Germany🇩🇪/France🇫🇷 Travelogue (4) Berlin Art Museums Part 1

In November 2023, my husband and I traveled to Berlin and Stuttgart in Germany, and Strasbourg in France.

The city of Berlin

We did not include breakfast with our hotel in Berlin.
We decided to leave the hotel in the morning, find somewhere to eat breakfast, and then head out.
We decided to spend the day walking around.
First, we headed to the Brandenburg Gate in the morning.

Then, we went to the Reichstag building.
We have visited this area before, so we walked around looking at things lightly.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe came into view.
Objects that look like coffins are spread out across the entire area.

It is a memorial for reflection and atonement for the inhumane acts committed by the government and the people in Germany against Jews starting shortly before World War II.
After that, we walked past Potsdamer Platz.
Then, we passed under the complex formerly known as the "Sony Center".
It is characterized by an object that looks like a round roof hanging over a round plaza.
When it was completed, it was treated as a symbolic landmark of the new capital, Berlin.
Since Sony sold the building to a real estate fund, it is no longer the "Sony Center," but it seems many people still call it that.
It is similar to how some people in Japan (like me, over 60) still call the imported lifestyle goods store "Plaza" by its old name, "Sony Plaza".

While walking through the city, we looked for a place to eat breakfast, but perhaps because it was Saturday, we couldn't find anything at all.
We wanted to eat something before the opening time of the art museum we were heading to.
In the end, we had a light meal at a cafe attached to a bakery inside Potsdamer Platz station.

Gemäldegalerie (Berlin Picture Gallery)

The Gemäldegalerie is not on Museum Island, where the art museums and museums are gathered.
If taking the subway, the nearest station is Potsdamer Platz station.
Perhaps because the area around the gallery is being redeveloped, it is spacious but has a bland atmosphere.
A special exhibition of Van Dyck was also being held, but we first purchased tickets for the permanent exhibition.

It was an art museum with so many highlights.
And it was an art museum with very few people, anyway.
Personally, I think the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin are the top two art museums in Germany in terms of quality and number of works (with the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden as runners-up).
The content is rich and there are many works to see, yet it is empty everywhere.

Works that caught my eye

Italian, Netherlandish, German, French, and Spanish paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries are exhibited here.
The exhibition is only on one floor, but it is surprisingly large, and we ended up spending the whole day there until evening.
The most famous works in their collection are two paintings by Vermeer.

Only in front of these two works were there (a few) people gathered.
Or rather, it seemed some people came to the museum just for these works.

And this place houses multiple works by Raphael.
Several Madonna and Child paintings are on display, and among them, the one above is my favorite.

There are very few surviving works by Giorgione, and currently, there is doubt as to whether this portrait is actually by him.
Regardless of who painted it, I think it is a beautiful portrait.
They also house several works by Botticelli.

Among Botticelli's works, there is also a painting of a woman in "that pose."

I like the mysterious atmosphere of this painting by Bosch.

While I was relaxing in the museum, closing time was approaching.
I stayed until the very last minute and didn't even have time to look at the museum shop.
I left the Gemäldegalerie feeling very tired.
It was completely dark outside.

Christmas already

The German Christmas markets are still a while away.
But already, stalls that evoke the feeling of Christmas are appearing in the city.

Eager people are drinking Glühwein, a specialty of the Christmas markets.
It is a winter drink made by heating wine with sugar and spices like cinnamon and cardamom.

Some say that because it's heated, the alcohol evaporates and it's not that strong, but alcohol is alcohol.

A long time ago, at a Christmas market in a small town, I saw them making Glühwein labeled "Grandma Style."
Elderly women were pouring an astonishingly large amount of red wine from several bottles into a large stainless steel stockpot.
It was a "Grandma Style" that looked like it had quite a high alcohol content.
Stalls might use less alcohol to increase their profits, but those who are sensitive to alcohol should be careful.

It resembles a steamed bun, but the inside is fruit compote
It is also called Dampfknödel (the part where the bottom is browned is a little different)
It is served in a deep plate with a watery custard sauce poured over it
Sometimes they sprinkle black poppy seeds on top
The fruit compote inside can be apricot or cherry, or in simplified versions, it's jam
It feels more like a light meal than a dessert
I have seen Germknödel as a daily lunch special at a Mensa (German university cafeteria)
I thought, 'Sweets for lunch?', but it seems to be a quite popular menu item (the Austrian shredded pancake, 'Kaiserschmarrn', was also popular as a sweet lunch at the Mensa)

Protest demonstration against the invasion of the Gaza Strip

As I walked, I began to see many police officers on the street
It seems a demonstration is about to start, and the number of participants is increasing rapidly
They are marching with banners, placards, and Palestinian flags
Many people are holding handwritten posters, shouting slogans loudly, or blowing whistles
It appears to be a protest demonstration against the Israeli military's attacks on the Gaza Strip in Palestine

There are many people of Arab descent, but Germans are also mixed in
It had the atmosphere of a demonstration showing solidarity with Palestine, and it looked more like a large gathering of people with the same opinion rather than a disciplined group
There are people participating with children, and many people are walking while holding drinks or food and eating something
Germany also has a stance that seems pro-Israel due to its reflection on the Jewish genocide during World War II, so it seems to be a demonstration against the German government as well
There is no particularly hostile atmosphere even at the demonstration
It didn't seem like police intervention was necessary; they were just standing at the corners of the road watching the situation to handle traffic regulations

A lonely dinner

I hadn't eaten lunch, so by the time I left the museum, I was suffering from hunger and fatigue
In the big city of Berlin, it seems like you could eat food from all over the world, but the area I'm walking in seems bad, and I can't find any restaurants at all
There are cafes and shops serving alcohol here and there, but it doesn't look like I can have a meal
The restaurant I finally found was a local Bavarian cuisine shop flying a Bavarian flag
I thought I didn't necessarily need to eat Bavarian (around Munich) food in Berlin, so I started walking again
In the end, I walked all the way near my hotel
There is a large station right near the hotel, and there are many shops in the surrounding area
But there are no shops where I could have a meal; there are only bakeries with a few remaining pieces of bread or Döner Kebab shops
Moreover, there is a line of many young people at the Döner Kebab shop
I have no choice but to go into a supermarket inside the station and buy something to eat
I couldn't find anything I really wanted to eat, so I decided on a salad with turkey ham for now
I found Nissin Cup Noodles, so I bought them to try
I also bought wine and water and returned to the hotel

I wanted to eat something warm, so I was happy with the Cup Noodles
But I want to eat at a restaurant tomorrow