After our successful date day last month it was time for our second date day April. This time I was in charge. I had originally planned something outside with a bit of activity and exploring our new neighborhood and bit more budget friendly since I am still not having any income. But then the forecast was all rain all day with temperature just above freezing. I had something in mind but wasn’t too sure.
Saturday April 20th was our second date day.
We slept in and had a late breakfast before we headed out at 5.30 pm. The husband had decided that he didn’t want to know what we were up to and only inquired about the outfit choice. Since we were going to be inside it was more or less regular clothing. I did make an effort though and was wearing a necklace and red lips.
We headed into town again and I actually parked at the same spot we parked last time in front of Futurism. So the husband was majorly confused and first thought we would go there again. Nope, there was another place close by I always wanted to go to. Probably for the past 20 years.
Berlin Museum of medical history
Excerpt from the website: The Berlin Medical History Museum of the Charité has been showing an extensive permanent exhibition since 2007. The presentation takes its guests – in the spirit of Rudolf Virchow – on a “journey under the skin”.
The husband has a lot of hospitals and medial companies as clients. And I do also have a tendency to work for medical companies. So I figured this could be interesting. However, I knew the museum also incorporated a lot of body parts and human organs and even (deformed) embryos. But I know my husband can stomach that and I could too.
We started out with the Special exhibition on Brains. I liked how they incorporated artists work within the exhibition. Next to scientific instruments, procedures and theories artwork was shown. Like Parkinson patients had picked objects that represented things they loved doing and that the disease made difficult. They brainwaves showing the Parkinson was then used to deform those objects and 3-D printed. Another artist created epoxy resin statues from activated brain areas from the five senses.
After that we went to the regular exhibit. For some reason I decided to start at the upper floor and so we kind of went out of order and started at the 150 years of the 300 hundred history. But it was manageable. It was not allowed to take photos on these floors as human material was exhibited.
I had planned to have a walk around the original hospital ensemble with its red brick buildings. Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to catch the dinner reservation.
I had reserved a table at the “Schnitzelei” a place that serves a ton of Schnitzel (scallop) in all shapes and sizes and interpretations (vegan, vegetarian, meat, gluten-free or just regular). We’ve been there many years ago for one of my birthdays and it was really good. You are served a complementary small beer or apple spritzer upon arrival which we took.
We were debating if we get an entry salad and how big it was. The waitress said it’s a small one so we both ordered one. When it was served it was much bigger than anticipated and we knew sharing one would have been enough. The waitress saw and asked if she should take one back. We appreciated that and ended up sharing one. So nice of her.
Of course we both had Schnitzel. I splurged and gotten the seasonal one with asparagus while the husband took the signature dish. I had hoped for room to order desert but unfortunately we were so stuffed.
The food was amazing and so good. (Minus my potatoes they tasted old or pre-packed and I ended up not eating all of them…) But best about dinner was that we had time to talk and have a real conversation. We shared some things we had going in our heads, things that we have struggled with and we shared things we didn’t know about each other. I really really enjoyed that connection that often gets lost in the every day mundane. Maybe my favorite part of the day.
After dinner we took a little stroll along the canal and then we headed home. Of course I had a migraine creeping up again (let’s hope this will not be permanent end to our date days). So once we were home I headed of to my room for a bit of reading and phone scrolling and solitude while the husband ended his day with some gaming.
Overall a happy full day. I have made a little recap video if you like to have a look.
Would you visit a medial museum? Can you look at human body parts in a scientific environment? Have you have had Schnitzel? How much do you love asparagus?
16 comments
I’m sorry things ended with a migraine, but looks like a lovely evening with a very interesting museum! Good work planning this, Tobia <3
Luckily I could sleep off the migraine. The museum was really cool and at times a bit disgusting and cringey but still so interesting.
These days are really fun.
That museum looks fascinating. We had a friend doing medicine at uni and he snuck us into the anatomy museum which had all sorts of human parts in jars, it was quite macabre but still interesting. We went to Schnitzelei when we were in Berlin. I had the signature dish and really enjoyed it.
Macabre yet interesting hits the nail on its head. It’s like an accident you can’t look away…
How fun you’ve been at Schnitzelei and liked it. Which one did you go too? The have three.
There is a Museum of Health and Medicine near us too – so interesting to think that there are many other ones out there! I think the one near us started as a collection of specimens and what not collected by medical professionals during the American Civil War and grew from there. It fascinating, but definitely not for the faint of heart. The great claim to fame is that it houses the bullet that killed Abraham Lincoln and some of his skull fragments.
What a great day! My husband says a good date always includes an activity, food, and good conversation – seems like you ticked all those boxes.
I can definitely go on board with you husbands saying and will keep that in mind.
Yes, there are several of these museums as I learned on our visit. Also agreeing that is not for the faint of heart.
Now tell me where your museum is located so that if I want to see skull fragments of Abraham Lincoln I know where to go.
Ohhh how interesting! I remember back in the day, I want to say, maybe 10 years ago, we had a famous exhibit in New York City called “Bodies” Holy cow, it was gross and fascinating at the same time. You could see the whole nervous system separately, the whole circulatory system, separately. Lungs. Muscles. Gah. But- so interesting.
O think that show toured and was here too. Didn’t go as I found it too disturbing. But yes it’s fascinating and gross at the same time.
There’s a science museum in St. Paul, Minnesota in the States where they have a permanent exhibit on the human body. It’s pretty interesting. They have a giant sculpture of a hand and you can see what causes infections, what a splinter looks like under the skin, etc. Super cool stuff.
That sounds so interesting . Hands in general are so interesting.
This museum sounds SO COOL. I love stuff like this. I think it’s so fascinating the way we have evolved our thinking on bodies and medicine and healthcare. What a great find!
I find it totally fascinating too and the way medicine is evolving is mind blowing
What a great date! I thiink I would be a pass on the museum, I’m too squeamish. But otherwise it sounds great, and your dinner and conversation sounds lovely. I am sorry you had a migraine, but glad you were able to sleep it off.
The museum was special. I don’t think I would go again but always wanted to see it. I guess it’s much more fascinating if you are in medicine.
The dinner conversation was definitely a favorite.
Oh, I would love that museum, because I am strange like that. There are multiple similar museums in the states – the one in Philadelphia is among the most well-known, the Mutter Museum (https://muttermuseum.org/). They were in the news last summer for their exhibits, and how they exploited people with disabilities and diseases. They are going through a whole review process and I do not know what the ultimate outcome will be. There’s also the National Museum of Health and Medicine (https://medicalmuseum.health.mil/) outside DC, which I think is the one to which Diane is referring.
All that said, I am glad you had a good date, and a good dinner, and I hope the migraine wasn’t a horrible one.
Haha you know your museums. Have you been too all of them.
Yes, unfortunately minorities do get exploited for these kind of things. I’ve been wondering when I saw the deformed displays how they came to be in the museum. Did those humans gave their consent. Most likely not.
The migraine was tolerable and not too severe.