Well, we did it again! Just as the tulip fields allowed us to “escape” for a few moments from the city of Delft during this time of COVID-19; a new adventure afforded us some freedom last month…this time to a different country!
For those of you who live in Denver, you may remember the Monet exhibition that sold out at the Denver Art Museum Oct-Feb 2020. It was one of the largest collections of Monet’s work to be gathered in decades, and I was so disappointed when weren’t able to get tickets while we were home visiting in February. My mother in law did inform us, however, that the exhibition was travelling to one other location before the paintings dispersed back to their respective homes: Potsdam, Germany, about 40 minutes outside of Berlin.
With the knowledge that the exhibition was set to show in Potsdam from 22 February to 19 July, 2020, my hopes of viewing it were once again restored. We returned to The Netherlands with a new goal of exploring Berlin, and the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, before mid-July.
It couldn’t be that simple though, could it? Not with 2020’s track-record, at least…
And so…
You guessed it…
Enter COVID-19.
As with most locations globally, the emergence of our prickly nemesis virus led to strictly limited travel, especially across country borders. We occupied ourselves here, and time ticked on and on. Mid-March flowed through to April, and April into May. By the time June rolled around, my hopes of viewing this renowned exhibition had once again dwindled to a flicker.
I don’t know what it was…boredom, curiosity, hope…but around the first week of July, something led me to search the status of Germany’s COVID restrictions.
My heart-rate rose as I read:
“Berlin welcomes you back! The wait is over. We look forward to welcoming you back to Berlin. From May 25 onwards, Berlin hotels will be able to welcome you as guests again. Berlin’s museums, restaurants and shops have also opened with new concepts for your safety”
Cue rapid googling…
“Museum Barberini”
I held my breath as the page loaded…
“We are delighted to have reopened the Museum Barberini again on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. We hope that despite the necessary protective measures your exhibition visit will be enjoyable, and you will feel inspired by the works of Claude Monet.”
Hope rising, I read on…
“To ensure the necessary protective measures all exhibition visits have to be pre-booked online. You can book a slot for your visit online free of charge.”
As I clicked “Buy Tickets”, my heart sank…
“There are no tickets available at the moment. Please try again later”
Apparently I wasn’t the ONLY one craving an escape into the world of Monet. I continued…
“Please understand that we are currently only allowed to offer a very limited number of tickets and that tickets can only be booked 10 days in advance.”
“If tickets are temporarily booked out, please be patient, as we regularly activate new contingents-always on weekdays in the morning.”
GAME ON, people.
To no one’s surprise…after several morning attempts, I secured us tickets.
June 24, 2:30pm
Did we have a way to GET to Germany? No. A hotel once we arrived? Not yet.
BUT WE WERE GOING.
And so, on June 21, we loaded up our rental car and set off on a brief jaunt to Berlin (by US standards, at least).
Jim Dale paved our way as we made a serious dent in the Audible Harry Potter series; and 7-hours later, we arrived safely at our Berlin hotel…fully face-masked and ready for some adventure.
John ended up renting a bike from the hotel, and that, paired with my scooter that we brought along, allowed us to explore the city much more easily.
The food was delicious…
The pockets of unique neighborhoods charmed us…
The weather couldn’t have been better…
And the Monet exhibition…it was well-worth all of the effort that went into getting us there.
As I have many times on this adventure abroad, I once again felt the Lord’s extravagant, undeserved goodness lavished on me as I took in the magic of Monet’s work.
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He was a master at capturing not just the image of what he painted, but also the emotion within and behind it. He obsessively painted the same places over and over again in different weather and lighting conditions.
Of the Seine river, which he painted diligently for many years, he reflected:
“I painted it all my life, at all hours, in all seasons from Paris to the sea. I never tired of it: it is always new for me”
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How I pray that this is how I would see the beauty of the world around me. And more, that this awareness of beauty and detail would continually point me towards the One who created it all. That a reflection on the intricate dance of light and time and color visible in all of the beautiful places I have the privilege of visiting on this overseas adventure would result in praise given to the Creator, and not just the creation.
Thank you, LORD, for giving me continual glimpses of Your eternal power and divine nature in the things that have been made. Let me be without excuse before you; and help my unbelief.
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Rom 1:20