Archive for the 'Western Europe' Category

Les fleurs de Grasse

Published on 1 July 2009 in Europe, Travel, Western Europe and Whatever. 0 Comments

I first learnt about the town Grasse when I read the book Perfume. So naturally while I was visiting the perfume factory in Grasse I couldn’t help thinking about that dreadful story. The factory guide told us that there are only 15 qualified perfumers (also known as “the noses”) in the world. These perfumers have to undergo extremely demanding training (3-5 years) in either one of the two perfume schools in France, and have to be very good in chemistry. Our olfactory senses were numbed after smelling four to five fragrances. So the protagonist in the book or the existing “noses” must have been genius…

 

The French Riviera

Published on 30 June 2009 in Europe, Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

 

 

Cloudless sky and sparkling blue sea

Far-stretching coastline and endless beaches

Scorching sun and soothing sea breeze

Delicious food and cosy restaurants

Ornate casinos and glamourous celebrities

Colourful nature and seductive scents

Loving couples and sexy youngsters

Travellers’ paradise and artists’ dreams

All found in the French Riviera…

More photos here.

The Switzerland Formula

Published on 22 June 2009 in Europe, Travel and Western Europe. 1 Comment

Lakes + Mountains + Chocolates = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

  

(Picture here: Lugano + Maienfeld / Heidiland + Merkur chocolates)

Danke Fans, mit euch zur Euro 2008

Published on 22 November 2007 in Germany and Western Europe. 0 Comments

em2008The qualifying round for UEFA Euro 2008 finished last night. The most preferred game to watch was of course England vs. Croatia, which unfortunately was not broadcast live on German TV. I had the choice of Germany vs. Wales or France vs. Ukraine, and I chose to watch the former.

What a stale game. It was thrill-less and score-less. Podolski, the star performer in the previous game, was criticised by the commentators as “funktioniert nicht” (not functioning). Germany qualified long time ago and Wales was definitely out, but still the players shouldn’t treat it as a “friendly match”, especially when Germany was playing at home in front of 60,000 fans in Frankfurt! I was glad that I didn’t get tickets, because it’s definitely not fun sitting outdoor at 0 degree for 3 hours watching a silly match. Perhaps the players knew that they have disappointed the fans, and so they pulled out a banner after the game: “Danke Fans, mit euch zur Euro 2008″ (Thank you fans, with you we go to Euro 2008) to try to comfort the supporters.

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It was a pity that I couldn’t watch the England game live, which was so exciting and heart-gripping. Now England fans realise that Eriksson was not so bad afterall when comparing to McClaren. What a mockery. Who will be (or should be) the next coach? The British media are offering many suggestions. The Times suggested that Klinsmann will be a good choice - “Saviour of English football required — even if he is German.”

Hey Brits, are you out of your mind? Despite that Klinsi refused to stay as Germany’s national coach after World Cup 2006, he’s still regarded highly here. I don’t think he is interested or dares to commit this act of treason by heading your national team. Globalisation doesn’t mean that nationalism is fading out.

Museums in Athens and Munich

Published on 7 October 2007 in Arts, Germany, Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

A quick review of the museums I went to in Athens and Munich:

Athens: National Archaeological Museum

My guide book said that I should go there twice if possible, but I only had 3 hours’ time before my flight. It was really a shame because admission was free that day (didn’t know why) and the museum was huge! It is definitely one of the best museums in the world which houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. The collections of sculptures and grave reliefs were captivating, and the artifacts which I normally were not so interested in were also fabulous.

Munich: Lenbachhaus

The Lenbachhaus is a villa which originally belonged to painter Franz von Lenbach and now is a city gallery which houses mainly 20th century and contemporary arts. It is most famous for the large collection of paintings of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group of expressionist artists established in Munich in 1911 which included among others the painters Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc, August Macke, Marianne von Werefkin, and Paul Klee. I pretty like the blue riders, especially Jawlensky.

Munich: Neue Pinakothek

Founded by King Ludwig I, it houses mainly European paintings and sculptures of the 18th and 19th centuries, and is now the world’s most important museum of art of the 19th century. It’s my favourite art period and the museum gives me lots of pleasant surprises. It is spacious and not crowded, and it contains many masterpieces. A free audio guide is offered to all visitors, and so one can spend a long time there appreciating the paintings leisurely with expert advice. Some of the more impressive works include:

Caspar David Friedrich: Summer

Egon Schiele: Agony, 1912

Gustav Klimt: Margaret stonborough-Wittgenstein, 1905

Van Gogh: Sunflower, 1888 (I was wondering why it wasn’t in Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam when I was there in July)

Max Liebermann: Munich Beer Garden, 1884

Greece and Germany

Published on 6 October 2007 in Arts, Germany, Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

I admit that I was absolutely ignorant of Greek history and only found out by chance that it had been ruled by a Bavarian (King Othon) after its independence from Turkish rule from Munich’s Neue Pinakothek Museum.

A special room in the Museum was dedicated to Carl Rottmann, who painted 23 drawings called “Die Landschaften Griechenlands” (The Greek landscape) on commission by the Bavarian king Ludwig I. The king probably ordered these paintings as a reference for his youngest son, Otto, who became the king of Greece after its independence in 1832.

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There’s a painting by Peter von Hess on “The entry of King Othon of Greece in Athens, 1839″.

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And Leo von Klenze also offered an “Idealised view of the Acropolis and the Areopagus in Athens, 1846″.

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It’s funny that I would have learnt more about Greece in Germany than when I was there.

Ruins, ruins, and more ruins…

Published on 1 October 2007 in Travel and Western Europe. 5 Comments

The heading summarised precisely what I have seen most during my trip to Italy (Rome and Tivoli) and Greece (Athens and Delphi).

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Though I was very ill-prepared and lacked any historical and architectural information on these ruin sites, I could still imagine how grand and glory these buildings had once been via the descriptive texts and occasional reconstructed drawings. Strolling through the ruins, and seeing all the beautiful sculptures and amazing ancient artifacts, I just felt ever so strongly the transience of time and all things. This trip has surprisingly been a good buddhist lesson for me.

More photos from here.

Iamsterdam

Published on 22 July 2007 in Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

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  • Windmills?
  • Canals?
  • Tulips?
  • Cheese?
  • Delftware?
  • Clogs?
  • Van Gogh?
  • Rembrandt?
  • Vermeer?
  • Red-light district?
  • Marijuana coffee shop?
  • Chic fashion?
  • Anne Frank?
  • Bicycles?

Amsterdam is an amazing city. It is a small but vibrant and has a lot to offer. There is natural beauty (canals); architecture (museums, churches, and buildings along the canals); tradition and handcrafts (windmills, cheese, clogs and delftware); art (Van Gogh and Rembrandt); human pleasure (ranging from healthy cycling to degrading drug coffee shops, sex window-shopping and stylish casinos). Dutch people speak several languages and they are all nice and friendly to tourists. It’s a city that everyone will find something to do, and not yet spoiled by distasteful hordes like what you encounter in Paris.

Strasbourg

Published on 15 July 2007 in Germany, Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

Strasbourg, a charming city on the German-French border, is the capital of Alsace. Because of its proximity to Germany and the fact that it had been under German rule twice, traces of German influence can be found everywhere, mainly manifested in the half-timbered houses scattered across the city. These architecture are well-preserved and is a major tourist-attraction, especially those lining up along the canals in Petit France area. The traditional costumes of Alsacian women resemble, in my view, very much those of the Bavarian dirndls.

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Despite of these “superficial” German-ness, Strasbourg is undoubtedly French to me. It has numerous luring narrow and winding streets which hides some nice boutiques and cafes. There are many ceramic and antique shops and so it’s fun to wander around in these small streets, getting away from the big crowds outside the church. But the frenchness of the city also means that one has to watch his/her steps, as the streets are full of dog’s dirt. Drivers park recklessly - a normal scene in France but somewhat abhorent in the eyes of Germans (HSBC has an excellent advertisement illustrating this). I was a bit disappointed by the museums. They surprised me by having only French descriptions, not even German (english is of course out of the question).

More photos from here.

So Swiss…

Published on 25 June 2007 in Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

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Switzerland was never on my “travel list”, though I have visited it three times in the last two months (these days I always end up in places I never plan to go). As a land filled with breathtaking sceneries, no doubt it is, or perhaps the only, arcadia on Earth.

I revisited Jungfraujoch, it was still awesomely beautiful. The snow under the sun almost blinded my eyes. Nature is truly wonderful. I hope climate change wouldn’t rip off the mountain’s dazzling white dress.

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More photos from here.