GERMAN ADVENTURE – Day 3  

            Amazing how long we slept in this morning.  Both of us were awake for a few hours during the night, but managed to go back to sleep.  I woke up finally at 8:15 a.m., grabbed the shower first, and then had to wake Dea at 8:45!!!  That’s the first time I’ve been awake before her in YEARS!!! 

            After getting ready to go, we went downstairs for German breakfast in the hotel.  Now I remember why I like Germany so much  All the different sausage, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and BREAD you could ever hope for, plus bacon and eggs, juice, coffee – all you want.  It is worth coming to Germany just for the breakfast!  And the brotchen is to die for – hard on the outside, fluffy soft on the inside.  Can’t wait for tomorrow morning.

            After breakfast and another trip up to the room to get sweaters (a bit chilly today),

we walked about three blocks to catch the U-bahn, the Berlin subway.     Marvelous

transportation system they have in Berlin.  One pass and you can ride for three days on

anything – bus, trolley, or subway.  Took the subway and a bus to the Pergamon  Museum.  What a marvelous place!  Most impressive thing there is the Ishtar Gate from Babylon, built by Nebuchadnezzar II.  When the children of Israel were exiled from Jerusalem in 597 and 587 B.C., they would have been forced to enter Babylon through this impressive gate, designed to frighten the captors into submission.  I think it would work!  Pictures will follow after we get home.

            Stopped for a beer in the museum café, then went out to the Lustgarten park to have a lunchtime snack.   Then we headed for the Berlin Dom (cathedral), which is actually a huge Lutheran Church built in the 19^th century for the last time.  It was almost totally destroyed by Allied bombing during WW II, but has been completely restored and is absolutely gorgeous and opulent.  Again, pictures when we get home.  We did have the ambition to climb up to the dome walkway, from where we had a magnificent view of the surrounding area of Berlin.  Made us pretty tired, though, us old out-of-shape folks that we are.  But it was worth it.

            I had heard before we left that there were sometimes special organ events at the Marienkirche near the Berlin Dom, so we headed for that next.   As we walked in, there was a choir rehearsing.  8 wonderful singers, singing Bach, Mendelssohn, and some other things.  Then we realized that there was a service coming up at 6:00 for which they were practicing.  We decided to stay.  From the name of the church, I thought it was Roman Catholic, but the fact that it was going to be a Gottesdienst with hymns from the Evangelishes Gesangbuch, and was done in honor of John the Baptist day made me conclude that it was indeed a Lutheran Service.   Wonderful organ improvisation, full procession with incense and vestments, and a full house – unheard of in Europe.  The choir sang Bach (part of Motet II), Mendelssohn, Schuetz, Knystad, and more – 8 singers and it was marvelous.  But looking at the audience, and catching some phrases delivered by the Burgomaster of Berlin and the local pastor, I concluded that this was some kind of gay rally service, so we decided to sneak out after the sermon.

            Upon leaving the church, we walked through a park with a beautiful rose garden, and an elaborate fountain built around the mythological figure of Poseidon, and then walked all the way around the huge TV tower.  It appeared to be closed, but at least we walked around it!

            Then had to look for a place to eat.  After walking back and forth, we finally had, of all things, shrimp and chips in a restaurant at the subway station.  Caught the subway and finished walking back to the hotel, tired but satisfied from a busy day.

            It is really fun to sit and watch the people from another country and culture walking along the streets on a Friday evening.  You certainly see much different dress and behavior than one would see, say, in Rochester, Minnesota!

            Tomorrow the plan is to visit the Charlottenburg Palace, and then perhaps do a little shopping on the Kudam (short for Kuhrfurstendam Strasse), then out to the airport to pick up our rental car.

            Oops- almost forgot the good news!  The Kindle I thought I left on the airplane had crawled behind my laptop and hid there – wonder who let it do that?!?

            The other good news is that I discovered that the Thomannerchor (the boys choir that Bach used to direct – probably different boys by now) will be singing on Sunday afternoon in the Thomannerkirche (where Bach worked).   We’re going to explore taking the train to Leipzig just for that!  Talk to you tomorrow.