On Thursday 5/9 Germany celebrated another May holiday, The Ascension. It is pretty great how this country celebrates all these religious holidays. We could all learn a lesson from that. We should all celebrate every single religious holiday on the calendar. The world would be a happier place. Freizeit has finally become something that I appreciate. Not that I didn't enjoy it in America-but it takes getting used to having all these free days. I think I just landed in a Freizeit filled month.*** I am not sure but there may be one more holiday in May. I really need to check on that. Also I need to check if it is ok if I am using Friezeit with regards to holidays. I just am not sure...there are just so many rules that I don't know.
So to enjoy the holiday I met a friend at Potsdammer Platz to wander the antique market. We had a leisurely coffee first and then strolled the market. I didn't buy anything, but there were some definite treasures ...and definite trash. There was some beautiful antique jewelry, and we found some pretty great records too. I gave my professional recommendation to my friend to get this version of Magic Flute:

!!COME ON!!

It is probably one of my favorite recordings that I have ever heard of Die Zauberflöte. I have a lot of nostalgia for this recording. It was a must buy.
After looking at a Yellow Submarine Beatles Collectible it started to rain so my friend suggested a trip to The Neue Nationalgalerie and I said YES right away- after all it is on my bucket list, and I have heard nothing but great things. So we started our walk over there.
As we were divagating I had to stop dead in my tracks at the entrance to a shopping mall.
There in the entrance was a GIANT 3-D larger-than life size standing cutout of The Beatles cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band. OF COURSE we had to go in and OF COURSE I needed a picture with it. I tried to look serious....In my head they all looked serious on the cover, but after reviewing the actual picture....duhhhh it was 1967. I should have been conveying Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds- not Eleanor Rigby.

After my portrait sitting with John, Paul, George, and Ringo we discovered


I actually own that tray in the case

that the mall has a whole Beatles mini-museum in it. There also was an Abbey Road cutout, clothes they wore, guitars, albums to listen to, a giant tv where you can watch performances, and tons of memorabilia. It was so super-cool and random. The display also brought me back to my high-school days of Beatlefest and traveling to Liverpool with the Chicago Youth Chorale. Warm-fuzzies.

Onto the museum...................................

The Neunaitonal Musem was designed by Mies van der Rohe and built in 1968. You can see some of his more famous buildings including the ones in Chicago and Illinois here: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The main part of the museum lies underground, but when we walked in there was a display of beautiful statues that are on temporary display from The Friedrichswerdersche Kirche which I had planned on going to until I found out that it is closed for renovations indefinitely. I am bummed because is looked like this:

It never made the bucket list.

But enough about neo-gothic masterpieces.....onto the museum(again) What follows are some of my favorite pieces from the museum. I picked several pieces that I was drawn to and excited to see. I wish I had all the titles for you but I was snapping like a fiend.
A more complete album of all my favorites can be viewed on my FB page. Happy browsing blogg buddies!