Frida Kahlo exhibition

Yesterday I took a train to Berlin to go and see the Frida Kahlo exhibition that was on at the Martin-Gropius-Bau near to Potsdamer Platz. The train ride was nice and short and then I walked from Hauptbahnhof to the gallery which took a fair while but it wasn't raining so it was ok.

As soon as I went in to the street where the gallery is half of it was filled up with people trying to get into the exhibition. So I started queing eventually when you get into the building there is alot more queing to be done. After giving in your coat and buying a ticket you then had to join another que which went up two flights of stairs and then around a large round balcony. 1 hour 45 minutes after I started queing I got into the exhibition.

It started with some photographs which her friends had taken of her and also some personal photographs from her family's collection. All very beautiful. The next room then began with her paintings and all of them were stunning. The one on this post is in the first room but there were so many people looking at it I just about managed to see it. Not only photographs, paintings and drawings were in this exhibition but also some personal items like her clothes and also a cast that she wore with I think the hammer and sickle painted onto it. It was really bizarre to see that and then see a photo next to it of Frida actually wearing the cast.

All in all I am so happy I got to see this for my little day trip it was definately worth it. My only problem was the amount of people there - I know she is a popular artist and also it was a Saturday so maybe I should have re-thought my going there. Still I have seen them now and made up for when I couldn't make it to London and now also don't have to go to Mexico (even though maybe in the future it would be really nice to go there).

After leaving my feet were completely dead but I had to walk back to Hauptbahnhof. Walked by the old section of the wall and also discovered the former Gestapo head quarters were next door to the Art Gallery. Then walked by the back of the Reichstag to see a memorial to the Russian soldiers and also to people who had died trying to escape the GDR. I went through the Tierpark as well and saw the memorial to all of the gay people who were persecuted during the 1930's - very sweet and very beautiful. Also saw the memorial to Peter Fechter who was a brick layer that tried to escape was shot and left to bleed to death. Very emotional!

Am on the last leg of my time here now and then my year abroad is finished. Am still working on the year abroad essay but it is beginning to take shape as there is not long to go now until it has to be handed in. 3rd of June is now less than 4 weeks away! The race is on.....

Last night I actually ordered some books for school and it is the first kind of matierials I have had to buy. Of course I am kind of reliving my childhood through buying them. A few Roal Dahls, a couple of Allan Ahlberg's who I didn't realise had written so many of my favourites including Funnybones and the Jolly Postman. I couldn't order Beatrix Potter which is annoying but I picked up a couple of other classic's like 'The Queen's Nose' and also Iron Man by Ted Hughes which I remember Mrs Davies starting to read with us in Year 2 but I can't remember if we finished. So I will be reading that one before the kids do.