Particularity

The state rooms in the old wing of  Schloss Charlottenburg reminded us of the Historical House, an assertion that may fill the minds of those who know both with doubt. Naturally the Historical House is a lot smaller and both its  front courtyard and its grounds are not as extensive. Nevertheless, the small-to-modern-eyes rooms and the Chinese porcelain collection felt familiar, and we pondered the difficulties of "collection care", which at the Historical House includes brushing things very, very softly with a plethora of museum-grade brushes.

The eye-openers were upstairs. They included the crowd jewels and swords and, especially,  the tableware of the 19th and early 20th century Hohenzollerns. It was a little bit creepy to be looking at the Kaiser's china plates and silverware. On the one hand, it made me think of my great-grandfather,  the mud of Flanders, millions of deaths, the end of Christendom, etc. On the other hand, I felt like part of a never-ending army of enemies gawking at a refugee family's stolen things.  They are glorious, beautiful things, but they carry a lot of baggage.

We bought tickets to see everything, but B.A. was hungry for lunch, and we had scheduled only 3 hours or so, so we ourselves didn't see the New Wing.

But now I must go as we are going to a hipster cafe in Kreuzberg recommended by Polish Pretend Son. Then we are going to Potsdam. Today is sunny, and tomorrow there will be rain, so today is the day to see Potsdam.