Bonn, Köln, Düsseldorf (10 Jan 2009)

BONN

First stop: Bonn, hometown of Ludwig van Beethoven & the ex-capital of West-Germany. A quiet town, & River Rhein looked very pretty on a cold sunny morning.

KOLN

2nd Stop: Köln, the Kölner Dom waved proudly to me as I stepped out of the Hbf. Looked similar to the one in Strasbourg though. The climb to the top was rather killing for me, esp when it was so cold. The final ascent to the peak was abit scary though, coz I had to climb the metal staircase & it was almost unbearable that I could see how high I was hanging in this miserable cage whilst climbing. (or maybe i am aging, so this fear of heights is biting me?, I was happy to get off that platform!). The aerial view at the top was superb. The Hohenzollernbrücke, with the view of River Rhein, was proof that this was a big city. Then, I visited the Schokoladenmuseum & saw Lindt's chocolae production & many impressive chocolate dispensers of the 50's. I bought 15 bars of chocolates I have never seen b4 as winter companions at home. The guide told me that there is a Rittersport museum-factory near Stuttgart (I am now trying to find how to go there in Jan, as a shopping place to pick up these cute square blocks to bring back to Sg)

Last stop: Düsseldorf, the shopping paradise of Germany. I was bombarded by a huge shopping crowd that brought back memories of Orchard Rd(between Ngee Ann City & Paragon). Yup, nothing fantastic abt this city, except for throngs of high-end boutiques & many clothes shops. The view of Rhein was nothing as impressive, coz no one was sitting outside at the terraces. And me as usual, went shopping for all kinds of pastries & cookies(Ja! they also have bakeries like the super-ex Breadtalk & Baker Depot).

Cuddling at home on a Sonntag, coz this crazy weather isnt getting any better, -14°C isnt getting me anywhere near the door. Luckily I bought many foodstuff yesterday in Köln & Düsseldorf so I can party today at home :)

Dresden & Leipzig (2 Jan 2009)

DRESDEN

LEIPZIG

2009 is here!

My neighbors were all celebrating Jan-1 at 12 midnite with lots of fireworks. This is the 1st time the neighborhood is so noisy. The fireworks were bright and very colorful, NICE! Amazingly, I fell asleep in the midst of all the fireworks that lasted through 12:30.

The visit to former East Germany was wunderbar!

I took the nachtzug to Dresden. Dresden is the capital city of Saxony, together with Leipzig, they are 2 of the most impt cities of East germany. The banks of River Elbe was frozen given that the temp was -3°C. Dresden Altstadt is really very beautiful, with all the roman-styled architecture:

Frauenkirche, Brühlsche Terrasse, Kreuzkirche, Fortress, Cathedral...

However, Dresden Neustadt is so-so. The only nice things being the Golden statue of King Fredrick Augustus I, the Supreme Court and the Blockhaus. I didnt go to the viewing gallery of Frauenkirche since the entrance fee was 8€ (bloodsuckers!). Dresden is a nicer place than Berlin becoz it was less touristy & has more "Kingly" architectures.

Leipzig was snowing :) when I reached there after lunch. I must say that Leipzigers are still poorer than their western brothers, becoz I saw many zinc roofs (attap haus) on my way to Völkerschlachtdenkmal (outskirt of the city). Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Battle of the National Monument) was a big rock monument (91m) completed in 1913 as a tribute to soldiers in the Napoleon War. The lake in front of the tower was converted into an Eislaufbahn. Hitler often uses this place to give speeches (it is one of the very few nationalist monument existing). The city of Leipzig is filled with shopping streets, University Library, 2 Churches, Rathaus square, Auerbach's Keller (young Göthe), Bach's hometown and the Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum (Europe's oldest Coffee Haus).

Walking in the snow can be annoying at times, becoz in Leipzig, it was snowing heavily. I feel that if I stand stationary for 1h in the snow, I will become a snowman. Oh no, the latest weather forecasts says that next week we will experience -20°C. Can I take anymore of this coldness ???

Anyway, next stop: Bonn, Köln & Düsseldorf.