Berlin. Days 27-28

Well. The days to Atlanta are dwindling down, and I am sick as a dog. 

Last night a bunch of us from Goethe went back to Friedrichshain for farewell drinks and dinner. Ended up going to a Swabian place where I had goulash and apple strudel - first great "German" meal I've had here. Afterwards we went to the East Side Gallery, which is the longest surviving piece of the Berlin Wall. It's been decorated by graffiti artists - hence the "gallery" nomenclature. Said goodbye to Jamilla the Uzbeki, Helen the Aussie, and Kitty of Devon. After that, me and Will the Aussie set out to find the Berghain. 

The Berghain is probably the most famous club in the world. We found it - it's in an abandoned power plant of the Spree in no man's land. It looks like an insane asylum. We showed up at 11:30. Were told to come back at 3:00am, when it actually opens. Ha. We went home.

Today I woke up a little delirious from being sick, so rather than write I decided to visit museums. Went to the Jewish Museum finally. I picked up about 20 different story lines for the book here. There is a lot to write about it, but I will only say that it has to be one of the great museums of the World. The Holocaust portion was 15% of the experience. I will put it like this, the first thing you see is an original copy of an edict from Emperor Constantine of Rome granting the Jews equal rights in the Roman Empire. It's just pretty amazing. 

After that I walked to Checkpoint Charlie and then over to the Old Gestapo Headquarters (thankfully they have not rebuilt this), and then over to Potsdamer Platz to meet up with Will the Aussie. I was starving. So today I finally broke down and ate McDonald's (because it was there, and it was cheap). I had a Royale with Cheese. It was coated, slopped coated in mayonnaise. Disgusting. 

Anyway, went from there to the Museum of German Resistance to the Nazis. This is in the old Wermacht Headquarters, known as the Bender Bloch. The actual museum is housed in the same rooms where the July 20th "Valkyrie" plot was carried out against Hitler...where Stauffenburg was shot by the Nazis, etc... If you have seen the Tom Cruise movie, you know what I am referring to. Anyway, it was very moving, very powerful. They have the spot where the plotters were shot marked, and it's crazy being there. Stupid Hitler. 

After that I went to Kreuzberg and met up with Yael for a farewell goodbye over gelato. I also got her her first Old Fashioned, which is apparently not a thing in Israel. Go figure. 

So that is that - Off to take a Ny-Quil and to pass out.

Tschuss!

Dan

p.s. Happy Birthday Ashley Mohney!