Berlin

And eventually dreams come true and a long week-end was spent in Berlin. Long hours on a bus followed by a chilly day aimlessly wandering the streets of Berlin. After a well-deserved nap, we went to explore a small jazz venue were French-Berlin guys performed great gypsy jazz. When we were wondering whether we could still make it home at such late hours, we were told that public transport in Berlin runs all night… What a city! And how very refreshing to dive into the anonymity of it, indulge into the cultural and culinary mix on offer across the different areas of the city.

old and new architecture meet
and construction is never-ending

Saturday started with a relaxing brunch at a coffee shop in Friedrichshain enjoying the warm sun. Later, a visit to the glass cupola of the Bundestag was scheduled and we enjoyed sunny moments from the terrace with a view over the city. More buildings were chased down and in the evening we ended up spending hours in Libeskind's Jewish Museum. The building was absolutely amazing (and equally confusing) and surprisingly the exhibitions were worth the visit, too. Due to the severity of the context of the more recent Jewish history in Germany and/or its combination with the display in the building the exhibition was very moving. All in all very well done! After that exploring of the city, we ventured back into the district Kreuzberg in search for food. A most amazing restaurant was found where we (again) savored some delicious Turkish food. At times, I wasn't entirely sure whether we ended up spending a week-end in Germany or Turkey…

Bundestag glass cupola
by Norman Foster

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
by Peter Eisenmann

Jewish Museum
by Daniel Libeskind

On Sunday, another lazy sunny morning was spent brunching and walking around town. Additionally, we focused on the green areas of the city, too. Having a beer at a lake in a park and later grabbing food on  a boat at Spree's shore. Fabulous time. The day and our stay ended with a reunion with friends, mostly geologists. Some visiting, too - others living in Berlin. It keeps surprising me how one can meet after years without talking and simply having a blast chatting and catching up!

seen through a wall memorial
chapel of reconciliation
by Peter Sassenroth and Rudolf Reitermann

dito 

velodrom
by Dominique Perrault

The bus ride back to Zurich on Monday was relatively un-spectacular. I can say, though, that the area around Berlin is pretty flat… ;)