Home at last

November 19, 2006 - After an exhausting 17 days running around Europe, it was nice to be home! Towards the 14th or 15th day, I was already kinda ready to go. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy myself, it was more that I felt I have experienced and seen enough and have satisfied this "need" to go on vacation. Instead of blogging about every single place that I've visited, I thought I would just talk about some of the highlights.

Favourite City Visited: Berlin (followed very closely by Munich)
Disappointment: Frankfurt

It's hard to compare the cities, as each of them is different, but looking back, Berlin definitely stood out. It has so much history, and it has played such an important role in shaping our world today, all of which makes it so fascinating. The city also has stunning architecture (though many are replicas of historical buildings that were destroyed in WWII), meaningful memorials (the Holocaust Memorial is a great example of that), and nice friendly people (for the most part). The city also feels vibrant, young, and dynamic - streets are buzzing with activities till late at night. Definitely worth visiting again.

On the opposite end, I was a little disappointed by Frankfurt. Maybe we didn't do enough research, but we were actually bored on our 2nd day there. The museums were nice but did not stand out. Even the old town area, particularly the Rathaus/Romer area felt a bit forced and "Disney-fied" (mainly it's because again they were rebuilt as replicas after the war). The city was also very quiet - streets were deserted early in the evening, many restaurants/bars were closed on the Sunday we were there - it just didn't feel like I was in Europe at all.

Favourite Attraction: The Glass Dome at Reichstag, Berlin
Most Over-rated Attraction: The Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna

Definitely the coolest attraction that I visited, the Glass Dome (Cupola) at the German Parliament building (the Reichstag), designed by Sir Norman Foster, not only allowed for amazing views of the city, but the way it was designed was also unique. Instead of your typical observation deck elevators, the dome features a set of double ramps that allow visitors to climb up the dome gradually. Directly below is the where the German parliament sit - so you could see the politicians work. The reason why glass was chosen as the primary building material was symbolic: glass provides transparency, which translates to the fact that Germany wants to make the government transparent and open. Also, to have the parliament sit right below the glass dome reminds politicians that they are "under the people" and they work for the German public.

The Vienna Boys Choir was a bit over-rated. Granted, they sound great - but not worth the 40 Euro that you have to pay to watch them perform during Sunday mass at Hofburg (yup, they charge you to go to mass!). Even inside the chapel, it was hard to see them, since they are on a balcony way at the back (you will have to physically turn around to catch a glimpse of them). The majority of tourists just stood outside the chapel and watched the choir perform on these cheap 20" tvs.

Best meal: Dinner and beer at Hofbrahaus, Munich
Worst meal ever: Chinese food at Munich Hauptbahnhof

The best and worst meal were actually on consecutive days. Let's start with the worst: chinese food at the Munich train station. Jason ordered this fried noodle thing that looked like ramen soaked in yellow dye and sprinkled with salt. Oh did I mention the 3 tiny pieces of chicken the came with it? My meal was slightly better (I ordered fried rice) but still it was dry, oily and salty - definitely gross (and not worth the $4.50 Euro). I mean we weren't expecting Markham quality Chinese food, but still, it should be at least edible.

The best meal was our German dinner at Hofbrahaus, the largest pub in the world! We sat on these long benches with our friends from Australia (we met them on our walking tour) and had pork chops, pork knuckle and drank German beer. There was a live German band, with all members dressed in traditional lederhosen! Very cool indeed. Did I mention the barmaids that walked around selling pretzels (sorta like dim sum, except the barmaids are younger, hotter, and show way more cleavage). Germans are wild when they are drunk (singing, dancing, and jumping on to tables are actually expected)!

That's it for this update - will write more about the trip next time.