Today, on what could have been a quiet and uneventful day off in a quaint little town...I had my mind blown by a true treasure hidden in Germany. I convinced one of my cast mates to come join me on an adventure and he begrudgingly agreed to sacrifice what could have been a day of procrastination to see the Centre for International Light Art. The museum can only be seen by guided tour and we were quickly advised that the tour would likely be completely in German and last for 90 minutes. Just after hearing that unfortunate news we were greeted by our tour guide who told us that we would be having a private tour and that she would be happy to do it in English. She explained a few things and we venture off down a turquoise neon-tube lit staircase into a basement. Upon entering the first exposition we realize that this seemingly small and humble old brewery beholds some mind-bending treasures created by thirteen world renowned artists. We wandered from piece to piece at our own pace and as our guide recommended we spent as long as we needed on each creation and then after observing she would give us detailed and insightful remarks about each one. Where else can someone who doesn't contribute a vast sum to a museum spend as long as they like alone in an Olafur Eliasson rain corridor and watch and hear it turn on and off and then experience the optical illusions of a James Turell immersive creation!

Our guide was apologetic that we had likely missed the necessary perfect timing to see the last exhibit, James Turell's "Third Breath" a type of camera obscura that at the perfect moment after sunset gives you a view of the sky's color that can only be created by the naked eye exposed to this environment and has never been recreated otherwise. Much to her surprise and delight just moments after we walked into the outdoor creation the lights changed and out of the hole in the ceiling we saw exactly what she had described.

When the museum was founded the artists were selected and invited to the empty building to choose a space to create a piece based on the room they had chosen. All thirteen exhibits are breathtaking. Hidden in a small town, I think this must be one of the most understated and underrated museums of the world. Without the glamor or pretension of MoMA or the Tate it houses an astoundingly large and inspiring collection. I felt truly privileged to discover a museum where one can buy a ticket for 10Euro and take a private, guided, and insightfully thoughtful tour through every gallery.

As we were out the door with a glean in our eyes a man who turned out to be the director of the museum caught us and asked if we were the visitors all the way from California. After a very kind welcome and thank you for visiting his museum he confided that it was actually a very exciting day there because a Chilean artist residing in New York had just put the final touches on a new exhibit just a few minutes before. He had just barely gotten that phrase out when I exclaimed that he had to show us the new work! He hesitated a bit but I could tell right away he was thrilled by the idea. He took us downstairs and showed us a few of his personal favorite angles of the pieces on the way and then introduced us to the artist and gave us the chance to be the first to be the first sets of eyes to wander a stunning exhibition that had just been finished minutes before.

Whether you're near or far, make your way to experience this gem of an institution, a museum where the director will come find you to ensure that you enjoyed your visit. Check out a short video and some stills that caught my eye and my lens.