Z's Photolog

Light of the World

2010-05-10T00:34:00.001+02:00

Light of the World, originally uploaded by ezz+.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T15:48:00.008+01:00

Merry Christmas! It is snowing here in Albstadt :)
Sorry for not updating this blog for such a long time. Hope 2009 will be a better year for Z's Photolog.

Kleinwalsertal, Bolsterlang 2009

2009-08-27T14:19:00.007+02:00

Another hiking trip with the Männervesper on 4 July 2009. This time we headed to Kleinwalsertal, Bolsterlang in Oberallgäu, Germany. Enjoy the pictures!

Amsterdam 2008

2009-04-10T15:12:00.007+02:00

Since my last post here, the weather has turned warm and finally spring is here! Like the Chinese proverbs says 一年之计在于春 (translated: A year's plan starts with spring), I have a new plan for this blog. As advised by my brother, I am going to not only post the photos from my trips, but also some useful information such as transportation that I took, where did I overnight, what did I eat, what did I do, what are there to see, how much I have paid for all that. etc. Hopefully the information will be useful for fellow travellers.
Let us start with my Amsterdam trip from 16 to 18 May 2008. (OK Wendy, I know that was last year :p but better late than never right?)

Windmill De Kat

-Get in-
Departed from Friedrichshafen, Germany to Ulm. And from there took a night train (City Night Line) to Amsterdam Centraal. One way ticket in couchette compartment cost 89 Euro. Journey time from Ulm to Amsterdam: 8:49 hour. Check bahn.de for the actual price.

The journey was comfortable enough. The 6 couchette compartment was a bit cramped, so try to board early to make sure you find a place for your backpack. The couchette was ok though, good enough for me to have some good hours of sleep.

-Get around-
Trams, walk and trains. Standard european city fare.

-Sleep-
Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark
There are 3 Stayokay Hostels in Amsterdam (Stayokay is affiliated with Hostelling International). I believe Vondelpark is the best one. Right in the middle of the huge Vondelpark, it is also near to tram station and restaurants. Rooms are spacious and clean. Breakfast and bed linen included. 24 Euro per night for dormitory.

-Eat-
Pannekoek, dutch pancake
Spare ribs

Magic mushrooms. The sale of these have been banned since 1 December 2008. By the way, they tasted horrible. The psychoactive effect was strong though.

-See + Do-
Visit Windmills of the Zaans Shans River! 15-minute train ride from Amsterdam Centraal Station to theKoog-Zaandijk railway station (direction Alkmaar). It is 5-minute walk from the station to the ferry. Pedestrians will be able to reach the Zaanse Schans by a small ferry operating in the area at 10-minute intervals throughout the day. It is 5-minute walk to the Zaanse Schans and 10-minutes to the Zaans Museum. More information here: http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

plain Dutch clogs

Dutch clogs in shops

more Dutch clogs

Dutch cheese

Canal cruise

Canals of Amsterdam

At Dam Square with Royal Palace as background.

Bahrain 2008

2009-02-26T08:27:00.006+01:00

Fast forward to March 2008, after spending a fabulous chinese new year celebration and holiday in Malaysia, it's time to fly back to Germany. Due to the 10+ hours transit in Bahrain, we were sent to a hotel in the Bahraini desert. Have a look:

Al Safir Hotel & Tower
Feel the sun! Starting our unsuccessful journey to the city center.
Enjoying the intense sunshine.
See the twin towers at the background? That was supposed to be our destination!
We ended up here! At a lonely but beautifully built mosque. After some googling, I found out that this is the Al Fateh Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world.
Accepting the fact that the city center is unreachable by walking, we decided to make a turn and headed to the seaside instead.
More hotels?
Remember the yellow/black bicycle...
With an unknown motive, the man on the yellow/black bicycle suddenly rode his bike into the water. Trying to entertain us?
or to cross the sea to the opposite coast? It remains a mystery until today!

Our desert experience ended later that night after an extravagant buffet dinner and a nap. Goodbye Bahrain!

Do it my way
-Get in-
Fly Gulf Air, return trip Frankfurt-Bahrain-Kuala Lumpur (€ 694 incl. Tax)
Shuttle bus was provided by Gulf Air from Bahrain International Airport to hotel (about 10km)

-Get around-
Walk! There are plenty of taxis but we did not have any Bahraini dinar and did not bother to ask whether they accept Euro.

-Sleep-
twin sharing room, Al Safir Hotel & Tower (rates unknown, provided by Gulf Air)

-Eat-
Free buffet dinner at the hotel
Arabic/Indian styles (very delicious!)

-Do-
Vitamin D production!

-See-
Al Fateh Mosque, Cycle on Water show.

Fürstein, Switzerland

2009-02-13T09:39:00.008+01:00

A big thank you for those of you, who have been faithfully and regularly come back to check for any updates. For my laziness, I apologise. But look, this blog is up and running again.
For a start, ladies and gentlemen, let's me introduce you to Fürstein, a 2040m high mountain in Obwalden, Switzerland. These photos were taken on my one day hiking trip there with Siegfried and his doctor friend on 3 Nov 2007.

Emergency Telephone Numbers

2008-10-08T21:28:00.003+02:00

Emergency Telephone
Numbers

These are more effective than 911 or 112

When -

You are sad, phone John 14

You have sinned, phone Psalm 51

You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91

People have failed you, phone Psalm
27

It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139

Your faith needs stimulation, phone
Hebrews 11

You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23

You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34

You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13

You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians
5:15-18

You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39

You are seeking peace,
phone Matthew 11:25-30

It feels as if the world is bigger than God, phone Psalm
90

You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30

You are leaving home for a
trip, phone Psalm 121

You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm
87

You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1

Inflation's and investments are hogging your
thoughts, phone
Mark 10:17-31

You are depressive, phone Psalm 27

Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37

You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13

It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15

You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126

You feel the world is small compared to you, phone Psalm 19

You want to carry fruit, phone John 15

Paul's secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17

With big opportunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55

To get along with other people, phone Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS

For dealing with fear, call Psalm
47

For security, call Psalm 121:3

For assurance, call Mark 8:35

For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18

ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.

NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.

ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A
DAY.

Barcelona and Madrid,July 07

2008-08-12T21:34:00.008+02:00

It has been a long long time... But like they say, it's better late than never. So here are the pictures taken from my Spain trip last summer. KLCC came all the way from India to Albstadt when we were still in the last week of our exams and patiently waited for us. We departed the next morning after our last paper from Baden-Baden Airport to Girona, 92km from Barcelona. From there, we took an one hour bus ride to Barcelona.

The beautiful beach of Barcelona.

Sagrada Família, the unfinished masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí. It has been under construction since 1882 and as of 2007, completion is planned for 2026.

Inside Sagrada Família.

Casa Batlló, another work by Antoni Gaudí.

Yet another work by Antoni Gaudí - Casa Milà.

On the roof of Casa Milà.

A random picture in the city center.

The full cast of the Spain trip.

In Camp Nou, the home of Barcelona FC. Més que un club, the motto of the club: "More than a Club"
Messi changes here!
Another round of beach football before leaving Barcelona.

Royal Palace of Madrid. Somehow, after spending so much fun time in Barcelona, we found Madrid a bit less happening.

We didn't even enter Santiago Bernabéu. But took a nice picture with the Real logo outside.

Canoe in Sigmaringen 2006

2008-04-07T21:22:00.003+02:00

Pictures taken long ago in July 2006. A fun filled 3 hours of canoeing along the Danube(german:Donau) river.

Birthday 2007

2007-11-01T00:55:00.000+01:00

Hehe...I know it's November already.
My birthday cake. Specially baked by our nice senior, Chia Ni. Thanks!!! I am still very touched.

Steamboat!
The whole Albstadt gang. Thanks everyone!

Salzburg 2007

2007-10-31T23:47:00.000+01:00

It has been months since my last update. Here are some belated photos of my trip to Salzburg during the easter break in 2007(6 April-8 April).
Salzach river, the old town of Salzburg and Festung Hohensalzburg(the castle on the hill) are the landmarks for the fourth-largest city in Austria.

Excited in front of the residence of Salzburg's famous son- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
If you don't know who is him, here is his statue. By the way , a confectioner named his specially made product after this Mozart and it is called Mozartkugel(english: Mozart ball). It is a marzipan ball wrapped with chocolate. Very tasty... But beware of the fake Mozartkugel!
Sound of Music fans out there, this is the Mirabell Garden where Sound of Music was filmed. According to wikipedia, Maria and the children sing the song "Do-Re-Mi" here. I think I am one of the very few to have been to Salzburg and have not watched the whole complete movie ever before. Failed to stay on until the end everytime.
The other end of Mirabell Garden.

Up to the 1972m high Untersberg mountain.

This is the first time I see so many easter eggs! You can only buy easter eggs in this shop. Wonder what they sell when easter season is over.
The full cast of the Salzburg trip. Wait....
How can I forget Jonathan. He was our photographer throughout the trip. All photos in this post are credited to him. Thanks Jonathan!

Miri & Mulu National Park 2007

2007-07-26T18:07:00.000+02:00

After more than one year in Germany, I was back in Malaysia for holiday in Feb 07. It was a great timing to be back home- CNY and the wedding of my bro. Managed to meet up with more old friends than I have expected. Here are some photos from my visit to Miri and Mulu National Park.

Deer Cave - the largest cave passage in the world.
Profile of Abraham Lincoln as seen from the Deer Cave.

The Grand Old Lady- the first oil well in Malaysia, built 1910. Sorry Lynn Xuan, this is the only photo from Miri that I can show here. Didn't take many photos in Miri.
Deer Cave.
Millions of bats leaving Deer Cave in Mulu National Park at evenings for food.

Cave formation in Lang's Cave
Passing through the Moon Milk Cave.

Swimming in the crystal clear pool that is filled by water that flows out of the Clearwater Cave.

River cruise in a long boat.

It's a toilet.

Taking a walk in a stream. Notice how clear is the water!

Canopy Skywalk, at 480 metres long is the longest tree-based walkway in the world.

Taking a rest before continuing.

Not even a single nail is used in building this Canopy Skywalk.

Walked through mud to an insignificant waterfall, but worth the walk nonetheless.

Some pics of insects found in the park for the closing:

Mysterious water insect attacked us when we were at the waterfall.
Confused butterflies thought my shoes were one of their kind.

Munich 2007

2007-03-12T16:37:00.000+01:00

After spending the day in Füssen, we reached Munich way past our normal dinner time and hostel check in time, so we lost our reservation but thank God we would still have a bed for each of us for the night, albeit in different dorms. Starving, we went to look for food and we ended up in the same place where Adolf Hitler organized the first of his many large publicity and propaganda events there on 24 February 1920. The Hofbräuhaus now is the most happening place to dine in Munich -tasty food and beers accompanied by the live brass band and all its members wear Lederhosen! Simply festival atmosphere.

If you remember, in the last entry of my blog about Munich I told you about the Devil's Footstep at the entrance of the Frauenkirche. I didn't manage to take a photo last time but now here it is.

Click "Read more" to see the photos.

In the Hofbräuhaus with a guy from Hong Kong. Notice the 1 liter beer mug(called a Maß).
The live band with the lederhosen.

Fuessen 2007

2007-03-12T16:23:00.000+01:00

4Jan07. Füssen revisit. Only difference this time was with different people this time around and it was summer last time I was here. For the beautiful castle pictures from my last visit here: Germany and Prague Tour: Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle
(From left) Sia Ven, Kher Sham, me and Wendy

Click "Read more" to see the photos.

The not-so-nice-side of the castle.

Augsburg 2007

2007-03-12T16:15:00.000+01:00

Finally I am back. Sorry for disappearing for so long. Better finish up this series of blogs before I forget the details.
3Jan07. Augsburg. Once a major trading center due to its strategic location on the trade routes to Italy. There were nothing much to see, only the Fuggerei was standout. It is a small district built by the rich Fugger family way back in 1516 to house the needy citizens of Augsburg. Incredibly, until today the houses there are still rented to needy Augsburg people with an unbelievable annual rent of 0.88 Euro together with prayers three times a day for the Fugger family.
Inside the Fuggerei.

Click "Read more" to see the photos.

City center of Augsburg with its City Hall.
Basilika St. Ulrich and Afra
In the Golden Hall of the city hall.

Noerdlingen 2007

2007-03-12T16:12:00.000+01:00

2 Jan 07. This is Noerdlingen. It is in the middle of a giant meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The Ries is in fact an impact crater caused by a meteorite 14.8 million years ago in the Miocene. The depression has a circular shape and is 25 km in diameter. The bottom of the crater is about 100-150 m below the rim. The city of Nördlingen is located in the middle of the crater. In 1960 two American scientists, Eugene Shoemaker and Edward Chao, proved that the depression was caused by a meteorite. Until then it was assumed that the Ries was of volcanic origin. Nördlingen was the town shown in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in the final scenes when the glass elevator is floating over a town.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

2007-03-12T16:08:00.000+01:00

Me standing on the town wall.
First day of 2007 we travelled back to medieval time, to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. My other favourite in this trip beside Paris. This town is so small and it is completely covered by its town wall. Ah..u have to be there to get this kind of feeling. Or maybe its just me...

Click "Read more" to see the photos.

Wuerzburg 2007

2007-03-12T15:46:00.000+01:00

29 and 30 Dec 06 in Heidelberg. Met up with Sam and had sort of short rest before continuing our journey, this time with the addition of Sam. I am not putting any pictures of Heidelberg here as they are here.
So we moved on to Würzburg on 31 Dec. The hometown of Dirk Nowitzki!
Wuerzburg Residenz. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guess who took this picture for us?

Click "Read more" to see the photos.

New year count down on the Old Main Bridge. Lots of people, fireworks and rain.
Fortress Marienberg. Strong medieval feel inside.
Leftist, rightist and centralist.
""add your caption here......""

Luxembourg 2006

2007-03-12T15:42:00.000+01:00

Since we were in Metz already and Luxembourg is like only a few hours from there so we thought might as well just go have a look. That was 28 Dec 06. Basically Luxembourg looked like Germany or France to me. Only a small difference spotted was their Value Added Tax is slightly lower than Germany, so the most significant thing I did there was buy a few clothes. By the way Luxembourg is a country and we were at her capital, commonly known as Luxembourg City.

Adolphe Bridge.
"It is an unofficial national symbol of sorts, representing Luxembourg's independence."-Wikipedia
Click "Read More" for more pictures.

Gëlle Fra (Luxembourgish for 'Golden Lady'). It is dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers that volunteered for service in the armed forces Allied Powers in the First World War.
The Passerelle, also known as the Luxembourg Viaduct

Paris 2006 (updated)

2007-03-12T15:30:00.000+01:00

Today is the first day of my 3rd sem here. No time to write, I will just post the photos first. Click "Read more" to see the photos. Cheers!

(updated 5 April 07) Hey, after almost one month. Sorry for not updating this earlier and thanks to those who have been visiting although there were no new posts in recent weeks. Will be off to Salzburg for the Easter weekend tomorrow, so I think I better finish this before there are more photos for me to post here. Photos from my trip back to Malaysia are coming up next. p/s: Please tell me what you think of the "Read more" function.

Well, this trip took me from Albstadt to Rouen, Paris, Metz, Luxembourg, Heidelberg(again), Würzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nördlingen, Augsburg, Füssen and Munich(again). Total time: 16 days. Departed from Stuttgart Airport on the 21 Dec 06 evening. Supposed to reach Paris CDG airport at 9pm and then take a 11pm train to Rouen, where Sia Ven is. But thanks to a 2 hours flight delay, I missed my train and had to overnight in Paris. And to make things worse, I accidentally swallow a chewing gum during the flight while talking to a Chinese girl, who at first asked whether I am from Guangzhou. This girl actually knows quite a number of my seniors in Heilbronn and she had actually guessed that I am a Malaysian simply from my malaysian chinese slang before she asked me the Guangzhou question but was too shy to say straight away that I am from Malaysia. Malaysian chinese slang, embarrassing? Chinese that reject, rebuke and refuse to use chinese are more embarrassing. Anyway later she and her friend in Paris helped me to find a hostel in Paris. It was already 1am when I finally found a hostel and a bed to end that eventful day.

Spent the whole 22 Dec in Rouen. Had dinner with French friends of Sia Ven but since I cant speak French and they don't speak much English and German, there was no much conversation between me and them, quite an awkward experience. But fortunately a guy who can speak a little German came after that. Anyway Rouen is nice, but I didn't take any pictures there.

The next day we departed to Paris and went to CDG again to wait for Wendy who was coming from London to join us for the trip. From then till 27 Dec we were in Paris, covering almost all the famous parts of Paris, thanks to Sia Ven and 2 of her friends who offered their apartment for us to stay in.

Christmas was around the corner. Spent a quiet Christmas in Paris.

Siput babi.... Tasted better than I have expected.
Went to Metz on 27 Dec and spent two nights there. Also in Sia Ven friends' place. Nice people everywhere, hehe. Shown in this picture is Kai Lun, who did a great job to accommodate us. We were eating a traditional French meal with cheese, potato and meat. Delicious!

Working in progress

2007-01-08T18:23:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! How's christmas and new year celebration? Well, I should have by now updated my blog with the newest photos from my recent trip to Paris and Romantic Road in Germany but I'm sorry I gotta get back to work now as exam is coming real soon. So I will only upload the photos after my exam which will end on the 9th of Feb. In the meantime, why don't you write your opinion of this Photolog of mine? Tell me what you think- whether it is boring just to see the pics or I should write more information about the places I visited and my feeling? Do you think I should display more people-oriented photos instead of just a scenery or an object or should I appear more in my pics? Just write! You can also just drop by to say hi, let me know who are my visitors.

Some extra information-I am going back to Malaysia 2 days after my exam. Hope to meet up with as many friends as possible.

Ok, gotta go now. Take care and see you in Feb.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2006-12-20T16:56:00.000+01:00

First Christmas present in Germany. Thanks Mama and Papa Ebinger.

Second present from Sonja. It is a pair of wool socks. Thank you Sonja!

Wish all of my readers a merry christmas and happy new year!
Will be out for two weeks and will come back with pics from Paris.... see you in 2007!

Winter, December and no snow in Albstadt

2006-12-20T16:53:00.000+01:00

Football 2002-2006

2006-11-14T21:33:00.000+01:00

Footballing career began here, "5 Science 1&2 United"(official name unknown). I looked different in this picture, almost can't recognise myself when I saw it in an old friend's friendster account.
Transferred to Germany in year 2006. Played for "Baden 7" in MGSS Football Tournament 2006 in Karlsruhe. Spot me!

Hiking trip to Lech am Arlberg, Austria

2006-10-07T12:52:00.001+02:00

Mount Kinabalu

2006-10-05T17:24:00.002+02:00

Hmm..feel that didn't show enough photos of mount kinabalu. So here are more photos.
Some of the photos were by courtesy of Angeline. We scaled this mountain together in July 2005.

Germany and Prague Tour: Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle

2006-09-28T14:37:00.000+02:00

München(or in english Munich)was our last stop. The journey from Prague to Munich took 6 hours! Not a pleasant experience sitting in a small train room in a hot summer day. When we reached Munich it was already afternoon. Checked in to Meininger Hostel for another 3 nights there (12,13,14 Sept). This place was good, especially its eat-all-you-can breakfast. Munich gave me the impression of a rich, new(they have old buildings but they look clean and new) and modern city.
We have seen many Frauenkirche during our trip. And here is another one in Munich. But this one is a bit special, you can see Devil's Footstep at the entrance. For the legend behind this, search the internet.
This building looks like a chocolate building from this picture. This is the New Town Hall. It has a cool Glockenspiel at 11 a.m. (as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer) every day.
National Theatre.
Our walking tour guide, Ozzie. Newmunich offers free city walking tour. Don't miss this walking tour if you have a few hours' time. Who knows you might get to eat free Weißwürste ('white sausages') served with sweet mustard and freshly baked pretzels like we did.
The impressive Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich. Also hosted the first match of the World Cup 2006.

The three photos above show the infamous first concentration camp of the Nazi, Dachau concentration camp. If you don't know the history behind this, please spend some time to find out. We must learn from history and not to repeat what is wrong.
From the dark history of Nazi we come to the place where all the fairy tales took place.

The famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Photo taken from Marienbrücke.
This is the Marienbrücke. See many asian faces? I have never seen so many asian tourists in Germany before. You can hear people talking in chinese, japanese and korean more than deutsch.
See the Marienbrücke?
It is quite appropriate to end this series of blog posts with this photo. We have seen many rivers, castles, parks, town halls, old buildings, mountains, lakes in this trip. We have known some Columbian, Japanese, Taiwanese, Australian, Scottish, English, Austrian, Honduras, Irish, German, Canadian, New Zealand tourists along the way. Seen here are the members of the trip, from right Kee, Marisa(from NZ, joined us for this castle trip), Sky, Tan and me.
*28 Aug-14 Sept 2006*

Germany and Prague Tour:Prague

2006-09-28T14:19:00.000+02:00

Prague. Finally we reached somewhere we can't understand what the roadsigns mean and what are they saying in the Metro. Kind of weird feeling. But no much worries though, this city is full of tourists, means english is widely used here. We spent 3 nights here(9,10,11 Sept) at Miss Sophie's. This was best hostel for our whole trip, except for a guy staff who was a bit impolite. But they have a funny manager.
This is Charles Bridge with the backdrop of the Prague Castle.
Prague castle from far.
Prague castle up-close.
Changing of guards in the castle.
Bridges over river Vltava . Over the river is the old town.
Around Old Town Square.
Church of Our Lady in front of Týn in Czech(Chrám Panny Marie před Týnem, Týnský chrám or just Týn)
Statue of Jan Hus, a religious reformer.
The Powder tower. Was used as a gunpowder storage in the 17th century.
The Dancing House(Fred and Ginger House).
Prague TV tower with crawling "babies".
A monument to remember the victims of communism.

Germany and Prague Tour: Dresden and Saxon Switzerland

2006-09-28T14:02:00.000+02:00

Dresden, a former East German city. You will hardly notice that this was once East Germany, except that some of the run-down buildings. We were here at the Lollis Homestay for 7 and 8 Sept 2006 nights. Nice small hostel with helpful staffs.
This is Church of Our Lady( Frauenkirche). It was destroyed during WWII and took 13 years to be rebuilt.

This is Zwinger Palace. There was a concert held when we were there.
A 102 meter (334ft) long mural decorates the wall. Known as the Procession of Princes or Fürstenzug in German, it depicts a parade of rulers of the House of Wettin since 1127.
The Semper Opera House or Semperoper
Castle Moritzburg. The place is completely surrounded by a lake, which gives it an elegant feel. One of my favourites for the whole trip.
On the second day in Dresden we headed to the nearby Saxon Switzerland. Saxon Switzerland is characterized by its sandstone rocks which draw many rock climbers. This place we went to is called Bastei.
View of river Elbe from Bastei

Bastei bridge, the landmark for Bastei.
See some people on the rock?

Germany and Prague Tour: Potsdam

2006-09-25T13:15:00.000+02:00

This was a half day trip to Potsdam. It is famous for its Sansscouci Park. This is one of the most beautiful park I've seen. The park hosts many magnificent buildings:

Shown above is Sanssouci Palace.

This is the New Palace.
Just another part of the large park. We didn't manage to visit all the buildings in the park. This park is simply too large. Should have rented a bicycle.

Germany and Prague Tour: Berlin

2006-09-25T13:05:00.000+02:00

Berlin. So here we are. In the capital of Republic of Germany, the KL of Germany,haha. We reached Berlin at noontime and checked in to A&O Hostel for our three nights there(4,5,6 Sept). This A&O as compared to Hamburg's one, is better in terms of location. It is just beside the Zoo Garten Bahnhof. We stayed in a 12(or 14 i can't remember now) beds dorm. Can't complain much as it was cheap. Then we headed straight to Malaysian Embassy. You know, we missed home so much.

So this is how Malaysian Embassy in Germany looks like from outside. Notice the bear? This kind of bear can be seen all over the city of Berlin. But this one is a bit special. I think it was decorated in this design specially for the National Day.
Another Malaysian connection. Saw some starfruits in a supermarket. They were from Malaysia! Oh by the way, the sign should be on the starfruits. Some technical mistake here. Those mangosteen were from Thailand. And one more fact- one starfruit costs 1.99 Euro.
These are the remains of the infamous Berlin Wall. Photo taken from ex-East Germany side.
Checkpoint Charlie. It was a crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west, and – for the East Germans – a gateway to freedom.
The sign at Checkpoint Charlie indicating the crossover from West to East Berlin.

Victory Column(German: Siegessäule). The golden statue atop the column was featured in the music video to U2's Faraway, So Close! It was surrounded by a street circle and from up there I have taken pictures of the four roads that lead away from this circle.

Reichtag building houses the Parliament of Germany. It is open to public but the waiting queues are always long.
Glass dome atop of Reichtag building.
Inside the glass dome. Nice view up there.
Brandenburg Gate(German: Brandenburger Tor).
Berliner Dom.
Olympiastadion, hosted the final of World Cup 2006.
Unintentionally taken but not bad huh.

Germany and Prague Tour: Hamburg

2006-09-20T11:43:00.000+02:00

Here we came to the second largest city in Germany, Hamburg. It is also the second largest harbour city in Europe. Spent 3 nights(1,2,3 Sept) in A&O Hostel - expensive, bad location, small room. Not recommended. Other than that, we had some good time in Hamburg. Other notable sights and things that I don't have photo to show here are Hamburg's sunday fish market; cheap and fresh fish dishes;and the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt). Sunset in Hamburg Harbour.
View of the harbour from St. Michaelis' Church.

Around town hall. It was weekend when we visited this place. This whole place was jam-packed with people.
St Michael's Victory over the Devil sculpture above the main entrance of St Michaelis' Church.
U-434. One of the largest non-nuclear submarine is now a submarine museum. You will be impressed by the interior of this submarine built in 1976.

Series of photos of water music and light show in Planen un Blomen Park.

Germany and Prague Tour: Bremen

2006-09-20T11:28:00.000+02:00

2nd destination: Bremen. Two nights(30 and 31 merdeka Aug) at the Bremer Backpacker Hostel. Great beds great room but there is no basin for handwashing upstairs and its location is far from oldtown, where most of the interesting places are there. Other notable sights and things that I don't have photo to show here are the Böttcherstraße; Schnoor, a small, well-preserved area of crooked lanes and fishing houses from the 15th and 16th centuries, now occupied by cafés, artisan shops and art galleries; Beck's Beer Factory, tours are available to the public which include beer tasting( 5 glasses of beer at the end of the tour); and along river Weser. Gerhard Marcks's famous 1953 bronze sculpture Die Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians) which portrays the donkey, dog, cat, and rooster of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale.
The impressive Cathedral St. Petri (13th century), to the east of the Marktplatz
The Marktplatz at night. The Marktplatz (Market square) is dominated by the opulent façade of the Town Hall. The building was erected between 1405 and 1410 in Gothic style, but the façade was built two centuries later (1609-12) in Renaissance style.
A 100 year old windmill in tranquil Wallanlagen Park. Now houses a cafe restaurant

Glockenspiel(carillon) with 10 rotating panels celebrating famous marine explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Leif Eriksson.

Germany and Prague Tour: Köln(Cologne)

2006-09-20T11:21:00.000+02:00

2 and a half months summer holiday. If you don't go back to Malaysia, what can you do? Well, a lot. Tour germany. You need only 2 and a half weeks(and some money, of course). That was what Kee, Sky, Tan and I have done. Our first destination was Köln or Cologne in english.
We spent 28 and 29 Aug nights there in Station Hostel. Hostel was not bad but one thing, it is too near to the Hauptbahnhof(main train station) that we heard announcements from the train station all night long.

The mammoth Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom)

It's so stunningly huge that there is no way I can take its whole building in one picture.
Dom from river Rhine.
A speciality from Cologne, its Kölsch beer. It is usually served in long, thin, cylindrical 0.2 litre glasses.

Another type of beer in Cologne? No, it is Eau de Cologne. Cologne perfume gets its name from Cologne where it was first produced here. The brand was named 4711 because in 1796, during the French occupation of Cologne, the French commander in Cologne, General Daurier, ordered the consecutive numbering of houses. Wilhelm Muehlens'(founder of this company) house was given the number 4711, which then in 1875 became a registerd trademark.

Malaysian in Stuttgart

2006-09-16T17:14:00.000+02:00

Met a fellow Malaysian in Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Garden. A tapir!

Heibronn- Sunset

2006-08-15T16:51:00.000+02:00

Spent two weeks in Heibronn. Not famous as a tourist town, Heibronn has a nice park and a good ice cream shop.

Heidelberg

2006-08-14T20:12:00.000+02:00

On Karl-Theodor Bridge.
Heidelberger Castle(on the hill). Its construction began early in the 14th century. Twice destroyed by war(1622 and 1693) and once by nature(lighting in 1764) it has the mix of styles ranges from Gothic to High Renaissance.
Rathaus of Heidelberg.
14-century Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Spirit Church), now a Prostestant church.
Neckar River. Heidelberg has the oldest university in Germany and 32000 tourists visit this town every day during summer.

World Cup Song

2006-07-10T22:26:00.000+02:00

A video clip in a photolog? No problem right?
Well, just want to share this funny clip. This guy is a friend of mine and he is singing in german about the fourth keeper of the germany national team named ENG(he's my senior from Malaysia),(which of course didn't appear in the recent world cup as both Lehmann and Kahn performed very well). This video was taken on 05 June 06 before the world cup began and has since been viewed over 600 times in youtube. Funny.
Do let me know if you manage to catch the lyrics!

Game 57 Germany - Argentina Quarter-final, 30 June06 Stuttgart Fanfest

2006-07-07T02:28:00.000+02:00

There were so many people at the Schlossplatz, Stuttgart on the day Germany defeated Argentina throught penalty shoot-out 4-2. A German told me that he has never witnessed such passion, unity, enthusiasm and support for the national team. However the dream of winning the World Cup on home soil ended on Tuesday night, losing to Italy 0-2.
'The dream of victory has died, but Germany still won, because we will never forget these days, our pride and the joyful black, red and gold and the carefree spirit of the heroes surrounding Klinsmann,' wrote Berlin tabloid BZ.
Deutschland Deutschland!

Game 14 South Korea - Togo, 13June06 WM-Stadion Frankfurt,Part1

2006-07-07T02:03:00.000+02:00

Personalised World Cup ticket, precious, precious...

On the way to the stadium from the train station. Simply shout "Korea" or "Togo" and you will have lots of response.Contagious...

At the entrance ticket checkpoint.

McDonald's Player Escorts. These cute kids playing football before the game.

Hours before the kick off. Multinational crowd.

Two Finnish Togo supporters. At first they tried to speak korean with us. Even Koreans tried to speak korean with us,haha.

Left a mark on behalf of Malaysia.

Game 14 South Korea - Togo, 13June06 WM-Stadion Frankfurt,Part2

2006-07-06T22:44:00.000+02:00

Passionate Korean fans made Frankfurt their home stadium. Anyone knows what the words mean?
Players warming up.
National anthems of both nations being played before the game.
Korean flag raised by the huge korean fans contingent.
The Koreans celebrate their first win over Togo, 2-1. Goals scored by Lee Chun Soo and Ahn Jung Hwan.

Cycling Tour to Rheinfall,Switzerland

2006-05-14T22:45:00.000+02:00

Cycled from Gailingen,Germany to Rheinfall,Swiss and then to Rheinau,an island in Rhein river and then cycled back to Gailingen from other side of the river. Great tour!
Tranquility of The Rheinau Monastery.
Spring time!

Rheinfall.

2006-05-09T22:31:00.000+02:00

Becky, a special post for u. Taken by ur dl on our way up the hill.

2006-05-09T22:10:00.000+02:00

Sun bathing and grilling in the middle of a field. Noontime,perfect sunshine and it's NOT hot!!! How we Malaysians wish for that.

Left two are Beate and Juergen. The other couple is cousin of Beate and her bf. The other lady is their friend. The cameraman is Fuk Kuong,a chinese born in Germany and is now studying in Albstadt.

2006-05-09T19:40:00.000+02:00

Went hiking in Hausen im Tal. Breathtaking scenery. The river below is Donau.

View from other side of the hill.

Kontanz revisit 2006

2006-05-05T01:04:00.000+02:00

Back to Konstanz in a fine spring day. Cycled from Konstanz across the border into Swiss.

Europark 2006

2006-05-05T00:06:00.000+02:00

Biggest football in the world in Europark.

Basel 2006

2006-05-05T00:03:00.000+02:00

This was where we stayed in Basel, Youth Hostel Basel. Rated as one of the top ten youth hostels in the world.

Playing Kicker(table football) in Youth Hostel Basel. This game is our new found hobby since coming to Germany. The game can be as exciting as the real football game. Oh, just for the record, my defensive partner,Sky and i is one of the top pairs among our batch.

Rathaus(Town Hall) of Basel. In front of it is the Marktplatz(Market square).

There are lots of art works in Basel. One of them is this. The whole wall is full of plates and pots. Tourists from all over the world left message on the plates. Too bad we din hav a marker pen, if not malaysia's name wil be on one of the plates.

One of the art works in Basel city.

On the boat across the river. It was one of the similiar boats as shown in the other photo.

Another one.

Sunset by river Rhine, Basel. Notice the twin towers? They are the church towers in Basel.

Rhein river in Basel. Basel is a very nice city.

2006-04-19T00:42:00.000+02:00

No more snow, spring is here! Hill behind my house.

2006-04-19T00:40:00.000+02:00

My University...Albstadt-Sigmaringen University..in german called Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen. This is one of its building where my Mechanical Eng is in.

Ulm 2006

2006-03-16T00:15:00.000+01:00

The Muenster Church of Ulm.

Me with housemates (from left) Kah Guan, Chuan Teng and Sky on the highest church tower in the world in Ulm.

Twin towers of Ulm...another part of Muenster Church, Ulm

2006-03-07T23:35:00.000+01:00

Peaceful winter.

2006-03-05T00:30:00.000+01:00

Neighbour's car buried in snow.

2006-03-05T00:26:00.000+01:00

View from my room. It was snowing whole day long

2006-03-05T00:02:00.000+01:00

Winter...

2006-03-04T23:52:00.000+01:00

D�rrwangen,winter 2006

2006-03-04T23:39:00.000+01:00

Albstadt

Burg Hohenzollern( Castle Hohenzollern)

2006-03-03T02:15:00.000+01:00

Albstadt

2006-03-03T01:37:00.000+01:00

Albstadt, view from top of a watch tower,which is on a hill.
Another side of Albstadt.
Another one. Albstadt is not that small afterall.
See the Alps above the horizon?
Name of the hill : Schloßfels. The line below says : Location of a Middle Age castle(12/13 century)

Meersburg 2006

2006-02-28T22:31:00.000+01:00

Incredible huh
Ancient weapons
Ferry to Meersburg
Meersburg castle

Daimler Chrysler Museum, Stuttgart 2006

2006-02-21T09:32:00.000+01:00

Cheap isn't it?

Kontanz 2006

2006-02-21T09:29:00.000+01:00

Pedestrian zone on sunday. All shops closed except restaurants.
Imperia, landmark of Konstanz.
'Dead' trees in winter.
Babycycle
Park beside the lake Bodensee

First day in Germany

2006-02-18T04:17:00.000+01:00

Konstanz, the first destination
Albstadt, my eventual destination

at mamak stall

2005-12-26T20:05:00.000+01:00

Old friends

2005-12-26T18:41:00.000+01:00

Primary school classmates.

Secondary school classmates..at 清凉茶坊

Last day in GMI,Cemara and Kuantan trip

2005-12-26T18:18:00.000+01:00

Chee Chung at Kuantan home after operation.18 dec 05

Aspire 1694 on my desk back in 16/204 Cemara, Shah Alam...

Last day in GMI with group 4 Mechanical classmates

Read

2005-12-06T08:08:00.000+01:00

Mysterious message

2005-12-06T07:53:00.000+01:00

mysterious message received in the Power conference 2003, SIB KL

Those were the days

2005-10-29T15:08:00.000+02:00

Triple dates at the park?

Caught red handed.. dun worry linda is stil alive

Minum at mcD

Last lunch with ALM 4: Chee Chung, Linda, Ee Ling and of course Peter(ATU)

Last CA for me

2005-10-09T15:43:00.000+02:00

New Life Restoration Center- Our home for Campus Alive
With juniors
With grandjuniors
My companion for 2 years here.
His back view

Kota Kinabalu Trip

2005-08-01T08:57:00.001+02:00

The. nicest peak of all, the South Peak of Mount Kinabalu (malay: Gunung Kinabalu)

Sunrise of 15th July 2005, taken at the highest peak of south east asia, Low's Peak.

Sunset of 14th July 2005, taken on the verandah of the resthouse.

nice tree? i like the background, makes the tree stand out

Laban Rata resthouse, built by the army in 1985. nice enough place to hav a night's sleep.