A s mentioned earlier, Mari and I managed to buy a round trip ticket to Berlin for 50 Canadian dollars. What struck me the most was the many construction sites going on in the city, as if it was receiving a face lift. A very exciting city, I felt, and I wish I can visit it again in ten years, when all the reconstruction is complete.

We visited a lot of museums, but the ones which stick out in memory are: 1. Checkpoint Charlie: a museum of the Berlin Wall. Quite a moving experience learning about this structure which divided the city. 2. The Pergamon: a place I've read about in art history text books in university. It is perhaps the most famous art museum concerning Hellenistic Greek architecture housing the famous, Altar of Zeus. 3. Kathe Kollwitz: well under recognized, this incredible artist has her own small museum along a somewhat residential-looking street. The two themes which dominate her work are maternity and pacifism. She lost a son during the first World War. A wonderful printmaker, sculptor and humanist.

I have to say I felt a bit uncomfortable in Germany. Besides Berlin, I also passed through Germany on the way to Italy, stopping over in Frankfurt and a small town called, Celle. I haven't put a finger on why it is the case, but that's what I felt.