This was our last full day in Berlin. I am writing these “Thoughts” in the early morning hours of June 11th. There are 11 nights of this journey yet before us, 4 in Oslo Norway, and 7 in Iceland. Yesterday afternoon at a local cafe we met our friend from the recent Portuguese Camino, Stanislaw Moritz, together with members of his family.
It was a wonderful reunion that integrated our recent friendship with “Stanley” and our decades long friendship with André.
Before that meeting we toured the Berlin Neues Museum. Built between 1843 and 1855, it is located on Berlin’s “Museum Island”. It was heavily damaged during World War 2. It’s restoration was finally completed in 2008. The museum houses a remarkable collection of prehistoric, early history, and ancient Egyptian artifacts. The iconic 3,350 year old bust of Nefertiti is the most treasured object on display.
Although photography was allowed throughout most of the museum, it was forbidden in the chambers that housed the bust and very ancient documents. Those documents included early Christian writings, 5,000 year old Egyptian papyri, and even a tablet from the 4,000 year old “Epic of Gilgamesh”, believed to be the world’s oldest surviving work of literature.
I was allowed to photograph the working models that were excavated from the workshop of the artist that sculpted Nefertiti. They appear incredibly modern in their form and detail, in spite of being over 3,500 years old!
The following image of the bust of Nefertiti is an internet image.
I was captivated by the extent and quality of the collection. Among the statues were 4,000 year old poses that conveyed the most natural of modern relationships.
Our tour ended and we adjourned to a nearby cafe and then on to André’s home where we rejoined his wife Asuka and daughter Helena. We enjoyed dinner with the family and then said our goodbyes.
A series of seemingly insignificant events brought André into our family. We all agree that those events altered the course of our lives, and continue to do so today.
As a gentleman said to us at the start of this journey, “In Life there are no coincidences.”
Peace Everyone. Pete
PS. My iPad has essentially shot craps. I have posted this note using my iPhone. Writing narrative, downloading pictures, transferring and then organizing the pictures on the website is very difficult with the small device. If I cannot get my iPad to behave then it is quite possible that this will be the last posting before we arrive home.