Stop Press!

Trying to finish Cyprus trip. Four new videos uploaded into previous posts.

After trotting around Southeast Asia over the summer, I'm now back in the UK - Cambridge to be exact. Am trying my best to update as frequently as my clinical course will allow.

Entries on Italy and France two winters ago have been put on hold indefinitely. Read: possibly never. But we shall see.

Entries on Greece and Turkey last winter have also been put on hold for the time being.

Posted:
Don Det (Laos), Don Khone

Places yet to blog about:
Ban Nakasang, Champasak, Pakse, Tha Kaek, Vientienne, Vang Vien, Ban Phoudindaeng, Luang Prabang, Khon Kaen (Thailand), Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), London (England), Cambridge

Thursday 20 December 2007

Acropolis III


The Acropolis is amazing. There are only four structures on the large plateau: the Propylaia, the temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheum and the characteristic Parthenon. There could possibly have been more that were destroyed during times of war but its current spaciness combined with its loftiness give it a godly atmosphere. Ascending the marble steps, I hear the rustle of togas around me. Pulling mine closer me against the biting wind, I humble myself in the shadows of the looming Propylaia up ahead.

Propylaia

Temple of Athena Nike

Erechtheum

(Porch of the Caryatids)

(Olive tree of Athena)


Parthenon

Acropolis II


Tried to circumvent the Acropolis via the Peripatos: the ancient road which surrounds the Acropolis and the plateau itself.


***


Tragedy at the Theatre of Dionysus. There is barely any leg-space but seats are high enough to prevent an eyeful of heads obscuring the stage. The high priest sits smugly on his own seat, arms at rest on armrests whilst we commoners rub shoulders with each other. His table is laden with grapes. An attendant pours and serves him wine: a blessing from Dionysus himself.

Acropolis I


So I decided to find a new way to the Acropolis with the intention of losing my way in the Plaka - which I did. But I stumbled upon a most remarkable trail to the Acropolis, signposted with paint on red brick walls and whitewashed fences. The narrow winding lane which climbed what I assumed to be the slope leading up to the Acropolis took me through small sturdy houses as if straight out of a postcard.

Wednesday 19 December 2007

Apollo's lyre


Hostel's right at the heart of the Plaka. The historical neighbourhood of Athens. A labyrinth of narrow streets.


Finding the hostel itself was bad enough. I made circles around the Plaka, straight lines up and down streets and right angles at intersections. I pass local Greek #1 twice. He catches my eye. I'm about to open my mouth. He points down the street and says, 'Hostel.' No brainer there: me looking lost with backpack. Kind soul.


Stepping out of a restaurant with a pork souvlaki, I decide to look for the Acropolis in the dark of night. A few twists and turns and I see it looming up before me on a high plateau with steep cliffs, gleaming white in the bright light of powerful spotlights.


Lost again. But making my way in the general upwards direction, I find myself at the locked entrance. Then the Areopagus: a rocky outcrop approximately 115 metres high (according to the information plaque). And there before me, lay all of Athens.


Lost again. Yes, again. But a Greek melody on the wind finds me instead, directs me through candlelit open-air restaurants and keeps me company till I find my hostel. A blessing from Apollo himself perhaps. In the land of friendly Greeks.

Tribute


Train to Vienna is delayed by 15 minutes: typical for trains departing from the Czech Republic, according to Camel. Brno's train station is nostalgic: not just because of its neo-Baroque columns supporting a lofty ceiling but also its old departure-arrivals board on which plates of letters and numbers flip noisily every now and then as the board refreshes the times and destinations of trains. One of the many things I find most captivating.

***


Vienna. Random thought of the day: Cold weather is cool because you can pretend that you're smoking and hanging with the 'in' gang every time your breath condenses upon exhalation. So this is how it feels like.


***


Flight to Athens is delayed by an hour. Bought a guidebook at the airport bookshop. I now have three in my bag: Frommer's, which is my favourite because it is the most informative of the three; Lonely Planet, for its chapter on Greek history and just-in-cases; as well as the new Eyewitness, just because it's pretty.


***


A tribute to my wonderful guide. And lovely host. But above all, my good friend Camel.

Tuesday 18 December 2007

Brno

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic. Admittedly, it's not quite as beautiful as Prague. Check that. It's not quite as grand and ostentatious as Prague. But I think Brno is beautiful in its own way.

Baroque Parnas fountain

The city centre is still rather busy. But not quite busy. More like busy in a town marketplace way with many people bustling about their businesses.

Brno Town Hall

However, there are quiet nooks and crannies to explore which zig-zag their way through the city up to the hill on which Petrov Cathedral stands. Little parks with benches for you to sit and contemplate. It's a lovely place.

St. Thomas' Augustinian Abbey

So there we were, walking aimlessly around Brno. Camel tries to think of interesting places we can visit in Brno (it's always a problem if you're a local). I follow contentedly whilst soaking up the sun and appreciating the environment (easy when someone's showing you around). An unusual couple we were: black hair against brown, blue eyes against chinky squints and yellow skin against white.


We can visit the brewery. I wrinkle my nose in disgust at the very thought of it. What about St. Thomas' Abbey? What's there? It's an abbey. I resist the strong urge to roll my eyes. Gregor Mendel was a priest there. Double take. Gregor Mendel? The Gregor Mendel? Father of modern genetics? Ya.


Brisk walk. And we arrive at the abbey. It's been converted to the Mendel Museum of Genetics with displays of his personal belongings alongside his life story. His very own notes detailing his experiments were also exhibited with an explanation on his discoveries.


The grounds are quiet. Around the ruins of the greenhouse where Mendel supposedly conducted his experiments on peas, Augustinian monks make their way to religious duties, their robes brushing against the graveled paths. The quiet environment is conducive for contemplation as Mendel strides across the courtyard into his greenhouse where his discoveries will revolutionize the study of modern-day Biology.

Petrov Cathedral


View of Brno from the bell tower of Petrov Cathedral


Monday 17 December 2007

Prague at night

Christmas market at Old Town Square
Christmas market at Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Monument

National Museum

Prague State Opera

Prague Castle with St. Vitus' Cathedral at Lesser Town

Old Town Hall

Astronomical Clock

Old Town Hall

"The floor is original." The highlight of the day was definitely the tour around Prague's Old Town Hall. "Ceiling original." In spite of the old tour guide who sounded just as animated as the London tube's female announcer, I actually found the whole place very interesting indeed. "This way please."


The Old Town Hall consists of four houses. (The fifth was bombed during World War II and never rebuilt. A plaque dedicated to those who lost their lives in the war now stands at the site.) These houses were obtained by the Old Town Hall over the years as Prague got bigger and wealthier. As a result, the Old Town Hall resembles a layered cake of different flavours.


Basement rooms consist of medieval farmhouses which used to be at ground level before the ground of modern-day Prague was raised to prevent flooding. Ground floor rooms consist of Gothic houses once owned by merchants and nobles of the town. First floor rooms on the other hand, are lavishly decorated in the stately style of the Baroque period. In a similar fashion to that of St. Vitus' Cathedral, the Old Town Hall sports a neo-Classical facade enclosing its varied interior.

Views from its tower