Impressions about Europe – the good, the bad and the downright ugly!

Posted on October 24, 2022 by admin

As we travelled through parts of the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Germany and Belgium in the summer of 2022, I was struck by the many ways that Europe differs from Australia. These are some of my observations about Europe, the good stuff, the bad stuff and the stuff which is just plain awful! So let’s go…in no particular order…..

The Good

Cycling is very normalised in Europe. It is really so wonderful to see well designed, cycling infrastructure that keeps cyclists safe. It’s totally normal to see people dressed in their normal clothing (as a pose to lycra), riding bikes with their shopping or on their way to work. I saw parents doing school pick-up on bikes. The older kids had their own bikes to ride home whilst the youngest would be popped into a cargo bike or into a toddler seat attached to their parents’ bike. People often take their bikes on the train to go on a holiday adventure. It is so great for health and for the environment. It reduces the traffic on the road.

This seemed to be the case in continental Europe but is unfortunately not the case in London where cycling is far more dangerous. In the city, the cycling infrastructure is lacking, bike theft is rife and motorists hate cyclists and vice versa. To reduce congestion, London should invest more in making cycling safer and more attractive for everyone.

French Flower Beds – When in France, I found the way they planted their flower beds to be so delightful. They would plant a crazy unexpected mix of plants with varying types and textures all thrown together. The combinations are wild and crazy but they work! I have never seen anything like it anywhere else!

Recycling is taken seriously. In both continental Europe and the UK, recycling is the norm. Particularly striking examples include in Slovenia where there are public bins for each type of rubbish and the people do the right thing with their waste. In Germany, glass beer bottles can be exchanged for a small refund when recycled. It is therefore normal to leave your empty bottle by a rubbish bin instead of in it. This leaves it visible for someone to go past and collect it and hence get the refund. This is an easy way for someone who has come upon hard times to get a bit of money to help them by. So, in a way, you can feel good about yourself when you leave an empty bottle.

Pride in their town. Whilst traveling Europe, especially in the smaller towns, it was clear to see the pride the locals had in their town. Of particular note are the Slovenians. Ljubljana city was really spotlessly clean and the Airbnb we stayed at in Bled was a model of cleanliness and efficiency. This shows pride in doing things well and looking after their patch of this Earth. The Slovenian food tour guide spoke so highly of her country and their people. I find this really heartening to see in contrast with Canadians and the British who are in general, fast to bring up the many flaws in their country.

“Pay What You Want” or “Free” walking tours – These are wonderful and available in many of the cities in Europe. We always look them up. The guides are paid from the tips they make at the end so they are therefore incentivized to be really entertaining. They are always very interesting and give an insight into the city. They are much more affordable then any other kind of tour. Many of the cities around Europe offer these. They are an economical and entertaining way to learn a bit about a new city and orient yourself.

Actually, a noticeable difference, that may be a result of Covid, is a seeming reduction in the quantity of English language “Free” tours. On previous visits to Europe, years before Covid, these tours were mostly held in English and the majority of customers were on the English speaking tours. Now it is the Spanish language tours that draw the customers. It is a reflection that international travel has decreased and domestic travel has increased. Hopefully for the English speaking guides, this will adjust itself in the coming months.

The History! Compared to countries like Australia and Canada, Europe has some seriously old buildings. The mind boggles when walking down some of these old narrow streets and looking at these buildings hundreds of years old. What did the world look like when they were built, and what tumultuous events would these walls tell us if they could talk? If the people who built it saw the world today, the cars driving past, what would they think?

Arles Amphitheatre (Arènes d’Arles) built in 90AD by the Romans!

Covid Masks – The wearing of masks for Covid prevention was a mixed bag in the countries we visited. The best were the Italians who encouraged the wearing of FFP2 masks using signage and public announcements on Italian trains and on the ferries around Lake Como. FFP2 masks are far superior to the blue surgical masks or cloth masks for the prevention of Covid transmission. Despite the enforcement being a little lax, most people complied. On German trains, it was necessary to be masked and this was enforced. No masks were required on Belgium, French or English trains. This was disappointing as Covid is still around and still poses a threat to the more vulnerable members of our community.

Relax, eat slowly! The pace in restaurants is different in Europe where it is expected that people will take their time to chat and linger over their meal. In Asian countries, time is of the essence. Cooked meals are presented to customers at lightning speed to ensure people can eat and leave the table to allow multiple seatings over an evening.

French food is delicious – Sometimes, I am offended at how proud the French are of their cuisine. There are plenty of fantastic cuisines worldwide. That being said, when I taste proper French food, I have to admit, it is delicious. In France, even the microwave meals are excellent. The supermarket produce are high quality e.g. the tomatoes are red, ripe and flavorsome. The French like good food, so bad restaurants don’t survive and the supermarkets have to cater to their high standards.

French Frozen Meal – this was the best risotto I’ve ever had. It was so tasty and perfectly seasoned!

Menu du Jour or Menu del Dia – getting a reasonably priced lunch in Europe is often possible by looking out for their lunch specials. The restaurant knows that they’re going to sell a lot of the lunch specials, so they can scale up production of these dishes and choose them based on the freshest or best value ingredients they can acquire. It’s a win-win for the business and the customer! We had one memorable Spanish lunch special which consisted of three delicious courses and a bottle of wine each for the princely sum of €16 each.

Europeans are more comfortable with their bodies. It is not unusual to see people of all shapes and sizes enjoying the beach. Women of all types sun themselves topless. Women go about their day in the city without a bra on under their tops or ride bikes in quite short skirts. They are just more comfortable with their bodies and each other’s bodies than any other place I can think of worldwide. It’s just not a big deal and that’s nice! Everyone deserves to be comfortable, wear what they want and enjoy the beach on a hot day.

There are lots of nice people! In general people are nice. When walking in an industrial area, a truck driver leans out of his window and struck up a conversation in French and then broken English when he saw us with our backpacks. People kindly swap to English when they see us struggling. People in crowded trains are nice to each other despite the sweltering conditions because they all know that they are in it together. In France, in the most crowded train imaginable, the lovely French people managed to contort themselves out of the way to allow me to move up the carriage so I could stand next to my travel partner. When they realized we were travelling together, it was a group effort to “part the red seas” so we could stand together. It was really very sweet considering how horrible the situation was in that crowded train for everyone!

The French Baguette – the French actually buy these fresh and carry them around. It’s not just a cliché. It is not uncommon to see one of these sticking out of a backpack or tucked under the arm of a person riding the bus or walking along the street.

Compactness and Convenience – Europe is a great place to travel as there are so many diverse cultures packed together in a small space. Transport infrastructure is highly developed, with even small cities equipped with amazing train and light rail systems to allow you to get around. It is also super convenient to be able to use the Euro as you travel.

The Bad

What to do with the garbage? Life generates certain amount of waste and cities, with its high population density, generates a lot of garbage! It is always interesting how a city deals with it’s garbage. Walking along the streets of London, the garbage is in bags, or in a plethora of different types of bins. They would almost certainly have to be picked up by hand, a very manual and slow task. Australian ‘wheelie bins’ are not pretty but it does convey a certain neatness when every household has one. Plus, having trucks that can pick up and empty the wheelie bins definitely reduces manual handling. This solution isn’t possible in the center of London due to the density and the narrow streets but surely there is a better way. Garbage left out in bags is unhygienic, attracts vermin and is unsightly. If it was any warmer, it would be smelly too! It is surprising to think that we can be so advanced as a society and yet something basic like a system of garbage disposal is not optimised.

One option that we’ve seen is to have a central rubbish bin on each street, which compacts the rubbish and stores it underground until collected. Rubbish collection therefore can be less frequent and involves less stops (so is less expensive). Take a look at this: Underground garbage storage

Why does it smell like pee? – So many cities in Spain, Italy and France smell like pee. Is it because there is a high rate of dog ownership? Is it because there is no green space for dogs to relieve themselves? Is it because the summer weather just makes all smells worse? Is it because there are no free public toilets so a portion of the population is finding a secluded corner to pee for free?

Private Green Spaces – In Milan, I was sad to learn that the vast majority of green space is private. As private property, it is simply not accessible to the general population. It’s so easy to take for granted the public green space and public amenities like benches, water fountains and public toilets that we have in Australia.

Restaurant Peculiarities – In Germany, when you sit down at a restaurant, there is often an expectation that you order a main meal each and a paid drink each. The drinks are where the profit is made it seems. Tap water is not provided. Italy is similar in that you have to pay for water. Free tap water is not available. In Italy, there is also coperto and maggiorazione. Coperto is a cover charge per head of about 1 to 3 Euros to cover napkins, cutlery, salt, bread etc. Maggiorazione is a service charge of up to 15% which is charged in touristy areas. These extra charges felt like an excuse to squeeze more money out of their customers and left a bad taste in my mouth. As a consequence, we often skipped some restaurants in Italy.

In Italy, I asked for tap water by learning the Italian word for tap water and confirming that the waiter understood exactly what I meant. He came back with a bottle of water and said that they do not have a tap! (At least the bottle was glass and could be recycled!) It is annoying when restaurants do not serve tap water when it comes out free and potable from the tap. In the middle of a sweltering summer, it seems almost cruel to withhold this. In addition, the sheer amount of waste generated by all that bottled water is mind boggling and criminal!

In Australia, it is actually illegal to not serve tap water in premises that are licensed. These little peculiarities of European restaurants meant we tended to avoid them in favour of supermarket meals, takeout places or street food vans.

Hot Apartments in Summer – Except for Southern Europe, most apartments are not designed to manage hot weather. They are well insulated and have relatively small windows with limited capacity to capture breezes or allow cross-ventilation, and air-conditioning isn’t common. In some cases, apartments can be quite a lot hotter than the outside temperature, which can make sleeping difficult. Once again another reason to be careful what time of year you travel to Europe.

Don’t Travel to Europe in August – It’s too hot and way too crowded. Just don’t do it!

Navigating the Train System – The European train system is very complicated, particularly when you’re travelling between countries. It really is a head-spinner when you consider the different rail passes that are available, and trying to work out if buying a pass is worth the money is almost impossible for the uninitiated. It took us quite a while to get familiar with the operation of the passes and how to make bookings etc. It almost feels like the rail passes are a scam, particularly in countries that have expensive reservation fees (which are not covered by the rail pass) for most trains. In order for us to get from Bilbao to the Cote D’Azur, at one stage we were considering back-tracking to Madrid so we could get on a fast train to Marseille….madness!

Our saviour was the Seat61 website, which is packed with tips and is highly recommended. The tips on crossing international boarders (particularly France to Spain, Spain to France and Italy to Slovenia were very valuable!I

I just want a normal pillow! – In France, Germany and Spain, that the standard bed pillow is a square shape. Whilst this doesn’t sound so bad, these pillows are usually insubstantial and soft. They provide absolutely no support for your head and neck! Even when you fold them in half, they sink so much under your head that you might as well just lie without it. It’s astounding that an advanced country like Germany can do so many things really well but cannot get a simple thing like a pillow right! The other unusual thing is the use of two single sized duvets (doonas) on a double bed instead of a large double sized duvet. It does prevent duvet hogging!

Narrow streets – Many of the old European towns and cities were built in a time well before cars. It’s quite shocking when you see cars and other vehicles squeezing down these narrow streets, mere centimeters from diners trying to dine alfresco! More pedestrian zones please!

Old buildings stifling growth? – There are plenty of stunning, well maintained old buildings of architectural significance that are worth preserving. But there are also plenty of mediocre, low-rise, drafty, old structures that might be better demolished to make way for modern, energy efficient buildings that can house more people, more comfortably. I’m not suggesting forgetting our history but merely to allow more room for modern advancement. Yes, it will change the skyline but why is that a bad thing if its good for the people? Increasing population density in the city means less sprawl and therefore less emissions as people don’t need to travel long distances into the center for work. Increasing the population density brings more business in and breathes more buzz and life into the centre.

Crowded beaches and private beaches – Private beaches are a foreign concept to Australians as all beaches are free for the public. In Europe, the prevalence of private beaches means that what remains free for the public is extremely crowded. These are often rocky and small compared to Australian beaches. We are absolutely spoilt with beautiful beaches in Australia and we are too used to not having to share our beach space with so many people!

Typical crowded beach in France in August

The Ugly

Paying for toilets – In Spain, France, Italy and Germany, it is impossible to find free public toilets. They all charge about 0.5 to 1 Euro per use. The crazy thing is that this money is supposed to pay for the the cleaning of the facilities but they are usually not that clean or well maintained. Even in a fast food chain like Burger King, there will be a person at the toilet door demanding payment to use the facility. The only way to use a toilet for free is to eat at a restaurant or to pay to enter a museum. Neither of which is without cost. Perhaps I am spoilt by the ease of finding clean, free, ablution facilities in Australia. I had associated having to pay for toilets with underdeveloped countries so I was shocked to be consistently charged all over Europe.

Using the toilet is something that we all need to do as functioning, living humans. If we all need it, then why not just set up some free, public facilities? I also feel that it is sexist because it is easier and more socially acceptable for men to find a secluded corner to relieve themselves. To be honest, that is gross too and probably explains why so much of Europe smells like pee!

Smoking – In Europe, about 1 in every 3 people smoke. This is compared to Australia where 1 in about 9 people smoke. The laws around smoking are also different. Cigarettes are highly taxed in Australia, where it costs about 26 Euros for a packet of 20 cigarettes. In Spain, it only costs about 4 Euros for a packet of 20 cigarettes. Smoking in Australia is difficult to afford whilst in Europe, it will only cost the loose change in your pocket. There is no cost disincentive.

It is socially acceptable in Europe to light up at alfresco restaurant tables despite other patrons dining on adjacent tables. The smokers would be the ones absolutely desperate of get off the train at their destination. They would be ready with their cigarette in hand. Two steps off the carriage and they would have lit up on the crowded platform. It is a callous action as they are probably well aware of the damage their passive smoke is having on other people and small children having to go past them.

It is impossible to walk the streets of Europe without being assailed by someone’s passive smoke. It is so socially acceptable to smoke in Europe unlike in Australia where it is quite frowned upon and the habit is steadily dying out.

I felt sorry for a Spanish store holder as they do not have the rules that cigarette packets have to be kept out of sight like in Australia. This poor girl had to work her hours in a shop with cigarette packets arrayed from wall to ceiling all around her. These are the cigarette packets which are emblazoned with graphic pictures of the physical health consequences of smoking.

A worrying trend is the increase in vaping. It is not unusual to see young people vaping. It is quite shocking to smell that sickly, synthetic fruit smell and then see children of about 14 using their vapes. What is worse is the way that vapes are advertised? There are vape stores throughout Europe where vapes are openly sold and advertised. Their sleek design aesthetic, modern curves and colours make them look very appealing. The way vapes are advertised is very similar to the way mobile phones are advertised. It is impossible to argue that they are not targeting children and young people. A new generation of addicts! Ka-ching! $$$

Religion – Despite the fact that Europe is one of the most secular places in the world, in every town and city in Europe, the church or cathedral would be the ostentatious centre piece. Often there were laws which restrict any buildings to be taller than the local cathedral. These cathedrals/basilicas/churches would be tall, spectacular buildings of architectural wonder. The Gothic style cathedrals would have nightmare inducing gargoyles peering down from up high. Inside, there are very high vaulted roofs, valuable paintings, expensive artifacts and relics of gold and silver. Within the building, there is a respectful hush as the sheer height of the ceilings which are designed to make a person feel small in the presence of God.

Every church you go into will be sure to have a prominently displayed donation box labelled with something along the lines of ‘for the upkeep of the church’. These buildings are enormously expensive to maintain, and many will have sections scaffolded off while work is being done. As Europe continues to change and become more secular and less Christian, what future is in store for some of the second-tier churches of Europe?

These amazing buildings were designed, crafted and made by humans. They are architectural wonders but made by determined and capable human beings. The sense of awe and ritual in a church is all designed by the church to make their flock sub-servient to God. What makes it really sickening is the value of these properties, the land, the buildings, the paintings, the artifacts etc. We were in a church that was famous for the number of Rubens paintings it owns. If the church really cared about helping the poor masses, selling just one of these valuable paintings would handsomely fund programs to pull people out of poverty. It’s hard to reconcile the stated mission of the humble church with their gaudy and opulent places of worship.

Relic – in this chest supposedly lies the remains of the Three Wise Men – a lot of people come to see this. There are about 20,000 people that visit Cologne Cathedral everyday.

In Conclusion

There is good and bad in everything. That is part of the nuance that is life. Seeing and experiencing it all is part of learning about how the world works. Europe is a “must see” destination as there is nothing else like it. For the many good things there is about it, there are things which are not so good. This can also be said for every other place on this Earth.

You may agree with me on some of these points or your may not…… that too is part of life.

Beautiful Belgium – Ghent, Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp

Posted on October 23, 2022 by admin

Belgium is a beautiful country! If we put aside all the old and beautiful architecture, what can possibly be wrong with a place that is all about their beer, frites (fries) and their waffles! That sounds like some kind of heaven! We visited Ghent, Brugge (or Bruges), the capital, Brussels and the diamond capital, Antwerp.

Ghent is a beautiful city. It’s worth a visit as it is charming without being overly touristy like Brugge.

Brugge is touristy but deservedly so. This place oozes charm. As you walk around the centre, you are compelled to get your camera out almost constantly. There are picturesque canals beautiful old buildings, cute alleyways etc. It is just a feast for the eyes. Clip clopping down the narrow roads are horse drawn carts carrying tourists. These are almost all driven by women tour guides. In fact, I would say, the tour is driven by the horse as in most cases, the lady is turned around almost completely as she points and explains the sights to the tourists instead of watching the road! It is more or less left to the horse to watch out for the dopey pedestrian tourists on the road!

An alternative to a tour of the city by horse, is to take a boat tour through the network of canals. In contrast, all these boat tours are run by men!

Brugge is touristy but I think, unlike some other places, despite that, it still retains plenty of picturesque charm. Perhaps this was due to timing. It was early September when we went and the summer crowd was decreasing in number. Brugge is a common day trip from Brussels so if you are staying in Brugge, get out and explore early or late to avoid the day-trippers! Either that or venture slightly away from the hub and you will find the streets almost deserted!

Basilica of the Holy Blood – here they have a phial with (allegedly) a cloth with the blood of Jesus. At specific times, this goes on display and people can file past to have a look. The lady with the green vest keeps an eye on the phial and the people going past!

Minnewater – a beautiful green area just beside the main town.

Brussels was a bit of a shock after the pretty, small town of Brugge. Brussels is a grimy, supposedly crime-y, expensive, big city with a diverse population. The area around the Gare Du Midi, the main train station, is particularly dodgy. Despite that, on Sundays, the markets held near the Gare Du Midi are one of the largest markets I’ve ever been to. These markets are super crowded so watch your belongings! There are loads of stalls selling fruit and vegetables and household items. This is not a touristy market. It’s a market for the lower working class where lots of practical household things can be bought cheaply. It’s not much of a cooked food market but it is a fantastic market for plants. There is a huge plant section and it is the best place to buy healthy indoor plants for freshening up your apartment for an astonishing low price!

Brussels – They love Tintin. There are Tintin murals on many walls

The Famous Mannekin Pis – Brussels (what you can’t see is the hoards of people crowded in the vicinity of this small statue and the beggars and buskers touting for money.)

Antwerp is only a short train ride from Brussels making it a perfect day trip. It is a hub of the diamond trade so there are plenty of jewelry shops for you to gawk at as you walk around.

This is the statue of Brabo in the main square. He is a mythical Roman leggionaire who killed a giant, Druon Antigoon. This giant terrorised Antwerp by forcing all navigators to pay tolls to access the River Scheldt. Brabo fought the giant, cut off his hand the threw it into the river. In the statue, you can see Brabo clutching the giant’s hand whilst in the act of throwing it. This is supposedly where the name Antwerp came from. The Dutch word for “hand-throwing” is *handwerpen*.

When in Belgium, it is absolutely imperative to sample the beer, the frites and the waffles. There is a wide range of beers that are hard to find anywhere else and some of them are really delicious! The frites are awesome because the authentic ones are cooked in beef fat. They come with a huge range of sauces to choose from. Many of these sauces are only found in Belgium like Andalouse and Samurai! There are two different types of waffles in Belgium, Liege waffles and Brussels waffles. The Brussels waffles are lighter, crispy and rectangular. Liege waffles are denser, chewier and rounder in shape. My favourite are the Liege waffles!

Affluent, Big City Hamburg

Posted on October 22, 2022 by admin

Hamburg is a very different vibe to other parts of Germany. It has a massive port and is close to the ocean. The city looks very affluent and in parts has a very distinctive brick style of architecture. Their closeness to the ocean also impacts their cuisine where there is more seafood than other places in Germany.

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg – a concert hall in Hamburg. Probably the most famous attraction in the city and a distinctive part of the skyline. It’s free to go up to the terrace and there are awesome 360 degree views from there. Even going up the escalator to the terrace is an experience!

Binneralster / Inner Alster Lake – Hamburg. A beautiful area for a walk very close to the centre of Hamburg

Speicherstadt – lots of red brick in the architecture!

Chilehaus – Iconic Brick Impressionist Buiding

Cologne, Bonn and Dusseldorf

Posted on October 22, 2022 by admin

The summer of 2022 in Germany was an awesome time to travel because the government provided the 9 euro ticket. For just 9 euro a month, anyone in Germany could travel anywhere in the country on local and regional public transport. This meant both Germans and tourists could explore all corners of the country for a minimal cost and people could explore each city they visited more thoroughly as the local train and bus system was included too. This ticket also provided a massive simplification of the usual more complex ticketing protocol.

Unfortunately, as it was summer and there were more people on the move, the trains during peak times were often packed. This led to delays. When one thinks about the German trains, one imagines that they are always meticulously on schedule. This was not the case this summer. Nevertheless, it was a real privilege to get to see some of lovely Germany using this cheap ticket.

The Shrine of the Three Kings Relic – in this chest supposedly lies the remains of the Three Wise Men – a lot of people come to see this. There are about 20,000 people that visit Cologne Cathedral everyday.

Amongst the ornate gothic beauty of all the things in the Cologne Cathedral, I was startled to come across this paintwork on an interior ceiling in the north transept. It is decidedly less skillful. This work was done in 1964.

Flora und Botanischer Garten Köln (Botanical Garden Cologne)

Equestrian statue of Friedrich Wilhelm III. – looks like there are a number of bullet holes probably from the war?

Fort X, Cologne – an old Prussian brick fortress

The view from the building we stayed in – Cologne

Riebekuchen, German fried potato pancakes from a hole in the wall place in Cologne. These were delicious. Served traditionally with apple sauce. Also with chilli, herb or garlic sauce. It’s hard to go wrong with fried potato!

From a base in Cologne, we used the 9 euro ticket to do day trips to Bonn and Dusseldorf.

Beethoven Statue, Bonn. Beethoven was born in Bonn.

Dusseldorf was such a different vibe. It was so much more affluent and modern!

This kid is so annoying, the mother has taken to waterboarding!

Mannheim, Heidelberg and Ludwigshafen!

Posted on September 2, 2022 by admin

Mannheim, Germany is a city which is not on the tourist trail. It has a more modern build than many of the touristy cities in Europe. It is a university city and a gritty, working class city. It has neither the gleaming skyscrapers nor the fancy historical buildings. It is also very multicultural. There is a whole area called “Little Istanbul” and the standard of international cuisines in this city is very good.

Lahmacun – a delicious Middle Eastern flatbread topped with spiced mince. It’s delicious served wrapped around some salad, parsley or pickles. As usual with any delicious dish, various countries will try to claim ownership of it. In this case, both Turkey and Armenia claim ownership of Lahmacun. Cuisine does not respect the borders of countries. They were probably all enjoying eating Lahmacun long before the current borders were drawn up!

Just a few minutes by train across the Rhine River is the city of Ludwigshafen. This is a city whose history is inextricably intertwined with the story and growth of the massive chemical company, BASF. Ludwigshafen dates back only 6 years older than BASF.

BASF is a worldwide company with over 111,000 employees but it’s headquarters is in Ludwigshafen. There are 39,000 employees that work at the Ludwigshafen plant. The plant is immense and takes up a space of 10 square kilometers. It is the world’s largest integrated chemical complex.

Visiting the BASF site was an absolute highlight of our visit to this region. It is amazing that a company running such a massive facility would allow the public to tour through their site in a bus. They run tours in a variety of languages throughout the week. These are available to book on their website. Due to the day we visited, we could only do a German tour. Luckily, there were only 2 other visitors that day so the tour guide did the tour in both English and German. First, we are guided through the visitor’s center followed by a bus tour of the plant. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed on the plant.

All 4 of us were driven through site in a massive double-decker tour bus. It was quite excessive as the giant bus carefully drove under piperacks and scaffolding. Despite the numerous hazardous chemicals being made and used on site, no road was off limits to the tour bus.

The plant is absolutely massive and we drove about 20km during the bus tour. It is so massive that it functions like its own small city with a fire-station, hospital, multiple bakeries and several canteens serving various cuisines. It is an impressive and mind boggling logistical exercise. The plant is located next to the Rhine River where both raw materials and products are transported via river barges. The railway also runs through the plant to carrying both materials and personnel. Actually, the tangled railway lines look more like a large rail switching station at one point.

We were surprised to note that despite the presence of many hazardous chemicals, productions plants and administration type buildings co-exist side by side. I would’ve thought to reduce the number of personnel in harm’s way, it would make more sense to keep admin buildings at a safe distance from the chemical plants. In this same vein, I was shocked to see so many people in t-shirts, shorts and sometimes even open toed sandals walking or cycling along the roads past both buildings and chemical production plants. I thought considering the close proximity to operating plant, it would be safer for all personnel to be in appropriate PPE type clothing e.g. steel capped boots, long pants and long sleeved shirts.

Also in very close proximity to the plant are the residential parts of the city which sit just outside the fenceline of the BASF site. The Rhein Galerie shopping centre is located only slightly upstream along the Rhein River. Any gas release or explosion on the plant would easily impact the city’s residents and those in Mannheim, on the other side of the river. It’s interesting to note the different mindset about safety in various industries and countries. Perhaps some of this is a legacy from this plant being operational at this location since about 1865!

It was also startling to note how many bicycles there are on site. I guess it should be no surprise with 39,000 employees working at the massive site. Everyone is issued with their own bicycle if they want one and they are allowed to ride it all the way home if they choose. It is 7km from the entrance to the far end of site where the harbour is located. It is no wonder that various modes of transport are required and used. Personnel can ride a bike, use a company vehicle, ride the tram or use the internal shuttle bus system.

Ludwigshafen is not a pretty city for tourists. It is however a city which forms an important industrial hub for Germany. If you ever have the opportunity to do a site tour of an industrial plant, or even to look at one from outside the fence, it is an opportunity not be missed. They are feats of human intellect, ingenuity, design and engineering. These are the places where so many of the things we take for granted in our comfortable modern lives are made.

The day after our bus tour of the BASF site, we caught the train from Manheim to Heidelberg and got back on the tourist trail with cobblestone streets, historic buildings, castles and touristy restaurants.

Heidelberg Bridge Monkey (Brückenaffe) – as with so many bronze statues all across Europe, there will be some superstition! For this one, if you touch the mirror the monkey is holding you will become rich so every tourist will come and touch the mirror. It’s quite unsanitary in these Covid times! This statue must be the most photographed thing in the whole of Heidelberg. It took a lot of waiting for to get a shot of this statue without someone posing next to it or in it! Everyone wanted a photo with this statue!

Neckar River which runs through Heidelberg. This river flows into the Rhine

Staustufe & Schleuse Heidelberg (Barrage and Lock) – and a river cruise boat heading through. This was filled with travelers sitting on the roof of the cruise boat enjoying the view and the perfect mild summer day.

Heidelberg – see the castle in the background?

Nuremberg – A Pretty Place Despite the Dark History

Posted on September 1, 2022 by admin

Nuremberg today struggles to be seen for more than it’s past of the Nazi rallies and the Nuremberg trials. Nevertheless, a visit to Nuremberg would be remiss without a visit to these sites. The visit to the Nuremberg Trials Museum was very sad. The video evidence presented at the trials is damning, disgusting and deeply disturbing. The saddest thing is that it wasn’t the first time, and it hasn’t been the last time for genocide and mass cruelty to take place. We humans, don’t learn.

On a brighter note, the famous local specialty in Nuremberg are it’s teeny, tiny sausages flavoured with marjoram and other spices. To be called a Nuremberg sausage, it must use the same recipe that has been handed down from the 1300s, be made locally in Nuremberg and be no longer than 9cm. Supposedly, the sausage was made so small so that tavern owners could continue selling food even during closed hours by passing these through the key hole. Another story was about how prisoners in the dungeons could be fed by passing these sausages through small holes in the wall. These are served in many of the restaurants in Nuremberg or on the street where you can ask for them served “Drei im Weggla” , three in a bun. We had ours in a crusty bun with mustard and sauerkraut.

St Lawrence holding a grill. St Lawrence is the patron saint of cooks and more specifically grilling. This is because he was roasted to death upon a grill himself. Someone has a sick sense of humour!

The Beautiful Fountain (Schöner Brunnen)

Imperial Castle of Nuremberg (Kaiserburg Nürnberg)

Große Straße – This long square was almost 2 kilometres long and 40 metres wide. It was intended to be a parade road for the Wehrmacht and the central axis of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Zeppelinfeld – Monolithic grandstand by Albert Speer, formerly the site of the infamous Nuremburg rallies.

Ehekarussell (Hans Sachs-Brunnen – Ehekarussell) – Controversial fountain with ring of statues portraying Hans Sachs’ poem ‘Bitter-sweet Married Life’. Yes, that is sculpture of one skeletal spouse choking to death the other spouse, all on a giant striped iguana!

Slovenian Food Tour

Posted on August 31, 2022 by admin

Ričet, vegetarian barley soup/stew with bread – the soup was really deliciously full flavoured despite the lack of meat.

What do you know about the food in Slovenia? Exactly! Unlike Italian, French, Chinese or Thai food, we are just not familiar with anything to do with Slovenian food! I decided to try to rectify the situation by choosing more local food and doing a food tour.

Chicken Dumplings – These tasted like chicken sausage balls. Tasty but hardly gourmet!

The tour guide of the food tour is school teacher by profession and she talked to us non-stop, filling us up with facts about Slovenia, Slovenes and their food. It turns out, Slovenians love something “on the spoon” like soups and stews. They must always have bread in the house or there will be panic! In the past, they were quite isolated so their traditional food comes from creativity and ingenuity using locally available ingredients.

Sunday lunchtime is strictly reserved for family lunch. Traditionally, the menu for Sunday lunch will be a fixed menu, an “iron” menu which is the same every week. Amongst other set traditional dishes will be beef and noodle soup! Turns out beef and noodle soup is also on the “iron” menu for all birthdays, weddings and Christmas. Be prepared to be “tut-tutted” by your senior relatives if you deviate from the traditional menu items!

It is an offense to the host if you leave food behind. It somehow implies that the food that you have been provided is no good.

Slovenia produces some nice wine. The tour guide explained the various wine regions of Slovenia by comparing the shape of the country to a chicken. Then she could explain the various regions by talking about the chicken head or the chicken butt! Unfortunately as the country is quite small and hilly, there can only ever be low volumes of wine produced as farmers just cannot cultivate the large acreages possible in other countries.

Antipasto Platter – with pig fat, various cold meats, local pate, pumpkin seed oil and mayonnaise dip, gherkins and figs. Served with homemade bread and rose wine. The dark green, pumpkin seed oil is much treasured in Slovenia. The flesh of the pumpkin itself is just an unfortunate, almost unwanted, side product of the seeds required for the oil.

Orecchiette with cherry tomatoes, polenta blocks to be eaten with a hearty and thick Istrian seafood Brodet stew/soup (yum!) and homemade Istrian Fuzi pasta with truffles (heavenly!). So nice to have fresh, homemade pasta with some bite to it!

Dishes from Tabar – tomato/melon dish and a dish with Adriatic sardines and crispy cracker topping with lime and wild onion mayonnaise. These are examples of how cuisine in Slovenia can be adapted to fine dining style dishes.

Carniolan Sausage, Horseradish and Mustard – salty and strong tasting

There was a dessert but unfortunately it was eaten too quickly to be photographed.
Buckwheat and walnut štrukli (rolled dumplings) with a salty, butter breadcrumb (?) topping. Interesting slightly sweet and salty combination!

Venison goulash and beef with noodle soup – the “noodles” are really thin slices of eggy crepe pancake. The beef soup was really light and the idea of bulking it up with the pancake “noodles” is a great idea to make a soup stretch with relatively cheap ingredients!

Bled Cream Cake (kremšnita) is a famous specialty of Bled. It is basically a slightly more upmarket Aussie vanilla slice.

Super Slovenia – Lovely Ljubljana and Lake Bled

Posted on August 30, 2022 by admin

Ljubljana was a wonderful, pleasant surprise. Perhaps it’s the absence of any pre-conceived notions of what a place might be like! Perhaps it’s the drop in temperature from unbearably hot to just perfect. Or maybe it’s the little things that make for a good trip like free tap water in restaurants and free public toilets. It felt very safe and was very clean. In contrast to France and Italy, there was no dog poo on the side walk and no smell of pee around every corner. I never saw ay homeless people and instead, there was lots of very eager, young backpackers with very large backpacks and lots of people eating and drinking by the riverside.

We visited the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana and also the picturesque Lake Bled. Ljubljana is delightful. It’s historical buildings are incredibly clean and well kept and the pretty Ljubljanica River flows down the centre of it. The Austrian influence on Slovenia from centuries of being under the Habsburg rule was very apparent.

The Slovenes are very proud of their country and this is lovely to see. They take recycling very seriously and there is not a speck of rubbish on their streets. I saw a rubbish collector clearing out the public bins. He took out the bin liner and emptied the contents into his rubbish truck and then carefully replaced the same bin liner into the bin to avoid unwarranted waste! How unexpected!

There was a few summer storms before and during our visit. The one that happened before we arrived littered the streets with small branches and leaves from overhead trees. One afternoon, the wind picked up and quite heavy rain started. This only lasted for about 30 minutes. Most unfortunately, as a result of the rain prediction on the Friday we were visiting, the famous Open Kitchen was cancelled. I was so looking forwards to this collection of street food stalls run by famous restaurants in and around the city.

Despite there being a lot of tourists in Ljubljana when we visited, it wasn’t too overwhelming and the city was not over-run and had not lost it’s charms. There were plenty of locals enjoying their beautiful city as well.

One of the dragons on Dragon Bridge! The people of Ljubljana are crazy about dragons. It’s on their city flag!

Ljubljanica River runs right by the old town. Romantic, alfresco restaurants line the riverside filled with people drinking beer or aperol spritz. Boat tours go up and down this river. We even saw a stand-up paddle board tour group head slowly up the river.

Daily central market in Ljubljana. Not the biggest market. To the side of the market square are a few vending machines. Most notable are the ones dispensing eggs and unpasteurized, fresh cows milk.

Monument to Slovene national poet France Prešeren in Preseren Square, Ljubljana

Prešeren Square – the centre of Ljubjlana. In August, it is full of tourists enjoying the atmosphere.

View from Nebotičnik skyscraper. You can go up to the top of this building for a 360 view of Ljubljana. Technically you have to be a customer of the cafe on the top floor but we had no issue popping up there, taking a few photos and then leaving. Check out the hill with the Ljubljana Castle on the top.

If you are heading Slovenia, you would have surely seen the picturesque photos of Lake Bled. The town of Bled itself is reminiscent of Switzerland or alpine Austria. Lake Bled itself is the most gorgeous colour of blue-green. It makes for a beautiful vista set against a mountain backdrop. The 6km walk around the lake is mostly on a well paved path and is easy and stunningly beautiful. The lake from every angle looks like a postcard picture. Finish your exercise by eating some of the famous Bled Cream Cake (Kremsnita) and just take in the beauty of it all.

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