A story a friend of mine told me a while back but has just decided to make more public.
Low crime doesn't mean no crime! I applaud our police for their efforts to keep our streets safe.
Okay, most of you know that in a couple of my recent mails, I've been hinting strongly about something about me having a few choice words the sedition act.
Well, here's the catch. I've been arrested, dumped in cantoment's lockup for three and a half hours, had my statement taken twice, and let out on a 10k bail - it's lapsed since then, so I'm no longer on bail. Anyway, the investigation is still "ongoing", with my computer and laptop having been siezed "for investigation".
The backstory?
Here goes: Three months back (today's the third month anniversary of my case. whee.), I kind of made an enemy online, thanks to a little flaming session. Back then, it was the height of the Jyllands-Posten/Muhammed pictures issue, and following some moronic arguements of his (We'll call this guy FundieP) on Christianity against someone else, I couldn't help but step in, and pretty much publicly humiliated him.
Dumb thing however, was that FundieP knew of my blog, thanks to a sigining off signature generated automatically. And being the fundamentalist Christian he was, he sent me a mail, requesting that an earlier cartoon I had on the blog be removed. [Police annex A, taken from hamncheez.com - cartoon of a zombie version of Jesus biting on a little boy's head. Boy is asking "why is my messiah trying to eat my brain?" and line below says "on the third day, Jesus rose from his tomb"]
Well, to those who know me, I'm strongly anti-fundamentalist, so I dumbly didn't reply to that mail, and instead went to search for a couple more pictures to agitate FundieP. Bad idea. [Police annex B, C, D respectively: licenceplateworld.com - picture of licenceplate saying "jesus loves you, everyone else thinks you're an asshole"; somethingawful.com - fake CNN image of Jesus on paper; and somethingawful.com - edited photo of Last Temptation of Christ, with Jesus looking at a KFC bucket.]
Well, FundieP made a police report. About 2 weeks later, I had the police knocking, got my computer siezed, was arrested and dumped into hotel Cantoment for 3.5 hours, and let out on bail for breaching 4(1)(c)-290 - our beloved sedition act.
[4. —(1) Any person who — (c) prints, publishes, sells, offers for sale, distributes or reproduces any seditious publication; shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both, and, for a subsequent offence, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years; and any seditious publication found in the possession of that person or used in evidence at his trial shall be forfeited and may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as the court directs.]
6 days before I was due for a three and a half week US trip.
I was pretty much a nervous wreck those few days, I eventually went, although it took 2 of my best friends (and an insanely high US phone bill) to convince me that I would need the trip - my passport wasn't impounded, and the police extended the bail to 4 weeks to let me fly, although I almost wanted to call the flight off.
Switch back to present, and well, I've told the story to only a select few so far, but to be honest (and to sound stupid), I never actually decided to read the entire Sedition Act till today, after 3 months. Sure, I read the earlier portions (about section 1-5, but not the later portion. Yes, berate me on my stupidity, but I was seriously freaked out for that long to not notice article 6.
[Evidence. 6. Cap. 97. (2) No person shall be convicted of any offence referred to in section 4(1)(c) if such person proves that...he did not know and had no reason to believe that the publication had a seditious tendency.]
and, linking back,
[Seditious tendency. 3. —(1) A seditious tendency is a tendency — (e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.]
While Malays and Islam are interwined, it would take a long shot to link Christianity as a dividing issue between races or classes of the population of Singapore.
For an additional note, the Da Vinci Code would be probably be more seditious, if one goes by the severity of the "evidence" - mildly put, it virtually criminalises Christianity as a conspiracy, and that Christianity itself is illicit (Of course, all monotheist religions claim that all other religions are illicit anyway), plus, its publicity is about a few hundred times more (now showing?) than my now-defunct blog.
(anyway, I called the police today to ask on the case, as well as my computer, and the investigating officer sounded pretty miffed, just telling me that the case was still "under investigation")
When you can't live without bananas
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
The Singapore Politics Drinking Game
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Every time the Party, the State and the Government are conflated, drink once.
Every time you see a stupid ST Forum letter about how democracy and Freedom of Speech are bad for Singapore, drink once. If the letter ends with "Majulah Singapura", drink twice.
Every time you see the archived shot of MM Lee crying, drink once. If it is accompanied with moving music in the background, drink thrice.
Every time a new buzzword is thrown up, drink once. Every time we have a new silly acronym ("SPRING Singapore"), drink twice. Every time a new false dichotomy is introduced ("Stayers" vs "Quitters"; "Heartlanders" vs "Cosmopolitans"), drink thrice.
Every time a Minister says things like "save on one hairdo and use the money for breast screening", drink once. Every time someone else doesn't say whether they want tur kwa or not and we get a week long scandal in the media, drink twice.
Every time ministers get a pay rise following xxx years of no pay rise, drink once. Every time the CPF contribution rate is cut, drink twice. Every time the GST rate is raised and income tax for the top brackets cut, drink thrice.
Every time citizens get lectured for being choosy or grumbling, drink once.
Every time someone talks about Asian Values, drink once. Every time someone talks about the decadent West, drink twice. Every time we want to emulate the decadent West, drink thrice.
Every time a new ERP gantry goes up, drink once. Every time public transport fares go up, drink twice. Every time COE prices drop to S$50, smash the bottle.
Every time someone talks about radical English-educated intelligentsia or ivory tower academics, smash the bottle over said someone's head.
Every time a Progress Package or something similar is announced, buy more alcohol in preparation for more drinking ahead.
Every time the PAP wins an election despite high Opposition rally turnouts, discontent from many, promises that the tide will turn this time and to cries of "never again!", finish the whole bottle!
If alcoholic liver cirrhosis is added to the already insanely large appendix of 'diseases you cannot claim Medishield for', jump off a building.
Technorati tag: singaporedrinkinggame
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Every time the Party, the State and the Government are conflated, drink once.
Every time you see a stupid ST Forum letter about how democracy and Freedom of Speech are bad for Singapore, drink once. If the letter ends with "Majulah Singapura", drink twice.
Every time you see the archived shot of MM Lee crying, drink once. If it is accompanied with moving music in the background, drink thrice.
Every time a new buzzword is thrown up, drink once. Every time we have a new silly acronym ("SPRING Singapore"), drink twice. Every time a new false dichotomy is introduced ("Stayers" vs "Quitters"; "Heartlanders" vs "Cosmopolitans"), drink thrice.
Every time a Minister says things like "save on one hairdo and use the money for breast screening", drink once. Every time someone else doesn't say whether they want tur kwa or not and we get a week long scandal in the media, drink twice.
Every time ministers get a pay rise following xxx years of no pay rise, drink once. Every time the CPF contribution rate is cut, drink twice. Every time the GST rate is raised and income tax for the top brackets cut, drink thrice.
Every time citizens get lectured for being choosy or grumbling, drink once.
Every time someone talks about Asian Values, drink once. Every time someone talks about the decadent West, drink twice. Every time we want to emulate the decadent West, drink thrice.
Every time a new ERP gantry goes up, drink once. Every time public transport fares go up, drink twice. Every time COE prices drop to S$50, smash the bottle.
Every time someone talks about radical English-educated intelligentsia or ivory tower academics, smash the bottle over said someone's head.
Every time a Progress Package or something similar is announced, buy more alcohol in preparation for more drinking ahead.
Every time the PAP wins an election despite high Opposition rally turnouts, discontent from many, promises that the tide will turn this time and to cries of "never again!", finish the whole bottle!
If alcoholic liver cirrhosis is added to the already insanely large appendix of 'diseases you cannot claim Medishield for', jump off a building.
Technorati tag: singaporedrinkinggame
Post ID: 114962245711052331
Monday, June 05, 2006
I love these Prince Philip quotes:
Meeting Aborigines in Australia: "Do you still throw spears at each other?"
At a 1986 World Wildlife Fund meeting: "If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it."
Asking a driving instructor in Oban, Scotland: "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them to pass test?"
Told to a Briton in Hungary: "You can't have been here that long, you haven't got a pot belly."
During a state visit to China in 1986, he famously told a group of British students: "If you stay here much longer, you'll be all slitty-eyed!"
In 2001 he told a 13-year-old schoolboy he was 'too fat' to become an astronaut.
More recently he joked that the answer to London's traffic congestion was to 'ban tourists'.
Whilst on a tour of a factory in northern England, Prince Philip pointed out a fuse box that looked quite old. He said "it looks like it was made by an Indian!"
Said during a severe recession in 1981: "Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they're complaining they're unemployed."
On being introduced to the chairman of Britain's channel 4 television network: "So YOU'RE responsible for the kind of crap channel 4 produces."
On Fergie, the Duchess of York: "Her behavior was a bit odd. I don't see her because I do not see much point."
Comment when someone suggested in 1967 that a trip to Russia might improve diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the Soviets: "The bastards murdered half my family."
To grieving residents of Lockerbie, Scotland, during a 1993 visit after a plane exploded and crashed into the town, killing everyone on board and several people on the ground (and shortly after a fire swept through ONE wing of Windsor Castle): "People usually say that after a fire it's the water damage that's the worst. We're STILL trying to dry out Windsor castle."
On French Canadians during a visit to Toronto: "I can't understand a word they say. They slur all their words."
To further insult Canadians during a royal visit: "We don't come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves."
"When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife."
"I don't think a prostitute is more moral than a wife, but they are doing the same thing."
At the official opening of the new £56 million mathematics center at Cambridge University: "This is a lot less expensive than the Dome...And I think it's going to be a lot more useful."
To his wife the Queen, immediately after her coronation: "Where did you get that hat?"
Said to Tom Jones after the The Royal Variety Performance: "What do you gargle with - pebbles?"
Said to a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea: "You managed not to get eaten, then?"
Said to a childrens band in Australia: "You were playing your instruments, weren't you? Or do you have tape recorders under your seats?"
Said to a blind woman with a guide dog: "Do you know they have eating dogs for the anorexic now?"
Said to an islander in the Cayman Islands: "Aren't most of you descended from pirates?"
Said in Thailand, after accepting a conservation award: "Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species in the world."
Said to young deaf people in Cardiff, referring to a school's steel band: "Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf."
Said amid calls to ban firearms after the Dunblane shooting: "If a cricketer, for instance, suddenly decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to death with a cricket bat, which he could do very easily, I mean, are you going to ban cricket bats?"
Said in Kenya, to a native woman who had presented him with a small gift: "You are a woman, aren't you?"
Said to the President of Nigeria, who was dressed in traditional robes: "You look like you're ready for bed!"
Overheard at Bristol University's BLADE (Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamic Engineering) facility, which had been closed in order that he and the Queen could officially open it: "It doesn't look like much work goes on at this University"
Meeting Aborigines in Australia: "Do you still throw spears at each other?"
At a 1986 World Wildlife Fund meeting: "If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it."
Asking a driving instructor in Oban, Scotland: "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them to pass test?"
Told to a Briton in Hungary: "You can't have been here that long, you haven't got a pot belly."
During a state visit to China in 1986, he famously told a group of British students: "If you stay here much longer, you'll be all slitty-eyed!"
In 2001 he told a 13-year-old schoolboy he was 'too fat' to become an astronaut.
More recently he joked that the answer to London's traffic congestion was to 'ban tourists'.
Whilst on a tour of a factory in northern England, Prince Philip pointed out a fuse box that looked quite old. He said "it looks like it was made by an Indian!"
Said during a severe recession in 1981: "Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they're complaining they're unemployed."
On being introduced to the chairman of Britain's channel 4 television network: "So YOU'RE responsible for the kind of crap channel 4 produces."
On Fergie, the Duchess of York: "Her behavior was a bit odd. I don't see her because I do not see much point."
Comment when someone suggested in 1967 that a trip to Russia might improve diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the Soviets: "The bastards murdered half my family."
To grieving residents of Lockerbie, Scotland, during a 1993 visit after a plane exploded and crashed into the town, killing everyone on board and several people on the ground (and shortly after a fire swept through ONE wing of Windsor Castle): "People usually say that after a fire it's the water damage that's the worst. We're STILL trying to dry out Windsor castle."
On French Canadians during a visit to Toronto: "I can't understand a word they say. They slur all their words."
To further insult Canadians during a royal visit: "We don't come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves."
"When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife."
"I don't think a prostitute is more moral than a wife, but they are doing the same thing."
At the official opening of the new £56 million mathematics center at Cambridge University: "This is a lot less expensive than the Dome...And I think it's going to be a lot more useful."
To his wife the Queen, immediately after her coronation: "Where did you get that hat?"
Said to Tom Jones after the The Royal Variety Performance: "What do you gargle with - pebbles?"
Said to a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea: "You managed not to get eaten, then?"
Said to a childrens band in Australia: "You were playing your instruments, weren't you? Or do you have tape recorders under your seats?"
Said to a blind woman with a guide dog: "Do you know they have eating dogs for the anorexic now?"
Said to an islander in the Cayman Islands: "Aren't most of you descended from pirates?"
Said in Thailand, after accepting a conservation award: "Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species in the world."
Said to young deaf people in Cardiff, referring to a school's steel band: "Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf."
Said amid calls to ban firearms after the Dunblane shooting: "If a cricketer, for instance, suddenly decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to death with a cricket bat, which he could do very easily, I mean, are you going to ban cricket bats?"
Said in Kenya, to a native woman who had presented him with a small gift: "You are a woman, aren't you?"
Said to the President of Nigeria, who was dressed in traditional robes: "You look like you're ready for bed!"
Overheard at Bristol University's BLADE (Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamic Engineering) facility, which had been closed in order that he and the Queen could officially open it: "It doesn't look like much work goes on at this University"
Post ID: 114951672492949671
geekgeek: "Looking for racism where none actually exists is the most insidious form of racism"
I wonder what those who call for English to be reformed (getting rid of gendered nouns and the like) since language perpetuates and entrenches stereotypes would think of other languages where all nouns are gendered, and even the articles too (eg French, German).
Curious that sexist though those languages are, countries where those are the dominant language are not appreciably more sexist than those in which English reigns.
Some people just have too much time and want to see daggers where there are none.
Xephyris: "reform english, that's a good one
you might as well try to play a game of whackamole with infinite levels and try to beat hte last boss"
***
That said:
F**K it: 2 years ago, in 2004, I witness something even more drastic. It did not shock me but instead confirms all the whispering of ‘racial intolerance’ that has been going on for ages.
I remembered it happened during the Linkin’ Park Concert at the Padang. I was trying to catch a glimpse with 4 of my friends at the railings of the Supreme Court, along with many other people.
Mid-way through the event, we heard an arguement behind us. 2 young Malay males were arguing with a middle-aged Chinese woman with 2 kids. She was warning him not to smoke and blow smoke into her face. The 2 Malay males argued and blew some more smoke. The woman warned them again, pointing her finger at them. Then all hell broke loose. One of the Malay guy started to whack her, hitting her, head, back and all. She fell to the ground with a thug and was bleeding. The Malay kicked her like a dog when she was on the ground. It happened so fast and all 4 of us could only watch in shock. Suddenly all the rest of the people who were watchin the concert ran away, leaving only the 4 of us. When we tried to intervene, the attacker shouted ‘Fucking Chinese’ and challenged us. I never forget those words. It was then we realised that he had attacked the woman with a nail clipper, the sharp knife extended.
When he walked away, he scolded the woman ‘Fucking Chinese Bitch’, then kicked her again and spit at her. Her 2 kids were so scared and were hiding in another corner.
I will never forget this incident and I really wished that I had intervene sooner.
Racial harmony my foot! It’s people like these who are creating all this shit that makes us stare at each other with contempt.
Kudos to all those cowards who ran away at the time of this incident. All of u are deservingly pieces of shit.
jadeite: That’s horrendous!!
Why didn’t I ever hear about all these things happening in Singapore??
Me: That’s because Singapore is a harmonious, multi-racial country. Thanks to restrictions on freedom of speech, we do not have racial riots. Everything is perfect here, but the moment we have freedom of speech we’ll have riots and everyone will die.
Things like this and happy slapping only happen in the immoral and decadent West, where liberalism reigns unchecked. Giving people too many human rights results in racial and other violence. No such problem in Singapore.
I wonder what those who call for English to be reformed (getting rid of gendered nouns and the like) since language perpetuates and entrenches stereotypes would think of other languages where all nouns are gendered, and even the articles too (eg French, German).
Curious that sexist though those languages are, countries where those are the dominant language are not appreciably more sexist than those in which English reigns.
Some people just have too much time and want to see daggers where there are none.
Xephyris: "reform english, that's a good one
you might as well try to play a game of whackamole with infinite levels and try to beat hte last boss"
***
That said:
F**K it: 2 years ago, in 2004, I witness something even more drastic. It did not shock me but instead confirms all the whispering of ‘racial intolerance’ that has been going on for ages.
I remembered it happened during the Linkin’ Park Concert at the Padang. I was trying to catch a glimpse with 4 of my friends at the railings of the Supreme Court, along with many other people.
Mid-way through the event, we heard an arguement behind us. 2 young Malay males were arguing with a middle-aged Chinese woman with 2 kids. She was warning him not to smoke and blow smoke into her face. The 2 Malay males argued and blew some more smoke. The woman warned them again, pointing her finger at them. Then all hell broke loose. One of the Malay guy started to whack her, hitting her, head, back and all. She fell to the ground with a thug and was bleeding. The Malay kicked her like a dog when she was on the ground. It happened so fast and all 4 of us could only watch in shock. Suddenly all the rest of the people who were watchin the concert ran away, leaving only the 4 of us. When we tried to intervene, the attacker shouted ‘Fucking Chinese’ and challenged us. I never forget those words. It was then we realised that he had attacked the woman with a nail clipper, the sharp knife extended.
When he walked away, he scolded the woman ‘Fucking Chinese Bitch’, then kicked her again and spit at her. Her 2 kids were so scared and were hiding in another corner.
I will never forget this incident and I really wished that I had intervene sooner.
Racial harmony my foot! It’s people like these who are creating all this shit that makes us stare at each other with contempt.
Kudos to all those cowards who ran away at the time of this incident. All of u are deservingly pieces of shit.
jadeite: That’s horrendous!!
Why didn’t I ever hear about all these things happening in Singapore??
Me: That’s because Singapore is a harmonious, multi-racial country. Thanks to restrictions on freedom of speech, we do not have racial riots. Everything is perfect here, but the moment we have freedom of speech we’ll have riots and everyone will die.
Things like this and happy slapping only happen in the immoral and decadent West, where liberalism reigns unchecked. Giving people too many human rights results in racial and other violence. No such problem in Singapore.
Post ID: 114951216999643622
I was making onion-cream chicken ("Zwiebel-Sahne Hähnchen") and garlic herb potato pieces from mixes someone bought for me.
I thought we only had 1 baking tray, so I tried putting the chicken on a plate and shoving in into the oven, but it couldn't fit. Figuring that the potato pieces needed to be baked more than the chicken, I prioritised them.
After browning the 4 drumsticks, I put them and the sauce on the stove on medium heat. The chicken powder mix didn't dissolve properly in the cream - at first I thought I was screwed, but then I realised it was probably the onion bits.
The recipe for wedges calls for raw wedges but mine are pre-cooked slices. After 20 minutes in the oven the potatoes weren't crispy and I was supposed to turn them after 22 1/2 mins.
By the time I found the other oven tray and had transferred the chicken to it, the potato pieces were slightly overdone so I took them out of the even; in the end they crisped properly after all. So I had another baking tray to wash since I had to eat the chicken immediately (after microwaving it for 1 1/2 minutes to make sure it was cooked).
While eating, I realised that herb and garlic potato slices are not the best thing to eat with chicken with onion-cream sauce. I should've cooked rice to pour the sauce over, but I wanted to use up the 250g of pre-washed/peeled/sliced potatoes I had. Also, I'd added water to the onion-cream chicken because on the stove it was boiling down and I wanted to have some sauce at the end. Apparently it doesn't work that way because now I've a small layer of yellow water and a larger layer of sauce below it.
The worst part is I'm still hungry after 2 drumsticks and 250g of potatoes. Gah. This is what happens when you skip breakfast. At least for dinner I'll know to eat the 2 remaining drumsticks with rice.
I can always try making Zwiebel Sahne Hahnchen myself from a recipe, but not having access to whatever flavourings they add in for the extra kick, it won't be as nice.
I thought we only had 1 baking tray, so I tried putting the chicken on a plate and shoving in into the oven, but it couldn't fit. Figuring that the potato pieces needed to be baked more than the chicken, I prioritised them.
After browning the 4 drumsticks, I put them and the sauce on the stove on medium heat. The chicken powder mix didn't dissolve properly in the cream - at first I thought I was screwed, but then I realised it was probably the onion bits.
The recipe for wedges calls for raw wedges but mine are pre-cooked slices. After 20 minutes in the oven the potatoes weren't crispy and I was supposed to turn them after 22 1/2 mins.
By the time I found the other oven tray and had transferred the chicken to it, the potato pieces were slightly overdone so I took them out of the even; in the end they crisped properly after all. So I had another baking tray to wash since I had to eat the chicken immediately (after microwaving it for 1 1/2 minutes to make sure it was cooked).
While eating, I realised that herb and garlic potato slices are not the best thing to eat with chicken with onion-cream sauce. I should've cooked rice to pour the sauce over, but I wanted to use up the 250g of pre-washed/peeled/sliced potatoes I had. Also, I'd added water to the onion-cream chicken because on the stove it was boiling down and I wanted to have some sauce at the end. Apparently it doesn't work that way because now I've a small layer of yellow water and a larger layer of sauce below it.
The worst part is I'm still hungry after 2 drumsticks and 250g of potatoes. Gah. This is what happens when you skip breakfast. At least for dinner I'll know to eat the 2 remaining drumsticks with rice.
I can always try making Zwiebel Sahne Hahnchen myself from a recipe, but not having access to whatever flavourings they add in for the extra kick, it won't be as nice.
Post ID: 114950669710661252
This is da bomb! I love these fringe benefits.
Someone: fucking funny!
the shouting is so realistic!
and the handphone ring tone
classic!
hahaha
barebodied guys
bo liao indeed but good social commentary
how ndp is really seen in the minds of some people
the rubbish bin is symbolic of all the hours burnt by ns men for useless stuff
Post ID: 114949864000281144
Germany trip: Berlin - 27/5 (Part 3), 28/5 (Part 1)
Germany trip: 27/5 Berlin
After the tour, xxoos and I, our curiosity piqued by an advertisement we saw that promised 2 football fields of food, went to the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), a huge shopping centre. Unfortunately, the price was not to our liking (even though xxoos has proclaimed that she has no budget). We were also slightly disappointed because half of the 6th floor was filled with half-prepared food to bring home instead of cooked food you could eat on the spot; the 7th floor had a restaurant but from the 6th it looked even more expensive so we passed. The only thing priced similarly to the rest of Berlin was the ice cream - €1/kugel.
We ended up in a restaurant near the Zoo train station.
She had boring schnitzel (which we had earlier in the day, too) but I was more adventurous and had stuffed cabbage (with meat inside) with mashed potatoes in bacon gravy. It was fantastic.
xxoos then played with her camera to produce a series of images of me by candlelight, one of which has been posted on this blog already to near-unanimous cries of pain and anguish. One of the few people who likes the picture is a Gackt fan. Somehow this does not surprise me.
xxoos claims that by not squashing my arms they look less fat, and opening the fingers makes them look longer and slimmer. Uhh...
In the Berlin subway the machine asks you to "cancel" your ticket before you travel. Wth.
In some stations in the Berlin metro you have multiple lines using the same tunnel and having passengers get on and off at the same platform. You only get this with German efficiency! Apparently it's a relic from the Prussian days.
In London you have announcements telling you to Mind The Gap. In Berlin they need to tell you to mind the platform - one train I was on was lower than the platform so I tripped (but didn't fall) when exiting the car.
Germany trip: 28/5 Berlin
xxoos wanted to go on the Third Reich walking tour and I wanted to view a museum, so we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up in the afternoon.
I had quarktasche (quark pastry) for breakfast. It was interesting, but I prefer my quark cold, sweet and with fruit. Incidentally quark is a German dairy product made with buttermilk. It's like yoghurt, except not sour. I dislike yoghurt, but kwark (as it's called here) is nice.
I visited the Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) first. There were concessions for schoolchildren, students (apparently distinct from schoolchildren) and people in compulsory military or community service. Hah! One great thing was that a concession ticket (for students at least) was only €4, a student day ticket to 50+ state-owned Berlin museums €6 (IIRC) and the best bit was that a 3-day ticket to the 50+ museums was only €7,50 - less than it cost for one day at the Louvre. The woman at the counter told me it was valid for 4 days, but I don't think the Germans have a different conception of time where 3 days doesn't include the first day of validity so it was probably for 3.
The Gemäldegalerie was huge. They have 3000 paintings but display only 1500 at a time. Nonetheless, that's a lot of paintings. And the audioguide was free too, albeit needing a deposit of an identity card or some such (how many audioguides do museums lose each year, I wonder?)
The 15th and 16th century German paintings had a style which I'd almost never seen before, one best described as "Weird" and unnatural. For example:
Lucas Cranach - Johannes Carion, 1530
The head and body are out of proportion, making the guy look like the Kingpin
I think the reason I was unsettled was that there's a grasping tendency towards some of the ideals of Renaissance portrayal of human figures, but they're still held back by Medieval stiltedness, resulting in a very odd blend. At least in Medieval art you expect the stiltedness, but here it's neither here nor there. Alternatively this may be why the most famous painters don't come from Germany.
Meister des Aachener Altars (Master of the Aachen Altar) - Die anbetung der heiligen drei konige
Here, the people's faces look pudgy and porcine, especially the Nubian King's, and the Virgin Mary's
Another piece from the Antwerp Master had one woman who looked like she was from the Karen in Burma - her neck was horrendously elongated. I've never been so struck by a neck in a painting. One may point out the Antwerp is in Belgium, so it's not a German thing, but the Flemish/Dutch pictures I've seen elsewhere aren't like that so maybe Germans like such pictures. Also, the German paintings from this period were more hideous than the Flemish ones - walking down from the German to the Dutch/Flemish sections, the paintings got nicer, giving further credence to my theory/ies; the Italian ones were the best, of course.
Petrus Christus - Portrait of a young woman, 1470
Die thronende Madonna - Quentin Massys, 1525
I don't think I've seen her bestowing her kiss before.
Hendrick de Clerck - Minerva and the Muses, undated
Cornelis de Vos - Magdalena and Jan Baptist de Vos, 1621/2
Jan Gossaert - Neptune and Amphitrite, 1516
I was annoyed by the conch shell. Which reminds me - I've seen sculpted penises before, but I can't recall any painted ones.
Piero di Cosimo - Venus, Mars and Eros, 1505
Venus has conquered Mars despite his armour. I've no idea wth the cherubs are doing in the picture - perhaps it's syncretism. And at first I thought Mars was a female.
Cima da Conegliano - Madonna and Child Enthroned with St. Peter, St. Romuald, St. Benedict, and St. Paul - 1495/1497
I was struck by the incredible painted mosaic. It's based on a real mosaic in St Marco's Church in Venice
Rosso Fiorentino, Portrait of a Young Man - 1516/18
Why would anyone want such a disturbing portrait?! The sitter must've been truly disturbed to want this.
I saw more paintings of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding. Apparently it's a common theme in paintings and is a references to Luke 11.
Oberdeutsch, Szenen aus dem leben des hl Bruno und der geschichte des kartauserodens
The KKK-like headdress disturbs me. I know the Cisternians had white habits - but the pointy hood?!
Michele di Matteo da Bologna, Zehn einzelgestalten von heiligen vad engeln (undated)
Orazio Gentileichi, David and the Head of Goliath - 1610/12
He looks pensive rather than triumphant
Giovanni Paolo Panini, Fantasy landscape with Roman monuments - 1735
Giovanni Paolo Panini, Setting out of Duke de Choiseul from St Peter's Square in Rome - 1754
Maria Angelica Kauffmann - Bacchantin, 1782
This female painter was forbidden to go to art school so her family got private tutors. Or something.
Pompeo Girolamo Baton - Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, 1756
Vermeer - Woman with a pearl necklace
Neo-classicism is my favourite school of art.
Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael - Kuchenstuck mit dem gleichais von grossen gastmahl, 1605
This piece takes art symbolism too far. The onion, carrot and artichokes are aphrodisiacs, spitting the chicken is a sexual reference, the fish is an erotic symbol and the basket of eggs represents sensuality. In the background there's a biblical scene with the parable of the feast. The juxtaposition is supposed to be some sort of commentary.
Throende Maria mit dem Segnenden kind & Hl. Petronius, Katharina, Alexandrien, Dominic & Apollonia
Antonio Allegri, gen. Correggio - Leda and the Swan, 1532
A duke commissioned this piece for his mistress's apartment. A French dauphin took offence at it and in a fit of religious frenzy cut it up. It was restored but the head was destroyed. Gah.
Titian - Venus and the Organist, 1550/2
Sofonisba Anguissola - Portrait of Bianca Ponzoni Anguissola, 1557
Giovanni Battista Maroni - Duke of Albuquerque Don Gabriel de la Cueva, 1560
After the tour, xxoos and I, our curiosity piqued by an advertisement we saw that promised 2 football fields of food, went to the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), a huge shopping centre. Unfortunately, the price was not to our liking (even though xxoos has proclaimed that she has no budget). We were also slightly disappointed because half of the 6th floor was filled with half-prepared food to bring home instead of cooked food you could eat on the spot; the 7th floor had a restaurant but from the 6th it looked even more expensive so we passed. The only thing priced similarly to the rest of Berlin was the ice cream - €1/kugel.
We ended up in a restaurant near the Zoo train station.
She had boring schnitzel (which we had earlier in the day, too) but I was more adventurous and had stuffed cabbage (with meat inside) with mashed potatoes in bacon gravy. It was fantastic.
xxoos then played with her camera to produce a series of images of me by candlelight, one of which has been posted on this blog already to near-unanimous cries of pain and anguish. One of the few people who likes the picture is a Gackt fan. Somehow this does not surprise me.
xxoos claims that by not squashing my arms they look less fat, and opening the fingers makes them look longer and slimmer. Uhh...
In the Berlin subway the machine asks you to "cancel" your ticket before you travel. Wth.
In some stations in the Berlin metro you have multiple lines using the same tunnel and having passengers get on and off at the same platform. You only get this with German efficiency! Apparently it's a relic from the Prussian days.
In London you have announcements telling you to Mind The Gap. In Berlin they need to tell you to mind the platform - one train I was on was lower than the platform so I tripped (but didn't fall) when exiting the car.
Germany trip: 28/5 Berlin
xxoos wanted to go on the Third Reich walking tour and I wanted to view a museum, so we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up in the afternoon.
I had quarktasche (quark pastry) for breakfast. It was interesting, but I prefer my quark cold, sweet and with fruit. Incidentally quark is a German dairy product made with buttermilk. It's like yoghurt, except not sour. I dislike yoghurt, but kwark (as it's called here) is nice.
I visited the Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) first. There were concessions for schoolchildren, students (apparently distinct from schoolchildren) and people in compulsory military or community service. Hah! One great thing was that a concession ticket (for students at least) was only €4, a student day ticket to 50+ state-owned Berlin museums €6 (IIRC) and the best bit was that a 3-day ticket to the 50+ museums was only €7,50 - less than it cost for one day at the Louvre. The woman at the counter told me it was valid for 4 days, but I don't think the Germans have a different conception of time where 3 days doesn't include the first day of validity so it was probably for 3.
The Gemäldegalerie was huge. They have 3000 paintings but display only 1500 at a time. Nonetheless, that's a lot of paintings. And the audioguide was free too, albeit needing a deposit of an identity card or some such (how many audioguides do museums lose each year, I wonder?)
The 15th and 16th century German paintings had a style which I'd almost never seen before, one best described as "Weird" and unnatural. For example:
Lucas Cranach - Johannes Carion, 1530
The head and body are out of proportion, making the guy look like the Kingpin
I think the reason I was unsettled was that there's a grasping tendency towards some of the ideals of Renaissance portrayal of human figures, but they're still held back by Medieval stiltedness, resulting in a very odd blend. At least in Medieval art you expect the stiltedness, but here it's neither here nor there. Alternatively this may be why the most famous painters don't come from Germany.
Meister des Aachener Altars (Master of the Aachen Altar) - Die anbetung der heiligen drei konige
Here, the people's faces look pudgy and porcine, especially the Nubian King's, and the Virgin Mary's
Another piece from the Antwerp Master had one woman who looked like she was from the Karen in Burma - her neck was horrendously elongated. I've never been so struck by a neck in a painting. One may point out the Antwerp is in Belgium, so it's not a German thing, but the Flemish/Dutch pictures I've seen elsewhere aren't like that so maybe Germans like such pictures. Also, the German paintings from this period were more hideous than the Flemish ones - walking down from the German to the Dutch/Flemish sections, the paintings got nicer, giving further credence to my theory/ies; the Italian ones were the best, of course.
Petrus Christus - Portrait of a young woman, 1470
Die thronende Madonna - Quentin Massys, 1525
I don't think I've seen her bestowing her kiss before.
Hendrick de Clerck - Minerva and the Muses, undated
Cornelis de Vos - Magdalena and Jan Baptist de Vos, 1621/2
Jan Gossaert - Neptune and Amphitrite, 1516
I was annoyed by the conch shell. Which reminds me - I've seen sculpted penises before, but I can't recall any painted ones.
Piero di Cosimo - Venus, Mars and Eros, 1505
Venus has conquered Mars despite his armour. I've no idea wth the cherubs are doing in the picture - perhaps it's syncretism. And at first I thought Mars was a female.
Cima da Conegliano - Madonna and Child Enthroned with St. Peter, St. Romuald, St. Benedict, and St. Paul - 1495/1497
I was struck by the incredible painted mosaic. It's based on a real mosaic in St Marco's Church in Venice
Rosso Fiorentino, Portrait of a Young Man - 1516/18
Why would anyone want such a disturbing portrait?! The sitter must've been truly disturbed to want this.
I saw more paintings of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding. Apparently it's a common theme in paintings and is a references to Luke 11.
Oberdeutsch, Szenen aus dem leben des hl Bruno und der geschichte des kartauserodens
The KKK-like headdress disturbs me. I know the Cisternians had white habits - but the pointy hood?!
Michele di Matteo da Bologna, Zehn einzelgestalten von heiligen vad engeln (undated)
Orazio Gentileichi, David and the Head of Goliath - 1610/12
He looks pensive rather than triumphant
Giovanni Paolo Panini, Fantasy landscape with Roman monuments - 1735
Giovanni Paolo Panini, Setting out of Duke de Choiseul from St Peter's Square in Rome - 1754
Maria Angelica Kauffmann - Bacchantin, 1782
This female painter was forbidden to go to art school so her family got private tutors. Or something.
Pompeo Girolamo Baton - Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, 1756
Vermeer - Woman with a pearl necklace
Neo-classicism is my favourite school of art.
Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael - Kuchenstuck mit dem gleichais von grossen gastmahl, 1605
This piece takes art symbolism too far. The onion, carrot and artichokes are aphrodisiacs, spitting the chicken is a sexual reference, the fish is an erotic symbol and the basket of eggs represents sensuality. In the background there's a biblical scene with the parable of the feast. The juxtaposition is supposed to be some sort of commentary.
Throende Maria mit dem Segnenden kind & Hl. Petronius, Katharina, Alexandrien, Dominic & Apollonia
Antonio Allegri, gen. Correggio - Leda and the Swan, 1532
A duke commissioned this piece for his mistress's apartment. A French dauphin took offence at it and in a fit of religious frenzy cut it up. It was restored but the head was destroyed. Gah.
Titian - Venus and the Organist, 1550/2
Sofonisba Anguissola - Portrait of Bianca Ponzoni Anguissola, 1557
Giovanni Battista Maroni - Duke of Albuquerque Don Gabriel de la Cueva, 1560
Post ID: 114944827467192943
Sunday, June 04, 2006
I'm jumping in my seat at the thought of Krispy Kreme. The Holborn branch opens at 7am, and there's an early morning discount too.
Pre-emptive sugar rush - even stroopwafel bits can't compare!
(Then again it might be that listening to "Denn Alles Fleisch, Es Ist Wie Gras" is also getting me jittery)
[Addendum: Jolene just reminded me of fresh cornish cream tea as well. OMG.]
Pre-emptive sugar rush - even stroopwafel bits can't compare!
(Then again it might be that listening to "Denn Alles Fleisch, Es Ist Wie Gras" is also getting me jittery)
[Addendum: Jolene just reminded me of fresh cornish cream tea as well. OMG.]
Post ID: 114945191051333008
Germany trip: Berlin - 27/5 (Part 2)
Germany trip: 27/5 Berlin
The tour was interesting, as walking tours typically are. It started at 2:30 and was supposed to last 4 hours, but we had to move to another location to rendezvous with another group at 3pm (wasting €2,10 in the process for those without daycards), seeing nothing along the way. At the other location we spent some time buying tickets (only ISIC was accepted as proof of being a student so I wasted €1 - damn). Then there was a 1/2 hr rest stop which wasn't mentioned in the leaflet. Gah.
Mobile Bratwurst man we saw while waiting for the tour to start
There is a Mercedes building which was built with a rotating Mercedes sign on its roof to taunt East Berliners about their having a choice of only one car, the Trabant. This is what the TV tower was a response to.
When Berlin was divided, the East had all the culture and the West had all the zoos. So the East built a zoo and the West opera and concert halls. Gah.
To commemmorate the (presumably erroneous) passing of the millennium they had cranes in Berlin moving in unison to the national anthem. Uhh.
The guide described the museum island as housing what the Brits didn't steal from the ancient world. Heh.
Berliner Dom (Cathedral) - proof that Protestants can be as opulent as Catholics
Collonade on Museum Island, where there was a shootout during WWII. Apparently bullet holes can still be seen.
Dom
Oddly enough it was the Nazi State Church and Goering got married there.
Egyptian Museum
The building was originally for something else, and the bowl was left outside because they realised it was too big to roll by the pillars. It used to be the old National museum of Berlin. We were misinformed that the sarcophagus of Nefertiti was inside.
Egyptian Museum
East German TV tower. They built it to show off to the West Berliners but didn't have enough skill to complete it, so they got in the Swedes. The Swedes engineered it such that when the sun's rays strike the tower at a certain angle, a cross would be projected across the sky.
Taking the fountain in front of the Egyptian Museum as a reference point, the Egyptian Museum is behind it, the Dom to its left, to its right there was a military training ground and in front a palace that used to be twice the size of Versailles (until the damn Communists tore it down, except for one part with some socialist significance from 1919). They represented respectively Culture, Religion, Military and Monarchy.
Bridge with 8 statues depicting the life of a Roman Soldier
When Berlin was a Prussian military camp, they had a wall built around it - to keep the soldiers in. Hurr hurr.
Peace memorial. Under the Nazis it was in memory of those who died fighting for the Fatherland. Under the Communists it was in memory of those who died fighting against the Nazis. Now it's in memory of everyone.
German State Opera
People sleeping in Babelplatz. This is also where the memorial to Nazi book burning is. It looked like a piece of opaque, clouded plastic in the ground and I couldn't see anything. It was very crowded and I was running slow, so I only took a picture of the memorial on Day 3.
Frederick the Great once escaped to Paris with his gay lover. When he was captured back, his father made him view his lover's execution, after communing his death sentence, and to cure him of his homosexuality he was sent to Dresden where his uncle had a brothel with 500 women. Unfortunately he caught syphilis and became impotent.
St Hedwig's Cathedral
Cathedral in Gendarmenmarkt, 1701
If the name sounds French, it's because it is. The Hugenots sought refuge in Berlin after the Edict of Nantes was revoked.
Cathedral in Gendarmenmarkt, 1706
Unfortunately the 2 Cathedrals look so similar because the East Germans rebuilt them in 1985 - to boast of their surfeit of culture/history viz the West
Old Theatre House, 50% original
Houses the main Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin. The statue is of Schiller.
There was a chocolate shop with the Titanic, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and more in chocolate. Wah.
Schlotzsky's Deli (rest stop), with schizophrenic opening times
Line marking the former location of the Berlin Wall
CIA building at Checkpoint Charlie. For 30 years they stared out the windows at the KGB building opposite the road (now demolished).
The guide told us his favourite Checkpoint Charlie escape story, which I didn't see in the museum. This Eastern guy said he had to visit his sick grandmother on the Western side, so he went up to the guard and pleaded and cried for 5 minutes, despite his lack of papers. Midway he changed tack and said he had to visit his sick grandmother on the Eastern side. The guard got confused and told him to go back to the Western side, and he did.
Remaining section of the wall. One of 2 layers of the original wall-complex.
This part dates from 1975, a 4th generation wall - the very last layer people faced before freedom.
We were told this huge edifice was the Luftwaffe (?) HQ - the most targetted building for bombings after Hitler's HQ. Yet it still stood - a monument to fascist architecture. Later it was the Communist HQ since it was one of the few buildings still standing (1/7 Berlin buildings were left standing after the War). Now it houses the Ministry of Finance. I have a feeling it wasn't the Luftwaffe HQ though. The fascist architecture is supposed to make you feel small though.
On the wall there's a mural showing how happy the East German workers were and how hand-in-glove they worked with their leaders. A photograph of the 17 June uprising is used as the base for a pond in front of this though.
Under this site Hitler's bunker lies, filled with rubble. They don't want to even mark the spot since it might become a Neo-Nazi rallying point (the same has happened to the Eagle's Nest, whose guestbook has been signed by many prominent Neo-Nazis). Also, the Jewish memorial is nearby. The USSR tried to blow it up with dynamite but failed.
Under the Communists these nice apartments in the background were built (where the Reich Chancellery once was) to show the Westerners how nice life was there.
Hitler's signatures are very interesting to read. You can see how in the last year of his life it became small and illegible. Apparently he was dosed with Ecstasy and other drugs every day in his last month, making him the first consumer of the former. This coupled with not seeing daylight for a month drove him over the edge (so much for the training he received as a British Agent!)
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)
Controversial because it remembers only Jews, and because they later discovered that the company making the anti-graffiti coating of the stones also supplied Zyklon B for Nazi death camps. The symbolic atonement is nice though.
There are 2711 stones and only 2711 stones (ie No text, statues or the like - if you didn't know you would think it a giant piece of installation art). Coincidentally the same as the number of pages in the Babylonian Talmud, though the number has no significance and was chosen as a paring down from the original due to lack of space or something. The memorial is supposed to be symbolic - you make your own meaning (down with modern art!)
The slanted road and varying heights of pillars is supposed to disconcert you and give you nausea, akin to what Jews in Death Camps would have felt.
It's the perfect venue to play Laserquest or Hide and Seek in. Or you can screw with people's minds by building an exterior wall, placing them inside and having people in white flowing robes flit from pillar to pillar laughing. What it reminds me of the most, though, is that game where you go through a maze composed of pillars arranged in a regular pattern, enemies come at you and you have to shoot them. The maze is like in Bomberman but the blocks are not destroyable and they’re placed in a fixed position. It sounds like I'm describing Pacman, and the game is almost like that, except that you get to shoot your enemies and they you, and there are no dots to eat up.
Brandenburg Gate
There was a stupid fenced enclosure with a giant blowup football behind me, so I couldn't get a good shot.
At the gate the guide perpetuated the Jelly Donut urban legend. I corrected him, saying I'd also listened to the original speech, but he claimed in Berlin what he said really meant what he was claimed to have said and that there was tittering during the speech. At the end he admitted that I was right and he was just trying to get laughs. Tsk. Which makes me wonder if some of the other stories (eg the sick grandmother escape story) were false as well!
Reichstag - seat of the German parliament
There was some Turkish party and concert going on near the Brandenburg Gate, and people were waving Turkish flags. Apparently 20% of Berlin is Turkish, and there're more Turks in Berlin than everywhere in the world except 2 cities in Turkey. I should've organised a Kurdish concert opposite advocating Kurdish independence, protesting Turkish oppression, showing pictures of tortured Kurds and had people waving the Kurdish flag, but that'd have caused a riot, so.
Unfortunately the tour ended too late, so I missed a free performance of Cantata 136 by the Bach Choir at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche at 6pm. When I reached the place it was 7:06pm or so. Gah!
The tour was interesting, as walking tours typically are. It started at 2:30 and was supposed to last 4 hours, but we had to move to another location to rendezvous with another group at 3pm (wasting €2,10 in the process for those without daycards), seeing nothing along the way. At the other location we spent some time buying tickets (only ISIC was accepted as proof of being a student so I wasted €1 - damn). Then there was a 1/2 hr rest stop which wasn't mentioned in the leaflet. Gah.
Mobile Bratwurst man we saw while waiting for the tour to start
There is a Mercedes building which was built with a rotating Mercedes sign on its roof to taunt East Berliners about their having a choice of only one car, the Trabant. This is what the TV tower was a response to.
When Berlin was divided, the East had all the culture and the West had all the zoos. So the East built a zoo and the West opera and concert halls. Gah.
To commemmorate the (presumably erroneous) passing of the millennium they had cranes in Berlin moving in unison to the national anthem. Uhh.
The guide described the museum island as housing what the Brits didn't steal from the ancient world. Heh.
Berliner Dom (Cathedral) - proof that Protestants can be as opulent as Catholics
Collonade on Museum Island, where there was a shootout during WWII. Apparently bullet holes can still be seen.
Dom
Oddly enough it was the Nazi State Church and Goering got married there.
Egyptian Museum
The building was originally for something else, and the bowl was left outside because they realised it was too big to roll by the pillars. It used to be the old National museum of Berlin. We were misinformed that the sarcophagus of Nefertiti was inside.
Egyptian Museum
East German TV tower. They built it to show off to the West Berliners but didn't have enough skill to complete it, so they got in the Swedes. The Swedes engineered it such that when the sun's rays strike the tower at a certain angle, a cross would be projected across the sky.
Taking the fountain in front of the Egyptian Museum as a reference point, the Egyptian Museum is behind it, the Dom to its left, to its right there was a military training ground and in front a palace that used to be twice the size of Versailles (until the damn Communists tore it down, except for one part with some socialist significance from 1919). They represented respectively Culture, Religion, Military and Monarchy.
Bridge with 8 statues depicting the life of a Roman Soldier
When Berlin was a Prussian military camp, they had a wall built around it - to keep the soldiers in. Hurr hurr.
Peace memorial. Under the Nazis it was in memory of those who died fighting for the Fatherland. Under the Communists it was in memory of those who died fighting against the Nazis. Now it's in memory of everyone.
German State Opera
People sleeping in Babelplatz. This is also where the memorial to Nazi book burning is. It looked like a piece of opaque, clouded plastic in the ground and I couldn't see anything. It was very crowded and I was running slow, so I only took a picture of the memorial on Day 3.
Frederick the Great once escaped to Paris with his gay lover. When he was captured back, his father made him view his lover's execution, after communing his death sentence, and to cure him of his homosexuality he was sent to Dresden where his uncle had a brothel with 500 women. Unfortunately he caught syphilis and became impotent.
St Hedwig's Cathedral
Cathedral in Gendarmenmarkt, 1701
If the name sounds French, it's because it is. The Hugenots sought refuge in Berlin after the Edict of Nantes was revoked.
Cathedral in Gendarmenmarkt, 1706
Unfortunately the 2 Cathedrals look so similar because the East Germans rebuilt them in 1985 - to boast of their surfeit of culture/history viz the West
Old Theatre House, 50% original
Houses the main Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin. The statue is of Schiller.
There was a chocolate shop with the Titanic, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and more in chocolate. Wah.
Schlotzsky's Deli (rest stop), with schizophrenic opening times
Line marking the former location of the Berlin Wall
CIA building at Checkpoint Charlie. For 30 years they stared out the windows at the KGB building opposite the road (now demolished).
The guide told us his favourite Checkpoint Charlie escape story, which I didn't see in the museum. This Eastern guy said he had to visit his sick grandmother on the Western side, so he went up to the guard and pleaded and cried for 5 minutes, despite his lack of papers. Midway he changed tack and said he had to visit his sick grandmother on the Eastern side. The guard got confused and told him to go back to the Western side, and he did.
Remaining section of the wall. One of 2 layers of the original wall-complex.
This part dates from 1975, a 4th generation wall - the very last layer people faced before freedom.
We were told this huge edifice was the Luftwaffe (?) HQ - the most targetted building for bombings after Hitler's HQ. Yet it still stood - a monument to fascist architecture. Later it was the Communist HQ since it was one of the few buildings still standing (1/7 Berlin buildings were left standing after the War). Now it houses the Ministry of Finance. I have a feeling it wasn't the Luftwaffe HQ though. The fascist architecture is supposed to make you feel small though.
On the wall there's a mural showing how happy the East German workers were and how hand-in-glove they worked with their leaders. A photograph of the 17 June uprising is used as the base for a pond in front of this though.
Under this site Hitler's bunker lies, filled with rubble. They don't want to even mark the spot since it might become a Neo-Nazi rallying point (the same has happened to the Eagle's Nest, whose guestbook has been signed by many prominent Neo-Nazis). Also, the Jewish memorial is nearby. The USSR tried to blow it up with dynamite but failed.
Under the Communists these nice apartments in the background were built (where the Reich Chancellery once was) to show the Westerners how nice life was there.
Hitler's signatures are very interesting to read. You can see how in the last year of his life it became small and illegible. Apparently he was dosed with Ecstasy and other drugs every day in his last month, making him the first consumer of the former. This coupled with not seeing daylight for a month drove him over the edge (so much for the training he received as a British Agent!)
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)
Controversial because it remembers only Jews, and because they later discovered that the company making the anti-graffiti coating of the stones also supplied Zyklon B for Nazi death camps. The symbolic atonement is nice though.
There are 2711 stones and only 2711 stones (ie No text, statues or the like - if you didn't know you would think it a giant piece of installation art). Coincidentally the same as the number of pages in the Babylonian Talmud, though the number has no significance and was chosen as a paring down from the original due to lack of space or something. The memorial is supposed to be symbolic - you make your own meaning (down with modern art!)
The slanted road and varying heights of pillars is supposed to disconcert you and give you nausea, akin to what Jews in Death Camps would have felt.
It's the perfect venue to play Laserquest or Hide and Seek in. Or you can screw with people's minds by building an exterior wall, placing them inside and having people in white flowing robes flit from pillar to pillar laughing. What it reminds me of the most, though, is that game where you go through a maze composed of pillars arranged in a regular pattern, enemies come at you and you have to shoot them. The maze is like in Bomberman but the blocks are not destroyable and they’re placed in a fixed position. It sounds like I'm describing Pacman, and the game is almost like that, except that you get to shoot your enemies and they you, and there are no dots to eat up.
Brandenburg Gate
There was a stupid fenced enclosure with a giant blowup football behind me, so I couldn't get a good shot.
At the gate the guide perpetuated the Jelly Donut urban legend. I corrected him, saying I'd also listened to the original speech, but he claimed in Berlin what he said really meant what he was claimed to have said and that there was tittering during the speech. At the end he admitted that I was right and he was just trying to get laughs. Tsk. Which makes me wonder if some of the other stories (eg the sick grandmother escape story) were false as well!
Reichstag - seat of the German parliament
There was some Turkish party and concert going on near the Brandenburg Gate, and people were waving Turkish flags. Apparently 20% of Berlin is Turkish, and there're more Turks in Berlin than everywhere in the world except 2 cities in Turkey. I should've organised a Kurdish concert opposite advocating Kurdish independence, protesting Turkish oppression, showing pictures of tortured Kurds and had people waving the Kurdish flag, but that'd have caused a riot, so.
Unfortunately the tour ended too late, so I missed a free performance of Cantata 136 by the Bach Choir at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche at 6pm. When I reached the place it was 7:06pm or so. Gah!
Post ID: 114937331616575929
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