Volume 2, Day 18
On Sunday I was half inclined to do much of the same, i.e. hang around in the hostel, in a cafe, and possibly in a park, but I convinced myself that I should do something interesting. Having ample groceries to sustain myself, I had a spot of breakfast and stuck around the hostel until I could make an early lunch for myself. The canned goulash was not so great, but I enjoyed my meal.
After noon, I finally set foot outside in the bright sunlight and strong breeze to walk to the other side of town to visit a cluster of museums. The old city was noticeably less crowded with some streets even completely empty. However, all of the bakeries and cafes are proudly open (reduced hours) on Sundays, so the main thoroughfares were still bustling with the clank of dishes and chatter of relaxed people. I made a mental note to possibly hang out at a cafe after I had edified myself in the museum.
The Museum in Grassi is a combination of three galleries, each with their own admission. When I asked to purchase the combination ticket, the woman looked at her watch, then nodded and said I’d have enough time to see all three galleries. Though I am still not running around gabbing away at everyone I meet, I can tell I am acclimating to the German environment but for some reason, it is still my instinct to nod and say “hai” when being given directions.
The Museum of Musical Instruments houses the largest collection of instruments on earth, dating back to the late Renaissance. Firstly, it is immediately apparent how long it took for the standardization of instrumentation to evolve. Secondly, one realizes just how arbitrary it is for an orchestra/string quartet/rock band to consist of blah, blah, blah. Some of the instruments were pretty freaky looking and it was endlessly fascinating. The in-gallery signage was all in German (except for the occasional English translation of the name of an artifact), but there were stations of translated brochures introducing each of the halls. I didn’t really stop to look at those because they were more focused on the history of the collection and instrument making in Leipzig.
Based on what I read in the Lonely Planet, I was expecting The Museum of Practical Arts to about Art Deco or Bauhaus or something. However, the gallery I entered ranged from antiquity to “historicism” (?). It included pottery, glasses, silverware, furniture, tapestries, religious artifacts, etc. from ancient times to the pre-modern era, but obviously with an emphasis on medieval and Renaissance times. The displays were basically the standard stuff one would expect to see in a history museum, but the framing of it as “practical arts” underlined the art in artifact.
After completing a loop through history, I stayed on the same floor to go through one wing of the Museum of Ethnographic Studies. I think that’s the English name. The German is definitely something closer to “Folk Arts.” The museum has artifacts from cultures all around the world. Starting in Southeast Asia, I figuratively journeyed all the way across Asia. This museum was surprisingly good and comprehensive. Photos, diorama, and full-sized models of tradition buildings fleshed out the image of various cultures. I slowed down to read more signs when I reached China and Japan, which shared a room. There was quite a lot of ink written to dispel common stereotypes about each of the cultures and I couldn’t find any egregious errors in the descriptions, which even clarified the different minority ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, and Japan. Yes, even the Ainu had their display.
After rounding the corner and quickly passing through Central Asia, I was back out in the hallway. The Museum of Ethnographic Studies continued on the second and third floor, but I wanted to see the rest of the Museum of Practical Arts. However, when I walked that way, the ticket checker told me to finish the other floors first. I was annoyed, but followed the instructions.
The second floor of Ethnic Studies had a very long prologue (of ten interactive art installation-style exhibits) questioning the purpose and ethics of such a museum. For example, having to return the remains of native Hawaiians which were stolen from graves in the 19th century or what do with the artifacts collected during German colonization of eastern Africa. I was getting pretty tired and needed a rest, so I hurried through those sections to return to the more normal collections, this time covering Oceania and the Americas.
The other half of the floor was dedicated to Germany, exploring the rapidly changing society and projecting into the future. It was obviously aimed at a German audience, but I found it somewhat interesting. The most notable aspect, however, was a little closed off room playing a recent Rammstein music video on a loop. The 9-minute song is explicitly about how Germans are supposed to balance an appreciation of their history with not-being-racist and the accompanying video places the band in historical vignettes ranging from the battles of something-forest (where Germanic tribes repelled a Roman army and thus avoided assimilation into the Roman empire), medieval knights, WWI, a concentration camp, and others. Okay.
The third floor was just a small room with a few display cases of Asian jewelry.
Heading back down to finish the Applied Arts, there were two small galleries of East Asian and West Asian (applied) arts, and then the main hall covering art nouveau to art deco. When I glanced at the floor guide, which listed more than 100 “rooms” on two floors, I nearly fainted. Fortunately, the numbering was of display cases, not rooms, and it didn’t take too long to pass by the 1,000s of objects arranged to show the evolution of design. The objects were mostly tableware, furniture, and small decorative items, e.g. the things in our daily life which integrate form and function. Blah, blah, blah, maybe I should get an MFA so I can sound like I know what I’m talking about. The final room had an iMac and an iPod among other technology such as an original Walkman.
I couldn’t believe how enormous the museum turned out to be. I need to figure out a new strategy for museums so that I can get my pacing right. Perhaps, I need to walk it once through quickly, then go through a second time and spend the time on the sections that looked most interesting. I don’t know. I nearly tore my hair out when I found a whole other gallery on Bauhaus.
I left the museum in desperate need for a break, to sit down and relax a good long while. My knees hurt from standing around so long. Passing through town, I looked at a couple cafes and even the ice cream parlors, but ultimately decided I could have a cup of coffee (and more importantly water) back at the hostel. I did so, then packed up the rest of my food (and wine) and headed north to the park that lies adjacent to the zoo. There was a huge field with a stage still set up on it, but most of that was fully exposed to the sun. I set up shop under a tree near a half dozen families out on their picnics. There was also a mobile vendor in the are selling ice cream at 1 euro a scoop and I congratulated myself on my foresight for not already eating gelato.
I sat and ate my dinner and drank my wine and read German and listened to podcasts for a good long while. Eventually, I was getting tired and tipsy so I got up to go. The ice cream man was already gone, so I had blown my chance.
I took a shower, hung out in the room, and watched a movie again before going to bed.
| Grassi Museum | 15 |
| Total: | 15 EUR (117 RMB) (USD 17) |
Running Total: 7321.8 RMB (USD 1063.94)
Daily Average: 406.8 RMB (USD 59.11)