Decided not to leave

Well, today I decided not to leave Berlin. This may have been because I felt as though I had left some important thing out of my sight seeing yesterday, or the fact that I couldn't find another hostel in a place I wanted to go (I'd like to think it were the former, but, it was probably the later).

Anyway, today, I moved hostels, and this one is right across from the large cathedral, and next to the TV Tower. Its in mitte, or the central part of Berlin. I wandered through town before checking in and mostly just say in coffee shops figuring out where to head next (so sorry for the lack of pictures).

After checking into the hostel, I met some fellow travelers, an American, an Irishman, and a whole lot of Swedes. The American girl told us about this underground-alternative art museum in a bombed out former communist building a few blocks away. We show up, and there were scroungy looking fellows just passed out, by the hand of a few too many pints, or more illicit materials I am not sure.

There were 7 stories to this art "museum" it was a fetid hellhole, with the stairways completely covered in graffiti. The outside of the building itself was riddled with bullet holes and war scars. Behind it was an abandoned "field" filled with shops that may not have been the most sanitary. But, they were located in the scars of what looked like old allied bombing craters. Though it may have been somewhat disturbing, unnerving, and definitely somewhere I wouldn't bring someone with a somewhat faltering immune system -- it was strangely beautiful, in a cool sort of, underground arsty thing.

As for the art, it really ranged. Some of it was beautiful, some I did not understand, and some of it was downright disturbing. I'm no art major, but really, some of this modern "art" is no more than random scribblings. Pardon me, art lovers, but I have always said when there is something that serves literally no imaginable purpose, and further, you don't quite know what it is, you can call it "modern art" and people will look at you with quirky charm (if you were the creator) or pure disgust (if you are the "unintelligent one" who doesnt know what "art" is). Not that I would know from experience or anything...