Summer

It's summer in London and this week temperatures are nearing 30 degrees. The overall feeling around the city is that of a natural disaster looming. Public announcements in the underground give instructions as to what to do in case someone falls ill and advise people to carry water bottles in the tube. The city council is urging businesses to relax the dress code and allow people to wear shorts to work. The end of the world is near, etc.

At first I found it all very amusing. But just try walking onto an overcrowded tube in this heat during rush hour whilst wearing a suit and you will start taking the announcements seriously pretty fast.
It's not that bad in the morning, but by 4 p.m. all the heat emanating from each of the 4 million souls that travel on the underground every day has worked things up to such a state that you are properly steamed by the time you leave the train.

Other than that, I don't mind the heat. It's good for once going outside without carrying a coat. And a spending a sunny afternoon at the local park is worth all those hours sweating in the underground sauna.

Belgium Photos

Photos of our three day trip to Belgium are finally online.

Below is a little preview, check it out here for all the photos of Brussels and Bruges: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meurer/sets/72157617261173017/

 

MUC – LHR

Another gorgeous day in Munich. I wake up early and leave by myself to explore the city one more time. It’s 7:30 a.m. on Easter Monday and the city is very quiet. The Englischer Gartens, where just two days ago thousands of people were enjoying the sun in the park is now virtually deserted bar a handful of more athletic types going for a run or walking their dogs, or both.

Even at Marienplatz, Munich’s tourist hub, only a few earlybird tourists venture out for some photos and are rewarded by beautiful light as the sun comes up over the Residenz. It’s just after 9 a.m. when the first café opens. Unfortunately it’s time to go now.

Our last meal is at Munich Airport, but not before I load my backpack with €20 worth of German chocolate. As for lunch, we’re spoilt for choice, really. Aside from the standard food courts, there is an open square between terminals 1 and 2 with shops, bars, and restaurants. We go for traditional German food (thankfully, for the last time – there’s just so much sausage and sauerkraut one can handle over a couple of days) I just realised that we waited for our flight for about three hours but time just flew by! I certainly didn’t mind spending time at the Munich Airport. As far as airports go, this is a good one to hang out at. Plus, things are so effortless and organised. Kudos to the Germans.

Landing in London in about two hours. Home sweet home.

Crazy man’s castle

Today we went southwest to Neuschwanstein to see one of the world most famous castles. Certainly Germany’s most famous one. I’ve wanted to come here for a very long time, even before I set off on my travels five years ago.

Neuschwanstein. Now there’s a mouthful. Why to Germans have to make it so damn hard? I spent the best part of our two hour train ride too Füssen trying to get the pronunciation just right and failed miserably. I mean, I sort of get it: neu… schwan… stein. I just can’t say it all in one go. But I digress.

As far as castles go, this one is actually quite new. It was built in the late 19th century by the king Ludwig II of Bavaria. Well not really. It was in fact built by a bunch of slaves whose names sadly never made into history. It is a homage to Wagner, the king’s favourite composer, who ended up never setting foot in the palace.

The matter of fact is that the castle is simply fantastic. It sits high on the top of a mountain with breathtaking views from all of its windows. It is apparently the most photographed building in Germany but it’s the interior, where photography is prohibited, that makes it truly worth the visit. The architecture and decoration of the few rooms that were actually completed before the king died are so fairytale-like and ridiculously over the top that they could only be the work of a narcissistic lunatic. Gold plated walls, meticulously painted ceilings, furniture sculpted from solid wood, columns in the shape of palm trees, and swans, lots of swans. Ludwig was in fact declared insane and died under very suspicious circumstances before most rooms in the palace could be completed.

Great day trip. Could have been much shorter though, had we known thousands of people around Bavaria would have the same idea. We ended up queuing for tickets, and having to wait around for the best part of the day before it was our turn to start the tour.

LHR – MUC

I’m crossing international borders for the second time in less than a month. But it’s the longest weekend of the year and we had to go somewhere! And I’m glad I did. As it turned out, the weather in the UK turned to custard over the weekend and we were greeted by gorgeous sunshine and temperature in the late teens as soon as we set foot in Germany.

Very good first impressions of Munich. Very clean and tidy, everything is organised to the extreme, and people are very polite. That is, unless you get caught walking on the bicycle lanes in which case you will get yelled at for being a bad pedestrian, even if you are clearly a tourist who is completely lost and was obviously not raised in a country where people use bikes for getting around and not only exercising.

We just dropped our bags at the hotel and went off to explore the city. Marienplatz was the obvious first stop, and surprisingly pleasant (subtler, less crowded, and and not as touristy as Brussels’s Grand Place) We stopped at a restaurant and sat outside to have some bratwurst and sauerkraut in the sun.

After that we were walking aimlessly around Munich but ended up finding all the good spots by pure chance: Residenz which was undergoing restorations for the most part but is still an impressive palace. Just a short walk away were the Englischer Gartens, an awesome park where half the population of Munich was enjoying the sunshine. Families, couples, groups of teenagers, people playing sports, naked guys, etc. Yes, you heard me: middle-aged men sunbathing in the park as they came into the world -- just in case I wasn’t sure I was really in Germany.

I’ve seen way too much for one day. Time to get back to the hotel and get some sleep.

Brussels – Midi – St Pancras

Last night we got the best possible news: checkout wasn't until 5 pm. Bliss! That meant we could sleep in, have a late breakfast, and still do some sightseeing. Alas, I was still feeling lousy and had a hard time getting out of bed. Not to mention having breakfast.

But we still hadn't seen Brussels in the daytime so today we set off to Grand Place for some more medieval architecture and chocolate shopping: I was determined to gorge myself on Belgium chocolate, even if I had to do it in London a week later!

After a short walk around the European District, where the European Council and Parliament are located, we took the metro back to the hotel where Grazi had some lunch and I had a pineapple juice.

Then we only had time to pack our bags, head to the station, and in a few hours we were home in southwest London! Don’t you just love Europe?

All in all, the trip to Belgium was good fun but it’s not necessarily a place I’d be back to in a hurry. There’s still so much else to see…….

Bruges - Brugge

Bruges is like Disneyland for grown ups. A fairy tale-like town packed with hordes of tourists queuing up for attractions and food. And chocolate. LOTS of chocolate. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I can't help but think that the main parts of town have lost their authenticity. The mains streets, much like London and Paris, have been taken over by major designer brands. The town's two main squares, Markt and Burg, are so overwhelmingly crowded with tourists that you wonder whether they are the main attraction, and not the amazing historic buildings.

Wander off the main popular sites, though, and Bruges will reveal its true charm. Just a few blocks away from the main squares the streets and canals are surprisingly quiet and gorgeous to look at. I don't know how they do it, but the entire town is kept exceptionally clean and well preserved. It's like it was built yesterday.

Even wanting to steer clear of the hordes of tourists, the two main squares are must sees. We particularly liked the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a tiny church right on Burg square, which is said to hold a vial of blood from the man himself. We heard it got really crowded during the day so we headed straight there from the train station and even at around 10:30 there were only a handful of people in the church. Cute church, and the whole thing about it housing the blood of Christ does give the place a different vibe.

We spent most of our time in Bruges wandering around random side streets and were rewarded with beautiful architecture, peaceful parks, and even managed to find a restaurant where the locals eat! Great food for a fraction of the price.

Something had to go wrong though. Around lunchtime I started to get really bad stomach pains which plagued me for the rest of the trip. I ended up not eating for the rest of the day as I couldn’t bear the thought of putting anything in my mouth. All that chocolate had my name written on it and I couldn’t have any of it. Mind you, this was the first time I ever got anything like this. I have had all kinds of street food from places like Bangkok and Sri Lanka and never had a problem. My first tummy bug had to be in Belgium, of all places.

St Pancras – Gare du Midi

First time crossing borders by land, how exciting! Well, that's not counting the time when my parents and I walked across the bridge to Paraguay from Foz do Iguacu a zillion years ago. But does Paraguay really count as another country? I don't think so.

Grazi and I meet at St Pancras International, each of us coming from different parts of the city. Me, from Victoria, only a few stops away. Her, from Knightsbridge, ditto via the Picadilly line. I can't get over how awesome public transport in London is. All tube stations lead to Rome. Well, not really. But you get what I mean.

Once there we grab a quick bite to eat and head straight to check-in. The check-in process is effortless (takes about 3 seconds), and there's no "no-liquids, no-hats, no-tweezers, no-paper clips, take-your-shoes-off-so-we-can-check-for-explosives" kind of policy you see in most airports nowadays. You arrive, slide your ticket in, show your passport, and off you go. So we get on this ridiculously long Eurostar train and a few minutes later we're heading to Brussels.

Travelling by train is so much better than by plane. It's quicker across short distances, there are no long waits or queues. Plus, it's more comfortable, you can appreciate the scenery, and you're not forced to watch awkward security demonstrations. And, check this out: I didn't need to show my passport when arriving in Belgium! If only they knew there was a Brazilian entering their country unnoticed...

Upon arriving the first thing you notice is how all signage is in both French and Dutch, which makes finding directions a bit confusing -- not to mention reading train timetables. After a few minutes trying to find out where to go and what kind of tickets we were supposed to buy, we embark on a quick tram ride to the hotel.

In our first night in Brussels we decide to head for the main (dare I say only) tourist destination in the city. Rue des Bouchers-Beenhouwerstraat is a veritable tourist trap. Lined with Greek, Italian, and seafood restaurants, waiters stand by the sidewalk trying to lure in anyone who walks by, Bangkok style. We decide one of the places has quite a reasonably priced four course menu, only to discover the menu isn't available. It happens a lot, apparently. We then settle for an Italian restaurant to have overpriced so-so spaghetti and half frozen lasagne.

After having a few treats from one of the countless chocolate shops around, we have had enough for today. An early morning and a long day are waiting us tomorrow -- heading to Bruges!

Hell freezes over

London woke up under 6 inches of snow today. And it still keeps coming. The roads were slippery, there were no buses, and the trains were all affected in some way. Half the city took the day off. Alas, not me. I’m lucky (?) enough to be able to work from home, so it was still a normal working day for me even if I was snowed in.

At lunchtime I wandered around to check out the snow and took some photos. The snow started falling last night. By this morning our street had become a winter wonderland:

This is the cemetery close to home. It soon became a playground for all the children who were off school!

Baron’s court station, where we take the tube every morning:

And last but not least, hell freezes over in Fulham

Photos of Portugal

I have just posted the photos of our Christmas holiday in Portugal to flickr:

 

To see all the photos, go here: http://tinyurl.com/93fa92