We’ve been here almost a week. And I still don’t speak a word of German.  Everyone has been incredibly nice about it – even friendly.  And if they aren’t  - I don’t care if they don’t like me.  For some reason we really want the French to like us. “Please like me”, I think, “Because I like France soooo much!”  And they could give two bits about us.  The Germans we don’t care as much, but frankly there is a lot to like.  I really could use my cousin Jenny though who speaks German.  Pack up Rob and the girls and git on over here Jenny!

Declan imitating Zeus with his thunderbolt

Zeus

Cal doing his imitation of Zeus

We went to the Pergamon Museum which has the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum beat by a mile.  Basically a German archeologist unearthed the temple in Pergamon that was built to celebrate the Gods to thank them for the city of Pergamon’s victories in war.  There is a magnificent frieze that has every named God/Goddess battling with Gaia (the earth mother) and her male offspring, which were a race of giants.  The giants have legs that become serpents, clawed hands and wings sprouting out of their backs.  The sculpture is amazing.  Very clear and lyrical.  There is an incredibly informative audio guide that makes the entire room understandable. And it’s close enough to see, yet mounted high enough to maintain the sense of looking at it from below, as anyone from that time would have.  But that’s not all, they also have reassembled piece by piece, an entire 3 story high marketplace entrance to the city of Miletus, the famed gate of Ishtar, AND the processional street from the city of Babylon.  The museum is simply breathtaking. Easy for the boys to take in because of the audio guide describing the Greek Mythology, plus the frieze is very graphic, lions biting the heads of giants and serpents biting Hercules’ arm.  Gory ancient special effects!  Cool!

Open up Gate of Ishtar!

Then we went to the Egypt exhibit and the Neues Museum which was totally destroyed in WW2 and only recently rebuilt and reopened.  Its claim to fame is a stunning statue of Nefertiti – the world first supermodel, lots of great sarcophagi and mummy stuff. But what was truly spectacular was their papyrus collection.  They had a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which explains the journey a soul takes after death and the mummification process.  Amazing to hear how the requirements for Egyptian Blessedness and a happy afterlife sound remarkably Christian and Jewish and Muslim…