It’s a cold and grey afternoon. After tossing up a couple of options I settle on walking to the Englischer Garten, a large park in the north east of the city. I get there about 1330. There are lots of people walking around, despite the freezing weather. It’s a beautiful park, even with most of the trees without leaves. I can imagine what it must be like in summer.

I wander around the southern part which ends at a lake. And the lake is beginning to freeze over. There are large chunks of ice on the surface. It’s very surreal to see.

At 1500 I’m heading back and all the church bells in the city are ringing. They go on for quite some time.

Right on the edge of the park is a bridge and the water is rushing beneath at a crazy pace. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not. Either way, the waves don’t go to waste and there’s a group of surfers having lots of fun and attracting quite and audience.

Today was my last full day in England (insert sad face, mournful violins and distant sobbing sounds). The weather was overcast. I had originally planned to visit the Imperial War Museum as Duxford but my friend Jerome suggested I might enjoy Hampstead Heath so I headed there instead. I took the tube (2 lines) to Hampstead. From there it was just a short walk through some lovely streets. 

When I reached Hampstead Heath my first task was to find Parliament Hill. Jerome said you get great views of the city. He was right.  Epic!

From there I wandered around the Heath. It's essentially a large park but with a really natural feel and right on London's doorstep. 

After about an hour of walking I was feeling tired and decided to head back. By the tube station I noticed this telephone box cafe.  

And there was a really cute walk off the Main Street. 

Though, this was a little out of place. 

Shortly I'll start the task of packing my bags. I've bought quite a lot so there will be much reorganisation. Lucky I have a generous allowance on my flights.  

Its been an amazing holiday! I feel like I've been away for ages - months - and I've seen so much. I'm not ready to come home but I know I have to. If I could, I would move here without hesitation. But I know that's not possible. So I plan to keep coming back and exploring until I can get it out of my system. I've already started working on next year's trip! 

Today the plan was all about museums. A number of interesting ones are conveniently located on an island called Djurgarden. I set off early again catching the metro to T-Centralen then changing lines to get me to Karlaplan. There was a connecting train already waiting when I got to T-Centralen but by the time I double checked that it was the right one it was leaving. I had to wait 15min for the next one, but that's better than catching the wrong one and having to backtrack.  

I was early so it gave me an opportunity to photograph some other aspects of the city. 

Some of the boats moored along the lake/sea have a lot of character. 

First museum was the Vasa Museum. I used to love to make models when I was a kid, and the Vasa was on my wish list for a very long time. I can still picture the box. Consequently, I know a little about the ship. It sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 only shortly after setting sail. Oops, that's a bit embarrassing. It lay at the bottom of the harbour for over 300 years until it was salvaged in 1961. They have worked on conserving it and have build a great museum around it. It was quite dark inside, so photography was a little tricky, but I swapped lenses which helped a bit.

This cross section was really interesting. 

After the history of the Vasa I decided to pop into the Abba Museum (pun intended). This museum was to originally open in 2010 and I bought tickets at the time as part of the Europe trip Emily and I made but something fell through and the opening got postponed. They had a travelling museum that Scott and I saw in Melbourne, but I still thought I should have a look at the local version. I'm glad I did because there were a couple of really interesting exhibits I hadn't seen. I bought some items from the shop too. I bought the DVD of their North American tour which I've never seen, the deluxe version of Chess which has videos I've never seen and the recording of the Kristina performance at Carnegie Hall which I've been having trouble getting in Australia.

After pop, it was time for some culture so I went to the Nordic Museum which showcases life, work, trends and traditions in Sweden from the 16th century to present. The museum itself is very impressive. 

And the exhibits were also very interesting. I must admit I assumed the museum would also cover Swedish history but it didn't. I guess there must be another museum for that. Stockholm appears to have a lot of museums. 

After the last museum I had intended to make my way back to the apartment, but the weather was nice, almost warm, and Djurgarden is essentially one massive park so I followed the crowds and strolled for a while. I took some more photos of the scenery on and across from the island. 

I had to get this shot. Oh the indignity. 

Another full day. 

After a big breakfast I headed out. First task was to visit Royal Albert Hall. It's only 10 min walk away and I wanted to see if I could get a ticket for a concert that night. I'd tried getting the ticket while still in Adelaide but I wouldn't work. On the way I walked past the Albert memorial. I've seen it before, but at that moment the sun was perfect and the gold glistened. I stopped to take some pictures but had to play cat and mouse with the sun hiding behind the clouds before I was able to get the shot I wanted.  

I turned around and there was the Royal Albert Hall. 

After finding the box office I managed to secure a ticket. More details on that later. After that I headed off through Hyde Park. The trees are just beginning to blossom. 

The temperature was around 8 degrees but I felt comfortable apart from the occasional bursts of bracing wind. There were plenty of joggers out in the park. Some people riding horses too. Although I wasn't really heading anywhere in particular at first I got off track. My journey took me past some new buildings allowing me to indulge my love of photographing geometrical architecture.

This one is known as the Zig Zag building. 

Before long I was at the Thames and I had to duck for cover from a few spots of rain. I headed back north and finished up at Covent Garden looking through the markets. There was one stall with some lovely photos of London. I'll go back to get some when I return to London at the end of the trip.

Saturday was St George's Day which is England's national day. There was a festival in Trafalgar Square so I headed there next. It wasn't quite what I expected but it was fun all the same.

While sitting by one of the fountains in the square I noticed the statues in a pool. Can't say I've taken much notice before but this expression caught my eye. 

After some food and watching the entertainment I decided to slowly head back to the hotel. My feet were killing me and I was planning to have a nap before the concert. Feeling some slight effects of jet lag. I took the route past Buckingham Palace. All through London I've seen preparations for the London Marathon which is on Sunday. Around the palace was the most activity. I think it finishes there.

As well as blossom I noticed there are tulips everywhere. I saw a couple of beds in Hyde Park as well as the grounds of Kensington Palace.

Back in the hotel I crawled into bed for a little doze. When the alarm went off I was feeling heavy but managed to wake myself up with some strong coffee and get ready to head out. The concert was starting at 7:30 which was nice and civilised.  I grabbed some sushi for dinner. After pigging out all day it was nice to have something light. Then off to the hall. I'll write about that in my next post.

When I awoke the weather looked better than I had expected. I was feeling a bit shady but decided to drag myself up and make the most of it. I thought it would be good to get some views of Central Park in good light so started making my way uptown.

The High Line used to be an elevated freight rail line running along the west side of Manhattan. Now it's been converted to a wonderful walkway. It means you can walk from 14th to 34th without encountering a single car. 

Today there were some artists along the way and I bought a beautiful little print from a guy who makes them with a pinhole camera.

In some places the old rail lines have been retained.

Being above the road gave some great opportunities to photo the streets that I'd missed. 

After the High Line I made my way along 5th Avenue until I made it to the park. Along the way I grabbed this opportunity to photo one of the massive avenues.

The first part of the park was more natural and hilly than I'd expected. There was a geat little pond already full with boaters. 

For a while I assumed that was how all of the park was, but I kept on walking and came across the main reservoir and some more wide open spaces. 

The park is massive. At times you could forget you're in New York, but it's not long before you'll get a reminder. 

I'd walked a long way so I decided to take the subway back to the hotel. Unfortunately I got my uptown and downtown mixed up and ended up on the wrong platform. Luckily an attendant at the station helped me out and I ended up on the right train. It was a long way from 86th to 14th! 

After re-grouping for a while I headed to the east to catch the Brooklyn Bridge. I took the subway again to Chambers Street. By the time I made it to the bridge it was full of people. Very few were crossing; most were like me, just making it to the first viewing platform and then returning. 

I was in bed early last night; exhausted from my day of walking. And very unlike me, I didn't rise until after 9:00 this morning. The weather was fine but overcast. I figured it could go either way; clouds clearing or clouds getting heavier. I decided it made sense to get out as soon as possible but it was definitely a struggle today.

After breakfast and starting a load of washing I headed out. Like yesterday, I stopped by a little bakery on the way to pick up a pastry for later. While the weather was OK I decided to return to Stanley Park and see more of it. I walked to the end of Davie Street where this sculpture from a previous biennale greeted me.

The other side of the street was the sea and one of the small beaches dotted along the western side of downtown. All of the beaches have logs arranged in lines. I assume it's seating for people who flock here in the summer. The sand is coarse; a mid brown colour.

As I've walked through the streets of downtown it's been quite common to see trees perched atop high rises.

The bay is English Bay. It appears to be a parking lot for ships before or after their journey across the Pacific.

The shore along the seawall varies. Sometimes the sea comes up to the wall. Other times there are small areas of sand and driftwood or forest wood between the sea and the land.

The water here is crystal clear. In most places you can see the sand and the rocks beneath the surface.

And after gazing at the wide expanse of sea to my left I could turn to my right and gaze back into the forest undergrowth and towering trees.

The seawall isn't straight or curved in grand arcs. There are little bays, inlets and coves all along it.

As I rounded one of these coves I reached Siwash rock. A monolith in the sea with significant meaning to the indigenous people.

As you'd expect, the sea is full of birdlife. The gulls are quite happy to bob around close to people.

By now I'd walked much further than I'd originally intended and soon the Lion's Gate bridge was in view; this time from the other side. Over two days I'd virtually circumnavigated the park.

Today, for the first time, the mountains were clear of low cloud.

It was time to turn around. I decided to make my way inland a little and see some more of the forest. Even from the trail you could catch glimpses of the seawall.

At many places along the wall there are hedges of what looks like bramble; rough and untamed.

As I made my way inland I passed this bird. Clearly he hadn't got the function of a seat quite figured out. I wondered what/who the flowers were for. Many of the benches in the park have lovely inscriptions for departed loved ones. Maybe these were left in remembrance of someone special?

The forest floor on this side of the park was slightly different from the trails I walked yesterday.

Around this time I stumbled across what I think was a racoon. I tried to snap it but my camera was still set for landscape pictures and all I could manage was a grey blur that no-one would believe was anything of interest. However, before long I made it to Lost Lagoon where there was a group of them milling around a family. I managed to get a proper shot this time.

Lost Lagoon is a large lake in the bottom of the park surrounded by tall trees on some sides and a small beach on another. Near the viewing point I saw this map and realised exactly how far I had walked over the last couple of days. I've pretty much walked all the way around it and some of the middle. No wonder I have blisters on my feet.

It was only about 2:00 but I was done and the first spits of rain had just hit my glasses. It was time to return to the hotel. On the way I paused for one last photo when I saw these colourful planters. I can imagine how magnificent they must have looked a month or two ago.

Time to rest my feet.

After descending from the forest I reached the seawall and walked along.

During my journey back to the city I encountered a number of random treats.

This lady, like the one I met earlier in the day, wasn't inclined to conversation.  But that's OK, neither was I.

A glance back gave me a perfect view of the clouds loitering around the mountains.

And by total chance I managed to catch this image of a squadron heading off on a mission.

My path eventually brought me to these totems. Intricate, colourful and rich in meaning.

By now I was back to modern civilisation. My only disappointment has been the lack of colour in the trees. Last year in Europe the colours were amazing. Sadly, Stanley Park seems to be mainly populated with evergreens and conifers. But I did at least get to see this tree.

And then I was back. This time from the nautical side of the city.

After over 7 hours of walking my feet are pads of pain! Wonderful day, though.

Stanley Park is massive and I knew I had no chance of seeing it all today. So my plan was to go directly to the Lion's Gate bridge and then work my way back on the eastern side.

I figured the most reliable way of getting to the bridge was to follow the roadway. The constant traffic passing me on the left didn't diminish the beauty and lure of the increasingly dense forest to my right. Pathways would branch off the main walkway from time to time. 

At one stage I came across an intriguing spiral overpass.

I took neither. 

Along my journey I'd noticed some rather large slugs. This one was kind enough to let me take his photo.

As you would expect, the woodland was populated with tall trees and dense bushes.

By now the air was fresh. My dragon breath fogged up my glasses on a couple of occasions, but due to my natural tendency to power walk in even the most casual of circumstances I was warm inside. It wasn't long before I reached "the bridge". The following pictures are out of sequence but they probably make more sense this way. 

The bridge is spectacular, spanning a massive divide. 

As I approached the walkway I passed this sad but hopeful sign.

I walked a little way along the bridge. I'm not a big fan of heights so I had no intention of going very far. There was a viewing area by the first pylon that was enough for me. 

It was a long way down.

But turning around I could see Downtown Vancouver peeking above the masses of trees in the park.

And although I was biased towards the bridge of steel and city beyond, I did pause to gaze at the Pacific to the east (that sounds so weird).

The viewpoint for the bridge had an amazing garden of wild flowers. I suspect they were past their prime but they still looked vibrant and beautiful.

After getting my bridge fix I decided to find a trail that would take me down to the walk along the seawall that surrounds the park. The forest was beautiful and for a time I was alone, wandering through this magical space inhabited by giant trees, wooden skeletons and rich green moss. Each path curved to conceal what lay beyond.

My journey took me to Beaver Lake. Although I'm assured there were beavers in residence, none of them were game to make an appearance for me. Beavers must be camera shy.

I made my way along tiny trails down the to seawall, past tall trees and gentle streams until finally I made contact with civilisation.

And that leads me to my next post ...

Today is the approximate half way point in my adventure. On one hand it feels like I've reached half way in no time at all. On the other hand I have done so much that it feels like far longer than two weeks since I left home. This morning I woke up feeling good. I got up reasonably early and booked tickets for some of the sights I want to see. Late morning I headed to the Berlin Wall memorial which was only about 15 minute walk away. On the way I paused to take more pictures of the church at the end of my street.

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When I got to the wall I found it very emotional. The whole area has been set up exceptionally well with lots of information that moved me more than I had expected. What tipped me over the edge were the stories of families separated by the wall. All they could do was arrange to meet on opposite sides and wave to each other. All that heartache to what end?

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I spent quite some time there reading the stories. From there I had decided to go to the central station (Hauptbahnhof) because I needed to reserve my seat for Warsaw to Krakow and I thought that might be the easiest place to do it. I decided to give the Berlin underground a try out to get there.

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I managed to head in the right direction and soon made it to the central station. This is where I arrived on Saturday and will leave next Saturday. It's massive and very new and shiny. My kind of place.

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I got my reservation sorted and decided to head into the centre of the city. I hadn't planned to do that until later in the week but when you're on holidays plans are only suggestions. I took the underground to the Brandenburg Gate. An iconic location. When I arrived it was fenced off but later in the day when I returned it was all open. I savored my walk through it.

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Next to the gate is the Reichstag, the parliament house. I have a ticket to go inside later in the week so today I just walked by.

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Next to the Reichstag is the equally impressive and modern Bundestag.

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Both these landmarks are on the edge of a massive park in the centre of Berlin. As I started walking I noticed the onset of autumn.

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I walked a while to reach the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, a modern gallery on the edge of the park with an amazing roof.

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Nearby there was a bell tower that rang out the time. I'm not sure of the name, if it had one.

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In the distance I could see another memorial so I decided to walk through the park to reach it, not quite realizing how far it was. But it was a beautiful walk.

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I reached the memorial. Because of the cloud cover my pictures are dark so you can't see it all that well.

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I could see detail on the side and I assumed that would be the end of it.

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Only then did I realise you could climb to the top. Lots of steps later (Em, I didn't count them) I was greeted by this view.

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Spectacular! And then there was the climb down and the walk back to the centre of Berlin. I caught the train the last bit home. I have a strong feeling my legs will let me know how much they hate me tomorrow.