Author Archives: Björn

Introduction to the Armenian Church

Posted on by

It took us about half an hour, to make the about 25km from Yerevan to Etchmiadzin. After a very secular first part of the day, it was now time for a first introduction to the Armenian Church and Armenian churches – – and what better place, to start with that than at the mother see of holy Etchmiadzin or the the Armenian Church equivalent of the Vatican.

We entered the grounds by walking through a gate, to then pass by several khachkars (Armenian cross stones), to eventually make it to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. The cathedral dates back to the early fourth century – and as such is often considered the oldest cathedral in the world. Currently the cathedral is closed, as it is being renovated – so our visit was limited to the outside.

We did proceed through the building, that houses the pontifical residence, to get to the treasury museum for its impressive exhibition of relics, religious artifacts and (no kidding) water faucets.

Well – faucets make me hungry 😉 – so it was now time, to head over to the refectory for our first lunch in Armenia and also the first sampling of Armenian wine.

After a well-deserved lunch break, we made it back to the bus, with the next stop just a few minutes away. Parking though turned out a bit tricky, as the area – around Saint Hripsime Church (Սուրբ Հռիփսիմե եկեղեցի) – was packed with wedding bridal couples (and their guests), who were using this church from the seventh century as the stage for their (conveyor-belt-style) weddings.

Our next stop was similarly packed, but this time not for the wedding ceremony itself, but only for the photos – seems the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral (Զվարթնոց տաճար) just provide the right backdrop for wedding photography (at least for some). Similar to Saint Hripsime also Zvarnots Cathedral dates back to the seventh century; its destruction is usually estimated within the tenth century (to unknown reasons).
We had a tour around the ruins (of course without disturbing the photographers), to then end up with a surprise concert of Armenian songs presented by a group of singers (including  a famous Armenian opera singer), that just happened to be in the presentation room of the museum.

The way back to Yerevan was uneventful – as most of us ended up sleeping on the bus (the early arrival in the morning and the short night taking its toll).

Welcome to Yerevan

Posted on by

Last year I had done several trips, touching successor states of the Soviet Union. During those trips I also did hear stories from my fellow travelers on the countries in the Caucasus, praising the variety of things to see, the hospitality of the people and the food. So I ultimately decided, that it was time, to experience the Caucasus myself – and got booked. The tour I selected – run by a German tour company – was one of the few tours actually covering all three countries – Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan – extending all the way from the small Caucasus to the big Caucasus and from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea.

The trip now had started yesterday. I (along with the rest of the group) had arrived in Armenia in the early morning and were now – after a short night and a late breakfast – heading out, to see the highlights of Yerevan.

The tour started at the Monument to 50 Years of Soviet Armenia, located on a platform high above town, featuring panoramic views of the city and Mt.Ararat behind it.

From here we followed the steps downstairs and made our way to the Cascade Complex (Կասկադ համալիր) – but only after passing around the construction site of the unfinished part of the complex (waiting for funding, to become available). At the complex we made it to the inside, where the Cafesjian Center for the Arts (Գաֆէսճեան արվեստի կենտրոն) – a modern arts gallery – is located.

From the lower parts of the complex, we could get a good overview of Alexander Tamanyan Park (the park right at the bottom of the stairs) and France Square with the opera house right behind it. The park did raise some memories – of kiwis (the animal) and Botero; the architecture of the opera house did remind me of the one in Minsk.

It was also next to the park, where we were picked up by our bus – to leave town …

Heidelberg by Steam Train

Posted on by

I have been a member of the friends’ association supporting the local volunteer fire brigade for years. With this year marking the 125th anniversary of that association, the management committee here had decided, to invite its members to a very special excursion as a sort of anniversary celebration.

The idea had been a trip down into history, which was brought to live by a trip on an actual steam train. As such – this morning, we made it to the local commuter train station, where we were picked up by a 1943 produced steam locomotive.

From here we enjoyed a trip of around three hours, making our way via Darmstadt, Bensheim and Weinheim to Heidelberg.

In Heidelberg we had about four hours, to explore town, its nice setup at the Neckar river and the world-famous views of the castle and the old town.

At about 17:00 we had to be back at the train station, to board the train and get back to Rodgau again via Weinheim, Bensheim and Darmstadt.

Below some impressions from both the train, train ride – and of course the mandatory shots of Heidelberg.

Into the Allgäu

Posted on by

This long (Pentecost) weekend saw me having a small family reunion in Germany’s Allgäu region. We spent the full weekend in the CenterParc resort (so no photos here). On the way back however we decided for a detour towards the Alps and had a stop at a longtime favorite of my parents – the Tegelberg (i.e. in direct vicinity of Neuschwanstein castle).

We decided to take the ropeway up the mountain for some incredible views over the region. After a short walk around the mountain station we made it down again, to continue our way home.

Oysters in San Francisco

Posted on by

We took it easy today and had a leisurely start of the day. Around midday we made it down to Oakland’s ferry terminal, to catch a ferry over to San Francisco and a late oyster lunch at the Hog Island Oyster Company outlet right in the Ferry Building.

After lunch we enjoyed a walk along the piers from the ferry building all the way up to pier 41 with various stops on the way (including one at pier 39, to catch a glimpse of the sea lions). From here it was back to the ferry and across the bay to Oakland.

In retrospect this has been a nice week over in California – again with great food, great views, interesting excursions and drinks to try on the way – plus of course perfect company and hosts – THANKS Lisa and Harry – it’s been a great time (again)!

To the Ocean …

Posted on by

The plan for the day was, to head up for the coast in Sonoma county, about 100km North of San Francisco.

As my hosts had to replenish their supply of sparkling wine, we had a stop at the Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville on the way. This winery (as the name might suggest) is specialized in the production of sparkling wine. We had a tour of the winery, to then make it for a tasting and an order. To me the sparkling wines were mostly too sweet, the (still) base wines though were decent.

We continued along the Russian River Valley – until eventually the river made its way into the Pacific and we had arrived at Jenner. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the mouth of the river and beaches.

After lunch and a post-lunch port with a superb view, we continued to one of the beaches, we had seen from the restaurant – Goat Rock State Beach, a part of the Sonoma Coast State Park. Here we had a short walk along the beach, including an opportunity for a (toe) dip.

We were now already heading South on highway 1, initially along the coast (with more great views) and then into Tomales Bay with a stop at Point Reyes Station for a bit of cheese shopping (the Sonoma area is a cow paradise, so plenty of milk and cheese) – before making it inland for US highway 101 and the San Rafael / Richmond bay bridge – and finally back to Oakland.

Exploring Oakland

Posted on by

Those of you, who have been following my stories for a while, may remember, that – over the years – I have done a number of trips, to visit Lisa and Harry in California. With the last trip now about two years ago, we decided, that it was about time for another trip. So I saw myself flying over from Frankfurt to Oakland on April 30th.

I got into Oakland in the evening of the 30th and was warmly welcomed. Over a light dinner there were plenty of things, to catch up on.

For May 1st the plan was, to have a closer look at Oakland – a city usually overlooked, as people head out across the bay to San Francisco. 

We drove down to Lake Merrit, where we got started with a walk around the lake, before having a stop at Cathedral of Light,  to then – after a coffee stop – continue towards Broadway and the central business district. We soon left Broadway again, to get a closer look at the Fox Theater, from where we followed along Telegraph Avenue and eventually reached the “Cathedral Building” and as such made it back to Broadway.

After a quick stop at the town hall we continued to Swan’s Market for a quick pre-lunch oyster snack; lunch itself turned out Korean in a restaurant further down the street.

After lunch we continued towards Jack London square, did check out the mall and had a look at Jack London’s historic cabin. Before making it back home, we hit a tasting room of a winery right at the ferry terminal. Time for some California classics: buttery Chardonnay and a good Zin or two 😉

On Wednesday we stayed local again, making it to Oakland’s neighbor city – Berkeley. I did not take any photos today, so you will have to do without those.

We started the day with a walk around Berkeley’s Aquatic Park; a really nice park, right at the water, complete with a disc golf course – and unfortunately (this being the big, big minus) also facing a major interstate highway.

From here it was a short drive to the Takara Sake Brewery, where we got an introduction to the traditional way of Sake production – followed by (of course) a tasting in their tasting room, featuring both local Berkeley, as well as imported sakes from Japan. The sake turned out an aperitif for us, as we continued to a Vietnamese restaurant for a pho lunch. This was followed by a short trip around the Berkeley campus and a visit of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (aka. BAMPFA).

After all this culture and education, it was about time, to go and try something else; so we ended up in the Rare Barrel – a brewery specialized in sour beer. Sour beer is a rather odd drink … and so far I have not been a fan of it. We ended up having a small selection of different beers (i.e. from different barrels), to get the different flavors. Two in our collection were essentially, as I remembered sour beer from other tastings (so not to my taste), two though were drinkable and the remaining two – surprise, surprise – really delicious. Well – it pays off, to be open 😉

Back to Manila

Posted on by

I left Puerto Princesa around midday of the 28th and got back to Manila in the late afternoon. This time I had picked a base in another area of Manila – in the city of Pasay, close to the Mall of Asia.

Originally I only had planned a night here, but with my return flight being canceled, I had to extend my stay by a further night.

With the weather on the rainy side, my options were kind of limited … and I pretty much spent my time either in the hotel or in one of the malls in the area. With the Mall of Asia one of them (currently the 12th biggest mall in the world) there was certainly enough to see and do – including the fireworks (ever Friday and Saturday at 19:00) or the little amusement park (a ride in the Ferris Wheel surely was a must). Otherwise I concluded my packing, got some last minute souvenirs, did feast on the famous jollibee spaghetti 😉 – before making my way to the airport midday of the 30th to catch my flight home.

In retrospect I have to say, the second part of the trip was different from the first. It turned out less active and less involved (which was probably not a bad thing, given my ankle condition). Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the activities done, though – after a perfect first part – it felt as if something was missing, also as there were no real options beyond the activities already covered – despite the time still available.

In any case, it was a good thing, that I had seen and experienced both parts of the trip and as such also the two extremes on offer in the Philippines. Overall I have to say, the Philippines are really a country of options, there is literally something on offer for anyone and for any interest – add the friendly people, good food and there is everything necessary for a great holiday destination. And with me just having touched about six islands of more than 7000 – who knows, I might well be back …

Puerto Princesa Impressions

Posted on by

Today we made it back from El Nido to Puerto Princesa. With breaks the 270km trip had taken us about six hours (including another visit of the Palawan elephant).

We got into Puerto Princesa in the early afternoon, so enough time for a bit of exploration in Puerto Princesa.

First stop was at the local craft brewery – the Palaweño Brewery – literally down the road from the hotel, to try the local IPA from tap. A solid IPA with citrus flavors and yet the to-be expected bitterness – – certainly an interesting and unexpected find 😉

From the brewery we continued to the town center, got to see the cathedral and the City Baywalk Park (complete with Christmas decorations) – to then make it back to the hotel.

Later in the day the whole group made it back to the baywalk park. A boat was waiting for us here, to get us over to the other side of the bay and then (on a smaller boat) into the Iwahig river. The sun had set by now and it was dark, so we were able to see the fireflies (or rather their lights) and see them react on our sounds (seems, the chicken sound was not that impressive for them).

The second final dinner did follow after our return, though turned out less involved than the first one (not unexpected though).