So we've been somewhat neglecting sight-seeing in Berlin lately.
This is partly because we're occupied with activities of daily living, like putting together a "forest creature" costume (design and make-up credits to Garth) and taking Hazel to her classmate's 6th birthday party.
This weekend we finally made it out to a very touristy destination and went to the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) Museum. It's an interactive museum that depicts everyday life behind the Berlin Wall. And you get to touch everything!!! That's Hazel's enthusiasm, not ours, but we did have a pretty good time too.
There was a simulated drive in a Trabant P601. It was impressive, everything worked, the wheel, brakes, shifter, etc. Hazel was mostly ramming into trees and buildings, laughing maniacally the whole time.
The recreation of a Soviet-style tower block apartment was quite cozy, well except for the beds, and the creepy augmented reality mirror that might have scarred the child.
Surveillance, interrogation and prison. The Stasi regime had an intense surveillance program with a citizen participation rate of around 10%. Neighbors spying on neighbors, children snitching on their parents.
It was very exhausting. Luckily there was good Vietnamese food nearby to help us prepare for the long S-bahn ride home.
