hallo, berlin!

with nearly everything in berlin closed on a late sunday afternoon, we went to the deutsche guggenheim to see a collection of modern art. zaha hadid designed the space-age interior. some of the pieces i most liked captured a moment quiet and isolation: isaac julien's photo from his "true north series," hiroshi sugimoto's "rosecrans drive-in." bill viola's video installation "going forth by day."

(here's an exhibit i would love to have seen: Immaculate White: Art and the Drama of WinterTheir allure is here again: the ski slope, the glacier landscape, the charm of the little mountain huts. Brilliant sunshine, deep blue sky, pristine slopes, and powdery snow - that's how we're used to seeing the winter presented in the pamphlets and brochures of the tourist industry. Artists are also fascinated by the chilly season, albeit usually in very different ways. For them, winter can be a period of threat and harsh contrast, a time of drama, loneliness, and the passing of life. An essay exploring the icy regions of photography, painting, and video art by Ulrich Clewing.)

afterward, we were caught in a thunderstorm, the kind that leaves you soaked after just a few seconds, even if you're carrying an umbrella. (it doesn't even rain this hard in london.)

i wanted to drive down unter den linden to the brandenburger tor, but - as is typical in fast-changing berlin - the road was closed due to construction.

we had dinner at an italian place near oranienburger tor called al dente: i had a rucola e parmigiano salad to start, and then tagliatelle with truffle oil. the waiter had an unnerving habit of speaking half the time in german, and half the time - quite stylishly - in italian, so i kept responding accordingly. (ich moechte vino rosso - grazie!)

what i'm reading: lust, by elfriede jelinek.
what i'm listening to: dad snoring.