StrangeCaptain
Jedi Council Member
Hello all,
I housed a couple of German exchange students last summer when they needed a place to stay for a few days, and in turn, they invited me to spend Christmas with them in Berlin, which I did.
I thought I would mention a couple of things here about my trip for anyone who might find a reason to be there.
Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) - SUPER FASCINATING!!!! 50 STARS!!!! Go there!
For one thing, it is only 6 euros for a day. I can't imagine a better thing to spend 6 euros on in Berlin. The only problem is you are going to quickly realize you need about 3 days (or even more). It is rather large. The primary language is of course German, but many plaques explaining the exhibits have an English translation.
I went mainly to see any really ancient artifacts they might have there. As I was hoping, there are a few Celtic artifacts: weapons, jewelry, tools. It was somehow very captivating to look at the jewelry and know that some of these ancestors wore them. The fact that many of us here have already read in Secret History is explained that the only writings about the Celts were by the conquerors. Also like Secret History, they mention that there were at least trade connections between the Celts and Mediterranean peoples like the Greeks.
The exhibit quickly turns to the Franks. The Museum explanations seem to imply that the Franks and the Celts are different peoples. It does not really present the Celts as ancestors of the Franks. For some reason this surprised me, and I would like to look into what is the established idea about ties between the Franks and the Celts.
The exhibit then goes on to show artifacts and explain the periods of history of Germany from then until now. This cannot be done without discussing a lot of European history in general. I really can not stress how fascinating this is. I spent 8 hours there over 2 days and it simply was not enough. I had to gloss over considerable amounts of explanation and just glance at numerous artifacts in order to get through everything in 8 hours.
It was so mind-blowing I am having a hard time explaining why it was so amazing. For one thing, you really get a good introduction to the history of political propaganda. Propaganda has been going on for a LONG, LONG time. For another, if you have read "Political Ponerology," you see in the exhibits the ghostly fingerprints of psychopaths and spell-binders and co-opted humans trying to bring a little relief to the common man all over the place.
After seeing the amounts of blood the common people have shed in Europe to get the social protections that many of them have, I can only say that I now have a truly visceral surprise that they are not flooding the streets and confronting that these protections are eroding. Literally hundreds of years of absolutely grinding tyranny by overtly ruthless European psychopaths, and they don't see that it is happening again... Though it would seem that Europeans can often think more clearly than Americans and seem to be better informed and educated, they still don't get it. I guess the exhibits slammed home the fact to me that as humans, European's just don't get it. Of course, to some degree or another most of us on this forum understand this but looking at the repeating cycles with the supporting artifacts really reinforced for me a lot of our ideas here.
As far as I could tell, the Museum's explanations of artifacts and history were factual as they know history and did not really editorialize, which I found to be helpful and refreshing.
I guess I would like to mention that I got the impression that Germany really got shafted after WWI. Scapegoat for the entire war sort of shafted... This certainly set the stage for what happened afterwards. I don't mention that as an excuse. I believe that nations do have some kind of collective karma or responsibility for the things they have done in the past. It does not make sense for a German kid who was born 18 years ago to feel a massive personal guilt about the holocaust, but as a nation, they do have a responsibility to admit and amend the past just as the US has a similar karma or responsibility towards the Native Americans. Still... It is interesting to note how awful the European nations who had their fingers in the whole WWI cookie jar treated Germany afterwards. It is just another example fo how cycles feed cycles feed cycles feed... And on and on and on...
I am going to stop myself now. Definitely worth a visit... And I imagine many large European cities may have history museums every bit as interesting...
Gemäldegalerie - Old art... Not weirdo modern art... Very pleasant... Bring your student card for a discount.
I don't care much for art, but I do make a point of seeing works that I like when I have the chance. There are 2 Vermeers at this gallery. I went specifically for them. One of them is breathtaking. Lots of old masters in this gallery... Be sure and look at the website to note what exhibits are currently there and to double check that your favorites are not away on tour somewhere else.
food - In terms of snacking and eating out, Germany must be one of the easiest places to be wheat- and dairy-free. Sausages abound. Sure there are going to be chemicals inside these sausages, but skip the bun, and you will have a sublime dairy- and wheat-free pork experience. The lunch meals at restaurants are not too expensive (6-9 euros) and wheat and dairy seemed easily avoidable. I had sliced roast pork with parsnips purée (did not seem to contain cream) once and another time a sort of a German pig's foot thingy (but with lots of meat on it) with sauerkraut and potato purée. These mashed potatoes were entirely unlike American and French mashed potatoes. I don't think they contained cream and they were flavored entirely differently. I think they were flavored with meat broth and herbs actually and they were awesome.
OK... That's it. Thanks...
I housed a couple of German exchange students last summer when they needed a place to stay for a few days, and in turn, they invited me to spend Christmas with them in Berlin, which I did.
I thought I would mention a couple of things here about my trip for anyone who might find a reason to be there.
Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) - SUPER FASCINATING!!!! 50 STARS!!!! Go there!
For one thing, it is only 6 euros for a day. I can't imagine a better thing to spend 6 euros on in Berlin. The only problem is you are going to quickly realize you need about 3 days (or even more). It is rather large. The primary language is of course German, but many plaques explaining the exhibits have an English translation.
I went mainly to see any really ancient artifacts they might have there. As I was hoping, there are a few Celtic artifacts: weapons, jewelry, tools. It was somehow very captivating to look at the jewelry and know that some of these ancestors wore them. The fact that many of us here have already read in Secret History is explained that the only writings about the Celts were by the conquerors. Also like Secret History, they mention that there were at least trade connections between the Celts and Mediterranean peoples like the Greeks.
The exhibit quickly turns to the Franks. The Museum explanations seem to imply that the Franks and the Celts are different peoples. It does not really present the Celts as ancestors of the Franks. For some reason this surprised me, and I would like to look into what is the established idea about ties between the Franks and the Celts.
The exhibit then goes on to show artifacts and explain the periods of history of Germany from then until now. This cannot be done without discussing a lot of European history in general. I really can not stress how fascinating this is. I spent 8 hours there over 2 days and it simply was not enough. I had to gloss over considerable amounts of explanation and just glance at numerous artifacts in order to get through everything in 8 hours.
It was so mind-blowing I am having a hard time explaining why it was so amazing. For one thing, you really get a good introduction to the history of political propaganda. Propaganda has been going on for a LONG, LONG time. For another, if you have read "Political Ponerology," you see in the exhibits the ghostly fingerprints of psychopaths and spell-binders and co-opted humans trying to bring a little relief to the common man all over the place.
After seeing the amounts of blood the common people have shed in Europe to get the social protections that many of them have, I can only say that I now have a truly visceral surprise that they are not flooding the streets and confronting that these protections are eroding. Literally hundreds of years of absolutely grinding tyranny by overtly ruthless European psychopaths, and they don't see that it is happening again... Though it would seem that Europeans can often think more clearly than Americans and seem to be better informed and educated, they still don't get it. I guess the exhibits slammed home the fact to me that as humans, European's just don't get it. Of course, to some degree or another most of us on this forum understand this but looking at the repeating cycles with the supporting artifacts really reinforced for me a lot of our ideas here.
As far as I could tell, the Museum's explanations of artifacts and history were factual as they know history and did not really editorialize, which I found to be helpful and refreshing.
I guess I would like to mention that I got the impression that Germany really got shafted after WWI. Scapegoat for the entire war sort of shafted... This certainly set the stage for what happened afterwards. I don't mention that as an excuse. I believe that nations do have some kind of collective karma or responsibility for the things they have done in the past. It does not make sense for a German kid who was born 18 years ago to feel a massive personal guilt about the holocaust, but as a nation, they do have a responsibility to admit and amend the past just as the US has a similar karma or responsibility towards the Native Americans. Still... It is interesting to note how awful the European nations who had their fingers in the whole WWI cookie jar treated Germany afterwards. It is just another example fo how cycles feed cycles feed cycles feed... And on and on and on...
I am going to stop myself now. Definitely worth a visit... And I imagine many large European cities may have history museums every bit as interesting...
Gemäldegalerie - Old art... Not weirdo modern art... Very pleasant... Bring your student card for a discount.
I don't care much for art, but I do make a point of seeing works that I like when I have the chance. There are 2 Vermeers at this gallery. I went specifically for them. One of them is breathtaking. Lots of old masters in this gallery... Be sure and look at the website to note what exhibits are currently there and to double check that your favorites are not away on tour somewhere else.
food - In terms of snacking and eating out, Germany must be one of the easiest places to be wheat- and dairy-free. Sausages abound. Sure there are going to be chemicals inside these sausages, but skip the bun, and you will have a sublime dairy- and wheat-free pork experience. The lunch meals at restaurants are not too expensive (6-9 euros) and wheat and dairy seemed easily avoidable. I had sliced roast pork with parsnips purée (did not seem to contain cream) once and another time a sort of a German pig's foot thingy (but with lots of meat on it) with sauerkraut and potato purée. These mashed potatoes were entirely unlike American and French mashed potatoes. I don't think they contained cream and they were flavored entirely differently. I think they were flavored with meat broth and herbs actually and they were awesome.
OK... That's it. Thanks...
