Day 3: Berlin (rest!)

I originally believed we had 2 concerts to go to today. Not quite sure where I got that, but I was very, very pleased to discover that this was not the case.

Today was the usual--7am breakfast, 8-10 music lecture, then museums and walking tours. Today we had a bit of a longer trek than usual; we took the train to Brandenburger Tor and then walked a kilometer and a half to the Altes Museum:

It has been recently restored, so the interior is beautiful--plenty of marble to be had!

Among the many works in this museum, we saw Abbey in an Oak Forest by Friedrich, The Isle of the Dead by Bocklin, Still Life with Flowers and Fruit by Cezanne, and The Thinker by Rodin.

Post-museum, we headed out for lunch just across the river from "museum island" at an Italian restaurant built into the arches of train bridge. As I'm always looking for places with water, I asked for some--I got my glass of mineral water and while my comrades quickly chugged their sodas, I slowly sipped it. Not the type of refreshing drink I was looking for, but we stopped by a mall later on and picked up some drinks. I ended up with a large bottle of off-brand Fanta that I've been working on, while Andrew and Jonathan both accidentally purchased bottled mineral water.

Next stop was the Pergamonmuseum (above)--quite stunning! It's basically an enormous building with life-sized features such as columns and multi-story entryways, as well as a life sized replica of the front steps of a temple building. It was quite the experience--especially attempting to shoot a group photo on the steps.

Our day ended with a walking tour passing by several buildings--such as the Altes Museum, as well as surrounding structures:

We were unable to go inside a memorial to the Jewish deaths during World War II due to so many visitors previously they shut it down, but it was, honestly for the better. Viewing the room from the outside without anyone allowed the full impact of the art to hit you.

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing--dinner, shopping, and homework in preparation for hitting the road to Czech Republic early tomorrow morning!

Tis all for now, folks!