Salisbury trip, Feb 2008 - Lunchtime tour of Salisbury

I have been working in Salisbury today. Last time I was here, I didn't had time to look around so this time round, I spent my lunchtime walking around the city (and tried to eat lunch in 10 minutes!)

Many many year ago, the location was chosen for a settlement because of the abundance of water. Rive Avon still run very close to the city today and it is surrounded by beautiful parks and recreational areas. I think this is a great city for people with young children.

Salisbury is a beautiful city. The city itself is a mix of brick, stone and timber framed buildings dating from medieval and Victorian times. It is almost a town, except that it has a cathedral and that makes it a city.

High Street Gate.

The other side of the gate.

The gate leads to the Cathedral Close, which has some very grand and beautiful homes! I was told that the former British prime minister Sir Edward Heath had a home here.

The tallest building in this photo is the Mompesson House. It is an example of architecture from the Queen Anne period and it was built for Charles Mompesson (a local Member of Parliament) in 1701. It is now in the hands of the National Trust.

The fields belong to the Cathedral and they are not going to build anything on it. So, these homes effectively have the best views! The building on the right is the North Canonry. It is largest Tudor domestic building in the city and the only building directly fronting onto the West Walk.

Here is the Great West Front of the Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral is the only English cathedral built in one style. It was also built within one century with no substantial additions later on (which is quite rare!) The Cathedral also houses the best preserved Magna Carta (AD 1215) and Europe’s oldest working clock (AD 1386).

The beautiful cloisters.

The Chapter House on the right and the South transept on the left.

The Cathedral celebrates the 750th anniversary in 2008 (completed in 1258). I am really quite impressed by its history. However, according to my taxi driver, it has been undergoing restoration for more than 10 years, so it has had scaffolding around it for a long long time.

The 404 foot spire is the highest in Great Britain.

The weather was wonderful today and it was a nice walk around the city. The people are all very nice. This city is within short distances to the Stonehenge so if you are ever visiting Stonehenge, you might want to drop by.

Berlin trip, Dec 2007 - Other places in Berlin

The Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) in Gerdarmenmarkt

The Gerdarmenmarkt Christmas market with the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) in the background. The Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral), which looks quite similar to the Französischer Dom(French Catherdral). They are located opposite to each other, with the market in between. It is particular confusing when you've had a few drinks at the market and you feel like you are walking in circles! The Christmas market is especially wonderful at night. There is a small entrance fee of 1 euro, but it's useful at deterring trouble-makers from entering the market.

The Konzerthaus (Concert hall) on the right was built in 1820 to replace a theatre destroyed by fire.

View over the Unter Den Linden, one of the most famous street in Berlin. It was once the route to the royal hunting grounds

Neue Wache. This is a yet another memorial to victims of war and dictatorship.

The Zeughaus, which houses the German History Museum. The Zeughaus pediment shows the Roman goddess of wisdom.

Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great. It is a massive bronze statue 5.6m in height and standing on the centre lane of Unter den Linden.

It was around X'mas time and the lights along the pedestrian lane of Unter den Linden is very very beautiful. The street is lined with car showrooms and we saw an impressive range of cars!

The Brandenburger Tor (Braderburg Gate) is almost the symbol of Berlin. It was completed in 1795 and modelled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The gate was a witness to many of Berlin's important events, including military parades to celebrations marking the birth of the Third Reich and Hilter's ascent to power. It was located in East Berlin during the Soviet's reign.

The Brandenburg Gate is crowned by the Sculpture Quadriga. The sculpture was originally regarded as a symbol of peace. In 1806, during the French occupation, it was dismantled on Napoleon's orders and taken to Paris. When it was returned in 1814, it was declared a symbol of victory.

Christmas tree on the Pariser Platz. The square was named Paris Square when the Quadriga sculpture from the Brandenburg Gate was returned to Berlin from Paris. To the east of this square is the infamous luxury hotel, the Adlon Hotel.

The Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral is a Neo-Baroque Cathedral with some very extravagant interior furnishings. It is located on Museum Island in the Mitte district, and was built between 1895 and 1905.

The Berliner Dom from the other side. The most historically significant feature of the Berliner Dom is the crypt, with more than 80 sarcophagi of Prussian royals.

The Theater des Westens is a theatre for lighter forms of musical entertainment. It looks very well-maintained from the outside, even though it was built over hundred years ago!

The Zoologischer Garten (Zoological Garden) is part of the Tiergarten and dates from 1844. The entrance in the photo is the Oriental-style Elephant Gate on Budapester Strasse.

If you walk along the Ku'damm shopping street, you will see a church with a damaged roof. This is the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) and it is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. The original church was damaged after the allied bombing in November 1943. The front tower was saved from demolition by the local opposition and it now serves as a memorial church. The damaged tower is meant to be a symbol of Berlin's resolve to rebuild the city after the war and a constant reminder of the destruction of war.

A new, octagonal church stands on the site of the former nave of the destroyed church. The church is a reinforced concrete structure with blue-coloured glass bricks. It looks quite interesting in person.

Berlin trip, Dec 2007 - Pergamonmuseum

This museum is famous for its reconstruction of fragments of ancient structures. The archaeologist has literally dragged ancient buildings back to Germany and put them under a roof!

The museum is named after the Pergamon Altar from 2nd Century BC and it is housed in its main hall. It is evacavated from the acropolis of the ancient city of Pergamon in Asia Minor (now Bergama, Turkey)

The front section of the building was restored at the museum. The Altar consists of an enormous outer 'large frieze' and an inner 'small frieze' that surrounds the altar proper.

The inner frieze once adorned the inside of the altar. It tells the story of Telephos, legendary founder of Pergamon, and son of demigod Herakles and Auge. The frieze is an attempt to claim an illustrious ancestry for Pergamon's rulers.

The large frieze originally encircled the base of the colonnade. Its theme is the Gigantomachy (the battle of the gods against the giants)

There are some very detailed sculptures around the building.

A very fine mosaic that looks almost like a painting! It also demonstrated the use of perspective (the block that the parrot is standing on)

The Hall in the Trajaneum

Bits from Roman building. Very detailed and very fine.

A beautiful flower.

Roman mosaic again. This one belongs to a rich person's home.

Looks at the size of the marble column!

Up! Up! Up!

Life-like sculptures!

Next, its the rooms for the Babylonian monuments: the Processional Way, the Ishtar Gate and the facade of the throne hall of King Nebuchadnezzar II (604 - 562 BC). The original avenue in ancient Babylon was 180m long!

The Ishtar Gate was the last of the eight gates to the inner city of Babylon. Dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, the Gate was constructed of blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief sirrush (dragons) and aurochs.

Portion of the Ishtar Gate

Layered carvings.

This looks very cartoon-like.

Glazed brick wall cladding from the palace of Darius I in Susa, capital of the Persian Empire.

A very old carpet

The Mshatta Facade is a facade from the desert residential palace of Mshatta from the 8th century.

It was a gift from Sultan Hamid II to Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Entrance hall of the Athena temple from Pergamon, 2nd Century BC.

Goddess Persephone. The 5th Century BC Greek statue of the goddess of the underworld sports a mysterious smile, the expressive symbol of her divinity.

The museum is very well-managed and organised. It was winter and everyone have big coats. The cloakroom was able to handle the load quite efficiently.

After the ticket checks, we were directed to a counter where we can pick up a handheld audio guide for free. The information comes in a number of languages and the explanations are quite detailed.

Berlin trip, Dec 2007 - Eating out in Berlin

Berlin is not exactly gourmet capital of the world but it does offer a good range of international cuisine.

We have decided to 'save' ourselves from the giant Schlachtplatte (meat platter), Wurst (sausage), or Schweinhaxe (pork knuckle). So, over the few days, we've had takeaway Thai (we were in a rush!), fusion Vietnamnese and even modern German. In fact, the German food was very good and it was the best meal we've had in the city.

One of the most famous snack in Berlin is the Currywurst (curry sausage). It is basically hot pork sausage cut into pieces and seasoned with tomato-based curry sauce and curry powder. It is usually served with either fries or bread rolls.

I spent a week in Berlin without trying the snack. By the time when I was in the Tegel airport waiting for my flight back to London, I thought it was all too late. Then, my Swiss friend pointed out that there is a Currwurse stall by Exit D of the airport terminal. I was hungry and I don't fancy airport food, so I made my way to the exit and there it was. Die ESS-Bahn (the eating train) was right by the exit!

The shop itself was in wooden cabins of one of the former subway trains. There were people lined up constantly outside of the shop!

I ordered the Klassik Currywurst mit Brot (bread). It was much better than I expect. I finished the whole thing and was considering for second portion!

While in Berlin, SP and I also tried the chocolate fondue @ Haagen Dazs. We were cold and it was getting dark. What's better than staying in somewhere warm to eat ice cream?! :-)

The set came with two trays:

One tray of ice cream.

And another tray of fruit and cakes.

It was a very enjoyable experience and I had a good time. The chocolate fondue was also very yummy. I would definitely have it again!