Berlin, Day 5 - 18/11/19 - Jewish Museum and into the Bundestag

Today was my last full day in Berlin, so it was time to make one of my last stops. I went to the Jewish Museum, into Markthalle Neun for lunch and I also went up into the Bundestag into the glass dome. This I had to book in advance online, and it was lucky that I did look it up a few days prior, as it was sold out up to now.
Any Jewish cultural place in Berlin has increased security and a police presence. That very sentence is the reason why places like this are important. And this is one part of history that we absolutely cannot allow to repeat.

Much of the museum was away for restoration, but one part, known as the Axes, was still open. The Axes of Exile, Axes of the Holocaust and Axes of Continuity all intersect, showing how Judaism in it's current form cannot be seen in isolation. The Axes of Exile showed objects and stories from Jewish people who sort refuge in other countries during the Nazi persecution. While early Nazi policies allowed for forced emigration, it wasn't made easy. Starting over in another country is difficult in any circumstance, and there were many rules, regulations and limits on how much they could bring with them to their new lives. By limits, I want you to understand my full meaning - only a very small amount of money and personal necessities such as clothing, with a few items they could demonstrate possession of from before 1933. Usually, nothing considered valuable would be allowed, like most forms of jewellery.

The Axes of the Holocaust displayed items from those known to have perished in or experienced the concentration or extermination camps. There were photographs taken where every person in the picture was known to have been murdered in the Holocaust. These were often donated from surviving family or friends, and it was an honour for me to consider their significance. At the end was the Holocaust Tower, an unheated part of the building with the only light from a small slit window near the top. It was large, but in this case, the space felt too much. I guess the one feeling I would give it is loneliness.

The Axes of Continuity ended with a display of contemporary Jewish life in Berlin. It definitely helped that this was the final section, because it was more hopeful. The space was well-lit and brightly coloured, and it helped my mind to process what had come before. The Holocaust is an intense subject, and needing to step away from it is no reflection on you as a person.

That's what I did next. I took some time away for lunch before heading back to the hotel room. However, as it was my last full day, I did make an effort to go out to somewhere I had wanted to try. I went out to Markthalle Neun. I very much recommend it as the bus took me through some of the more residential parts of Berlin. Seeing the real, living parts of a city is my favourite thing about travelling. I would also really recommend it for vegetarians, since there was plenty of options, such as a tofu stand.

I ordered tofu on a stick, and I did the exchange entirely in German. One of the things I most enjoyed was getting to speak German again. German was the language I studied at school, and I did rather like it. Since this was very small, I picked up a curry from a stall at the back and also spaghetti ice cream, which I'd had before in Germany.


Spaghettieis isn't spaghetti flavoured - it's vanilla ice cream that is pressed through a spaghetti press and served with strawberry sauce and white chocolate shavings, so that it resembles a bowl of ice cream. I think it tastes creamier, like how if you mix up your ice cream it's smoother. In any case, it's highly worth looking out for anywhere in Germany that you happen to be.

On my way back to my hotel on public transport, I went up to Alexanderplatz because it's a large central location that's also the terminus of many routes, including the way back to the hotel. It was easy to locate and to return from. I happened to spot the World Clock while I was moving between public transport stations.

I took some time to rest back in my hotel room. Also, tonight was the night I went up the Bundestag, what you also might know as the Reichstag. Security was pretty tight, almost airport style, and I had to bring my passport.

On the way, I went through the Brandenburg Gate!

We read about the history of the building, which actually went unused for a large portion of it's life, and about the raising of the Soviet flag on top. The dome is designed with slopes curving all the way to the top and down. The glass also seemed to have gaps in it which let the rain in.

In places like this, I often end up being more interested in the architecture inside.

I went at night hoping I would get a view of a city at night, but much of it wasn't clear from the brightness inside, and I couldn't help wondering if it would be nicer to go by day.

The Reichstag isn't very far from Potsdamerplatz, so I walked down there for the night. I'd had requests to bring back the glasses from the Gluhwein, so I picked them up. I'm not much of a drinker and two glasses left me lightheaded, so I made sure I ate well after, too. I had Quarkballkuchen, which were like oval donuts covered in powdered sugar, and prawns with potatoes. 

Today felt like a very disjointed day, and part of that was because it was my last full day in Berlin.