Heroes (Berlin, Germany, part 1)

 Hello, dear reader. In one of those warps in time and space, we have left Berlin and are on a train heading for Prague. Thankfully that four and half hours will allow me to catch up on the blog. In a pre-emptive visiting the wall, the title is David Bowie's Heroes from 1977. He wrote it while recording the album of the same name in Berlin. It was about a couple he saw every day on the way to the studio, 'snogging' in the shadow of the wall.

As has become our practice, we decided our first full day in Berlin would be a day to explore the local area. Our shopping expedition last evening yielded all we required for breakfast so we didn’t need to search for a café. We researched the Hop-on Hop-off bus yesterday and decided that would probably be a productive way to see Berlin. The city is large and there is so much to see. Fortunately, where we are at Hackescher Markt, there is a lot very close to us, well within walking distance.

Almost made the frame. Nice scaffolding.

First stop for the day was the Berlin Cathedral or Berliner Dom. As you know, dear reader, we have seen many cathedrals on our travels. I think it fair to say that no-one does a cathedral quite like Europe. Every time I think I’ve seen everything there is to see in a church, something comes along to astound me. And here we are awestruck once again. It’s not the lavish altar, as impressive as it is. Or the magnificent mural on the ceiling, as beautiful as that is. Or the ornate pulpit, as over the top as that is (more on these in the next blog). It is the sheer size of the dome. It is massive. The whole structure is so large that to photograph it in one frame I needed to cross the road and walk half way through the Lustgarten.

The Old Museum in the Lustgarten.

It was €10 per person to go inside and climb the 267 stairs to the dome. While that is on the agenda, it is not for now. We went back out to the Lustgarten to photograph the fountain and the Altes (old) Museum. The latter is not on our list to visit. Its focus is largely the Greco-Roman period of history and we believe we have this covered with previous museum visits in numerous countries.

The fountain.

The Lustgarten was crowded with, what appeared to be, school groups on tour. They were everywhere we looked. The sun was shining and it was quite exciting, not just to see the sun, but to feel its warmth. The more I travel the more convinced I am that I could not live in a country without regular sunshine for extended periods.

Next we went across the main road to the Humboldt Forum. Here was another massive dome peeping up from surrounding walls. Today it is a gallery, in a previous life it was the Berlin Palace. Our mission was to locate the tourist information centre that lay within its walls. Allegedly. Like Platform 9 at Stockholm Central Station, it remains undiscovered.

The interior courtyard of Humboldt Forum.

From the Forum, we walked towards the Marx-Engels Forum. In essence, this is a park that housed a statue of the two best friends. Or should that be economists? Or philosophers? Or fathers of communism; in its purist form of course? 

A pair of communists juxtaposed with a church.

There were other sculptures in the park that focused on humanity’s struggle, the worker against oppression. It took a while to secure the desired shot of their statue because the vapid and vacuous insisted on selfies with the great men. Given the posers were sporting designer gear while holidaying in Berlin, I’d say the capitalist system worked well for them. I’m not sure the dynamic duo would approve. I would be unsurprised if they did not know the identity of the two stately gentlemen.

The worker. Not actually working.

Across another major road and we were at the Rathaus. Constructed in the 1860s and built of red brick, it is the more modest of the buildings in the area. No huge dome, no soaring spire. It is still large, but is more functional.

The Rathaus.

At this point, dear reader, I am questioning my selection of camera lens. I’m using my usual 18-135mm which is a good general-purpose lens. At 18mm I can usually capture the larger objects and the 135mm allows me to take close ups as required. None of the buildings today are able to be shot at 18mm. I will need to return with my 10mm lens and earlier in the morning when the crowds are not as invasive.

As we moved from the Rathaus toward Marienkirche, St Mary’s Church, we were intercepted by a Hop-on Hop-off bus salesperson. We had already decided to purchase tickets for 48 hours access. What I had failed to realise in last night’s Google search was that there is more than one company. In fact, there were four, at least. An easy decision was now a little more complicated because they appeared to travel the same route.

We encouraged Juan to recite his spin and tell us why we should travel with the Big Bus company as opposed to the others. Part way through his spiel we were approached by some tourists who wanted to know what the building behind us was. “Rathaus, town hall,” we replied. “Can you go inside?” was the next question. We looked Juan, he looked us, we all shrugged, “Don’t know.” was the simultaneous reply.

The deal breaker with Juan’s offer came in two parts, an App where you could track the buses and you get a free currywurst. Nah, joking about the currywurst, that voucher went into the bin. There was also an associated walking tour from the Brandenburg Gate to Checkpoint Charlie. Sold. We purchased our 48 hour tickets to commence tomorrow.

A fish out of water.

Onward toward the church with a brief stop at Neptune’s Fountain. It, like many fountains in Hamburg was not functioning. Despite this, it was still a draw card for tourists, including us. We sat for a while watching the passing parade until a family group arrived and started getting up close and personal with one of the statues on the edge of the fountain. They spent some time peering into the nooks and crannies, photographing up under the lip of the fountain and examining the result and then sticking their hand up into the darkness. I was hoping for a random spider bite to make the viewing more interesting. Sadly, this did not occur - they left empty handed and unbitten and we are none the wiser as to what they were looking for.

Progress. According to the East German rulers in the '60s.

The TV tower that was erected as a sign of East German supremacy in the 1960s, stands as a silent sentinel in Alexanderplatz. It dominates the Berlin skyline and will be our beacon to guide us home when required. There is a restaurant or bar on the viewing platform but the queue was too long (2 hour wait time estimate) to create any genuine interest from us. Also, the day had closed in a little.

Marienkirche.

 In the shadow of the tower is Marienkirche, one of the oldest churches in Berlin. Outside, it is rather plain and unremarkable. Inside there are some paintings and fixtures of significance and as it happened, an organ recital. How lucky are we? This is our third organ recital in a church since we left home. Anyway, it is chance to rest our feet.

The organ. It goes OK.

Following the recital, we wandered around the interior which is quite dark, although the organ loft was quite ornate. The church also houses a baptismal font that is dated back to the 1400s.

The font. It's old.

Outside again, we skirted around the tower and checked out some of the food options for later. Our next target was the World Clock in Alexanderplatz. By now the rain had begun but we were undeterred. The clock, as expected, was underwhelming. It is a clock on a pole, below which is a 360° collar that lists various major cities of the world and their time zone. I was so unimpressed I didn’t even break out the camera. At least people were able to shelter from the rain beneath the structure. 

The pulpit. Imagine that as a fascinator at the races.

We turned towards Alexanderplatz and, as we continued to reconnoître the restaurant options, we spied a Decathlon Store. Still pining over the lost opportunity to buy the yellow jacket in Tromsø, we wandered into the shop. After negotiating the length and breadth of the very large retail space, and successfully dodging numerous unparented children who were testing out various pieces of sporting equipment such as scooters, skate boards and inline skates, we glimpsed a dash of yellow in the middle of the rack of discontinued jackets.

There it was, like a pearl in an oyster, one lone yellow waterproof and windproof sailing jacket amongst all the brown, blue and black. Surely it couldn’t be my size, dear reader? Miracle of miracles, it was a perfect fit! Yellow! The same style is available in Australia but not in yellow. Finally, I had my jacket, and for sure the rain would stop today. Feeling smug after saving €20, that will pay for our entry to the Dom, I donned my jacket and headed out into the rain to christen it.

Unlike Hamburg, Italian is not the preferred option of Berliners. That is not to say there are no Italian restaurants; there are, just not on every corner. Still, we decided upon a pseudo-Italian restaurant that was trying to be all things to all people – pizza, pasta, sushi, schnitzels, steaks, racks of lamb as well as traditional Berliner offerings like pork knuckle and sauerkraut. It was close to home and solved our daily dilemma of where to eat. The food and the wine were good and the walk home in the rain was short.

Until next time.

You look beautiful in white (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

For the sake of simplicity, dear reader, I have decided to combine the next three days. Also because nothing really happened. The attraction of Siem Reap is the temple district. As you would be aware, we had visited three of the temples and didn't feel the need to visit any others. It's a bit like cathedrals in Europe; one can only visit so many before peak cathedral is achieved. It became evident that after 3 temples, we were up to pussy's bow and Ta Promh would be our last.

Thursday

The trickle of departures continued until there was only one couple left, besides us. For whatever reason, we had not spoken with them, so I am unsure as to when they joined the tour. All that meant was, we were on our own. Excellent. No alarm clocks. No FOMO. No organised tours. We were at leisure. Decisions needed to be made.

We turned up for a leisurely breakfast around 9am. The discovery of the 'double espresso' a while back had proven to be a boon. A minimum of two is required to kick-start the day. Along with the obligatory French pastries and fresh fruit.

The lake at the hotel.

Over breakfast, we discussed visiting the Angkor National Museum, a short stroll from the hotel. However, we did not believe the museum would have much more to offer than the actual temple sites. Perhaps with 3D models being the exception. That was something we could see on the internet so the museum was ruled out.

The old markets sheltering from the sun.

Today's excursion would be to the old market. We organised a tuk tuk. He dropped us at the markets for $2USD and offered to wait. An offer we should have accepted. Instead, we negotiated a time for him to come back to meet us.

For that special room.

It is, reputedly, not as good as the night market, but we'll never know. Certainly, it didn't measure up to the market we visited in Phnom Penh. The layout was as challenging as a Sydney cycleway. One avenue looked promising and then abruptly ended at the rear of another stall or was simply blocked. An ordered, sequential attack proved to be impossible, so I went random, which seemed to reflect the markets themselves. There were the usual souvenir style things on offer, shirts, scarves, silk products, carvings, cigarettes - by the carton. Each stall appeared to sell the same goods.

Luckily this stall faced the open street. Very aromatic.

Then we wandered into the produce section. Not just fruit and veg but also meat and fish. In the open. Unrefrigerated. Butchered before your eyes. Well, the fish at least and larger cuts of meat were cut as ordered. Not since I visited the offal room at an abattoir, had I felt such a need to breathe through my mouth; being careful not to ingest the flies that were attracted by the smell.

Don't breathe too deeply.

Looks hygienic enough.

Out into the sun, fresh air and humidity. We wandered Pub Street and Cheers Street and soon realised we had exhausted the old market precinct and we still had a lot of time to kill. In this heat, there was only one option, dear reader. Beer. We found a comfortable seat in the shade at one of the bars and had a couple of draught beers to while away the time. Four beers, about middy size, $3USD

Real Ray Bans, not fake.

As we were watching the very limited passing parade, I was approached by a man selling "genuine" Ray Bans. They were retailing in shops for $45USD. Yeah right. But for me $35. My disinterest brought about an immediate discount. $25. How about $10 I enquired? Eventually he settled for $12, without the 'authentic' Ray Bans case.

I wonder what's in this street?

Back to Mr Narin, our tuk tuk driver, and back to the hotel. We had intended to dine at Mahob, a local Khmer restaurant recommended by our guide, but as we were about to leave to check out the restaurant, it started to rain lightly. We decided not to risk it and, back in our room, the light, unforecast rain turned into a tropical thunderstorm. Good decision to abort the exploration. We dined at the hotel instead.

A beer lost in translation. It has the great taste of ...

Australia was playing South Africa in the World Cup semi-final that night. Despite having about 10 sports channels, not one broadcast the game. We were forced to stay up to date online through an app.

Friday

There was no alarm to wake us and we were pleased to see Australia had won their World Cup semi-final. Breakfast was not only leisurely this morning, it was unnervingly quiet. There were very few people around. Excellent.

The Chef's Walk near the breakfast terrace.

Today would be a first for me. We have stayed at many 'resorts' over the years, but they have always been a base for exploring the local area. Consequently, we have never done the poolside thing. In fact, I have always found such behaviour questionable. Now we were joining the common people, gathering our things and heading for the pool.

It is a very large pool. It has 2 spa areas, a children's pool (sadly), a swim-up bar area and an island. The pool is surrounded by lounges and umbrellas and plenty of shade. Predictably, we chose the less populated side and enjoyed the relative quiet. For a while. A number of people arrived on the other side of the pool, some 25 or 30 metres away. As expected, they began talking to each other. I was tempted to join in the conversation because I could hear every word, as if they were next to me. Nationality? Oh come on, dear reader, you know the rule, choose the nationality of your prejudice.

Thankfully, they didn't stay the distance and we were once again left in peace. Time for a refreshing G&T, at the pool bar, in the water. Another first. We swam up to the bar and ordered. Such a refreshing drink.

We dried off quickly as the sun ate into our shade. Time to decamp and shower to rid ourselves of the chlorine smell.

Dinner was at the highly recommended Mahob, which means 'food' in Khmer. Although they do the hot stone cooking, we decided to stay with their traditional menu. Arriving around 5pm was a good idea because the mosquitos were still hiding in the shrubbery and the restaurant was devoid of diners. We had deep fried spring rolls, chicken satay skewers, morning glory in garlic and chilli, prawn fried rice and tamarind fish, accompanied by a French grenache/syrah. All for $57USD. The food was fresh and flavourful. If we were staying longer, we would have probably returned to try the stone cooking option.

A question, dear reader. How do you know when you've stayed too long in a restaurant? Answer: when you've heard the playlist more than once. Yes, we did. And a pretty average playlist it was, which inspired today's title. You look beautiful in white by Shane Filan from 2017. I'd never heard it before and would be happy never to hear it again. If I was a betting man, and I am, I would wager it has been played at wedding receptions the world over. Lionel Richie's Stuck on you was another featured favourite.

Saturday

And so dawned our last full day in Siem Reap. The established pattern was followed. As with yesterday, the change in weather meant slightly cooler temperatures and lower humidity, so we breakfasted on the terrace. Overnight there had been an influx of tourists and the restaurant and terrace were far more crowded. There was a table of four, near to us, who spoke so loudly that I now know the entire personal history of one woman. Her divorce, what it cost, how they found their new home, the fact that her granddaughter lived with her for 5 years and how her son needs to learn how to manage his money, after two years of her picking up the tab for his overspending. And no, I wasn't eavesdropping. She had no volume filter and just wouldn't shut up.

Huge lilies.

Finally they left. Yay. I finished my second coffee and we went to change and head back to the pool area. Once Jayne was settled, I grabbed my camera and went in search of local wildlife. The hotel is also a self-proclaimed bird sanctuary and there are photographs of birds sighted in the grounds. Probably I should have risen earlier if I wanted to photograph the birds. Still, I managed to capture a few.

Flower on a ginger plant.

Being more aware of the sun today, we selected chairs that would stay shaded longer. Happily they were also on the opposite side of the pool from the growing crowd. We followed the usual pattern, blogging, resting, swimming, drinking a G&T and finally, disappearing to our room to remove the chlorine from our skin.

A Sunda yellow-vented bulbul.

So, I wasn't going to document this, but, whatever. Today by the pool I sneezed. I know. Exciting right? And in doing so, put my back into spasm. Oh yeah. Not a major spasm, I've had significantly worse, but enough to cause inconvenience and restrict my ability to move freely. I now move like so many other of the geriatrics here. Jayne has a theory that I do this deliberately, immediately before we fly. She must keep a tally sheet. Apparently I did it before this trip, before the Perth-Broome-Darwin expedition and prior to flying to NZ in February. I don't keep track; no-one wants to remember pain.

A zebra dove, just like home.

Dinner will be a local affair. I have exhausted my US currency, have no more cash to convert and I don't really want to withdraw more because it is doubtful we will find a use for US currency in the near future. 

A lizard friend from the pool deck.

To mark our final night in Cambodia and over three weeks of eating delicious Asian food, we made the move back to the Western Menu. Pizza for me and a cheeseburger, fries and salad for Jayne. Salad, as a side with a cheeseburger. Weird. I continued my quest to eat a pizza in every country I have visited. This one was more than acceptable - parma ham and rocket on a thin base.

Tomorrow the alarm is set for 5:30am for the early trip  to the airport. There will be one final post, if for no other reason than I haven't published many pictures of flowers. Hopefully the Singapore Air experience on the way home will be as faultless as it was getting here.

Until next time.