I am now on the plane back to Hong Kong, which is about to take off. The two seats beside me seem to be vacant. If so I may lie down to sleep. But I am not tired for it is only 1:30 pm. This flight will last for 12.5 hours and the next one will take 3.5 hours. I thus will arrive in Hong Kong at 7:35 am on 21.9.95 in London time. I guess that is why people have jet lag.
I did not write in the past few days because there were so much to do in London. I had to rush for this and that. Besides, I was reading another novel by Maeve Binchy. So my time was taken up by sight-seeing, reading and sleeping.
I am already missing Europe (I have not even left it). Since I woke up this morning, this feeling has started to grow. While I was walking in the airport, I thought, what a pity that I had to return to work and leave all these beautiful places. How pathetic it was that a vacation should ever end while work never would. But life goes on and I just act according to my plans, as I always do.
The first day in London started quite awfully. I arrived at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof at 6:00 am. I could not possibly do anything at that hour. I was tired and there was little to see in Frankfurt. So I just waited and waited. When I got bored, I ate and drank.
Then I was lost in the maze of the great big airport in Frankfurt. Nobody would believe that I could not find the check-in counter which was numbered in 3 digits, meaning that there were hundreds of such counters in the airport. I was practically lost and somehow I left the departure hall and got into the arrival hall. I was very frustrated for I feared that I might need to go through the customs and the immigration in order to get back to the departure hall. What a joke! I was supposed to be leaving the country!
Of course, I managed to get on the plane at last. The food on the plane was awful. I have begun to believe that the food provided by all British airlines was awful. But then since I had boiled my tongue with hot chocolate that morning, I found that everything tasted awful.
Everything went quite smoothly upon my arrival in London. Well, with a lot of sweating as usual. I settled down in the Garden Court Hotel at around 3 pm. The room was, ah, I don't know. The facilities seemed OK, but not very good. There were everything, a bed, WC, shower, wash basin, hot water, desk/chair and a TV. But the room did not seem very clean, or clean enough. The bathroom was so small that I had to squeeze myself in. The shower was right above my head so as to ensure that I would get wet from head to toe. There were 19 channels set on the TV but only 5 worked. And there were stains on the bed sheet so I knew that it was not changed at all during my entire stay. Anyway.
Then I went to walk around the place. Unluckily it rained so I, as usual, felt uninterested in anything. But I managed to buy a ticket of the "Phantom" at Her Majesty's Theatre over the telephone. I also went to the Covent Garden. I liked the place quite a lot and I bought some souvenirs and a pair of socks there. Then I checked the train schedules for Cambridge and Bath from King's Cross and Paddington stations, respectively (how tiring). Then I went back to the hotel, ate, washed and slept.
Early next morning I went to Cambridge. It was a small town. I walked along the main streets and visited St John's and King's Colleges. St John's was a mistake because I went in thinking that it was Trinity. But its courtyards and lawns and buildings were beautiful enough. King's was of a much grandeur and more majestic look but I like St John's better.
The weather was very good that morning. Everything looked beautiful in the sunshine. As to the River Cam, it was just a very little green river. Since there are so many romantic elements attached to it, I supposed I should not feel anything less than romantic. And now I suppose I thought it was romantic. But the truth was that I did not feel anything special.
I returned to London to see the London Tower (magnificent), Tower Bridge (same), Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Parliament. Then I walked a long way to the Buckingham Palace. What a tasteless palace. And it started to rain again. I hurried to see a movie "Bridges on Madison County" at 6:15 pm in a cinema near my hotel.
The Garden Court Hotel was in a fine location. The neighbourhood was quiet but the busy shopping street, Queensway, was just two blocks away. It was safe and convenient. There were 8 cinemas in a great shopping centre nearby and the shops there were open until very late.
That night I had some spaghetti in a restaurant.
The next morning I went to Bath. I had never thought that my rail pass did not cover Bath (what an idiot. I had thought that Bath was not shown on the map of the pass because there was not enough space.) so I had to pay an extra £11 as supplement.
Bath was an even smaller place. The Roman Bath, the Royal Crescent and the Avon River were worth a look. I took a 2-hour train to go there, spent 2.5 hours there and took another 2-hour train back to London.
Then I went to the British Museum. It was undoubtedly large and rich with its collections but in the haste of just 2 hours and after a morning trip to Bath, I found the place much less interesting than I had expected. I like the Louvre much more.
Then it was the "Phantom". I could only get the cheapest ticket (£16.5) with restricted view, which meant that there was a pillar right in front of my seat blocking the centre of my view and dividing the stage into two halves. I had to move my head so frequently that after Act 1 it almost fell off. I moved to a vacant seat one row behind during the intermission and it was much much better.
This "Phantom" was almost exactly the same as the one I had seen in Hong Kong (but the tickets were much cheaper. The highest price was only £30.). The actor playing the Phantom was tall and young (as shown in the programme) and had a clear and strong voice. However, sometimes I could not hear him when he lowered his voice. Unlike Peter Karrie, this actor acted much more naturally. Karrie acts too much, especially his hands, and his voice is old and rusty. I like clear voices. The actors playing Christine and Raoul were all right. So was La Carlotta. But the two Managers were not as good as those of the Hong Kong production.
The theatre was shabby.
The weather was very good this morning. I decided to take a walk before leaving for the airport. I walked on Kensington Road. Then I went to Green Park, which was really green. Because of the proximity, I also went to St James' Park. It was wonderful. I liked its water and lawns and birds very much. It was too bad that I could not spend more time there.
London was nice. I think I like it because I know the language and its systems are familiar to me. I felt easy there. It did not appear to be so foreign to me. Would it be too much if I say that it felt like home?
I also want to marked these -
- In Vienna, there were chestnuts, lots of them, on the road. In London, there were maple leaves, lots of them.
- Could "never as good as the first time" be true? I like the first European city I visited (Paris) most, and also the first grand museum (the Louvre), the first “Phantom” show I saw in Hong Kong.
20.9.95
17.9.95
17.9.95 (Sun)
I am now in the Hauptbahnhof of Frankfurt. It is now 6:40 am and I am kind of sleepy. I did not sleep well last night. Actually, I wonder if I slept at all. The facilities on the train were good but its movements annoyed me. Once, it stopped all of a sudden, making everything on the table fall on to the bed and the floor. But of course I appreciate the clean towels and bed linens. I had not been told when I purchased the ticket that breakfast would be included. It therefore seemed like a bonus. But I found it very difficult to rise at 5 am in the morning to get ready for the breakfast.
The weather was fine yesterday. I first walked around the Ring starting from the Opera House. I walked through the Volksgarten, Burggarten, past the Parliament, the museums, etc. It was quite a pleasant walk. After lunch, I joined a guided tour into the Opera House. The auditorium and the main staircase were gorgeous. Other parts were just ordinary. I wish I had visited the Opera House in Paris, too.
Then I visited the Art and History Museum at Neue Burg. The Egyptian collection was great. There was a little blue hippo which I particularly liked. I took a picture of it. The picture gallery was very large and I only have a faint idea of it. I managed to walk through all the open sections in the Museum. I found spending an afternoon in a museum quite meaningful, much better than just wandering on the streets and shopping. I stayed there until it was closed. Then I had nowhere to go.
It was painful to have three hours to kill but nothing to do. Going to a movie was out of the question because they were all in German. All shops were closed at 6 pm so I could not do any shopping either. Spending the hours in a coffee shop might be a good idea but it would take great patience to sit for such a long time alone over a cup of coffee. So I just walked. When I got tired, I ate. Then I walked again. Having had enough time-killing walking, I went to the Westbahnhof. Luckily I could get on the train at 9 pm, i.e. half hour before its departure. So finally I could sit down and rest.
It is only 7 am now, 4 hours before the departure of the flight to London.
The weather was fine yesterday. I first walked around the Ring starting from the Opera House. I walked through the Volksgarten, Burggarten, past the Parliament, the museums, etc. It was quite a pleasant walk. After lunch, I joined a guided tour into the Opera House. The auditorium and the main staircase were gorgeous. Other parts were just ordinary. I wish I had visited the Opera House in Paris, too.
Then I visited the Art and History Museum at Neue Burg. The Egyptian collection was great. There was a little blue hippo which I particularly liked. I took a picture of it. The picture gallery was very large and I only have a faint idea of it. I managed to walk through all the open sections in the Museum. I found spending an afternoon in a museum quite meaningful, much better than just wandering on the streets and shopping. I stayed there until it was closed. Then I had nowhere to go.
It was painful to have three hours to kill but nothing to do. Going to a movie was out of the question because they were all in German. All shops were closed at 6 pm so I could not do any shopping either. Spending the hours in a coffee shop might be a good idea but it would take great patience to sit for such a long time alone over a cup of coffee. So I just walked. When I got tired, I ate. Then I walked again. Having had enough time-killing walking, I went to the Westbahnhof. Luckily I could get on the train at 9 pm, i.e. half hour before its departure. So finally I could sit down and rest.
It is only 7 am now, 4 hours before the departure of the flight to London.
16.9.95
16.9.95 (Sat)
I am now in my room in Vienna. It is 8 am. I shall leave for the Westbahnhof in an hour to store my rucksack there. Then I will wander around the city. I will take a night train to Frankfurt tonight.
It was rainy and windy yesterday all the way through. It felt cold. Such weather was most discouraging to a tourist.
First I went to have a look at the Hundertwasser Haus. I don't think it was special or strange. A disappointment.
Then I went to see the Donau river. There were several branches of the river so I did not know really where to see. I got off the U-Bahn and walked around. I could not walk far because it was cold, wet and windy. The river was not scenic at all. Another disappointment.
Then I joined a guided tour in the Schloss Schonbrunn. It was quite good. I got to see the plain rooms of Franz Joseph I, the pictures of his very beautiful wife Empress Elisabeth, the many portraits of Empress Maria Theresa and her 16 (Whoa!) children, the richly decorated rooms, the Chinese influence and china collection in the Palace and listen to the stories. The garden behind the palace was also beautiful. I just saw the part closest to the palace but it should be very large.
After Schloss Schonbrunn, I returned to Stephansplatz and did window shopping. I thought of buying something but just did not feel like actually doing it. I could not carry too many things with me anyway.
Then by chance I discovered the entrance of the Stephan Dom (I usually missed the entrances of such places) so I went inside and had a look.
It appeared last night that this pension was also occupied by some others so I felt much easier.
The sky is clear and there is sunshine now. I hope the weather will be fine today.
I read the material about London in bed last night. I would have only about 2.5 days there yet I planned to tour around the city centre to see the major sights, go to the British Museum, visit Cambridge and Bath, and see "the Phantom of the Opera". There would be so little time and so much to do. I got anxious and nervous and almost could not sleep. I will try to work out a step-by-step detailed plan on my stay in London for easy and quick reference.
I have found out that I don't really need the British rail pass that I have. I just won't have the time to travel so much.
It was rainy and windy yesterday all the way through. It felt cold. Such weather was most discouraging to a tourist.
First I went to have a look at the Hundertwasser Haus. I don't think it was special or strange. A disappointment.
Then I went to see the Donau river. There were several branches of the river so I did not know really where to see. I got off the U-Bahn and walked around. I could not walk far because it was cold, wet and windy. The river was not scenic at all. Another disappointment.
Then I joined a guided tour in the Schloss Schonbrunn. It was quite good. I got to see the plain rooms of Franz Joseph I, the pictures of his very beautiful wife Empress Elisabeth, the many portraits of Empress Maria Theresa and her 16 (Whoa!) children, the richly decorated rooms, the Chinese influence and china collection in the Palace and listen to the stories. The garden behind the palace was also beautiful. I just saw the part closest to the palace but it should be very large.
After Schloss Schonbrunn, I returned to Stephansplatz and did window shopping. I thought of buying something but just did not feel like actually doing it. I could not carry too many things with me anyway.
Then by chance I discovered the entrance of the Stephan Dom (I usually missed the entrances of such places) so I went inside and had a look.
It appeared last night that this pension was also occupied by some others so I felt much easier.
The sky is clear and there is sunshine now. I hope the weather will be fine today.
I read the material about London in bed last night. I would have only about 2.5 days there yet I planned to tour around the city centre to see the major sights, go to the British Museum, visit Cambridge and Bath, and see "the Phantom of the Opera". There would be so little time and so much to do. I got anxious and nervous and almost could not sleep. I will try to work out a step-by-step detailed plan on my stay in London for easy and quick reference.
I have found out that I don't really need the British rail pass that I have. I just won't have the time to travel so much.
15.9.95
15.9.95 (Fri)
I am now at a coffee shop waiting for my cappuccino and cake. It is 4:10 pm. I suppose this is my lunch as I haven't had anything since breakfast.
I just phoned the hotel in London which I had written to earlier. I asked if I could have a room. The answer was "fully booked". Fine. I then phoned another hotel and made a reservation at £42 or £45 (don't remember) per night. Then I remembered that when I phoned the first hotel, I did not mentioned that I had written. So I phoned it again. It turned out that it was the only hotel which had actually reserved a room for me in response to my letters. I am not sure if this was good or bad luck. So I had to cancel the one and only successful "advance" reservation. The answer was OK. I hope it is really OK as I had given my credit card number to this one hotel.
I just phoned the hotel in London which I had written to earlier. I asked if I could have a room. The answer was "fully booked". Fine. I then phoned another hotel and made a reservation at £42 or £45 (don't remember) per night. Then I remembered that when I phoned the first hotel, I did not mentioned that I had written. So I phoned it again. It turned out that it was the only hotel which had actually reserved a room for me in response to my letters. I am not sure if this was good or bad luck. So I had to cancel the one and only successful "advance" reservation. The answer was OK. I hope it is really OK as I had given my credit card number to this one hotel.
14.9.95
14.9.95 (Thu)
It is now 8:35 am. I am on a train to Vienna. It will arrive there at 11:25 am.
I spent yesterday in Salzburg. The sights there were not impressive. I went to the castle up the hill but it was boring. Nor was I interested in Mozart's Birthplace (I did not even go in). I think I was kind of tired of museums. But generally speaking, Salzburg was beautiful. The narrow cobble-stone streets, the hills, the river and the houses. The place I liked most was the big chess grid at Kapitalgasse where local people really played chess there. I sat there several times to watch and rest.
I was much stronger yesterday. I could walk more and needed less rest. And I could eat much more.
When I strolled along Linzer Gazze, a beautiful old street where my hotel was located, I spotted this "Spaghetti Bolognaise" on a menu outside a cafe. Instantly I decided that I should have this as dinner. There was in fact an English menu in that cafe but I ordered the spaghetti anyway. The dish was so large that I could not finish it. And I remember that I had the very same food in Brugge as my one and only hot meal during my last trip in Europe. I hope this time I can have other hot meals, in London maybe. This meal was only AS 85, i.e. less than HKD 70.
After dinner, I went to see the move "Don Juan de Marco", which was of course in German. I found it a little bit boring because I had seen it before.
I did not sleep well last night, kept waking up in the middle of the night. The duvet was too warm and there were strange noises from outside the window or the bathroom, or the bathroom next door. I am not sure.
I have got quite sick of hotel breakfasts. They were all the same.
* * *
It is about 7 pm and I am in my room in Vienna. It is unfortunately located outside the heart of Vienna so I needed to spend almost two hours to find the way here from the Westbahnhof. It is not a hotel, but a pension with several rooms. Mine is on the top floor, with a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen-cum-bathroom and a toilet outside. The price is just AS 550 per night, unbelievably cheap. But then this is in a very quiet quarter about 10 minutes away from the nearest tram line. I have to walk up a sloped street to here. And it is very quiet even during the day.
It has been raining since about 2 pm and the rain is quite heavy. I just walked around the city centre and did nothing special. I was stopped on the street and persuaded to go to a concert of waltz held in the Stadtpark and was sold a student ticket at AS 300. The concert will begin at 8:30 pm but I wonder if I should go. It will end at around 10:30 pm, which means that I will have to walk all the way up back here alone at around 11:00 pm. I don't feel very comfortable about this. I should have thought about this when I bought the ticket.
I also bought a novel by Maeve Binchy from the British Bookshop. I was so happy in there when I saw all the books in a language that I understand. But the novel is a bit expensive at AS 150. In Hong Kong, it should cost less than HKD 100.
I don't understand why there was no light at all in the hall downstairs. And I have no idea where the light switch is.
* * *
I was back to the pension a little before 11 pm. The way up here almost scared the hell out of me. It was so quiet. Luckily, there were these heaven sent mother-and-children trio walking in front of me. This made me feel a bit easier. If I were a man or had a companion, I would not have to suffer this shit.
It is still raining.
The concert was held in the Kursalon-Stadtpark. It was not a modern concert hall, but a traditional hall that looked rather like a ballroom. There was no stage. The audience were seated around the orchestra. Amazingly, I could see no microphones or amplifiers. The orchestra consisted of only about 20 musicians. The conductor was a good-looking young man with heavy beard shadow who smiled all the way through. There were dance performances. The first surprise was that the male dancers in suits/tuxedos and leather shoes danced polka, waltz and even ballet (!). The second surprise was that at the middle of a piece the percussion man blew a horn several times. It was so loud that even the conductor covered his ears (but this was probably also part of the performance). The third surprise was that at the middle of a quick piece, the conductor and other male musicians shouted "ha ha ha" and "ho ho ho" with the music. The fourth was that at the encore score, the Blue Donau, the conductor danced first with a female dancer and then some lady audience. Then many couples went out to waltz. The last was that at the end, the conductor and many musicians and staff stood at the hallway and said goodbye to the audience.
The music was good and rich. And I think the performance was intended to be light and funny, not serious. The conductor even led the people to clap hands. I like this concert a lot.
I had never claimed to be a student. But the guy who sold me the ticket, judging from my appearance and probably my shabby clothes, said "Since you are a student" and then sold me the cheapest student ticket at AS 300. It was of course not expensive. And I guess I was probably the most "casually" dressed person at the concert.
Do I really look that young to the westerners? Back home I feel old in my office attire.
This pension is deadly quiet. I suspect I am the only one here apart from the owner. My imagination is running wild.
The rain has turned very heavy. There have also been some thunders. Will it be fine tomorrow? If it is fine tomorrow, I will visit the Schloss Schonbrunn. If not, museums.
I spent yesterday in Salzburg. The sights there were not impressive. I went to the castle up the hill but it was boring. Nor was I interested in Mozart's Birthplace (I did not even go in). I think I was kind of tired of museums. But generally speaking, Salzburg was beautiful. The narrow cobble-stone streets, the hills, the river and the houses. The place I liked most was the big chess grid at Kapitalgasse where local people really played chess there. I sat there several times to watch and rest.
I was much stronger yesterday. I could walk more and needed less rest. And I could eat much more.
When I strolled along Linzer Gazze, a beautiful old street where my hotel was located, I spotted this "Spaghetti Bolognaise" on a menu outside a cafe. Instantly I decided that I should have this as dinner. There was in fact an English menu in that cafe but I ordered the spaghetti anyway. The dish was so large that I could not finish it. And I remember that I had the very same food in Brugge as my one and only hot meal during my last trip in Europe. I hope this time I can have other hot meals, in London maybe. This meal was only AS 85, i.e. less than HKD 70.
After dinner, I went to see the move "Don Juan de Marco", which was of course in German. I found it a little bit boring because I had seen it before.
I did not sleep well last night, kept waking up in the middle of the night. The duvet was too warm and there were strange noises from outside the window or the bathroom, or the bathroom next door. I am not sure.
I have got quite sick of hotel breakfasts. They were all the same.
* * *
It is about 7 pm and I am in my room in Vienna. It is unfortunately located outside the heart of Vienna so I needed to spend almost two hours to find the way here from the Westbahnhof. It is not a hotel, but a pension with several rooms. Mine is on the top floor, with a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen-cum-bathroom and a toilet outside. The price is just AS 550 per night, unbelievably cheap. But then this is in a very quiet quarter about 10 minutes away from the nearest tram line. I have to walk up a sloped street to here. And it is very quiet even during the day.
It has been raining since about 2 pm and the rain is quite heavy. I just walked around the city centre and did nothing special. I was stopped on the street and persuaded to go to a concert of waltz held in the Stadtpark and was sold a student ticket at AS 300. The concert will begin at 8:30 pm but I wonder if I should go. It will end at around 10:30 pm, which means that I will have to walk all the way up back here alone at around 11:00 pm. I don't feel very comfortable about this. I should have thought about this when I bought the ticket.
I also bought a novel by Maeve Binchy from the British Bookshop. I was so happy in there when I saw all the books in a language that I understand. But the novel is a bit expensive at AS 150. In Hong Kong, it should cost less than HKD 100.
I don't understand why there was no light at all in the hall downstairs. And I have no idea where the light switch is.
* * *
I was back to the pension a little before 11 pm. The way up here almost scared the hell out of me. It was so quiet. Luckily, there were these heaven sent mother-and-children trio walking in front of me. This made me feel a bit easier. If I were a man or had a companion, I would not have to suffer this shit.
It is still raining.
The concert was held in the Kursalon-Stadtpark. It was not a modern concert hall, but a traditional hall that looked rather like a ballroom. There was no stage. The audience were seated around the orchestra. Amazingly, I could see no microphones or amplifiers. The orchestra consisted of only about 20 musicians. The conductor was a good-looking young man with heavy beard shadow who smiled all the way through. There were dance performances. The first surprise was that the male dancers in suits/tuxedos and leather shoes danced polka, waltz and even ballet (!). The second surprise was that at the middle of a piece the percussion man blew a horn several times. It was so loud that even the conductor covered his ears (but this was probably also part of the performance). The third surprise was that at the middle of a quick piece, the conductor and other male musicians shouted "ha ha ha" and "ho ho ho" with the music. The fourth was that at the encore score, the Blue Donau, the conductor danced first with a female dancer and then some lady audience. Then many couples went out to waltz. The last was that at the end, the conductor and many musicians and staff stood at the hallway and said goodbye to the audience.
The music was good and rich. And I think the performance was intended to be light and funny, not serious. The conductor even led the people to clap hands. I like this concert a lot.
I had never claimed to be a student. But the guy who sold me the ticket, judging from my appearance and probably my shabby clothes, said "Since you are a student" and then sold me the cheapest student ticket at AS 300. It was of course not expensive. And I guess I was probably the most "casually" dressed person at the concert.
Do I really look that young to the westerners? Back home I feel old in my office attire.
This pension is deadly quiet. I suspect I am the only one here apart from the owner. My imagination is running wild.
The rain has turned very heavy. There have also been some thunders. Will it be fine tomorrow? If it is fine tomorrow, I will visit the Schloss Schonbrunn. If not, museums.
13.9.95
13.9.95 (Wed)
I am now on a train to Salzburg.
I spent most of yesterday sleeping. It was a waste of time but I could not help it. I left the hotel at around 9 am, wanting to go to the Residenz. I had to wear my shorts because I had washed my jeans (the vomit). It was cold and very soon I felt sick. I could not make it to the Residenz and so I returned to the hotel. I threw myself onto the bed and slept.
I then went to the Residenz again at around 1 pm. But when I finally found the entrance, I did not quite feel like going in. So instead I went to the Deutsches Museum. It was like a large-size Science Museum of Hong Kong. I had a hot chocolate at the restaurant, sat there for a while and then headed for the exhibits. But before long I had to sit down to rest. And I almost fell asleep at once. Since I took no real interest in the science exhibits, and since I felt tired and sick, I left the museum at around 3 pm. I hurried back to the hotel and slept again.
My stomach and the surrounding muscles ached. I felt hungry but had no appetite. And I was afraid of eating anything that might make me throw up again.
I still feel unwell but I am less weak now. At least I don't feel so desperately sleepy.
It was a shame that my trip to Fussen was tarnished by this food poisoning thing. The Schloss Newschwanstein was quite beautiful, though I had to walk for 30 minutes up to the castle and wait in line for another 30 minutes to join the obligatory guided tour. But it was good to have a guide to tell me stories, like those about the handsome Konig Ludwig II.
I spent most of yesterday sleeping. It was a waste of time but I could not help it. I left the hotel at around 9 am, wanting to go to the Residenz. I had to wear my shorts because I had washed my jeans (the vomit). It was cold and very soon I felt sick. I could not make it to the Residenz and so I returned to the hotel. I threw myself onto the bed and slept.
I then went to the Residenz again at around 1 pm. But when I finally found the entrance, I did not quite feel like going in. So instead I went to the Deutsches Museum. It was like a large-size Science Museum of Hong Kong. I had a hot chocolate at the restaurant, sat there for a while and then headed for the exhibits. But before long I had to sit down to rest. And I almost fell asleep at once. Since I took no real interest in the science exhibits, and since I felt tired and sick, I left the museum at around 3 pm. I hurried back to the hotel and slept again.
My stomach and the surrounding muscles ached. I felt hungry but had no appetite. And I was afraid of eating anything that might make me throw up again.
I still feel unwell but I am less weak now. At least I don't feel so desperately sleepy.
It was a shame that my trip to Fussen was tarnished by this food poisoning thing. The Schloss Newschwanstein was quite beautiful, though I had to walk for 30 minutes up to the castle and wait in line for another 30 minutes to join the obligatory guided tour. But it was good to have a guide to tell me stories, like those about the handsome Konig Ludwig II.
12.9.95
12.9.95 (Tue)
I am now in my hotel room in Munich. It is about 7:50 am.
Last night was horrible. I went to Fussen during the day and had a tasty cheeseburger and a coke at around 1:40 pm as lunch. Then I took the 3:05 pm train back to Munich. I felt very sick on the train. I could hardly breathe. Then I went to the toilet to throw up. Surprisingly there was no water in the toilet so it was kind of dirty. I then moved to another compartment where the window was opened so that I could breathe more easily. Then I felt sick again. I used the newspaper that someone had left behind and threw up again. But still it was all over my jeans and the floor. It was terrible. I returned to the hotel and vomited six times. I had never known that it would take so much strength to throw up. My stomach practically turned over. The cheeseburger, the coke, water, pills, everything came out. All my muscles ached. I could not drink or eat because I would throw up whenever anything reached my stomach. I think I was almost dehydrated. I was so exhausted that I went to bed before 8 pm. Yet I had to get up several times to vomit. At around 4 am this morning, I finally felt better and took some pills. Then when I woke up again, I felt hungry and ate a banana. It tasted wonderful. I do not feel nauseous any more now, but the muscles, especially those around the stomach, ache. And still I feel very tired.
Last night was horrible. I went to Fussen during the day and had a tasty cheeseburger and a coke at around 1:40 pm as lunch. Then I took the 3:05 pm train back to Munich. I felt very sick on the train. I could hardly breathe. Then I went to the toilet to throw up. Surprisingly there was no water in the toilet so it was kind of dirty. I then moved to another compartment where the window was opened so that I could breathe more easily. Then I felt sick again. I used the newspaper that someone had left behind and threw up again. But still it was all over my jeans and the floor. It was terrible. I returned to the hotel and vomited six times. I had never known that it would take so much strength to throw up. My stomach practically turned over. The cheeseburger, the coke, water, pills, everything came out. All my muscles ached. I could not drink or eat because I would throw up whenever anything reached my stomach. I think I was almost dehydrated. I was so exhausted that I went to bed before 8 pm. Yet I had to get up several times to vomit. At around 4 am this morning, I finally felt better and took some pills. Then when I woke up again, I felt hungry and ate a banana. It tasted wonderful. I do not feel nauseous any more now, but the muscles, especially those around the stomach, ache. And still I feel very tired.
10.9.95
10.9.95 (Sun)
I am now in a McDonald's in Munich eating my dinner. Since all shops are closed on Sunday, I do not have many othe choices.
Isn't it amazing that I have just watched a movie "While you were sleeping" here? The movie has been dubbed in German, yet I think I understand most of it. It is not that I have learnt any German. It is just that the story of the film is simple. Anyone can guess it. I think I have only missed the details. I plan to watch it again back home. Though it is not such an outstanding movie, I need to know all of the story.
Before going to the movie, I went to Schloss Nymphenberg. It was not a really old palace. The structure was beautiful but not impressive. Then I took a bus to the Olympic Stadium, which was now a park. The place was crowded with local people. The stadium was ugly. I took two pictures and left.
The Munich old town centre around Marienplatz was beautiful. I am going to visit that area again to get a clearer picture.
The hotel that I am staying in is next to a busy shopping street. It is called Hotel Arosa and the room costs me DM 110 per night. It seems quite all right.
I am going to Fussen tomorrow. I will take the 7:53 am train and arrive there before 10 am. I don't have other plans because all museums will be closed on Monday. On Tuesday, I plan to go to the Deutsches Museum and the Residenz. And I think I have to give up Dachau. But I don't really mind because visiting sad places like a concentration camp is not my cup of tea.
Isn't it amazing that I have just watched a movie "While you were sleeping" here? The movie has been dubbed in German, yet I think I understand most of it. It is not that I have learnt any German. It is just that the story of the film is simple. Anyone can guess it. I think I have only missed the details. I plan to watch it again back home. Though it is not such an outstanding movie, I need to know all of the story.
Before going to the movie, I went to Schloss Nymphenberg. It was not a really old palace. The structure was beautiful but not impressive. Then I took a bus to the Olympic Stadium, which was now a park. The place was crowded with local people. The stadium was ugly. I took two pictures and left.
The Munich old town centre around Marienplatz was beautiful. I am going to visit that area again to get a clearer picture.
The hotel that I am staying in is next to a busy shopping street. It is called Hotel Arosa and the room costs me DM 110 per night. It seems quite all right.
I am going to Fussen tomorrow. I will take the 7:53 am train and arrive there before 10 am. I don't have other plans because all museums will be closed on Monday. On Tuesday, I plan to go to the Deutsches Museum and the Residenz. And I think I have to give up Dachau. But I don't really mind because visiting sad places like a concentration camp is not my cup of tea.
9.9.95
9.9.95 (Sat)
I am now on the Romantic Road. The tour has just left Wurzburg. We had stopped at the train station there for 15 minutes. But it was quite meaningless because one just could not see anything in 15 minutes, especially when the sights were not really around the station. I only had the time to walk around the square in front of the station and rush to the toilet. So I hardly have any impression on Wurzburg.
But it is comfortable to travel on a bus. I don't need to worry about train schedules and so on. I can even take a nap if I like. This is quite relaxing.
* * *
We have just stopped at a place called Weikersheim for about 20 minutes. There was a castle in the town which looked beautiful enough despite the rain. There were couples in wedding suits taking pictures in the castle. So I have learnt that people do the same thing all over the world. Having seen the castle, everyone seemed much more satisfied when they returned to the coach.
The shower has stopped and there is sunshine again. The weather is odd.
* * *
I am now in my hotel room in Rothenburg. It is 7:18 pm. I have just had some sausages on the street. But I plan to go out to the McDonald's later to have something more to eat and to see the Town Hall Tower strike the hour, which I think should worth a look. Isn't it great that there is practically a McDonald's everywhere? I don't need to worry about not knowing how to order in there. They are almost the same everywhere.
I arrived in Rothenburg at 12:40 pm. Then I tried to locate this hotel "Gasthof Butz" using the free tourist map. What is poor about the map is that not every street is labelled. So sometimes I did not even know where I was. With the direction of the tourist office, I finally found the hotel, which is very centrally located. There came another problem. I did not know how to enter the hotel. Going in from the entrance, I was in a dining hall. Going through the backyard, still people sat and ate there. There did not appear to be any reception area for me to check in. It turned out that the so-called reception was at the centre of the dining room, somewhere very unnoticeable. OK. I got to my room but then could not open the door with the great big key. With my rucksack on me, I sweated profusely. I ran downstairs to ask for help. The attendant listened to me in disbelief. He opened the door for me using the same key with just one "click", as easy as that. But I am always stupid with keys.
Rothenburg is beautiful. This weekend is a festival called "Reichsstadt Festtage", i.e. Imperial City Festival. A lot of local people were dressed in traditional clothes. They paraded on the streets, sang and shouted, and played historic scenes. The atmosphere was festive. The weather was odd. There was rain, then there was sunshine, then rain, then sunshine. Sometimes there were rain and sunshine at the same time. The people, mainly men, were in such a good spirit that they sang and shouted with drums and flutes in the heavy rain. They stood in the rain drinking black beers from barrels. Their spirit made me feel very cheerful. I felt so good that I even considered buying some souvenirs. But finally I did not buy any. I took many pictures. I hope the pictures will look good.
The one bad thing that happened was that I dropped my camera so hard that it bounced several times on the ground. The self-photo button was stuck inside the machine and all functions, including zooming and the most important photo-taking, failed. I was so sorry that I did not know what to do. I did not think that it was sensible to buy a camera here because it would be expensive and the choices would be limited. But it would be such a loss if I could not take any picture of these beautiful sights. In despair, I used my ball-pen to pick up the self-photo button. Magically, all the functions came back. I am grateful even if it is possible that the camera might have been damaged inside and the pictures ruined.
I walked through/around the town from north to south and east to west. It was a small place. Once I had got the idea, it was not necessary to use the map. Just as I said, the place was beautiful. So I've visited two very beautiful places so far, Heidelberg and Rothenburg.
As I have to check out the hotel before 10:30 am tomorrow and the town is so small, I went to the station to check the train schedule with a view to leaving early tomorrow. I cannot bring everything with me walking around waiting for the Europabus to depart at around 2 pm, can I? To my surprise, the station was closed, in broad daylight! The notices said that the station was only open in early morning and early afternoon. I could not even have a look at the timetable. So I went to the tourist office. It gave me the timetable on a nice printout. But when I said "thank you" and turned to leave, I was demanded to pay DM 2 for that sheet of paper. It was not even a reservation.
So I am leaving at 9:55 am tomorrow. It seems to be the first morning that I will not need to hurry off. I am going to enjoy the breakfast leisurely.
I did not really enjoy the tour on the Romantic Road. For most of the time, we were on highways. Otherwise, we just drove through the towns. One really could not see much that way. It will therefore be better for me to take a direct train to Munich tomorrow. I will arrive there before 1 pm, which is much, much earlier than if I take the bus, which will then be 8 pm. This way, I will have more time to spend on Munich, instead of sitting in a bus on highways.
It is strange that I don't like what others like so much, such as the cruise on the Rhine and the tour on the Romantic Road.
* * *
I went out at around 8 pm to see the Town Hall Tower strike the hour. It was funny that anyone would consider it interesting because there were just two dummies making limited movement, i.e. raising a mug or a bottle to the mouth.
After eating at the McDonald's, I had a little stroll. The streets were unbelievably full of people. It seemed that everyone was there. I took it that in a quiet town like this, people, especially tourists, really did not have many other activities at night. The streets were a little dark because there were not many street lamps. Yet I felt absolutely safe. Children were shouting and running on the streets. Local people, still in their costumes, sat together on the streets around a fire (!) drinking. It felt quiet, despite the kids' noises, and peaceful. It seemed that we were back to the middle age. The night was chilly but it was just the right feel.
I then returned to the hotel. While I was taking off my lenses, I heard loud boom-boom noises which sounded like gun shots. Not until I saw the smoke in the sky did I realize that it was a fireworks display. I practically ran to the street, carrying nothing with me. It was amazing to see the fireworks in so close a distance and under so dark a sky. The shooting was thunderous and the colours and patterns indescribably beautiful. It was such a surprise, such an unexpected treat to me. I was so happy. And I hugged myself (it was cold at night).
This day and this night in Rothenburg will make a very good memory.
But it is comfortable to travel on a bus. I don't need to worry about train schedules and so on. I can even take a nap if I like. This is quite relaxing.
* * *
We have just stopped at a place called Weikersheim for about 20 minutes. There was a castle in the town which looked beautiful enough despite the rain. There were couples in wedding suits taking pictures in the castle. So I have learnt that people do the same thing all over the world. Having seen the castle, everyone seemed much more satisfied when they returned to the coach.
The shower has stopped and there is sunshine again. The weather is odd.
* * *
I am now in my hotel room in Rothenburg. It is 7:18 pm. I have just had some sausages on the street. But I plan to go out to the McDonald's later to have something more to eat and to see the Town Hall Tower strike the hour, which I think should worth a look. Isn't it great that there is practically a McDonald's everywhere? I don't need to worry about not knowing how to order in there. They are almost the same everywhere.
I arrived in Rothenburg at 12:40 pm. Then I tried to locate this hotel "Gasthof Butz" using the free tourist map. What is poor about the map is that not every street is labelled. So sometimes I did not even know where I was. With the direction of the tourist office, I finally found the hotel, which is very centrally located. There came another problem. I did not know how to enter the hotel. Going in from the entrance, I was in a dining hall. Going through the backyard, still people sat and ate there. There did not appear to be any reception area for me to check in. It turned out that the so-called reception was at the centre of the dining room, somewhere very unnoticeable. OK. I got to my room but then could not open the door with the great big key. With my rucksack on me, I sweated profusely. I ran downstairs to ask for help. The attendant listened to me in disbelief. He opened the door for me using the same key with just one "click", as easy as that. But I am always stupid with keys.
Rothenburg is beautiful. This weekend is a festival called "Reichsstadt Festtage", i.e. Imperial City Festival. A lot of local people were dressed in traditional clothes. They paraded on the streets, sang and shouted, and played historic scenes. The atmosphere was festive. The weather was odd. There was rain, then there was sunshine, then rain, then sunshine. Sometimes there were rain and sunshine at the same time. The people, mainly men, were in such a good spirit that they sang and shouted with drums and flutes in the heavy rain. They stood in the rain drinking black beers from barrels. Their spirit made me feel very cheerful. I felt so good that I even considered buying some souvenirs. But finally I did not buy any. I took many pictures. I hope the pictures will look good.
The one bad thing that happened was that I dropped my camera so hard that it bounced several times on the ground. The self-photo button was stuck inside the machine and all functions, including zooming and the most important photo-taking, failed. I was so sorry that I did not know what to do. I did not think that it was sensible to buy a camera here because it would be expensive and the choices would be limited. But it would be such a loss if I could not take any picture of these beautiful sights. In despair, I used my ball-pen to pick up the self-photo button. Magically, all the functions came back. I am grateful even if it is possible that the camera might have been damaged inside and the pictures ruined.
I walked through/around the town from north to south and east to west. It was a small place. Once I had got the idea, it was not necessary to use the map. Just as I said, the place was beautiful. So I've visited two very beautiful places so far, Heidelberg and Rothenburg.
As I have to check out the hotel before 10:30 am tomorrow and the town is so small, I went to the station to check the train schedule with a view to leaving early tomorrow. I cannot bring everything with me walking around waiting for the Europabus to depart at around 2 pm, can I? To my surprise, the station was closed, in broad daylight! The notices said that the station was only open in early morning and early afternoon. I could not even have a look at the timetable. So I went to the tourist office. It gave me the timetable on a nice printout. But when I said "thank you" and turned to leave, I was demanded to pay DM 2 for that sheet of paper. It was not even a reservation.
So I am leaving at 9:55 am tomorrow. It seems to be the first morning that I will not need to hurry off. I am going to enjoy the breakfast leisurely.
I did not really enjoy the tour on the Romantic Road. For most of the time, we were on highways. Otherwise, we just drove through the towns. One really could not see much that way. It will therefore be better for me to take a direct train to Munich tomorrow. I will arrive there before 1 pm, which is much, much earlier than if I take the bus, which will then be 8 pm. This way, I will have more time to spend on Munich, instead of sitting in a bus on highways.
It is strange that I don't like what others like so much, such as the cruise on the Rhine and the tour on the Romantic Road.
* * *
I went out at around 8 pm to see the Town Hall Tower strike the hour. It was funny that anyone would consider it interesting because there were just two dummies making limited movement, i.e. raising a mug or a bottle to the mouth.
After eating at the McDonald's, I had a little stroll. The streets were unbelievably full of people. It seemed that everyone was there. I took it that in a quiet town like this, people, especially tourists, really did not have many other activities at night. The streets were a little dark because there were not many street lamps. Yet I felt absolutely safe. Children were shouting and running on the streets. Local people, still in their costumes, sat together on the streets around a fire (!) drinking. It felt quiet, despite the kids' noises, and peaceful. It seemed that we were back to the middle age. The night was chilly but it was just the right feel.
I then returned to the hotel. While I was taking off my lenses, I heard loud boom-boom noises which sounded like gun shots. Not until I saw the smoke in the sky did I realize that it was a fireworks display. I practically ran to the street, carrying nothing with me. It was amazing to see the fireworks in so close a distance and under so dark a sky. The shooting was thunderous and the colours and patterns indescribably beautiful. It was such a surprise, such an unexpected treat to me. I was so happy. And I hugged myself (it was cold at night).
This day and this night in Rothenburg will make a very good memory.
8.9.95
8.9.95 (Fri)
I am now on the KD boat. It is 8:40 am and the cruise will start at 9 am.
Thank God my eyes have by and large recovered and the weather today is quite fine, though cloudy. My prayers last night have been answered.
I am wearing my lenses now. My eyes are still a little bit red around the pupils. But it feels all right with the lenses on, just a little itchy because of the dryness I think.
* * *
Just when I was thinking that the weather was quite fine, it started to rain. It is 10:10 am now and still raining. I don't think it is going to stop during this journey. I sat on the deck at first. Then it rained and became chilly. I stayed up there for about an hour. Then it occurred to me that I could stand the coldness no longer. So I am now on the second level of the boat beside a big window. Here it is warm enough and I feel much more comfortable. The one bad thing here is that people smoke and I simply can't avoid the smoke.
* * *
I am now in a very old town called Bacherach. I am waiting alone on the platform for a train to Koblenz. Besides some staff, there is absolutely nobody else here in the station. It is now 12:06 pm and the train will be here at 12:19 pm.
I got off the boat because I found it very dull. I could not stay on the deck because of the weather, yet it was very suffocating inside the cabin with loads of Japanese tourists all around. I thought this would be a nice place to get off because, besides Mainz, it was the only place along the boat route that was singled out in Let's Go Europe. However, it seems to be a deserted town. I can see and hear nobody here in the station. It is kind of dreadful. Too quiet.
The boat trip from Mainz to Koblenz, which would last from 9 am to 14:55 pm, was too long. It would be fine if it lasted for two hours or so. The view on the Rhine was surely good but I just could not keep looking at these more or less the same views for hours.
* * *
I am now on the train to Koblenz. I think it is a pity that I did not enjoy the cruise very much. I think I might like it better if the weather was fine.
I really like riding on trains.
I think most of the towns in Germany look similar. There are the same old colourful buildings, castles and ruins. I am beginning to worry that I might find the Romantic Road boring. If I really do, I just might cut the second day and go straight from Rothenburg to Munich by train. This reminds me that I need to reserve a room in Munich. Oh yes, I also need to check the phone number of the British Midland Airways for booking reconfirmation.
This railway actually runs parallel to the Rhine. So I can see the river from here just as well.
It might not be normal for me to find so many things boring. There should be something other than novels that amuses me.
Thank God my eyes have by and large recovered and the weather today is quite fine, though cloudy. My prayers last night have been answered.
I am wearing my lenses now. My eyes are still a little bit red around the pupils. But it feels all right with the lenses on, just a little itchy because of the dryness I think.
* * *
Just when I was thinking that the weather was quite fine, it started to rain. It is 10:10 am now and still raining. I don't think it is going to stop during this journey. I sat on the deck at first. Then it rained and became chilly. I stayed up there for about an hour. Then it occurred to me that I could stand the coldness no longer. So I am now on the second level of the boat beside a big window. Here it is warm enough and I feel much more comfortable. The one bad thing here is that people smoke and I simply can't avoid the smoke.
* * *
I am now in a very old town called Bacherach. I am waiting alone on the platform for a train to Koblenz. Besides some staff, there is absolutely nobody else here in the station. It is now 12:06 pm and the train will be here at 12:19 pm.
I got off the boat because I found it very dull. I could not stay on the deck because of the weather, yet it was very suffocating inside the cabin with loads of Japanese tourists all around. I thought this would be a nice place to get off because, besides Mainz, it was the only place along the boat route that was singled out in Let's Go Europe. However, it seems to be a deserted town. I can see and hear nobody here in the station. It is kind of dreadful. Too quiet.
The boat trip from Mainz to Koblenz, which would last from 9 am to 14:55 pm, was too long. It would be fine if it lasted for two hours or so. The view on the Rhine was surely good but I just could not keep looking at these more or less the same views for hours.
* * *
I am now on the train to Koblenz. I think it is a pity that I did not enjoy the cruise very much. I think I might like it better if the weather was fine.
I really like riding on trains.
I think most of the towns in Germany look similar. There are the same old colourful buildings, castles and ruins. I am beginning to worry that I might find the Romantic Road boring. If I really do, I just might cut the second day and go straight from Rothenburg to Munich by train. This reminds me that I need to reserve a room in Munich. Oh yes, I also need to check the phone number of the British Midland Airways for booking reconfirmation.
This railway actually runs parallel to the Rhine. So I can see the river from here just as well.
It might not be normal for me to find so many things boring. There should be something other than novels that amuses me.
7.9.95
7.9.95 (Thu)
I am now in my room in Frankfurt. It is 7:40 pm.
Somehow I don't really feel like writing these days. Maybe it is because I am reading an interesting novel and I want to keep on reading it whenever possible.
I arrived in Frankfurt before 2 pm yesterday. Before that, I took a train from Duisburg, which had arrived 30 minutes late. I shared a compartment with a tall middle-aged German. He was married (he wore a ring), unfortunately, and commonly good-looking, just like many other Germans. It was embarrassing to be in a compartment with a stranger for as long as three hours. I was stupid not to move to another compartment. The speechless air was heavy. The man got off at Koblenz and said goodbye to me. I murmured something in reply. I was relieved when he was gone.
The hotel I am in is called "Luxor". I had booked this room from Hong Kong at a price of HKD 620 per night. Here the price is DM 300 per night, i.e. over HKD 1,500. The difference is quite unimaginable. This is not a bad hotel, quite adequately equipped.
Yesterday was an exhausting day. After checking in the hotel, I went out to walk around the place. There was not much to see, just some old buildings around Romerberg. They were well restored but looked rather artificial. While I was reading my map with some difficulty on the street, a German woman offered to help. That was nice, though not necessary.
I think it is quite an achievement that I have made a reservation of the Europabus, sorted out the train timetable and made a hotel reservation at Rothenburg all by myself. Things have got quite difficult because I know nothing about German, not a word. And the information I have is unclear/insufficient. For instance, the guidebook says the Europabus office is on the right of the station, so did the tourist office. But I just could not find it. At last, after a laborious search, I found that it was on the very far end of the right side of the railway station.
I fell asleep very quickly last night. My tiredness was completely out of control. When I woke up, it was already 4 am and I had not applied the ointment to the eyes before sleeping.
The breakfast of this hotel was a buffet. Not bad. But unluckily, I did not and will not have much time to enjoy it during my stay.
I visited Heidelberg today. It was a beautiful city. Green on the surrounding hills, colourful along the streets. Clean and peaceful. The weather was agreeable with light stroking wind.
I walked around the town and got up to the castle. I crossed the Neckar river on the Alte Brucke. Then I made a very unwise decision to go to the Philosophenweg. I had to climb a very steep, narrow, long cobble-stone staircase/slope to the place only to find that it was just a trail uphill along the river. Sure the view of the old city was nice but I had not expected such an exhausting walk.
I was not sure what S-Bahn was. I thought that it was the tram. But now I know that S-Bahn are just slower or light trains that run local networks. With Eurail Pass I can take these S-Bahn free of charge. But before I found out this, I had taken the tram in Heidelberg without paying the fee. I had suspected that it was wrong but decided to take the risk simply because I was too tired to go on walking.
I then went to Mainz, mainly to inspect the route I have to take tomorrow to go from the Mainz Sud Station to the KD ferry pier. It started to rain when I arrived in Mainz and it lasted all the way through. Mainz was a small place. I took a picture of a beautiful red-brick building. But I don't know what exactly it is because its name on the map is in German.
I am going to take the boat trip from Mainz to Koblenz tomorrow. I hope that the weather will be fine and that my eyes have recovered by then.
Somehow I don't really feel like writing these days. Maybe it is because I am reading an interesting novel and I want to keep on reading it whenever possible.
I arrived in Frankfurt before 2 pm yesterday. Before that, I took a train from Duisburg, which had arrived 30 minutes late. I shared a compartment with a tall middle-aged German. He was married (he wore a ring), unfortunately, and commonly good-looking, just like many other Germans. It was embarrassing to be in a compartment with a stranger for as long as three hours. I was stupid not to move to another compartment. The speechless air was heavy. The man got off at Koblenz and said goodbye to me. I murmured something in reply. I was relieved when he was gone.
The hotel I am in is called "Luxor". I had booked this room from Hong Kong at a price of HKD 620 per night. Here the price is DM 300 per night, i.e. over HKD 1,500. The difference is quite unimaginable. This is not a bad hotel, quite adequately equipped.
Yesterday was an exhausting day. After checking in the hotel, I went out to walk around the place. There was not much to see, just some old buildings around Romerberg. They were well restored but looked rather artificial. While I was reading my map with some difficulty on the street, a German woman offered to help. That was nice, though not necessary.
I think it is quite an achievement that I have made a reservation of the Europabus, sorted out the train timetable and made a hotel reservation at Rothenburg all by myself. Things have got quite difficult because I know nothing about German, not a word. And the information I have is unclear/insufficient. For instance, the guidebook says the Europabus office is on the right of the station, so did the tourist office. But I just could not find it. At last, after a laborious search, I found that it was on the very far end of the right side of the railway station.
I fell asleep very quickly last night. My tiredness was completely out of control. When I woke up, it was already 4 am and I had not applied the ointment to the eyes before sleeping.
The breakfast of this hotel was a buffet. Not bad. But unluckily, I did not and will not have much time to enjoy it during my stay.
I visited Heidelberg today. It was a beautiful city. Green on the surrounding hills, colourful along the streets. Clean and peaceful. The weather was agreeable with light stroking wind.
I walked around the town and got up to the castle. I crossed the Neckar river on the Alte Brucke. Then I made a very unwise decision to go to the Philosophenweg. I had to climb a very steep, narrow, long cobble-stone staircase/slope to the place only to find that it was just a trail uphill along the river. Sure the view of the old city was nice but I had not expected such an exhausting walk.
I was not sure what S-Bahn was. I thought that it was the tram. But now I know that S-Bahn are just slower or light trains that run local networks. With Eurail Pass I can take these S-Bahn free of charge. But before I found out this, I had taken the tram in Heidelberg without paying the fee. I had suspected that it was wrong but decided to take the risk simply because I was too tired to go on walking.
I then went to Mainz, mainly to inspect the route I have to take tomorrow to go from the Mainz Sud Station to the KD ferry pier. It started to rain when I arrived in Mainz and it lasted all the way through. Mainz was a small place. I took a picture of a beautiful red-brick building. But I don't know what exactly it is because its name on the map is in German.
I am going to take the boat trip from Mainz to Koblenz tomorrow. I hope that the weather will be fine and that my eyes have recovered by then.
6.9.95
6.9.95 (Wed)
I am now on a train heading for Interlaken. I will take another train to Frankfurt at a place called Duisburg. The whole trip will last for five hours. I am thinking maybe I might get off at Koln or Bonn. But most probably I will not because I don't want to rush.
I have not written in the past two days mainly because of the fatigue and my eye infection. I was so tired on the first night in Amsterdam that I fell asleep right after shower and dinner when I was actually trying to do some calculation.
I am going to record things in chronological order.
First, I arrived in Schipol Airport of Amsterdam. The immigration officers examined my passport for quite a while. With a BNO passport, I did not need a visa to get into the Netherlands. But then they saw that I had a visa for Schengener States issued by the German Consulate in Hong Kong which was not yet valid (it would be valid from 6.9.95). I think it puzzled them. Finally they stamped the entry permission on that visa.
Then I went to make some train arrangement. Along the queue was an Asian man several places behind me. He started to chat with me in English with a good accent. He was a Korean. He asked me where I was from and stuff like that. Then I met him again on the platform while I was waiting for the train to Amsterdam Central Station. We talked again about general travel stuff. On the train I told him my name, written in both English and Chinese. Then he said his name was Lee Dong Ik. We parted at the Central Station.
I went to this Hotel von Onna which I had telephoned in the airport. I could not have the room until 1 pm. But the charge was really low, well, at least in my standard, only f60 per night, that was less than HKD 300 per night. The room was sparsely furnished but clean. I had a private shower and WC. The neighbourhood was quiet and nice (it was in the Jordaan area). Generally, it was not bad.
I then just walked around. I went to the Dam, Damrak and some shopping streets. The temperature was all right but I sweated when I walked in the sunshine. But then it would be chilly when there was wind. There were also some unexpected showers.
I also went past the Palace, into the Magna Plaza, and the Van Gogh Museum. The Museum was all right. The Magna Plaza was very much like the Western Market in Hong Kong, i.e. a restored old-building-turned-shopping-centre. According to Let's Go Europe, the National Museum should be closed on Monday. But it was open. But it was too late to get in when I discovered this.
The places I like most were the Spui, a shopping street, and the area around the Universitat von Amsterdam. I don't like Damrak much. But the Central Station was a pretty building, better than the Palace in my opinion.
On my way back to the hotel I found that I had lost my strippenkaart. I was very frustrated. Then I decided to walk and it took me almost an hour to reach the hotel (well I was lost on the way). I was worn out when I reached the hotel.
My eyes smarted and red, my legs and feet ached, I was not in a great shape that night.
The next morning I felt better. I had a nice long sleep for over ten hours and my eyes had recovered quite a bit with the ointment I had applied the previous night.
I went to Den Haag. I went to the Parliament but did not get inside, the Peace Palace (it was not open that day) and the Madurodam. The Madurodam was disappointing. I had no interest in the models at all. I had not expected that it was such a small place. It took me so long to get there but I left it in half an hour.
On my way back to Den Haag Central Station, I found that I had lost the strippenkaart which I had bought just that morning. Again!! I had only used it once in Den Haag and I lost it. I felt terrible and angry at myself. I bought a third strippenkaart in Den Haag Central Station and I promised myself that I would not lose it.
I then went to Zaanse Schaanz to see the windmills. Well, I did see several windmills and take some pictures. But the place was sort of too boring for me.
While I was waiting for the train back to Amsterdam, I met that Korean again, this time with a man from New Zealand. Anyway, we chatted on the platform and the train and said goodbye at the station.
I then rushed to the National Museum. I arrived there at 4:30 pm, half hour before closing time. The guard at the entrance, a kind-looking man, told me that the museum was about to close. I handed him the fee but he just waved me in, for free. Of course, it was impossible to see anything meaningful in 30 minutes. It was just having-been-there.
The Dutch people were generally kind, helpful and easy-going. The one thing I liked most was that many men cut their hair very short and trim it very close to the scalp, which made them look like ancient Roman sculptures. Feather-like hair. That is the style I like best.
I have not written in the past two days mainly because of the fatigue and my eye infection. I was so tired on the first night in Amsterdam that I fell asleep right after shower and dinner when I was actually trying to do some calculation.
I am going to record things in chronological order.
First, I arrived in Schipol Airport of Amsterdam. The immigration officers examined my passport for quite a while. With a BNO passport, I did not need a visa to get into the Netherlands. But then they saw that I had a visa for Schengener States issued by the German Consulate in Hong Kong which was not yet valid (it would be valid from 6.9.95). I think it puzzled them. Finally they stamped the entry permission on that visa.
Then I went to make some train arrangement. Along the queue was an Asian man several places behind me. He started to chat with me in English with a good accent. He was a Korean. He asked me where I was from and stuff like that. Then I met him again on the platform while I was waiting for the train to Amsterdam Central Station. We talked again about general travel stuff. On the train I told him my name, written in both English and Chinese. Then he said his name was Lee Dong Ik. We parted at the Central Station.
I went to this Hotel von Onna which I had telephoned in the airport. I could not have the room until 1 pm. But the charge was really low, well, at least in my standard, only f60 per night, that was less than HKD 300 per night. The room was sparsely furnished but clean. I had a private shower and WC. The neighbourhood was quiet and nice (it was in the Jordaan area). Generally, it was not bad.
I then just walked around. I went to the Dam, Damrak and some shopping streets. The temperature was all right but I sweated when I walked in the sunshine. But then it would be chilly when there was wind. There were also some unexpected showers.
I also went past the Palace, into the Magna Plaza, and the Van Gogh Museum. The Museum was all right. The Magna Plaza was very much like the Western Market in Hong Kong, i.e. a restored old-building-turned-shopping-centre. According to Let's Go Europe, the National Museum should be closed on Monday. But it was open. But it was too late to get in when I discovered this.
The places I like most were the Spui, a shopping street, and the area around the Universitat von Amsterdam. I don't like Damrak much. But the Central Station was a pretty building, better than the Palace in my opinion.
On my way back to the hotel I found that I had lost my strippenkaart. I was very frustrated. Then I decided to walk and it took me almost an hour to reach the hotel (well I was lost on the way). I was worn out when I reached the hotel.
My eyes smarted and red, my legs and feet ached, I was not in a great shape that night.
The next morning I felt better. I had a nice long sleep for over ten hours and my eyes had recovered quite a bit with the ointment I had applied the previous night.
I went to Den Haag. I went to the Parliament but did not get inside, the Peace Palace (it was not open that day) and the Madurodam. The Madurodam was disappointing. I had no interest in the models at all. I had not expected that it was such a small place. It took me so long to get there but I left it in half an hour.
On my way back to Den Haag Central Station, I found that I had lost the strippenkaart which I had bought just that morning. Again!! I had only used it once in Den Haag and I lost it. I felt terrible and angry at myself. I bought a third strippenkaart in Den Haag Central Station and I promised myself that I would not lose it.
I then went to Zaanse Schaanz to see the windmills. Well, I did see several windmills and take some pictures. But the place was sort of too boring for me.
While I was waiting for the train back to Amsterdam, I met that Korean again, this time with a man from New Zealand. Anyway, we chatted on the platform and the train and said goodbye at the station.
I then rushed to the National Museum. I arrived there at 4:30 pm, half hour before closing time. The guard at the entrance, a kind-looking man, told me that the museum was about to close. I handed him the fee but he just waved me in, for free. Of course, it was impossible to see anything meaningful in 30 minutes. It was just having-been-there.
The Dutch people were generally kind, helpful and easy-going. The one thing I liked most was that many men cut their hair very short and trim it very close to the scalp, which made them look like ancient Roman sculptures. Feather-like hair. That is the style I like best.
3.9.95
3.9.95 (Sun)
I am now on my second flight to Amsterdam. It takes over 13 hours to get there and there are still 11 hours to go. It is awful. My infected eyes are as red as a rabbit's and I dare not even look at myself in the mirror. I am given a window seat but there is, of course, nothing to see at such a height in the sky and also in the middle of the night. The lady sitting beside me seems to be badly in need of sleep so it would be rude for me to disturb her to even get to the toilet. I am practically confined to this damn seat. It is truly awful. I don't know how to get through this ordeal. It is too bright to sleep. I have nothing to cover my eyes. The only good thing is that the seats here on a 747 seem much more comfortable than those of the MD11 which I have just taken to fly to Kuala Lumpur. Plus, this airline provides warm bread. It is disgusting just to think of the cold, hard bread of the British Airways.
I wish I had someone to chat with. I have just realized that I will have no conversation in the coming three weeks. I think, if I had a choice, I would not have chosen to be a lone traveller. It is hard to bear just imagining it. I thought I would be free. But it appears that I will be too free.
Must sleep.
I wish I had someone to chat with. I have just realized that I will have no conversation in the coming three weeks. I think, if I had a choice, I would not have chosen to be a lone traveller. It is hard to bear just imagining it. I thought I would be free. But it appears that I will be too free.
Must sleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)