Schauinsland – Black Forest (Schwarzwald) Germany

The southern German town of Freiburg is the gate-way to the Black Forest and hovering above the town is the 1286 metre high Schauinsland. Reached easily by public transport including a 20 minute ride up the mountain by cable car and is an attraction itself.

One of the cable cars on the Schauinslandbahn.

All year round there are visitors enjoying activities such as mountain bike and hiking trails in summer or in winter there is plenty of skiing opportunities for families.

At the top of the cable car ride is a restaurant and beer garden with extensive views over the French Vosges mountain range and Rhine valley.

At the top looking down at Freiburg.

The lookout tower not far from the restaurant is popular with day trippers taking in the views of the Black Forest. On a clear day it’s possible to see the Swiss Alps poking up in the distance.

Picnic under the lookout tower ontop of Schauinsland. View of the Black Forest towards Switzerland.

Inside Schauinsland there are approximately 100 kilometres of tunnels and passageways left over from 700 years of lead, silver and zinc mining. Production ceased in 1954 and since 1976 a mining museum has been open where tourists can enter the tunnels and take guided tours.

During the war years, Schauinsland was a military hospital site and interestingly the cable car access only operated at night to the hospital to avoid being seen by aircraft.

Schauinsland can be visited any time of the year. The best time I like to go is in Autumn when the trees change colour and the weather is still good.

Riding high on the Schauinslandbahn.

Related posts:

Hinterzarten

Todtnau

Titisee

Black Forest intro

 

Accomodation review: Condor Ocean View Apartments, Surfers Paradise, Australia

Condor Ocean View Apartments

Address: 2 Riverview Parade, Surfers Paradise, Queensland Australia

Aimed mostly towards families, Condor Ocean View Apartments are mid-range priced, self- contained holiday apartments which provide excellent value in the centre of Surfers Paradise. Situated on the Nerang River, the shops and nightlife are only a block away and five minute walk to the beach.

Looking towards central Surfers Paradise and the Pacific Ocean.

I was delighted with my 22^nd floor 2 bedroom apartment.  The views were fabulous with a lot to see while sitting on the private balcony. Each night I relaxed on the balcony in the balmy weather taking in the lights of the surrounding skyscrapers and watching the nearby fun park rides ‘Vomitron’ and ‘Sling Shot’ as it shot thrill seekers 80 meters in the air.

On the right are the neon-lit column supports for the Sling Shot ride.

Condor offer 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments with everything you need during your stay including all the kitchen utensils and little things such as laundry powder and dishwashing liquid.

The lounge room with Cable TV.

Bedroom with a view you can wake up too.

Downstairs there is free undercover parking as well as a guest sauna, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis court, BBQ and tropical gardens.

The outdoor pool and gardens.

It is possible to get free nights’ accommodation if booking via the Condor website.
http://www.condorapartments.com.au/
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Hostel review – Blue Mountains YHA, Katoomba, Australia

A Day on Sydney Harbour

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Photo essay: Morocco

Marrakech – Orange trees on the street.

Marrakech – Main square daytime.

Marrakech – City gate design.

Casablanca – Mosque on Atlantic Ocean.

Casablanca – Arches around the Mosque.

Casablanca – Typical palm-lined street.

Fes – Rooftop view towards castle.

Fes – Locals hanging out on a Saturday morning.

Fes – Street view in old town.

Vilnius, Lithuania

When I arrived in Vilnius by bus it looked boring; new office buildings on the north side of the Neris river and on the south a compact old town marked by pastel coloured churches.

Vilnius can be done in a day and is easy to navigate due to its small size and plentiful English signage. Unless you are a connoisseur of baroque architecture or a Frank Zappa fan on a pilgrimage to see his head on a stick, there is not much to see.

From 1945 to 1990, the only way for Lithuanian residents to travel abroad was by plane via Moscow and only privileged people. For western visitors it was off limits unless you had a good reason to be there with restrictions.

And the legacy of those communist days is still there with the city seeming to lack personality and the service is sour, except for the older women driving trolley buses in casual clothes, who decorate their buses with flowers, stuffed toys and frilly curtains.

Things to do

• Wander around the old town looking at Baroque Catholic churches following a circuit around the main roads. I did this twice in case I had missed something, which I hadn’t. The tourist office has an audio guide tour around the old town. There are plaques to read at each attraction but the tour gives more information about local legends.

• Cathedral Square centrepiece is the neo-classical Vilnius Cathedral. Sunday mass is standing room only. Massive concrete columns inside and consists of eleven chapels. The beggars queue up outside church entrances to collect as people leave. Outside the Cathedral is a Bell Tower consisting of a mix of architectural styles and a clock which is missing the minute hand. The tower is a remnant from the old city walls but has been re-constructed over the years.

Vilnius Cathedral and Bell Tower.

• Gediminas Tower next to the Upper Castle has the most practical view over the city. The founder of Vilnius was Grand Duke Gediminas and this area is also known as Gediminas Hill or Gediminas Castle dating back to the 14^th Century and was mostly destroyed in the 17^th Century during a war with Moscow. Currently it is under re-construction.  It can be accessed by short steep walk up the hill or via the 35 second funicular ride. In the tower is a museum of armoury and a model of medieval Vilnius.

Gediminas Hill and castle.

• Museum of Genocide Victims. To understand the struggles of Lithuanians in the 20^th Century, a visit to this museum chronicles their suffering and resistance. This former Gestapo, NKVD then KGB headquarters is where you will learn about the deportation and repression of the local people. Extensive information on resistance fighters can be seen along with the chilling basement cells where prisoners were kept and tortured up until 1991. Including two water torture cells used to keep prisoners awake for excessive periods. Also there is much information about the Lithuanian Jewish holocaust during the Second World War when approximately 95% of the Jews were murdered.

The plaque outside Museum of Genocide Victims written in three languages.

 

• Walking past the old town walls off Subaciaus, there is a park in with a fantastic view higher than the castle. If you go here don’t bother straining yourself to the more touristy Hill of Three Crosses as the view is the same.

 

The view from a park off old town street called Subaciaus.

• Frank Zappa memorial statue hidden away in a back street west of the old town called K. Kalinausko. Frank Zappa has no connection to Vilnus and never visited the city but he has fans who collected enough money to commission this bronze statue.

Frank Zappa surrounded by Cheech and Chong graffiti.

• Uzupio Republic was once the poorest and neglected suburb of Vilnius and home to craftsman and weavers. Now the alternative artist district, Uzupio declared its independence on 1 April 1997. The Republic has its own president, prime minister, flag, anthem, Constitution in 12 languages which is displayed on a wall in Paupio Street. Nearby is the “national symbol” of Uzupio Republic the bronze guardian angel blowing her horn overlooking a small square. Seated in a wall next to the river is the Uzupio mermaid sculpture. Bernardine Cemetery is a scenic and peaceful place to visit and free of people, except for the buried ones.

A grave with the ‘tree of life’ in Bernardine Cemetery.

On a sunny day sit in one of the numerous parks or on the Neris riverbank planning your next move out of town.

Day trip
Trakai Castle is a 30 minutes by train from Vilnius. A medieval red castle in planted on an island which has been rebuilt with a drawbridge to get to the island. Trakai was once the capital of Lithuania.

Three hours from Vilnius near the border with Latvia is the Hill of Crosses. The Soviets took the memorial crosses away but people kept adding them back and 100,000 crosses have been put there since 1800s. There is a souvenir shop there so you can buy a cross to add yourself if so inclined.

Stay
Home Made House. A new boutique hostel conveniently located between the old town and train and bus station. Owner Linja will welcome you and tell you all about growing up behind the Iron Curtain and how Vilnius is trying to move on.

Avoid
Cili Pica Restaurant – An Italian chain of restaurants popular with the locals but bland food. My pasta was from a packet and not cooked properly and very small serves. Flat soft drinks and smelly toilets.

The main square in Vilnius old town in front of the town hall.

 Related posts:

Riga, Latvia: A Baltic city full of surprises

Riga, Latvia - The Great Cemetery

Latvian football – Skonto FC vs Liepajas Metalurgs

Posh Backpackers. Riga, Latvia

Todtnau – Black Forest (Schwarzwald) Germany

Surrounded by southern Black Forest mountains and grassy fields is the village of Todtnau with a population of 5000 people.

Todtnau is popular with day trippers on motor bikes or hikers during the summer.  In winter there it is an excellent base for skiers with an abundance of accommodation and good access to the main ski slopes in the Black Forest.

St John’s Church on the edge of the forest and at the end of the main street in Todtnau.

The biggest attraction in Todtnau, especially for families, is Germany’s longest toboggan run called the Hasenhorn roller coaster (Rodelbahn).  Open all year round, the panorama is magnificent on the chairlift ride up the mountain and as you fall downhill on the three kilometre coaster track, you can control your own speed to take in the view of Todtnau below.

Hasenhorn roller coaster or toboggan ride as seen from the centre of Todtnau.

The ride is free for one ride per day if you have the local tourist card KONUS which is given to you at your accomodation and includes free public transport.

This website link has a video of the ride and more information.

Mountain bikes can be hired and the idea is to take the bike up the same chairlift for a challenging bike track run back down.

Nearby is the Todtnauer waterfall  which is the highest in Germany with a drop of 97 meters.  Not spectacular but worth seeing on a hot day or hike around the forest nearby.  There is also rope climbing available here. The track to the falls is easy to walk and there is a bridge crossing midway.

Todtnauer Waterfalls from the bridge across midway.

The view looking at the road back to Todtnau from the waterfall.

Related posts:

Hinterzarten, Black Forest, Germany

Schauinsland

Black Forest, Germany introduction

Titisee, Black Forest, Germany

Stuttgart, Germany – Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museum

Photo essay: Memento Park, Hungary

Hungary’s Socialist past has been preserved at Memento Park and within easy reach by public transport (tram or bus) 10 kilometres outside of Budapest centre.

Opened in1993, Memento Park is an open-air statue museum with approximately fifty old communist leader statues which were erected in the streets of Budapest between 1947-1988. These statues and plaques boasted the ideology and leaders of Communism and were saved from destruction after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.

There is also an exhibition centre in an old barracks building displaying the events of the ill-fated Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and what life was like during the Soviet occupation in Budapest up to the 1989-90 political changes.

The highlight for me was the documentary secret agent film called “The Life of an Agent” which is shown in the exhibition. Unintentionally entertaining in black and white film, it explains how to recruit an agent, how to bug an apartment and other secret surveillance methods.

The world is in the iron hands. This Workers’ Movement Memorial shows the two hands protecting the granite ball representing the perfect ideology which the workers’ movement had perfected.

Based on a 1919 revolutionary poster, this mammoth figure is one of the highlights at Memento Park. These giant symbolic statues were to remind people of how powerful Socialism was.

A mishmash of tin-looking soldiers, officials and workers makes up the Bela Kun Memorial Bela Kun was the leader of the 1919 Hungarian Soviet Republic and is showing the way with his hat at the back of this memorial.

Comrades. The Soviet soldier meets the Hungarian man symbolising their friendship.

A replica of Stalin’s boots which were all that were left when anti-Soviet protested pulled down the statue in  Heroes Square during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. It had been built as a gift to Stalin for his 70th birthday in 1951 and had an inscription reading ‘Stalin, Hungary’s leader, teacher and best friend’.

Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels were regarded as the founders of Communism as authors of ‘The Communist Manifesto’ of 1848.

Dancing in the gloom.

Ghost wall.

Hinterzarten – Black Forest (Schwarzwald) Germany

Situated 25 kilometres east of Freiburg, Hinterzarten can be reached in 30 minutes on a scenic train journey through a gorge called ‘Hell Valley’ or Höllental in German. At the narrowest gap between the surrounding mountains is the “Hirschsprung” memorial. According to local legend a stag escaped hunters taking a massive leap across to safety. There is a bronze statue of the stag high on a rock which can be seen from the train or car, if you know where to look.

Hirschsprung. Statue of the mythical stag in Höllental.

The train route is called the “Höllentalbahn” and rises at a steep gradient and 440 metres between the stations of Himmelreich and Hinterzarten. The train conductor has to sit with the driver as the train climbs in case of any problems, like heart attack to the train driver. I heard about this on a German documentary once and can vouch for the conductor travelling in the locomotive with the driver each time I have been on the trip.

Hinterzarten is famous to Winter Sport followers as it hosts a number of National and International Ski Jumping competitions both during winter and summer.

Set on the hill ‘Rothaus-Schanze’ above Hinterzarten is Adler Ski Stadium. Built in 1924 there are four different sized ski jumps with plastic matting landing used for summer competitions.

The largest ski jump which can host 20,000 spectators during Grand Prix competitions.

• Link to a short video of Sunday morning ski springen at Hinterzarten in summer.
  

World class cross country skiing surrounds the town with the popular 6 kilometre track to Titisee for beginners.  The surrounding slopes are floodlit at night in winter for skiing.

Nordic skiing is popular and Hinterzarten doesn’t lack snow in winter.

When the snow melts away there are extensive hiking trails and the 116 kilometre Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon starts at Hinterzarten each year.

A church in Adlerplatz, Hinterzarten.

The town itself is small with less than 3000 residents. The main industry is tourism all year round with health retreats and all kinds of accommodation available from camping to five star hotels. It is very peaceful yet a short trip down the mountain you will find the University town of Freiburg with excellent shopping and nightlife possibilities, if Hinterzarten is too quiet to spend the night.

During the 2006 World Cup, the Holland football team hid themselves away at Parkhotel Adler in Hinterzarten, which has been owned by the same family since 1900. And a great choice it was considering the quiet lifestyle and surrounding nature to see.

Related posts:

Todtnau, Black Forest, Germany

Titisee, Black Forest, Germany

Schauinsland

Black Forest, Germany intro

Stuttgart, Germany – Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museum

Black Forest (Schwarzwald), Germany

Have you heard of the old story-tale Hansel and Gretel? Or of Black Forest cake?

Maybe you are wondering if the forest is really black.  It’s not, but it does get dark in some places where the pine and fir trees grow most abundant. The reason why it’s called the Black Forest relates to Roman times when the forest was much denser and thick with flora.

Only a fraction of the forest still exists today after heavy logging through the years and erosion from storms and pollution. Stretching for 200 kilometres it runs along the German and French border almost to Switzerland.

Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Only a fraction of the forest still exists today after heavy logging through the years and erosion from storms and pollution. Stretching for 200 kilometres it runs along the German and French border almost to Switzerland.

The Black Forest is a popular holiday destination due to its spa towns, nature, lakes, mountains, skiing and hiking was invented here to name a few attractions. All year-round there are things to see and do. Nature definitely shows off each season with completely different scenery.

The southern region is mountainous and extremely tourist friendly with a large   variety of accommodation available. Many of the hotels offer a free card to guests for free transport and admission to many of the attractions. Otherwise there is an excellent transport infrastructure for day-trippers to come enjoy the recreational possibilities.

Where to go in the Black Forest? OK I’ll tell you….

• Titisee
• Hinterzarten
• Todtnau
• Schauinsland

To be continued.

Naples – The birthplace of pizza.

Once an important Greek trading post in Fifth Century BC, Naples became part of the Roman Empire two centuries later. The city once had a reputation for crime up until the 1990’s when there was a campaign to rid the corruption.

Gradually, Naples is being spruced up visually to make it more attractive for tourists. It’s not a pretty town by Italian standards, with sooty buildings, smog and during my three day visit a lot of construction sites for new Metro stations.

Upon my arrival, I walked across Piazza Garibaldi from the central train station and wandered along the main street Corso Umberto 1 window-shopping amongst the mix of tourists and local hipsters. Halfway down, I came across the amusingly pun-named clothing store ‘Pizzeria Jeanseria’.

The clothing shop ‘Pizzeria Jeanseria’

The pizza was invented in Naples in the late 1800’s as food for the poor and named after the then-monarch Queen Margherita. Ordering a pizza in Naples, you quickly realise there is no such thing as a small size and they come with ingenious toppings, besides the locally-grown tasty tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella.

My first pizza was in a cafe called ‘Nadones’ (via Nardones 10). The menu listed ‘Wurstel e Patatine’; a pizza topped with sausage, French fries and mozzarella. I gave that one a miss and instead devoured a delicious Capricciosa.  Afterwards, I was relieved I hadn’t ordered the enticing side-dish ‘Zucchini Scapce’ (fried zucchini, garlic, vinegar and peppermint) as I wouldn’t have been able to fit it in.

Stumbling full-bellied back out onto the street, I saw some remarkable architecture surrounding me. The impressive glass-roofed 24-hour shopping Galleria Umberto 1 looks similar to the famous Galleria in Milan Galleria and elegantly demands you to take a photo of it.

The shopping centre Galleria Umberto 1

Across the road is Piazza del Plebiscito.  A large square with the Church of San Francesco di Paola, which reminded me of a mini Vatican with the curved columns. At the other end of the Piazza is the Royal Palace which was once home to the French Bourbon dynasty who ruled Naples in the 18^th Century.

The Church of San Francesco di Paola

The medieval sandstone Castel Nuovo (New Castle) was built in 1279 and is well preserved considering Naples was bombed during World War II. Surrounded by tourists and touts, the castle is the main stop for the ‘Hop-On, Hop-Off’ bus which is a lazy but comprehensive way to explore Naples attractions.

13th Century built New Castle

Naples is an excellent base for day-trips such as to Pompeii, Mt Vesuvius and Mediterranean islands. The ferry terminal next to the castle has regular trips to the islands Ischia, Capri and nearby Procida. There are also links providing easy access to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.

Venturing back into Naples old city centre and street shopping, sights are spread out and walkable. No country seems to build religious buildings as stunning as the Italians and Naples has class examples.

The weird and unique façade at Church of Gesù Nuovo was a highlight of mine. The façade was originally built as a Palace in 1470, before Jesuits took over ownership and converted it into a church.

Church of Gesù Nuovo

The Duomo of Naples is worth a look in the late afternoon. If visited in the afternoon, the side chapels are open and they were well worth seeing for the interior designs.

Inside Naples Duomo

The National Archaeological Museum houses artefacts found under the volcanic ash and lava at the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This museum enhances your visit to those ruins and is Naples most popular attraction.

For an evening meal, many restaurants claim to serve the best pizza in the world to suck in tourists. One pizzeria I found near my accommodation called ‘Pellone’ (via Nazionale 93) looked busy and did not disappoint. The buffalo mozzarella margherita was the freshest and tastiest pizza I’ve tasted.

If pizza started out as food for the poor people, then they ate well and Naples pizza-makers have refined it to a work of art.

A buffalo mozzarella margherita

Related posts:

Photo essay: Pompeii, Italy

Mirogoj Cemetery – Zagreb, Croatia

A cemetery as a tourist attraction may not appeal to everyone’s taste.  Although art galleries are and Mirogoj Cemetery is a vast outdoor display of tombstone sculptures, produced by Croatian artists as tribute to the fellow artisans buried there.  Divided into sections depending on faith, it is definitely worth a visit and very photogenic.

Main entrance to Mirogoj Cemetery

A short ride north on bus number 106 from Zagreb Cathedral, Mirogoj Cemetery is one of the finest examples of where to be buried in Europe, if not the world. With the first internment in 1876, this beautifully landscaped memorial park was named after the previous land owner Miroslav Herkul Mirogojski.

November 1^st is widely known as ‘All Saints Day’. The Croatians call it ‘Day of the Dead’ when relatives and friends visit their loved ones who have passed on. My visit to Mirogoj was a few days after and every plot were embellished with colourful bunches of flowers and remnants of candles.

New part of the cemetery decorated first week of November

If you were a local, many of the interned names would be familiar. Croatian writers, politicians, poets, composers and the like. Perhaps foreigners may recognise internationally renowned opera singer Milka Trnina or international basketball player Dražen Petrović (died 1993 in a car accident in Germany).

The grave of Croatian writer Miroslav Krleža

The oldest section of the cemetery features a 500 metre wall frontage from north to south, completed in 1929 with green cupolas. Inside, these walls house sculptured arcade lanes with leafy vines and the crypts of past affluent families.

Wall of the cemetery from outside

One of the many arcades within the walls of Mirogoj

Taking up prominent space behind the Christ the King Church at the main entrance is the first Croatian president Franjo Tuđman. He died a Croatian national hero in 1999 while still in office.

President Franjo Tuđman has a prime position

There are numerous war memorials dedicated to lives lost in wars, including The Grave of National Heroes dedicated to the struggle for Yugoslavian freedom in World War II.  There was an attempt to blow the memorial up in 2001 without serious damage done.

including The Grave of National Heroes

There is also German Soldier burial ground on the edge of the cemetery is simply marked with white crosses.

German soldier graves

After wandering around for a few hours, I had seen only a small percentage of the burials at Mirogoj. There was a myriad of sculpture, decorations and tomb styles celebrating lives, each unique and individual more so than any other cemetery I have visited in Europe. A highly recommended day out while in Zagreb.

Related posts:

Zagreb. There is more to Croatia than the Adriatic Coast

Sarajevo  – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian Pyramids