German-Russian Museum

There cannot be many museums with these exhibits, unlike the major museums with their masterpieces or Egyptian or Greek sculptures.

It is tucked away in a quiet suburban setting in the former East Berlin (of course).

The museum is the actual building where the formal surrender of WW2 was signed.

In this room.

There was also a complementary signing in Rheims (a city in eastern France in the Champagne Department).

 

Land mine clearing at a river crossing.

No need for fancy equipment, there are plenty of Jewish women.

There is a pair of sculptures like this in the large Soviet memorial garden.

An artists impression of the storming of the Brandenburg Gate in the final days of the War.

The retreating Germans had a scorched earth policy as they left Russia and Poland on their way back to Germany and Berlin. Towns were burnt and the railway tracks ripped.

 

Only the historians have a clear understanding of the casualties sustained in the war. This graphic quickly brings it into focus in Europe.


The major losses were the Soviets by far, with civilian losses more than the military.

The Polish civilian losses were also huge being similar to the German military losses.

The Yugoslav losses also included many civilians (I guess they were mostly Roma as the total number of Roma exterminated across Europe and the USSR was comparable to the Jews at about 6 million for each group)

 

Museums

 

Berlin is renown for its Museums. Numerous, extensive in their archives, and many of excellent quality. Clearly another reflection of the depth of thought given to much of German Culture as well as its long-term access to wealth.

 

I will be in Berlin for some time so have obtained a long-term pass to all of the "State" museums to enable me to browse at my leisure without the usual constraints of the more common 3-day pass.

 

Yesterday at the Altes Museum, a grand building in the centre of town. Today at the Kultureforum (below) which by comparison has the most bland architecture. "Even" the ordinary church next door (right) was far superior.

 

The collection of paintings and other works of art was vast and first class. The exhibition at the moment is on Cranach.

 

Below is an alternative depiction of Adam and Eve with a bit of a Germanic edge.

A young girl engrossed in a classic painting, listening to the audio guide, mother just behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A regal procession through 15 century St Peters Square.

 

And (below) from the same time the well known debauchery of the cardinals.

 

Squabbling over whose turn?

 

A contrast to this week's discussions in the Vatican when cardinals were embarrassed to hear personally of the joys of intimacy from an Australian couple in a very long-term marriage. History does get forgotten.

 

Berlin is known for its erotic clubs and lifestyle. This could be a painting from some of its milder days.

 

On the way home from the museum, whilst having dinner at the famous Hasir Restaurant (The birthplace of the ubiquitous dönner kebab), another of Berlin's frequent protests, this time against the rather esoteric proposed free trade agreement across the Atlantic.

 

Kreuzberg

There is the Thursday indoor Street Market - a good selection of street food.

 

A missing bike, with even the rear hub cleanly excised from the locked rim.

The kanal

And a summary of life in Berlin, near a door on the way to my local cafe.

 

Barcelona Orientation

The historic centre of Barcelona is the classic Roman Hexagon, somewhat irregular.

It seems to be defined not by Gaudi, but by La Rambla down which everyone walks, apparently tourists by day and locals by night, but I have seen tourists out at night walking there looking at the locals. And Placa Reial, where the locals don't eat as they know where the better food is at a fraction of the price. There is a Gaudi piece in the centre. It is said to be the most beautiful square in the world - it is said.

What caught my eye over 3 days was this guy and friend on bikes on La Rambla. The first of such people to whom I have given money, and in return for which action occurs.

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All the rest of the people are also keen cyclists as these are everywhere. As befitting a poorer city, these are the most basic of such city bikes I have seen. They have a hard life.

Autumn Riding in Europe

I was reflecting on the differences between my last long ride across Europe in 2008.
A few factors:

• the days are much shorter
• the temperature is a bit cooler, meaning there is not much motivation for early starts (after the later sunrise) as it has been quite chilly on some mornings
• this is a solo ride, so time must be allowed for finding hotels, including the possibility of leaving time to get to the next town sometimes.
• I am carrying all my stuff rather than it being in a van, slowing the climbs noticeably
• time is "lost" when slowing, or pausing, to check navigation and sometimes make changes to the intended day's path
• when feeling tired there is no nearby peleton of fellow riders in which to shelter from the wind.

All these combine to reduce the available hours for cycling and the average speed.
In addition when there are things to see as I often do, so there are more non-riding days.
So rather than a ride across Europe, it is a ride between places of interest when there is likely something to be discovered, and the weather reasonable, otherwise the train.

Currently in Barcelona for 5 nights, including today's day of rain, then south.

And on blogging

I had developed a pattern of writing my blogs at night after dinner whilst alone in my quiet hotel room. The wifi issue interfered with that pattern from time to time. Being on-line to sort out photos and formatting is also important.

Now in Spain. The sunrise is late as they are west but on the same time zone as most of Europe. They live at night and eat late, so the time for blogging needs to be re-thought.

L'Isle sur la Sorgue

This place came to my attention on reading some commercial cycle tour operators web sites who use this place as a starting point for their tours. About 25 km ride east of Avignon. Apparently it is crowded in season, but now is quiet except when I arrived on a sunny warm Sunday and everybody wanted one of Isabella's sundaes or gelatos. Like Germany, these generous sundaes seem almost compulsory

Its full name at the train station is as below. The various ways of abbreviating it can cause some confusion.

There are remains of water wheels that would have powered some past industry and justified the extensive water channelling of the river Sorgue. Now all that is a backdrop to endless restaurants and cafes.

I am here 5 nights with daily excursions to places of interest with Roman ruins, all easily accessible daily using a combination of riding and train rides.

Itinerary update

The weather has turned, looks windy wet and cooler, so I am on my way to Provence from where I will ride to Barcelona, and beyond. Have hardly ridden for days since 2 ferocious days of headwinds some days back. These days motivated a short train ride to Goslar, then a longer day of trains to Aachen.

Two matters are of some consequence:

1 There is a French train strike.

2. The French school holidays begin on the 23 rd and I suspect it will get busy down south where I will be, so I may not linger depending on accommodation issues. I might have about 8-10 days in France by the time the trains resume and I get there. The key French train web site I want for the overnight bike-friendly trains uses Flash Player which does not work on the iPad.

So as there is no riding to write about, other matters.

In the interim I am in Aachen, immensely important if you have not heard of it. It is the place of coronation for all the Kings / Emperors (Kaisers) since Charlemagne for 600 years, from 936 to 1531, in the Aachen chapel for 30 German kings and 12 queens. Although the Pope had a role in Rome in all of this too. The chapel was not then a Cathedral as it was the palace church without a Bishop. This place was geographically central to his world, and had good hot spa water and forests for hunting.

A bit more of this history is recommended for those contemplating a Cultural Ride across Europe. Cultural understanding requires context, world linkages.

Aachen

For Charlemagne, Aachen was the new Rome. The evidence is that he was a true Romaphile. The Bronze Wolf statue circa 200AD on a pedestal in the palace church. Marble columns bought from Rome. He was the first Emperor since the Roman Empire.

Charlemagne was pivotal in galvanising the Christians into a coherent group of soldiers and stopping the widespread Islamic destruction of Europe that had gone on for centuries.

Charlemagne bought back education that had decreased since the sacking of Rome and the de-ubanisation of Europe that occurred during the Islamic invasion and widespread destruction of cities (and other matters). It was a key part of the foundation upon which the thinkers, painters and writers could develop, as many needed patronage of some sort, I think. All the other activities (with which some are more familiar) of the arts and sciences, creation of Universities, and later de-christianisation of Europe followed.

Today Aachen has a population of 250,000 and a University of 30,000 students embedded in the historic heart of the town, with all the facilities they need for learning and learning about each other. And a busy train station at the start and end of semester, like the day I arrived, and more so when my train broke down and we all scrambled onto the next train with half of the student body's fleet of bicycles.

To Trier (Germany near the Luxembourg / French border) hopefully tomorrow. A place to see and then for easy access to the French Lunea train I want that gets me to Toulon. Toulon is of no interest but it's hinterland is.

Prague - Jara Cimrman

Well, as I strolled across the river and climbed up the hill to Petrin Tower, the highest vantage point over the city, the thought was there would be no post after one day in Prague. But after the usual photos from the top of the tower (actually half way up is better as it is nearly as high and you are not jostling for position with the crowd) I ventured into the basement and wandered around the exhibition there. The images tell the story.

with a close up of the drive train

a tricycle for professional photographers

and there are more but you might have seen enough.

You see, one reason I travel (although not very well) is to find out something about the people, and today I learnt something about the Czech mind - it was a good day