Munich: TGT Episode 3

Population: 1.378 million

Highlights: Unironic lederhosen, the Third Reich tour, Sausage at Bratwurst Glöcklein (The Sausage Bell), a rail service named Bob.

Accommodation: Air b’n’b room.

(Milkmaid vogue)

Munich itself epitomises all the stereotypes I used to hold about Germany; lederhosen, milk maid outfits, lots of sausage and pork knuckle delicacies, beer halls and beer –I drank one from a 14^th century brewery) and architecture reminiscent of Christmas toy-towns.

(Lunch at Bratwurst Glöcklein)

Munich has a long association with toys and toy making, so we were excited to see the Toy Museum one gloomy morning, but were a bit disappointed. It wasn’t very big and the displays weren’t that imaginative. But I think I am forever scarred by the teddy skeleton and Barbie in her original butter-milk hue.

(1960's Barbie with bob)

One of the best things we did during our time in Munich was a 3-hour walking tour covering the history of the Third Reich in Munich. That sounds like a strange sentiment, let me explain. Munich was the birthplace of Hitler’s Germany, the site of the Beer Hall Putsch, his failed revolution, and several communist uprisings that would shape the future of the Nazi party. All the events on the GCSE History syllabus (1918-39) were happening in Munich – and unlike in Berlin where history is blatant, you really need a guide to point out the clues. The reality that Munich was the breeding ground for so much hatred is very quietly brushed under the carpet such that this gold stream through the pavement counts as one of the only memorials in the city. I also learned on this tour that Germany was created in France, how contrary.

(Hofbräuhaus München - mid-tour)

(Memorial. Source: Around the world in 5 months)

Had we had better weather or more time we’d both have liked to go to Chiemsee, me for the Benedictine nunnery (founded 782) and Dad for the trains. Also in for a penny, in for a pound to continue the black tourism, perhaps a guided trip round Dachau would have been sobering and interesting.

As we were leaving Munich we realised they have a regional train called Bob – we were so tickled we took a photo.

(BOB and BOB)

So Munich, you were a bit wet when we visited, I never realised that this sort of Germany really existed outside of story-books. Your commitment to beer is impressive. But outside of Oktoberfest you are consigned with Frankfurt to my ‘been there, done that’ bin.

Frankfurt: TGT Episode 2

Population: 691,518

Highlights: Historiches Museum Frankfurt, Botanical Gardens, Iimore Delicatessen.

Accommodation: IBIS hotel.

Our Grand Tour did not begin in grand style. We spent well over an hour queuing to get my bag put in the hold at Heathrow. The saving grace of this disastrous start was the presence of an old uni friend and his travelling Elizabethan bevvy of boys, The Queens Six. All proceeded well after that.

(The Nutcracker(s))

On arrival at Frankfurt airport we decided to make the most of our inter-rail passes from the get-go and travel to the nearby town of Freinsheim. We had heard there was a BING toy museum there; we had not heard there was a rail replacement service for this village, in the middle of the countryside!

Transport aside, we were so pleased to have made the trek. We found ourselves in a walled, Medieval town complete with portcullis. I can’t tell you that much about the museum as I only made it to the ground floor – but my Dad disappeared for a good 2 hours whilst I immersed myself in an After Eight Liqueur Sundae. They’ve really cornered the ideal complement to a museum, with an ice cream parlour.

(After Eight Sundae)

(Freinsheim)

Whilst in Frankfurt we stayed at an IBIS hotel which felt a long way from the town centre and public transport, until we discovered (near the end of our stay) that there was a tram stop right outside the hotel *face-palm. The hotel was clean and tidy, the staff were helpful and doubled-up as cocktail waiters (bonus!), and the breakfast buffet was substantial!

When asking friends about Frankfurt I found people had very few positive things to say about it, that’s sad because actually Frankfurt wasn’t half so bad as had been predicted. It is essentially an urban metropolis with banking at its heart but here are 3 things you shouldn’t miss if you visit:

1. Iimore Delicatessen - just off the main square. Believes coffee and sticky buns are a science. Have a cosy cuppa without it costing the earth.
2. Historiches Museum Frankfurt – they have underground archaeology in situ. You can feel the true weight of a suit of armour, view large scale wooden models of the city and a very impressive mixed-media exhibit about the town’s development. Costs 10E to get in, but easily lose 2-3 hours of your day in there.

(Underground at the Historic Museum)

(How heavy is a suit of armour?)

     3. The Botanical Gardens – our trip round the botanical gardens was time limited by our need to get to Munich, but, if you like exotic looking flowers, cacti, rose gardens and slightly strange fashion exhibits this place is for you!

(Botanical Gardens)

So would I bother going back to Frankfurt as a holiday destination? Probably not, but for 2 days it provided good entertainment and was worth it for our afternoon in Freinsheim, alone.

Next up: Munich.

The Grand Tour: Episode 1

Snug in my dressing gown, cuddling my cup of hot chocolate the memory of gelato and sunshine seems like a dream. But it happened, a mere 2 weeks ago, I have the photos.

 (Big floppy hat, medicinal ice cream, Venetian skies)

In a mere 10 days we clocked up 1050 land-miles, 1382 air-miles, 3 countries, 5 cities, the Alps, the Adriatic, snow and olives (those last four in just one rail journey).

(my journey as plotted by go-pro travelling)

My father and I flew to Germany and then inter-railed after that. There is something magical about exploring Europe by train, watching the terrain change shape before your very eyes. Our second holiday inter-railing and the last one where I will be cheap (boo hiss!); 2 years ago we travelled from Amsterdam to Poland and back via Hamburg and Berlin, catch up here.

(The Dolce Vita, the first of many railway stations)

On Day 5 of the adventure (points 3-4 on the map) we caught the train to Vienna and I got my first sight of the Alps to John William's soundtrack to 'The Book Thief'. That experience was unforgettable. When we travel together, the journeying is as important as the city we eventually arrive in. 

(Innsbruck, with a mountain at the end of every street)

We used a variety of different accommodation; 2 IBIS hotels, a private hotel, and 2 air b'n'b places. I think our rental of a flat at Campo Mauritz in Venice was my favourite.  Food was a clear priority for us, I always want to 'eat the view' and roughly every 2 hours we'd pause for coffee and a sticky bun of some sort.

(St Maria of Salute Basilica, Venice)

The following posts cover accommodation, sites of interest, what we ate (and where) and some info on transport. I've arranged the info according to location:

Episode 2: Frankfurt

Episode 3: Munich

Episode 4: Vienna

Episode 5: Innsbruck

Episode 6: Venice

Come along for the journey!

Edinburgh 2: East Lothian

As we were camped outside Edinburgh near Wallyford (classic name I know) and with four wheels we were really at liberty to explore the wider area around Edinburgh. Here are some things we enjoyed...as ever props to photographer friend for photos.

Goblin Ha!
Some of the castles in East Lothian are jolly expensive...case in point Edinburgh Castle. So I did some research into places that were free and stumbled across this beauty. The sat-nav refused to take us there, the bemused Scots we encountered questioned our intentions and told us it was 'bloody spooky', we thought it was wonderful. Goblin Ha! is the remains of Yester Castle, the home of Sir Hugo de Gifford aka 'The Wizard of Yester' who is said to have built his castle with the assistance of some hobgoblins. To get to the castle we parked on the road beyond Castle Park Golf Course, walked through a private farm, through a field of grass with accompanying dovecote which we pondered, through a second gate, through a wood and then we arrived. Photos of the journey below. 2 things of note here: 1. turns out you can just park at the golf club, its probably an easier walk, 2. turns out you can get into the creepy subterranean hall, for more info see this video. Turns out Goblin Ha! is also the inspiration for several stanzas of Sir Walter Scott's Marmion.

Yellowcraig Sands
Now I have to admit to a) being tipped off about this dear little cove that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write Treasure Island, b) getting a tad hyperbolic because the beach was beautiful. We got to eventide and I decided that a half hour drive to watch the sunset at Yellowcraig was the perfect way to end a long day. We were not disappointed. When we parked the car it seemed everyone was walking in the opposite direction, but we walked the 5 mins across some bluffs to this exquisite setting and forgave the fairly intrusive but ultimately temporary engagement shoot, our only company for the first half an hour or so. For me there is something so calming about standing with my toes in sea water, with no noise but birdsong, and the only jellyfish beached (see below!) moments like this reset my anxiety counter and are really treasured.

Tantallon and Dunbar
We were ultimately headed south but en route I persuaded my kind friend to try one last historical haunt and a seaside town for fish and chips with mixed success.

Tantallon Castle offered buckets of atmosphere, house martins for photos and generations of earls called Archibald Douglas (great name). I really enjoyed  playing the tour guide, reading aloud bits of the guide book and generally larking about the ruin - we got a good hour and a half out of Tantallon - some amazing photos - and all for just £5.50 each.

Dunbar on the other hand was less successful. I know this may come as a surprise but I don't always guess places right. Dunbar was on our route home and seemed like the perfect place to stop for fish and chips, but to be honest, there was one bar open prepared to feed us fish and chips, and they took ages. When our food came it was proper 'eat the view', fished from the surrounding waters but I was an 9.75 on my hungry scale (eat your hand is 10!) by the time it arrived. Dunbar like Musselburgh was a decidedly average, suburban town. There are gems to be found on the East Lothian coast, Gullane looked nice from the car window, but Dunbar is not it.

Anyway, by the time you read this I'll be away again (I know, lucky girl) I'm off to Germany and beyond. Looking forward to updating you on all the best places to find beer and happiness on the Continent. Cheerio!

Edinburgh 1

Hi everyone!

I recently went on holiday to Edinburgh on a mini-break with my photographer friend (all the photos in the post are hers!). We had a great time in both Edinburgh and the surrounding area. So today in the first of 2 posts, what to do in Edinburgh city centre - I'm thinking particularly of those of you chortling in the Scottish capital right about now.

Climb up high

If you know me by now you’ll know how much I love to climb high things; Edinburgh offers lots of chances to climb up high. Arthur’s Seat, the only remains of an old volcano, twisted on its side by Ice Age activity is a 822ft treat of an afternoon. There are many theories concerning the name, many people claim its to do with the mythical King Arthur but it might just be a corruption of Àrd-na-Said (Height of Arrows) or Àrd-thir Suidhe (Place on High Ground). Arthur’s Seat requires minimal input for maximum views– the experienced walkers who photo-bombed our victory photo were in brogues! 

Calton Hill offers similarly panoramic views of Edinburgh and features many historic curiosities from Nelson’s upturned telescope to the Portuguese cannon and the National Monument of Scotland, they've even got a little art gallery up there. We enjoyed studying the city and its happy brood of bird-life from these high points.

Into the very bowels of Edinburgh

We really enjoyed exploring Edinburgh on foot, down the winding closes, the Georgian promenades and poking our noses in interesting doorways. We got a real education at the People’s Story Museum. The PSM offers a rich and engaging narrative of the lives of Edinburgians since the 18^th century. The museum isn't that high-tech but telling history through individual stories is very effective, ‘Meet Joan, on a warm afternoon in 1964 she is off to the wash-house to clean her clothes’.

Once upon a time, before the Royal Mile even existed, the people of Edinburgh lived cheek-by-jowl in tightly wound ‘closes’ or lanes and disease was rife. So in the early 18th century fresh investment arrived in Edinburgh, instead of demolishing the old town, they merely built over the top of it. The Continuum Group (Jorvik, Canterbury Tales) seized the opportunity to create an effective tourist-trap, 'The Real Mary King's Close' a tour of the deserted, underground Edinburgh. The tour provided enough genuine archaeology for me and entertainment for my pal who couldn’t care less about history. Just like the People’s Story of Edinburgh, a lot of MKC’s success is built around our getting to know a person, our guide ‘Walter King’ Foul Clenger, and his life on the close. Technological advances built the tour into a real experience!

Elephants and eating

Although we were camping outside Edinburgh we ate out a few times. The Elephant Café is the much celebrated birth-place of Harry Potter, where JK wrote the novels. The food was a good price, there were elephants aplenty and there is a unique memorial to Harry Potter, concealed in the loos. The other place we visited was SX café (Southern Cross, you dirty little whatsits!) they freely offered us their power supply for our ailing phones and tasty cakes. I even tried their haggis bites, they were gooooood.

Honourable mentions...St Giles Cathedral, Canongate Kirk, Museum of Edinburgh (if you can stand the smell), and this guy (who is this guy?)

Tomorrow, Beyond the Walls of Edinburgh

GIRL

Have you noticed there's a vogue at the moment to celebrate GIRL. People seem to have varying ideas of what this looks like and varying motivations behind celebrating it but here are a number of examples of focussing on GIRL.

'#LikeAGirl'

My social media feeds lit up with this gem of a video by sanitary towel maker, Always.

I always think the Marketers of the unglamorous brands have the toughest time and Always have done a good job here of talking about confidence and womanhood (both very marketable things right now) to carry their message. Although I saw many retweets of the video - I didn't see that many subsequent GIRL projects with the tag 'LikeAGirl' and hadn't even noticed that Always have a whole section of their website dedicated to the cause.

To Be A Girl

This is an awareness and fundraising initiative by WaterAid which considers the negative implications of being a woman in need of water worldwide. Whether that is the cultural expectation that women collect water, or being ostracised from community and fresh water during menstruation; there are many challenges affecting female access to water many of which I hadn't even thought of! All fundraising is matched by the government before Sept 9th 2014. Water Aid have been very keen that people publicise the issue through social media - off the back of my donation I received both an email and a letter in the post encouraging me to tweet about my donation. In the end I tweeted the cause but not the donating bit. An interesting angle for a charity who provide water to all, to focus on the current gender agenda.

In a similar vein Oxfam just released a GIRL infographic below:

How to Build a Girl

This is the title of Caitlin Moran's latest release, a novel about a teenager growing up in Wolverhampton. Trigger alert: This book features many of the joys and tribulations of coming of age in a working class house; if you don't like to hear about: masturbation, menstruation, alcoholic fathers or the Rolling Stones this book is not for you. 

However, I'm really enjoying the book. Almost certainly autobiographical in content, How to Build a Girl has made me laugh out loud on the tube, and cringe occasionally too. This is the pains of growing up without the Taylor Swift gloss and its jolly brilliant. But like I say, if you've a tendancy towards prudishness pick up another book. On a side note, she's got a wonderful range of merch out, and the profits go to 'Refuge' helping women escape domestic violence. 

Well, all this focus on GIRLS is a bit different innit, here's to hoping it prompts lasting change and isn't just the latest marketing ploy to sell sanitary towels!

Haunch of Venison Yard: London's roads and pubs

I have been wandering the streets of London since I was six when accompanied by my Dad and little sister we would pick an area and walk it. Once home we would highlight the area covered and over several years of walking most of zone one was a veritable rainbow.

This education was furthered by studying in Bloomsbury, working near St Pauls, living in East London and now living in NW3. Every time I move to a new area I take great joy in getting lost, and then found with, or without, the assistance of the GPS or a local tube stop.

On foot the important things are the compass direction and the food outlets ('left at Sainsburys') to navigate by.

But I am discovering London from a completely different angle of late. Living as far west as I ever have done, and travelling primarily by bike and bus the key navigating points have changed and so I'm noticing other things. For example, did you know there's a road in Mayfair called Haunch of Venison Yard? Or that Mornington Crescent is actually still a crescent?

(Photo credit: 441K9 Flickr)

Cycling in London can be a bit nail-biting and as such I need all my concentration on the road, not on my phone GPS system. When I am going somewhere new I try to remember at least a 10-minute stretch and I do this using a combination of road names but also by the pubs. It amazes me that there are still enough pubs to navigate by. Its also got me thinking about pub signs. I always assumed they harked back to mass illiteracy, 'meet you at the Red Lion at 5'. But I wonder if those hanging pub signs also serve a greater purpose to people who are travelling too fast to read.

(Photo credit: camdenpubs.blogspot.com)

Now, I don't pretend to be a lightening fast cyclist but the signs outside both The Victoria and Edinboro' Castle reassured me that I was on the right track. By contrast the lack of signage outside the Queens Head and Artichoke on Albany Street nearly led to a small diversion. Being fair to the owners I'm not surprised they didn't feature a pictorial sign. In my head its looking like a head on a plate, with a stick of artichoke between her teeth. Apparently the name was given by Queen Elizabeth I's Head Gardener.

(Photo credit: www.beerintheevening.com)

Pub signage navigation comes particularly into its own when considering that postcodes are a relatively new invention. These days we take for granted our ability to type a code into our GPS but postcodes were only introduced first in the 1870s and then fully rolled out 1954 - 72. Before then points of interest would have been much more helpful for navigation.