Blogs from Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Europe - page 3

Interesting thoughts: Champs Elysses-I would say very overrated, but nice. Bourbon Street-not what it was in the last century, but still fun. Abbey Road-the ghost of John and George may appear. Beale Street (Memphis)-lots of fun, good music too! Times Square-at least once in your life! Lombard Street (The City)-once is enough! Nathan Road (Hong Kong)-capitalism at its best, interesting, but just once! Steiner Street (The City)-love the painted ladies! Khao San Road (Bangkok)-backpacker heaven, hawker stalls, old hippies. Las Vegas Boulevard-the thrill is gone Boulevard Saint Laurent (Montreal)-I saw Johnny Bench here Shibuya (Tokyo)- busiest intersection in the world, and best of all, plus Hachiko Fifth Avenue-shop until you drop, at least prior to pandemic. Oxford Street (London)-what a big disappointment, so was Carnaby Street. Avenue Istiklal (Istanbul)-perhaps the most fun I have had... read more

As is usual for me, I set off early some pre-dawn and dawn photographs. I walked to the Brandenburg Gate, which is fantastic to see, although the sky was not what I had hoped for. I got some photos nonetheless. One advantage of going out to anywhere at that time in the morning is that there are so few people around and I can get some uninterrupted views. There were just a few cyclists (if fact there are one hell of a lot of cyclists in Berlin) and they were moving fast enough to not show up in my photographs, except for some light-trails, which sometimes can actual add to the photographs. I walked up to the vast and imposing German federal parliament building. There were barriers and police outside it, but everyone else was just ... read more

By this, I mean, have you been to a place that no longer exists? The most likely, for Vietnam vets, would be North and South Vietnam, now a united Vietnam. Other common places, that no longer exist would be Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the USSR, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia and Czech Republic), Yugoslavia (now Slovenia and Croatia), and East and West Germany (now Germany). Contrast this to places whose names have changed from their colonial names. These are places like Myanmar (formerly Burma), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Belgian Congo), Thailand (Siam), Bolivia (Charcas), Burkina Faso (Republic of Upper Volta), or Armenia (Hayastan). The border is essentially the same, but the names have been changed. Here is some background (from Exploring) information: Yugoslavia ('Land of Southern Slavs') came into being in 1918 following the collapse of Austria-Hungary. ... read more

In order to head to Southern Europe, we need to backtrack, from Stockholm to Malmo to Copenhagen to Hamburg, and finally to Berlin, GERMANY. At Rodby, Denmark, the train is driven on to a ferry for a 45 minute ride to Putt Garden, Germany. Quite an experience. A thirteen hour day of travel. Guten Morgen Berlin. First off is to go and book reservations for our future travels. At the wicket, I ask the fellow assisting us how long he has lived in Berlin and if he likes it here. He responds that he has been here three years and that in Berlin, he feels safe, as he came from Afghanistan. He worked for the military, assisting the U.S. soldiers. The agreement was that in three years time he would receive a green card, and his ... read more

This holiday was a bit different from my usual travels ....I like big country landscapes but when an offer of a home exchange to Dresden popped up the trip morphed into a "why not visit Berlin and Prague moment , followed by why not take trains and where else can we go , why not Amsterdam " and so it became a cities tour . For the first part my son Chris and his wife Anabel along with 6 year old Maya would travel with me . Half way through they would return to the UK from Prague and Jenny would then join me there for more Dresden and Amsterdam. Maya, for a 6 year old , is a great walker but some of the sites in Berlin are spread out so a Hop on/off bus ... read more