Category Archives: Travels

Tagesspiegel trip to the Kiel Canal – “125 Jahre Nord-Ostsee-Kanal”

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Organised by Der Tagesspiegel and M-Tours Live Reisen.

For the record, and posterity, and all that, the hygiene and distancing rules we have been sent are at the end of the post (in German).

Day 1 Bus from Berlin Central Station, arrival, and Wittensee

Upon arrival at the hotel (Hotel Wittensee Schützenhof), a guided walk through the town of Wittensee, and dinner.

Day 2 Kiel, Kiel Kanal, Rendsburg

Kiel is the seat of the Schleswig-Holstein state government and an Olympic, university and port city on a fjord.

With the historic paddle steamer Freya, from Kiel to Rendsburg along the Kiel Canal which is the most frequented man-made maritime shipping route in the world and connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. Alledgedly, almost three times as many ships as on the Panama and Suez Canals.

Holtenau Lock. Tour of Rendsburg. St. Marienkirche, old town market and town hall.

But first, a pre-breakfast walk.

The lock:

First impressions at the end of day two:

What was I thinking? Why did I not cancel?

Masking and distancing rules are not being complied with at all.

Already in Berlin, several people were allowed on the bus without masks, and are consistently refusing to wear them. No reaction to that from neither the driver nor the guide. The guide mostly does not wear his when interacting with us in and on the way in and out of the bus.

During meals at the hotel (so far, dinner last night and breakfast this morning) we sit far too close to each other for my comfort (i.e. as if everything were back to normal), and the staff who serve food and drinks are not wearing masks, and not keeping any kind of distance at all but speaking straight into our faces. I feel very uneasy and am not very hungry (that is the upside of everything :-)). The Riesling goes down very well, though.

Breakfast is a buffet (unlike what was described in the programme), and people are mostly unmasked and not following the “one-way” signs, in short, ambling around the buffet area, chatting (i.e. spewing droplets on the food). Yuck. There are two other bus-fulls of people presumably also from other German states.

On the boat today, there were way too many people in my opinion, and the numbers were definitely not reduced, unlike what we had been promised), and I gave up sitting with the rest at the tables allocated to us for the buffet lunch since it was indoors on the lower deck, too cramped and with no air.

We keep hearing that “here in Schleswig-Holstein, the rules are not so strict” and therefore bus-fulls of tourists from other areas, such as Berlin, are apparently believed to have miraculously lost any contagion which they may have carried with them, the second they entered Schleswig-Holstein (?????), and can therefore drop the precautions and measures in force where we came from.

So apparently, we have all misunderstood something when travel restrictions were implemented? Is the fact really that when you travel from a more affected area to a less affected area, you immediately become less likely to be carrying the virus? The entire travel and hospitality industry is going bankrupt for nothing? Then why don’t we invite for example Americans to come to Europe and be cured, if that is how things work?

It is one of the dumbest arguments I have ever heard and reminds me of something Donald Trump might say.

The ignorance, even after almost seven months, about how this virus spreads is breathtaking.

Unfortunately, we arrived back at the hotel too late for me to start packing and making my way back to Berlin, and tomorrow I will be spending most of the day in my hotel room for the webinar, which I absolutely do not want to miss, so I have to be stationary all day.

I will then decide whether I go back to Berlin after that, tomorrow evening, or whether I stick it out, wear my mask and my visor, try to ignore what others do or don’t do, make as little conversation as possible, and skip lunch on the boat on Saturday if it is as cramped and stuffy as it was today.

Seeing the North Sea was going to be the other highlight for me, so part of me is reluctant to skip Saturday’s programme. The other part feels I am already making a big mistake by being here.

Others don’t seem to mind catching this disease, and if I knew I would just keel over and die immediately upon being infected, that would be fine, but I really do not feel like going through what others my age are going through for months when they get infected, and then either die or live with horrible after effects for the rest of their lives.

Day three: On this day, I will attend a webinar photography course, organised by artistravel and presented by Martin Timm

I will be missing a trip through “charming villages” (not my thing) to Sieseby, Kappeln and “the Viking city of Schleswig” (definitely not my thing). Happy to be staying in and near my room.

During the morning, it was raining quite a lot, so for the first couple of tasks, I “recycled” some of the photos taken the day before (above). Here are some of the rest:

Playtime

After the course, I went out to investigate the location of the nearest bus stop and took my camera with me:

And now I have tempted fate long enough. Am returning to Berlin tomorrow (Saturday). Missing this:

Tag 4 Amrum and Hallig Hooge

Loads of nature, tour of Amrum (to which I hope to return in December for this course: https://www.artistravel.eu/fotoreisen/kurstermine/reise/2020/kuestenwind-experimentelle-naturfotografie-7545.html.)

By sea to Hallig Hooge, Königspesel, Hallig Museum, Wadden Sea protection station on Hanswarft, Wadden Sea National Park.

Day 5 Eckernförde and return

Eckernförde, lunch, and a last glimpse of the sea.

The distancing and hygiene rules we had been sent/promised prior to the trip – and I stupidly believed they would be complied with:

Busfahrt:

  • Intensive Reinigung des Busses vor Antritt Ihrer Reise, besonders an allen Kontaktflächen, wie Haltegriffen, Knöpfe, Armlehnen und Kopfteile
  • Sie reisen in einer kleinen Gruppe von 26 Personen, so dass ausreichend Platz im Bus vorhanden ist
  • Ihr Reisegepäck wird ausschließlich vom Busfahrer verladen
  • Mund-Nasen-Schutz zum Ein- und Aussteigen und während der Fahrt, wenn ein Mindestabstand von 1,5 m nicht eingehalten werden kann (ausgenommen sind Personen, die in einem gemeinsamen Haushalt leben) – für Notfälle hält der Fahrer einige Einweg-Mund-Nasen-Schutzmasken bereit
  • Auf nicht kontaktfreie Begrüßungsrituale (Händeschütteln etc.) ist zu verzichten. Wir schenken Ihnen lieber ein Lächeln!
  • Vor Betreten des Busses bitte die Hände desinfizieren. Beim Fahrer und auch auf dem WC steht Desinfektionsmittel bereit
  • Nach jeder Beförderung werden die Kontaktflächen vom Busfahrer desinfiziert
  • Um eine erhöhte Luftzirkulation im Bus zu gewährleisten werden vermehrt Pausen eingelegt
  • Zu Beginn der Fahrt erhalten Sie noch einmal eine ausführliche Einweisung durch den Fahrer

Hotel:

  • Das Tragen eines Mund-Nasen-Schutzes ist nicht verpflichtend, auf den Fluren oder auf dem Weg zur Restaurant empfehlen wir dies aber für Ihre eigene Sicherheit
  • Das Frühstück wird Ihnen nach Ihren Wünschen vom Servicepersonal zusammengestellt
  • Für das Abendessen erhalten Sie eine Auswahlkarte
  • 10 Personen aus verschiedenen Haushalten dürfen an einem Tisch sitzen

Adler-Schiffe

  • Die Kapazität der Schiffe wurde um 50% gesenkt, so dass ausreichend Platz vorhanden ist und der Mindestabstand von 1,5 m eingehalten werden kann
  • Mund-Nasen-Schutz muß beim Betreten/Aussteigen und beim Bewegen auf den Schiffen getragen werden. Bei entsprechendem Abstand, Draußen und am Tisch darf der Mund-Nasen-Schutz abgenommen werden
  • Bei den Rundfahrten auf Amrum und der Hallig werden die Gruppen nochmals geteilt, so dass auch hier ausreichend Platz zur Verfügung steht.

Trip to Gdansk, Torún and Poznan, October 2019

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Organised by Der Tagesspiegel and Marco der Pole

Day 1, Saturday 12 October

Berlin-Gdansk. On the bus amply entertained and enlightened about Polish history, current affairs, and of course the general election on 13 October, dotted with personal anecdotes, by our excellent guides Matthias Kneip and Marek Frysztacki.

On the way, a midday pitstop in (exceptionally) rainy and misty Kolobrzeg.


Day 2, Sunday 13 October 2019

GDANSK old town

A very good guided tour of the historic part of Gdansk with the themes Gdansk as Hanseatic city, the role of Germans, Polish people and other nationalities in the building of the city, Gdansk as “free city” (City Hall, fish market, old harbour, “Long Market”, St. Mary’s Church, Neptune’s Fountain, Artus Court, Frauengasse. So here is an overdose of photos of the old part of Gdansk (note that most of the facades are fake-old, and just that: facades):

In the afternoon, first, a (very long) meeting with a representative of the German minority in Gdansk. I was curious to know what these minorities (Danes in northern Germany; Germany in southern Denmark, etc. etc., were about). Now I know: It is that curse, nationalism, again. I felt a little sick afterwards.

Then: “Gdansk in the literary memory of Günter Grass” – an interesting walk through the district of Langfuhr/Wrzeszcz where he lived as a child and young person, one of his homes and one of the schools he went to and to the action and film locations of the films “The Tin Drum”, “Cat and mouse”, and “The Butt”.

By the way, these are brilliant:

I wish all city, tour and travel guides would use them. The guide can walk and talk, the audience can walk and listen, the guide does not have to wait at each stop till everybody has – FINALLY – gathered round and stopped yacking, and even when staying at one stop for a while, the audience can walk about a bit (great for me since patience is not my Spitzenkompetenz).


Day 3, Monday 14. Oktober 2019

Today was going to be a stark reminder that someone who grew up in social-democratic Denmark in the 1950s and -60s, has not lived through any war, had all civil and political rights served to her on a silver platter, and never had to fight for any darn thing.

What better way to start than with a ferry ride.

“Gdansk in the Second World War” cruise through Danzig Shipyard to Westerplatte, where WWII began. Visit to the Wachhaus Memorial”.

At this point, we said goodbye to one local, natural-born city guide and hello to another, equally natural-born.

Gdansk – City of Freedom, Solidarność Footprints – visit to the monument dedicated to the victims of the workers’ protests of 1970 in front of the main gate of the Gdansk shipyard, The European Solidarnosc Centre (absolutely stunning architecture); and the very comprehensive exhibition of the history of Solidarność in the historical rooms of the old Lenin shipyard in the port of Gdańsk.





Day 4, Tuesday 15 October

I had already decided to sacrifice the general programme in order to visit the two departments of the relatively new museum of contemporary art. There was no way (and I would not be me if) I was going to spend five days in Danzig without seeing them. However, a cold went from bad to worse and really slowed me down. I did walk to Laznia 1 (smaller than I had expected, and only half of it in use for an exhibition); Gdansk Gallery of Photography, and Galiera Majevsky.

Here is what I missed:

Malbork/Marienburg. Visit to the largest brick fortress in Europe, the former headquarters of the Teutonic Knights (UNESCO World Heritage.)

Frauenburg/Frombork, where at the beginning of the 16th century the Canon Nicolas Copernicus developed his theory of the heliocentric world view. Visit to the city and the cathedral with the tomb of Copernicus. On the way back to Gdansk, stop in Kadinen, the former summer residence of Emperor Wilhelm II.


Day 5, Wednesday 16 October 2019

OLIWA and ZOPPOT

In the programme:

Visit to the “cemetery of the lost cemeteries“, followed by:

Drive to Gdansk – Oliva. Visit to the cathedral and organ concert.

Then: drive to Sopot. Walk in the traditional seaside resort and the longest (more than half a km) wooden pier in Europe.

After four days of relative physical inactivity, the cold on the retreat, and the afternoon free, I planned to make my own way back from Sopot, via Laznia Center for Contemporary Art 2, to Gdansk, on foot or by public transport, depending a bit on the weather, so when the programme was changed, and we started out in Sopot, I decided to stick with that plan and miss Oliwa Cathetral and the “Cemetary …..” altogether. This gave me more time, so I started out walking about five km along the beach from Sopot Pier to Brzeźno Pier where I stopped for lunch and then walked about 3,5 km by road to the Laznia Center.

Now, a word about contemporary art in Gdansk. The Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art (only one of four museums of contemporary art in Poland) was the main reason why Gdansk was on my bucket list. I even saw it mentioned somewhere as European art centre of the year, or words to that effect, recently. I do not know who made that decision or what they were smoking at the time. There are two departments: Number 1 I visited yesterday and it was tiny and very little was on display there. Today I visited number 2, equally tiny, and it was closed. For no apparent reason, there was just somebody there who only spoke Polish and gestured to me that it was closed. Contemporary art is obviously not a priority in Gdansk, and if the two departments were placed in those outlying areas of the city in order to give them a lift, well, mission not accomplished.

On this, the last evening in Gdansk, one of our guides read from some of his books, one of them being “111 Gründe Polen zu Lieben”.

I have to say that although I agree that there are many reasons to love Poland (and I do intend to keep visiting this my adopted new neighbouring country) for me, there is one major reason not to love Poland: that omni-present catholicism. “Religionism” is just as detrimental and dangerous as nationalism, and together, the two form the root cause of all the major problems in the world.


Day 6, Thursday 17 October

From Gdansk to Poznan with a stop in Torún.

Torún is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. City tour through the beautifully preserved medieval town center.


Day 7, Friday 18 October

Poznan and return to Berlin.

“City by the border”. City tour of Poznan, a.o. Poznan Cathedral with the tombs of the first Polish rulers, royal residence palace of Wilhelm II (from the outside) and the picturesque old town whose jewel is the town hall – one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Poland.



Hamburg August 2019

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Wrocław, March 2016

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London October 2014

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Meeting up with my niece, who is currently a zookeeper apprentice at Banham Zoo near Norwich.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Thursday 16 October: arrivals, some walking, coffee and cakes in Shaftesbury Avenue, and the musical Billy Elliot (a real tearjerker but with some incredible talent, especially the boy who played Billy Elliot, and catchy music by Elton John).

Friday 17 October: London Zoo, Frieze Art Fair (or that was the plan, but the queue was a mile long, so for another time, bring a fast-track ticket), a hands-on cooking lesson in Vietnamese Street Food, at Recipease, and the musical Urinetown – a musical with a social and environmental message. Strongly recommended.

Saturday 18 October: Walkabout, past Tower of London, this time with ceramic poppies, Borough Market,  past The Shard by Renzo Piano, an unsuccessful visit to Nike Town (Christine), The Lion King (Christine), Fair for Contemporary African Art (Helle), Indian restaurant (Masala) in Brick Lane.

A recommendation: If you are in the West End, the Strand area, looking for lunch, Tom’s Deli in the courtyard of Somerset House provides delicious, natural and seasonal food and a nice break from the crowds and the fraffic.

Sunday 19 October: Natural History Museum (with the building by Danish Architects C.F. Møller Architects opened in 2009, in the shape of en eight-story cocoon), and the Tsunami Memorial .

 

 

 

 

 

Warsaw with my two favourite teenagers 2007

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Washington, Philadelphia and Boston April 2006

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Western Balkans June 2013

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(Work in progress)

A visit to four West Balkan countries: Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia

1.

2.

3. Plitvice-Zadar-Trogir 28 June

4. Trogir-Split-Dubrovnik 29 June

From sea to shining sea – in Spain

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Bilbao, Tarragona and Valencia, June 2014

Bilbao 22-23 June

(Click photos to enlarge)

Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum (it was not allowed to take photos inside):

 

More impressions from Bilbao:

 

A trip to the Atlantic coast

Sopelana is one of several beaches within easy reach from Bilbao. Take Metro line 1 towards Plentzia to Sopelana (Sopela), go one block up and take the bus that goes between the station and the beach every half hour, or walk a little less than 2 km. Head for Hotel Goizalde (from there you can see the sea), and – overlooking the beach – El Peñon.   By the way, none of the eateries open till 13.00 hrs.

24 June an early-morning train ride to Tarragona

A misty morning en route:

And after a comfortable six-hour train ride, arriving in Tarragona in pouring rain, thunder and lightning:

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PS: Be aware that Camp Tarragona, the station for regional trains, is miles away from the centre of Tarragona, and seemingly in the middle of nowhere. There is another station in the centre of Tarragona, but many regional trains do not go there. There is a bus, on paper every half hour, but I waited almost an hour and half before it came. It goes to the main bus station in Tarragona at the bargain price of 2 euro.

The weather cleared in time for a late afternoon walk around the old part of Tarragona:

25 June: Pont de les Ferreres (Roman aqueduct) and “Local forum”

This Roman aqueduct, aka Pont del Diable, is only four km away from the centre of Tarragona (Plaza Imperial). Take bus 85 there in about 15 minutes and then follow the signs. To return to Tarragona, you have to take the bus from the same place and go all the way around. This trip takes about 35 minutes.

If you want to make a day of it, it is a beautiful nature area with well-marked hiking trails. I did not see any signs of any pitstops, so bring your own sustenance.

Back in Tarragona: Castell Monument by Fracesc Angels.

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A visit to the ‘Local Forum’ or ‘Colonial Forum’ dating back to year 30 BC:

 

The market:

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And of course the beach:

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26 June: A mid-morning bus ride from Tarragona to Valencia

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The first couple of hours were quite scenic, the last part less so. After about 2,5 hours the bus stopped for 45 minutes at a motorway cafeteria with relatively decent food (and really good coffee …..).

26 to 29 June: Valencia

Jardin del Turia used to be a river but got diverted after a devastating flood in 1957, and the riverbed is now a very, very long park below street level, flanked by busy one-way streets and crossed by many rivers. There are walking/jogging and bike paths, playgrounds, a zen garden, and spaces for outdoor concerts. In places, it is wide enough for a football patch, tennis courses, and even the occasional travelling circus. It also has a great variety of flowers, bushes and trees.

 

The central market in Valencia is 8.160 square metres of pure food paradise:

 

City of Arts and Sciences, Designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, comprises a.o. an imax cinema and planetarium, one of Europe’s largest aquariums, an interactive science museum and an opera house and performing arts centre.

 

Bioparc (Valencia zoo):

 

Some impressions from the historical centre of Valencia (which unfortunately is not car free):

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Unfortunately, contemporary art seems to be sadly lacking in Valencia. These three galleries are listed, but I did not have time to visit: Kessler Contemporary, Tomás March Gallery, Galeria Puchol. For next time, then. I am definitely not done with Valencia.

Rome, May 2012

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The focus was on contemporary art and modern architecture, but first some general impressions:

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…… from Rome Contemporary Art Fair:

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and from Maxxi National Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Zaha Hadid; from Macro Museum of Contemporary Art, and from Auditorium Parco della Musica designed by Renzo di Piano:

 

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