yk, that's really a fantastic report with amazing details. For museums better than any guide book :-) I'll save and print it for my next visit.

Regarding your thoughts on Berlin I agree with #1-3. #4 is a mystery to me except for 20th century history. #5 - I am glad it was this for you. My experiences are VERY different. You were probably lucky that you don't speak German, especially not Saxon dialect ;-) #6 - cannot compare to Paris or London but from what I heard from friends/colleagues Berlin seems to be less expensive than those.

YK

An absolutely wonderful report, as always.

Is the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie still there? It was a fascinating museum. My only visit to Berlin was in 1993 (specific detour to see a U2 concert) and I spent two days there. That museum is one of my more vivid memories of Berlin.

yk

I just answered my own question - I hadn't clicked on your Checkpoint Charlie photo link - it's pictured there, down the street.

Here comes my <u>favorite</u> part of the trip report:

<b>What's the Damage?</b>

As I said before, we are budget-conscious but we don't have a set budget. I'm always curious to find out how much money we spent on our vacation, and compare it to previous trips to see how it measures up.

<b><u>Transport</u></b>
Within Berlin €58
R/t train ticket to Dresden €89
<b>Subtotal</b> €147

<b><u>Food</u></b>
Eating In €36,40 (5 breakfasts, 3 dinners)
Eating Out €373 (1 breakfast, 6 lunches, 4 dinners, 3 afternoon coffee breaks)
<b>Subtotal</b> €409,40

<b><u>Museums & Attractions</b></u>
Berlin €102
Dresden €66
<b>Subtotal</b> €168

<b><u>Entertainment</b></u>
€153 for 3 operas
€12 for 3 opera programme booklets
<b>Subtotal</b> €165

<b><u>Lodging for 7 nights</b></u>
Berlin €315
Dresden €59
<b>Subtotal</b> €374

Using €1 = $1.47

<b><u>Grand Total</b></u>
$1857; + $1496 for Airfare =
<b>$3353</b>

Subtracting the airfare, and dividing the total by 7 (days), our cost = $265.3/day for 2 people.

In comparison:
our 2008 Fall trip to France/Belgium was $290/day
our 2006 Fall trip to London/Vienna was $355/day

Ingo, thanks for your comment. I find the Art/Shop/Eat Berlin guide (by Blue Guides) very useful when it comes to museums. It's probably worthwhile to wait for a new edition to come out, as the 2005 edition I got is a bit outdated.

About #4 comment, it's not just the Berlin Wall, but also history of Cold War/Stasi, and of course WWII history. Even though very little of Third Reich remains in Berlin, we could still feel it in the air. EG, even looking at the parking lot where it used to be Hitler's bunker, was enough to send chills down my spine.

As for #6, I think for every city, one can find great deals if one looks hard enough. London has lots of free museums, whereas lodging and food in Paris can be quite affordable as well.

flygirl, I went to the Checkpoint Charlie museum in 2003. I enjoyed that visit, but since many people commented here that they find it too gimmicky, I decided to skip it in favor for places I haven't yet been to.

cigalechanta, thanks for reading! So sorry I missed you on Saturday!

Gimmicky, really? That is a shame. In 1993 it seemed more of a home-grown kind of museum to me.

You've done exceptionally well on costs!

As for #4 - yup, that *is* 20th century history, right? Interesting; yes, I can understand that someone who hasn't had to deal with that all his/her life is fascinated by that history and the places related to it. We German (at least most of us) would rather want to put it behind us and go forward. For a visitor from overseas, though, yes, that must be amazing and sometimes shocking.

>>>There were TONS of people out and about at 5am on this Sunday morning. Even the wurst/gyro stand was open for business<<<

Interesting, is it possible they were still out from the night before?

Berlin sounds like a candy store of art- it's too bad there isn't an updated, proper, hardcore Blue Guide for Berlin's museums like there is for London, Paris, and Rome.

Great report as usual yk! I'm tucking it away for future reference.

<i>Interesting, is it possible they were still out from the night before?</i>

Absolutely! Most of them were party-goers heading home. However, there were also some sober folks who didn't look like they were up all night (DH commented on how clean-shaven they looked); so they were a mystery to us because they didn't look like they were going to work either (not on a Sunday). I think you'll like Berlin, Apres! Just seeing all the graffiti in the city will make you very happy.

It is understandable that Germans wish to put a a lot of the history behind and look forward.
For many Europeans the history of Nazi Germany was much more 'alive' in school books, films, and memories of our parents than the Wall.
The aftermath of the Cold War might be more interesting for North Americans.

>>>I think you'll like Berlin, Apres! Just seeing all the graffiti in the city will make you very happy<<<

((A))

I think I would love it, warts and all.

I was reading a bit about Dostoevsky this weekend and the time he spent in Berlin and Dresden with his second wife. He hated both cities (except for the museums)- apparently he thought Berlin and Dresden were examples of everything that was decadent and wrong with European culture and it affected him so much that he was driven to a gambling frenzy in Baden-Baden (or at least that's how he explained it to his wife I guess).

Re the newspaper clippings in the cloth, I don't really know. But Boltanski does use newspaper clippings. The containers do sound like Boltanski.

I guess it depends on how famous this French artist is. There are only so many famous ones who are still living -- like Sophie Calle, Louise Bourgeois, Pierre Huyghe, Annette Messager, Daniel Buren. Certainly your description doesn't sound like any of these, so if the artist is famous, my bet is on Boltanski.

I am in awe of your organizational powers. You would make an excellent trip leader. Thanks so much for this engaging, informative report. I don't think I'll be able to visit Berlin anytime soon but you have certainly whetted my appetite. I'd have to stay twice as long just to see 1/2 the things you and your husband did, though.

Happy anniversary!

It is understandable that Germans wish to put a a lot of the history behind and look forward.>>

danon - when we went to Berlin 4 years ago, the special exhibition on at the Deutsche Historische Museum was the history of the jews in europe for the last 1000 years. no punches were pulled and I was very impressed how they confronted the terrible truth of what was done. so I am not convinced that all germans want to cover everything up.

yk - great report. I would really like to spend spme mroe time in Berlin, perhaps as the jumping off point for a longer trip in the area.

regards, ann

Again, Thank you all for reading; and thank you for all your comments!

Great report, thank you !! And a very timely read for me, as I am travelling to Berlin for a 'see-as-many-art-museums-as-possible' trip the last week of this month...I already made a list of what I wish to see but you have some great tips here as well.

Is it possible to make a day trip from Berlin to Dresden ? I saw that there are both buses and trains running throughout the day.

Hi Suja, you're welcome! Yes, it is possible to do a day trip to Dresden, if you're willing to have a long day! The faster, direct train between Berlin & Dresden runs once every 2 hours. So, you can either take 6:35am which gets into Dresden at 8:52am; or take the one 8:35am we took which gets in at 10:52am.

I think most museums open at 10am. If you take the early train, you'll have some time to wander around the town and see the sights that don't "close", until the museums open. If you do decide to go, buy your Historic Green Vault ticket in advance, so you won't waste your precious time standing in line for a ticket.

Suja, if you don't mind some walking take the early train and get off the train in Dresden at the station Neustadt (the first in Dresden). From there walk through the Neustadt (so called although it is mostly Baroque and 19th century) and cross the river via Augustus bridge to the old town. Best views of the old town from the Neustadt bank of the river and the bridge.

Good advice from yk to book tickets for the Historic Green Vault in advance. I went to the Royal Palace today to see the Saxon-Denmark exhibit and was astonished by the crowds - of course no tickets for the Green Vault today available. Ok, granted, it was snowing like crazy. LOL, totally unusual for mid October.

Btw, the Neues Museum in Berlin re-opened today (or will in the next days, don't recall exactly) and Nofretete is on display there.

Hi Ingo, any other neighborhoods you recommend exploring? Thanks!

We leave for Dresden next Wednesday. Finally! Hotels and trains booked, my travelling companion got her ok from the doctor and is now relaxing here in Basel with us.

By the way, it will be below freezing here in Basel tonight, but no snow. Yesterday was the first day the trams turned their heaters on. Fall is really here.