They live in Prenzlauer Berg, one of the trendy areas of Berlin, and many of the apartment blocks around here are are painted vivid shades of various colours - yellow, blue, red. we had been asked earlier about what things we would like to cook - and we said simply - things that Germans would eat at home. We walked around to the grocery shop and bought the vegetables we needed - and why Matthias was choosing the vegetables that he was. We arrived back at the apartment and set about cooking a delicious cauliflower soup with truffles and a potato salad with olive oil, as well as stuffed capsicums - a vegetarian speciality for Emily.
There we all are - enjoying our cauliflower soup - even if Mum was initially very cautious - the rest of us enjoyed ourselves tremendously. We also were given the amazing opportunity to learn how to make proper Weiner Schnitzel (pronounced with a "v" sound - as in Vienna). The trick to the bubbles is to essentially just deep fry it - but keep moving so that it is always suspended, and never falls to the bottom - otherwise it hasn't been cooked properly. It was a real privilege to learn from Matthias, and to have Jeremy there to translate for us at times! Lunch was an added bonus of the wonderful company - and I'd strongly recommend that if any of you ever go to Berlin - to get in touch with Jeremy. I just can't recommend him highly enough!
In the later part of the afternoon, Emily and James left to meet a friend of his, while Mum, Annabelle and I decided to explore the intellectual pursuits of Berlin's Museuminsel - Museum Island. As one of Berlin's 3 UNESCO World Heritage listed sites, it was a "must" for Mum, but I was also excited to see the Pergamonmuseum, one of the world's foremost museum's for Greek and Babylonian Treasures.
The absolute highlight of the Pergamonmuseum is obviously the outstanding Pergamon Altar, the ancient sacrificial temple of the Greek capital of Pergamon. It has been lovingly reconstructed by German archaeologists in the Museum which was specially constructed for the purpose of holding this Altar.
The Pergamonmuseum also houses several important collections of Islamic and Babylonian architecture and art, most famously the Ishtar Gate, the front entrance of the enormous gate that once was the entrance to the ancient city of Babylon. The whole gate is far too enormous to fit inside the museum, so only the front part has been reconstructed - though the rest is in storage. The rest of the gate is roughly twice as tall as this section.
Also in Museuminsel are Museums holding treasures such as the bust of Nefertiti (a beautiful creation - photos are forbidden to preserve the paint - so I haven't got one - you can Google it). If you're wondering as to why all these treasures of other ancient societies are located in Berlin - it's the same old story - German archaeologists simply got there before anyone else - and brought them back to Berlin. Almost every treasure was taken from the city and kept safe during the war, and then brought back once the war was over. The other museums include an art museum, a museum holding treasures of German Art, and another museum holding special Greek sculptures. Currently - there are 5 Museum Buildings holding around 8 different collections (I think), but within a few years - there will be around 10 different collections on the Island.
Also on the Island is the monumental Berliner Dom, a protestant cathedral that was badly damaged during the war.
I was lucky enough to be able to enter the Cathedral for free, as well as admission to the roof of the dome, which afforded a spectacular view over Berlin, and the clear sky that we'd been blessed with as the day wore on.
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