Day 3 of Germany Trip

Fri, 20/6

After spending a night in the car, everyone just couldn’t wait to get out and move around. There wasn’t much planned for Munich so we spontaneously decided to go to a safari

On the way while hunting for breakfast and hotel bathrooms, we found this street lined with toys that were magnified to gigantic proportions. YX and I were actually pulling on this Newton-ish balance thing. There’s a video somewhere that I might post up one day!

While waiting for the girls to be done in the toilets, I witnessed FOUR weddings! This was a busy church. And do you see the guy on the right? He was the one playing the wedding song and all he did was turn and turn this machine producing sound

One of the grooms was from an emergency service or something, I saw the word printed on their van. Instead of holding swords above the newly-weds while they walked out of the church, they held axes!

Very sweet cherries and strawberries at a cheap price.

Serengeti Safari Park!

The entrance fee included a tour in the bus, or we could choose to drive on our own. But we chose to not subject our car to animal abuse, abuse by the animals. You will soon see how.

There there!

My first time in a safari, so I was expecting we could just walk around with all the uncaged animals. Only certain sections, it turned out to be Like for the lions, we were prohibited from exiting the bus.

All the animals seemed to be scrawny and weren’t really well fed.

This horse had the emo-est hairstyle I’ve seen on an animal haha!

The only section where we were allowed to touch the animals, the petting zoo!

More emo ponies.

Ha! The sadist in me taking photos of frightened kids. But there were a few who weren’t afraid at all and instead frightened the animals by running after them

After that, we went to the theme park adjacent to the safari. No idea why there weren’t any queue at all but not complaining! The above was our first ride, called Top Spin, and is still being talked about among us. Those who feared it are still terrorised by the memories while the ones whom enjoyed will forever remember the adrenaline rush!

This water ride was our favourite. We went on it more than 10 times I think.

And then it was a much deserved rest in a different kind of hostel!

 

Day 2 of Germany Trip

Thurs, 19/6

The next morning we continued walking around. Everything was in German and almost no translations even if it was a huge tourist spot.

All the places we visited had something to do with the Nazi movement and it was scary and eye-opening. Oh and another thing that I noticed! Germany has such weird building arrangement. There can be an open air museum between cranes building new hotels and castles and everything is just smishsmashed together in one spot.

We saw a sign yesterday afternoon at one of the streets saying there was an Eat All You Can sushi buffet but we couldn’t find it during dinnertime. As fate would have it, we passed by the place again today and had enough maki and nigiri to last me for, erm a long time la. How the buffet worked was that they offered us unlimited sushis but we didn’t get to choose, we just had to finish one plate and the next would be served. So we counted and each person had at least 30 rolls. I actually felt a little sick and so full I thought I would swear off nigiri and maki for a long time, but now to think of it, I think I can eat more the next time And the best part was, the last plate was only prawn and salmon, when at first I thought it might be impossible to make requests!

Then we drove towards Hannover and spent a night in the car. We stopped at a place with toilets and sinks to wash up. And the conclusion is that sleeping in the car is harder that it seems! We actually planned three nights without accommodation since we thought it was going to be a big car and there shouldn’t be any problems but that was the first and last night in the car haha.

Not too sure how many people will read all the captions but I’ll still put as much info as I can possibly put without boring you all, I hope As most things were in German so I’m actually learning more by Googling them. So pardon the plagiarism!!!

There was a shop filled with everything and anything made with wood. From keychains to a bike!

We had lunch in one of the shops here, Chinese food in Germany Not too pricey too. And it was Euro 2008’s semifinals when we were in Germany. So one of the days, was it Germany beating Turkey? All the cars were honking away on the road, and there were boys standing on the sides of road waving their flag in celebration of their victory. Wonder when will M’sians get to do the same?

Along Museum Island.

We went back to Altes Museum.

There were many couples just lying on the grass, groups of teens in a circle chtting and children playing at the fountain in front of the Musuem.

Berliner Dom - Church of the Kaisers (emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, either of Austria, or Germany such as in this case).

Also the former court cathedral of Prussia (former kingdom of north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and Poland, abolished after WWII)’s royal family.

YY and I.

6.63×10^-34 my fellow A46B classmates

This van was tiny, even shorter than me, no idea if it was used for transportation as well or just for advertising purposes.

We found the sushi place!

And then we walked back to the city centre to get a subway to Potsdam. I can’t remember how long the journey was but it was at least 30 minutes.

This angmoh was trying to sell us his ticket, which I thought could be because he just clicked wrongly and hence do not need it anymore but my friends suspected something amiss because it was too good a deal.

The ticket. Valid for one hour on all public transport!

Potsdam’s Park Landscape

In Potsdam, the Royal Seat of the Brandenburg-Prussian rulers, master builders and artists created a fascinating ensemble of palaces, parks and gardens in the space of only three centuries. The initial ideas on incorporating the surrounding lakes and hills into the future picture of the city were already developed during the construction of the Potsdam City Palace (1662-1669).

However, it was not until the 19th century that the idea of Potsdam as a “paradise isle” became a reality, thanks to the landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné. He united the various palaces and parks into a unique park landscape which was designated as a “world cultural heritage site” by UNESCO in 1990.

There were lots of elderly people and Japanese.

The Sanssouci Palace

Sanctuary upon the Vineyard

No other palace is more closely connected with the personality of Frederick the Great than Sanssouci. The name Sanssouci - “without care” - should be understood as the aspiration and leitmotif of the king, because it is here that he most preferred to withdraw from the world with his dogs. In the end, Frederick the Great’s summer residence was both a favorite place and an important sanctuary for him in difficult times.
The location of the palace on the celebrated vineyard terraces and the originally preserved, 18th century interior decorations permit today’s visitor to become immersed in the world of the philosophers from Sanssouci. The rooms are marked by elegance and tasteful displays of splendor. They also let the king’s love for delightful surroundings, for the Prussian Arcadia, be clearly felt. It is interesting that the king desired to be buried in a grave on the highest vineyard terrace. Even in death, he wanted to be near his Sanssouci. His wish, although quite belated, was finally fulfilled in 1991.

It was a hugeeee place with acres and acres of garden and palaces at different corners.

A Pearl of Garden Design

Marly Garden was created between 1846-47 by Peter Joseph Lenné. During the reign of Friedrich Willhelm I, the site was a kitchen garden. The creation of the Marly Garden was spurred by the construction of the Peace Church (Friedenskirche) between 1845-48. The garden both divides and connects two areas which are of different character and meaning. A concious contrast between old and new was developed with clear philosophical and religious symbolism.

The Garden of Peace, a former hops garden, located to the east of the city is a clear contrast to the flowerbeds, statues and flowering shrubs of the Marly Garden. The Peace Garden with it’s paths and wood-grove scenery as well as the gracefully sculpted grounds creates a more somber and contemplative atmosphere; appropriate for those members of the community who passed throught it on their way to church on Sunday. One area of the park is oriented towards the church tower while the other half, with mosaic fountain and goldfish pond, is oriented towards the Villa Illaire. The blue and white glass column, erected in 1849 references the Queen’s Bavarian origins. At the time, the Marly Garden represented the ideal in landscape design. It was also the ideal, though unattainable, for 19th century garden villa culture.

There were Roman Baths in London too!

The building ensemble of the “Roman Baths,” which was adapted into Lenné’s landscaped park, is very near Charlottenhof Palace. Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ludwig Persius had already delivered the first plans in 1826, while the architects were connected with the building of Charlottenhof Palace. Crown Prince Frederick William (IV) accompanied the design process with an abundance of his own drawings. Although the realization of the baths began in 1829, the ensemble took more than a decade to complete.

A pergola connects the Court Gardener’s House, built in the style of 15th century Italian country houses, to a pavilion in the shape of a Greek temple upon a podium. An open arcaded hall on the other side precedes a building that was modeled upon a Roman villa. Among its other attributes, it houses a bathing room, from which the entire complex takes its name.
The asymmetrical concept contributed to the arrangement of small, open spaces, which were designed as gardens or resting areas. Their location on a man-made lake enhanced them with additional charm.

The Picture Gallery

The paintings of King Frederick II (Frederick the Great) are presented in splendidly carved and gilded frames at Sanssouci’s Picture Gallery, the oldest remaining royal museum in Germany.

Frederick II commissioned the Picture Gallery as a separate building, near Sanssouci Palace, to accommodate a selection of works from his painting collection. Johann Gottfried Büring erected the long building from 1755-64.

In addition to paintings from Frederick’s original collection, paintings from other Prussian palaces are also included in the display. Among the highlights are Caravaggio’s “Doubting Thomas,” Anton van Dyck’s “Pentecost” and works by Peter Paul Rubens. The contrast between the modest exterior and the lavish interiors is unexpected. The gallery’s exquisite interior decoration, which in itself is worth a visit, presents gilded ornamentation and gleaming floors of yellow and white marble, a colorful, stone inlaid floor, both classical and Baroque sculpture, as well as allegories of the arts and sciences in stuccowork high above the heads of the visitors.

Then it was back to the city centre!

One day when I’m ready to be a vegetarian!

This weird monument was on Kurfürstendamm, which according to [this site] is like Berlin’s Champs-Elysées. I vaguely remember there was a Ferrari showroom, I think it was along this road.

Zoologischer Garten or Zoological Garden, Germany’s first zoo. Initially we thought it was a Chinese temple…

…Then the signboard on its left says aquarium so we thought it was a marine park or something. While Googling only did I realise alllll of us were wrong Also, I notice the Germans were really into Chinese stuff in the past!

The golden Victoria statue.

After collecting the car, it was dinnertime! This was the plate I shared with YX and JH. The other two girls had to share with the boys. Although their portion was bigger than ours they still finished before us. And the owner always waited till both plates were empty before serving the next, so we were kinda like a liability actually

Slurp.

 

Yet again

I am flying to Norway tomorrow from Birmingham (tax-free so everyone saaaaay WE LOVE RYXNAIR!!!), and will be back in Dub next Wed, 23 June.

Was going to put up Germany Day 2 but then we don’t have a wireless router yet. So going into my own room means no more internet, and thus no more Day 2. I am packing, no last minute, nooooo more last minute.

So see if I finish in time tonight *yawn*

Update: I’ve scheduled some entries to be posted while I’m away but I’m super sleepy now and I have to wake up at an ungodly 6.30am tomorrow, so please ignore the typos till I get back

 

Day 1 of Germany Trip

Wed, 18/6

We left The Rise at 4am in the morning to catch the flight at 6 and slept in a youth hostel smack in the middle of Berlin. We were only getting the car the next day so it was all walking and public transport till tomorrow evening.

The first thing that struck me was the amount of graffiti on every possible surface! Trains, walls, underpass, everywhere!

The next thing was the weather. For some reason the forecasts I checked predicted the maximum temperature to be around 20C. It turned out that Germany was as hot as M’sia, with temperatures reaching 30+ ok!!! I almost died and sweated even though I was wearing only a shirt.

Berlin city is a very crowded place, and there were lots of pretty people, building and beautiful cars.

YY and I were having a detox programme before the trip and it was Full Moon that day and who would have thought that I will be able to get vegetarian meals in this country of sausages! But I did And Russia beat Sweden 2-0 that night.

At Dublin International Airport at the break of dawn.

I think this was taken above Dub.

Hello Germany or should I say Hallo!

Tube/train/metro maps are always such a messy clash of colours.

This is where we stayed for the first night. I wouldn’t say it was awesome but the location was great. Everything was within walking distances. Security was good too as a card was needed to go through the many entrances. A little noisy when you have to share rooms with random strangers, especially drunk guys who return in middle of the night. But well, you learn to develop good noise cancelling if you’re lucky.

Fernsehturm or TV tower. Really, it is the name of this beautiful building which is also the tallest structure in Berlin.

!!!

One of the shopping malls around Alexanderplatz. JH commented that it was a lot like a mall in Alor Setar and for me, it’s not too different from Kompleks PKNS haha.

!!!

Berlin’s buses have the same colours as Dub’s.

The pedestrian traffic light controller has a sensor and we just need to flick our hand over it. But my friend(s) didn’t believe me hmph >( except Laine

The Green Man and Red Man look different.

Graffiti art was everywhere, tasteful ones too.

I took a photo of a Starbucks sign in London with the same spikes above last Christmas, and have been meaning to post it on Yahoo Answers because I had no idea what use do they serve, for this CCTV at least I could reason that it was some kind of antenna for better reception etc etc. And then Es enlightened me, such a simple answer To prevent birds from perching above them and pooping!!!

Kikkoman in German! To people who don’t buy your own groceries, do you know the brand of soya sauce you consume? I had never given it a thought until I had to shop for soya sauce on my own when I first came, and then I saw the familiar bottles on the aisle. Not the ones in the photo, but the ones like [this], the kind you see in Chinese coffee shops. Ohhhhh Kikkoman is the sweet name rupa-rupanya.

Because of the heat we went into a mall and this pretty toy shop with the biggest fake giraffe I’ve ever seen!

This pigeon looked like it was made of tree bark.

Museumsinsel or Museum Island. There are apparently five museums on the ‘island’ (it’s surrounded by a river or canal) but like every tourist spot in Germany the entrance fees were expensive even at students’ rate, so we didn’t go in and just walked around the whole place.

The five museums are: Altes Museum, Neue Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bodemuseum and Pergamonmuseum.

Bondemuseum

Altes Museum

Construction work was going on here and there.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the state library. Beyond the arch, there were lots of people just lazing around with a book in the cooling shade.

And then we went to Checkpoint Charlie.

Checkpoint Charlie

The former border crossing point between East and West Berlin was the place where Soviet and American tanks stood face to face, after the construction of the »Wall in 1961. From 1961 to 1990, Checkpoint Charlie in the »Friedrichstraße, was the only border crossing point for the Allies, foreigners, employees of the Permanent Representation and officials of the GDR (German Democratic Republic or East Germany). Today, the checkpoint is commemorated by a border sign and a soldier’s post. The museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie tells the history of the Wall.

A Singaporean and an Irish flag were spotted!

This sign was printed on postcards.

It was turbulent in the past but now they are here for tourists to take happy photos with.

Passports!

In M’sia it is Walls, HB in Ireland and Langnese in Germany!

Topographie des Terrors

The open air exhibition “Topographie of the terror” documents the history of the terror-institutions of the Nazi-regime. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the exhibition Steven Spielberg started together with Freie Universität Berlin the conception of a “Visual History Archive”. The opening is going to be in May 2007.

Some government building that we were not allowed into. The guard even gave Abe a booklet about it because I think he felt guilty for chasing us out while we were holding ice-creams innocently at the entrance.

Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas

Place of Remembrance The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is the central place for remembrance and a place of warning. Situated in Berlins city centre, the memorial was built near the Reichstag and the Brandenburger Tor. The decision to build this Memorial was taken by the German parliament on June, 25 1999, when it passed a resolution to realise a design by Peter Eisenman, the internationally renowned New York architect. Eisenmans design envisages a Field of Stelae, 2,711 concrete blocks of different heights, structured in a grid pattern and covering nearly 19,000 m2 of gently sloping ground. Since it is entirely open to all sides, the Memorial can be entered anywhere but as visitors move through it, the blocks seem to form different wave-like patterns. Peter Eisenman re-worked this extraordinary design a number of times, creating a radical departure from the standard notion of a static memorial. The memorial has a complementary underground Information Centre, similarly designed by Eisenman in an equally impressive style, providing around 800 sq. meters of exhibition space giving background information on the victims and detailing other historical memorial sites.

Brandenburger Tor or Brandenburger Gate. One of the gates of the Berlin Wall which separated West and East Berlin. After the wall was destroyed in the winter of 1989, this is the only gate of all 18 that remains.

Reichstag, the parliament of German Bundestag or federal government.

The inscription “Dem Deutschen Volke” means “To the German people”.

We were walking towards the next attraction and this place had no English introduction whatsoever so I have no idea what this place is

Golden Victoria, also known as Golden Else, built to commemorate Germany’s victories in the Prussian-Danish war.

All the streets end with ’straße’.

On the way back to the hostel.

Dancing fountains below the TV tower.

 

Clear-headed

This was found among my drafts, originally written for June but seeing how things are, this song is still not too late huh

—

Title: Clarity
By：John Mayer
Album: Heavier Things

I worry, I weigh three times my body
I worry, I throw my fear around
But this morning, there’s a calm I can’t explain
The rock candy’s melted, only diamonds now remain

Ooh ooh ooh ooh

By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on
Well all I got’s

Ooh ooh ooh ooh

And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
That it won’t and it won’t because it can’t
Because it just can’t
It just can’t
It’s not supposed to

Was there a second of time that I looked around?
Did I sail through or drop my anchor down
Was anything enough to kiss the ground?
And say I’m here now and she’s here now

Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh

So much wasted in the afternoon
So much sacred in the month of June
How bout you

And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
When it won’t and it won’t
Because it won’t
And I will waste no time
Worried ’bout no rainy weather
And I will waste no time
Remaining in our lives together

—

Do you know the feeling, like you wrote a nice long article but your boss asks you to delete your favourite paragraphs? Or you built a beautiful wooden box for someone to put all their valuables in but they said it was too big?

I want to procrastinate and pretend until the last minute that I didn’t see what the boss/someone had to say about the product made with my own blood and sweat but at the same time I just want to get it over with. Not too sure if I misunderstood the guidelines or the manual instructions stuck outside the box (wait there were none), or am I smelling jealousy, or this is a matter of me expecting too much, or this world is seeking mediocrity more and more everyday