Somehow I am a bad omen for airlines. This year so far, I managed to get two out of four bankrupt in the week of my return flight. In January, flyLAL, the Lithuanian state airline, ceased operations on Friday after I took their flight on Monday, yesterday SkyEurope filed for creditor protection. They managed to get me home with a two hour delay, first due to "late arrival of the aircraft" and then "technical problems". I suspect that they had to paint over and remove all the logos on the plane, because I had never seen such a pristine white and unbranded but apparently not really new plane before.
Anyways, Ryanair and Flybe survived their 50% chance of succeeding after my custom, let's see how my record will look at the end of this year. If you think that I am the one to blame for the current economical crisis, I can assure you that my bank still works, I don't own a car and all my usual retailers are also still in business. Seems like I only affect the travel sector, so tell me if I should notify you which airline I will use next.
Showing posts with label Travelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travelling. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Берлин-Минск-Вильнюс-Лондон: Travelling
Some of you might be interested in stories about travelling to, inside and out of Belarus. The route taken was Berlin-Minsk on the night train, Minsk-Vilnius with a train in the morning, Vilnius-London by plane and London-Manchester by trains again. Sounds cumbersome, but was by far the cheapest and, yes, you can do Minsk-Manchester in one day in some 17 hours. The only exciting thing about the flight was that the company went bust five days later, thus I had the great honour to be on one of their last flights.
My first contact with Belarusian rail was in Berlin even before boarding it, and it was an olfactory one: the coach to Minsk exhibited a slight but noticeable smell of oil. However, inside the coach it was quite cosy and comfortable. Curtains at each window, carpet with an old-fashioned pattern in the corridor and in the compartment. The bed/seat covered in red velvet and even a small table cloth on the table.
However, and this be a big warning to anybody attempting to do this this trip, the main drawback was the missing restaurant coach on this 18 hour trip (for us, others stayed on the train for much longer, like Kiev). The conductress of our coach only had hot water and could sell us some ramen noodles. I know, had they had internet on that trip, the prototypical Computer Science PhD student would not have left the train: the outside world is passing by without interaction, a long night and ramen noodles all the time a perfect habitat. If you wonder, Rollton (Роллтон) is the essential piece of vocabulary here. I, for my part, stuck to the mixture of healthy (apples, mandarins) and unhealthy food (chocolate) that I had obtained in the last minutes before departure, probably following some kind of instinct.
The only two exciting events happened in the middle of the night: entering Belarus which meant being woken up by several sternly looking people in differently coloured uniforms wearing differently shaped hats that examined our passports and asked if we were bringing alcohol, cigarettes or household appliances. We did not, at least not according to Belarusian custom rules: everything that has less than 7% of alcohol is not considered an alcoholic beverage.
The other event is exciting for rail enthusiasts and a slight annoyance to other passengers. As in all parts of the former Soviet Union, the rails have a broader gauge than in the western part of Europe. The solution to that challenge is to lift each coach, to exchange the wheels underneath and to put the coach down on the rails again. This is less exciting than it sounds, even considering that you stay in the coach. The train enters some kind of garage, the coaches are uncoupled, moved to some kind of hoisting platform, slowly lifted and put down again. Had it not been for some banging and clanging noises and for the shunting movements, this process would have almost been unnoticeable.
In general, travelling by train in Belarus is only slightly different from how I knew it. Each coach has its own conductress whose job it is to guard a pot of boiling water that is available for making tea or ramen noodles if you prefer. She also checks the tickets when boarding the train, collects the tickets in the train, keeps them and hands you yours back only before you leave the train.
The layout of a long-distance train coach is different, too. They don't have comfortable reclineable seats, but instead two benches facing each other with space for three persons each. However, above each bench there is a bed that can be folded down so that four people can sleep in that open compartment. Across the aisle, there are two seats on a table, facing each other and with some intricate mechanism one can turn this into two bunk beds.
My first contact with Belarusian rail was in Berlin even before boarding it, and it was an olfactory one: the coach to Minsk exhibited a slight but noticeable smell of oil. However, inside the coach it was quite cosy and comfortable. Curtains at each window, carpet with an old-fashioned pattern in the corridor and in the compartment. The bed/seat covered in red velvet and even a small table cloth on the table.
However, and this be a big warning to anybody attempting to do this this trip, the main drawback was the missing restaurant coach on this 18 hour trip (for us, others stayed on the train for much longer, like Kiev). The conductress of our coach only had hot water and could sell us some ramen noodles. I know, had they had internet on that trip, the prototypical Computer Science PhD student would not have left the train: the outside world is passing by without interaction, a long night and ramen noodles all the time a perfect habitat. If you wonder, Rollton (Роллтон) is the essential piece of vocabulary here. I, for my part, stuck to the mixture of healthy (apples, mandarins) and unhealthy food (chocolate) that I had obtained in the last minutes before departure, probably following some kind of instinct.
The only two exciting events happened in the middle of the night: entering Belarus which meant being woken up by several sternly looking people in differently coloured uniforms wearing differently shaped hats that examined our passports and asked if we were bringing alcohol, cigarettes or household appliances. We did not, at least not according to Belarusian custom rules: everything that has less than 7% of alcohol is not considered an alcoholic beverage.
The other event is exciting for rail enthusiasts and a slight annoyance to other passengers. As in all parts of the former Soviet Union, the rails have a broader gauge than in the western part of Europe. The solution to that challenge is to lift each coach, to exchange the wheels underneath and to put the coach down on the rails again. This is less exciting than it sounds, even considering that you stay in the coach. The train enters some kind of garage, the coaches are uncoupled, moved to some kind of hoisting platform, slowly lifted and put down again. Had it not been for some banging and clanging noises and for the shunting movements, this process would have almost been unnoticeable.
In general, travelling by train in Belarus is only slightly different from how I knew it. Each coach has its own conductress whose job it is to guard a pot of boiling water that is available for making tea or ramen noodles if you prefer. She also checks the tickets when boarding the train, collects the tickets in the train, keeps them and hands you yours back only before you leave the train.The layout of a long-distance train coach is different, too. They don't have comfortable reclineable seats, but instead two benches facing each other with space for three persons each. However, above each bench there is a bed that can be folded down so that four people can sleep in that open compartment. Across the aisle, there are two seats on a table, facing each other and with some intricate mechanism one can turn this into two bunk beds.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
счёт пожалуйста: Minsk money-wise
Something you immediately notice is the strange money they have. They have their own currency, called roubles as in Russia, but it is worth less than the Italian Lira in its latest days.
Therefore, the first time I was shocked, when I had to pay like a hundred thousand for a less than average supermarket shopping. Otherwise, however, I had that great feeling of almost being a millionaire already in my wallet. Fascinatingly, the clerks at the supermarket checkouts all can count money as admirably fast as everywhere else only bankers can do it. Astonished, I took my groceries I just paid what would be a fortune in other currencies for and got change in form of a huge bunch of notes with big numbers and strolled through the sliding doors feeling like a small tycoon.
Obviously, having to fit so many noughts on a coin is a bit inconvenient, therefore as an easy solution, there are plainly no coins. The big advantages in that approach, the light weight of your wallet and the absence of metal in it, are however, outweighed by the inconvenience of having to pick the note with the right denomination in a fist full of them. The colours, or my poor memory of associating the right number of noughts to a colour, make it a bit difficult to be fast and as an additional challenge, the number is always on the last spot you gaze at and instead your eye always catches a long string of Cyrillic letters that are basically useless as a clue to foreigners.
The absence of coins, makes it quite difficult for the rouble to roll in and therefore, the economical situation in Belarus is not very positive &ndsh; despite president Lukashenko's denial of a financial crisis in his New Year's address. A short word on prices, some of my dear readers might be interested in: groceries are about at the Western European level as are prices in restaurants and going out in general. Transport on the other hand is cheap and a train ticket for the four hours to Vilnus was only – gasp – 19 000 roubles, a mere £4.77 and a single metro ticket in Minsk is priced at 600 roubles, which are 15p.
Due to the financial crisis – ah, sorry, the free will of the government of Belarus, only ever doing good to its people – the rouble was devaluated by a fifth right at the beginning of the New Year and it is these instable rates that make currency exchange offices boom all throughout the city as even the locals like to keep their savings in more solid currencies as US dollar or Euro. You can even find ATMs handing out roubles and Euros or Dollars quite frequently although only roubles are allowed for payments.
Therefore, the first time I was shocked, when I had to pay like a hundred thousand for a less than average supermarket shopping. Otherwise, however, I had that great feeling of almost being a millionaire already in my wallet. Fascinatingly, the clerks at the supermarket checkouts all can count money as admirably fast as everywhere else only bankers can do it. Astonished, I took my groceries I just paid what would be a fortune in other currencies for and got change in form of a huge bunch of notes with big numbers and strolled through the sliding doors feeling like a small tycoon.
Obviously, having to fit so many noughts on a coin is a bit inconvenient, therefore as an easy solution, there are plainly no coins. The big advantages in that approach, the light weight of your wallet and the absence of metal in it, are however, outweighed by the inconvenience of having to pick the note with the right denomination in a fist full of them. The colours, or my poor memory of associating the right number of noughts to a colour, make it a bit difficult to be fast and as an additional challenge, the number is always on the last spot you gaze at and instead your eye always catches a long string of Cyrillic letters that are basically useless as a clue to foreigners.
The absence of coins, makes it quite difficult for the rouble to roll in and therefore, the economical situation in Belarus is not very positive &ndsh; despite president Lukashenko's denial of a financial crisis in his New Year's address. A short word on prices, some of my dear readers might be interested in: groceries are about at the Western European level as are prices in restaurants and going out in general. Transport on the other hand is cheap and a train ticket for the four hours to Vilnus was only – gasp – 19 000 roubles, a mere £4.77 and a single metro ticket in Minsk is priced at 600 roubles, which are 15p.
Due to the financial crisis – ah, sorry, the free will of the government of Belarus, only ever doing good to its people – the rouble was devaluated by a fifth right at the beginning of the New Year and it is these instable rates that make currency exchange offices boom all throughout the city as even the locals like to keep their savings in more solid currencies as US dollar or Euro. You can even find ATMs handing out roubles and Euros or Dollars quite frequently although only roubles are allowed for payments.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Мінск: горад-герой - Minsk: Hero City
So, how does Minsk look like? It has all the features you would expect from a city that was built under a Socialist regime after we Germans had basically completely destroyed it in WWII. That's what it got the title Hero City for from the Soviets. However, I will stick to today and leave telling about the interesting history to people more knowledgable than me.
First thing you notice is the "anachronistic architecture" with high rising concrete block buildings and wide prospects in between. That sounds slightly appalling at first, but it actually takes only a short time to get used to it and to like it. Newer houses do depart quite nicely from the central theme of a grey cube and have colour, some different shape and fancy embellishments. However, noticeably the big advantage of building high is that you have a lot of space left in between (which was covered in snow by the time I was there). So you can have a lot of open space for lawns and trees and use parts of it for things like an eight-lane street. This has the additional advantage that traffic becomes a much lesser problem.
Speaking for the centre, the houses are not run-down as bad rumours try to make you believe. They are well-kept, nicely painted and illuminated at night and most of them are not simply brightly lit, but the light changes colours which makes for a nice effect. Together with the abundant Christmas illuminations (flashing and in all sorts of colours) reflecting on the snow-covered ground, it is quite beautiful in its own way at night. The city does, however, not have a skyline or a distinctive crammed centre, but is draped along various prospects with a river mingled in between which provides space for parks. The prospects are reasonably straight as a prospect should be, but they are not orthogonal to each other, so it is not a boring look at all and still challenges your sense of orientation.
The most interesting building is at the edge of the city centre on one of those prospects and it is the National Library of Belarus. Depending on your associations, it looks like a diamond, the death star or a giant role playing dice – in any way, it is quite remarkable. What makes it even more geeky is that the whole facade is covered with coloured lightbulbs which basically makes it the weirdest screen I've ever seen. Of course, they use this screen constantly and display anything from scrolling text (some welcome message, I suppose for lack of knowing better), the animated national flag or just a screen saver, i.e. some purple arcs flying all over the cube's surface.
Of course, is has an inside, but if you are not there on the day of the guided tour (which is in Russian), you have to become a member to enter – so I did. I am now proudly in possession of a library card complete with my photo and my name in Cyrillic letters. They scanned my passport for the picture which makes for some nice background and lacks my smile, because of the biometric picture. The library is as one would expect with art, reading rooms and books. They said they do have books in other languages although I did not check.
Another very nice the thing about Minsk and Belarus in general is its spotless cleanliness. There is not a leaf or a paper on the ground, neither on the street nor in the metro stations. There were ten to 20 centimetres (four to eight inches for the non-metric people) of snow and there was frequent snowfall, but they managed to keep each street clean to the kerb. No heaps of snow at the sides, no sleet on the street or on the pavements, which I find really amazing – considering how other countries that think they were better developed cope with much less snow. Maybe it is again due to the contrast with scruffy Manchester where you constantly walk through dirt, litter and liquids on the pavement, but I am still totally enthusiastic about how clean you can keep a city of an 1.8 million population.
Traffic in Minsk looks and feels a bit chaotic when you are in a car, but it works well. People on foot stop at red lights – which is quite sensible if you want to survive crossing eight lanes – and in the city centre they have nice pedestrian lights with a countdown in seconds until the green lights which then show a nice animated man walking and another countdown until the red light. The metro consisting of two lines works very well – did I mention that you could almost eat from the floor, even when people constantly walk in with dirty shoes from the snow?
You might well be aware of the political situation in Belarus and maybe what I am so enthusiastic about are just features of a police state. Admittedly, there is noticeable police presence on the streets and you are well advised not to argue with them about politics, but they are moderately helpful and not less unfriendly than ordinary people. I was prepared for the situation of being asked for passport, visa, registration and whatever else with a picture of me on it they might want to see, but a bit disappointingly, this never happened.
Another thing making it a bit adventurous to be there is the language and scripture barrier. You cannot expect ordinary people to speak more than Russian and Belarusian and you need a photographic memory to read or recognise signs if you are not familiar with Cyrillic writing, because there is nothing except for some lonely bilingual English-Russian signposts at each ends of one park.
Having said that, it is a very enjoyable city when you are with locals that speak your language and this is what I will write more about in further postings, so stay tuned again.
First thing you notice is the "anachronistic architecture" with high rising concrete block buildings and wide prospects in between. That sounds slightly appalling at first, but it actually takes only a short time to get used to it and to like it. Newer houses do depart quite nicely from the central theme of a grey cube and have colour, some different shape and fancy embellishments. However, noticeably the big advantage of building high is that you have a lot of space left in between (which was covered in snow by the time I was there). So you can have a lot of open space for lawns and trees and use parts of it for things like an eight-lane street. This has the additional advantage that traffic becomes a much lesser problem.
Speaking for the centre, the houses are not run-down as bad rumours try to make you believe. They are well-kept, nicely painted and illuminated at night and most of them are not simply brightly lit, but the light changes colours which makes for a nice effect. Together with the abundant Christmas illuminations (flashing and in all sorts of colours) reflecting on the snow-covered ground, it is quite beautiful in its own way at night. The city does, however, not have a skyline or a distinctive crammed centre, but is draped along various prospects with a river mingled in between which provides space for parks. The prospects are reasonably straight as a prospect should be, but they are not orthogonal to each other, so it is not a boring look at all and still challenges your sense of orientation.
The most interesting building is at the edge of the city centre on one of those prospects and it is the National Library of Belarus. Depending on your associations, it looks like a diamond, the death star or a giant role playing dice – in any way, it is quite remarkable. What makes it even more geeky is that the whole facade is covered with coloured lightbulbs which basically makes it the weirdest screen I've ever seen. Of course, they use this screen constantly and display anything from scrolling text (some welcome message, I suppose for lack of knowing better), the animated national flag or just a screen saver, i.e. some purple arcs flying all over the cube's surface.
Of course, is has an inside, but if you are not there on the day of the guided tour (which is in Russian), you have to become a member to enter – so I did. I am now proudly in possession of a library card complete with my photo and my name in Cyrillic letters. They scanned my passport for the picture which makes for some nice background and lacks my smile, because of the biometric picture. The library is as one would expect with art, reading rooms and books. They said they do have books in other languages although I did not check.
Another very nice the thing about Minsk and Belarus in general is its spotless cleanliness. There is not a leaf or a paper on the ground, neither on the street nor in the metro stations. There were ten to 20 centimetres (four to eight inches for the non-metric people) of snow and there was frequent snowfall, but they managed to keep each street clean to the kerb. No heaps of snow at the sides, no sleet on the street or on the pavements, which I find really amazing – considering how other countries that think they were better developed cope with much less snow. Maybe it is again due to the contrast with scruffy Manchester where you constantly walk through dirt, litter and liquids on the pavement, but I am still totally enthusiastic about how clean you can keep a city of an 1.8 million population.
Traffic in Minsk looks and feels a bit chaotic when you are in a car, but it works well. People on foot stop at red lights – which is quite sensible if you want to survive crossing eight lanes – and in the city centre they have nice pedestrian lights with a countdown in seconds until the green lights which then show a nice animated man walking and another countdown until the red light. The metro consisting of two lines works very well – did I mention that you could almost eat from the floor, even when people constantly walk in with dirty shoes from the snow?
You might well be aware of the political situation in Belarus and maybe what I am so enthusiastic about are just features of a police state. Admittedly, there is noticeable police presence on the streets and you are well advised not to argue with them about politics, but they are moderately helpful and not less unfriendly than ordinary people. I was prepared for the situation of being asked for passport, visa, registration and whatever else with a picture of me on it they might want to see, but a bit disappointingly, this never happened.
Another thing making it a bit adventurous to be there is the language and scripture barrier. You cannot expect ordinary people to speak more than Russian and Belarusian and you need a photographic memory to read or recognise signs if you are not familiar with Cyrillic writing, because there is nothing except for some lonely bilingual English-Russian signposts at each ends of one park.
Having said that, it is a very enjoyable city when you are with locals that speak your language and this is what I will write more about in further postings, so stay tuned again.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Notes from the Far East
Welcome back after another two month's silence that has become too usual and shows you that I did not have any New Year's resolutions. Anyways, to make up for that I have something special for my dearest readers this time.
I have something interesting to report, namely a trip to Minsk over New Year's Eve and the week after. This is the captial a Belarus, a state that has been a part of Soviet Union and is said to be the place where these times are still somehow alive by people taking a more nostalgic view and considered to be the last dictatorship in Europe by people thinking more politically. This just as an update to everybody who might be too ashamed to admit this is new information to them. I know that the vast majority of my readers is informed much beyond that.
Quite an exotic and exciting destination - although in the Daily Mail's Top Ten list of travel destinations of 2009 - and therefore, I have a lot to tell. To not be liable to procrastinating my dear readers too much, my stories will come in several episodes over the following days. So check back, there is a lot to tell from a very enjoyable trip with many new insights and anecdotes.
For today, I'll only dump the pictures and tell you to stay tuned when the first storytelling episode drops in, say, three days.
I have something interesting to report, namely a trip to Minsk over New Year's Eve and the week after. This is the captial a Belarus, a state that has been a part of Soviet Union and is said to be the place where these times are still somehow alive by people taking a more nostalgic view and considered to be the last dictatorship in Europe by people thinking more politically. This just as an update to everybody who might be too ashamed to admit this is new information to them. I know that the vast majority of my readers is informed much beyond that.
Quite an exotic and exciting destination - although in the Daily Mail's Top Ten list of travel destinations of 2009 - and therefore, I have a lot to tell. To not be liable to procrastinating my dear readers too much, my stories will come in several episodes over the following days. So check back, there is a lot to tell from a very enjoyable trip with many new insights and anecdotes.
For today, I'll only dump the pictures and tell you to stay tuned when the first storytelling episode drops in, say, three days.
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| Minsk |
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| Silichi |
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| Babruysk |
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| Travelling |
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| Culture |
Saturday, 6 December 2008
St. Nicholas Day
Now that it is St. Nicholas Day, Christmas is not far, even if you try to be objective. Thus, I dared to visit the Christmas Markets in Manchester today. Brought up with that in Germany, I was curious as to what expect from this copy that even comes in several parts: the German, the European and the World Christmas Markets.
Well, what should I say? Christmas Markets with everything that belongs there, I just did not find the Glühwein tent where they play awful Apres-Ski music. Otherwise, roasted almonds taste the same, chocolate coated fruits, too - sold at the "Bavarian Sweets" stall, where I was immediately asked if I was from Germany. Maybe I was targeting the typical things too eagerly and that tipped me and my experience off.
The big flop, however, was the "Bratwurst". I could have guessed it, the Britons are famous for not knowing how to do neither sausages nor rolls. Therefore, enjoyment of the fat and meatless former in a dry and fluffy latter was rather limited. Don't know if I will try again where they explicitly advertise "German Bratwurst".
However, I do have to return - my dear Christmas Market veterans have certainly noticed: I forgot the Glühwein. Not forgotten, rather not eager enough to queue, because if there is alcohol, hordes of Britons are not far. At least, they sell "Nürnberger Christkindles Glühwein", the famous one from Aldi. They also sell mugs - I have to add one of those to my collection.
As the pictures show you: decoration is there, too. As well as an ice rink and a ramp with artificial snow that you can glide down in a tyre. After all, everything is just the way I don't miss from Germany. Glühwein, Glögg rather, can just as well be sourced from IKEA.
Well, what should I say? Christmas Markets with everything that belongs there, I just did not find the Glühwein tent where they play awful Apres-Ski music. Otherwise, roasted almonds taste the same, chocolate coated fruits, too - sold at the "Bavarian Sweets" stall, where I was immediately asked if I was from Germany. Maybe I was targeting the typical things too eagerly and that tipped me and my experience off.
The big flop, however, was the "Bratwurst". I could have guessed it, the Britons are famous for not knowing how to do neither sausages nor rolls. Therefore, enjoyment of the fat and meatless former in a dry and fluffy latter was rather limited. Don't know if I will try again where they explicitly advertise "German Bratwurst".However, I do have to return - my dear Christmas Market veterans have certainly noticed: I forgot the Glühwein. Not forgotten, rather not eager enough to queue, because if there is alcohol, hordes of Britons are not far. At least, they sell "Nürnberger Christkindles Glühwein", the famous one from Aldi. They also sell mugs - I have to add one of those to my collection.
As the pictures show you: decoration is there, too. As well as an ice rink and a ramp with artificial snow that you can glide down in a tyre. After all, everything is just the way I don't miss from Germany. Glühwein, Glögg rather, can just as well be sourced from IKEA.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
C elections
EU ist great! Although the Britons sometimes fight against this institution, I have now made use of my right to vote for the first time here.
As you don't have to register your residence in England and they have successfully refused the introduction of national ID cards, there are several parallel institutions. Thus, we got a letter sometime ago, asking us who is living in the house and their nationalities. Since then, I was in the electoral register that curiously has two versions here: an original and an edited one. The former is used in elections and as you can verify people's address with it, my credit rating has increased with a certain probability. The edited register is sold off to marketers, luckily you can elect to be removed with a tick in the right column.
Lately, a letter arrived and I can vote on the "Transport Innovation Fund Proposals".
In a nutshell, they want to introduce a congestion charge like in London, which is cheaper on the one hand, but the world's biggest on the other hand. It is about 200 sq. km (80 sq. miles for friends of imperial measurements), inside there is another small zone that comes at an extra price. Figuring out what medium-sized city known to my dear readers that corresponds to is left as an exercise.
If somebody intends to drive to see me (I will live in the inner ring), I can calm you down. The charge applies inbound only between 7am and 9.30am (Don't you dare to arrive at that time!) and outbound only between 4pm and 6.30pm (You don't want to leave that soon, do you?). Then, you only pay if you actually cross a ring, there are numerous exceptions and it will be in force 2013 the earliest and only if more than 80% of the innovations are in place.
The innovations sound reasonable, compared to these slightly suspicious charging rules. More buses, better buses, single ticketing (Yes, this counts as an innovation here!) and extension of the sparse tram network that will have more than three endpoints then. Extreme-GMPTE-ing would still not be particularly exciting.
Anyways, I'll cast my vote and send it, perhaps it works. After all, my last vote in an election made the ruling party in Bavaria lose their absolute majority. I had to keep voting for ten years though, but if I'm lucky, my opinion will be heard faster in here.
As you don't have to register your residence in England and they have successfully refused the introduction of national ID cards, there are several parallel institutions. Thus, we got a letter sometime ago, asking us who is living in the house and their nationalities. Since then, I was in the electoral register that curiously has two versions here: an original and an edited one. The former is used in elections and as you can verify people's address with it, my credit rating has increased with a certain probability. The edited register is sold off to marketers, luckily you can elect to be removed with a tick in the right column.
Lately, a letter arrived and I can vote on the "Transport Innovation Fund Proposals".
In a nutshell, they want to introduce a congestion charge like in London, which is cheaper on the one hand, but the world's biggest on the other hand. It is about 200 sq. km (80 sq. miles for friends of imperial measurements), inside there is another small zone that comes at an extra price. Figuring out what medium-sized city known to my dear readers that corresponds to is left as an exercise.
If somebody intends to drive to see me (I will live in the inner ring), I can calm you down. The charge applies inbound only between 7am and 9.30am (Don't you dare to arrive at that time!) and outbound only between 4pm and 6.30pm (You don't want to leave that soon, do you?). Then, you only pay if you actually cross a ring, there are numerous exceptions and it will be in force 2013 the earliest and only if more than 80% of the innovations are in place.
The innovations sound reasonable, compared to these slightly suspicious charging rules. More buses, better buses, single ticketing (Yes, this counts as an innovation here!) and extension of the sparse tram network that will have more than three endpoints then. Extreme-GMPTE-ing would still not be particularly exciting.
Anyways, I'll cast my vote and send it, perhaps it works. After all, my last vote in an election made the ruling party in Bavaria lose their absolute majority. I had to keep voting for ten years though, but if I'm lucky, my opinion will be heard faster in here.
Friday, 19 September 2008
Two months, again
Two months have passed again, though I did promise to write more frequently. I apologise and refrain from giving a similar promise for now. Of course, this is not meant to say that I would not write again, or that there was nothing to write. Neither am I lacking encouragements from my dear readers. Au contraire, I will keep on writing and hope that I will be worth reading.
Again, for now I limit myself to posting some pictures, as usual, they do not stay uncommented. I have some more pictures from abroad as I visited another country of the United Kingdom, namely Wales. Also, I have added more pins to my Map.
Let me begin with Llandudno, Wales. A pretty seaside resort, including the obligatory pier as this is still Britain. Special to mention about Llandudno is not only its name, but also the hill right next to the sea that gives you nice views on the bay and that you can descend from in Britains longest cable way.
Then I went to York that does not have skyscrapers, but a minister that is the biggest in some category – I think it was something to do with a church of a particular faith north of the Alps. Also, there is a wall, around town, however, and without graffiti.
Manchester Pride Parade was another event, not on Christopher Street Day, but in the middle of "summer" (in fact, it did not rain that day). Nice to see, a bit like a German carnival parade, but without candy and in pink.
Continuing with some pictures from Buxton, a small town at the edge of the Peak District. Notable here is the nicely renovated Opera House - something you wouldn't expect in such a spa town and even less in that baroque style - art historians may stone me now for I certainly got the epoch wrong, but it is nicely ornamented inside with angels and freskos.
Finally, the highlight up to now: Lake District. By far the most beautiful region in England, somehow like a small Switzerland, meaning mountains and lakes. A lot of green and very romantic, which has attracted some writers. I drove a car for the first time here which was less nerve-racking at the end than I had expected. As we all know, they drive on the wrong side of the road in England – luckily, everybody does it, thus this is the least problem. What makes it interesting are the narrow roads that are partly crowded even Thursdays and the solid stone walls right at the edge of the road that they build instead of fences. Still, I and the car survived unbruised and I brought many pretty pictures and the goal to return there.
This, however, will be a topic for one of the next times. As I said, I do not promise to, but perhaps I will manage to blog a bit timelier.
As a small postscriptum, I can announce that I have a well-rehearsed guided tour of Manchester now, thanks to my visitors that patiently helped me test it. Further testers for future refinements are always welcome.
Again, for now I limit myself to posting some pictures, as usual, they do not stay uncommented. I have some more pictures from abroad as I visited another country of the United Kingdom, namely Wales. Also, I have added more pins to my Map.
Let me begin with Llandudno, Wales. A pretty seaside resort, including the obligatory pier as this is still Britain. Special to mention about Llandudno is not only its name, but also the hill right next to the sea that gives you nice views on the bay and that you can descend from in Britains longest cable way.
 |
| Llandudno |
Then I went to York that does not have skyscrapers, but a minister that is the biggest in some category – I think it was something to do with a church of a particular faith north of the Alps. Also, there is a wall, around town, however, and without graffiti.
 |
| York |
Manchester Pride Parade was another event, not on Christopher Street Day, but in the middle of "summer" (in fact, it did not rain that day). Nice to see, a bit like a German carnival parade, but without candy and in pink.
 |
| Machester Pride Parade |
Continuing with some pictures from Buxton, a small town at the edge of the Peak District. Notable here is the nicely renovated Opera House - something you wouldn't expect in such a spa town and even less in that baroque style - art historians may stone me now for I certainly got the epoch wrong, but it is nicely ornamented inside with angels and freskos.
 |
| Buxton |
Finally, the highlight up to now: Lake District. By far the most beautiful region in England, somehow like a small Switzerland, meaning mountains and lakes. A lot of green and very romantic, which has attracted some writers. I drove a car for the first time here which was less nerve-racking at the end than I had expected. As we all know, they drive on the wrong side of the road in England – luckily, everybody does it, thus this is the least problem. What makes it interesting are the narrow roads that are partly crowded even Thursdays and the solid stone walls right at the edge of the road that they build instead of fences. Still, I and the car survived unbruised and I brought many pretty pictures and the goal to return there.
 |
| Lake District |
This, however, will be a topic for one of the next times. As I said, I do not promise to, but perhaps I will manage to blog a bit timelier.
As a small postscriptum, I can announce that I have a well-rehearsed guided tour of Manchester now, thanks to my visitors that patiently helped me test it. Further testers for future refinements are always welcome.
Monday, 7 July 2008
Long time, no blog
I have really not given any notice for a long time, once again I was either to lazy or to busy to write something. Therefore, I am just dumping many pictures and some text, apologise to my dear patient readers and promise to blog more and timelier in the future.
The most important first: I have moved, to a cute house with a garden and three other Computer Science PhDs. All your holiday postcards go to 3 Hadfield Close, Manchester M14 5LY, United Kingdom from now on, please. Alternatively you can use the university address to the right. Guests are always welcome to distract me and I have even more space for you now.
Otherwise, everything is as usual. I have travelled a bit around England and have visited Liverpool among other things. This is most interesting this year because they are the European Capital of Culture, that is they have done right what Karlsruhe did wrong in their application.
The first time Liverpool was an afternoon with the common sights that you have to have seen there, of course, I took pictures. They include both cathedrals (finished ~1900 and ~1970), Albert Dock and the Cavern Quarter where the Beatles had their first gig.
The second time a couple of weeks later I walked the Queensway Tunnel under the Mersey together with some other 10,000 people. It was closed to motor traffic for that occasion and we went back on a vintage bus and the ferry. Then the same tour as on my first time as the people I went with had not yet seen it.
Then I went to Blackpool, a - actually the most famous - seaside resort north of Liverpool. It has seen better days, it's all a bit dodgy and tacky, but one has to have seen it once.
For something completely different I went to Amsterdam, which is quite nice and has the better weather. On the way back I went to Liverpool for a third time, but only saw the airport this time.
Then there were little things like the Two Cities Boat Race between the universities of Salford and Manchester (the latter won 6-1).
So please take a look at the pictures, accept my apologies and my promise to write more in this place in the future.
The most important first: I have moved, to a cute house with a garden and three other Computer Science PhDs. All your holiday postcards go to 3 Hadfield Close, Manchester M14 5LY, United Kingdom from now on, please. Alternatively you can use the university address to the right. Guests are always welcome to distract me and I have even more space for you now.
Otherwise, everything is as usual. I have travelled a bit around England and have visited Liverpool among other things. This is most interesting this year because they are the European Capital of Culture, that is they have done right what Karlsruhe did wrong in their application.The first time Liverpool was an afternoon with the common sights that you have to have seen there, of course, I took pictures. They include both cathedrals (finished ~1900 and ~1970), Albert Dock and the Cavern Quarter where the Beatles had their first gig.The second time a couple of weeks later I walked the Queensway Tunnel under the Mersey together with some other 10,000 people. It was closed to motor traffic for that occasion and we went back on a vintage bus and the ferry. Then the same tour as on my first time as the people I went with had not yet seen it.Then I went to Blackpool, a - actually the most famous - seaside resort north of Liverpool. It has seen better days, it's all a bit dodgy and tacky, but one has to have seen it once.
For something completely different I went to Amsterdam, which is quite nice and has the better weather. On the way back I went to Liverpool for a third time, but only saw the airport this time.Then there were little things like the Two Cities Boat Race between the universities of Salford and Manchester (the latter won 6-1).So please take a look at the pictures, accept my apologies and my promise to write more in this place in the future.
Friday, 18 April 2008
Travelling Abroad
Last weekend I managed to visit a neighbouring foreign country. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland to be precise. On a first glance there are no big differences: they still drive on the wrong side, bank notes look almost similar (but it says Bank of Scotland on them) and the weather is not better either.
First contact with locals happened on the high street when we were looking into the travel guide to find a place for lunch. No minute later a woman offered her help with a clearly Scottish accent that was, however, still comprehensible. Her pick was the underground food court of a shopping mall where they only had sandwiches and fast food. Thus the next insight: the Scottish don't care much about food, either.
Talking about Scottish food would not be complete without Haggis. Its description (from another local) sounds little delicous: take a sheep, give the meat away, mix the rest with oatmeal, onions and spices, stuff it into the sheep's stomach and cook it. As sides you get "neeps and tatties", i.e. turnips and mashed potatoes. On the plate it looks much more delicous than that and tastes like sausages which is quite agreeable. By the way, more than agreeable is Scottish whisky (note the missing e, that would be Irish whiskey then).
Apart from eating and drinking, Edinburgh ist a really nice city. The main sight is the castle on a hill in the middle which, for some reason, had free entry (£8-£11 normally) that very weekend with the unavoidable long queues in the usual British discipline. The rest of Old Town is rather compact, hilly and with bridges over lower streets. There is a New Town (new as in 200 years) which is laid out a bit more regularly and "American". Overall, really pretty and looking around it is no miracle that Joanne K. Rowling lives here and invented Harry Potter and Hogwarts.
Another recommendation for evening entertainment in Edinburgh: a Ghost Tour. They come in different varieties of seriousness, i.e. with scaring and walks through dungeons below the city. Our tour was more a leisurely walkabout with a competent guide who knew a lot of appropriate stories and told them well.
Thus: do go there and even the journey from Manchester to Edinburgh leads through beautiful landscapes that are certainly worth a visit by themselves. Anyways, my pictures, finally.
First contact with locals happened on the high street when we were looking into the travel guide to find a place for lunch. No minute later a woman offered her help with a clearly Scottish accent that was, however, still comprehensible. Her pick was the underground food court of a shopping mall where they only had sandwiches and fast food. Thus the next insight: the Scottish don't care much about food, either.
Talking about Scottish food would not be complete without Haggis. Its description (from another local) sounds little delicous: take a sheep, give the meat away, mix the rest with oatmeal, onions and spices, stuff it into the sheep's stomach and cook it. As sides you get "neeps and tatties", i.e. turnips and mashed potatoes. On the plate it looks much more delicous than that and tastes like sausages which is quite agreeable. By the way, more than agreeable is Scottish whisky (note the missing e, that would be Irish whiskey then).
Apart from eating and drinking, Edinburgh ist a really nice city. The main sight is the castle on a hill in the middle which, for some reason, had free entry (£8-£11 normally) that very weekend with the unavoidable long queues in the usual British discipline. The rest of Old Town is rather compact, hilly and with bridges over lower streets. There is a New Town (new as in 200 years) which is laid out a bit more regularly and "American". Overall, really pretty and looking around it is no miracle that Joanne K. Rowling lives here and invented Harry Potter and Hogwarts.
Another recommendation for evening entertainment in Edinburgh: a Ghost Tour. They come in different varieties of seriousness, i.e. with scaring and walks through dungeons below the city. Our tour was more a leisurely walkabout with a competent guide who knew a lot of appropriate stories and told them well.
Thus: do go there and even the journey from Manchester to Edinburgh leads through beautiful landscapes that are certainly worth a visit by themselves. Anyways, my pictures, finally.
Sunday, 6 April 2008
From citizen to tourist
I should have visitors more often (yes, that is an invitation). Then I can show off my secret skills as a tourist guide and get to see new things in Manchester myself as I did this weekend.
Thus, for reference two afternoon walking tours. The first in the city with a visit to Chetham's Library and a sit a Marx' and Engel's favourite place where it smells nicely from those old books on the shelves. Then on to the next library, the John Rylands Library, that was only built in 1900 but is still gothic, looks like a church and is really worth seeing inside. As a contrast a real church, the Manchester Cathedral, and the glass block of Beetham Tower that hosts the Hilton Hotel. From their Bar Cloud 23 on that very level you get nice views of the city and can return the menu they hand you even without ordering anything. To finish, a walk along the canals in Castlefield. And as I forgot to take my camera, my next visitors are lucky enough to get this tour again. I can only offer pictures from a mobile phone, though.
It was Salford Quays for the next afternoon, a former harbour area with now intensive developments. The Imperial War Museum North is there, where they show pictures and stuff from the World Wars as expected, but at least the manage to convey the message that war is not desirable at all. The windy viewing platform on top of the building that was designed by Daniel Liebeskind gives you a view over the harbour area with a lot of construction sites. Seeing the Manchester United stadium still does not make up for this to be a particularly breathtaking view. At least, it is all free as the libraries the other day were, too. They only put up boxes and write the suggested donation on it. Further there is the Lowry, a gallery and a theatre, a shopping mall and many an opportunity to walk along waterfront esplanades which can be quite pleasing if the English weather happens to be. I had my camera with me and can show you pictures.
On Sunday at noon finally a short visit to the Victoria Baths (open 1906-1993) that are currently being renovated and have an open day with guided tours every month. It looks really nice with a lot of ornaments giving it quite some distinctive style. Remarkably, there are three pools: a gents' first class, a gents' second class and a womens' pool. Fresh water was put into the first pool, as soon as you could not see the ground any more, it was filtered and pumped into the next pool. Of course, the dimensions are British: all three are 25 yards long and of different width and depth which is measured in feet. I remembered to bring my camera and took some pictures.
Thus, for reference two afternoon walking tours. The first in the city with a visit to Chetham's Library and a sit a Marx' and Engel's favourite place where it smells nicely from those old books on the shelves. Then on to the next library, the John Rylands Library, that was only built in 1900 but is still gothic, looks like a church and is really worth seeing inside. As a contrast a real church, the Manchester Cathedral, and the glass block of Beetham Tower that hosts the Hilton Hotel. From their Bar Cloud 23 on that very level you get nice views of the city and can return the menu they hand you even without ordering anything. To finish, a walk along the canals in Castlefield. And as I forgot to take my camera, my next visitors are lucky enough to get this tour again. I can only offer pictures from a mobile phone, though.
It was Salford Quays for the next afternoon, a former harbour area with now intensive developments. The Imperial War Museum North is there, where they show pictures and stuff from the World Wars as expected, but at least the manage to convey the message that war is not desirable at all. The windy viewing platform on top of the building that was designed by Daniel Liebeskind gives you a view over the harbour area with a lot of construction sites. Seeing the Manchester United stadium still does not make up for this to be a particularly breathtaking view. At least, it is all free as the libraries the other day were, too. They only put up boxes and write the suggested donation on it. Further there is the Lowry, a gallery and a theatre, a shopping mall and many an opportunity to walk along waterfront esplanades which can be quite pleasing if the English weather happens to be. I had my camera with me and can show you pictures.
On Sunday at noon finally a short visit to the Victoria Baths (open 1906-1993) that are currently being renovated and have an open day with guided tours every month. It looks really nice with a lot of ornaments giving it quite some distinctive style. Remarkably, there are three pools: a gents' first class, a gents' second class and a womens' pool. Fresh water was put into the first pool, as soon as you could not see the ground any more, it was filtered and pumped into the next pool. Of course, the dimensions are British: all three are 25 yards long and of different width and depth which is measured in feet. I remembered to bring my camera and took some pictures.
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Peak District II
As the last weekend was so nice, once again Peak District. This time with the PhD mentors (yes, they have such a thing here), i.e. PhDs in their third year who traditionally organise such a trip around Easter.
Thus, same train as last weekend but for getting on one hour and getting off two stations earlier. The goal was Kinder Scout, the highest mountain with already mentioned 636m and at least not a misleading name. But it can do the wind and rain and uncomfortable thing not less than a grown-up. Luckily it only got uncomfortable after our lunch break short before the peak which didn't give us unclouded, but still really nice views.
Of couse, I have a side note, this time about the pubs in Edale. The first of it has actually two doors, one for the “Hikers Bar” and one for the “Locals Bar”. Some questions arise: What is the difference between them? What happens if you enter the wrong one? Are third persons like bikers not welcome?
We found a possible explanation for the segregation on our way back: you wouldn't want to have a group of hikers that has walked across muddy grass in typical English weather everywhere in your pub. The one we visited did not want us in carpeted areas. Fair Enough you say, while there are supposed to be even pubs with a “Muddy Shoes Welcome” sign.
For everybody who made it down here, as usual, the pictures.
Thus, same train as last weekend but for getting on one hour and getting off two stations earlier. The goal was Kinder Scout, the highest mountain with already mentioned 636m and at least not a misleading name. But it can do the wind and rain and uncomfortable thing not less than a grown-up. Luckily it only got uncomfortable after our lunch break short before the peak which didn't give us unclouded, but still really nice views.
Of couse, I have a side note, this time about the pubs in Edale. The first of it has actually two doors, one for the “Hikers Bar” and one for the “Locals Bar”. Some questions arise: What is the difference between them? What happens if you enter the wrong one? Are third persons like bikers not welcome?
We found a possible explanation for the segregation on our way back: you wouldn't want to have a group of hikers that has walked across muddy grass in typical English weather everywhere in your pub. The one we visited did not want us in carpeted areas. Fair Enough you say, while there are supposed to be even pubs with a “Muddy Shoes Welcome” sign.
For everybody who made it down here, as usual, the pictures.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Peak District
I've had enough of big cities for now, thus into nature for today: a one-hour train ride to Hathersage in the Peak District. As a Central European guy you would picture mighty mountains, but disappointingly the highest “mountain” there is a mere 636m (yes, metric metres, no other absurd unit), we made it to a bit more than 400m. But still quite nice and the wind is no less than on “real” mountains.
Interesting thing happening on the way: it seems to be typically German to bring boiled eggs to a picnic. I did it only be chance, but the other three Germans had the same idea. And then, only one in four eggs was coloured, so it is independent of Easter. Then, we all had thought about how to bring salt up there. We ended up sharing salt from a small container that had contained (analog!) films in earlier times.
This time again at the end: the pictures.
Interesting thing happening on the way: it seems to be typically German to bring boiled eggs to a picnic. I did it only be chance, but the other three Germans had the same idea. And then, only one in four eggs was coloured, so it is independent of Easter. Then, we all had thought about how to bring salt up there. We ended up sharing salt from a small container that had contained (analog!) films in earlier times.This time again at the end: the pictures.
Friday, 21 March 2008
London for Beginners
Change of place for today, I'd have a couple of notes from London to offer where I spent Wednesday and Thursday. Going there and back on the bus (which is the cheapest short-notice way) should have lasted four hours each – actually the latter took a bit longer, but both were overall not quite worth a notice. However, I again felt that England is some centimetres (or inches or whatever the most useful unit would be) too short for me.
The hostel provided for nothing unexpected but a changed address combined with an unchanged map. However, we were only told this by Mr Reception (according to his sign next too the doorbell) who kept every hint of a hostel, e.g. stickers, maybe as a souvenir.
As I have only been to London once and in times immemorial, i.e. one and a half decades ago, and because of the limited time, I contended myself with the beginner's tour and mainly took pictures of important places. Camden Markets, Piccadilly Circus, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St James's Park, Covent Garden, Tower Bridge and Harrod's are the keywords here.
Of course, I cannot suppress some comments about people that mainly concerns tourists here, because you rarely meet normal people in London. Interestingly, the French are the biggest group here, followed by Germans and Italians. Only at the Tower, they are second to the Germans – I have no idea what to conclude of that.
The omnipresence of tourists from Europe makes walking in crowds different from what I have gotten used to: they step to the right. I trained myself with effort to get rid of that instinct and suddenly there I constantly bump into people. I even believe that Londoners have let themselves adopt that behaviour and got pushed to the right side.
Finally just one comment as a comparison of London and Manchester. Upon returning the latter feels small, shabby and provincial. And this is not only the architecture, but even as much people's dressing habits. The girls there dress a bit classier and their taste allows for something else than miniskirts – but still the average height of the skirt seam is much higher than in Germany.
Enough talking, let the pictures speak.
The hostel provided for nothing unexpected but a changed address combined with an unchanged map. However, we were only told this by Mr Reception (according to his sign next too the doorbell) who kept every hint of a hostel, e.g. stickers, maybe as a souvenir.As I have only been to London once and in times immemorial, i.e. one and a half decades ago, and because of the limited time, I contended myself with the beginner's tour and mainly took pictures of important places. Camden Markets, Piccadilly Circus, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St James's Park, Covent Garden, Tower Bridge and Harrod's are the keywords here.
Of course, I cannot suppress some comments about people that mainly concerns tourists here, because you rarely meet normal people in London. Interestingly, the French are the biggest group here, followed by Germans and Italians. Only at the Tower, they are second to the Germans – I have no idea what to conclude of that.
The omnipresence of tourists from Europe makes walking in crowds different from what I have gotten used to: they step to the right. I trained myself with effort to get rid of that instinct and suddenly there I constantly bump into people. I even believe that Londoners have let themselves adopt that behaviour and got pushed to the right side.Finally just one comment as a comparison of London and Manchester. Upon returning the latter feels small, shabby and provincial. And this is not only the architecture, but even as much people's dressing habits. The girls there dress a bit classier and their taste allows for something else than miniskirts – but still the average height of the skirt seam is much higher than in Germany.
Enough talking, let the pictures speak.
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