Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

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Potsdam, Germany

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Berlin, Germany

Berlin, East Meets West (Photo Gallery)

Summer was officially over. That meant my training days here were also numbered. Just 2 more weeks to go before I get my butt back to Malaysia. This had to be my last travel destination. What’s better than to do Berlin? The thought alone was enough to make me all giddy up with excitement :) By now, a 5-hour journey seems too short. So short that we had reached Berlin by a blink of an eye.

Well, mighty Berlin, Germany’s capital is a barometer of the whole nation’s mood. This is the heart of Germany, with a stoic beat that echoes through grand buildings, glorious museums and theatres, the remains of Berlin Wall, bustling pubs and raucous nightclubs. The Wall is long gone but Berlin is still divided: there's a distinct look and feel from the glitz of the West to shabby East Berlin. Most of Berlin was destroyed after the second world war, but many landmarks were either restored or reconstructed. Nowadays, Berlin is once again one of the greatest European cities: lively, dynamic and inviting.


We had a few a tips from our friends who visited Berlin. The first was to queue up early at the Parliament Building, second was to take a free tour around Berlin and lastly was to stop by at Potsdam on our way back. All was great advice if only we had taken them seriously :(
From our hostel (which is superb by my standard) we took the subway to the city center. We stopped exactly below the Brandenburg Gate. Everyone was excited and started posing cutely for photographs. After we were done, we walked briskly to the nearby Parliament Building.

Metro Fee : EUR 14.8 for 48 hrs (Up to 5 pax)

Parliament (Reichstag)~
You would have guessed that to our horror, there was already quite a queue by the time we reached the Parliament. We waited for like 1 ½ hour in line. The time was not fully wasted though with some of us taking some good shots and being Asians also claimed some free gifts including mouse pads, badges and shopping bags from a nearby booth.
The Reichstag played an important role in German history. In 1933 fire broke out in the building, destroying much of the Reichstag. It is to date still unclear who started the fire, but the Communists were blamed and accused of a rebel. The President was pressured to handover power to Hitler’s party the NSDAP and an emergency state was declared which meant Hitler could write his own laws. There goes Germany...

On top of the building stood a central glass dome. Visitors were allowed to walk all the way up by the spiral stairs to the top of the dome. I have to say that I am really impressed by the Building’s architectural concept. Firstly, there was the inscription 'Dem Deutschen Volke' (To the German People). Then the see-through dome is built on top of the building to symbolize that “The People is above the Government”. From the Dome, you can even watch the Bundestag in session to provide transparency to the government. Admission : Free

Lunch~
Believe or not, it was already mid day. Time for lunch! Due to time constraint we decided to have a simply lunch and thus stopped by a stall. We were lucky that they were serving the famous Berlin snacks. It is small sausages in tomato and curry sauce with bun. It was good!!!


Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburgur Tor)~
After lunch we were back at the Brandenburg Gate for the free tour which starts at 1 pm. One of Berlin's most photographed sites, the Brandenburg Gate was embedded in the Berlin Wall and once the boundary between East and West Berlin. Before unification, it was located in no-man’s land where trespassers will be shot without questions. It is the only remaining one of the 18 that once graced Berlin. Its crown is a winged Goddess on a four-horse chariot. She was spirited away to Paris in 1806 by Napoleon after his occupation of Berlin, and returned triumphantly in 1814, freed from the French by a gallant Prussian general. The Wall came down in 1989 and the gate, long a symbol of division, became the very epitome of German reunification.

The Free Berlin Tour~
It was already autumn but it was still baking!!! While I was busy slapping on sun creams on my body, our guide, Kristian arrived. The tour took us a lengthy 5 hours but I really enjoyed both the sites as well and Kristian’s narration. Lots of interesting stories and funny facial expressions made me glued to the tour till the very end.
He started the tour with the story on how the Berlin Wall came up. It was very interesting and would have been perfect if it wasn’t done under the damn hot sun. As a result, my complexion now probably resembles more of 50 Cent’s than of a Chinese’s. Anyway, checkout the Berlin Wall section for details.

Tiergarten~
We passed through the Brandenburg Gate and stopped for a gaze on the Tier Garden. This huge lush park is the lung of the metropolitan and provides a relaxing contrast to the bustle of the rest of the city. The Tier Garden (roughly translates to Animal Garden) used to be the hunting ground for the Royal Families.
Now, it houses a Zoo, and serves as a park to the public. Mega concerts were often held in the park.

Jewish Holocaust Memorial~
The Jewish Holocaust Memorial was next on the agenda. It is made up of over 2700 blocks of concretes which spots different heights to commemorate the mass culling of Jews under the Nazi occupation. There is a museum underneath at the center of the square. As I made my way towards the centre, the blocks rose as tall as 10 meters above me. It was really like a labyrinth and for some time, I felt lost probably just like what the Jews were feeling then. We then made some progress to Adolf Hitler’s Tomb and the former Nazi Headquarter but those were almost forgettable, overshadowed by the blazing heat. Fyi, 3 hours ticked past but we had not stopped at a single spot with shed. I couldn’t believe it!!! :(

Topography Of Terror~
This is where we got the first peek at the remains of the Berlin Wall. There were exhibitions on the Nazis’ government but it was all in German. We were lucky to have the tour guide explaining to us.






Checkpoint Charlie~
We braved the heat just to catch Kristian’s interesting stories though by the time we reached Charlie Checkpoint, the weather was way better.
The pre-fabricated monitoring tower that the Allies hoisted into position after the erection of the Berlin Wall was named 'Charlie' after the military lingo for the third letter, 'c' (alpha, bravo, charlie...), as it was the third Allied checkpoint. It was unceremoniously craned away a few months after the border reopened in 1989. In 2001, a replica guardhouse was returned to the site (the original is in the Allied Museum). Also returned was a copy of the famous sign that warned in English, Russian, French and German 'You are now leaving the American sector'.
It was the only point allowing access from east to west Berlin. Many were killed while trying to escape from East Germany through this checkpoint. The nearby museum is interesting (if overpriced), with its display of ingenious devices employed in escape attempts from the former East Germany.

Gendarmon Market (Gendarmenmarkt)~
After a short break, we continued to Gendarmon Square. This picturesque town square is surrounded by three landmark buildings, The Concert Hall, the French Cathedral and the German Cathedral.
The Concert Hall (Konzerthaus) was built on the ruins of the National Theater, which was destroyed by fire in 1817. Like the other buildings on the Gendarmenmarkt, the Konzerthaus was badly damaged during the second World War. The reconstruction, which was finished in 1984, turned the theater into a concert hall. It is now home to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

The French Cathedral (Franzoesischer Dom) and the German Cathedral (Deutscher Dom) are two seemingly identical churches opposite each other. The oldest of the two is the French Cathedral. It was built between 1701 and 1705 by the Huguenot community. Persecuted in France, they sought refuge in Protestant Berlin. The church was modeled after the Huguenot church in Charenton, destroyed in 1688.
The German Cathedral is the most southern building at the Gendarmenmarkt. The pentagonal structure was built because the French Cathedral only held services in French so another church was needed to hold services in German.

War Memorial~
Along the main street of Unter den Linden, you will find one of the most unusual memorial statues. It was intended as a memorial for the victims of wars.
The statue portrays an elderly women weeping while holding her dead son in her arm. It was directly under an open roof hole. Thus, when it rains, water would flow on them depicting her as crying while when the sun shines, it seems as if a ray of ligt from heaven is beaming down onto them.

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)~
The last destination on our tour was also the most beautiful site of all so far, the Berlin Cathedral. Built in 1905, it was a Protestant counterweight to the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. During WWII, the building was hit by a fire bomb which severely damaged much of the Cathedral. A temporary roof was installed to protect what remained of the interior and in 1975 reconstruction of the church started. The restoration of the interior begun in 1984 and in 1993 the church reopened. During reconstruction, the original design was modified into a more simplified form.
We were lying on the grassland in-front of the cathedral while listening enthusiastically on the climax of the story, how the Berlin Wall came down.
Just like that, our 5-hour tour had ended. As a token of appreciation, we gave 3 euro tips per person. 3 euro in exchange of 5 hours of guided tour is always a great deal!

Alexanderplatz & Television Tower (Fernsefturm)~
With not much time left, we quickly rushed to the nearby Alexanderplatz. The television tower, for which Berlin is famous for, is situated here. The tower stands at 365m tall and has a viewing platform 207 m above the city.
Not surprisingly, most of the buildings on the square were destroyed by bombing during the second world war. As the center of East-Berlin, the square was used as a showcase of socialist architecture. This resulted in some plain bulky buildings and a huge television tower.

Red Town Hall (Rotes Radhaus)~
Other than the television tower, there are also a world time clock, a fountain of friendship and the red town hall in the square.




Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church ~
We took the subway to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church before we retired for the day. The night view of this church however was very disappointing.
Situated at the center of the former West Berlin, this church served as a constant reminder of the destruction of war. It was bombed by the British in late 1943 in a fierce raid that left only the broken west tower standing. The reconstructed church is dominated by blue stained glass.
From here we walked to the nearby Hard Rock Café and spent a fair sum of money ;(

Oberbaum Bridge~
The next day, we woke up to the sound of heavy downpour. Damn! Why did the whether forecast had to be so accurate? After breakfast and a short discussion, we decided to do without the subway and took our car instead. Miraculously, the rain stopped when we reached the Oberbaum Bridge.
The two-storey bridge which spans across the spree river can be used by both trains and cars each using a level.

Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery)~
Just beside the bridge is the East Side Gallery, the largest open-air gallery in the world where the longest remaining section of Berlin Wall has been painted in bright, optimistic colors by local artists.
Built in 1961, the Berlin Wall is the single most important symbol of Germany's former division. Torn down, demolished, donated to museums and universities around the world, and sold as souvenirs - the wall almost disappeared from the city's landscape.

How the Wall Came Up:-
After the second world war, defeated Germany was divided up into 4 parts: an American, British, French and Soviet occupation zone. Berlin was also divided into 4 sectors. In 1948, the Soviet authorities tried to take over the whole city and started a blockade of the US, British and French sectors. The plans failed due to the Berlin Airlift, and in May 1949 the blockade was lifted. That same year, the Soviet part of Germany became the German Democratic Republic (GDR) with East Berlin as its capital. The other zones became the Federal Republic of Germany with the capital Bonn.

Until 1961, East Germans could move freely between the Western and Eastern parts of Berlin. But many East Berliner were attracted by the more prosperous West, and by 1961 up to 20,000 East Germans a month flocked to West Berlin. On August 12, 1961 the East German authorities decided to close the border around the Western sectors of Berlin in order to prevent people from fleeing. The next day, early morning August 13, West Berlin was surrounded by barbed wire. Traffic at the border was halted and the underground and S-bahn connecting the different sides of the city were put out of operation. Over time, the barbed wire was replaced by a 3.6m high wall. Along the Wall's east side ran a 'death zone', an area controlled by guards. A total of 293 watch towers and 57 bunkers were built along the 155km long border. The guards were given the order to shoot at escapees. As a result 192 people were killed in an attempt to cross the border.

How the Wall Came Down:-
During the cold war, East Germany took a nose dive on it’s economy while the West grew in prosperity. Their people were looking for a reformation. Finally, in 1989, Hungary opened its border with Austria. This allowed East Germans to flock to the West. Meanwhile, street protests drawing more and more people put pressure on the GDR government. Finally on November 9, 1989, travel restrictions were lifted. Shortly after, border gates opened and people flooded into West Berlin.

Potsdamer Platz~
In the 1920s and 30s, the Potsdamer platz was the busiest and one of the liveliest squares in Europe. It was a major public transport hub, and the area contained numerous bars, cafés and cinemas. This all came to an abrupt end in 1943 when the Potsdamer platz was left to ruins by allied bombing. After the second world war, the square located between the American, British and Russian sectors, became a no-man's land. It was completely flattened with the construction of the wall in 1961 when the demolished buildings were pulled down.

In the 1990s, the Potsdamer Platz became what was known as the largest construction area in Europe. The square, together with several adjacent blocks were redeveloped under the supervision of the architects Wilmer and Sattler. One of the several eyecatchers are the Sony Center. The large new underground station, shopping arcade and entertainment center have brought new life to the Potsdamer Platz.

Victory Column (Siegessäule)~
We drove for quite some distance before we found the Victory column (Dun tell anyone we got lost :)). It stands right in the middle of Tier Garden surrounded by a large roundabout.
The 69 meters, cocky looking triumphal column was built from 1864 to 1873 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Prusso-Danish war of 1864. The 8.3m gilded figure at the top was added after further Prussian victories in wars against Austria and France. The figure, which represents the Goddess of Victory, weighs a massive 35 tons and is made up of melted armory from the French Army. As if adding more insult to the French, the figure is tilted looking directly in the direction of Paris, France. I could almost hear she shouts “Hey Losers” :)

Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg)~
Sitting at the bottom of our list of “Must See in Berlin” is the Schloss Charlottenburg. It is the biggest Palace in Berlin. Again, severely damaged by allied bombing in 1943, the palace was meticulously reconstructed after the war. The park behind Schloss Charlottenburg was originally laid out in French Baroque style. In the 18th and 19th century, the park was converted into a landscape garden.

That’s it for Berlin but out trip is it’s not quite over yet. About, 30 mins away, there is still Potsdam. Another half-A-day to go…..

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Budapest, Hungary

Bupapest, Hungary (Photo Gallery)

With 3 weeks left on my stay here in Europe, I have covered all the cities in my “must-go” list with the exception of Zurich, Switzerland. Thus when my friends suggested spending the weekends in Budapest, I obliged with no expectations. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The city known as Budapest actually consists of three cities: Obuda, the oldest section, with Roman ruins; Buda in the gently rolling hills on the western bank of Danube, famous for its historic Castle Hill; and bustling Pest with its shopping, government and commercial districts on the flat plain of the east bank.

In actual fact, the beauty of the city almost conceal it’s scarred past. Budapest siege in 1944-45 was one of the most violent struggles in WW II. It is said that only 2 out of 200 buildings here were still habitable after the war. The communist government invested huge sums in reconstructing the city into its original style.


Danube River & Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsebet Hid)~
We started our tour by heading to the hilly areas of Buda while our stamina was still at the highest level. As our hostel was in Pest, we had to cross the Danube river. No other city along Europe's most celebrated river embraces it as much as Budapest, with nine bridges linking the two sides, and major attractions along the river. The nearest bridge to our path, the Elizabeth bridge is a great spot to catch an overview glimpse of the river, the city itself and my new hairstyle :)

St. Gellert Statue~
Just across the bridge, at the St. Gellert hill foot, we were greeted by St. Gellert’s statue. The hanging bridge across the waterfall offers a good spot for panorama photo-take in case you are too lazy to climb to the hill top.

Citadella~
The struggle up the hill top brought us to Citadella. It was built to monitor Buda's inhabitants after the failed War of Independence. Since then, the building has been used as a prison camp and an anti-aircraft battery by German forces during World War II.
Still scarred by bullet holes, the building today houses a restaurant, café and a museum while the area around the Citadella commands some of the most breathtaking views of the city.

Liberation Monument (Felszabadulási Emlékmű)~
A short walk from the Citadel is the 14-metre high Liberation Monument commissioned by Admiral Horthy, Hungary's World War II dictator. The original design, which featured a female figure holding an aircraft propeller, was commissioned after the death of Horthy's son who was killed in a plane crash during World War II. It's said that when the Red Army arrived in 1945, a palm replaced the propeller and the monument came instead to symbolise liberation from Fascist rule. It was here that we took a short break, gulping away ice-cool cola while enjoying the fantastic views.

Funicular (Budavari Siklo)~
Descending down the hill was much easier but the prospect of having to climb another to Buda Castle brought shocking expressions to our faces. Thus, it was great relieve to have discovered the Funicular. The carriages are lovingly maintained, and although modern, have an antique look and design.

Ticket : HUF 650 (Up hill), HUF 450 (Down hill)

Turul Statue (Turul Szobor)~
The statue of the Turul hovers menacingly near the top of the funicular. This mythical Hungarian eagle, cast in bronze with wings outstretched, is said to have sired Almos the father of Arpad, who led the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin in the 9th century.

Royal Palace (Budavari Palota)~
We have now reached the top of Castle Hill. In contrary to its name, there is no castle here, just a Royal Palace. The streets at the top of the hill are the oldest in Budapest, dating to the Middle Ages when this community was a refuge from invading Mongols. Erected in the 14th century and rebuilt in Baroque style 400 years later, it was the residence of Hungarian kings for over 700 years.

Today it embraces the most visited museums and galleries in Budapest, such as the Budapest Historical Museum, Hungarian National Gallery and National Library. There have been palaces built here since the 13th century. However, they seem to have been frequently razed to the ground, most recently during the hand-to-hand fighting between the occupying Nazi and the liberating Russians towards the end of the Second World War. It has since been rebuilt in its original grand style.

Matthias Fountain (Matyas Kut)~
At the back of the palace, stands the intricately worked and majestic scene of King Matyas hunting. He is surrounded by his dogs with Szep Ilona (A peasant woman who fell in love with him unaware that he was the king) gazing up at him. At the onslaught of World War II, the statue was disassembled and parts of it were hidden in people's gardens for safety. It was only reassembled after the war.

Holy Trinity Square (Szentharomsag Ter)~
As we descend on Castle Hill we stumbled upon the Holy Trinity Square. Treated as just another snapshot item by most of the tourists, the solemn meaning behind the Holy Trinity column is often lost amidst the frantic clicking of camera shutters. It was built by Buda's Council in the early 18th century to serve as a lasting memorial to those who died in the devastating plague of 1691. At the foot of the column, the biblical King David is depicted praying for an end to the plague.


Matthias Church~
Just beside the square, you won’t miss the 800-year old Matthias Church with its Gothic spire and multi-colored tiled roof. This is where the nation's kings were crowned and royal weddings were held. Although looking like a Middle Age gothic structure, most of what you see today was built in the late 19th century, with a few earlier elements incorporated. In addition, its excellent acoustics make it a favorite venue for organ recitals and orchestral concerts.

Fisherman's Bastion~
Just behind the church, you will see the most beautiful structure in Budapest. With it’s snow white towers, you are more likely to associate the sight with fairy tales than with soldiers, although it is the latter who are the rightful users of a bastion. Well, try again. The funny thing is no one seems to know why this is so named as it has certainly never been called on to defend anything. Among others, a story goes that in the old days this was where the fishermen defended Castle Hill from.

Almost fairytale like in appearance, The Fishermen's Bastion is made up of seven round towers - each one symbolising the seven Magyar tribes that effectively gave rise to the nation a thousand years earlier. If I’m not mistaken, it looks exactly like Disney’s logo……don’t you think so?

Church of Saint Anne~
Down the fill, you will find St. Anne church. This is believed by many to be Budapest's finest Baroque church.
Its elegant well-proportioned exterior is matched inside by the high altar statues of the Virgin Mary and St Anne. The oval domed ceiling fresco is also worth checking out.

The Metro~
By now, we have more or less covered Buda area. Next is to go across the Danube river to conquer Pest instead. However, 2 hills in a few hours had really taken its toll on us. We were exhausted and one of us even had a bad blister. And so, it was decided to cut short the walking and happily hopped on to the Metro which took us to the Parliament building.
Metro Ticket : HUF 150

Parliament Building~
Like so many others buildings along the Pest bank of the Danube, the best view is actually from across the river. From there, we made full use of our digital camera’s analogue zoom to capture the best picture we could manage. It was so huge that, we did not take many pictures when we were actually near to the building.

The Parliament is the largest and most decorative building in the country. Nearly 300 yards long and containing 700 rooms, it is still the largest parliament building in Europe. During its construction in 1902, Hungary was three times the size it is now. It became smaller as a result of having been shared out after the First World War - when Hungary was on the losing side.

Statue of Imre Nagy (Nagy Imre Szobor)~
This fine bronze statue commemorates Imre Nagy, Prime Minister of Hungary immediately prior to the 1956 uprising. Nagy, who had tried to introduce a more relaxed form of Communism in the country took refuge in the Yugoslavian Embassy after the revolution had been crushed. Then, after being given false assurances of safe passage by the Soviets, Nagy was arrested as soon as he left the safety of the compound. He was executed two years later and quietly buried in an unmarked corner of the main Budapest cemetery.

St. Stephen's Basilica~
This church is said to be second in size only to St. Peter's in Rome and can allegedly hold 7,000 people. Well, that 7000 people must be real skinny coz it doesn’t look big at all.

One interesting fact to note is that the church claims it houses the Hungarian Christianity’s most important relic – the mummified right hand of the founder of the Hungarian State and Church, King Saint Stephen, which is paraded around the city on his name day.

Chain Bridge (Lánchíd Hid)~
As we took the Metro, we did not have the chance to walk across the Chain Bridge earlier. But, it was not to be missed. After a yummy dinner, we went back to the bridge for some night view snap shots.

This spectacular bridge has an equally spectacular history. It was the oldest of the 9 bridges linking the two cities of Buda and Pest. The project was started in 1842 and completed in 1849. The designer and engineer was Adam Clark - a perfectionist Scotsman who also built the tunnel under Castle Hill. The tunnel is exactly the same height and length as the bridge. One of the many anecdotes about these landmarks says that when it rains the Bridge can be pushed into the Tunnel to prevent it from getting wet!
We did a few more kilometers of walking around the city to enjoy the night view before we retired to our hostel.

Andrassy Ut~
The next day, we took to the main street, the most elegant boulevard in town, Andrassy Ut. It’s was constructed as part of the nation's millennium celebrations in 1896.

My first glance at it was impressive. Huge and beautiful buildings are separated from the main road by grassy traffic islands and tall trees lined the street, reflecting good urban planning. Too bad that it was Sunday as the street looked almost deserted.

Opera House~
Along the street, we came across the Opera House. The facade of the building is decorated with statues of 16 of the world's greatest composers including Monteverdi, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Bizet and Tchaikovsky.


Central Market Hall (Nagy Vásárcsarnok)~
We collected our car and and headed for Heroes Square but the road was blocked due to the Marathon event held on that day. While trying to take alternatives route, we got lost….yupppp…..I was the navigator :)

We were driving nearer to the Central Market instead and decided to stop over. The market is huge, covering the area of two football fields. It was too unfortunate that the market was closed on Sunday. Should have guessed :(

Autumn Marathon~
My mood was quickly lifted when I noticed swarms of sweaty people running in the distant. Yes, you got it right. It was the Marathon. As you know, jogging and marathon running has become a favourite sports activity. The Autumn Marathon, held annually provides an opportunity for thousands to prove their athletic skills and courage. It’s a nice race as it takes you around the most beautiful sites in Budapest.

Vaci Utca~
After the marathon (I followed and ran a short distance of 50 m haha), we dropped by the Vaci Ut street for some souvenirs hunting. This wonderful pedestrian-only street is lined with dozens of cafes, fancy shops and boutiques and some truly stunning architecture. Souvenir kiosks on the embankment offer postcards, T-shirts and dresses, or you can purchase from strolling women who sell handmade tablecloths, clothing n dolls. I thought I don’t have to spend so much in Budapest but this street crushed my hope :(
We had our lunch here…not very memorable though as it was expensive and tasted horrible.

Margaret Island (Margitsziget)~
It was planned for us to take a stroll in the park after lunch. The obvious choice will be Margaret Island. The most beautiful park in town is actually an island. Despite its central location, Margaret Island is extremely peaceful. The gardens, swimming pools, spa-hotels, tennis stadium, soccer stadium and 10,000 trees with rose-gardens make the island seem miles away from the bustle of a modern city. We spent some time here, took a stroll and watched the locals relax :)

Heroes' Square~
At last we arrived at Heroes Square after taking a long long tour around the city. Continuing from Andrassy Ut, it terminates opposite one of the best known groups of statues in Hungary, the Millenary Monument at Heroes’ Square. The centrepiece is a 36 metre Corinthian column supporting a 16-foot statue of Archangel Gabriel. In his right hand he is holding the holy Hungarian crown, and in his left the double Apostolic cross – just as he is supposed to have appeared in a dream to Hungary’s first king. At the foot of the column, stood seven statues representing the tribal chiefs of the seven Magyar tribes who settled in this area supposedly in AD 896. The square is embraced by two semi-circular colonnades, bedecked with statues of the most illustrious rulers in Hungarian History.

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Munich, Germany

Coming up...