Bremen

Posted on April 12, 2009 by bennyong

On the journey back to Hamburg from Osnabruck, we stopped by Bremen. Although it was public holiday, this place seems to be lively and very scenic.

If you are arriving by train, the tourist information center has loads to offer including a decent map and the short walk to the city center takes you through a few key sights.

Look at what I manage to get from my trigger happy moments.

Nope, we are not in the Netherlands. This scene welcomes you as we venture into the city.

This is probably the most famous bunch of residents in Bremen. A rooster on top of a cat followed by a dog, cat and a donkey on the bottom. It has become the symbol of Bremen and there is fairy tale that goes along it.

The statue of Roland.

Random Statue Of Pigs

In summary, this place is a must see and a great for a day trip.

P/S: Hamburgers have a saying whereby the best thing in Bremen is the road to Hamburg which I find very amusing. They have an on going rival although they are next to each other.

Carlsberg Visitor Center

Posted on April 5, 2009 by bennyong

A Sunday in Copenhagen and with most shops shut, it couldn’t have been a better choice to take a trip to the Carlsberg Visitor Center.

Unlike the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam and The Guiness Storehouse in Ireland, the Carlsberg visitor center is much more low profile. It has recently been renovated in 2005 and now it boasts an exhibition floor of over 10,000 square meters to the art of brewery and also its rich history.

The Grand Elephants At The Gates Within The Carlsberg Brewery

If you take a walk from the train station, you might pass through the Elephant Gates with two grand elephants on each side. They have an uncanny resemblance to the entrance of the Berlin Zoo.

The Portfolio Of Carlsberg Owned Brands

Carlsberg was founded by J.C. Jacobsen in 1847 and named it after his son Carl and the hill on which it was built. (Berg is hill in German). As you walk in the visitors center, one of the first displays is the largest collection (18,634!!!) of Beer bottles in the world which is endorsed by the Guiness Book Of Records since 1968. The rest of the tour is a self guided one with many interactive displays.

Messing With A Display

The JC Jacobsen family have contributed many things to the city of Copenhagen which includes a gallery and many monuments. One of it has even become a symbol of the City, the Mermaid.

Miniature Mermaid Statue Which Became A Copenhagen Symbol

The entry ticket also entitles you to two complimentary drinks at the bar. With so many to select from, you can kindly ask to try them first which I think the bar tender will be more than happy to allow if there is not a big crowd. I suggest you try the Jacobsen limited range which is not widely available as the rest.

Enjoying Carlsberg In The Bar

I highly recommend anyone in Copenhagen to spend about 2-3 hours by dropping by here. It has a much intimate setting than the Guiness and Heineken brewery maybe because of its lack of popularity. Go to their official Visitors Center homepage at visitcarlsberg.dk for further information!

TIP: If you are coming from the city center, there is a direct bus which drops you off at the entrance instead of having to take a long walk from the station!

Watch out for my upcoming post of my other adventures!

Cheers,

Benny Ong

Copenhagen Denmark

Posted on April 4, 2009 by bennyong

Finally, train tickets that I have booked months ago will be used. We set off early in the morning for a little over 6 hour journey to the capital of Denmark as part of my massive Europe voyage this year.

The Mermaid

The first attraction that everyone visits is the Mermaid Statue along the river. Its status is the same like the Eiffel Tower is associated to Paris. I must say that it was a long but scenic walk from the city center.

The second most visited location after Tivoli Gardens happen to be Christiania. I did not realized its existence until I picked up a brochure in the tourist office which mentioned it. I could not take much pictures within the main street as it is not allowed within the free town. Here is more explanation courtesy of Wikipedia:

“Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania) is a partially self-governing neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (85 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Christiania has established semi-legal status as an independent community, but has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its open cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. Since then, measures for normalising the legal status of the community have led to conflicts, and negotiations are ongoing”

The Opera House

The Royal Guard

With lack of research, I was very lucky to stumbled upon the changing of guards which happens daily at 12 noon. The crowd was not as large as London’s but it gives you intimacy.

Gefion Sculpture

The Round Tower

The round tower offers great view of the city and is one of the oldest observatory in the world.

Stock Exchange

The roof of the stock exchange attracted me. It features three dragons with their tails swirl around each other to form a spiral. The three dragons represents Denmark, Sweden and Norway. All three scandinavia countries.

As a summary, I enjoy the city very much and would highly recommend it for a weekend getaway. Although it may not be a cheap destination to go, everything else makes up for it!

TIP: If you plan to visit the city, have a long weekend which end late Sunday or early Monday as most attractions are closed on Mondays. The national museums are free to enter and the following website offers a 3D map, skymap3d.com whereby physical prints of it can be obtained at major tourist attractions throughout the city.

The Berlin Wall

Posted on March 31, 2009 by bennyong

It is near to the 20th Anniversary since the historic wall came down and I decide to do a tribute post.

I visited Berlin ages ago during my days working in the UK for H&M but never visited the East Side Gallery where the longest part of the wall still remains. Here are some of the camera whoring I manage to do throughout my slow walk with my sister, Adeline.

East Side Gallery

1989: The year the wall came tumbling down.

A common stunt in trying to get accross to the other side.

Trying to bring the wall down by myself. No where near moving an inch.

Another set of iconic murals.

There were segments of the wall which is being restored during my visit which I believe is part of an upcoming celebration maybe? Regardless, the wall is a must see when you are in Berlin.

Postdam City Of Emperors

Posted on March 25, 2009 by bennyong

The City Of Emperors: Postdam is the city of German Kaisers which housed their infamous army and also home to their most stunning and elegant palaces. It has always been hidden behind the Iron Curtain on the communist side of the Berlin Wall. It has only been accessible in the past 20 years.

Despite being under the communist ruling, the city is well kept in shape with its buildings properly maintained. It is easy to get here if you are in Berlin with the S7 train using an ABC card which covers all the transportation you need. When you arrive at Postdam Central Station, just hop onto bus 695 which will take you to all the tourist spots.

We passed through all the main attractions but spent more time at the Sanssouci Park where I would highly recommend you to do so. Here are the fruits of our camera trigger happy efforts:

Close Up Of Sanssouci Palace With My Mom

View Of Sanssouci Palace From The Park

The New Palace Within Sanssouci Park

As a summary, the Sanssouci Palace and Park reminded me of the Grand Palace in Austria. Maybe this was because there is a massive garden in front of the palace. It also worth mentioning that it is a UNESCO Heritage site.

I did not spend much time walking around the city other than to see it from the bus ride. It a must see if you ever drop by in Berlin. Their tourism board maintains a very good website that offers an amazing map that you can print. Click here to visit their page.

Titisee

Posted on March 16, 2009 by bennyong

This is a holiday resort which we sneakily squeeze in. The name of the place can be broken down as Tit I See which only someone as cheeky as Gajana can realise. The place is full of snow which is first for me to see at this time of the year. The temperature did not feel as cold as Hamburg though although the presence of snow can indicate otherwise.

There were many stores selling their antique Cuckoo Clocks but most of them came from the same factory. Although it is hand made and mechanical, the similar designs made it looked like it came out of a manufacturing line with no uniqueness. I came with the mindset of getting one but after viewing how common and alike they were, I decided not to get them. A mechanical clock can cost from Euro 99 up to 400 depending on the size and the supporting mechanisms.

Here are some further snapshots I manage to harvest courtesy of Joeâ€™s camera:

Feeding A Duck Near The Lake At Titisee

Group Picture In Front Of A Background Of Snow

Freiburg â€“ The Black Forest

Posted on March 15, 2009 by bennyong

The trip to the land of the Cuckoo clocks and also the famous Black Forest cake.

It is not called the Black Forest for no reason. Somehow the forest does seem to have a darker shade which I only realised after being pointed out by a local which was sharing the same cabin on the ICE train as us.

We took an early train from the city of Hamburg with a journey lasting roughly six hours to the central station. Thankfully, we were staying in InterCity Hotel which building was attached to the station. Nearly no effort at all in locating the hotel when we arrived. Apparently all InterCity Hotel are located within walking distance of the main stations. Your stay also includes a complimentary all day local transportation pass.

We wasted no time and went into the City Center to see the sights and sounds on offer. It was indeed no disappointment when we arrive at the main square and even decided to join the queue for the famous sausages. It was recommended to us by our felow friend we met in the cabin.

Another place worth mentioning is Micros which is located centrally. It sells Swiss Chocolate at an affordable price. As Switzerland happens to only be about an hour away by train, a lot of the Swiss made products are available here.

Here are some of the pics of Freiburg courtesy of Joe

Me In The Queue For Sausages

Walking In Front Of The City Hall (Notice The Open Drain, It Flows Constantly Throughout The City Center)

Meant To Take The Cable Car Here To The Highest Peak But Walked All The Way Up Instead Because The Cable Car Was Under Maintenance

Making Our Descent On The Highest Peak In Freiburg

Sorry for a short blog but I decided to clear my back log of posts fairly quickly.

Killing Time at Kiel Germany

Posted on January 10, 2009 by bennyong

Kiel is the capital of Schlegswig-Holstein which is a sailing town on the Northern part of Germany. The city center harbour is the starting position for huge ferries to Norway and Sweden. It might be my next plan to try and take a ferry from here to Norway and Sweden.

If you are travelling from Hamburg like I did, the journey will take you a little above 1 hour by train to the Kiel central station. There is a tourist center in the station where you get a free map to guide yourself. Alternatively, there is a larger tourist center in the new city hall which is reachable 10 mins by foot.

If you like shopping, there is a long stretch of pedestrian street with a great variety of stores. We made our journey pass through the street to visit the old Rathaus (City Hall) which is near the Opera House. Just a stone throw away, you will come across Hiroshima Park and also a large lake, Kleine Kiel which gives you a magnificent view of the city.

View of Rathaus from Kleine Kiel

The lake is almost fully frozen and I took the opportunity to feed some of the birds with bread in a small water opening.

Feeding Birds at Kleiner Kiel

We continued on to visit the St Nikolai Church before settling down for a meal at Subways. We then cross the Horn Bridge to the view the city from the other side of the harbour.

View of the city from the other side of Kiel Hafen

We managed to spend half a day here before we decided that we have seen enough. Kiel is a very small Sailing City which have a few historical sites and building. It is suitable for a visit to escape the crowds of bigger cities. I would most probably give this place a skip if I have limited time visiting Germany.

That’s all for now, till my next post, take care!

Hanseatic City of LÃƒÂ¼beck

Posted on January 3, 2009 by bennyong

Yeah, the first weekend day trip of 2009! We decided to head to the nearby city of LÃƒÂ¼beck. It was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987 and being there makes you realized why.

The city is only 40 minutes by train from Hamburg Central Station and as its old city is fairly small, everything is reachable on foot. There is a group ticket for up to 5 on offer for weekend trip which made our journey costs 28 Euros. Less than 6 Euros each! What a bargain!

As you arrived at the city. There is a tourist information center just adjacent the train station and another one near the grand Holstentor Gate which welcomes you to the city.

Holstentor Gate

As the city is pretty compact, it is hard to find space to capture the picture of the whole building. Maybe it is more doable using a much better camera.

City Hall

In the city center, there is a large open space where the city hall is along with what I believe is the Market Square. The journey here will take you through a huge variety of modern retailers which surprisingly blends in well with the city.

Dom and A Frozen Lake

It snowed when we walking in the city and it was a nice sight to see a lake which is half frozen. Not convinced on whether it is rock solid, I decided to matters to hand by borrowing Song YiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s crutches (The news is out, she sprained her ankle) to break the surface.

Breaking The Ice

The city also boasts having the most Nobel Prize winners with 3 to its name. We visited BuddenbrookÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s house. I believed he won a prize for literature and his life is now a major local movie.

The Hospital Of The Holy Spirit

LÃƒÂ¼beckÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s wealthy citizens raised funds to build the “Hospital of the Holy Spirit”. It is the first social welfare facility in Germany. Sick, Poor and Homeless people were accepted here. 170 beds were simply laid out on the floor then in the 19th Century dividing walls were built. Each room was equipped with the basics for everyday life. The hospital was built by the citizens for the citizens.

Inside The Hospital

We ended the day at the famous Niederegger cafe for everything made out of Marzipan. I had a Marzipan shake while pinching a variety of Marzipan flavoured cakes.

ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s all for now and I might try and squeeze in another day trip before I head home for Chinese New Year 2009! CanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t wait!

A Weekend In Berlin

Posted on December 14, 2008 by bennyong

The fact that I am in Germany will only mean that it will be just a matter of time before I make a return trip to the capital Berlin. It came much sooner than I thought it would as a result of a Christmas Run with the Berlin Hash group. If you are unaware, I got involved into hashing because of Song Yia and did it for the first time in Hamburg.
We took a car on Saturday morning and after about 3 hours drive, there we were. The run brought us through the Charlottenburg Castle where we made a stop for Ã¢â‚¬Å“GluhweinÃ¢â‚¬? in the Christmas Market. Here are some pictures of me completely under dress for the weather and run.

Charlottenburg Castle

The Gluhwein Stop At Charlottenburg Castle Christmas Market

Thanks to a dear friend, we stayed over in Hilton which is strategically located in the city center. It was just a stone throw away from Ã¢â‚¬Å“Unten der LindenÃ¢â‚¬? (Under The Lime Trees), the main shopping street. We stumbled across another Christmas Market at Ã¢â‚¬Å“GendarmenmarktÃ¢â‚¬?. This is the first time I have ever had to pay entrance fee to enter one. It did turn out to act a crowd control mechanism which meant smoother flow of human traffic between the stalls.

Christmas Market at Gendarmenmarkt

Ã¢â‚¬Å“Unten Der LindenÃ¢â‚¬? with Christmas Lights

After the market, we continued on with some sightseeing and passed through locations that I was at about roughly 3 years ago. (Sweet Memories…..)

The day after, we woke up early to carry on with some more voyaging. Here are some pictures taken at typical tourist spots.

Brandenburg Gate

The Holocaust Memorial

There was also a modern area that I seem to have missed previously

Postdamer Platz

I will end this post with a picture of Santa and a Snowman to give this blog itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s festive mood.

bennyong.com

Royal Self Worshipper

Category Archives: Royal Visits