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Western Europe Wiggle
  • Glen

Western Europe Wiggle

A 82-day adventure by Glen Read more
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  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler
    2

    Stockholm - Old Town / game shop

    September 16, 2015 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    The old town of Stockholm, on the island of Gamla Stan, consists of many narrow curving cobbled streets and tons of interesting little shops on the bottom floor of 3-4 story buildings. It makes it feel quite rustic (and maybe a little crowded) but it is all very clean and bright, too. Very pleasant!

    Among the little shops I discovered an amazing games/geeky-stuff shop. They even have an entire wall of Zelda stuff! I would definitely frequent this place if I lived here.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler
    2
    1

    Stockholm - Library and Park

    September 16, 2015 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Packing a little more into my very full one-full-day I had in Stockholm, I decided to visit Stockholm's public library, which is a notable building because of its cylinder-in-a-rectangle shape, and big dome-shaped central room (photo sphere (by someone else): https://goo.gl/maps/pF9kNX9dAHy ). That central room also has neat acoustics!

    From there I backtracked south to Djurgården, another island (much bigger than Gamla Stan) that is mostly a large park with a bunch of museums (including a museum-park and Abba museum), also a theme park. I didn't actually have time to go in to any, but had a nice walk around the island.

    On my way back I saw this bizarre high-class store, complete with neatly arranged boxes with gold text, and classy photos of models on the wall... selling dog food.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Copenhagen - arrival

    September 17, 2015 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It got rainy in Stockholm just in time to leave (#2).
    First thing I notice in Copenhagen? Bikes. Bikes EVERYWHERE. They often outnumber cars on streets, and parked/discarded bikes seem to gather like dust in every corner.Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler
    1

    Copenhagen - everything

    September 17, 2015 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Having only one night in Copenhagen, I made a whistle-stop tour through the city. I saw:
    Lots of pretty canals (eg. #1)
    Christiansborg Palace (#2, now the parliament building, housing all three branches of government)
    Amalienborg Palace, and across the water, the Opera House (waaaaaaaay more impressive than Stockholm's one, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Opera_… )
    The Little Mermaid Statue (#3, really not sure why this is a big deal, besides that Copenhagen seems to love anything with "Christian" in the name)
    Søfartsmonumentet, a maritime monument to navy seamen who died in WW1 (#4, very near to The Little Mermaid and much more impressive IMO)
    Kastellet, a star-shaped fortress (very hard to photograph the star shape but just zoom in the map to see)
    the Gefion Fountain, an impressive sculpture/fountain combination I happened across (#5)
    Church of Our Saviour, although all I could see was the lit-up spire at night (#6)

    Last, but not least, I ventured into "Freetown Christiania", a "self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood" known for marijuana-selling being tolerated (but still illegal). It had a very hippie vibe and it was interesting seeing the dealers on "Pusher St" aka "the green light district" in stalls with netting, face covers, and bright lights so they couldn't be identified. No photos because they're not allowed.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Copenhagen - cinnamon buns

    September 18, 2015 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I've been trying variations on cinnamon buns every chance I get, and Copenhagen is now in the lead for best cinnamon buns in Europe (besides Cinnabon, which is in London and is American anyway). These were just from the Lidl supermarket (along with some excellent bread rolls).Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Copenhagen/Berlin - Vogelfluglinie

    September 18, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Taking the train from Copenhagen to Berlin (via Hamburg), I hadn't really bothered to analyse the route, so I was a bit surprised when the train stopped in a weird building that didn't look like a train station, with a truck parked alongside.
    Next thing, they told everyone to get off the train and I found myself in the hold of a big ferry. Upstairs, the ferry was really nice and I had a nice cruise across the (Baltic?) sea. Lots of wind farms :D    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Arrival

    September 18, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Arrived in Berlin, and tried to sort out a SIM card (my UK Three SIM works in every country I'm visiting except Germany and The Netherlands >.<). Turns out the best SIM cards for data/roaming are sold from Aldi supermarket chains.

    Oh yeah, the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main train station) is very impressive: big, clean, and compact, packed with shops around the sides.

    I didn't have time to get a SIM because I was already running late to get to my accommodation - this time a more BnB style private apartment, where the owner was actually waiting for me to arrive so she could give me the key and information.

    I quickly worked out the Berlin public transit system (very straightforward and efficient) and headed for the apartment. Transit is mostly trust-based, so no barriers/checking except for getting on buses and apparently lurking plain-clothes ticket inspectors (I never saw any).

    The apartment was nice (outside photo stolen from Google as I forgot to take one), but had no WiFi(!!!), which, compounded with my lack of phone internet access, and being the only one there, made it feel very isolating all of a sudden. Especially after being at hostels. Also, it had the German sit-down-to-pee sign on the toilet - it's a real thing after all!    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Exploring Alexanderplatz

    September 19, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I had a glorious sleep in on my first full day in Berlin, and didn't want to do a walking tour yet because Gyurme would arrive the next day and would also want to go, so I decided to explore the shopping area called Alexanderplatz.

    It's a large area with open plazas between shops and food stalls, and a big indoor mall at one end. It also has some interesting fountains and sculptures like this huge clock that shows the time in cities around the world.
    It's also the home of the TV Tower, the tallest structure in Germany.

    I found amusing confirmation of the German love of simulation games (a whole row dedicated to them in the computer store) and also found a store clearly owned by one of my old lecturers.

    After walking around all day, I managed to buy a new pair of shoes, necessary because, at this point my shoes were leaking in water through the soles when it rained.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Food

    September 19, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Naturally, one of the first things I did in Berlin was to head to the supermarket. They have great freshly baked bread and a sort of strudel, very cheap too (35c each).

    I also found some... interestingly-named chocolates (I didn't buy them) and cola flavour red bull (nothing special, really just tastes like cola).

    Later I went in search of coffee and ordered a latte macchiato - hoping it was similar to a latte. Turns out it was this thing (#5) with hot milk and loads of thick foam, with an espresso shot poured carefully between. Might have been ok if it wasn't UHT milk, eww!    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Gyurme Arrives & Walking Tour

    September 20, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Gyurme arrived at the airport in the morning and I met him there so he wouldn't have to figure out how to get to the apartment / become lost and confused in a foreign city.
    After bringing his bags back to the apartment, and me having relatively little concern for whether Gyurme had had any sleep in the last 30 hours or so, we headed back downtown to do the main city walking tour.

    This tour started at the Brandenburg Gate (very pretty) and the guide pointed out that the statue on top always seems to be glaring at the French embassy (Napoleon took it to Paris after defeating Prussia. The statue was originally Eirene, the goddess of peace (wow, Mum, I didn't know your name fit so well!), riding peace into Berlin, but was later changed to be Victoria, the Goddess of Victory.

    The tour also went through the "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe". Even just the name bluntly hits you a bit. The memorial itself is a lot of (2711) concrete slabs in a sort of undulating hill sloping up while the ground beneath them slopes down. Inside it is dim, quiet, and kind of eerie. There's no official explanation for what the slabs represent, as long as it makes you think about what happened.

    After leaving the memorial, we went on to see the former Luftwaffe HQ building (very huge and imposing), complete with soviet-era bright happy murals from when it was the East Germany House of Ministries (#4). In front, blown up to the same scale as the murals, is the reality of that era: a photograph of protesters during an uprising that was suppressed by military force.

    Finally, we visited Checkpoint Charlie (a fake tourist attraction now) and a lovely square (Gendarmenmarkt) with two churches (competing to be the biggest) and a concert house building.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler
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    Berlin - Sachsenhausen

    September 21, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After the slightly saddening walking tour yesterday, we decided to go full on losing-faith-in-humanity mode with a tour of Sachsenhausen concentration camp. This was one of the main concentration camps used by the Nazis, but you don't hear about it as much as others because instead of being liberated by the Allies, it was liberated and reused by the Soviets for their own political prisoners. The former administration for all concentration camps and the SS training buildings were nearby too.

    Sachsenhausen was a sort of experimental camp, where, in addition to various "medical experiments" testing the various limits of human bodies (oxygen deprivation, freezing, drugs, ...), they experimented with more efficient ways to lay out the camp (fanning out from a central point so a mounted machine gunner could see everywhere), and ways of killing people (an elaborate fake health check-up so they could efficiently shoot non-resisting people and minimise traumatising the shooter).

    I think it was the methodical planning and efficiency for murdering and torturing people that really got to me after a while. It was kind of disturbing, but will definitely be something I remember and appreciate having seen.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - More Food

    September 22, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    One food I had to try in Berlin was the famous currywurst, apparently born from the mishmash/limits of supplies available during the Berlin Wall era. It's a sliced up sausage, doused in curry-ketchup, with curry powder sprinkles, quite delicious! Also a special fork was invented just for eating it.

    Next up, the ketwurst, which, as you may have guessed, is a ketchup-covered sausage (super inventive names going on here). What makes this one more interesting is that a hole is cut in the bun so the sausage, dipped in ketchup, can be inserted and ketchup doesn't leak out. This was actually invented by a special food ministry in east Germany during the wall era.

    Continuing my *wurst quest, bockwurst, served traditionally with mustard and bun.

    I also tried Berlin doner kebabs, made in a quarter pita-ish bread instead of a wrap. Cheap and tasty! (Forgot to take a pic).

    Finally, I tried Königsberger Klopse, a traditional dish of meatballs and potatoes in creamy sauce, yum!    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Red Berlin Tour

    September 22, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Having seen a lot of Nazi stuff the past few days, we wanted to see a little more of the history behind the Berlin Wall and Soviet control. So, another walking tour!

    The tour visited the Russian embassy (#1), still with the hammer and sickle emblem on it, and one of the few buildings that doesn't care about municipal building regulations, so it's very different from the rest of the street.

    We visited a "ghost station", where the entire subway station was bricked up (three walls per entrance!) and guarded to stop east Berliners escaping to the west. These routes were still used by the west because they started and ended in the west but passed under east-German territory in the middle.

    We also went to an interesting little museum that chronicled the beginning and end of the wall, including propaganda news from both sides.

    We of course saw the wall itself, or rather, some sections of it that are still around, mostly covered in graffiti. They also told us some interesting stories about the stasi: how at it's height, 1/6 of the population was giving them information; how they stole people's socks for a scent collection for tracking; how they meticulously kept records of minute details; how they shredded the records when being overthrown, only to put the shredded paper in huge plastic bags, allowing it to be slowly pieced back together (still going to this day); how released records later allowed people to find out their best friend, husband, or wife had been spying on them. Scary.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Alternative Tour

    September 23, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Now for something completely different, we went on a street art and graffiti tour. It was set in Kreuzberg, an area known for its alternative culture after cheap rents attracted lots of students and artists.

    My favorite one was the space man, although it was done legally, so maybe doesn't count. The vertical lettering was done by guys who abseil down from the roof, impressive.
    There was also a large section of the Wall that has become a "free wall" where anyone can paint what they want, with some very cool results!

    The sparrow is on the side of a building that is owned by a former squatter. He occupied some land that was owned by the east but on the west of the Wall. He stayed there so long that when the Wall came down he legally owned it.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Soviet War Memorial

    September 23, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After defeating the Nazis in Berlin, the Soviets erected a memorial to their fallen soldiers in the battle.
    The propaganda level is high but kinda awesome. I liked the giant statue of the soldier, one arm smashing a swastika with a sword and the other arm holding a baby.Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Museum Island

    September 24, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    A short side trip let us briefly explore "museum island", a small island in the river where there are about five different museums. Also a pretty church (#1).

    We went inside the Bode museum (mostly because one of its specialties was sculpture) and there were indeed some amazing works that I really enjoyed (#3,4). There was also a coin collection including a giant gold 1 million Canadian dollar coin (no idea why).Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Berlin - Reichstag Building

    September 24, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Squeezing in one last thing in Berlin, we managed to get an evening tour into the dome of the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building. It's a very neat metal and glass dome with a spiral ramp running up the inside (Vel would love it). It gives some amazing views over the city but also serves to let/reflect natural light down into the main parliament chamber below. If it's too bright, there's a rotating sun shield (visible in #3).

    Because I didn't know about this far enough beforehand, we had to wait in line earlier in the day for about an hour to get tickets :( You can book online but you have to book about a month in advance.

    Oh also on our way in and out we went past Brandenburg Gate again, where they had a giant head-balloon of (I think) Merkel. Of course?    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Leeuwarden - arrival

    September 25, 2015 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Leaving Berlin behind, we headed over to the Netherlands for a visit with Daniel and Anita in Leeuwarden. As we travelled on the train, the land became flatter and wetter, with occasional and then frequent canals. We also passed a lot of wind farms (#3).

    A bit of drama on the way: when we were passing the Germany/Netherlands border, some police walked through the train, inspecting identification. They were happy with just our NZ drivers licenses but a whole extended family (that looked like maybe refugees) had to get off the train with the police at the next stop because they didn't have visas.

    Just after we arrived and ate, I went with Daniel to his local badminton club. Great fun! But I was so out of shape/practice already that I was playing terribly at singles! Next time I'll see if I can beat Daniel while he's on holiday :P
    Also, after badminton, roadworks forced Daniel to drive awkwardly down a detour that somehow forced us onto the motorway headed to a nearby town, with no way to turn back. Unexpected road trip!    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Leeuwarden - Nature Walk

    September 26, 2015 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    On our first full day in Leeuwarden we went with Daniel to explore a park/lake area in his neighborhood. There were some very nice houses and some giant eyes on a hill that made it look like a frog in the lake.
    I find it interesting that all the "rivers" around here are actually long, narrow lakes, because this is all human dried and shaped land.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Leeuwarden - City Walk

    September 27, 2015 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    On our second day in Leeuwarden we walked around downtown with Daniel and Anita. There happened to be a (once a year?) market on, so we got to see lots of local foods and stuff (no pics because I am bad).

    We also came across a band in a boat, and climbed the leaning tower of Leeuwarden, which leans more than the tower of Pisa (slightly disorienting when going up the slanting spiral staircase). Great view from the top!    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Leeuwarden - Food

    September 27, 2015 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Of course another food post :)

    First up, the amazing cupcakes made by Anita - she has her own cupcake business and let me sample some, lekker (yum)!
    #2 was picked fish and meat paste on a thin dense bread - breakfast! (Actually pretty decent but I think I'd have to adjust).
    #3 was a food wall, like a vending machine for hot fast food (people refill it from the other side) where you can buy #4
    #5 delicious sliced-up-meatball-on-a-bun that we got from the Nederland equivalent of a sausage sizzle.
    #6 tompoucen (literally "tom puss", tomcat), a sort of iced, cream-filed pastry, mmm
    Also had stroopwafel, a caramel-filed wafer that you can melt over your coffee.    Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Leeuwarden - Lodgings

    September 28, 2015 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Huge thanks to Daniel and Anita for sharing their little apartment with us, including the ridiculously giant air mattress that plugged in to pump itself up :O
    I failed to actually take a nice photo of us together, so this is the best I have: kitchen crew.Read more

  • GlenWestern Europe WiggleTraveler

    Amsterdam - Exploring/Tour

    September 28, 2015 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We took the train back south from Leeuwarden to Amsterdam, saying goodbye to Daniel and Anita :(
    Amsterdam surprised me with how clean and pretty it was - it's doing the picturesque-town-with-canals look much better than Stockholm! Also, you can smell marijuana smoke eeeeverywhere.

    We quickly joined a walking tour and saw the old customs house / guild hall (#2), a quilt rug with a square for each nation (#3), and the smallest house in Amsterdam (#4, the one with plants around the door). Unfortunately our guide tried way too hard to be an entertainer and it was pretty grating.

    Later, we made it over to Anne Frank house near to closing time - actually great because there's usually a huge line and we basically walked in. No photos allowed but it was very worthwhile to see what these people went through when they were just a few of the millions who suffered under the Nazis.

    The lights coming on at night were very pretty, reflected in the water. We also came across a Chinese Tibetan restaurant which amusingly incensed Gyurme.    Read more

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