and so … home

All things must come to an end, and actually although the time away was great (especially the walking, even with its “challenging” moments!), it’s really good to get home and to be re-united with S.  The flights, via Zurich, worked well. I admit I travelled on Swissair coz it offered a “value” proposition that suited me, but certainly have no complaints.    The trips both over and back involved short transit times in Zurich, but seemingly the airport is geared to handle these and even though my incoming flight from Berlin was a few minutes late arriving and there was a bit of congestion at immigration, there didn’t seem to be any drama and Swiss efficiency prevailed.

And my reading on the flights?   V  lent me Swiss Watching (by Diccon Bewes).    It’s all about the Switzerland and the Swiss from a British viewpoint.    Very appropriate given the airline I was on for the Asia/Europe sectors.

At the airport, A kindly picked me up, and arriving home, I started emptying out all the nooks and crannies of my baggage.    Great to be able to go to the drawers and have a decent choice of clean clothes to wear!  It’s also nice to be back on a full-size computer keyboard and screen.  Over 2200 photos to download and (hopefully) to label.   I may go back over this blog and insert a few more.  I’ve also got a number of Trip Advisor reviews to post (based on the notes I made at the time).

Jet-lag remains an issue.  I always struggle when travelling west to east.   It’s the price of modern travel, I suppose.

Since the trip has ended, so must this blog!    I’m going to establish a new one for my day-to-day outbursts about life in general, and will post the link to it is here:  http://mutterings2014.wordpress.com/

when I get it set up.

Reflections on Berlin

Once you get the hang of it, Berlin is a pleasant city.   But it’s not perfect!    Yes, the S-bahn and U-bahn are good, but the signage is nowhere as good as (for example) London’s, and maps of the system are sometimes tricky to find (unlike London and Paris, where they’re everywhere).  And occasionally you have to go out on to the street to change from the S-bahn to the U-bahn.

It takes a little to get used to the idea that you just wander on to the train, bus or train:   there are no barriers.   But there are ticket inspectors.    I was checked by a man who got on the train and sat down opposite me.  In fact, I wondered whether he was unemployed.   But as soon as the doors closed, he was up checking everyone’s tickets, along with his equally unlikely-looking colleague at the other end of the carriage.   When I got off at the next station, they were having a serious discussion with a lady with a pram.

Another note-worthy point is Tegel airport.   It’s due to be replaced by a new airport at Schönefeld, but construction is way behind schedule (I glimpsed the construction work from the bus when arriving from Krakow).  In the meantime, only the Germans could get space-restricted Tegel to function!    For some flights, you check your baggage as your check in at the entrance to the gate lounge.   And if the flight is to a non-Schengen destination, immigration is also in the lounge itself.

S-bahn train

Communications tower at Alexanderplatz (former eastern sector)

Part of one of several construction sites for new section of U5 line

Rathaus

Berlin Victory column (1873)

Schloss Charlottenburg

“Built by Elector Friederich III in 1699 as a summer palace for his wife Sophie Charlotte, this regal estate, the largest palace in Berlin, is framed by a baroque-style garden.”

So runs one of the descriptions of the Charlottenburg palace. Wow! Words can’t describe just how ornate the palace is. You do a self-guided audio tour through the apartments of the various family members,and although it’s made clear that not everything is original, it’s claimed that, if anything, originally it was even more ornate.
Sophie only lived here for a few years (she died in 1705), but other family members also had apartments here. By the way, her elder brother became George I of England.

The gardens, too, are amazing, being laid out in formal baroque style.   Photos can’t really do them justice (at least, not mine), but I’ve tried.  Many of the rooms overlooked the gardens.  It was certainly all very impressive, which was the intention, to make guests appreciate how important the family was.   Guests were made to hang around waiting for their audience, and to be wow’d by the grandeur of it all.    Apparently, while they were waiting, they were served impressive meals!

You can’t take photos inside, but I’ve included below an image of Sophie which is just like one of the paintings of her in the schloss.

Visiting the Reichstag

I pre-booked a tour of the Reichstag Building, which is where the plenary sessions of the Bundestag are held.    Of course, it’s famous for the dome which is right on top of the chamber.

There was a bit of bureaucracy before we started the tour, but once we met our guide, she was excellent.   She pointed out the features of the building, including the graffiti left by the Russian soldiers when they arrived at it in 1945.    However, she was quick to point out that the Third Reich never met in the building;  it was badly damaged by fire shortly after the Nazis came to power.   The fire was in fact used by the Nazis as an excuse to round up communists and other perceived opponents of their regime.

The first Bundestag elected by the whole of Germany held its inaugural meeting in the Reichstag in 1990, following which the building was reconstructed.  It includes lots of glass, signifying transparency of government, and Bundestag moved into the building from Bonn in 1999.

The dome is indeed impressive.   Inside, there’s a “cone” with 360 mirrors.    There’s an “up ramp” and a “down ramp”, and when I was there, the top was open to the sky.  You can see many landmarks around Berlin and could stay as long as you wished.

The guide made reference to the way the Bundestag is constituted.  I’ve obtained a booklet about this;   although it has some similar concepts to our Westminster-based system, such as the separation of powers and protection of the rights of the states, the details seem to be quite different.   Looks like I’ve got some reading to do!

Russian graffiti which has been left in place

Plenary chamber

Ramps leading up/down inside dome

View over Berlin

Up close to the dome!

Reichstag

Museum Island

We have previously been to the Bode museum but not to the other museums on Berlin’s “Museum Island”.   So I bought a “Museum Island day pass”.    Well, that was indeed setting myself an ambitious target, but in hindsight, it imposed some discipline. It would be impossible to do complete justice to these museums no matter how much time you had, so I was prepared to concentrate on the areas that, to me, were of greatest interest.   Of course, most of the buildings are masterpieces in themselves, and throughout, the captions give an insight and context that I found unusually insightful.  In addition, the audio guides (no extra charge) are clear and strike the right note between detail and making sure the “big picture” emerged.

What to me were the highlights?

I started with the Pergamon.   This is not a large museum (although some rebuilding is in hand, and I don’t think all of it was open).  The terrific Roman market entrance and the Babylonian processional way were fantastic.    I didn’t spend too much time on the Islamic art floor (impressive though it was).

I spent quite some time at the large Neues Museum, which contains a lot of antiquities, with the highpoint of course being the bust of Nefertiti (photographs not allowed).   This museum has recently re-opened the top floor which amongst other things has items revealed as a result of recent digs in the city of Berlin.   It also traces the history of  humans from the Neanderthals (40,000 years ago) onwards.    But along with its collection of Egyptian, Roman, Cyprian and other items, the room dealing with the “migration period” in the first millennium greatly interested me. I hadn’t realised the extent to which migrations occurred in that era.

I paid a quick visit to the Bode, to have a look at the apse mosaic they’ve got from Ravenna (removed in 1844).    I’ve never been to Ravenna, so this mosaic is something of a substitute for me.

I didn’t think I’d need to spend much time in the Alte Nationalgalerie but in fact found its collection of 19th century art quite interesting, particularly the Barbizon school who were on to the impressionist style well before most others.   There were also some great Renoirs and Monets, amongst others.

That left only the Altes Museum.    This is in a lovely building, but I probably didn’t give the Greek and Roman decorative art the attention that they deserve, although I did walk right around both floors.

Now that I know what’s here, maybe I’ll be back for more one day?

Market gate of Miletus (Roman), Permagon

 

Babylonian gateway

Old cabinets, Neuesmuseum

Neanderthal man, Neues museum

Detail from Ravenna mosaic, Bode

Alte Nationalgalerie

 

The Berlin Wall

There are a few places where you can see parts of the former Berlin Wall, but I understand the longest intact section (well, the graffiti has been added) is over the road from the Ostbahnhof. This is 1.3 km in length (it’s the “East Side Gallery”).  On the former Eastern side, you can walk alongside the wall on the footpath, but what about in the park on the former Western side? Nup, your access is blocked ….. by a 21st century style wall, where a new apartment block is being constructed! Seems nothing really changes!

Update:   This year marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.    To mark the occasion, there’s a good exhibition of photos and paraphernalia in the shopping mall at Potsdamer Platz.    This square, which is said used to be the heart of pre-war Berlin was the place where three zones met, and the wall went right through it.   However, you wouldn’t believe that today:   it’s surrounded by modern buildings and shops!   I’ve added some photos.

Sections of the wall have been moved and to the right is a fence protecting the building site.

On the street (eastern) side

Photos commemorating 25th anniversary of fall of wall

Hamburg

My decision to do a day excursion to Hamburg was motivated by several factors, one of which was to visit Miniator Wunderland.  I booked the train tickets well ahead of time, but it didn’t occur to me to book tickets for Miniator Wonderland itself.   Nor did it “click” with me that my day in Hamburg was Saturday. So, when I arrived and was informed that there was a waiting time of 110 minutes, I decided that although model railways are nice, I wasn’t going to spend a good portion of my limited time in Hamburg cooped up in a waiting area!

So I didn’t see the model railway, but I did see a lot of Hamburg, although I did get completely disoriented twice.    I had been told that this is one of the wealthiest parts of Germany, and judging by the retail activity, I can believe that. Pedestrian malls, shopping galleries, small streets – all full of up-market retail stores. And on a lovely warm Saturday afternoon, the crowds were out in force, many carry bags with the labels providing evidence as to where they had spent their euros.

There were people enjoying the sunshine all over the city, including on the terraces by the Binnenalster and in the square in front of the Rathaus. On my way to Miniator Wonderland, I wandered through part of the HafenCity area and saw how the old warehouses and docks were being redeveloped.  And I was at the big St Michaelis Church just in time to be present for the15 minute service at noon.    The main benefit was to hear the organ pieces (since the rest was in German). There are at least 2 organs here, and I think we heard from both.

On the train trip, I was reminded that Germans don’t waste the time during the journey: they use it to eat and drink!    Of course both ways, the train was on time to the minute, and I noticed that quite a lot (but not all) was at a speed of about 230 kmph.

On the train at 8.16 am, off at 9.57, on the way to the football…..so why not have a drink?

Enjoying the sunshine

Martin Luther statue at St Michaelis

Canal area (above).

On the Binnenalster  – and, yes, that’s steam powered.

Lots of impressive buildings. This is the “Justice Building” (courts?)

Bismarck statue

Rathaus

Krakow to Berlin

After farewells to the walking group and reflecting about our shared challenges and achievements, it was time to move on.  There isn’t a direct train from Krakow to Berlin, but Deutsch Bahn do operate a bus.  I’m not sure if this is while the rail line is being upgraded or whether it’s a permanent arrangement.   Anyway, it leaves Krakow at 7.05 am and arrives Berlin at 3 pm, so it was an early start.    It makes one stop of 45 minutes at Wroclaw where I got nice cappuccino (out of a machine) and a sticky sweet roll for a late breakfast.  The trip was very comfortable, motorway nearly all the way, but of course all that time in a bus is a bit tiring.  Until Wroclaw the bus had lots of empty seats but it filled up with a chattering German student group at Wroclaw.    Being a DB service, all the seats were allocated which helped, but their excited comments when they were “home” again in Germany, as we crossed the border,  awoke me from my dozing.

Between Krakow and Berlin, the countryside  is basically flat, with just some slight  undulations at times.  There’s some farmland and vast stretches of plantation timber (spruce, some birches, and a little pine).  The traffic is very well behaved, although as we approached the German border the speed of some cars increased and of course they were really zipping past once we crossed the border.

I was worried about finding my Berlin accommodation, because I thought it was on the other side of the station to the bus stop.  To my pleasant surprise, the bus actually terminated in a fairly ordinary area on the northern side of the Hauptbahnhof where the only recognizable structures were the station itself and my accommodation!  Hence I was in the front door of the modern and functional but not super-flash hotel within a few minutes of the bus arriving.  It was only after settling in that I needed to get out and about to find out where the rest of Berlin was, and to get a slice of pizza and a beer.   These were just what I felt like and were easily obtained at the station.

After a bit of a break, I went for a wander during the evening, past the Bundestag and Brandenburg Gate and down Unter den Linden, where I paused at an open air cafe for (another) beer and some wurst.    The crowds were certainly out and about, particularly in front of the Brandenburg Gate where a fair with rides,  performers and food and other stalls was in full swing.

Rest stop at Wroclaw

Bundestag

Brandenburg Gate (fair on the other side!)

US Embassy – on the other side of Brandenburg gate to the fair!

Fair in progress through the Gate

Farewell to Krakow

I spent part of the last afternoon in Krakow (after returning from  Wieliczka) wandering around the Jewish quarter. We had an acceptable but not brilliant dinner at what was supposed to be a highly rated restaurant, and then I spent a little time taking in the square by night.
My departure in the morning was early, so I had an early night.

Restaurants in Jewish quarter

Old synagogue (now a museum)

Old Jewish cemetery

Tempel synagogue

Cloth market

Wieliczka Salt Mine

The number one excursion from Krakow, for me, has to be to Auschwitz-Birkenau, but we did this on our earlier visit to Krakow some years ago. All the reasons that make Auschwitz-Birkenau so compelling also make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience; I don’t think I could cope with ever going there again.

So on this trip my objective was the Wieliczka salt mine.   I know that in theory it’s possible to get there independently (it’s on the outskirts of Krakow), but after all the exertion over the past few days, I and a number of other members of the walking group decided we’d just sit back and “play tourist”.   This was reinforced when we ascertained that a perfectly adequate English language tour made a pick up within a minute or 2 of our accommodation.   As it turned out, the group consisted only the 5 in our party, in a van to the mine, where we were combined with another group(s) (so that there were 25 of us in all) and taken through the mine by an excellent English speaking mine guide.

I had done my research on the mine, but even so I was surprised by its extent and complexity.   Our tour took 2 3/4 hours, through a series of passages and chambers, on the move nearly the whole time.   In essence, old chambers from which the rock salt has been mined (until as late as 1964) have been converted to display areas, with numerous carvings all made out of rock salt.   Many depict various eras in the working of the mine, some depict events, people and myths from Polish history and others are religious.   There were brine lakes, a sound and light show, operating pumps and windlasses, a “ghostly performance” and more…..  The complexity of the displays and the professionalism of the presentations impressed us all.

Some of the chambers are very big, and our guide told us that there are 25 chapels in the mine, although we saw only 3.    At the end of the tour, there are shops and refreshments available underground, and there’s even an auditorium where concerts and dinners can be held.

The organisation of the mine tour was flawless.    There are numerous groups but they are tightly spaced and there was no confusion.   Definitely a great day.

Mine entrance

Passage way

Pope John Paul II in Holy Cross chapel

Sound and light show

Function area, set up for a dinner

Detail from Holy Cross Chapel

Early methods of working

Extensive supports in one chamber

Another large chamber