OH LET ME SAIL AWAY

2010-05-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

PARIS

2010-05-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Travel Inspiration # 3: GLOBE TREKKER

2010-02-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

Whenever I get the chance I love nothing more than to vegetate on the sofa and watch this travel show. In each hour long episode various Globe Trekkers visit a country/city and give an in-depth and authentic report on its environs- providing history lessons, tourist tips and general randomness. It manages to inform viewers of tourist friendly sites and routes off the beaten track without the condescending tone often found in travel shows/articles. I'm green with envy at the 'trekkers' who get to do this for a living!

My favorite programmes have inspired my travel wish list , for example Venice where I felt as if I was marveling at the beauty of St. Marks canal first hand. The photography in this show is first class, as well as its 'world music' soundtrack. I always feel grey London stress evaporate when I watch this show. I love how they really engage with both locals and tourists alike. Occasionally the shows are based on travel themes e.g Safari treks. My favorite episode was on 'Great Pilgrimages', where we followed the various trekkers across Hindu/Muslim/Catholic India, Buddhist Nepal, Muslim sites in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia (Mecca), Catholic France and Latin American. All within an hour and without a sense a rush!

Admittedly some trekkers are more engaging than others. Ian Wright's cockney chirpy-chap shtick can be tiresome times (In an episode focusing on Vienna he did a jig on Beethoven's grave!) but you’d be hard-hearted not to crack a smile at some of his antics. Here he is hung-over in Mexico...

Megan McCormick is, for lack of a better word, adorable. Here she is in Marrakech, albeit a bit blurry and buying slippers.

My favorite presenter however is Justine Shapiro. She's seems like the ideal travel guide- very respectful, informative and fun. Here she is chillin by the Big Sur...

I will now leave you with an interview from my hero. I'm going to post the whole thing as it's so interesting, particularly in highlighting how to be a more environmentally and socially conscientious traveler (outside of volunteer projects).

Globe Trekker meets Justine Shapiro

Justine Shapiro's job as a presenter for Pilot's award winning series Globe Trekker has taken her to some remarkable destinations and little-known treasures well off the beaten track. Justine's been to more than 25 different countries, trailed night and day by a British camera crew eager to immortalise those magical moments and inevitable mishaps that beset every traveller along the way. But more than being just the face of travel TV, Justine is a traveller through and through. Her adventurous nature and the encounters she's had along the way have given her a unique insight into just what this backpacking business is all about.

Through her job, Justine has met hundreds of young travellers on the road, and over time has learnt to ask herself what their motivations are for heading out into the big wide world. Pilot asked Justine her views on the art of travel...

Globe Trekker - There's sometimes been a lot of adverse publicity for the main guidebooks. It was said that they were responsible for westerners flocking to the last untouristy places on earth in search of the ultimate 'authentic'/ 'off the beaten track' experience, and in doing so were initiating a process of westernisation of the native culture. Do you think this is true?

Justine Shapiro - It's unfortunate that sometimes people's travels don't have a lot to do with being curious about the culture, the landscapes and the language of a place. With a lot of backpackers the conversation is very often about how inexpensive things are. There's an obsession with how long you can go on how little money and what's the cheapest country to be. It's really surprising when you meet backpackers who've been on the road for a while and they just don't seem very interested in the country that they're in at all.

It is inevitable, especially in places where English isn't widely spoken, that backpackers will spend a good deal of their time abroad hanging out with other westerners. They'll swap stories about the places they've seen and get advice on where they're heading next. This is the social side to travel. In every city there are places where backpackers will congregate, and restaurants willingly serve them the banana pancakes and muesli they crave. These western watering holes are often recommended by guidebooks - it's a kind of unwritten rule of the road that you'll be bound to bump into fellow travellers if you stick to the spots recommended in the book that everyone's got. Businesses thrive for this very reason, and from time to time publishers of travel guides come in for a lot of flack because of their apparent power to make or break a business, depending on whether they choose to give it a glowing write up or a damning report that would deter even the most intrepid traveller. It's not so much the responsibility of the guidebooks as part of this whole new culture of travel.

There are certain sections in guidebooks that withstand the test of time. There's the history, the cultural descriptions, the bits about the weather and the transport systems. But there are also things that really don't stand the test of time and good travellers realise that hotel and restaurant descriptions should not relied upon. Even in our own neighbourhoods businesses can change overnight if they change hands. Most guidebooks reprint every 2 or 3 years but if a place reopens under new ownership that information can become out of date very quickly. Then the onus is on the guidebooks to check the place out again, publish the revised phone numbers, and get it right.

Even when you don't speak the language you don't need to rely on a guidebook to tell you where's a good place to eat. If you find out about some place that's not in the book, you go, you try it, and then you make a judgement call. You really don't have to rely on reviews that may be a year of two out of date. Guidebooks play on people's insecurities; they give you the answers before you even thought to ask.

When you make it to the hostel that's 'in the book' you know you'll find others who are in the same boat, and there's a comfort in that. But it's a matter of knowing when they can be of use and when you should put the book away and go explore for yourself. Their value lies in giving people the confidence to travel for themselves, and that in itself is a remarkable first step towards banishing the narrow-minded attitudes we would all hold if we didn't explore beyond the view of the world fashioned by the culture we've grown up in. I believe that the Globe Trekker shows share this all-important role with the guidebooks.

How do you think the Globe Trekker TV show can make a difference to people's perceptions of a location and the experiences to be had in visiting there?

I really get this sense from the letters and e-mails I receive from time to time, telling me that the Globe Trekker programmes have made people see that they too can go and they're not going to become victims of whatever brutal news story they heard about in that country. Many people's experience of countries relate to the headlines in the news, and we all know that wonderful eye-opening travel experiences just don't make news headlines.

What's more, many viewers relish travel programmes like Globe Trekker because they give them a good visual sense of a place before they even set out on the trip. But while both the production team and myself research the culture, history and geography of a country before we go, personally I prefer not to see too many images of a place before I get there.

You go some place and suddenly behold a landscape you've read about but never seen before. I feel that that's the most exciting experience. Just like I don't want someone to tell me what a movie's about, I want to see it for myself.

How different a show do you think Globe Trekker is to other travel shows?

I think Globe Trekker is a really different travel show from a lot that I've seen. I've seen some where the country is the background for an entertainment show, where the presenter is almost making fun at the country and using it like as a character in the story. You can make funny amusing predictable comments like this but the information is delivered in such a dry way that you might as well be reading it out of a book. Globe Trekker gives respect to the people who live there as it gives voice to them. We're not speaking to experts, were speaking to locals and you get a sense of their spirit, their humour and their humanity. I think that's the benefit of a show like ours.

What issues are important to you when travelling?

My own approach to travel is very much an extension of my lifestyle, no matter where I am in the world. Growing up in the Californian town of Berkeley, I was surrounded by people who were politically active and very socially aware. This environment taught me how the consumer is responsible for the rise and rise of big business, and how the little guy can get pushed out of the market. Before parting with a dollar I'll ask myself 'Is this money going to some huge multi-national corporation or am I spending it in a small family run establishment where it'll make a difference?

Even in the States I don't shop at Wal-Mart and I don't shop in malls. I don't buy books at Amazon but I prefer to support the local bookstores, even if it means I might have to pay a few dollars more.

We in the West do tend to go to the places where you can get the same thing more cheaply or more conveniently. When people aren't thoughtful about where they spend their money in their own communities they're less likely to consider the impact it could have when they're travelling. To a Western traveller, 3 dollars might not seem like a lot. But 3 dollars spent many times over at a hotel in India can make a really big difference. It can make or break a business.

How can other travellers be more aware of the economy of tourism and use better practices?

The onus is on the traveller to be conscientious. We can't pass the buck and cry 'the book told us to eat at the restaurant with a plastic marble façade but didn't even mention the little family run place next door.' The traveller needs to be aware of the issues raised by their dollar.

Whether you're looking at a multinational travel agency or a family run hotel in Peru, there's no denying that these days travel means business. It's a thriving industry which generates a great deal of capital the world over, and local officials are going to look for ways to cater to the tourist trade, even if it means losing something of the town's character.

"The onus is on the traveller to be conscientious. The traveller needs to be aware of the issues raised by their dollar."

I feel that you can't blame the guidebooks for bringing people here, even if the fly-by-night entrepreneurs who were once motivated by their love of travel are now on the verge of becoming gigantic corporations which are cashing in on the public's appetite for travel. It's like saying the reason that sharks are quickly becoming an endangered species is that the Chinese love sharks fin soup, while the real problem is that in the last decade China has really converted to the Capitalist system and more people are able to afford what before only rich people could afford. It's not the fault of the fishermen and its not the fault of the Chinese, its part of a larger global economic reality. What it boils down to is that is that many more people are making enough money to have sizeable disposable incomes, and so more people are choosing to spend this newfound wealth on travelling.

Do you think tourism can have a negative effect on the ecology and environment?

"Travel can be a wonderfully enlightening experience, both for the backpacker and the people they run into along the way."

Like many industries, travel and tourism comes in for a certain amount of criticism for the impact it has on the environment, but I believe that with the right approach the benefits of travel far outweigh the negative aspects. In some respects the business of travel does have a negative impact on ecology and the environment, but it does a lot less harm than the oil industry, the destruction of the rainforests and the arms trade. Where the opportunity lies with travel is in broadening one's mind. If people are really interested in knowing who they are and understanding the ways in which we are all brainwashed by our own cultures it's a wonderful thing.

What do you think is the rest of the world's perceptions of American travellers?

Though I've lived in America for much of my life, when travelling I'm the first to recognise the cliché of the Ugly American who expect the rest of the world to be an extension of American standards, and encounters people like this almost everywhere I go.

Many Americans expect this standard of comfort and convenience because that's so much of what American culture is about. The customer is always right in America, much more so than in Europe. A lot of Americans who have never travelled before have this innate attitude that they should be served, and in a timely fashion. They come with their expectations and they loose patience when they're not met. They just don't know that that the rest of the world doesn't operate the way things do here in the States.

Other countries might have a different perception of time: 12 o'clock might not mean 12 on the dot but sometime between midday and 2. It might be usual to wait for an hour between courses at dinner; it might or might not be acceptable to haggle at the local market. It's really a case of 'When in Rome' - make the effort to understand the way a society works rather than expecting it to adapt to visitors.

What's the most important experience you've learnt from your years on the road?

I believe that it's only when you read, travel and talk to people that you can come to realise that the things you've taken for granted all your life aren't necessarily right. People think that when they travel somewhere they're going to go and learn about that place. I think what happen a lot is that people go and learn about themselves. They realise 'Oh God, all my life this is what I thought was important and now I see that for other people other things are important'.

For me, travel is all about attitude. Sure, it's big business but travellers should be aware that if they choose to buy guidebooks, tours and videos then they're buying into an industry.

Just as long as they keep an open mind, put thought into how they choose to spend their money and leave their preconceptions at home then travel can be a wonderfully enlightening experience, both for the backpacker and the people they run into along the way.

(http://www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/globe_trekker/travelers/justine_shapiro_interview.php)

BERLIN DAY 4

2010-01-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

We travelled back to the West, this time to the plush environs of Charlottenburg. After a bum note of being reprimanded for our lawless ticketless metro actions, we headed with a bruised ego to Schloss Charlottenburg.

We walked around the gardens and indulged in fantasy, imagining what it would be like to wake up in this palace and stroll around this garden before breakfast. Then we were off the Museum Berggreun for Picasso, Matisse and Klee.

Museum Berggreun is a small gallery spread out over three floors with a claean layout and an exxcellent selection of art. The audio guide was both soothing and informative. I took a crazy amount of photos, so I present to you a mini tour....

I loved that it began with African sculptures as reminder of its important to Surrealism.

Henri Matisse- Sauteuse de corde (1952)

Geroges Braque- Nature morte au verre et au journal (1913)

Picasso- Le chevelure (1951)

Picasso- Buste de femme d’apès Cranach le Jeune (II) (1958)

Picasso- Le dormeur (1942)

I love this you can just feel her energy just bounce of the walls.
Picasso-Dora Maar aux ongles verts (1936)

Picasso-Portrait Madame Patri (1918)

Paul Klee- Betrachtung beim Frühstück (1925)- this takes the chicken and the egg debate to whole other level.

We then hopped across the road to what like the Museum Berggreun’s double, the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg (AS student we got to go to both Galleries for 4 euros-incredible). Its equally as good, therefore heres another mini tour....

How many instruments can you spot?

Redon- Le promeneur

Redon- la sphère

The world in the era of the Surrealists

This had us laughing for days after and is now an in joke- I forgot what the importance of this piece is, sorry. Henri Rousseau- La belle and la bête.Hans Belllmer- La poupée(1936-1938).

René Magritte-Gaspard de la nuit.

We walked around Charlottenburg a bit more and spotted the Funkturn, then headed off to the Olympic stadium.

We really wanted to see the place were Hitler tried to show off the physical prowess of the Aryan race but instead got smacked down by Jesse Owens. When we arrived however, we realised that this dark history had been replaced by a naturally mundane reality. As the person at the info desk said when we asked where we could learn more about the 1936 games, ‘the stadium has modernised abit since then’. To describe it as more surburban would have apt judging by the number of mums picking up their kids from football practice.

To cheer ourselves up for the wasted journey we howled over Christian Bales freak out, ‘WHAT DON’T YOU FUCKIN UNDERSTAND?!’ 'YOU AND ME ARE OVER...PROFESSIONALLY!'- Our cheeks and bellies ached all the way to Kreuzberg. First we went to the German technology museum. It was really interactive and a change from wandering around art galleries.

In this museum in Berlin, I played peaking tom in various people‘s windows ....

I love good travel photography. Here is Helmut Schilke’s Faces of India project.

In writing this now, i have only just realised the irony of my camera breaking down while walking around an exhibition on the technology of cameras. So onwards with camera phone pictures/friend's snaps...

BERLIN DAY 3

2010-01-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Berlin Wall

There was a school tour guide taking place, so we eavesdropped in. A sombre anecdote was the effects the divide had on graves and how families on the West could not see their family members who were buried in the East. Some even watched their relatives' graves dug up to make room for the wall. It's the little stories like this that I missed when being taught about the divide at school which always focused on the political/material and never on the emotional. The Documentation centre across the road also brought the effects of the Berlin wall home with a room which screened a strangely hypnotic video of the wall across the whole of the city from the vantage point of a helicopter.
We stayed in Nordbanhof after this for a light hearted visit to the German Natural History Museum
.

I love the Acience Museum in South Ken; how can you not love a place where a large T-Rex (and its baby arms) greats you? So I was keen to see how the German one fared. Although it is a lot smaller, it means you could digest a lot more. The museum is evidently caterted towards German tourists. Ecept for the Charles Darwin room which was in Englishthere were hardly any translations.

I watched this for a good 10mis, really hypnotic this creature, shame I don’t know what the hell it is...

This is the specimen of Archaeopteryx and is ‘considered the most complete and beautiful specimen in existance’

We then went to Stassermarkt- to check out the market. If you’re a little lost tourist come to this market and go to the information centre. There is the sweetest women ever here who originates from Versailles but has been living in Berlin for 5 years. She was beyond helpful- giving us directions to everything, recommendations and helping us decide which opera we want to see by playing pieces to us. It felt super cosy to be listening to this in the warm while it started snowing outside.

We finally braved going outside and got the beloved bratwurst then headed to Kollwitzplatz, the Jewish quarter. This and there area surrounding it would where I’d love to live if I was a resident of Berlin. It felt really homely, maybe the snow was clouding my judgement but it was nice to walk around this area. Tip, the Jewish school and Synagogue are not open to the public. And the German Design museum does not exist/has shut down.

At night we headed to the West after a quick nap to recharge our batteries. The club for the night was 2be and Berliners and internet reviews alike had promised that this was the best Hip hop club in town. After a long train journey there and being accosted by 3 drunk German women who plied us with alcohol (thanks for the grapefruit beer whoever you were...) and gave us sound directions. This was valuable as the club looked like it was an abandoned warehouse; inside it was still minimal but the purple lights and leather sofas dotted around gave it a warm touch. This club has been frequented by the likes of Snoop dog(the real one, and not our German friend) and if you go you will see why. I wouldn’t call myself a clubber but I have never had such a good time a club. The music rang from classic such as ‘move bitch get out the way’ to remixes, including ‘New York, New York’. Everyone was there, punks, German old men, hip hop video dancers, rude girls- or baby Beyonces, good dancers, bad dancers,-it didn’t even matter the vibe of the club was eclectic and not in the sense that everyone was hooking up with each other but dancing. Even when the stereotypical hip hop fight broke and the GERMAN DJ was yelling in English, ‘security, security’, this was quickly resolved and people went back to dancing.
In the end to leave, me and my friend kept saying, ‘after the next song’, we did this 4 times, finally after the club went crazy for Jay-Z’s ‘New York, New York’ we left. On our way back home we encountered something sobering/creepy in the subway.....

A BEAR ARMY!

Birthday Brat

2009-12-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to go to Paris in the Springtime! This trip will take place March 20-24th. First I have to survive the next term which I feel will be brutal as I'll be juggling essays, the dreaded disssertaion, an important internship and a million other little/big things. At least there will be a light at the end of the tunnel! Seriously amazed by this present, best 21st gift ever! Hope you (if there is a you/reader?) have had a great christmas and a fantastic New Year. Here's hoping that the next decade is better and more peaceful then this one, and is full of travels!

Berlin Day 2

2009-12-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

Our sleep had been disturbed by the ringing of my 3am alarm bell that had been set for the previous night for our airport journey. Despite this false start the rest of the day was lovely.

We embarked foggy early morning metro (free) ride to Hackescher Markt and we saw our first batch of bona fide tourists groups as well as the lovely Berliner dome on the way to the Pergamon museum. We didn’t really feel like we were in Berlin, but more ‘Paris/Russia/England in the middle ages’, the presence of accordion players everywhere aided this perception.

This museum had been recommended to us by EVRYONE, and for good reason. This Museum is insane, fitting whole buildings within a building. The inner historian in me swelled with pride at having seen this museum, externally I was just gawping at everything.

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I usually ignore these audio guides but they really were useful in helping me engage with the museum, instead of my usual tirade, ‘I’ve seen one topless statue, I’ve seen them all’ (I admit it!)

Model of the temple of Babylon. Love the guy in the corner pulling the serious museum face.

Cone mosaics, beautiful and functional as they protected walls from the elements.

I’m a sucker for this type of jewellery; however they obviously served a more functional purpose. In the Ancient Orient, priests wore these while conducting magical rituals and sacrifices.

After the museum, we took a nice through the Lustgarten and towards the Berliner Dome. I never visit churches in England; however, I’m always drawn to them abroad.

There was a classical concert rehearsal going on while we were there which added to the already serene ambiance of the church.

To get this view from outside the church, I had to ask the security guard who was hogging this window but looked like he was really basking in the view and the sunshine.

Next, we went to the Atlas Museum and didn’t make it past the foyer because a)we had to pay and b)...we were maxed out on Antiques and statues.

We then went on a long hunt for the Marx and Engels statues, LSE students through and through.

Next we went to Nikolaivietal, which can be described as a little quaint village within a city. It was full of cute and fairly priced traditional German bars and cafes as well as pastel buildings. I really felt like I was in a Jacques Demy set (or the German equivalent?).

We then headed to the nearby Alexanderplatz- saw the TV tower and Clock- both really gaudy in my opinion but I guess it was a tourist itch that had to be scratched. We bypassed waiting to go to the top of the tower, as we were too tired and hungry and paying $$$$ and waiting an hour and half just did not seem worth it.

So we took a tram back to Hackesher Markt to go to ‘Sixities’- an old school 60s diner. We got a good meal and sensible advice from the waitress- a trip to the KitKatClub was out. She confirmed our dress code fears. The distance from our lodging to the club, coupled with the weather meant that sauntering around in leather or thongs would be an epic bad idea. Also way too much emphasis on sex party than dance party for my liking, sorry guys...

Loaded up on carbs with feet rested we headed to Fredrichstrasse to see Checkpoint Charlie. The museum was a disappointment and seemed to be more focused on selling merchandise than anything else. Checkpoint Charlie itself confirmed my theory that men in costume miltary uniform by Berlin attractions are either goofy/adorable souls, more so than what job requires.

We then went to see the Berlin Highflyer which was purported to be the world’s biggest balloon, and I would nominate it as the most pointless attraction.

We walked around frederichstrasse to find the restaurant we wanted to go to or dinner and discovered that guidebooks can also fail, as Berliners told us that it was closer to Alexanderplatz –which meant more walking; I was limping as when we got . The restaurant in question was Die Zwölf Apostel (The 12 Apostles) - a pizza restaurant based around the Last Supper theme. The pizza is renowned as being the best and the theme wasn’t tacky in practice but really funny. Tables were arranged in twelves, so you could be sitting with strangers. We were sitting next to an awkward first date (we may not speak German fluently but we are masters at body language). Also the pizzas were named after the apostles; my favourite was the ‘Judas pizza’ which was full of slow burning spices! It would have been perfect had our waitress not been an uptight bitch, even the sound of the S-bahn directly above the restaurant didn’t bother us. I really recommend that you go here if you're in Berlin, it seems to be beloved by tourists and locals. Here's hoping you don’t get the waitress with the skank attitude!

Our day was not over yet...

We went to Alexanderplatz to find the Weekend club but were told by super sweet German teenagers that it was touristy and that they only played house and techno.I was indifferent to the music but my friend wanted an RnB /hip hop club- so we were advised to go to go Soda. We also noticed how defensive Berlin teens got when we said we from London...
Went back to halls and got ready. Again took a long s-bahn journey/walk to get to the club; we got lost and got direction from a girl called Nina, who happened to be going there as well. So joined her, got through the back entrance and were giving champagne- so our first dive into Berlin nightlife was pretty amazing. A Berlin commandment – clubs do not get bangin till 2/3am we got there at the early time of 11.30PM; the rooms were empty with epileptic style dancing to hip hop. It was the opposite of London and I loved that; people were free to dance how they want, dress in jeans basic t shirt and not like Beyonce’s poorer sister. By 2.30 we were exhausted, well me more than my unstoppable partner!

Berlin Day 1

2009-12-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

This was a busy day, I had a last minute internship interview,a dissertation meeting and I had to pick up my friend to stay of mine as it would save her money and be safer to do so. All this finished by 9pm and we had to be up by 3am, so after trying but failing to get a decent amount of sleep for our flight we went on our way, in the dead of night. Waiting at the station for our train to Gatwick, a station master approached us and after eyeing our luggage asked us where we were going ? ‘Berlin’, ‘Oh really I heard Berlin is really..um...decadent and stuff...you know Cabaret and all that’.

Only when arriving at Gatwick were to-do lists made, mainly from looking at friends handy tour guide. I brushed of any of my personal snobbery regarding tour guides seeing as I had no time to make my own. The flight passed without of hitch, and was mainly spent giggling, gossiping and holding our noses at guy infront who seemed to have a personal vendetta against personal hygiene. It was so bad. As we were leaving the plane, Easyjet thought it was festive to play merry x-mas on what seemed like a child’s keyboard. HALLO BERLIN! I must say Schonfield airport is not the first thing you would want to see on your arrival. I struggle to find a word to appropriately describe it other than ghetto. The Customs officers weren’t much better; mine looked a very famous leader in German History, who I won’t name for the sake tired stereotypes. My chirpy ‘Guten Tag’ received a passive bemused face. Getting the hell out of the airport was a bit of a struggle, there were no information offices and coming to terms with the u-bahn/s-bahn system on 3hrs sleep was trying. As one other tired tourist said, ‘all this talk of efficiency, it’s not really true is it?’ Finally we got on the S-Bahn to Pankow, whizzing past the suburbs we tried to keep our tired spirits up by saying, ‘at least we get to see the whooooole of Berlin’.

We got off at Schonhauser Allee, an even more toe up station and got lost again. Our spirits we cheered up by trying our first ever bratwurst from a stall nearby. It was deeeeelicious. The sausage guy gave us directions and after a long walk through a rundown neighbourhood, we got to our hostel. Inside it looked like that spacey arcade in Toy Story and when we got to our room and looked out of our window, we realised that not only were we directly opposite a train station (woe) but that was the one we should have got off at (double woe).

We left as quickly as we got there and headed into Unter den Linden to see all the main sites. On the way there we got were confronted by the in again out again walking system of the S-bahn/U-bahn, staring Germans, a busker badly singing Johnny Cash, ‘ I got a rinnnnn o fhfyifgf and it BURNS, BURNS, BURNS’ and the poor weather.

The Bradenburg Gate

The fake tourist soldiers at the front of the Gate provided more entertainment.

The one on the left claimed he looked like Snoop dog (YES! They have the same bone structure) and was fluent in x-number of languages. The one on the right was from Russia, only 17(we guessed so much older) and wanted to marry me. He even let me where his hat, a privilege he has given to no other tourist, as the shocked Snoop Dogg said. This romance short lived as random guy dressed as a wizard commented , ‘ah, so this is your neeew girlfriend’. With a broken-heart, I went onwards to the Reichstag. The pouring and my flimsy ballet pumps occupied my mind, rather than the building this building which has been mentioned a great deal in my history life. We had to wait an age before being allowed to get a lift to the top of the dome thing through the Reichstag. There was a mini exhibition of its history and foggy panoramic views of the whole city, as well as this hypnotic cone...

After we took refuge in Kafer Restaurant nearby to warm ourselves up with over priced hot chocolate. For 4.50 euros, we also got to rinse our socking socks (under the table, the elegant clientele around us were hopefully none the wiser).

Potdamer Platz came next as we went to the Jewish War memorial. It was pitch black by this point making the memorial of blocks of back stone difficult to see, much to our dismay. Furthermore, the museum for it was UNDERGROUD, hence why after walking up and down and around Potsdamer Platz several times and getting the same directions we couldn’t find it. Once inside, we found the museum to be a very personal take on the holocaust, focusing on Jewish families in Europe. The dark room which projected on the floor the testimonies of Jews before death was very harrowing. Apparently there are two main Jewish museums in Berlin, with one not as good as the other. I have no doubt that this was the good one.

For dinner we headed back to Unter den Linden, the Linden trees were all lit up so it looked lovely...

We headed past this creepy baby to Dressler, a French/German restaurant that promised decadent 1920s style Berlin cuisine. I had my usual safety food of steak and frites. It was soo good, the sauce for the steak had been delivered from the Ritz in Paris and the frits were the best I've ever had. Once again there was shoeless -under the table action. After a good dinner we went to see the Berlin Opera house, which my friend said looked like the inside of Titanic (you may have noticed but our comparisons tend to stem from random shitty movies). Ppromises were made of a night at the opera before the end of our trip, particularly if tickets were only 13.50 euro for students! After a long day we headed to our much needed beds.

Brighton Revisited

2009-12-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

The confessions of a not so perfect traveller.

2009-12-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Make no mistake I had an amazing time in Berlin. I think it could be the most cost effective and student friendly city in Europe. My initial dismay at the pound/euro conversion rate was quickly curbed when I was there. It is possible to see an array of sites, eat good traditional filling German food( 1 euro bratwurst, I think I love you) for way under 20 euros. Aside from money talk, Berlin is beautiful in places. It may not have the obvious charm of Paris or Rome but I quickly realised that in Berlin everything is discreet and understated. As an under prepared first timer, the Berlin AA travel guide was invaluable ally, however the best travel tips came from asking Berliners themselves. From the students chilling in Alexanderplatz or friendly people in the (rare)information offices, their advice was the natual key to unlocking an enigmatic city.

Before I tell you about the short time I spent in Berlin, I’m going to purge all my negative feeling towards the holiday and city here. It maybe unexpected as when Berlin is mentioned peoples usual reaction is that, ‘its craaaaazy’ and ‘you will have an amazing time’. I did...but that does not adequately describe my entire trip. I’ve noticed that a lot of travel blogs tend give the impression that Every Second Of A Holiday Is Wonderful Life Affirming Experience. I’m sorry but sometimes it's just not. At times Berlin could be frustrating; the ‘Germanic stare downs’ agitated my very British belief that ‘it’s rude to stare’ . Also not being completely new to the German language but not being great at speaking it either was exhausting/humbling, i.e I could understand when I was being insulted but didn’t have the vocabulary to fight back. Here is a candid list of random holiday realisations and mistakes. I’d like to learn from them for my travelling future.

1) Hostel : Accommodation tends to be the most expensive part of the trip and I tend to want to save as much money on this as possible. I share the travel philosophy that it’s not where you stay or how you get there but what you see and do once you arrive. For my next trip I think I will have to be a little more practical with this belief. For my 5 day stay in Berlin I paid £54 for accommodation. Yep, you read it. Amazing deal, I was rubbing my hands with glee when I heard the price! However, with all too-good-to-be true deals, somewhere along the line you pay for it later. In the Generator Hostel in a random part of Prenzlauerberg, I quickly learned this. Me and a friend shared a room with 2 other people, slept on the top bunk (which i have a childhood aversion for) which barely fit my short self. It also meant that the nights when we came back a little late we had be extra careful and tip toe around our roommates so not to disturb them. Basically under these living arrangements, you can’t really unwind or feel free to talk to your friends about the day gone by. On my next trip I would choose to maybe spend a bit more on a double room or find a cheap hotel to solve this.

2) Travelling by myself is going to be difficult but if you travel with someone make sure you are compatible. Thankfully, my friend and I are just that, though at times her biblical readings of the travel guide and desire to do everything tired my legs. Looking back at all we achieved in such a short space of time I am so grateful I went with her. Remember that compatibility is very important should you chose to travel with other people. I think its this that can make or break a holiday and/0r friendship.

3) Follow the rules of any country you travel to. This may seem like an obvious one but because I'm used to the London Big Brother style obedience, I got a little cocky in Berlin. Yep, I ignored the key travel advice of in Rome do as the Romans do. You see in Berlin metro stations they have no ticket barriers or station workers and despite this people still buy travel tickets. I couldn’t come to terms with this. Why would anyone buy a ticket if the threat of being caught without one was beyond minimal? On my third day of rebel ticketless travel, I found out why, when a ticket officer dressed in everyday clothing fined me 40 euros for the offence despite our(poor) excuse that our tickets fell down on the train tracks. As the unwavering inspector said, ‘THIS IS GUHMANY AND IN GUHMANY VE ABIDE BY THE RULES’(I honestly kid you not). Just because authority figures aren’t as overt in Berlin as they are in other cities, rules are still implemented nonetheless. As I said before, discreetness is essential in this city.

4) Bring your student card. You save so so so much in travel when you do. I packed mine as an afterthought but in the future it will be the first thing I'll do. However, I think the attitude in most European cities is that even if you were a student a few years ago (or look young enough in my case) you can get sweet discounts.

5) Be aware/ Beware of the climate. Check, and check again. Though I think I will be cautious about traveling to a less then hot country during the winter season, if I do I will be dressed accordingly. I packed a plethora of jumpers, tights, socks and layering basics for this trip but let myself down on the footwear. Wearing ballet pumps or ankle heeled boots is just plain dumb for traipsing around this city in Winter. When it rained on the first day, I was dreaming of my flat heeled brown boots that I left behind in London for the embarrassing excuse that 'they didn't go with any of my outfits'. I am far from a Cher Horowitz in my non travelling life so I kicked my shivering self for being so superficial and short sighted on this holiday.

6) Most painfully, bring backup for your camera. On the 5th day in the German Technology Museum for no apparent reason my camera died despite all subsequent attempts to revive it. I’m in the process of getting it fixed now, and I may or may not have lost all my photos. RAGE! I won’t post about the trip until I get back the prognosis but I have learnt my lesson; even digital Canon bulky cameras are not invincible, so in any case bring back up. I used my camera phone for the day I had left but having to still carry around that big camera was salt in a very open wound.

Where do I want to go? (Revision no.1)

2009-11-17T15:27:00.000-08:00

SANTORINI

(The Topdeck site is quickly becoming my downfall: http://www.topdecktours.co.uk/Content.asp?Document_ID=1382&Display_Type=45714)

BEIRUT

ST PETERSBURG

ZANZIBAR

GHANA

2009-11-14T05:42:00.000-08:00

Travel Inspiration #2

2009-10-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

This song is so good.

I am a bit of a traitor because I honestly do feel that New York trumps London every time. The first time I went here I was fiftteen and super excited to be going to the home town of...The Strokes (literally, I listened to Is This It and Room on Fire exclusively on the way there- oh, and a couple of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blondie & Interpol tracks inbetween). I still remember the drive across a garbage smelling bridge and then suddenly seeing the metropolis of everyone’s aspirational dreams. There it was laid out before me and I was overwhelmed with joy! I don't think a city skyline has ever made me react this way before or after. I remember walking around the Bronx, eating MacDonald’s and chilling out in Times Square at midnight. I know it’s a cliché but you really do feel this energy! I also saw my first monster rat and coach roach in the subway, and instead of feeling like had to flee 1000 miles away, I smiled and thought ‘wow, this is New York’, ha! Alas, I did not see Fabrizio Moretti walking down the street, but NY was good to me nonetheless!
Two of my good friends are applying for NY Masters programmes this year, so I’m wishing them the best of very luck and as selfish and imposing as this sounds, it means that I’ll be lucky enough get to visit them and explore the city abit more!

ST PETER'S, ROME, ITALY

2009-10-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Where do I want to go?

2009-10-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Travel blogging is futile when you can't travel as much as you'd like :(. Damn uni, money and other responsibilities! Anyway, here is a list of the places I would like visit. I might get to go to some of these destinations within a year or so, seeing as after uni I want to take the scenic route (literally) and take a gap year to travel. I thought I would do this. However, I’ve realized that I am OCD when it comes to travel planning and I don’t think I could enjoy a holiday under a paid tour guide. When time allows (if time allows?), I am going to decide the wheres and hows; whether it means booking a Eurolines monthly travel pass; applying for things like BUNAC or AISEC to do volunteering or researching about au-pairing and couch surfing. It’s more satisfying and it suits my indecisive and flakey nature which you will see as this list is revised and added to later…

1) MONTREAL

2) LISBON

3) MOROCCO

4) DO A FRENCH ROAD TRIP

5) VENICE

6) MALLORCA (this could happen thanks to my friend T)

7) SAN FRANCISCO

8) CUBA

9) GOA

10) DUBLIN

11) ISRAEL

Upcoming Trip

2009-10-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

London Gatwick ( South Terminal )
To Berlin Schoenefeld
flight 5409 ;dep. 10 Dec 2009 06:50
arr. 10 Dec 2009 09:45

Berlin Schoenefeld To London Gatwick (South Terminal)
flight 5410 ;dep. 15 Dec 2009 07:15
arr. 15 Dec 2009 08:15

I LOVE SOUTHBANK

2009-10-02T05:09:00.000-07:00

Forum Romanum

2009-09-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

TATE MODERN

2009-09-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

THE TATE

The Tate modern Is hands down my favourite gallery in London. I had the pleasure of doing work experience there, which contained a lot of giggling, curatorial talks, ferry trips up and down the Thames and best of all, free access to all the exhibitions. My favourite memory of this experience was when I walking around, looking slightly confused in the Cy Twombly exhibition, when a security guard looked and me and said, ‘yea, I don’t know what’s going on either!'. Oh, and being in a video installation hut type place (I can’t even Google it), watching Eastern European teenagers dancing awkwardly to House and Techno. It’s been a while since I’ve gone back there but the cafe alone is a reason to go, with its stunning views of Southbank. I should be going soon though, as checking out the new autumn (usually interactive) installation is a veritable London tradition.

Book Mongers

2009-09-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

The above picture was taken outside of a charming book shop called, ‘Book Mongers’. It is rare gem in the W H Smiths and Waterstones monopoly here. Inside it is as dusty and as creaky as you could imagine a stereotypical pokey book shop to be. Jazz lingers in the background, there’s a rusty chandelier above, that book smell and a comfy chaise to lounge around and read potential purchases. It reminds me a lot of the Shakespeare & Co. in Paris, which I have yet to visit here in London. Every single book that you could possibly dream of having is here and the prices are unbeatable! I usually scour amazon.com for bargins, but I will definitely be browsing for books here more often. The books do not seem to be put into any particular (alphabetical!) order apart from broad genres such as fiction/non-fiction/ History/Philosophy etc. That’s the price you’ll have to pay if you want sweet book deals! However, I can’t think of a better way to spend an hour than in this shop's cosy surroundings. Particularly if it is more than likely to be raining outside!

(above pic courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/2809290205/)
Book Mongers,439 Coldharbour Ln, London, SW9, 020 7738 4225

Travel Inspiration # 1

2009-09-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this song. It has been on repeat this summer, keeping me company on the way to my dreaded French oral exams, to jealously dropping my Dad off at the airport and to just walking around (or (se) balader as the French so neatly sum it up). I like to think of La Javanaise as the 'pout song' with its constant ‘v’ alliteration. I guess that it would be impossible not to get kissed after mouthing the lyrics (as best as my shoddy language skillS permits!) to a lover. However, the meaning of the song can be best summed up by the lyrics, ‘Nous nous aimions/ Le temps d'une chanson’ Our love lasted/As long as a song. La Javanaise conjures up this great end-of- holiday feeling. The rhythm makes you think of swaying palm trees, as the ‘shudum dum’ swooning makes you think of siren hula girls. Yet the female singing/sighing underneath Serge’s musings (not of the je t’aime…moi non plus variety), evokes a sense of impending heartbreak either from an ending love affair or a holiday.

This song seems perfectly simple and full of emotion when listening to it sans fluent French speaking ears. However, Serge’s constant use of ‘av ‘or ‘v’shows his mastery of the French language and also his wit. ‘La Javanaise’ is both a dance (the rhythm definitely will tempt you into a little hip sway), and a form of French slang, ‘which sticks ‘av’ in between constants and vowels. We can see why François Mitterrand reffered to him as ‘our Baudelaire’ at his funereal.

Whenever I here this song, I think of being in the south of France (never been), dancing away like a little Brigitte Bardot, and God created women- style. Then I look outside my London window, and its dark, rainy and miserable. So I play the song again.

ROME

2009-09-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

THAMES

2009-09-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have spent a good part of the Summer by this river. Just being near it, whether you're on a crowed bus, strolling down the Southbank or by Tate Britain, you can't help but displace your troubles or hopes over this river.

>

OH LET ME SAIL AWAY

2009-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I was born and raised in London.

For non-Londoners the reactions to this are usually the bright-eyed,‘ooh I love Notting Hill, Camden, Brick Lane, Shoreditch etc etc!' Well to find me you have to go a little further south ,'Oh Brixton or Clapham?’ some tentatively ask. Well try a liiiittle bit more further South. This is where I get suspicious looks and nervous twitching,' Does London even go that far?' Well yes it does, actually...

I've spent 20 years in a looovely little town named Croydon. It’s famous the world over as being the birth place of Kate Moss, her Topshop tycoon sidekick Philip Green and the 'Croydon Facelift', all serious contributions to the fashion world! There are the chavs (or worse still the 'hoodies') the drinking and the inevitable violence. You know, good old fashioned lawlessness and disorder!

Not very pretty.

I refuse to go into the reasons why you should or shouldn’t come to Croydon. It speaks for itself. Personally, Croydon has been absolutely fantastic in encouraging me to leave. Now that I have revealed to you the sizeable chip on my shoulder, you might now see why I have created this travel blog.