Welcome to Manila

Posted on by

Over the last couple of years it has become a habit for me, to have a break towards the end of the year – either in November or December. In the end it is just too convenient, to get away from the cold and dark at home and simply do something else.

This year was not different … I was bound for the Philippines this time, which – on my previous trips to South East Asia – I had not covered (and that for no particular reason). So – to make a long story short … my motivation, to pick the Philippines as a destination, was simply, because it was about time – so, it was then just a matter, to run across the right trip and – once dates did work out, it was a quick decision and I was booked.

I got into Manila on Sunday morning after a lengthy flight via Taipei; it was midday until I reached my hotel. I spent the rest of that day basically fighting the jet lag and fatigue – and the best way, to do so, is, to keep oneself busy … which is exactly, what I did. I basically spent the afternoon walking around the area; made my way up to Rizal Park, spent some time in the excellent National Art Museum – as well as the downtown Robinson mall. It was at the most unexpected place (Starbucks in that mall), that I discovered an unexpected Filipino specialty (as it is only on the Starbucks menu in the Philippines): the Matcha & Espresso Fusion – basically a matcha latte combined with a double espresso – delicious², I don’t see, how there can be a better source for caffeine 😉

With the tour only starting Monday evening; I had a full day for further exploration. I made my way up to Rizal Park (this time just passing through though) and on for Intramuros –  essentially Manila’s colonial heritage within walls.

I did head out straight for Fort Santiago (with various church stops on the way) and then had a walk around the area. From Intramuros I continued to China Town, just across the Pasig river – again another area, to discover …

From here it was back to the hotel, to freshen up – in time for the group meeting at the start of the tour.

I turned out, there were eight of us. From the initial discussions it seemed to be a well traveled group of like-minded people … add to that an enthusiastic tour leader – so overall a good prospect for the tour – let’s jump straight into it.

Bye-bye Kiev

Posted on by

After our return from Chernobyl we were heading out for a final evening dinner in a restaurant underneath Independence Square. Below some photos of the square during the way back after dinner Friday night.

With my taxi to the airport leaving at 10:30 on Saturday morning, I found myself with a bit of time, to have a closer look at the information displays around the maidan, telling the story of the euromaidan revolution – how it started, what happened, how it ended and also the role of social media in the revolution – overall a good installation with loads of detail – – and one that left me quiet thankful for all the freedom, peace and liberty, I have at home and that I (and many others) probably take granted a bit too much …

Overall it’s been an interesting trip through a region in Europe, very little visited. This one was clearly not about mind-blowing landscape or world class attractions – but more a glimpse into recent history (sometimes subtle, sometimes very direct), the very different developments in the region after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the overall attitude towards the EU vs. Russia.
To conclude – for me the highlights of the trip were clearly the glimpses into the past, back into Soviet times – the living and breathing version in Tiraspol – but also the abandoned and closed-down version in Pripjat (and if you look closely, you will see, that both cities have the same Ferris Wheel model). Otherwise the wow-factor on this trip really is between the lines, in the little things and in comparing different cities and territories.

To read through this trip chronologically, start in Romania.

KVINT-essential Surprise

Posted on by

This afternoon was dedicated to, what is featured on the five ruble note – i.e. the KVINT divin (brandy) factory.

We got to the factory mid-afternoon and were welcomed by our guide, who directly led us to the plant’s showroom. Here we could get a bit of history of the factory and learned, that during Soviet times KVINT was about as premium as things could get for most, with some of the produce even making it into space and to the MIR space station (despite the fact that alcohol was officially off limits). We even got to see the one bottle, that made it back from space (so – what was wrong with that one – or did they just smuggle too many?).

We also learned about the product range and the best sellers. Key fact here … there is more than brandy … KVINT also does wine, vodka and gin.

From the showroom we continued to the bottling facility and then on to one of the cask stores. Final stop – of course – was in one of the ‘board rooms’ for a brandy tasting – covering five divins starting with a six year old one all the way to the ten year old XO Surprise … certainly an interesting tasting 😉

After the tasting we made it to the KVINT store around the corner and some of the older brandies (i.e. mostly older than anything, we had in the tasting) made it across the counter (in exchange for several of the already mentioned pictures of the KVINT factory). As I was curious about the gin, I got a bottle of that and we ended up having some gin & tonics later that night. The gin was a fairly simple affair, very crisp and clear towards juniper (as it should be) with some side notes of cardamom and none of the playfulness of most gins in Western Europe – for my taste a very straight, delightful and refreshing gin (and at less than 2 USD for a half liter bottle a very affordable one as well).