Week Nine (ii) - Loooong Run and More Museums

Sat 9.3.13:

Susan's host parents invited Lulu and me over for brunch, so we had a relaxing morning all together. They are the sweetest elderly couple - not only did they prepare a lavish spread, they were happy to help us practice our German and they have tons of old comics! I mentioned my interest and they pulled out several by Gerhard Seyfried, which were fun to skim through, and they have Wallace and Gromit as well! Their house is quite, quite old, so we had a miniature treasure hunt just scouring the shelves looking for goodies; Susan's room is in the attic, which contained Narnia-esque wardrobes, ancient but recognizable board games, puppets, books, and probably much more!

Once I got home, I mapped a running route that would take me through 2-3 parks and end at a subway station (allowing me to explore more of South Berlin, rather than just running an out-and-back). The parks (including the unfinished Templehof Airport) were beautiful, and definitely helped clear my mind from the typical cloistered nature of city running. I continued south for a ways, but must've missed my turn, because I ended up waaaay further than I had intended. I'd only drawn vague directions on my hand, so I didn't realize my error until I asked for directions. It was a beautiful detour, however - I ran along forest lanes in the lightly falling snow :) By the time I'd retraced my steps to a known subway station, I was exhausted, and deservedly so - somehow, I averaged 6:50 pace for 16.74 miles!
Afterwards, I lazed around and then went bar hopping with Keziah, her friend Felitia, and Susan, from Bar 39 to Samira (3.50 per cocktail? yes please!).

Sun 10.3.13: 

I inadvertently slept through our group's 9am tour of the Bundesrat - German constitutional body - and instead met Keziah and Felitia for a buffet brunch (the tour didn't work out anyway, so I didn't miss anything). The restaurant offered an unbelievable assortment, from delicate meats and cheeses on bread to various spreads and vegetables, from a delicious fruit salad with sweet yogurt to scrumptious crepes with you-name-it toppings. Needless to say, we were plenty stuffed throughout the day!

We visited the Berlinische Galerie, featuring primarily new and modern art, including lots of works from the Dada movement (some anti-war movement speaking against social norms). Throughout the gallery, a number of pieces were marked with an orange dot, which indicated works by artists who were persecuted for religious or other reasons during the Nazi reign.

Amazon (ca. 1890), bronze 

Max Liebermann, self-portrait (1912)

Hödicke's Cold Stream: the tar-like bitumen
slowly pours out; its sheen reflects glossily

Arthur Segal - novel for blending painting and frame

Aerial view of Cold Stream 

Arthur Segal's The Artist's Life on Earth "The Painter" 1921
(perhaps this depicts Van Gogh's life?)

Blind Power - the muscular warrior is assailed
by animals representing six of the seven
deadly sins - perhaps the warrior is wrath

The Folly Square - comically depicts generational conflict:
the rigidity of professors (left) and Liebermann vs. the young

A Dada parody of the war-wounded soldier

Hunter and Hunted in the German Woods
Do you see the figures? Look closely!

I then explored the Salvador Dali museum, which I found quite impressive, especially the prints. No pictures were allowed, but my favorite pieces were:

 - green minotaur statue with golden scorpion and, of course, surrealist drawers

 - several different angels: cubist, surrealist, glass

 - cavalier and death, others with very intricate pencilwork

 - der Spiegel Magazine covers and etched olympic coins

Dali!

Any guesses what this means?
My best idea is 'Emergency Gathering Point'

Random sculpture near Leipziger Platz

The Bundesrat

I then met Susan at Zoologischer Garten and we walked through Tiergarten as the snow fell - pretty! We attempted walking on the ice - nope! Not solid enough yet - and played on a few playgrounds beyond the Englischer Garten :)

Checkpoint Charlie, again

Englischer Garten

We met Shane, Anna, and Hector for some excellent schnitzel to honor Shane's birthday, then relocated for some drinks (collective favorite: the Pink Floyd) afterwards, swapping stories from the weekend (they'd gone to Amsterdam).