the lion and the lamb: 5/25/08

Thursday, May 29, 2008

far and away

these are the details of my Berlin trip:

..............................................

Fri, May 30
Flights: AIR FRANCE, AF 0257
Departs: 11:15pm Departure Terminal:TERMINAL 1
Arrives: 6:20am Arrival Terminal: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL E
Duration: 13 hour(s) and 5 minute(s)

Sat, May 31
Flights: AIR FRANCE, AF 1734
From: PARIS DE GAULLE, FRANCE (CDG) Departs: 10:20am
To: BERLIN TEGEL, GERMANY (TXL) Arrives:12:05pm
Departure Terminal: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL D
Duration: 1 hour(s) and 45 minute(s)

.....................................................

Thu, Jun 5
Flights: AIR FRANCE, AF 2035
From: BERLIN TEGEL, GERMANY (TXL) Departs: 3:55pm
To: PARIS DE GAULLE, FRANCE (CDG) Arrives:5:40pm
Duration: 1 hour(s) and 45 minute(s)

Flights: AIR FRANCE, AF 0256
From: PARIS DE GAULLE, FRANCE (CDG) Departs: 11:15pm
To: SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE (SIN) Arrives: 5:45pm Fri, Jun 6
Departure Terminal: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL E
Duration: 12 hour(s) and 30 minute(s)

.......................................................

Of all airlines, we had to take Air France, so it is gonna be a challenge to survive the flight, let alone make it to Berlin and back on schedule. thanks goodness that we have around 4 hours of transit time in between our connecting flights which gives us a little breathing space in any event.
but can't be any worse than my flight on El Al on my way to and from Israel as far as service and comfort levels. although you do not often encounter strikes and flight delays on El-Al anyway.

As for what I am looking forward to in this trip, is probably the architecture and nature, as always.
and there are few places that are as progressive yet contain as much history as Berlin. there are loads of buildings of historical significance to be found. yet even the modern infrastructure is worth beholding. some of the craziest building designs I seen this side of the equator. the one thing I look for anywhere I go are historical places, and there are loads of them in Berlin itself. Too bad our trip is so crammed & short that we may not be able to take in all the sights together.
The other aspect that I am looking forward to is to visit the berlin zoo. they have 2 zoos there, but the one I will be visiting if time permits is the older one. there I will be able to see many animals not found in the local zoo. and even meet the (in)famous Knut, the captive bred polar bear.
other animals I may see:
- gorillas
- bonobos
- bison
- siberian tigers
- black rhino

it is one of the largest zoos in Germany and with the largest number of species of the world! it houses approximately 14,000 animals from 1500 species on a 35 hectare site in historical animal houses.almost like I died and gone to heaven. heck, it even inspired a song, Zoo Station, by my favourite band, U2, on their Achtung Baby album, which was recorded in part in Berlin itself.

another place i wanna go to is Museum Island, where several of the best museums in the world are situated.

then there is the heart of Berlin consisting of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Holocaust Memorial,Reichstag Dome and all the other places of significance in that 'little' area.

and looks like the weather will be good for the duration of our trip. good thing we be going in the summer which negates the need for any overly warm clothing.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Berlin bound

borrowed a few books from the library yesterday in preparation of our trip to Berlin on Friday. we will be there for 5 days, excluding all the travelling to and fro. So it is imperative for us to maximise our free time to see the sights.

The weather the next few days:

seems to be rainy and cloudy days ahead.

the interesting thing to read from the above are the sunrise and sunset times. sunrise is about 4 am each day, and sunset at about 9 pm. so it is gonna be long days and short nights. a first for us to be sure.

Places I plan to visit:

Brandenburg Gate