Berlin today is a great cosmopolitan city arising from the ruinous ashes of WW2. Unlike other European capitols it does not have a old quarter but it has broad green avenues of stately old buildings giving it a classy edge. It is a city replete with museums, galleries and music venues more so than anywhere else I have seen. It also gives the nod to its 20th century past with enduring monuments.
Berlin TV tower
Surprisingly, Berlin has more canals than Venice and Amsterdam combined as the Spree River and tributaries cut through the city.
The rousing words uttered by JFK in a speech delivered in West Berlin in 1962 the year after the Soviets built the Berlin Wall.
Berlin was the capitol of Prussia and eventually capitol of a unified Germany in the 19th century. In the 20th century Berlin occupies a pivotal point in world events. Firstly the end of WW1 sees the overthrow of the German monarchy and the declaration of the short lived Weimar Republic.
In 1933 an Austrian demagogue named Adolf Hitler assumed the Chancellorship in Berlin and set about establishing the dictatorship known as the 3rd Reich. It was from Berlin that he ordered the invasion of Poland in 1939 that started WW2. It was from Berlin that he put orders into place that resulted in the Holocaust. In 1945 in an underground bunker in Berlin he suicided as the allied forces rolled in.
The division of the spoils of war among the victors saw Berlin become an enclave within communist East Germany. A city divided between east and West. Half behind the iron curtain half administered jointly by the US, France and UK. Ultimately to stop the haemorrhaging of citizens from east to west, East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961. This became the physical face of the “iron curtain” and the decades of the “cold war”.
Subsequently in 1989 the first sign of the collapse of the Soviet Union was the fall of the Berlin Wall. Another US president at the time Ronald Reagan uttered the famous words “Mr Gorbachev, tear down that wall!”
Checkpoint CharlieBullet holesGestapo document buildingBerlin WallHolocaust memorialReichstag, the German ParliamentThe iconic Brandenburg GateBerliner Dom (cathedral)Special moment in memoriam mum, Margaret Cook, marking the 5th anniversary of her death. We did not realise at the time that it is not a Catholic Cathedral but Lutheran!
German wines do not feature heavily in Australia. For a certain generation, namely my baby boomer generation the word Moselle conjures up Ben Ean Moselle, a cheap sweet wine. The advert jingle is so successful that I still remember it well. “Ben Ean Moselle it goes down well”!
With my well known interest in the fine wines of the world I have only done a couple of tastings of some of Germany’s best. The dominant grape variety here is, of course, Rhine Riesling, but the expressions are multiple. Depending on the time of picking the styles range from Kabinett, to Spaetlese, to Auslese, to Beerenauslese then to the sweetest named Trockenbeerenauslese. Back in the day the Germans then imposed classifications on grade from basic to Qualitat and the highest was Qualitat mit Predicat. The latter seems to have disappeared. It is replaced with white capsule, green capsule and gold capsule according to level of sweetness. In all reading a wine menu at a restaurant here is a confusing mess even to an old hand such as me.
The drive to Moselle takes an hour and we arrive at Markus Monitor one of the doyens of the middle Moselle the peak of the wine producing areas. A typically German poker faced young man called Leon guides us through the tasting there are over 40 wines on offer and the tasting is for 8 wines. We end up tasting 11 including their best retailing for $400 a bottle. Wow, died and gone to heaven!
Markus Monitor wineryDr Loosen winery
Our lunch recommendation in Trier’s turns out to be 40 minutes out of the way close to the border with Luxembourg. While the meal was superb it lost us a tasting at Dr Loosen. Nonetheless the extra time at the amazingly beautiful town of Bernkastel Kues, easily the most beautiful town I have seen in Germany more than made up for it.
All photos are beautiful Bernkastel Kues
The day finished with a tasting of another winery JJ Prum which did not disappoint.
We arrive in Dusseldorf north west of Germany after 15 hours of air travel from Manila just before 8 am. Immediately I am back behind the steering wheel of a rental car driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Somehow I don’t mind and it almost feels better that driving on the left and the manual gear shift is ancient “muscle memory” from my earliest cars in the 1970s.
Two hours down and we arrive on the picture postcard pretty town of Sankt Goar our base for 2 nights. I had researched timetables and arrived in plenty of time to buy tickets for a 2 1/2 cruise up the Rhine to Rudesheim. I had mentioned this to a couple of German patients recently who laughed and reminded me of the drought in Europe and how the Rhine was too shallow for boats. On arrival at the ticket office I get the same response from the lady there. I pivot quickly and ascertain that there is one boat going the other way for a shorter cruise downstream to Boppard in 2 hours. Fewer castles along the way but on researching further it seems the best option.
Sankt GoarRhine riverBurg KatzBurg KatzBurg KatzBurg Rheinfels
A leisurely lunch al fresco overlooking the shallow waters of the Rhine and then the cruise which does not disappoint.
St GoarshausenBurg MausKestertKestertBurg LiebensteinBoppard
Boppard is another pretty medieval town.
Boppard churchBoppard churchBoppard street sceneBoppard squareTown Hall
They have a 1 km long chairlift overlooking a bend on the ride. The actual chairs are basic and my life partner compares it to the ancient accident prone “Arthur’s seat” chairlift. The return ride is uneventful and the view from the top is spectacular.
Repetition! Arrive Sydney, gate 15 to transfer to international. Arrive Manila, cleared customs, turn right lift to 4th floor and sky bridge to hotel! This has been at least the sixth time we have done this run to Europe and the Middle East.It’s a well worn path but it works and the flights are cheap. The days of using this path are near an end.
This trip sees us visiting northern Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain and Malta. An eclectic mix but at the end of it we will have covered all of mainland Europe apart from war ravaged Ukraine.
This time around the way the flights worked we found ourselves with time to do a day trip out of Manila. We chose a 90 minute drive to the city of Tagaytay.
The first stop was to the local market.
Jackfruit at the fruit marketFish marketJeepneys, the local form of public transport.
Driving on to the highpoint known as “Peoples park in the sky” with 360 degree views stretching to Manila in the distance and to the massive crater lake and Taal volcano, the second most active in the Philippines with the last eruption in 2020.
Jesus Christ monument on the summit
Finally we descend to the shore of the lake and jump on a boat that takes us out to the island. As we approach the island’s shore we feel the radiated heat from what is still an active volcano. I have flash backs of the images from the White Island disaster but we are not set ashore and return safely.
Fish farm on the lake
In memoriam:
It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of one of the most avid readers of my blog, Lindy Quarrell. I have known Lindy for over 40 years, first as a fellow health worker, then as an employee and as a friend. She loved reading and viewing pictures of my travels and lived vicariously through them.
She was the kindest hearted, most selfless and generous human being that I have ever known. My family loved her and the world is poorer for her passing. She died in April this year aged 64 years suddenly of natural causes. Our hearts go out to Brett and her family.
Last year, on the way home from the divine Cook Islands we booked a few days on Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland. This upmarket wine region was wasted on me at the time as I contracted a heavy cold on the way over and I could taste nothing.
Six weeks ago we came back with my nasal passages unobstructed and a decadent wine tasting weekend was had. Photography was not the main purpose of this trip but on reflection there are a few images worth sharing. This island is truly pretty.
Sydney on the way overOur luxury cottageView from our cottageWineryMan O’ War winery and BayMoreton Bay on way homeBrisbane
The heaving southern megalopolis of 26 million people is our final brief stop over of the trip. Arriving at 4 am it is hot and steamy. Everywhere there are people and I am instantly reminded of the hassles of travelling through the most populous country on the planet.
We grab a few precious hours of sleep before fronting up to Avatara a Michelin recommended restaurant (yes here in Bombay!). Vegetarian, they present an 11 course (in reality actually 16 courses) degustation menu with an interesting Indian wine pairing. It is a feast for all the senses.
A 50 minute UBER takes us to Southern Mumbai and the arch-monument, the Gateway of India. Completed in 1924 it was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V for his coronation as Emperor of India. In a scene typical of India hundreds of people surround the monument, all locals, not doing anything purposeful.
We finish at the Taj Palace Mumbai hotel. Opened in 1903 on the waterfront overlooking the Arabian sea the architecture is an interesting blend of Islamic and Renaissance styles. More recently in 2008 it was the target of a terrorist multiday siege. We indulge in a couple of signature cocktails before our flight home.
The Caucasus mountains start in Russia in the north and the southernmost edge terminates in Azerbaijan. The result is a ski field in the most unlikely of countries.
Our long 3 hour drive starts with a visit to the Juma mosque, Shamakhi. The original version was built in 743AD. Earthquake and war repeatedly destroyed it and the most recent reconstruction was 2013.
Driving up into the mountains the countryside becomes more green and forested.
The Seven Beauties waterfall in Vandam Village is a series of pretty cascades that drop 70 metres through the lush rainforest.
Finally we arrive at Tufandag Mountain Resort located in Gabala. A ski resort in the winter we take the cable car up for dramatic mountain views.
Never heard of them? Nor had I. I had visions and memories of boiling mud at Rotorua but this is different. The mud here is cold, not hot. It is not geothermal but rather methane gas percolating through the wet soil. Incredibly there are more than 400 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan as a result of its unique geology.
Just out of Baku we visit the Bibiheybat mosque. Built in the 13th century it includes the tomb of Ukeyma Khanum a descendant of the prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). It is a Shia mosque hence the green colour inside. Destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1939 this is a reconstruction.
We are taken to Gobustan a 2 hour drive out of Baku, the last 15 minutes on a rough 4 WD track driving rally car style in ancient Soviet era Lada cars.
Nearby quarry workers in the 1930s accidentally discovered petroglyphs. Initial archeological work started in 1939 but was interrupted by WW 2. It was not until 196 that it was decreed an historic national preserve. Here there are thousands of figures carved into rocks between 5000 and 20,000 years ago.
Caspian SeaGobustan State ParkMost famous of the art
When the early Persians came here there were many areas where methane gas seeping through the ground caused spontaneous fires. The advent of drilling for oil has reduced subterranean pressure and now the only place where you can see a burning mountain is at Yanardagh.
The original religion of Azerbaijan was Zoroastrianism. This is an ancient monotheistic religion which, among another things worshipped fire. Our last stop is Ateshgah, the Fire Temple of Baku built around a natural gas vent that ignites flames.
The name Azerbaijan comes from he Persians who came to this Landover a millenium ago. It translates to “Land of Fire”. Oil and gas reserves are shallow and in places methane gas seeps out through the soil and burns, hence the name. Hence the trajectory of this remarkable country.
Original well
In 1846 oil was discovered a mere 22metres below the soil. Most oil deposits are around 200 metres down. Almost overnight wealthy Europeans flocked to Baku, a tiny backwater on the shores of the Caspian Sean. The notable names included Rothschild and Nobel (of Nobel prize fame). The result is wealth and a penchant for European style amenities.
The city grew modernised and prospered until 1918 and the aftermath of the Russian revolution brought the stagnation and impoverishment that characterised the USSR until its dissolution in 1991.
Powered by petrodollars this city has embarked on a crazy building campaign with impressive futuristic buildings reminiscent of Dubai and Astana but on a smaller scale. Having sid that the old and new sit side by side as counterpoints but beautifully preserved. Greenery and parks abound. Wide spacious public malls are lined with scores of restaurants. This city is a real surprise a relatively undiscovered gem!
Heydar Aliev complex (museum)Convention centreFlame towersCrescent HotelBaku eyeFlagpoleView from Highland ParkWar memorialFunicularFountain squareMain mallNighttime view from our balconyCaspian seaMaidan tower dates from 12th century. In the old town it is an emblem of BakuWalls of the old townGosha Gala GatePalace of the ShirvanshasOld town
