High up somewhere... somehow... there happens to be a castle there for everyone.... one that u might have thought about when u are in school
daydreaming... one that u might have pretended while u were playing in kindergarten.. one that along the way u woke up... growing up you
somehow forgotten... but when u close ur eyes it starts again... thinking of it... living it... fulfilling it... building that castle even
if
its jus in the Clouds...
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Update of photos...
Alvin Says...
I am currently uploading the berlin photos into flickr... as they cannot contain too much of our photos.... some of the older ones will be deleted off to make space for newer ones.... cheerrssss
21/04/2008 - 26/04/2008 Beautiful week in Berlin...
Alvin sayss.... deepest apologies to a week long blog of berlin done together... as its too nice and comprehend... and only jus woke up from dreamland as we are leaving berlin tomoro morning to Munich....
when first landed in berlin... first impression was... nice big... spacey... from the airport we headed off to take the train over to our hostel... scenes change from empty lands to ruin city... to buildings under constructions... to grafitti on walls... very industrial... so what disappointed by first impression actually.... on leaving our stuff and resting for a day( as it was my birthday )... we came to enjoy the beauty of berlin.... berlin gives a feel that she had seen alot... been through alot... and her charms and beauty comes from that of experiences... After going thru alot... she begining to enjoy your fruits...
First.. enjoy the aged beauty of berlin... alThough alot of it is under recontruction... and restoration...
Then we enjoy the modern and the new comtemperary side of berlin.... full of self expression... full of life.. yet still a touch of the gloom that shadows over from the past....
Lastly... we enjoy the new... fresh.. untouched by what had happened before... enjoying the fruits of those that paid before....
Actually frankly... i enjoyed my stay in berlin... its somewhat peaceful... its like no one is rushing no where... though a big city... there isnt really alot of ppl crowding the streets... a very easy place to come to settle and relax... compared with london... its like a totally diff place... not the young and exciting kind... but calm and charming in her own right....
WHY WHY!!!!! a week only......... lol... anyway sorry for the short write up of the place... as more time is spent enjoying the place then writing bout it lol.... and also more things are better showed and felt then told and listened...
Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to me... sing sing...
first time having my birthday in europe.... lol... lots of drama... as we got loss in the heart of london.... following by missing our bus to go to the airport... but guess what... we are in berlin... enjoying birthday alvin.... no major celebration but have a great lunch... but not after the waitress brought us a non-german menu for us to order... lol
basically a slack slack first day... doing supermarketing and settling in into beautiful berlin... cheersss.... p.s. Wish to have many more greats birthdays ahead... and many belated birthday present when i come back... or kindly mail to Munich... lol
Goodbye Winter London and Hello to Spring in Berlin
Jen says: Danke = Thank You Ausgang = Exit Berlin is a city covered with graffiti that's my first thought when I caught the train to the hostel. Back home, we will see it as vandalism but here it is her style, her character. Charming old lady is the term I will used to describe Berlin. Simple, nostalgic yet charming in her own way.
The way of life of Berliner 1. Berliners cycle to work and everywhere. Not like Londoners on stylish bikes and tight bike gears, theirs are the simple one with a basket at the front in their work clothes in leather shoes or boots. There are even bicycle tracks on the road or pavement. We are not used to it and was "honked" at a couple of times and cyclists cursing in German. Haha..
2. Berliners are big in recycling too but mainly on bottles. Reason being, when you buy mineral water or beer in the supermarkets they charged you extra for the bottles at €0.15 each. We too become "rag & bone" collecting our bottles and going to this machine at the supermarket. Once you put the bottles in, a receipt will be issued stating the amount, thereafter it will be credited off your bill. Locals are dragging or pulling the bottles on a bandwagon to the supermarket. If we have this system back in Singapore, our mothers/grandmas will be collecting bags of bottles to save on the supermarketing expenses. Costs of Mineral water or Beer or Coke = Less than €1. Wine = Less than €3. P.S. Sarah, fly here and meet me!! 3. There are no ticket barriers in Berlin's underground network. You simply go down the stairs and you are right there at the platform. There is a machine for you to buy your ticket by zone (AB, BC or ABC). AB zone costs €1.30 regardless you take 1 or 10 stops. You must validate your ticket to stamp the time and departure station. Only the honest and righteous beings will! The doors to the trains are not automated and you need to lift your finger, stretch out your finger and press! Honestly, you can finish Berlin in 4-5 days as the attractions are concentrated in a few areas. Why we are taking 7 days? We are taking it slow and soaking in Berlin bit by bit. =) This is a long entry as we have been in Berlin for 5 days with no blog entry.
Berliner Dom is a Magnificent cathedral with a large, impressive Sauer organ. You have to hear the hymn played on the organ at evening service recorded on video.
The other must-do is to exit the cathedral and re-enter by the side door. Climbed 276 steps and be greeted with a closer look of the dome, finally a view outside the dome at this circled level.
They called it the museum island as it consists of a few museums closely situated. On every Thursday after 6pm, it is Free. We went to Museumasinsel to visit Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection. The exhibition gives an idea of the continuity and transformation that took place in ancient Egyptian culture over four millennia.
An interesting place to visit is Tacheles, an eye-opener, an arthouse in the ruins of a former department store. Tacheles provides exhibition space for contemporary artists, a forum for the experimental theatre scene, and a cinema that specialises in seldom-shown films with sofa seats. The whole area was in graffiti and I hesitated to step in when we were there. It looks like an abandoned site. Look at the pictures and you will understand what I meant. However, I was too fast to make judgement. I actually enjoyed sitting there drinking beer and taking in the art. The studios house many aspiring artists in their own arena.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is the central place for remembrance. And what Alvin and I did was incorrigible!! We played hide and seek! It is a memorial of 2,711 concrete blocks of different heights, structured in a grid pattern. We are sorry!
The Berlin Wall was the symbol of the Cold War- a symbol of a divided city, a divided nation, a divided Europe and a divided world. The wall separated Germany into the East & West and started a chapter in German history. Not much of the wall is left and on the tourist map it is named “East Side Gallery”. It is indeed an art gallery with pictures and messages depicting the artists’ thoughts and feelings of the past, present and future.
Berlin is my favourite city so far. Like a Vespa so appealing with a charming air to it.
Drank lots of beer and ate lots of sausages! It is time to say goodbye to Berlin and we are heading to Munich tomorrow.
[In one piece for 20 days]
spoke at : 7:54 PM
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
19/04/2008.... 20/04/2008.... Leaving London
Alvin sayss..... "First London.. then the World..."
Coming to an end for our first leg of our journey... rather sad to leave london only when its getting comfortable... but i guess thats that... some what relief to leave as well (dun ask)... lol...
it had been a great 2 weeekss... Big Ben... London Eye... Musical... Canterbury... STONEHENGE... Cathedral... Cathedral... Cathedral... lol.. joking... Markets.. Marketss.. Marketsss.. Food list:... Fish and Chips... Sausage and mash... pasty... bread... bread.. bread... Mac... Mac.. KFC...
but actually what most interesting bout london that i enjoy is the ppl.... i guess no where else in the world u can find such a gathering of ppl... ppl from all nationality... i guess u could say that i see more foreigns then londeners... i bet there is like half the world's nationalities are here... u can easily meet the whole UN here... interestingly i guess its reflected on the things that comes from there... art.. fashion... i guess after going there.. the sights aint that impt... to truely experience london u have to meet and talk to the ppl... i guess whats all those bars are for... lol.... Loving it... but "im leaving on a jet plane.. dun know when i'll be back again....." sob.... Alvin signing out from london.. on to Berlin
18/04/2008… Highlight of the week… Gone with the wind….
Alvin saysss…. What a night…
Finally… after seeing posters… theatres.. LES MIS… SOUND OF MUSIC… JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT… CHICAGO… ETC ETC.ETC… so many more… finally I get to go for one…. theatre at west end… not the best of seat… but what u want for 17.50 pound… actually still cost quite abit considering sg dollars… but its an experience not to be miss…
GONE WITH THE WIND… classic story being brought into theatre… it was a preview that we are watching.. so no one else have watched it yet I guess… and It was great… and also very long.. 3 and a half hour I think… never watched a 3 hour musical before… but the songs were great… the black singers was amazing… it was by the same guy that brought to u CATS for ur info… What a night… cheerssss P.s... reviews havent been too good to the production...lol... maybe i am jus obsess bout going.. lol
I have always love going to Musical back home. Phantom of the Opera, Forbidden City, Chang & Eng, Grease, Saturday Night Fever...
I almost fainted when they have Les Miserables, Chicago, Wicked in London and many more.. Oh they even brought Lord of the Rings to stage. I want to watch them all but I can't afford the tickets for this nature of travel. I will go back London one day. It is safe, non-racism, everything in English but I just don't really like the chilly weather and multipying everything by 3.
We caught "Gone with the Wind" preview under peer pressure haha. It is like we wanted to catch a musical in London and our friend is interested in this and hey £17.50 for experience why not? Even though I have no idea what "Gone with the Wind" is about. Did some research online before the musical and so it is one of the greatest love stories of all time and it is set during the Civil War. Ok we are going with an open mind.
A 3 and 1/2 hour musical for £17.50 very worthwhile, some might say. Our friends fell asleep and missed bits and pieces of the story. We stayed up but it wasn't those fantastic one with outstanding leads and songs stuck to your head for days. It is an experience nevertheless.
We went to a pub for dinner before the musical. We wanted to try some English food and beer. We shared a sauage & mash. Yummy! When i wanted to snap a picture of it, it has been devoured beyond recognition so sorry. The beer I had was good Apple Cider. Refreshing. Damage: £13 for a good night out.
Behold the king and queen of this castle... kneel and be knighted... and join into the leagues of the dreamers...
please do leave a tag at the board. plenty of loves, have fun at the rainbow!
