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Tiergarten (Berlin, Germany)
by grahamt On our first day in Berlin we resolved to see as much of the City as we could, on foot, which is th only way to discover a City, in my book. We love parks and have walked many, in most of the major Cities of the World. It was therefore only natural that we should head for Berlin's major park, Tiergarten, which like many of its kind is ... to be found in the heart of Berlin. We were staying in a hotel on Leipziger Strasse and headed westwards first, towards Potsdamer Platz, which is very close to the south-east corner of the park. It was March and the weather was less than agreeable. We entered the park via Ben-Gurion Strasse to the largest section of the park. The park is divided up into five sections by major street which run through the park. Strasse des 17 Juni (which commemorates the 1953 civil uprising against the oppressive Russian-backed East German authorities) runs east-west across the park, terminating at the Brandenburg Gate and at the heart of the park is the Groser Stern roundabout at the centre of which is the gigantic Berlin Victory Monument, celebrating Prussia's victory in the Danish-Prussian War of 1864. The River Spree forms it's northern border. Tiergarten is unlike the sort of parks we are used to in London: the park is mostly woodland with just a few open spaces. With the weather as it was on our visit, this was an advantage: you didn't have to get very far into the park before the trees sheltered you from the wind; in summer it would show similar benefits in sheltering you from the sun. Many pathways wind their way through the park as do a number of waterways. Feeling that at this time of year the waterways would provide the most interest, we headed in the direction of those pathways that would run alongside them. We were not disappointed. At this time of year it was the rhododendrons which were mostly already out in blossom and many of these lined the waterways. To get the best views we often took advantage of the several footbridges which crossed the water, enabling us to take great photos. I almost got a shot of a heron, cruising the length of the waterways, undoubtedly looking for its next meal. Throughout the park there are many statues of notable German personalities, especially the various royalty and nobility such as Friedrich and his family. What was notable was how many of these statues have been used for target practice, presumably by Russian troops, during WWII. Some have been repaired but many still show the pock-marks of bullets. There is also an enormous but somewhat tatty monument to Bismark, that seems almost to be an embarrassment to Germany the way it seems not to have received the attention it might. It is quite close to the Groser Stern roundabout but we came upon it purely by chance. It is quite magnificent and deserves greater exposure than it gets. At the Groser Stern, you can cross to the central refuge and visit the Berlin Victory Monument. There are underpasses to enable you to reach it across what is a busy junction. We didn't, mostly because of the weather and the amount we wanted to squeeze into the day. Instead we followed the directions for the Englischer Garten, close to which, it appeared, there was a cafe. The Englischer Garten is in the northern sector of the park. When we got there, what we discovered was not that impressive. However, the adjacent cafe was very welcome. We didn't want a meal but drinks we did need. Despite the cold weather, I noticed that they were serving wheat beers and decided to have one. The one I tried was Maisels, which was exceptionally tasty and set me up for the next leg of our exploration. Our return back through the park followed the pathway north of and parallel to Strasse des 17 Juni. Here we were heading back towards the Brandenburg Gate. Along the way we saw several strange birds: they looked like crows but had a dark grey chest. I later identified them as Hooded Crows, a bird I had not previously seen. Eventually we exited the park onto Strasse des 17 Juni, to discover that here, just by the huge Russian War Memorial and with the Brandenburg Gate ahead, was the finishing line for a 15kms run that had been going on that day. Our walk had been taken at a much more leisurely pace and with more of an opportunity to see the sights of the park. I feel that our enjoyment was probably greater than theirs, despite the weather. Read the complete review |
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Fernsehturm (Berlin, Germany)
by grahamt When visiting Berlin, there are many famous locations to visit but not all of them are free. The Brandenburg Gate is one that is and is a "Must See". The Fernsehturm, the TV Broadcasting Tower on Alexanderplatz is also a "Must See" but isn't free. We visited both whilst in Berlin for three days and of the two, ... Fernsehturm was definitely the most spectacular. The tower was built in the 60s by the Russian-controlled East German authorities and is, as you would expect, located in what was then East Berlin. It is at the opposite end of Unter den Linden from the Brandenburg Gate. It will come as no surprise that it was constructed as a symbol of "Communist Might", to be visible throughout West Berlin. Unlike the utilitarian architecture inflicted on East Berlin as a part of the rebuilding of the largely destroyed city, the Fernsehturm is actually a very elegant and surprisingly modern structure. The entrance is not into the tower itself but to a circular two-storey hall to one side, linked to the tower by a walkway. On the Ground Floor below the staircase there is a central ticket desk for which you can queue to buy tickets. There are also self-serve ticket machines. On the day (a Monday) when we visited there was just a short queue and so we waited no more than five minutes to get our tickets. The standard adult ticket costs Euro12 but as we had the Berlin Visitor Ticket for all of our travel around the city, we got discounted tickets at Euro9. The tickets are numbered and screens around the hall tell you how long you will have to wait for your turn to ride in the lift the just over 200 metres up to the viewing platform. We had to wait around 45 minutes. Whilst waiting you can climb up the stairs to the gallery overlooking the ground floor. Here there is a cafe where you can enjoy a snack and drinks whilst you wait. When your time arrives you walk through the passageway to the tower, undergoing a security search on the way. Your ticket is presented to a turnstile (you will do the same on the way out, their way of ensuring no one gets left behind) and then it's onwards to the lifts. There are two and each has an indicator to show its current position within the tower. Each lift takes around a dozen passengers, plus the lift operator. The acceleration is so smooth that you hardly realise you have started moving; it takes just around 30 seconds or so to climb to the viewing platform. The platform is actually on two levels, the upper level, accessed by a stairway, is reserved for special parties and those who have paid extra to be treated as a VIP! The lower level is for us mere mortals. The whole of the circumference is surrounded by protective railings, beyond which are large, continuous windows angled outwards from the floor, through which you get an unrivalled panorama over Berlin. Below each window is a panel describing what can be seen, or that's what is intended. Bizarrely, each panel is offset to the left from the window whose view it describes! I suppose you are supposed to move clockwise around the windows, first reading the description and then moving on, trying your best to remember what you read, to see the view itself. I found myself continually going back to reference the panel before, which does make the whole experience less satisfactory. Obviously the view you get depends on the weather; we were lucky in having a relatively clear day on which we could see all of the famous locations such as the Tiergarten public park, the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and even out to Templehof aerodrome, used during the year-long Berlin Airlift, when the Russians tried to starve West Berlin into submission to being incorporated into East Germany. The Fernsehturm is definitely worth a visit when you are in Berlin. The cost of entry is not exorbitant and it does provide a half hour or so of entertainment. You obviously have to pick your day as the weather is going to play a big part in your enjoyment of the experience. After the visit, there are a large number of decent restaurants and cafes nearby, in which to relax before continuing your exploration of this great city. Read the complete review |
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Villa Cimbrone Gardens (Ravello, Italy)
by garymarsh6 Villa Cimbrone Gardens. Ravello. Italy. The Villa Cimbrone can be found on a precipice overlooking and towering above the delightful Amalfi coast giving unparalleled views towards the Gulf of Salerno and back along the Amalfi coast line to Amalfi far down below. The house has origins dating back to the 11th Century ... and has been added to at various times throughout its history at one point being used as a monastery. The house even has a small courtyard cloister in the middle of the building. The building is actually a bit of a folly as it has been added to by different families who have lived here. In 1904 whilst doing the grand tour which was the fashion of the gentry Ernest Beckett, Lord Grimthorpe (He designed the clock mechanism for Big Ben) fell in love with the place and bought it. He employed a local man to help him enlarge the house and create a classical English Italian garden. When Lord Grimthorpe died in England he returned to his beloved Villa to be buried in the grounds. The soil is very fertile and it is easy to grow beautiful flowers shrubs and other plants here especially roses. The building is now a luxury hotel but the gardens being so beautiful are open to the public. There is no road to the hotel and the only way to reach it is from the town square of Ravello on foot. Even guests have to walk the remaining half mile or so to reach the hotel along a cobbled pathway but the hotel would send a porter to collect your luggage. This is a luxury hotel with prices starting at over 300 Euro for a single room right up to 900 plus per night for a suite. To avoid the walk if you happened to have your own helicopter there is a landing pad in the grounds. The hotel has hosted such people as The Duke and Duchess of Kent, Henry Moore, T.S. Elliot, Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, Greta Garbo, Winston Churchill and the Clintons. The gardens. After reaching the estate after climbing several steps you enter into a small enclosed garden area with exotic trees and a water feature. Continuing to mount more stairs you finally reach the ticket office for the gardens. There were not many people queuing for tickets and we were quickly on our way. Walking up the avenue of Immensity on either side it is planted with shrubs and trees. Passing through a privet hedge there is a massive terrace overlooking the steep hill that stretches down to the sea and the most wonderful view of the Gulf of Salerno with its aqua blue sea stretching out below and off into the distance as far as the eye can see before the sea appears to merge with the sky. The views of the surrounding coastal towns and mountains are phenomenal and although I really hate the term awesome it truly is an awesome sight. Continuing along the avenue of Immensity you approach a domed temple containing the statue of Ceres before reaching the terrace of Infinity. The terrace of Infinity gives uninterrupted views out over the Mediterranean Sea and the twisting and winding roads and terraces down below covered with olive and lemon trees. Along the terrace are busts of Greek Gods along the walls interspersed with railings and little semi-circular platforms to pose for photos. For those not happy with heights there is a drop of at least 1000 feet down below. After leaving the viewing platform we walked through the shaded woodlands passing the Temple of Bacchus towards the rose garden. There is a large parterre containing the rose garden and the smell from the roses is amazing. Dotted around the estate are statues of David, Eve, Mercury to name just a few. There is a small grotto on the Estate. It is such a beautiful setting overlooking the coast and surrounding valleys and mountains. Returning through the rose garden you come to a small opening area which is known as the tea room although not as you would imagine. It is an open sided building with a small terrace containing font like structures and two carved columns looking something like totem poles. There is a tower that looks like something from a German castle at the house and you come back to the cloisters of the house and the end of the tour of the gardens. Is it worth a visit? If you are touring the Amalfi coast it is well worth a visit here especially if you are in the town of Ravello towering 1,500 feet above sea level. The views are really fantastic and it is well worth the effort finding the gardens then going for lunch and a drink in the cliff top cafés or restaurants back in the town so that you can admire the scenery. Opening hours. Open Daily from 09:00 till sunset. There is an entry fee of 6 Euro. Facilities are very good including toilets, a café and you could if you wished make a reservation for lunch at the hotel at a price of course. Accessibility: Practically impossible for someone in a wheelchair and especially difficult for someone with mobility problems. Read the complete review |
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1 review Sightseeing International / Historic settlement near Salermo, Italy. |
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Sightseeing International / Ancient town in Italy close to the site of Pompeii. |
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Sightseeing International / Town Hall Square in Tallinn, Estonia. |
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Sightseeing International / Historic old town of Tallinn in Estonia. |
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1 review Sightseeing International / Dresden is the capital city of the German Federal Free State of Saxony. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The city's population is 500,000 (2006) and the population in greater Dresden is 1.25 million. Dresden is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area, with an overall popu... |
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