Day 167: German Museum of Technology

After a shockingly long 12-hour sleep and a flash downpour in the afternoon, I took the tram and metro to the German Museum of Technology.

I arrived a mere 2 hours before closing time, but most of the signs being in German sped the whole process up for me. The museum showcases German trains, windmills, textile machines, computers, planes, ships, among other things. I found it amusing that the very first sign of the computer exhibition states that "The German engineer Konrad Zuse built the very first computer". Only later in the exhibit is there a brief mention of the English engineer Charles Babbage, who is largely considered the "father of the computer" (at least according to the English Wikipedia). Zuse was actually the inventor of the first working electromechanical programmable, fully automatic digital computer, a distinction that I'm sure most museum goers don't care much to make -- but perhaps a distinction that the 50-years-before worth of analog computer creators might feel a bit more strongly about.

After seeing everything I cared to see at the museum I walked to Potsdamer Platz.

After the rain earlier that day, it had been partly cloudy and very pleasant to be outside. Good smells abounded and my shorts and sweater felt extremely cozy.

Looking down on the Landwehr Canal from the 4th floor viewing deck of the German Museum of Technology

After the 20-minute walk to Potsdamer Platz I conceded that I needed to buy something to eat before going back to the hostel, and got myself a kebab before settling at a Starbucks with the cheapest coffee I could buy. I wanted to use my laptop while I was there, since I had been having issues connecting with my laptop (but not my phone) to the WiFi back at the hostel.

After some blog work, I went back to the hostel after the Starbucks shut down at 8pm.

The cost of cooking yourself breakfast and dinner, a fast food lunch, drip coffee, round trip transportation, a single, 4-euro tourist activity, and accommodation for a day in Berlin? About 32 euro (~36 USD). Berlin is a city that I can just barely fit into my preferred budget.