – that I Must try with some of my own work.
The Marionkirche was open – and the interior renovations are almost complete. I got to see all the sculptures this time – they had previously been covered by plastic sheeting and stacked in a corner. Yes, I had to take pictures – once processed, I’ll add them to flicker and the blog. The angels there are exquisite.
The knoblauchhaus museum was open with a beautiful cellist playing music. It was the least crowded of the museums I was in (Kat and bubba gave up and went to dinner before I did) and was enjoyable. I’m glad I didn’t pay for this one – mostly because it’s like walking through a house of antiques. Interesting, pretty, but not really something I’d have wanted to pay for seperately.
Similarly, the palace gallery near Ephraim Restaurant was interesting, but I didn’t get it – due to my lack of German. This place has 5 floors that are dedicated to different exhibits. Tonights was – lowest floor – jewelry from the 1800’s, 2nd floor, modern art paintings in a cubist /abstract style. 3rd floor – the art of iron – so trinkets like boxes and jewelry, candlesticks and corner candelabras, and so on. 4th floor – the industrial age – developing a city using steel and city panning for industry – including a bunch of maps, antiques that were made in the area and other things. 5th floor – they had a jazz band playing up here so it was way way crowded – and I didn’t get to see much, but it appeared to be some kind of an exhibit of political cartoons over the last 100 years. (That I would have liked to see but again, too many people).
I then also proceeded to wander around the old town of Berlin for a bit, found some cool statues, and then wandered back toward the Egyptian Museum. This is where I found no lines, but decided (after chatting with Bubba) to wait on seeing it. I headed home (soaked to the skin and freezing cold – despite the lovely art and too hot, mostly overcrowded museums) and went to bed about 1:30 AM.
It was a worthwhile experience – once again – and I’ll be sure to attend when it happens in the summer.
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Damage Done By Worms

(AKA, 4 days of going with very little sleep). Wow What a weekend. I need a break from all the go go go, but hey, if my weekend is any consolation, at least I’m young enough to have enjoyed it completely. There will be 3 entries posted in one day (Jan 28) so forgive me y’all – I wrote it up but didn’t have time to post.
Friday Night was a concert up in Pankow (clear the north end of Berlin) put on by a friend of mine (Jay’s) Band. I decided that if I didn’t have a migraine (which didn’t return, thanks to my nice friend Jose) I’d go watch them perform. Having mentioned it to Scott, we wound up with 4 of us heading up to hear some fantastic psychobilly/ rockabilly. It was Me (American), Kat (Kiwi), Brenden (Kate’s friend- irish but living in scotland), and Scott (Norwegian).
How to describe psychobilly/ rockabilly.. well, the best description I can give is that it’s a little like the 1950’s style music – on crack. The way people dress for the concerts is like a combo of the 1940’s with goth makeup for the girls, and the 1950’s james dean look but with weird fantastically colored mohawks and wedges for the guys. Let’s just say that in some ways, the costuming of the folks is as amusing to watch as the bands themselves – mostly becauase they can’t decide if they’re punk, goth, or 1940s/1950’s. At any rate, the first band was horrible, and we all got to laughing as we started with a few drinks. During the process of the laughter, Scott and Brenden decided to yell a few “ye-haw’s” thusly earning themselves the nicknames of “Bubba” (for scott) and “Lou” for Brenden. Jay popped over to say hi and let us know that his band would be on by about 11pm, and let’s just say that when the first band was done (50 different lyrics over the same beat/music – I swear!) we were ecstatic.
When Jay’s band came on, we were quite pleased to see better performers, better singers, and actually the crowd getting into the music more. Amusingly, a mosh pit started in the middle of the dance floor (with shirtless guys trying to slam into one other, followed by lots of hugging and kissing and then beer guzzling and more – yep – whole other show in itself) with music that I was cracking up laughing at. Somehow, the idea of a group of guys trying to mosh to a cover of “Reno” by Johnny Cash struck me as funny. At any rate, by the time Damage Done By Worms was done, we had had a great time and cheered them on for more.
Jay, the band did a great job – and all of us agree – we will be happy to go back and cheer you on some more.
No, it wasn’t exactly what the other 3 were expecting, but once they heard y’all, they really did have a great time and are looking forward to more concerts….
And for the rest of you.. check out the music at:
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Sunday, Rainy Sunday

It’s raining. Again.
Yep, it’s Berlin – it’s been raining for 3 days straight. (For those of you in Georgia, experiencing snow – I’m SO JEALOUS I could spit!!!) It’s gray, dreary, and miserable outside – and I have to work. Again. UGH.
What’s funny is that, I’ve been singing / humming since I woke up at 5:30 am to go to work. Despite it all, I’m just in the mood to sing – and I don’t know why. It been bothering me a little bit, and leaving me a bit concerned that I’ve been spending too much time alone.
What’s even more amusing (than the fact I’ve been singing to myself all morning) – as I’m walking to the bus stop, I’m the only one up and outside. All you can hear is the sound of the rain, the patter of the drops on my umbrella, the wind in the trees, and the splosh of my footsteps as they are hitting the cobblestones. The world is that sort of blue gray, and because it’s Sunday, none of the street lights or store signs are on so they are a dark gray against the light blue gray sky. It’s just me, the rain, the wind, and the song I have stuck in my head as I walk.
Then, I round the corner, and there’s this bird. He’s black, silhouetted against the gray sky and just sitting right at the top of the tree. I probabally wouldn’t have noticed him for my umbrella but all of a sudden, he just started singing, and singing and singing and singing. Trills and songs, long whistles and clicks, just as pretty and colorful as you please. He made me pause and look up.
Suddenly, it doesn’t matter that I’m down on the sidewalk, it doesn’t matter that it’s pouring and miserable outside, that no one else is awake, nor that I even have to work. It was suddenly like I knew why I had been singing all morning.
You know – because I’m happy – just like that bird.
I’d have to say that seeing him made worth getting out of bed this morning, the walk in the rain, the weird ponderance on why I was singing, and perhaps even the fact that I have to work again. I feel blessed. I saw a bird sing – and was the only one to hear.
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