Berlin - Take That & Party!

It was our final concert of this year’s Take That tour (our sixth concert in total, the other five were in Birmingham) and I always think that adding an event to a city break makes it that little bit more special. We booked our concert tickets and one night's hotel stay with Event Travel and the extra nights and flight ourselves.  We flew from Birmingham to Tegel  airport with Flybe and getting from the airport to our hotel the NHow Berlin, took around 1 hour, taking the airport shuttle bus to Hauptbahnhof station then the S Bahn train to Warschauer station.  Warschauer Str was only a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel, and it didn’t feel like a trek even when it was raining, windy and dark – no need for a taxi or bus. We brought a Welcome Card from the airport’s tourist centre (28€ for 72 hours) and we only used it for the transport but didn’t have time to use it for money off tourist attractions.

I can describe the Nhow hotel in 3 words – modern, music and pink or make it 4 words – VERY PINK! The staff was helpful and the buffet breakfast was worth paying the extra for, lots of choice, my breakfasts consisted of a few small cups of tea (no mugs), fruit juice and meat balls and baked beans. The bar/reception area seemed to double up as a concert venue with a stage and electric guitars you could borrow and take to your room, it was a good setting for our pre-concert drinks (a small beer 4.50€). 



Then there is the lifts, 5 different themed and brightly coloured lifts. A bit of advice, if you’re feel ill or have a hangover don’t go in ‘Rock Music’ lift, it didn’t play rock music but it’s bright yucky orange made me feel sick.  Our room 201 was overlooking the busy main road but we couldn’t hear the traffic, only faint emergency services sirens now and again. It was a standard twin room, clean, pink, spacious, pink and mirrors everywhere, even the TV was inside a mirror...and did I mention it was pink!


We were closer to Alexanderplatz than the centre of Berlin, so our first night we had a wander around the centre of ‘Alex’, there are a lot of shops but they were mainly the same chains as back in England even got a Primark. Dinner was in the Carambar restaurant, it was cheap - two meals (pizza and chilli con carne) and 2 small beers for only 22€. A nice meal nothing exciting it just filled a hole. We went up the TV Tower the Fernsehturm but didn’t use our Welcome Card discount it was quicker to use the ticket machine. It was 13€ for a view of Berlin on a grey day then straight back down – not impressed.  We finished of our night with another beer, working in Birmingham city centre the one thing I hate at Christmas is the Frankfurt Christmas Market (overpriced food and drink, the same tat every year, and lots of drunks), I try and avoid but this year I have had my beer in a real German market, quieter, nicer people, and half the price.

Next day was concert day, we didn’t want to do too much because we didn’t want to be tired for the actual reason we came to Berlin – Take That. Abit of breakfast and lots of tea then back on the S Bain to the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag Building, following in Take That’s footsteps. We found Checkpoint Charlie before it rained and then ran to the nearest shopping mall in Potsdamer Platz which was LP20 (just like the Bullring maybe a tiny bit cheaper due to the current exchange rate). Nothing different but time not wasted, ticked another McDonalds off my Big Mac Bucket List.  On the way back to the hotel, we got off a stop earlier at Ostbahnhof and walked back to the hotel past the East Side Gallery, a long strip of Berlin wall taken over by art and crap graffiti. It starts at the Ostbahnhof station and ends at the Oberbaum Bridge which is a few minutes away from our hotel.

 Following in their footsteps

 East Side Gallery

 
The NHow hotel is an excellent location for concert venues, the Mercedes Arena was in walking distance, and the Take That concert was at the Velodrom which was around 20 minutes trip on the S Bahn to Landsberger with only one line change at Ostkreuz.  The Velodrom was the smallest venue we have seen Take That (around 7,000 capacity) and there wasn't much food choice there like concert venues in the UK. And by the way the boys were amazing as always!

The day after the night before was a lazy day we headed over to Hard Rock Café, not far from the zoo. We found the café around 11am and wasn’t hungry so we walked down the main road, Kurfürstendamm. Coming out of Hard Rock Cafe to your left we walked past all the designer shops day dreaming of the day when we win the lottery and to the right of Hard Rock were the shops within our price range (Mango, Pull and Bear, H &M etc). We did include a visit to a ‘museum’, well it wasn’t a museum but a record shop, you know a place where you flick through the vinyl albums and posters. Those were the days…I’m so old!

After lunch in Hard Rock we headed back to the Brandenburg Gate, our plan was to hang around until it was dark to see the Gate lit up. Negative point to this idea was it took ages to go dark and after a few days of being walking tourists we were so tired.  We did get to see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial) and the Boulevard der ’Stars’ in Potsdamer Platz. They are stars if you are German and just a pavement if you’re not.  I only knew of Diane Kruger, Marlene Dietrich and my favourite Christoph Waltz. The positive point to hanging around waiting for the sun to go down – this particular week was the Festival of Lights…..

 Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)

 Walk of 'Stars'

 Festival of Lights

With regards to my TV travel list Berlin has been in a few Crossing Lines episodes and I’m watching the 5th series of Homeland for the sole reason its set in Berlin, it isn’t as good since Brody died. 

Then there is the film the Man from U.N.C.L.E, however I think most of 'Berlin' was a film studio.

Venice: Busy but Beautiful

Don’t believe all the negative points you hear about this unique city. Yes its busy during the summer months and yes its expensive, but isn’t every popular European holiday destination?

 

We went to Venice in July for my 40th Birthday, if it wasn’t a special trip then we might have gone out of season.  With a good exchange rate and the common sense to save up I didn’t spend my time checking if I had enough money for a gondola ride (80€) or drinks in St Mark’s Square (50€ for 3 soft drinks), I did both! As for the crowds, the majority of them were day trippers and had gone home or back on their cruise ships  by 7pm, so much quieter at night.

 

 

We stayed at the Hotel Bonvecchiati, everything was excellent about this hotel, I can’t find any faults...apart from its American guests were always moaning.  There was nothing about this hotel to complain about, it wasn’t the hotel’s fault it was extremely hot this particular week (grazie for their air conditioning). The helpful staff, cleanliness in the hotel and our room (maid service twice a day), the view from our superior deluxe canal view room (canal obviously and the top of the Campanile/Bell Tower and St Mark’s Basilica), the breakfast (buffet) and most importantly the location, only two minutes from St Mark’s Square and five minutes (if you don’t get lost) from the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal. All good!

 

Our canal view

Good Morning Venice

 

 

We were only there are 4 full days and we saw the main sites:

(If we had another day I would of visited the islands of Murano and Burano or queued to go to the top of the Campanile)

 

• Grand Canal and view of Campanile di San Marco – just like the postcards

• Rialto Bridge: from a far a nice photo, close up not so good, lots of building work and when you cross the bridge it’s just touristy shops on it.

• Saint Mark’s Basilica: Beautiful building (minus the scaffolding) inside and outside.  We chose to take a pre booked tour, a bit boring and hard to hear the guide but much better than standing in the long queues.

 

•  Doges Palace: Found our guide and the palace more interesting than the Basilica. Perfect for art lovers, painting everywhere, the prisons and walking over the Bridge of Sighs were my favourite parts. Lots of stairways and no air conditioning.

Inside Doges Palace

Bridge of Sighs and the view from this Bridge 

 

• Saint Mark’s Square: It’s a big square so enough room for everyone and during the day the crowds are queuing to get into the Basilica and the Palace, so you can enjoy the atmosphere and people watch while drinking a lemonade for 16€ at the Caffe Florian, it 10€ for the drink and 6€ for the music, the music sounded better with a beer (13€ + music charge). But who cares about the price I was on holiday!

• Gondola Ride: Had to be done, it would be like going to Paris and no seeing the Eiffel Tower. 80€ for 30 minutes before 6pm, 100€ after 6 (per boat not per person). No haggling – the rate is set for all.  Very good experience of seeing the city  from the canal at a very slow pace. We got our Gondola ride near the Rialto Bridge and our route took us ‘around the block’. Maybe taking a Gondola near Doges Palace would have been better, as I really wanted to go under the Bridge of Sighs.

During our gondola ride we past the hotel where George Clooney got married :(

 

As for food I recommend the home made lasagne at Da Raffaele, pizza at Ristorante Al Theatro and the steak at Hard Rock Café. I know it’s not very Italian but I had to cross it off my Hard Rock Café bucket  list.

 

With regards to my TV/Movie locations to visit list:  Firstly our gondola took us past the hotel where George Clooney got married and on Wikipedia there are over 95 movies filmed in Venice.  Out of them I have seen (and remembered their Venice settings) Casino Royale, One Chance, The Talented Mister Ripley, and The Tourist (a terrible film with a beautiful background).

 

Yes maybe my trip would have been cooler and quieter in spring or autumn, but I wanted to be out of the UK for my big birthday, however the good weather and busy atmosphere made my experience better. It might be a bit boring sitting in St Mark’s Square alone or not so much fun having a gondola ride in the rain.

 

Destressing in Provence: 5 days in the French countryside

After a summer of learning to knit (my new get rich quick scheme), trying to find a new job, the hassle of buying a new car and going to the amazing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, it was time to leave the country  before I hibernate in front of the TV for the winter.  For this Francophile I needed my French drug, my Provencal high and merci to Monsieur X for the invite.

No flights to Marseille from Birmingham so a coach trip to London Stansted for a Ryanair flight. I don't want to tempt fate on my next flight but I don't have any issues with this airline.  Always on time and they haven’t caught me with my oversized rucksack. Waiting for me in arrivals was Monsieur X, my best friend, crush, taxi driver, cook, and tour guide. Ah Oui! A man who can multitask!

Our Provencal week covered a lot of area and Monsieur X drove around 400km, our legs walked up a few steep hills and there was many hours spent eating, drinking and watching the world go by. Doesn’t sound very excited but the countryside views and atmosphere was a perfect break away from City Centre pollution and my very stressful office life.

We stayed for the first 3 nights in Le Pontet, (only 15mintues drive away from Avignon centre) in a 2 bedroom apartment which was a converted garage attached to the owner’s house in a quiet residential area. It doesn’t sound great but this accommodation was clean and modern and the owners (the wife speaks English) were very welcoming and helpful.  They even offered us the use of their swimming pool (it was hot weather but not that hot).  Le Pontet was our base as it was centre to all the points of interest and villages we visited… also good pizza at Pizza la Place (1 Place Joseph Thomas) too.  Then we spent 2 nights in Aix-en-Provence, the flat we rented was in the centre of the city, we called it the ‘Ne Pas Toucher Flat’ as the owner still lived in the flat during the week and only rented it out at weekends. She left notes everywhere saying do not touch her stuff.

We found these apartments on French website - www.leboncoin.fr/locations_de_vacances

Le Pontet Apartment

Our first full day started with a coffee (well tea for this English girl but sounds weird when writing about France) in Castillon (du Gard on Google maps), it was so quiet I felt myself whispering, then on to the centre of Uzes for lunch, passing the Haribo Museum on the way but Monsieur X wouldn’t stop.  Plat du jour at Le Provencal Bar, Place Belle Croix looked and tasted good it was meat salad and fries until Monsieur X said it was pigs stomach then I couldn’t eat it. After a walk around the town taking so many photos of the Cathedral and its green views,the rest of afternoon was spent at Pont du Gard. This was a Roman aqueduct bridge and I'm not sure if it’s true but Monsieur X said it’s the biggest in Europe. Entrance fee to the bridge, the museum, cinema and parking was 18€ per car (up to five people). The museum on how and why the Romans built this bridge was interesting and I’m not a fan of museums. I imagine the Pont du Gard being crazy busy during the summer months.

Castillion

Uzes

View from the Cathedral

 

Pont De Gard

 

Day two consisted of a morning coffee/tea in Saint Remy de Provence, Monsieur X said it’s where the rich and famous go and he hadn't visited this town for over 10 years and felt it had become ‘snobbish’. I felt he was right on both counts from the restaurant prices and that every other building was an Estate Agent advertising homes for sale at 500,000 euros or more. Then a few hours of exercise in Les Baux De Provence, a steep walk around the village at the top of the Alpilles mountains  (Baby Alps Monsieur X called them), very touristy with lots of souvenirs shops, however they were not tacky as the French don’t do tacky and they were hidden away in the old buildings. Monsieur X’s tip don’t visit in the summer as the road up to the village is so busy people have to park at the side of the road and the queue can be half way down this hill.

Lunch was in Cavaillon at Le Coquet Bar, Rue Lamartin my first taste of quenelle, this fish dish with rich and salad was one of my favorite meals of the week it’s a shame they don’t sell it in England, and I could have eaten another portion. Also I ticked another place of my TV/Film Bucket list as we walked through the square where a dance scene in Mr Bean’s Holiday was filmed as per Monsieur X’s guide to Provence.

No time to stop and see more of Cavaillon, Monsieur X had two more places to visit on his daily agenda Gordes and then the Fontaine de Vaculuse.  The drive though the French countryside was amazing anyway but Gordes (another village another hill) was beautiful, the green and blue view surrounding her took the last bits of stress away from this city girl. Wikipedia states the Russell Crowe film ‘A Good Year’ was filmed there, I must get the dust of the my DVD to double check before I cross it over the TV/Film bucket list.

Gordes

 

Another 20-30 minutes’ drive to the Fontaine de Vaculuse, which included a quick walk along the river to the Fontaine as we only had 20 minutes free parking. I was expecting a waterfall but it was a spring underneath a cliff and no one knows where the water comes from or how deep the spring is. With all this water I needed the toilet and I have to say these public toilets were the dirtiest I have seen.

Fontaine de Vaculuse

 

Next day we left Le Pontet for Aix en Provence I had been to Aix a few times but never for a night. It was a culture shock for me, a student city lots of young people out drinking however there was no fights, no one being sick in the street and the fashion was classy not trashy no ‘who can wear the least amount clothes in the winter’ style I have seen some in British cities. Saturday was another lazy day of window shopping, eating and drinking and my personal highlight was a burger meal at Quick, yes with all the culture, amazing landscape and great company this fast-food addict loved her burger and chips, so much better than Ronald, the King and the Colonel back home.

Quick - Aix

Aix-en-Provence

Our holiday finished off where my healthy eating plan started in Pelissane, before the airport we stopped off for lunch at Café Tabac de la Place, 15 Place de Pisavis. Cesar chicken salad washed down with my last glass of wine for a while.

My body is back in Birmingham, but my head and heart is still in Provence.

Tour De Bauer/ France - 24: Cycle Another Day

The following takes place between 10am and 7pm on 7th July.

My original plan was a day trip to London to watch the Tour de France (point 10 in my before I'm 40 list) and while I was waiting for Froome and Co to zoom past -  I had time to cross off one of my TV/Travel bucket list too-  24: Live Another Day. Most of the filming was around Trafalgar Square and the Mall which was the end of stage 3 of the 2014 tour.  I killed two oiseasu with one pierre!

The stage 3 finish line was half way up the Mall and along with the line there was the organizers, sponsors, TV crews, bike teams, a lot of security and every car had a French number plate, this meant road and path closures. Around 11am the crowd was scattered around the Mall, but the foreign tourists were more interested in Buckingham Palace than finding a viewing spot of the route.

Before I found my spot I decided to run around London in Bauer style to find the 24 locations with help from wikia.com.  (http://24.wikia.com/wiki/Live_Another_Day_filming_locations )

First Bauer site was along Pall Mall for two locations:

DAMMIT 1!  I couldn’t get to Carlton Gardens where the outside scenes of the US Embassy were filmed, as the nearby roads were closed off for Le Tour. I couldn’t get to the front of the Athenaeum Club on Waterloo Place either.  Outside the Athenaeum Club was where Kate met with Jack to start their bid to save London and where Jack and President Heller escaped the Secret Service for their trip to Wembley Stadium. It was also where Belcheck dropped the President off after their trip.

Athenaeum Club

 

I headed up to Trafalgar Square and took a detour to the Two Chairman Pub on Warwick House Street, just off Cockspur Street. Here is where Chloe O'Brian blows off Jack and goes off with Adrian.

Two Chairman Pub

Trafalgar Square was full of cycling fans (Nelson would be turning in his grave the amount of French around his Column), and this was where Simone Al-Harazi was hit by a bus.

Trafalgar Square

just pretend the lorry is the bus

Across the Square and along Duncannon Street to Charing Cross station and the station exit by Pizza Express where Jack ran out when chasing Simone Al-Harazi.

he ran past the pizza express

The next 5 hours I sat near Buckingham Palace waiting for cyclists to zoom past in the rain. With the French commentary coming out of the speakers along the route and the carnival of mainly French companies passing by a few hours before the riders, I did have to look at Buckingham Palace behind me a few times to remind me that I was actually in England not France.

bikes to quick for a photo

 

After the race I continued to follow in Jack’s footsteps, passed Big Ben and spent 120€ on a Team Sky Rain jacket (and when I get home I have a letter from Sky TV putting up my monthly TV subscription – Merci Sky!) then on to Waterloo Station – where the missile was going to hit and across the Golden Jubilee Bridge where the missile went into the Thames.

 Waterloo Station

where the 'missile' hit

 

I hope Le Tour comes back to England soon or maybe I will get to watch it actually in France. There was an amazing atmosphere similar to London 2012, so it wasn't a bad day like Jack always experiences but I do have a few more dammits:

DAMMIT 2!  I was nowhere near the Gillette Building in West London, where most of the inside scenes were shot.

DAMMIT 3! No time to get to Liverpool street station where Steve Navarro was caught by Jack.

DAMMIT 4!  No time but already been to Wembley Stadium back in 2012 and last year to Camden Lock – Jordon Reed RIP & past the East London mosque, Whitechapel which is in the opening scenes of episode 1 we stayed in the Ibis budget hotel next door (England through the eyes of a Frenchman – London part 1).  

I should get on with completing my 40 things to do before I'm 40 list but I'm sure another weekend of watching another 24 box set won't hurt.