Museum Island

MUSEUM DAY!.....

Our museum pass got us access to a bunch of different places.  We went to “museum island” in Berlin and had our choice of where to go ALL DAY.  We got to the Pergamon Museum first, together, at 8:15……and we thought it didn’t open till 9, but they said there would be a line forming and there wasn’t!  So some of us went back to the bus to wait, because it was really really cold outside.  Turns out the museum doesn’t open till 10!   So we all slept and relaxed on the bus till 10.  So we saw the Pergamon.  It is a Greek temple that has been restored and put in this building.... the friezes on the sides are incredible, but so fragmented.  Their sculpture talent was unreal.  After that we went to the Neues Museum and saw the bust of Nephrotite.  Monika and Stephanie decided I look like her. Hahahah.

The Pargamon

ISLAMIC ART

A few of us went to find food after that, at around 12:15.  We went into a cute little café shop that Katie had been to before, and she said their plum cake was delicious, so of course I got it!  I also got a sandwich: a ciobatta roll with fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, and spread.  It was yummmmmy.

We walked around through some street shops.  I got a sweet antique necklace from this guy who had a bunch of historical pieces.  He said a lady in Berlin sold it to him.  I was with Caelyn, and we saw this group of people gathered around being loud, so we went to watch.  I thought it was a magic show…it kinda was.  It was like gambling though.  This guy had a ball and was switching it around under three boxes, and you’d give him 50 to guess, and if you were right you got 100 back!  And people were so stupid and getting it wrong and it was so obvious it made me want to go!  One lady was getting it every time making so much money!  Then these two (cute) boys were next to us, and they spoke English, and the man with the game kinda made one of the guys play, and he lost because he didn’t know what was going on.  So he lost 50 Euros!  So the four of us watched for a long time to learn what was going on, and the people who kept losing were the same people…they were planted guys!  And the lady who kept winning was with them too.  And they would just catch people who looked confused and make them play and they’d always lose!  We watched him switch the ball with his hand!  It was horrible.  Dirty nasty tricksters!  But those two boys are from Australia, and they were just treating themselves to a trip around Europe for 4 months!  Crazy.

Caelyn and I went into two more museums after that.  One had a lot of sculpture and old Egyptian stuff…pottery and jewelry.  The next had paintings.  We only had a half hour!  But I got to see MONET and MANET and RENOIR.  It was awesome.

3:00 back on the BUS!  I fell asleep for all three hours of driving!!  We are in Görlitz now.  Most people went to the Penny Markt down the street, but Stephanie, Monika, Caelyn, Garrison and I took Brother Minert’s (bad) directions to find this pizza place.  We got lost and had to ask someone where it was.  This area of town looks so scary at night!  And since we are in East Germany now, tons of houses or buildings on the street are totally abandoned and in horrible condition because it is too expensive for anybody to restore them.  It is weird.  So we found the pizza place finally, and it was SO GOOD.  Free refills on drinks too!!  That was the first time we have had that.  The workers did not speak English, but it was funny.  Sometimes we get scared when the workers at places don’t understand us because they get annoyed or mad and try to rush you, but these guys were so easy going and were laughing with us trying to communicate.  It was hilarious.

So we are staying in the scariest old house.  It is so weird.  But we are a little over a mile from the border to Poland!  So we all walked there!  It took an hour hahaha.  But we were in Poland for a little bit!  My feet kill after that walk though.  It was a scary walk through lots of dark and trees.  Everybody kept trying to scare each other, it was horrible!  I am so scared of the dark and stuff like that.  But I miss being at home for the haunted houses and corn mazes!!  I love the fall!!  It has been good here too, obviously.  But we decided this was a substitute for a haunted house.

entering POLAND

entering POLAND

selfies.

coming back into GERMANY

The bathroom isn’t in our room…there are six beds in here, then there’s a huge bathroom on the floor below us.  The wifi is really iffy.  Can’t believe this trip is just about over!!!