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Part 8
Sleepy-eyed, I stood in the aisle, watching a huge cityscape go by. Luck had it that an old couple from Berlin stood next to me and gave me (in German) descriptions and pointed out specific places, as we went by. We came through what used to be East Berlin and the uninspired architecture showed it. However, the old guy explained, that most of those apartment complexes had been elevated to more modern Western German standards since the fall of the Wall. an email: Sad to had to leave the voluptuous Scandinavian beauties and the picturesque Norwegian landscape behind. I'll miss them. I am now in Berlin. I took an express from Oslo to Goteborg, then another one to Malmo and from there it was by night train to Berlin. Been running around there most of the day. It's a cool city, full of life (in spite of being broke) and very pleasantly green. Trees and parks everywhere. I bought a week's transportation pass ($22) that will allow me to roam all over the city by bus, subway (U Bahn), and commuter train (S Bahn). The weekly transportation pass is available for abput 22 USD at the station counter. I got off that crummy train at the Zoo Station in Berlin. Now, I understand that the ancient sleeping cars we were riding in were about to be replaced by brand-new modern and wider Swedish sleeping cars. The reason for the timing was some regulatory stuff that went on between the German and Swedish governments to establish some exceptions to permit the slightly wider cars on certain routes in both countries. Whatever! I hope I'll never see this particular antique train again. Actually, the ferry ride was the best part. Not only was it nice and breezy up on deck, but below, in the restaurant the sailors were serving some excellent steamed mixed veggies and hot cocoa or coffee for a very reasonable price. On the top deck, the night was ink black, but while in the harbor, seagulls would dive out of the night toward the bright lights that were around the dock to catch fish that were drawn to the lights. Later I went down to the train deck and went back to sleep. After a while, we must have gotten under way, I felt the gentle rocking of the ferry in the swells of the Baltic. Then, much later, I became aware of engine sounds and changes in the environment and realized that we must be in Rostok docking and unloading and hooking up to a locomotive. I did get some sleep after all and, in retrospect, the night trip was not a total loss.
I stepped out of the Zoo train station, not knowing where in Berlin I might be and immediately recognized the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The famous and initially very controversial symbol that was left as it remained after one of the many WWII bomb attacks on Berlin. Similar to the church in Caen. Going back into the station I easily found my way to the S-Bahn (covered by the Eurail Pass) that took me from the Zoo the two or three stops to the area where my hotel was located. It was conveniently close to the station and in a pleasant neighborhood. The Hotel Charlottenburger Hof lived up to its excellent recommendation from the guide books and I was very pleased with the service. Food stores and a mall area in easy walking distance as is a subway station. Specific sights for me to see in Berlin were the Egyptian Museum, the Pergamon Museum, the Ku Dam, Unter Den Linden, the renovated Reichstag, the Brandenburger Gate, and then anything else coming my way. The Egyptian Museum was just a short bus ride from my hotel and there, in a room to herself, among other remarkable Egyptian treasures at the museum, the bust of Nefertiti is displayed in all of her ancient colorful glory. That one alone was worth the small entrance fee. Later that day I went to the "Unter den Linden" Boulevard. It's a wide avenue, established by the revered Prussian King Friedrich the Great over 250 years ago, and part of it is still home for the trees that gave the avenue its name. Like many European boulevards, it has a wide, park-like center running thought the middle. It is the most impressive avenue in Berlin and lined by the University and other grand old buildings, as well as displaying a large statue of its founder, Friedrich the Great. Among the often neoclassic and 19th century and newer buildings is in my opinion, unfortunately one of the city's uglier architectural creations, the Russian (former Soviet) embassy. I didn't need to see the flags on this monstrosity, I immediately knew what it had to be. Near the university, the wide sidewalks were lined with dozens of book sellers displaying their selections in boxes or on tables for the weekend crowd to peruse. The books were sometime new but mostly used paperbacks by the thousands and I spent a fair amount of time trying to replenish my dwindling supply. You can find books here in any number of languages, though predominantly German and English. Nearby, throngs of people also crowded into and around a small Greek style building that turned out to be a dramatic memorial to the holocaust victims of the Nazies. Today, I could hardly recognize the Germans as what they either once were or represented. It's a country of a preponderance of dedicated pacifists. They are resisting any sizable military development and are beginning to worry even the French, who once gleefully cheered German demilitarization. Now they consider Germany militarily too weak, and deem them unable to protect either themselves or important to them, the French Eastern flank. How times have changed. Germany's young people, while not exactly anti-American, they do like America, are against the US military establishment and globalization with abandon. All their well-meant philosophizing might be appropriate, if we lived in a perfect world. Sad as it is, we do not. They will have to learn and adapt. The pendulum has swung from one extreme to the other. A middle ground will have to be settled upon. Around the corner, not far from the Russian embassy, was a large old building surrounded by a temporary fence and guarded by many German police. This was the embassy of the Land of the Free. It was a depressing sight and an omen of things to come. This whole area was until the early 80s known as the German Democratic Republic (the DDR, i.e. East Germany) and solidly in Soviet hands. Now, as well as restoring this street to its former glory, the Germans are spending countless billions to undo the damage done by nearly forty years of Communist rule and neglect. They are "buying" back former East Germany brick by brick. It looked as if most of East Berlin, right down to the Brandenburg Gate, was one massive construction site. So much for the success of the Communist workers paradise. I was bummed to see that the Brandenburg Gate was shrouded and undergoing restoration. Across from it, next to the large park I went to yet another huge construction site, though the central building was clearly complete and in use, the German Reichstag. Now, topped by a huge glass dome, to symbolize the new open and publicly responsible German government, it was an impressive place. I wanted to go in, since one is able to walk around the inside of the glass dome, looking down into the parliamentary chambers from there, but the lines of people waiting to do that were too long and there was a possibility that after a two hour or longer wait, I might not get in, because of closing time. Something the still schedule-conscious Germans are extremely serious about. Maybe on a return trip someday I'll get that opportunity again.
The image shows the Unter den Linden Avenue at the time of the Berlin Marathon. After some searching, I found a huge and apparently brand new 24 HR Fitness gym
on the top floor of a large department store. Sigh! "I was saved". This would be my last chance to work
out until my return to the US. I worked regular gym visits into my Berlin trip. I also discovered that one could
use the Internet free in one Karstadt department store (near the Zoo station) for the first hour after they opened
up. That was cool and I took advantage of that. Not far from my hotel, coming back from the gym, discovered a small
street-side market. It was Friday evening and it had just started to drizzle. The Turkish fruit sellers were making
awesome closeout offers. By law, all selling in stores and on the street has to stop at a certain time on Friday
evening. The Turks are happily willing to bend the laws a little and thus benefit both themselves and the German
population. These guys were selling berries and cherries and throwing in extra baskets to not have to take the
fruit home and store it over the weekend. Business was brisk and I too shopped and walked away satisfied with bags
of fruit. Keep in mind, when visiting Europe, and I might have said this before, after the Friday night close,
there will be no stores open anywhere on that continent and you will have to make do with what you've got on hand,
or eat in restaurants. However, I did find a way around that. At least in Germany, at all of the railway stations,
there are usually fruit and other food shops that are allowed to remain open on weekends to support the traveling
public. They don't charge much more than regular food stores and come in very handy during these shopping blackout
periods.
an email: Hi Keith,
Nearing the end of my stay here, I went to the Zoo station and purchased my train ticket to Prague and from there to Vienna. The Czech Republic is not yet part of the Eurail Pass system, and requires an additional ticket for rail travel inside its borders. Berlin turned out to be unexpectedly nice and a little smaller and more accommodating that I had expected, but the time had finally come to pack up once more and to relocate to Prague. Prague 14 AUG 01 The train ride to Prague from Berlin takes one through much of the lovely Eastern German countryside to the historic city of Dresden. From there the train continues along the Elbe River and to the German-Czech border crossing. Friendly multi-lingual border personnel enter the train and check passengers and tickets. After a short delay, do not get off the train, it's onward into the noticeably less affluent Czech Republic. The river is the same, but the name is now Vltava River and takes one on a beautiful journey along castle-crowned hilltops to Prague, a journey that reminded me of my trip along the Mosel to Trier. For me, suddenly, all linguistic bets were off. Adding to the slight though short-lived unease was the fact that police was handing out flyers warning travelers of rising crime in the Czech Republic and particularly Prague. It took me a while to figure out where to get money, buy a subway ticket, and get to the desired station, following two transfers. I now know that I could have made it in just one transfer. They subway system, while not new, is modern enough and well traveled and appears to be the major local means of transportation. Arriving at my station, following the maps I had downloaded from the web, as well as the instructions sent to me by the hotel personnel, I found my way into the center of old Prague. I was absolutely delighted by what I saw and knew that this would be one awesome town. The hotel was nice, the personnel wonderful, and the location in the center of town could not have been better. on top of that, and the price was very, very reasonable, making Prague potentially the last real travel bargain in Europe. As usual, as soon as I had settled into the large, high-ceilinged and comfortable yet older room, I started walking to get to know my immediate surroundings. I went to the river, but did not cross the Charles Bridge at this time. I just followed the river and then turned into town to arrive back at my hotel a couple of hours later. At that time I knew I could not get lost in this place. Unique landmarks abounded. In spite of so much warfare during its history, this is a city that was never sacked. So today, even after the neglect by the Communists, it is a nearly undisturbed collage of buildings spread along the wide river and representing all periods of European history, right into the medieval times. It once had been the seat of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations and Kaiser Karl IV, is a revered and honored figure here. He was reputed to have brought Bohemia from the Middle Ages into the new ages. Somewhere, maybe it was in Vienna, I read that it was during his reign that the German Imperial Treasure, now housed in the Imperial Palace of Vienna, was added to, for the last time in history. His crown jewels, however, are not part of the German Imperial Treasure on display in Vienna, but are kept right here in Prague, and are displayed to the public periodically every so many years. During the rule of the Hapsburg kings, a golden era for Bohemia, Prague grew hugely in wealth and importance. However, that was not to last and subsequent wars, religious and otherwise, kept the population and area in constant turmoil. Following the withdrawal of German troops in WWII, the Communists took hold and not until the Berlin Wall fell, were ousted successfully by the citizens of then Czechoslovakia. By now even that country has split into two parts and the Czech Republic is well on the way to becoming a new member of the European Economic Union (EEC). The other half, the Slovak Republic, is economically significantly less strong and may have a longer wait to meet the requirements to joining the EEC. Much of that long and colorful history is reflected in the local architecture. You can walk this city for months and keep discovering new and amazing historical details. A neighbor in my hotel, the delightful petite Ilene, a lawyer from Florida, made this an even more enjoyable stay. A wonderful woman and tireless adventurer with a lifestyle that was much like my own, but unfortunately married, and on her way to meeting up with her husband in Frankfurt, Germany. Too bad, we both departed on the same day and her leaving created a sense of loss and renewed realization of how much nicer it would be to share traveling with someone one cares for.
Standing on the statue-rimmed Charles' (Karl's) Bridge, one could see the interesting river action. The river dropped here in a couple of natural rocky steps, impassable for ships, so there were small locks in operation that allowed ships to travel up and down the busy river with hardly a delay. The bridge itself was a bee-hive of activity. Countless artisans plying their trades, be they painters, carvers, musicians or actors, and the gawking and appreciative crowds did not diminish until well after midnight. On one end of the bridge opened into a high portal into downtown Prague and next to it and behind were all of the fabulous roof lines of the inner city, and in the other direction, more of the same but here was the central mount that supported the commandingly placed Prague Castle and nearby fortress. I think, without reservation, Prague, even now, while still undergoing much restoration, qualifies as the most beautiful city in Europe. There are cities that are home to more impressive monuments or sights, but in Prague it is the sum-total of everything, from the castle to the monastery to the Jewish Quarter and beyond that makes Prague outshine the rest. But, that's just one man's opinion. Go see for yourself. you won't be disappointed. You will find yourself enjoying the many facets of this city for days on end. For the physically fit, there is an observations tower to climb up to and into. That was great and the view worth the exertion. There is an old library to admire with ancient, hand-illuminated books in an old monastery. There are old churches and even older synagogues to explore, interesting foods to eat, and museums to snoop around in. Lots of hills and steps to help the digestion and the Prague Castle itself is a spectacular collection of buildings, with a lovely Gothic cathedral as centerpiece. The views and palace gardens are peaceful and meditative and the walks and paths, seemingly endless. Oh, did I mention the girls? The people here exhibit the typical features that one also sees in other parts of Eastern Europe all the way to the Ural Mountains. Often tall, long legged, large-eyed and very feminine women. Another thing of note, all around the winding narrow alleys of the old town center are the numerous shops where local crafts are for sale. There is a great deal of artistic talent concentrated here and very beautiful items may be had for a very reasonable price. Carved and painted puppets and marionettes, too, are popular items to see here, as are spendid items of glass and silver. In many small and beautifully large theatres one can find local talent at work in a variety of visual arts. Beautiful, honey-colored amber, like in much of Eastern Europe and beyond, can be found in most jewelry stores.
Note: There are two different URLs assigned here. On the 17th of August it was time to bid farewell to Ilene as well as this awe-inspiring city. After seeing the huge mass of unwashed rushing the 2nd class cars, I upgraded to 1st class and tipped the conductor(ess) with the last of my Czech coins. Don't get me wrong; the backpackers and students in 2nd class were traveling wisely, but I just exercised my option to travel in slightly less crowded conditions. On the way to Vienna, still inside of the Czech Republic's border, I had my moment of thrill. I was in the very last rail car and at one stop, maybe it was Brno, I forget, I stepped outside and was chatting with an Austrian conductor, when the train suddenly pulled forward. We had missed the signals for departure. I rushed forward, being an old train-hand by now, and quickly tapped the door opening button, which the conductor had wisely overridden before we stepped out. We ran alongside, while the train was slowly accelerating and both jumped on. If noticed (how we it not have been - we were running and jumping in front of everyone in the station), I'm sure the local station personnel would not let this conductor forget that one for some time. The ride showed that, while certainly not up to Western European standards of living, the Czech Republic has come a long way since the days of Communism. Newly made Skodas subcompacts, they're well rated, even by German standards, could be see everywhere, and train cars loaded with them were going to the rest of Europe. Again, the landscape was pretty and the occasional castle added to the delightful tapestry of old and new. Vienna 17 AUG 01
Vienna does wait for you, to paraphrase the song. At the outset it seemed quite impersonal and confusing. It is really large and I was hard pressed to get a handle on the scale of it. I had arrived in the Vienna main station, but needed to be in a different part of Vienna entirely. Luckily, the language is German and that allowed me to find my way and to talk to people to get the information I needed. I finally found my pension (hostel) and realized that there had been a misunderstanding and they did not have the accommodations that I understood I was getting. I somehow thought that I had gotten a single room with bath and toilet. At that time, they had none of that. Luck had it that it was vacation time and the owner of this hostel had an apartment standing empty. The American students who normally lived there had left to go home for the summer and he offered it to me for the price of the hotel room. Suddenly all rough spots smoothed out and the stay turned into a very nice experience. I was located conveniently near a supermarket and next to a trolley and S-Bahn stop that would take me within minutes to all of the parts of Vienna I had intended to see. I was set. After an excellent night's sleep in the apartment, the next morning, following a cereal and fresh berry breakfast, I was on the move to get to the Stephansplatz. That's the heart of old Vienna and the great Cathedral, a very ornate church, the palace, and numerous coffee and cake shops are all within easy walking distance from the Subway exit. I noticed that one could climb one of the towers of the cathedral, just as I did in Ulm, Prague, Paris and wherever else, and I immediately opted to quickly ascend the 300+ steps of this one. Great early morning exercise and the usual reward of such a climb were the excellent views of the city way below. Vienna is a city of grand scale. The palace(s), the churches, the museums, all are big and beautiful. The stone carvings in the great cathedral are beyond compare, and while I didn't make it to the Spanish Riding School (the Lipizaner horses were not very high on my personal list of priorities) I did visit the German Imperial Treasure, which was, to my complete surprise, still in existence and stored and displayed here in Vienna. It had been accumulated since the time of Karl the Great (Charlemange) and had been moved throughout the German Empire over the 1200 years since, keeping it out of harm's and invaders' way. I now closed the loop of the Germanic connection, ranging from Anglo-Saxon England to the Vikings, Berlin, Prague, and now Vienna. This treasure is huge and rivals or exceeds the other royal treasures I have seen on this trip. Among the incredible items here are three crowns on display: the Hungarian crown, the fabulous crown of the Hapbsburg Empire, and the German Imperial crown. Items dated as far back as Karl the Great's guilded saber. Yes, he had a saber, would you believe. After having been moved to wherever the German emperor chose to locate himself, it had finally been moved from Prague (Karl IV) to keep it safe from the Eastern hordes and entrusted to the city of Nurnberg. Later, to keep it out of Napoleon's hands, it had been moved to Vienna, where it remains in trust, until today. Amazing story and amazing place. While walking the darkened aisles between the display cases, I noticed just out of the corner of my eye something moving, very low in the dark spaces. I saw the smallest human being ever, one of several midgets that were visiting the museum. This lady was probably in her 30s and was mainly a normal sized head, supported by a tiny little body. She was, by the way, excellently attired. After this amazing visit I stopped in one of the most famous coffee houses of Vienna, Demel, the coffee house to the palace, and had their Sacher Torte and a carafe of coffee. The torte was superb, though not overwhelming (I've had equally good Sacher in Germany), and the coffee, well, I am sure the emperor would not have been pleased. I was not impressed. It was far from the best coffee I've had on my trip and in other parts of Vienna. Highly overrated in my opinion. The crowds there were very fashionable, the prices too high, and I would not go there again. As a matter of fact, there is a McDonald's in Vienna by the canal, near the oldest church in Vienna, built in the 11th Century. When I went in there to get a cup of coffee, I noticed that they had a cappuccino setup. I ordered their coffee latte and it was way superior to Demel's coffee. I understood that the Viennese take their coffee very seriously, and this fast food place definitely lived up to that Viennese reputation. Wandering the lovely old alleys of inner Vienna, not bothering the check the maps, I ended up at a solemn memorial for the WWII holocaust victims in the lovely old Jewish Quarter. Continuing on, admiring ancient architecture and modern women, I still missed Ilene. Not having her cute and prattling presence around made me realize that (who said that again - M. Twain?) loneliness is a condition best shared. Trips like this are just so much more rewarding when there is someone along. At the Hoher Markt square I not only discovered a large bronze statue and the famous old picture clock, but also the second best ice cream shop ever. I suddenly, after walking for six or more hours, had a craving for ice cream. I ordered the smallest cone they sold and picked the cherry ice cream (Oberkirsche) that had whole cherries floating around in it. It was totally amazingly delicious. I even went back the next day and had another one, and again was not disappointed.
Living in an apartment in Vienna made this a special time for me and I was loath to depart, but Venice called and I had to get underway. Kicking back on the train, watching the landscape unfold and noticing it change from the lowlands to the lovely Austrian Alps. Like all of the alpine regions of the different countries, I consider them the most overwhelmingly beautiful areas of Europe. The ever-ascending tracks wound along stony creeks and deep green meadows and forested mountain slopes. I watched brown and white cows crowding around troughs, and saw picturesque villages, apparently not populated by the once simple and poor villagers anymore, because there were frequent glimpses of shiny sheet metal belonging to late model Mercedes, Audis, and the occasional Porsche cars. The distant high mountains were shrouded by dark and heavy rain clouds, but I knew that very soon we would reach the tunnels that would take us under those mountains to cross into Northern Italy. |
