Pergamon Museum, Berlin

The Pergamon is one of four enormous museums in the "Museum Island" in Berlin; this is in the Mitte, the historic part, which would have been in the east German side, behind the Berlin Wall. The museums date roughly from the 1800s; the Pergamon is shrouded almost entirely in plastic , which gives it kind of a "Christo" effect .

Gemaldegalerie, Berlin

This is the finest collection of European art, in the best setting, I have ever seen. This is a closeup of an Albrecht Durer portrait; in his eyes you can see reflections of windows and even moldings. The gallery is in a new facility: the collection is as if all the art books you used to look at just fell open. Vermeers, a room full of Rembrandts, Hals, Cranach, fabulous loose Rubens, Bosch, van der Weyden...

Not Exactly how I pictured Berlin

The Charlottenburg Palace, in Charlottenburg, which before unification was the affluent part of West Berlin. Except for things like this it reminds me of Durham. The interior is overwrought Baroque, but with very fine Chinese porcelain. The clipped bay trees in painted whiskey barrels are very cool.

Rosie, Danville Train Station

My old friend Rosie (nom de blog) is the best, and certainly the most indefatigable, cook I know. Her recent posts on dealing with a pig's head are something other than else. Her recent posting on the Danville, Virginia, central market reminded me of this. Photograph in the Danville station, around 1972.

Where Greek statues go when they're tired.