#bradenburg tour

[deleosdella]

Bradenburg Gate, Berlin Germany

[averymclaren]

#explorein15days

**Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on travel. These are just my experiences.**

I will be covering itineraries & things I wish I had known prior.

Airports

Avoid the hassle. Make sure your iPad, laptop, & cell phone are in the box. Have all your liquids (must be less than 100mL) in a clear plastic bag. Take off your watches/belts. 

Ireland - Limerick & Dublin

Transport: rented an automatic car ahead of time because Irish transit is not very reliable.

Accommodation: stayed at the place I had been renting.

Day 1 - Limerick - walked across bridge of River Shannon to see hanging flower baskets & St John’s Castle (not worth paying to go up).

Day 2 - Dublin - drove past Guinness storehouse. Walked past the Spire & people watched at St James’ Park.

France - Paris

Transport: shuttle, taxi, bus, metro (beware of strikes)

Accommodation: hotel

Day 1 - Louvre (prebooked tickets), Arc de Triomphe, Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Trocadero (splendid view of Tour Eiffel from here/live music)

Day 2 - Notre Dame Cathedral, Tour Eiffel (took lift up which cost monies), Galleries LaFayette 

Germany - Berlin

Transport: U-Bahn, S train

Accommodation: hotel

Day 1 - Bradenburger Tor (Bradenburg Gate), Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Großer Tiergarten, Reichstag Building (Bundestag - free prebooked tickets), Alexanderplatz - market, Potsdamer Platz/Sony Center/Mall of Berlin, metro past Museum Island

Italy - Rome, Pisa, Venice

Transport: shuttle, taxi, bus, metro, Italiarail; NB: must purchase tickets ahead of time for transit from a Tabacchi (tobacco shop or the metro - cannot buy on the bus).

Accommodation: hotel

Day 1 - Roma - Colosseo, Palatine Hill, Roman Forvm (all 3 prebooked tickets), Fontani de Trevi, Pantheon (did not go inside)

Day 2 - Roma - St Peter’s Square see the Pope for free, St Peter’s Basilica free BUT MAKE SURE YOU COVER YOUR LEGS/SHOULDERS, Vatican Museums (gorgeous) & Sistine Chapel (underwhelming - no picture taking allowed) (both prebooked tickets) 

Day 3 - Pisa - Torre de Pisa

Day 4 - Venizia - aqua bus to Rialto Bridge & walked the side streets

Spain - Barcelona

Transport: metro, light rail, bus, train - got a Hola! BCN pass for unlimited transit within Barça.

Accommodation: hotel

Day 1 - Casa Batllo (prebooked tickets - not worth imo), La Pedrera aka Casa Mila (prebooked tickets - not worth imo), Platja Barceloneta, Basilica Sagrada Familia (prebooked tickets - ultra worth it)

Day 2 - Parc Guell (prebooked tickets - ultra worth it), Platja Barceloneta 

[ashleightanccd]

The Plastinarium

http://www.plastinarium.de/en/plastinarium_e/the_plastinarium_what_is_it.html

Inaugurated in 2006 by physician and inventor Gunther von Hagens, the Plastinarium resides in Guden/Bradenburg combines the “moving experience of seeing a a BODY WORLDS Exhibition with an opportunity to witness firsthand, and see some practically steps of Plastination.”

Plastination is a technique or process used in anatomy to persevere bodies or body parts where the body parts are replaced by certain plastics... This ultimately means that the yielding specimens can be touched without smell or the decay while retaining most properties of the original sample.

There are four different components of this museum that you can take a tour of:

- The history of anatomy alongside the preservation techniques and the initial development of Plastination

- Teaching workshop where participants work through anatomical dissection and positioning with different individual bodily systems

- The gallery where samples are shown of the BODY WORLDS of animals

- The showroom where numerous different individual and whole-body palatinates of humans and animals reside

Above image: Silicone plastination

Above image: Slice plastinates

Above image: Blood vessel configurations 

[schu-pinn]

I have nothing to do while I wait for my cello lesson, so here we go!

1. I play piano and cello!

2. Clarinet is actually my favorite orchestra instrument

3. Least favorite are the basses.. always out of tune sorry guys

4. Elgar’s enigma variations kinda describes my life? Because I believe music can describe people, and each of Elgar’s variations was a portrait of his friends/family.

5. Saddest piece I’ve heard .... probably sibelius violin concerto? Idk. The saddest piece I’ve played is Fauré’s Elegy on the cello.

6. Happiest piece I’ve played is mozart’s magic flute overture. It brings back good memories

7. I’ve been playing piano for 10 years and cello for 6

8. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve decided my dream occupation is to be a music professor. If I don’t major in music though, it’ll be psychology

9. Favorite era: impressionist, neo classical, and of course romantic

10. Favorite composers (in order): Debussy, Chopin, Schumann, Ravel, Scriabin, Bach, Haydn (couldn’t choose one of course!)

11. Favorite chamber music piece: Schubert’s quintet in C, also Dvorak’s serenade for strings, but I don’t think it counts as chamber

12. Favorite symphony: brahms’ first? Any of tchaikovky’s? Or new world? I can’t decide

13. Not exactly what comes to mind at the thought of a concerto, but I love Bach’s bradenburg concerto no 3 dearly.

14. Without music, life would b flat (we’ve all heard that one before)

15. I would tell my past self to stick with music, and it’s not a burden despite my mom making me practice every day. It would take time, but soon I would start to enjoy what I was doing instead of forcing my way through it because mom said I had to. Music would become the best thing about my life, and there’s so much more to it than just practice and theory.

16. A minor is def my favorite key

17. I hate F major, it’s so hard to play on the piano. Also any key with too much accidentals

18. I never had a “huge” musical accomplishment. I won 2nd place in a tiny honors recital when I was 9 but that didn’t really feel like anything. I was principal cellist for a few months in my youth symphony, but I dont consider that a big accomplishment either (i only became principal because a bunch of people left). I‘ll say it’s going on tour in the Uk/ireland with my youth symphony.

19. Yep I come from a musical family. My mom is an amateur singer and her mom is a choir conductor, my uncle is a pianist and conductor, and my paternal grandma is an amateur pianist. Also, my brother plays piano and clarinet, my sister just plays piano.

20. Most difficult piano piece I’ve played: Chopin’s 3rd ballade and Schumann’s piano concerto (still working on it!)

Cello: Haydn’s concerto in C major (only played the 1st and 2nd movement though)

Hope you enjoy if you did read it!

Classical Music Questionnaire (reblog with your answers)

1. what instrument(s) do you play? 2. favorite instrument in an orchestra 3. least favorite instrument in an orchestra 4. piece of classical music that describes your life and why 5. saddest piece you’ve ever heard/played 6. happiest piece you’ve ever heard/played 7. how many years have you played your main instrument? 8. do you/are you going to pursue music as a career? if not what are you planning on majoring in? 9. favorite era 10. favorite composer 11. favorite chamber music piece 12. favorite symphony 13. favorite concerto 14. favorite music joke/pun/riddle 15. what would you tell your past musical self if you could give them one piece of advice right now? 16. favorite key 17. least favorite key 18. biggest musical accomplishment 19. do you come from a musical family? 20. most difficult piece you’ve ever learned

[domhovasse]

Europe 3.0

My friends arrived in Paris late on the 7th, so I met up with them at one of the RER stations and help them grab the keys to their airbnb. For whatever reason, they didn’t ask me about what areas to stay in so their airbnb was on the edge of the city, way far from everything, so it was a huge pain to get to and from their place. Once my friends were settled into their airbnb, we went to a few bars in the Oberkampf area, and had quite a memorable night. The next morning, I slept through my alarm, was almost 3 hours late to meet up with Alisha, Kirsten’s roommate who I met when I was in Lyon, and I also realized I forgot Mamiho’s keys at Lara and Timnit’s airbnb. Since Alisha had arrived very early in the morning, she had asked me if I could store her backpack at Mamiho’s for half the day until check-in time. After grabbing Alisha’s bags from her and bringing them to Mamiho’s, I met up for coffee with my dearest Italian friend Chiara. She was in a few of my classes during the semester and we hit it off really well! Definitely will have to visit her in Bologna next time I’m in Europe! :) After coffee, most of my day was spent taking the metro to pick up the key, bringing it back to Mamiho’s, getting Alisha’s stuff, and walking her to her hostel down the street. After I had a bit of time to relax at Mamiho’s and pack, I met up with Alisha for dinner at a cute cafe on Île Saint-Louis, near the Notre Dame. This was the very first cafe I went to with Rowen at the beginning of my trip, so it was quite nice to come full circle and have my last meal out at the same cafe! After dinner, I met up with Lara and Timnit at Place de la République. Along with Rohini, and one of our good friends Lydia, we went to one of my favourite bars in the 12th, called Le Comptoir Général. It was an early night out for me, but a great way to spend my last night with some good friends!

My last day in Paris was spent with Lara and Timnit, showing them around and getting lunch together in the Marais. Because they had done no sight seeing at all the previous day, I attempted to show them as much of Paris as possible, including Pompidou, Hôtel de Ville, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower in the evening, just before sunset. From there I showed them the Arc de Triomphe, and Champs Elysées before letting them take a look at the Pyramides du Louvre while I met up with my friends Simone and Lydia to say goodbye!  There is way too much to say about my travelling, but I’m going to attempt to summarize most of it anyways. That night, I hopped on an overnight bus to Amsterdam. My friends decided to join me the following day, as they didn’t want to spend a whole night on a bus, but they ended up missing their bus and catching the next one a little later in the day. I can’t say I was surprised when they broke the news to me, but because of the circumstances, I had to spend most of the day in Amsterdam alone. I started off the day by wandering around the streets, and trying to find the Hillsong location so I could go to church, but I couldn’t for the life of me find it, so I decided to go back to the hostel and spend a bit of time getting some things done online, before going on a walking tour. When the walking tour was done, I went back to the hostel to meet up with Lara and Timnit. We spent the evening on a Red Light District walking tour, which was actually super interesting. We then spent almost the entire night just walking around the Red Light District, mostly people watching. The following day, we walked around a lot and hit up most of the tourist attractions, including the Amsterdam sign, Heineken Factory, Anne Frank House. After dinner we went to an ice bar, where we enjoyed some beverages out of ice glasses. I had already been to a better one in Prague, but decided to accompany my friends and give this one a try anyways. Our last half-day in Amsterdam was spent on a Heineken boat river cruise, where we drank beer and enjoyed Amsterdam’s beauty from the water. After going back the the hostel and grabbing our things, we caught a bus to the Eindhoven airport (about 1.5 hours outside of Amsterdam), and from there caught our flight to Copenhagen. 

We arrived in Copenhagen after dark, so didn’t get up to anything at all after arriving at our hostel. The following morning, we ate an overpriced, underwhelming breakfast at our hostel, before heading out. It took Lara and Timnit way longer to get ready than me, so I decided to head out before them just to walk around and explore a little. I then met up with Timnit and Lara, and we spent most of the afternoon on a walking tour of the city.  On our second day, Lara and I went for breakfast at this really cool cafe called Laundromat. Essentially it’s a laundromat & a cafe, so people can enjoy food/coffee while they wait for their laundry to clean/dry. We then rented bikes from our hostel and spent most of the day biking around the city. First, we stopped to checkout Christiania, a ‘freetown’ in the middle of Copenhagen. This was probably one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen, and felt almost like an out of body experience. Essentially, the area consists of former military barracks, which eventually became inhabited by squatters, and is now a self-proclaimed autonomous anarchist community, governed by their own laws. It’s a bit of a hippy town where marijuana is sold and used, while it is still considered illegal in the city of Copenhagen itself. From there we biked to Nyhavn to enjoy an ice cream with a beautiful view of the pier, before ending our day at the Little Mermaid statue. (Hans Christian Andersen, the author of The Little Mermaid fairy tale was Danish). That evening, we decided to do a pub crawl, since a friend of mine had recommended it. It was actually really fun; we met a ton of people and danced all night long. Our last day was spent mostly eating and lazying around. Before heading to the airport to catch our 4pm flight to Berlin, we got lunch, walked around the area near our hostel, and sat in a park for a while.

Berlin was definitely not what I expected, but it actually surprised me a lot, and it’s definitely somewhere I would’ve loved to spend more time. We arrived in the evening, took the S bahn to our hostel and got dinner (Kebabs), before getting ready to go out. We were sharing our 6 bed dorm with 3 British boys who had already been in Berlin for a few days, so we ended up tagging along with them and all going out together. Because we didn’t get back to our hostel until the morning, we slept in for a bit, then I went for a walk along the East Side Gallery and took some pictures while Timnit and Lara were still getting ready. We then went to Bundestaag/Parliament building (I was able to reserve tickets ahead of time), and we walked around that area to the Bradenburg gate. After failing to get into possibly the most ‘famous’ club in the world, because it’s nearly impossible to be let into, we went to a really cool club on the water, where I was on the verge of falling asleep the entire night. After a good sleep-in, day 2 was spent on an “alternative walking tour” which was a really interesting tour about Berlin’s street art scene and ‘grungy’ lifestyle. After the tour, we walked a bit of the Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery), and then took the U bahn over to Mauer Park, where there’s a cool outdoor flea market on Sundays. We got there a little late into the afternoon, so people were emptying out and the vendors were already cleaning up/ taking down their stalls when we arrived. Earlier in the day, our tour guide from the alternative tour swindled us into going on a Pub Crawl that night, so after dinner, we spent the night socializing and dancing with new friends. 

[alexander40wong]

5 Of The Best European Cities To Go Running In

Let’s be honest. When you think about holidays, you’re probably imagining relaxing, eating, drinking and dancing (if you’re feeling lively). But we reckon you can also combine keeping fit with taking in the sights of a new city – especially if you’re deep into marathon training. And of course after jogging several miles you’ll certainly be able to truthfully describe the views as “breathtaking”. So pack your trainers and your partner or mates and scope out these five running routes. You’ll certainly earn that first glass of wine, beer or gin on your weekend away (make mine a large).

Pound the pavements in Paris

Paris is pretty flat and you can run along one of the most famous rivers in the world, La Seine. This city’s also noted for its parks and wide boulevards so it doesn’t really matter where you stay, you’ll find somewhere to strap on your trainers and hit the streets. There’s also several running tours you can take if you don’t want to plan your own route. They usually throw in some local information (especially where to go for breakfast afterwards).

The Paris Marathon is for die-hard runners – but you could always warm up with a fun run with a twist. The Love Run  sees participants joined to a partner by the wrist. Yes, you’re in it together, for the 7km park route starting at the Bois de Boulogne. And you’re positively encouraged to raid the dressing up box for this race.

Running dates for your diary:

Love Run Paris: 19th March 2017 – our package includes travel, accommodation and tickets from £129pp – book here

Paris Marathon: 9th April 2017

More things to do in Paris

Prague parks will get you motivated

Running over the Charles Bridge in Prague

If you need a running route to inspire you, then Prague is the place to chalk up some kilometres. You’ll have lots to look at as the city is one of the prettiest in Europe and the hills will really give you a good workout. We recommend the Letna park run which is 3.8km. The route might be short – but it’s set up perfectly for laps if you’re feeling particularly energetic.

The run starts next to the home of world famous football team Sparta Prague, so there are loads of public transport options to get you there. You also get views of the entire city including the old town, historic bridges across the Vltava river and the baroque buildings that make up Prague’s skyline. Take your phone – your Instagram followers will love this one.

Running dates for your diary: 

Prague International Marathon – 7th May 2017 More things to do in Prague

Catch up with the sights in Copenhagen

Our Old Town route is 10km and takes in a large amount of this Scandinavian city. The run starts near the City Hall (Radhus) plaza (Radhuspladsen) next to the world famous Tivoli gardens. You can tick off Nyhavn (New Harbor) and the Little Mermaid statue as well as the landmark department store Illum, the new opera house and many of Copenhagen’s forts, churches and canals on your way.

By covering off a lot of the main shopping district, the old harbour, the royal palace and the university district in one go you’ll be free to spend the rest of your time relaxing with a pint of Carlsberg and a Danish pastry.

Running dates for your diary:

Copenhagen Marathon – 21st May 2017

More things to do in Copenhagen

Get out of breath in Budapest

Budapest Panorama from Mount Gellert – © budapestinfo.hu

Ok, our steep Gellert Hill run is 2.2 km so you’re going to have to be a fan of those hills. But think of the views, just think of the views. It’s a 336ft total ascent and has a maximum elevation of 710ft – but at least it’s short. And we mentioned the views, right?

And as Budapest has held the official title of ‘City of Spas’ since 1934 you can relax afterwards in one of the cities most famous and beautiful bathhouses. Next to the Liberty Bridge, within the Gellért Hotel, are the Gellért Baths. They opened in 1918 and you can enjoy the Art Nouveau architecture while you soak.

Running dates for your diary: 

Budapest Marathon – 15th October 2017

More things to do in Budapest

Run around London (before everyone wakes up)

Big Ben provides the running backdrop

London is one of the premier cities in the world for running – and home to one of the most famous marathons on the planet. There’s loads of parks to run around, and the Embankment is a good way to see Tower Bridge and Somerset House, but we’ve gone for this London North to South Westminster run at 12.36km.

The capital centre is notorious for being ridiculously busy during rush hour, and even at the weekend. Keen runners shouldn’t fret though – because as anyone who has seen 28 Days Later will attest, London is at its most beautiful early in the morning. And this run is definitely worth setting the alarm for.

You start at the Palace of Westminster in the shadow of Big Ben,  loop into north London and back again for just over 12km. Taking in Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Regents Park, Regents Canal, London Zoo and Primrose Hill, you’ll finish back by the river ready for some breakfast.

Running dates for your diary: 

London Marathon – 23rd April 2017

More things to do in London

Which cities have you been running in?

Bradenburg Gate -Berlin

Have you always wanted to run through Berlin or take a dreamy jog around Vienna? Maybe the beach in Barcelona is where you want to get your Baywatch on?

Let us know your favourite running routes by leaving a comment below.

The post 5 Of The Best European Cities To Go Running In appeared first on lastminute.com Blog.

from lastminute.com Blog http://www.lastminute.com/blog/best-running-cities/

[shaunstoffer]

What brought me to Berlin? Quite frankly I found a cheap one-way ticket for $250 flying overnight from my home in Orlando, Florida. I had heard the reviews about Norwegian Air being a sketchy budget airline but have to admit it was the best flight I’ve had in a long time. I had the whole row to myself and watched movies the entire flight. The only gimmick is that everything costs something while flying Norwegian from baggage to meals to even headphones. However if you plan accordingly and bring your own meal and headphones like myself you won’t have much to complain about. Berlin, on the other hand, was simply an “it” city I had no reason not to visit on my way to Prague, Czech Republic to undergo my TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certification. In other words, why not?

Memorial to the Murdered Jews: If you’ve come to Germany you’re hopefully here to learn about it’s history and there is no richer history than the tragedies that occurred in World War 2. This maze-like memorial leads into an underground exhibition however this aspect is meant to be left as an open interpretation for visitors according to the artist.Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp: A short train ride from Berlin, Sachsenhausen is one of the many camps with a dark history for their mistreatment those not deemed adequate to the German Reich.Reichstag Dome: An interesting visit which is by appointment only. This dome, which is several stories high, was built as a symbol of Germany’s reunification and uses its mirrors to reflect daylight in an effort to decrease carbon emissions throughout the remainder of the government building.Checkpoint Charlie:

TV Tower: One of the best viewpoints in Berlin for the price of 13 euros!Neue Wache (Mother with her Dead Son)Bradenburg Gate: The nonstop for tourist and tours, it is rare for this area not to be crowded in the mornings and early afternoons as it is the meeting point of several tour companies throughout Berlin.Museum Island/Berlin Cathedral: Arguably my favorite part of Berlin. You cannot miss out on visiting the several museums focused on different cultural histories such as German, Roman, and Greek. If museums are not quite for your taste visit the chapel, crypt, and take a stroll around the dome of the famous Berlin Cathedral.Berlin Wall: Not as menacing or intimidating as one would assume, that being said it’s something I think everyone has to see when visiting Berlin for the lone fact of what it represents — a country divided.Haus Schwarzenberg: I love alternative artwork. This alleyway breeds nothing but this and for the cost of nothing it’d be a foolish decision not to take a gander here.

Berlin Museum:Topography of Terror: I love learning about the history and for some reason I’ve always gravitated to warfare with World War 2 being at the top of my list. Why? I have no idea I just do, but if you’re anything like me the Topography of Terror is a historian’s paradise.Anne Frank Zentrum:Food & Drinks: Currywurst, pork knuckle, Bavarian pretzel, fresh squeezed orange and pomegranate juice, schnitzel, goulash and kebabs. For whatever reason currywursts and kebabs are to Germans like hamburgers and hotdogs are to Americans — they’re everywhere!  Apart from that make sure to try out the local German dishes especially the pork knuckle, but be warned the portions can be overbearing for the sub-par foodie.

My Berlin Bucket List What brought me to Berlin? Quite frankly I found a cheap one-way ticket for $250 flying overnight from my home in Orlando, Florida.