Sixth Stop - Germany (Munich & Berlin)
Via Trains from Pordenone to VE Mestre, VE Mestre to Milano CentraleMilano Centrale to Zurich, Zurich to Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen to UlmUlm to Munich, Munich to BerlinTotal Travel Hrs. 18hrs (including waiting time)
Where do I begin narrating this one? Try, at 3:30AM making our way down to Venice Airport to drop off the in-laws. After several days of sparred decision-making, Ralph's family hurtfully gave up their last couple of days in Europe to pay last respect to beloved Mama Febe. And surprise! surprise! We got at the airport welcomed by a commotion - Remember Spain? Spain, who conveniently scheduled their work strike that one fine day. Why did we ever do this again? Ah, for the sake of it. I heart sarcasm.
Thankfully, their flights were rerouted instead of completely cancelled out. Ralph and I left and drove off...off into the wild blue yonder...a.k.a Germany. Gauging at 80mph, we zoomed our way on the autostrada to catch one of the many trains we were scheduled to embark on. With few minutes to spare, we made our way north, hitting Venice, Milan, Zurich, Schaffhausen, Ulm then 13 hours and railroad maintenance delays later, Munchen.
MUNICH
Despite being escorted by the common cold, orange juice plus some green menthol tissues to boost, visiting Munich was a lot of fun. Being the most efficient country we have visited so far, Germany was the easiest to navigate. Once settled in a well-kept, fancy apartment originally for five, we soaked in its convenience before finally dozing off at midnight. Next morning, we hit Munich with an early visit to the Deutsches Museum, one of largest and most comprehensive Science & Technology museum in the world. From its rising barometer tower, vast science and technology exhibitions (not to mention interactive), lecture halls, and an open research laboratory, this seven floor museum makes learning addictive and fun! Even made me want to fly to the Philippines and bring my Chemist sister, whose latest research gig is nanotechnology, back. Needless to say, the Bio & Nanotechnology exhibition hall is one of the most interesting area of the museum, showcasing a hollowed car, face detector, nano & biotechnology uses and benefits in a futuristic-themed space with some real life MIB's. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Crafts!!! Karen Carpenter, hit it!
Via Trains from Pordenone to VE Mestre, VE Mestre to Milano CentraleMilano Centrale to Zurich, Zurich to Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen to UlmUlm to Munich, Munich to BerlinTotal Travel Hrs. 18hrs (including waiting time)
Where do I begin narrating this one? Try, at 3:30AM making our way down to Venice Airport to drop off the in-laws. After several days of sparred decision-making, Ralph's family hurtfully gave up their last couple of days in Europe to pay last respect to beloved Mama Febe. And surprise! surprise! We got at the airport welcomed by a commotion - Remember Spain? Spain, who conveniently scheduled their work strike that one fine day. Why did we ever do this again? Ah, for the sake of it. I heart sarcasm.
Thankfully, their flights were rerouted instead of completely cancelled out. Ralph and I left and drove off...off into the wild blue yonder...a.k.a Germany. Gauging at 80mph, we zoomed our way on the autostrada to catch one of the many trains we were scheduled to embark on. With few minutes to spare, we made our way north, hitting Venice, Milan, Zurich, Schaffhausen, Ulm then 13 hours and railroad maintenance delays later, Munchen.
MUNICH
Despite being escorted by the common cold, orange juice plus some green menthol tissues to boost, visiting Munich was a lot of fun. Being the most efficient country we have visited so far, Germany was the easiest to navigate. Once settled in a well-kept, fancy apartment originally for five, we soaked in its convenience before finally dozing off at midnight. Next morning, we hit Munich with an early visit to the Deutsches Museum, one of largest and most comprehensive Science & Technology museum in the world. From its rising barometer tower, vast science and technology exhibitions (not to mention interactive), lecture halls, and an open research laboratory, this seven floor museum makes learning addictive and fun! Even made me want to fly to the Philippines and bring my Chemist sister, whose latest research gig is nanotechnology, back. Needless to say, the Bio & Nanotechnology exhibition hall is one of the most interesting area of the museum, showcasing a hollowed car, face detector, nano & biotechnology uses and benefits in a futuristic-themed space with some real life MIB's. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Crafts!!! Karen Carpenter, hit it!
Leaving the museum by noon, we stopped by Marienplatz for lunch, then straight to the BMW Main Headquarters, its building structure already a must-see. Thankfully, God finally heard my pleas and favored us with two slots for the BMW factory tour at the last minute. Note: Make reservations ahead of time. Trailing along our tour guide, we got to see some behind the scenes action on the making of a BMW! From its assembly line, paint job, car seat installation and employees, test driving new BMW's - everything seem to set the stage for a hollywood flick where we embody a bunch of powerful, goggle-wearing personae, secretly watching the unfolding of a scientific project especially made for the earth's destruction. Bwa-Bwa-Bwa-hahahahaha!
Last but not the least, we took part in Germany's most celebrated fair, Oktoberfest! Packed with party-goers dressed in traditional German costumes, Thereisenweisse was a party pen. Hoping to find extra seats at one of the famous German restaurants, Hofbrauhaus, we ended up eating at one of the food stands instead. The thousands of boisterous people already seated thumping and singing wildly with the live band kinda made empty seats hard to come by. Overall though, I did not enjoy it as much as I wanted. Besides my ailing body begging for rest, I am not too big on two things Oktoberfest is known for - beer and carnival rides.
Last but not the least, we took part in Germany's most celebrated fair, Oktoberfest! Packed with party-goers dressed in traditional German costumes, Thereisenweisse was a party pen. Hoping to find extra seats at one of the famous German restaurants, Hofbrauhaus, we ended up eating at one of the food stands instead. The thousands of boisterous people already seated thumping and singing wildly with the live band kinda made empty seats hard to come by. Overall though, I did not enjoy it as much as I wanted. Besides my ailing body begging for rest, I am not too big on two things Oktoberfest is known for - beer and carnival rides.
BERLIN
Arriving in Berlin a little after lunch, nothing extraordinary seemed to pop-out until we stepped out of the train station and explored the city. Unlike any other congested cities, Berlin, though abundant in high-rise buildings is so far-stretched, it felt we were the only tourists wandering the streets. Some train stations were even completely isolated. Considering it as Hitler's former Nazi headquarters, the city's quietness still seem to echo the known and unknown things that happened behind its walls. There is this eerie, yet liberating feeling. That said, Berlin is so rich in history. Visiting the German Historical Museum, we came up close with Martin Luther and his detractors. One of which is a caricature of him with seven heads as a doctor, Turk, monk, church visitor, wild man with a club, a preacher and a fanatic, a parody of the seven-headed beast in the book of Revelation. According to the German Historical Museum, the picture represent Luther's contradictory teachings. Then of course, Hitler and the Nazi regime. Some of its highlights include Nazi uniforms, Hitler propaganda in print and videos, and a model of Hitler's dream house.
Arriving in Berlin a little after lunch, nothing extraordinary seemed to pop-out until we stepped out of the train station and explored the city. Unlike any other congested cities, Berlin, though abundant in high-rise buildings is so far-stretched, it felt we were the only tourists wandering the streets. Some train stations were even completely isolated. Considering it as Hitler's former Nazi headquarters, the city's quietness still seem to echo the known and unknown things that happened behind its walls. There is this eerie, yet liberating feeling. That said, Berlin is so rich in history. Visiting the German Historical Museum, we came up close with Martin Luther and his detractors. One of which is a caricature of him with seven heads as a doctor, Turk, monk, church visitor, wild man with a club, a preacher and a fanatic, a parody of the seven-headed beast in the book of Revelation. According to the German Historical Museum, the picture represent Luther's contradictory teachings. Then of course, Hitler and the Nazi regime. Some of its highlights include Nazi uniforms, Hitler propaganda in print and videos, and a model of Hitler's dream house.
Another historical-rich place we went to was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Interestingly so, this memorial had an array of seeming sepulchers in different heights and levels, where underneath lies a Holocaust gallery. Once inside, each memorial room (two, I find most compelling) showed videos, letters, pictures and stories of murdered Jews and their families. The rooms I personally liked included encased, handwritten letters from the Holocaust era laid on the floor. The other, a four-wall projector room, showing names among the 6 million murdered Jews, whose bodies are still missing.
With that, we also visited Bradenburger Tor, Bebelplatz, East Side Gallery and Checkpoint Charlie, the famous checkpoint between East and West Germany, where people tried different ideas for escape. The night before we left, Ralph sans me, included a stop to the Jewish museum. Over fatigued by our consecutive journey, I opted to enjoy our Marriott hotel, courtesy by mom-in-law, to regain some vigor before facing another 18-hour trip in conclusion of our one heck of a backpacking trip. Now, whereto next?
With that, we also visited Bradenburger Tor, Bebelplatz, East Side Gallery and Checkpoint Charlie, the famous checkpoint between East and West Germany, where people tried different ideas for escape. The night before we left, Ralph sans me, included a stop to the Jewish museum. Over fatigued by our consecutive journey, I opted to enjoy our Marriott hotel, courtesy by mom-in-law, to regain some vigor before facing another 18-hour trip in conclusion of our one heck of a backpacking trip. Now, whereto next?
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