Neues Rathaus is the new Town Hall. It‘s an imposing building in Marienplatz. That‘s the main square used for the Christmas Markets and they have been clearing away the stalls in the last couple of days. There is a tower, so naturally I have to go up. This one has a lift, so it is very easy. The views are spectacular and you can make out the Alps in the distance.

Munich 2018Ian Barber29 December 2018Cityscapes, Towers, Munich Comment

Die lange Flugreise nach Deutschland

It’s a weird and new experience, being in an airport on Christmas Day. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s quiet. Very quiet. No queues for check-in. No queues for security. I get to the airport around 1840 and before long I’m in the Qantas lounge. Aside from a tree in reception and endless kitsch Christmas music, there’s not really any festive trimmings here. A couple of mince pies are the only gesture in the food area. Not that I’m disappointed, I’m not really hungry right now anyway and I intend to eat on the plane. I was just curious to see what it might be like.

We’re all boarded by 2110 and depart on time at 2150. I have dinner after take off: the delicious butternut almond soup, a festive special of turkey and vegetables, finished with a selection of ice creams. I watch a couple of movies: “Crazy Rich Asians” followed by “Christopher Robin” (a different film to the one I watched on my last trip). I only get through the start of “Christopher Robin” before needing sleep. By this time it’s 0115. I get my usual sleep; 3-4 hours of on-off sleep. It’s the best I’ve come to hope for but welcome all the same. I watch the rest of the film before settling down for a few more hours of on-off sleep. It’s bumpy at times but nothing too disturbing.

By 0800 I’m awake again and spend the next hour quietly lying and thinking. Then breakfast begins at 0930: apple and ginger juice, cereal and an amazing French toast with berries. After freshening up, I spend the last 2 hours of the flight listening to music and watching the flight path. As we approach Doha they open the blinds and I can see the lights of Dubai. Unfortunately, there‘s too much light in the cabin for good photos.

At 0405 (Qatar time) we arrive in Doha on time. There‘s no aero bridge; we board a bus to get to the terminal. I have three hours until my next flight so I sit and relax in the lounge. For the last hour I do some German revision in a book I bought in London. I‘m starting to feel a little tired.

The next flight departs on time at 0755. The plane has Qsuites, so it‘s very comfortable. There don‘t seem to be that many people on the flight. The pilot does his announcement in English and German. I try my best to pick out words. It‘s been hours since my last meal so I enjoy another breakfast: orange juice, Greek yoghurt and scrambled eggs with chicken skewer. I watch a documentary on an English country house (Longleat). Later I watch a German movie, “In the Aisles”, which gives me another opportunity to practise picking out words.

The first flight was nighttime all the way. This flight is daytime. Although my fellow passengers all appear to want to sleep to Munich, I‘m captivated by the views and we have clear sky much of the way. I decide against sleep and don‘t feel too guilty keeping one of my blinds up as the suite doors block much of the light. After a great view of Doha, we pass over oil platforms in the gulf, rugged terrain and snow capped mountains in Iran and Turkey, the Black Sea and cross over into Romania. There are clouds but they clear as we spectacularly fly over part of the Austrian Alps. It‘s an amazing view that then changes to very flat fields on the final approach to Munich.

We land a little early at 1154 (Germany time). The temperature is -1 degree. I make my way to Passport Control. The airport is quite empty but there is already a line up at Passport Control and only a few booths. I make my decision to use my British passport as the EU line seems a bit shorter and seems to be moving marginally faster. But still it is a very slow process. Each person or group takes a couple of minutes to get through. There are questions and some need to provide an electronic finger print. It’s half an hour before I get to the front. I hand over my passport, he checks where I flew in from and I’m through in less than 30 seconds!

From the airport I make my way to the terminal train station and catch the next S8 line to Marienplatz. I get there at about 1345. Google Maps tells me it’s only 350m to the hotel, so I walk. I get a little lost but finally make it there and check in at 1400. I take a nice warm shower to wash all the travel off. It’s still cold outside and I venture out. There are lots of people about but everything is closed due to a public holiday. I forget my beanie and soon feel head freeze. I head back to settle in for the night. I will explore properly tomorrow.

Munich 2018Ian Barber28 December 2018Alps, Doha, Flights Comment

Herr Barber reist nach München

It’s only been a few weeks since my last overseas holiday, but I’m off again in a couple of days. Why so soon? The original plan had been for a trip next April but changes at work mean that won’t be possible. To compensate, I decided to take advantage of the Christmas shutdown to get away.

This time I’m heading to Munich. And why there? My biggest priority is to get away from summer in Australia and find some cold; hopefully with snow. I decided Europe would be a better bet than the UK. And if I head to Europe I should go to Germany to practise the German I’ve been learning this year.

Finally, this year has brought death and illness closer around me. It’s been a timely reminder to not waste the time we have.

So I’m heading to Bavaria. Munich will be my base but I hope to venture into Austria as well.

As a challenge, I’ll try to give each post a German title based on my current language skill level. (Of course that does mean all the titles will have to be in present tense! LOL).

Unlike my last blog, I doubt if this will be a day-by-day, blow-by-blow record. Mainly because I hope that many days there will be nothing worth writing about because I’ve been chilling out and laying low. Next year will be a big one and this is my chance to completely unwind and recharge.

Munich 2018Ian Barber22 December 2018 Comment