Holy Cheese, Batman, Zurich is in-spired!

This is a lovely city. I did not attempt to do too much - my map had a walking tour around the old town, so I just followed that.

Oh but my first evening - I wanted a bank to take out some Swiss Francs. Yes, that's right, a bank in Zurich, I mean there are hundreds of them here, but do any have ATMs? I walked for ages down the main deserted city shopping boulevard before I finally found a series of ATMs inside a well-lit lobby. Walking back along the next street more directly to the hotel, I think I then passed several, of course! It's just as well the walk was rather prettily lit for Christmas.

The lights twinkle from top to bottom, so they look like rain. I rather like the cascading effect - they are here in Lugano also, so perhaps they are a Swiss thing, generally? Switzerland is very neat and orderly and expensive! Eating here, even in a regular pizzeria costs a bomb... maybe I shouldn't have made that avoidance of fast food chains promise after all? Although I haven't looked at whether their prices are equally high.

So it's just as well that my darling hotel owners, rang me to say that breakfast would end in 30 minutes, and would I like to have breakfast brought up to my room for me if I wasn't yet ready?! (one meal less to purchase!) Yeah. Been either getting up in the dark early to travel (often on 4-5 hour's sleep) or sleeping in to catch up. And there isn't any light until after 8am anyway... So, this was a sleep in day. But even when I left the hotel (around noon) it was still rather misty and grey, although the cloud burnt off and we had lovely blue skies in the afternoon.

I crossed the river back towards the railway station and the main shopping street I had wandered down the previous day. My walking tour took me around the old town, which is so picturesque...

... and where many people were photographing this lovely fountain which a nearby florist had filled with roses.

The road went ever upwards towards a lovely little park - Lindenhof - on the original Roman fort which provided these magnificent views of more of the old town.

Including Zurich's iconic double domed Great Minster church, looking all misty in the winter light.

The streets were all narrow and winding with uneven cobbles and delightful little squares that would suddenly appear.

Even with a map, it was impossible to know if you were on the street the tour recommended... at least the cathedral spires were easy to spot to ensure I was walking in the right general direction. I continued along the riverbank through the old fisherman's area (Schipfe) which had fantastic stone houses with marble columns creating a verandah/cover that felt quite medieval to wander along. Next stop: St Peter's - the church with the largest clock face in Europe. Here's a better photo of it from the other side of the river - even I can see it's 10-to-2 from this distance!

In the cloisters at its side was a rather large mural. This panel caught my attention - no idea which sacred story it was referring to, but I couldn't help but think of the patronus in Harry Potter! ;-)

Near St Peter's is another amazing gothic church - FrauMünster - which has the most fantastic stained glass windows designed by Chagall in five amazing colours. No photos are allowed... oops, I was only checking my phone for messages... (could only sneak in the top half of the windows from where I was, back in the pews).

I bought a postcard of them, as they really were quite beautiful. I then crossed the river back over to the Great Minster: 

I took lots of photos from this great vantage point - loving the distant silhouettes of trams crossing the farther bridge near a small pier and a circus tent, looking towards Lake Zurich. They really have it all, here! ;-)

A little further on, almost back near my hotel, was a funicular (there are lots of those in Switzerland!) - a cable car that went up to this lookout about the city. Now closer to 4.30pm, I caught the sun setting over the city's spires that I had earlier visited.

While the crowds are not so bad travelling this time of year, the short days are annoying for sightseeing, especially if, like me, you are prone to sleep in during the cold, dark, mornings.

But then, it is probably just as well I had a reasonably quiet day, as the following one had an early train ride crossing Switzerland from north to south as I headed to Lugano, down in the lake district that borders Italy - a gorgeous area and a photographer's dream... expect a fair few photos in the next post. Until then... Aveline. xxx

Achtung, Baby!

Well, at last a post about Berlin. Everyone said how great this city was and how much they liked it... and I was dubious at first. I just couldn't get a feel for it. It is such a different vibe from Amsterdam... in fact I am trying to pin a single word on each city I have visited...

London - Tradition
Paris - Chic
Amsterdam - Quaint
Berlin - Stately
Zurich - Precision

I didn't really pay much attention to booking my hotel. But I am in a great location in what would have been central East Berlin (behind the former wall).

I am not sure how much renovating occurred post reunification, but I feel that Stalin most definitely did the better land-grab in the 40's with the east. The wide avenues and stately buildings all seem to have existed on this side of the wall. Were they very run down by the 90's, I wonder? There are certainly so many cranes and scaffoldings that the framing of many of my photos will seem a little odd - just to avoid these eye sores where I can.

I understand too why this would be the home of punk, of rebellion, of an underground of alternatives. So much seems to be cordoned off - almost a legacy to the wall. While wandering around, I was constantly forced to backtrack, circumvent, detour, deviate. So much straight and narrow is bound to elicit a whirlpool of ideas. 

All this circumspection is by way of not being able to upload photos while in Berlin. My laptop just went a bit crazy. Once I left it worked again fine - most bizarre! So herewith some photos of Berlin.

I was lucky to catch one of the many Christmas Markets before they closed down. This one I happened upon on my way to the Subway station. It was one of the best markets I've ever been too. I could have bought something on every, and I mean every, single stall. Amazing quality products, which certainly made me regret the carry-on luggage choice. I compromised with a hat - probably not the wisest of choices, as it is a felt bowler style, and one more thing I need to carry in transit now!

Otherwise, I did not do much in this city - mostly walked around and looked at things that were closed for the holiday season - lots of fresh icy air, and maybe strolling/walking around 6km a day (which may not sound much, but is 5.5km more than my normal day at home...). I was close to Museum Island with its amazingly grandiose and monumental buildings.

And enjoyed the stroll from there down to the Brandenburg Gate:

Which was looking particularly festive. And before you think it took me all day to get there - remember it is dark by 4pm here at the moment...

I must confess I became a bit wall-obsessed while in Berlin. There are only a few places left with some of the wall still standing - and the wide perimeters and no-man's-land that surrounded it is either built over or left as parkland. I walked a few blocks from the hotel to the Wall Memorial - an interesting street by a cemetery and church - the wall originally going through the former. The church was demolished in the 80s, ironically being situated on the communist side of the wall.

 Here's the view of part of the memorial looking from east to west Berlin.

And a section still standing in the area.

Understandably, the residents could not demolish it quickly enough in the excitement of the reunification. I am glad someone thought to preserve some of the wall - even if reassembled slightly to one side of its original location.

Berlin is also one of the greenest of European cities, with a large number of (large) parks. Well rugged up, I walked from one side to the other of this central one - the Tiergarten. It's starkness kind of suited my mood.

And while the UK and northern Europe was suffering from floods and terrible storms, we had blue skies and fluffy white clouds, seen here above the Victory Column!

As I had a day ticket on the subway, I interspersed my trekking (and warmed up) with rides between some of the more famous sites. This one, the bombed fragments of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is near the zoological gardens (which I walked around when crossing the Tiergarten).



And here we see East Berlin skylines against West Berlin skylines in Potsdamer Place - which originally had the wall go through it.

There are few iconic things about Berlin. Firstly, there are the photobooths (originals from the 1970s). Did I not look so pathetic, I would have spent 2 euros on a set of black and white photos. A very worthy trip reminder for those wanting reminding... Then there are the Trabants. I think this place does joy rides in them - not that their owners behind the iron curtain ever got any joy from them. The standard joke was when you filled the tank, you doubled the car's value!

There are also the currywurst and bratwurst sausage places, and the mulled wine stalls - I tried both - to keep up my strength of course on my way to Checkpoint Charlie, where there is another part of the standing wall.

I managed to add another stamp to my passport here - I now have a page with Rapa Nui, Machu Picchu, and Checkpoint Charlie stamps on it! (By the way the original checkpoint is in a museum  - this is a replica opened in 2000!).

I enjoyed the irony that the first thing you see when entering the "free world" is a McDonalds!

And somehow, I think this famous sign says a lot about America's priorities in West Berlin - you'll notice that the German translation (remember we ARE in Germany) is almost an afterthought at the bottom...

On Christmas Eve everything closed early. Which was a pity, as I had planned to visit the Charlottenburg Palace. Well, I went anyway (at least the trains were running and warm) and gazed at it through the gates. Wandered around the grounds a little, then caught a few more trains to look at more of Berlin from the comfort and warmth of a carriage.

Christmas Day - I spent 9 hours on trains travelling from the north east to the south west of Germany. And then Boxing Day in Konstanz was not much better. It rained, was cold, and everything was closed. Gosh, look at the crowds in the main Market Square...

I think I saw more ducks than people around the lake...

I was so bored, I made this arty photo... it's not half bad actually (cross-processed filter added).

My German is non-existent, except for thank you and goodbye- oh and eine glüwein... I am quite taken with this spiced wine, which they serve steaming hot and fragrant and with a Speculaa - one of my favourite spiced biscuits. It seems bizarre to dunk a biscuit in wine, but it actually complements the flavour quite nicely.

I am rather behind on my posts... about to leave Zurich for Lugano, and quite rapidly running out of steam. I keep telling myself to keep it brief, but even picking a handful of photos seems to elicit lengthy amounts of prose.

My apologies for both quantity and quality - until next time... Aveline. xxx

Bah Humbug! (or Lessons Learnt from Travel)

My dear friends,

those of you not on Twitter or Facebook will not have heard my sad news. The man who has had my heart for the last 18 months, who I loved like nobody before, passed away on the 19th December. While he has been seriously ill since March, I still had hope (as did he) of a recovery and return. My world has been devastated, and it is only the routine of travel that allows me to put one foot in front of the other at the moment.

So you will forgive me if my posts are tinged a little by grief and a lack of enthusiasm. I will try and continue to document my activities and to take photos - although I did little to contribute to either over the last two days. I had, however, written the post below but not uploaded it. The final thoughts seems rather prescient now...

---------
LONDON - December 2013.

So, here I am again in the home of Doctor Who - having sadly missed by three days, the BBC iPlayer window of opportunity to catch the Doctor's 50th Anniversary episode which aired over a week ago here (and will no doubt miss its airing before I arrive home in Oz!). Talk about being trapped between worlds. But travel is like that. Never quite in one world or the other.

And talking about the Doctor, we always assume that should we invent a time machine we would want to go and look at the future, or even investigate what really happened in the past. But I think the best use of a time machine would be to make time stand still. How wonderful it would be to leave Washington at 10pm and arrive in London at 10pm - no jetlag, no time wasted getting between point A and point B. No screaming baby for six hours...

I have now flown eighteen flights in 8 weeks. I suppose I have been quite lucky given the time of year that there has only been one substantial flight delay (but let us not talk of Argentina - it was a disaster from start to finish!). And weather wise, central America was actually the worst with all its tropical rain and humidity. It literally put a dampener on that trip! Although, I then managed to get in and out of the US just before the weather shut down the very airports I was in. The prize, though, goes to Washington DC as the most bizarre - in four days I had blue sky and sunshine, pelting cold rain, fluffy snow followed by hail and slush, and then fog!

Physically, I feel much fitter - but then lugging 10 kilos of luggage up and down stairs, across the kilometres of airport walkways, and just standing with it on your shoulders for hours in a queue will do that! But I also feel quite weary. Sleep patterns are frequently disrupted, especially by overnight travel, and each room has different noises, lights, configurations - bed legs in waiting to break a toe (it now aches in the cold and rainy weather)! The longest I have made use of the one bed was for 7 nights in New York - and that had to be the bedroom with no window, in the coldest and darkest city I had been to yet (okay, it had a semblance of a window that looked onto a ladder in a lightwell...).

I think it's worth recording these things - because after we have travelled, these are the memories that fade. We tend to forget the time wasted sorting out everyday things:

• The broken phone. RIP (and the $300 to replace it!);
• The broken toe. Not helped by a 30 minute uphill tropical mountain trek the next day to look at a half-grown coffee plant... not even I like coffee that much!
• The bitch of a room-mate (for two nights) who got everything her way. I won't say more, I will believe in karma...
• Wifi that is so slow it is criminal to advertise you have it! (Yet I still waste time trying to get it to work...);
• Safes that won't open, so you have to hang around in the room while several men drill into it; 
• Getting stuck in the lift, fortunately with a tradie who had a cell phone (and I had the card just handed me in the lobby so he could ring them!)
• Post offices that are never where people direct you to - and when you do find them, that take four attempts to complete and send a parcel (at an excessive cost). Parcels not ordered online, are truly a bygone technology; 
• Laundry that you "think" has been washed - that they claim has been washed, although you're sure you could do a better job in the sink yourself; 
• Sandfly bites that you still have (and occasionally still itch) months after the event;
• Deciding that it's ok to get felt up by the New York jewish corsetry lady, even though the bank decided it wasn't and stopped my credit card for the experience (yeah, thanks Westpac!).
• Discovering that privatised telecommunications means you never have the right company on your hotel phone or mobile phone to make a collect call to an Australian bank...
• Getting the phone bill for receiving said call from the bank ($20 for 8 minutes). Yeah, thanks Telstra!
• Toilets that won't flush because in your absent-mindedness you forgot and put paper in it, and not in the bin... (it was almost force of habit by the time I got to the US to look for the bin!);
• Water that runs out mid-shower, so you are condemned to spend the day all in a lather (literally!);
• Rude waiters, indifferent flight crew, bored tour guides...

Even now, the memories are fading! Which is probably as well. When we remember our travels, it's with pictures of fantastic sights and amazing experiences. But I think it is this voyeuristic lifestyle that after a while makes the traveller even more of an outsider. Of course it's easier to see a culture from the outside, and easier to compare when you have seen many cultures - the comparison is not just to "at home" but to a wider range of experiences, which you'll never have if you stay on the tourist bus.

By far the more rewarding travel is getting to see someone's house, their job, their families, their parties. The things that are never included in a tour, but that you often get the chance to participate in or glimpse by accident. Sadly, in the interest of safety (and my mother getting some sleep in 3 months) I have declined the various invitations to people's houses (I think one lunch invitation might have been a veiled marriage proposal - the taxi driver kept coming back to the fact that I would pay less tax if I were married... huh?)

I was asked by my American friend how the US compared, particularly to South America, and to Cuba. I think my answer surprised her. We are so consumed with having things, and yet the people that seemed genuinely happiest on my travels had very little. I see few happy faces in "Western" cities - perhaps that is the influence of this so-called "silly season". Or perhaps people in poorer countries just appreciated more what they had to struggle to get. It is a universal truth that we only appreciate what we have not always had (and often only once we've lost it).

I am sure they would not write a post whinging about such a unique experience of travelling around the world! And it has certainly not been bad (is that the same as being good?). After all, I've discovered that I don't like jungle holidays, or beach holidays very much. That I had some unforseen morbid fear of swimming with stingrays (I got in eventually... when there were less of them to tread on!). The  challenges have often been the innocuous things - like stepping up into a mini-van that's too high for your short legs - and strangely not customs, immigration, money, accommodation, even though they have all presented their own problems.  I don't know when I started thinking more about the things I can't do, rather than can do, but that is something I will work on. So. If I am learning, then it has been worthwhile. We can't ask for more, really, hmm?

So a Merry Christmas to all. I am spending mine on a train for 7 hours crossing Germany. Be thankful for what you have, be it much or little, and I thank you for taking the time to read this post. Season's cheer! Aveline. xxx

If it's Monday, it's Paris...

Uh oh! I got a bit confused this week.

I thought my train to Paris was on Tuesday the 16th... um, turns out that Monday was the 16th! So, yes, I missed my train to Paris. Or more embarrassingly, I turned up on Tuesday and couldn't get my ticket to scan, until the attendant pointed out that it was yesterday's ticket! D'Oh!

And as the ticket was a cheap, non-refundable one, I had to buy another at full price and forego one night's accommodation in Paris - and worse still, my only full day in Paris. In the end I had one afternoon there before heading off the next morning (having triple checked the dates) for Amsterdam.

I think I've been on the road too long.

Still, only one booboo in three months, and one that was easily rectified (it's only money, right?). So all I did in Paris was wander around and take some pictures. I only had a couple of hours of light what with the winter evenings. My hotel was in the 5th Arrondissement, which is near Notre Dame Cathedral.

You'll notice the first of many Christmas Trees outside the cathedral! They are everywhere - in shopping centres, main squares and plazas... in the hotels, people's windows as you walk along the street. It seems strange as I am rather remote from the festivities this year (I will be spending 7 hours on a train crossing Germany on Christmas Day...). I did like this arrangement opposite the back of the Palais de Justice on Place Dauphine.

In fact, all up, this is a rather picturesque square - except it's a triangle (the panorama function changes the perspective)!

I continued my wandering along the left bank of the Seine, and while I don't like to travel by boat, I would happily live in one of the house boats in the many river/canal cities of Europe. They always look so cosy (except this isn't one!).

I was amazed to come across this bridge. Is it new? I don't recall seeing it before. At first I thought it was a gilt-edged bridge as it was sparkling in the setting sun. It crosses to the Louvre, so I thought maybe it is an artistic installation? But no...

On closer inspection it is covered in padlocks! Both railings are like forests of padlocks that lovers have written their names on (or the organised ones have engraved names!). They then toss the key into the river to ensure their enduring and unbreakable partnership (until the local council comes along and clips them all off...).

They are so intriguing, that I almost missed the beret-wearing artist with his easel, and the accordion-playing busker on the bridge (he is in the photo below).

Sometimes, a stereotype exists for a reason, right? ;-) Anyway, I knew the Louvre would be closed or closing, as it was getting late, but the courtyard looked lovely as the lights started to come on.

And despite the icy wind, I could not help but linger to get these somewhat artistic shots as well (after all, when in Paris... even without wearing a beret!)

And I thought I would not catch a glimpse of it this trip, but sure enough, as I was leaving to explore the Rue Rivoli (where I had a very civilised dinner with far too many cocktails and glasses of wine!), there she was off in the distance, all golden and glowing... and I just couldn't do it justice with the iPhone camera, unfortunately. Yes the little yellow splodge between the trees is the Eiffel Tower!

And before you worry about my drinking... it couldn't have been too much, as I still managed to navigate my way home by several lines on the Metro. The station entrances always look so lovely in Paris, but I always feel like I am at a railway station underground when I use the French Metro. The New York Subway also has a similar underground railway feel - it's the platforms and iron girders, I think. London's tube is so different. It really is tubular (rather than square carriages) and the trains fit exactly into the tunnels. I love using subway/underground railways - as you can gather.

I also like the vibe of the 5th Arrondissement - even though the part I stayed in is very touristy (because it is so central). Although it wasn't late, there weren't many people around Bvd St Germain when I returned to my hotel, just the mandatory Jazz busker!

And sadly, that was my time in Paris this time around. I probably spent nearly as much time at the Gare du Nord, where I caught the train the next morning to Amsterdam.

So - if it's Wednesday, it must be Amsterdam, right?

I had delightful companions on my train trip. Elaine and Phil. This is Phil.

He sat on a cushion on the flip down tray, mostly sleeping - except when the train wobbled a bit, and he sought his mum's arms for a cuddle. He was very sweet and has done the journey a few times. Apparently I spoke continuously for the whole three hours of the journey (sorry, Elaine). Doesn't sound like me at all... ;-)

I spent the rest of my afternoon wandering around Amsterdam getting my bearings. I am here for three nights (yes, I am double checking my itinerary now!). I picked my boutique hotel for its proximity to the railway station - I walked by this lovely scene to get to it.

And the hotel is amazing (it's a top rater on TripAdvisor). This is my awesome room. The hotel used to be an S&M Hotel (being on the fringes of the Red Light District) and there are still some bolts and rings in the wall that will probably keep me awake wondering...

The mosquito net is apparently necessary as mosquitoes are a problem and nothing can be done to keep them out. I am assuming this is a summer problem... I haven't seen or heard any while sitting here typing. Might still use the net just for the fun of it!

And I discovered the red light district quite by accident. I noticed a lovely big church steeple and thought I would go and explore it. Turns out that the street around the church has all the narrow windows with women displaying their wares... and I hadn't realised (well, in all honesty I hadn't given it much thought before!) that they are not windows, but doors, for the customers to enter - and when the blinds/curtains are closed, there is a client inside! Talk about the McDonalds of sex...

Anyway, it was a lovely sunny afternoon - apparently the only anticipated one between now and Saturday. So enjoy this shot of Amsterdam in the winter sun.

I expect the remaining shots will all be grey and miserable again. Lots of museums here, so looking forward to exploring the next few days. Until then, cheers! Aveline. xxx