Berlin: Ancient History and Modern Wursts

After hitting up the maze-like conference center and making sure I got my bearings for my 7 am session tomorrow morning, I got to go see some of Berlin.

I knew that I absolutely wanted to go see the Pergammon museum - and I was right, it was so worth it! Amazing archeological reconstructions that were just stunning. And HUGE!

The Pergammon altar, for which the museum is named. I wish I'd taken a picture of the friezes lining the walls of the room, which used to wrap around the outside of the altar, and depict the battle between the gods and the giants.

Oh well, that's what the internet is for:

(Not my photo). One of my favorites, it's got a lion gnawing on some chump's arm.

The Isthar gate was also jaw-droppingly beautiful and huge. Those ancient Babylonians really knew how to strike fear in the hearts of their visitors. This reconstructed gate was actually the SMALLER one. Crazy.

In other news, I had Pfifferlingscremesuppchen mit Knoblauchcroutons for lunch (try saying that three times fast!), and a vegan currywurst for dinner. Currywursts of the meaty sort are a Berlin specialty, and consist of a fried sausage covered with curry. I had to take two trains to find a vegan version, but it was worth it!

Gross generalizations about Berliners based on roughly 24 hours spent here:

• Everybody drives Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis. The cabs are Mercedes. Not as many VWs an I would have thought. Are Chevrolets then the luxury car here?
• My cab driver from the airport played sweet 80s techno remixes the whole drive into Berlin. I like to think this what all Berliners listen to all the time.
• German security guards are very serious about their business. I was told about five times between two museums that I was doing something wrong (coats have to be checked, no going out the same way you came in, don't sit like that on the bench, don't put your foot on the rail, no flash photography [that one was my fault, I didn't think to check my camera's settings first. Ok, they were all my fault, but still]) 

While it was nice going to the museums today, I'm glad I'm taking two days after the conference is over to do a proper job getting to know Berlin. I'm super jetlagged, and it was nice to go back to my hotel at a reasonable hour without worrying about trying to pack a few more hours of sightseeing in. Especially since I have that darn 7 am session tomorrow morning!