Today we got an early start, but apparently not early enough: the line for the Norman Foster-designed dome to the Reichstag was already long when we got there. But it was worth the wait. The day was sunny, crisp and clear, and the views from the top were stupendous.
After visiting the Reichstag, we headed up Unter den Linden and grabbed a Thüringer Rostbratwurst on the way to the Pergamon Museum, where we ogled the three highlights of its collection: the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate and the Ishtar Gate. The Ishtar Gate in particular never fails to amaze, with its stunning blue and ochre-glazed bricks and fantastic bas-reliefs.
Finally, we headed over to Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Kreuzberg. I had been there in 2002, but this time, with Libeskind's Ground Zero antics fresher in mind, there were aspects of it that seemed to have a whiff of pretension. In particular, the "Holocaust Tower", a dimly-lit, windowless void that you stand in after a museum guard closes the heavy door, did little to evoke much in me. It didn't help that the three German teenagers in there with us kept whispering, chattering and moving around -- very distracting. Still, the main exhibits in the museum are well-presented and informative, and there are also several effective interactive displays.
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