Day 9: Berlin

Today was supposed to be our last full day in Berlin, as we thought we were going to be leaving for the airport around noon. Now we realize we don't have to leave until 2, so we actually have more time than we thought. But nonetheless, we tried to finish up our German agenda in today's activities.

We woke up at 9 and headed for that Bavarian Restaurant to enjoy some Weisswurst (Brandon's favorite German food, a white sausage), however it was closed. So we found a little cafe nearby and instead ate a salami sandwich and a chocolate muffin. Nourished for the time being, we began our adventures to Museeninsel, or Museum Island. It was raining fervently but we stood in line to get our tickets. Luckily we chose the shortest line at the time when very few knew it existed, so we got pretty lucky on wait time. With annoying kids in front of us and a boogery old man behind us, we were pleased to get our tickets and make our way out of the line and into our own museum exploration. The Pergamon, which houses classical artifacts and middle eastern art was our first stop. Our pass also allowed us to continue to other museums, so next we chose the Neues (new) Museum, where we got to see the painted head sculpture of Nefertiti, an Egyptian woman idolized for beauty and poise. Feeling a little museum-ed out for the day, we found an alternative bavarian restuarant in the area and ordered a sausage plate, which included Brandon's weisswurst. It was quite tasty and nice to be full again.

As it continued to rain, we made our way to Potsdamer Platz for the concert in the Berlin Philharmonic auditorium. We picked up our pre-ordered tickets at 3, and thought about running back to the hostel to drop some things off since the concert didn't start until 4, but continuing rain, wet shoes, and heavy eyes made the decision for us to just hang around the building for a snooze in the hallway. The concert was "Family Oriented" so we felt a bit out of place at first being the only couple there without kids, but that quickly went away. The concert was indeed geared for families as the "moderator" took on the identity of Antonio Stradivarius and explained the process of Violin making. We would have liked to have heard more music, but the instrumentalists were superb and hearing them play on Stradivarius instruments was so impressive.

Not feeling my best, Brandon got us back to the hostel so I could take some medicine and rest. I am now feeling quite a bit better, and since Germany is playing in the Fussball Finale at 8:45, we are thinking about going out to see the live screening of it at the Brandenburger Tor. Hopefully the rain will let up a bit and we will be able to enjoy the festivities for our final night in Berlin.