Friday, April 04, 2014
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Berlin 2012
Day 1 - Thursday June 19
All I remembered from my previous visit to Berlin, 11 years ago, was that there was a big square called Alexanderplatz so I suggested we head there. On our way there I read Lonely Planet's description of the square:
"Noisy, hectic and chaotic. Alexanderplatz is not the kind of square that invites lingering...oddly cluttered, soulless square that's all concrete and no trees..."
This didn't exactly sound like the first glimpse of Berlin that I was hoping for. So we got off the U-bahn a bit early, in an industrial looking area and started walking. Before long we ended up in a big concrete, soulless square. Alexanderplatz. It wasn't all bad, as it is near to several of the sites we were looking for. At this point we thought it best to get a Hop-on Hop-off tour bus around the city to get our bearings. We thought a two day bus pass would be good as there was live tour guide on board. The first day we'd drive around the West side of the city and the second day would go to the East. We actually purchased the tour quite late in the day so we decided it would be best to just do the entire 2-hour tour without getting off and we could explore more on foot over the next few days.
We drove by a lot of the top sites including; Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburger Tor (Gate) and the Reichstag to name a few. However, we weren't very impressed with the tour guide, no enthusiasm, no real history, just naming out buildings as we drove by. So we hopped off at Brandenburger Tor and went for a little walkabout. To avoid the rain, we popped into the DZ Bank, which is a very plain looking building on the outside, but once inside you're standing in an interior designed by Frank Gehry (same Architect who did the EMP in Seattle) which was amazing. Both myself and Mick were incredibly impressed and I think we finally realized we were in for a good trip to Berlin.
Day 2 - Friday June 20
We woke up later than planned (my alarm didn't go off) to more rain. Mick had a bit of work to do, so I played with the cat (that Jess was kitty sitting) while we waited out the rain. We headed into town and immediately got lost, but we discovered may sites along the way. There is a lot of construction going on in Berlin so many of the streets we headed for were closed off and we had to detour around. Eventually, after walking circles around it, we found the German History museum. We headed in and were greeted by free entry (not sure why but they wouldn't take our money when we tried!) We walked straight through to a red carpet and a big hall, from here we found several more rooms with small exhibitions and other pay exhibitions. We were thoroughly confused, as we had a pamphlet in our hands showing artifacts from German history back to 500bc. Annoyed we headed to leave, but as we were going we saw a stair case with the numbers 500-1939 written above them and we figured we'd give it another look. We were glad we did, apparently we had missed the museum entrance entirely. We spent the next 2.5 hours going through the museum right up to modern days. I was pleasantly surprised when I turned a corner and found one of my favorite (most studied) paintings, Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. Another item that caught my attention was the Malleus Maleficarum also known as the Witchhammer.After the museum we headed for some lunch, Lonely Planet recommended a pizza place around the corner, but when we got there their pizza oven was closed so we settled for pasta, which did the trick. We then headed to the Holocaust Memorial which consists of 2,711 stone slabs where we had more fun than we felt we should have. After our fun was over we went through the memorial reading letters and stories from people who were murdered. Very sad but striking memorial.
We then headed around the corner to Potsdamer Platz which is the newest square in Berlin. It homes the impressive sony centre with a several other modern buildings. We decided it should be viewed from above as well as form within so we headed across the street to Panoramapunkt and took Europe's Fastest Elevator to the top were as expected we had a great view of the city.
We were hungry! I met up with Jess and Norbert for some €6 sushi that was delicious! And then of course... more beers.
Day 3 - Saturday June 21
The Museum für Naturkunde was amazing (as they always are). It holds the Guinness Book of Record for the tallest, mounted skeleton in the world. This being 13.27m (43ft 6in) high, 150-million-year-old Giraffatitan Brancai! They also hold the most famous fossil in the world, the Archaeopteryx. On of these there are rooms dedicated to meteorites, all other types of gems and stones, a room full of things suspended in formaldehyde and so much more.
After our brains were so full we couldn't take anymore, we stopped for a quick hot dog and then headed on to meet Jess and Norbert at a place called Tacheles. This place is basically an abandaned building that has been 'taken over' by artists, however the banks view them as squatters and are constantly trying to oust them. Unfortunately, it looks like they have succeeded as nearly half of the place was empty (from when Jess visited last). In talking to some of the remaining artists we learned that they had been issued an eviction notice for the end of the month. This not the first notice, however, this time it will be backed by a police force. We wondered around the lonely graffitied walkways and up the winding stairs. In between lights being turned off and generators being turned on we pondered over the work of the remaining few artists.
From here we were in desperate need of ice-cream. We made our way towards the river in search of some Eis once we found some we continued to the river to take a boat tour to the other side of the city. This only took about 20 minutes, when we departed the four of us then strolled over to Kreuzberg and walked past the remains of the Wall. At his point Mick and my feet were going to fall off (after 15 hours of walking) so we stopped into Yamm, a reggae bar, for a beer. This "bar"was more like an adult playground. As we entered there was a basketball game going on the the right and a skatepark just beyond, the bar was just a grass hut serving bottles. We grabbed 4 beers and headed over to sit on the rivers edge. We drank our beers with the smell of hash lingering in the air.
Over the Oberbaumbrücke (bridge) we made our way towards a park were (with a few more beers in hand) we watched the sun on it's way out for the evening. After our feet were feeling a bit better we headed off for some dinner.
Vietnamese restaurant were once again we didn't pay over €6 for delicious food. Then we couldn't break a tradition, so we went out for more beers!
Day 4 - Sunday June 22
We lounged around and said our goodbyes an then off we went on the S-bahn headed in the the same direction we had just come from only a few short days before.
My overall impression of Berlin? I LOVED IT! It reminded me so much of Portland, the mentality of the people, the fashion, art and bikes. The history of the place hit us everywhere we went, a city that has been at the heart of so many wars, torn down and rebuilt, divided and united. The architecture ranged from 1220 (St. Nicholas' Church) to the ultra modern Potsdamer Platz with everything in between and a lot more being built.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
10 years flies by so quickly, then so does life.
March 5, 2001 was a sad day for the Cecil family, but if there was anything I learned from my dad passing was to live life to the fullest.
He taught me so many things and gave me my love for travelling, history, science and life in general. Love you dad, you are missed.
Dale Cecil
March 1, 1946 — March 5, 2001
Dale Cecil of Silverton died March 5. He was 55.
The service will be held at 1 p.m. March 24 in the Orchard House Community Room at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mount Angel.
Mr. Cecil was born March 1, 1946, in Greeley, Colo. He moved to Oregon when he was 3 and was raised in the Hood River Valley. He graduated from WyEast High School in Odell.
While working for JCPenney, Co., he was transferred to Bend in 1966. He lived in Bend for more than 20 years. He started his general contractor's career in 1972.
He married Mary Nealeigh on Dec. 31, 1966, in Hood River. They moved to Salem in 1987 and became residents of Silverton in 1996.
Mr. Cecil graduated from Chemeketa Community College in 1992 with honors in computer technology and was voted Outstanding Student in Computer Curriculum. Most recently, he worked as a company service-support technician and nationwide trainer for Tak Industrial Corporation.
He was affiliated with Jehovah's Witnesses. He also served on the Chemeketa Electronics Board as a community representative.
Survivors include his wife, Mary of Silverton; one son, Tom of Beaverton; two daughters, Judy of Silverton and Kathy Knight of Salem; his mother, Velma of Tillamook; four brothers, Milford of Mountain Home, Ark., and Samuel, Leonard and Jack, all of Tillamook; two sisters, Wanita Reynolds and Jean Purdie, both of Salem; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Liver Foundation, 1425 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove, N.J. 07009-9990. Unger Funeral Chapel in Silverton is in charge of arrangements.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
France from the back of a motorcycle.
After the caves we continued our journey north and stayed the night in Brantôme. We stayed the night in a cutesy BnB run by a chatty British woman who informed us that on Monday nights the town pretty much shut down . We had dinner at an outdoor restaurant next to the river. While we ate our delicious duck we were able to watch the sun sink into the horizon which set the river alight with pinks and purples. After dinner we took a short stroll around the town and but everything was shut up tight, so we headed back for an early night in.
Up early the next morning as we had a long drive ahead of us to the coast. The woman at the BnB was kind enough to give us a list of towns to hit along the way that would take us on a beautiful drive through wine country and farms filled with sunflowers. However at some point the list blew out of my hands and we had to make our own way. But I don't think we could have gone wrong if we tried. When we finally reached the sea we stopped at the tiney beach side town of Talmont to grab some lunch, delicious pizza. Back on the bike, we started seeing signs for the Zoo in La Palmyre which was on our way north so we decided to stop in. We were there for a good 2.5 hours and it was one of the best zoo's I've been to. My particular favorite was the Pelican who took a liking to Mick and walked along side him as if they were having a conversation. We then headed on as it was getting late and we needed to find a hotel for the nite. I struggled to remember the names of the town that was recommended to us. Finally giving up we headed to La Rochelle as it was a bigger city and we'd have better options.
"Harry Potter would feel right at home at this turret-topped, soaring medieval mansion, once occupied by the town bailiwick , and now a simple endearing offbeat period hotel. Spiral staircases, pitch-dark wood and solid stone conjure the Middle Ages atmosphere..."
- I enjoyed being on the back of the bike more than I thought! Not a second of boredom.
- We learned that in the French countryside if you don't eat between 12-2 and 7-10 you don't eat as everything closes down (thank you Super-U or we would have starved).
- France so many medieval towns much more than I expected.
- The food is delicious: bread, chocolate/almond croissants please and duck!
- The french are quite nice no matter what Mick says.
- Wine is much cheaper than beer!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
How could the last 11 days fly by so fast?
Our adventure really started off on Monday, when we headed up to Newgrange and Knowth. This had been my second visit out to them but it was just as interesting as the first. Mom enjoyed it also, as they are older than the pyramids and much older than any structures found in America. They're something that really need to be experienced, seeing photos of them just won't do them justice.
On Tuesday we headed to the West of Ireland with Galway as our first stop. We had planned on having lunch at Nimmo's which came highly recommended. Although when we got there, they were closed for lunch due to 'chef problems'. We headed around the corner instead to Goya's where were had a lovely lunch. I'll have to save Nimmo's for another time. After lunch we headed North to the village of Cong where I had a little surprise for Mom. I managed to book a night at the 5* Ashford Castle. As we turned down the road to the castle and mom saw the signs she assumed it was just a tourist stop, which I then had to convince her that we were actually staying the night there! The castle was great, very 'castley'. It had miles of manicured garden walks and plenty of places to snoop about inside. Mom was a bit tired from the day (maybe that jet lag was setting in after all) so I ventured out on my own down the river path into the village of Cong. The walk was lovely along a long river dotted with men fly fishing and the occasional pair of swans. At the end of the path there was an old stone bridge that led over into the village entering through Cong Abbey dating back to 1135. That evening we both headed into Cong for some pub grub.
The next day we packed our bags and headed towards Connemara. After a 4 hour drive on overgrown and narrow roads we had our fill of cows and stone walls. With a short stop at Kylemore Abbey, we headed back to the Castle for High Tea. Tea was fantastic, served with mini sandwiches, cakes and scones. Scrumptious! (Thanks Kathy!) Around 4.30 we figured we better stop pretending we were royalty and head to our next destination. Back in the car and heading south.
We arrived in the extremely small village of Doolin at about 6pm. After finding a b&b for the evening, even though we had plenty of light left we decided to leave our Cliffs of Moher visit until the next morning. To the pub! At O'Connor's Pub Mom had a dinner of fish and chips while I opted for the Guinness Stew with a side of Guinness all of this was accompanied by a Trad Session (a trio playing traditional irish music). The next morning we were up early to go tour the Cliffs of Moher aka the Cliffs of Insanity! Back in the car and heading south again. We drove the coast line down to Killimer where we got the ferry across the Shannon River which saved us quite a bit of time. We then continued on south until we hit Killorglin where we got some lunch and decided to push on around the Ring of Kerry as it was only 3pm. We decided to settle down for the night in Kenmare at the end of the Ring. We stayed in a lovely B&B and I think we were the only one's there. Kenmare was a really cute little village and I'd happily go back when I have a bit more time to look around.
Monday, February 15, 2010
V-Day 2010
Thanks Mick for the great dinner company. ♥
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Over the hill
Getting to Saalbach in the first place proved to be quite difficult. In what will forever be known as the Big Snow/Ice Storm of 2010 here in Ireland we were attempting to fly. After 9 hours in the airport, with our Ryanair flight to Salzburg delayed and finally cancelled we were able to book another flight with Aer Lingus to Munich, Germany and this flight actually was on time. Instead of our 1 hour transfer from Salzburg we were now looking at a 3.5 hour transfer from Munich which put us into the Hotel Panther at around midnite. A few beers and we were off to bed.
Up and early the next morning to book into Ski School. Myself and another guy, Rob, were the only two beginner skiers in the group. We stuck together for the first few days until Rob quickly surpassed me in skiing talent and I decided to drop down a level. I'm not sure if I hurt my left ankle on a fall or if it's just my weak ankle but the boots did not agree with me either way. When I had my boots on I could only put pressure on my ankle for about 10 min at a time, this does not really agree with the concept of skiing so I stuck to the beginners slopes while everyone else moved on.
I found out the real reason that everyone goes skiing anyway:
Après-ski (French: after skiing) refers to going out, having drinks, dancing, and generally socializing after skiing. It is popular in the Alps where skiers often stop at bars on their last run of the day while still wearing all their ski gear.
Skiing is a hard life: up at 7am, ski till 4pm, drink till 8pm, eat till 10pm, drink till 2am, sleep, repeat. And there you have it.
The best nite out by far was my birthday. At dinner the hotel had made me the most amazing hazelnut cake with a Firework on top! No joke! Then after dinner, off to the bars for some karaoke, bowling, drinking and general fun times...And then up at 7am again.
Overall it was a great holiday and a fantastic birthday. I'm looking forward to my 30's I think they're going to bring some great adventures!
I'll get some photos up for you soon.