My last 3 hours in Prague

Prague - the capital of Czech Republic.

The ignorant monkey never knew that this is the land of the bohemians. People always like to associate bohemians and hippies in the same sentence but how come nobody ever told me Bohemia is really Czech? Finally I have unknowingly stumbled upon a pilgrimage to this land of arts music and culture.


Loreta of Prague - home of anal retentive upholders of no-photography rules, ostentatious religious relics and the famous legend of Casa de Santa Maria where angels supposedly moved the house of Virgin Mary to Loreta. Photo by Monkey

Apparently it's very catholicy as well. Only too many churches and one too many religious sites. But the good thing about this is that monks with nothing better to do than to study the world around us resulted in a fantastic monastary with a superb library collection dating back 400-500 years ago! It was so spectacular. I bought myself a copy of a map of europe as a "virgin" lol.

There is so much I can say but I think I shall leave it to another time since it's my last 3 hours in Prague and I have hardly packed. Enjoying the last minutes of this luxurious 5-star spa hotel that used to be an orphanage which we stayed at for the last 2 nights. Speaking of which, this just reminded me that i have yet to take any photo of my luxurious room! Oh well too late. It looks like a big mess now. Hardly a fair representation of this great room. Still, some things can't be documented, like the superb chocolate they give complimentary every day or the free wine tasting of czech reds and whites every evening.

Prague is indeed an out of this world experience. The prague state opera house and the night time revellers going about their drunken partying. The hordes of tourists during labour day weekend that I've never ever seen so many tourists in person at one destination ever in my life!

Still, another tale for another day. For now, I will go feast on my chocolates and grapes and relish this last moments before we head back to Dresden, Germany - the previous capital of the communist German Democratic Republic, otherwise generically known to us as "East Germany".

Thursday 26 April 2007

The overnight sleeper train to Warsaw, Poland was delayed at Hanover, the “trade city of Germany” due to engine failure and was stranded there for 5 hours while we wonder foolishly if it was not moving in order for us to sleep.

Finally, the train moved out of Hanover at 4.30am and arrived at Warsaw at 1.30pm. I never got a chance to bath on the train as expected but I begin to wonder if train rides induce bowel movements in the monkey. Scenes along the way were filled with yellow fields of rapeseed flowers, brick cottages or tidy rows of pine plantations. The funniest moment was when we reached the border town of Frankfurt/oder between Germany and Poland. At first I was confused why we were pulling up at “Frankfurt” since it was nowhere near East Germany. Then I found out that there are many Frankfurts in Germany and one of them is the border own of Frankfurt near the Oder River where the boundary between Poland and Germany lies. At the Frankfurt Station, suddenly two uniformed officer came up the train. Thinking they were trying to check my tickets when I had none on me and was sitting in a carriage I don’t belong in, I quickly evacuated back to my room. However, it turned out they were immigrations officers from Germany trying to check our passport. After they stamped our passports with a choochoo symbol, polish officers came to gave us their stamp of entry. All in all, it was an interesting experience.

The central Warsaw train station was almost abandoned when we arrived but we begin to realize this was only applicable on our particular platform. The whole station was bustling and it reminded me of Malaysia’s KL bus terminal. It was filled with little shops selling everything we might find in little mama shops in Singapore. It especially reminds me of the shops on the bridge linking Clifford Pier with Change Alley!

We waited for a while at the train station to sort out logistic issues but encountered the cutest little girl doing the most repulsive thing ever – begging. Sigh. I guess this is remnant from the communist regime and now the capitalist system is making the poor poorer and the rich richer. Apparently, Warsaw is pricier than even Munich and is on par with Paris while the poor people are digging their own coal and making their own gasoline.

I think the people here speaks English more than in Germany and quite well too. It’s probably from the large amount of tourists they get. Everywhere in Old Town Warsaw, a UNESCO world heritage site, where we are staying for the night, tourists littered the streets and squares. It’s an old fort filled with immaculately post-war reconstructed buildings that are so charming that monkey has fallen in love at first sight. My sister compared it to Venice. There were so many musicians busking in the streets and we couldn’t help but admire how Poland and the Polish people excel tremendously in the arts and culture. We had dinner at an “authentic” polish restaurant in a cellar with painted walls and ceilings right out of the baroque period. It was so beautiful I could live in Old Town Warsaw forever. There were also locals but at the restaurants, every single customer had donned suits and ties while we were in tshirts jeans and sandals. Still, the waiters were wonderful and the food delectable. Our serving waiter even took a photo with us on his own accord! Brilliant!

Reality sets in when you walk out of the old fort walls of Old Town and into modern Warsaw. The contrast was stark and almost ugly. We walked along the half-canalized river that runs through the city and we couldn’t appreciate Old Town more.

For now, it’s rest for the monkey at our service apartment at the edge of Old Town, 3km away from the main downtown city area of Warsaw. Tomorrow, more exploring of Warsaw followed by a night train to Prague in Czech Republic. Hopefully there will be no more delays!

Alster Pictorial

Feenteich - millionaires properties, most sought after in Hamburg

For a selection of photos from Alster and of Hamburg, see my Hamburg flickr set.



Where and What is the Alster?


Green Arrow marks our home and the Alster lake right there. Above photo taken at Feenteich.

The Alster is a 53 km long right tributary of the river Elbe in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg in the village of Kisdorferwohld in Schleswig-Holstein, approximately 25km north of Hamburg. The Alster flows roughly southwards and reaches the Elbe in Hamburg, which was founded on its shore. In the centre of Hamburg the Alster has been dammed since 1190, originally to power a watermill. In 1235 a further dam was built for a second mill, which changed the form of the river to be like a lake. The Alster forms two artificial lakes within the city limits of Hamburg, the larger called Außenalster (outer Alster) and the smaller Binnenalster (inner Alster). Today these lakes and the surrounding parks serve as an important recreational area in the heart of the city.
Source: Wikipedia

On our last day in Germany we will be doing a dusk boat tour of the Alster.

Around the Alster

Jetlagged and exhausted from no rest on the overnight flight yesterday, it was almost as if we were running away from the rising sun.


We stay on hamburger street

We arrived at 9am after catching a KLM cityhopper at Amsterdam to Hamburg but it felt as if it were 4pm already. Straightaway after putting down our bags, we went for a long walk around the Alster Lake of Hamburg. Cherry blosooms lined the road. It was so beautiful but we were all so exhausted that after 2 hours, it was almost agony.


Cherry Blosooms everywhere

Still, we couldn't resist taking photos at every tree and it took us forever and finally decided to take a ferry across the lake instead. There were dogs everywhere and even dogs on the ferry. Dogs running free behind their owners. Dog meadows that stink like poo and poo everywhere on the street.


Buying ticket on the ferry across the Alster

After that we headed down to the old city and had lunch at an italian fish place that's been in business since 1895! The menu changes daily and yesterday lunch was salmon with a red sauce on fetuccini(?) with zuchini sauce. It was infinitely salty and we didn't enjoy it much so forgot all about taking photos. It was sad that we didn't get a good menu because on other days, it's heaven on earth. Hopefully I'll get to eat there again in my lifetime on a good menu day. And all that, for 5.50euro which we cannot even finish.

Tip for the future: Germans eat salt like water and food portions are so big that it's wise to order 2 plates for 4 persons.


Est since 1895


Romantic Dining amongst history, al fresco style


A single scoop ice cream!

One other thing, there are icecream or eis shops everywhere that we probably felt full from eating so much icecream! we had a waffle cone with 1-2 scoops before lunch and right after lunch! Normal germans have at least 2 scoops and we were an oddity asking for just one giant one.


Tulips at the botanical gardens

We walked over to the botanical gardens for more flower photos with our ice cream, resting at the bench, looking at the Alster(?) bird and catching up. I miss my sister, even though we do argue but hey we miss that too!

From there we were so tired and in need of a toilet that we began a toilet hunt. Toilets are not free here and it cost around .50euro for entry. So instead, we took a s-bahn, a train, to downtown and went to a shopping mall in search of toilets. It was very nice and we didn't pay because we pretended to be customers. lol Tricks to finding free toilets in Germany.


Electronic Bus Timing board

Taking the bus was an interesting experienced. They have electronic signboards with the time of arrival for buses but it's not very accurate. Bus and Trains operate on an honor system which means that nobody check if you have a ticket or not. But they do have surprise checks by plainclothes conductors that spring on you for a show of ticket. Luckily we have a 5 people group pass for 3 days.


Inside the Rathaus, or City Hall

We visited the city hall or Rathaus and it's sad that there are no tours till after April 29 so we have to come back on our own when my sis is in Kassel at the end of the trip. Took some photos and then dragged our exhausted selves to the U-bahn which is the MRT back home.


The S-Bahn

Rested, we took the U-bahn again to Ohlstedt where the in-laws live and had dinner with them in their new house. My brother-in-law's nephew is 4.5years old but looks 10 and I keep talking to him like he's 10 but he responds like he's 4 which confuses me. He's younger than my nephew but is 2 times taller. ARGH! So freaky. His sister is 9 and so sweet and pretty :)

Luckily my BIL drove us home and I knocked out the minute I got back.

Now I got to go bath and off for another day of adventure before night train to warsaw tomorrow. Too bad it' raining today but hopefully tomorrow's fine and we're take the harbour tour tomorrow!

Airport Blogging Ritual

As usual, blogging from Changi Airport, this time at the computer terminal near the escalators going down to the arrival hall at Terminal 1. Bit of deja vu, I seem to have blogged from this very terminal before, a few years ago.

Unfortunately, this time, I am plagued with diarrhea, as are my parents. Oh well, hope all is fine before and when we reach Hamburg.

Travelling with family is always difficult but hopefully I don't blow my top this time. Dad seems to be ill as well. I am really praying that this goes smoothly.

So far, check in is alright, the kids were naughty as ever sending us off at the airport. Dinner of Kong Pa Bao is probably our last semblance of authentic asian cuisine before we dive into germanic diets.

The next time I blog I will be at my sister's house on hamburger street. :)

Tschus!

Achtung Deutschland!

Read: Attention Germany!
Monkey will be descending on the Fatherland on Monday morning via the party town of Amsterdam.

The itinerary is as follows:

Monday 23 April 2007
Hamburg

Tuesday 24 April 2007
Flensburg/North Germany

Wednesday 25 April 2007
Sylt
Overnight Train to Warsaw, Poland

Thursday 26 April 2007
Warsaw

Friday 27 April 2007
Warsaw
Overnight Train to Prague

Saturday 28 April 2007
Arrive Prague

Sunday 29 April 2007
Prague

Monday 30 April 2007
Prague
Train to Dresden, Germany

Tuesday 1 May 2007
Dresden

Wednesday 2 May 2007
Dresden
Meissen
Berlin

Thursday 3 May 2007
Berlin

Friday 4 May 2007
Potsdam
Hamburg

Saturday 5 May 2007
Kassel
Alster Boat tour

Sunday 6 May 2007
Hamburg

Monday 7 May 2007
Singapore

Upcoming Travels

22 April to 7 May
Germany, Poland, Czech Republic


19 May to 27 May*
Northeastern China and North Korea


May 2007**
Buying Trip at BKK

Unconfirmed but might need to go make some purchases for people. 50% off air tickets to Bangkok if travel date between 3-29 May. However this trip will not materialize if I cannot resell for around USD$20

9 July to 11 July*
Resort hideaway with W
Possibly Bintan***

Am desperately looking for anything with a private pool or jacuzzi with sea view pref. Any recommendations? Has to be cheaper than USD$300 per night. Travel must be cheaper than USD$100 per person.

* unconfirmed dates
** unconfirmed travel
*** unconfirmed destination