May 1 is a national holiday in Germany. It’s an important day for celebrating and protesting about the rights of workers. Yesterday, our guide told us that Kreuzberg, in particular, was the centre of protests and celebrations. It’s a big day in the calendar. So we headed to some of the places he mentioned. First … Continue reading / view photos Workers of the world unite!
Unique Kreuzberg
After visiting the New National Gallery, we went on a walk guided by a volunteer with GuruWalk . The person was very knowledgeable about Kreuzberg. He had done a lot of research and had many photos of the area over the past century. The district has a high percentage of immigrants, most of whom are … Continue reading / view photos Unique Kreuzberg
New National Gallery
The New National Gallery was closed when we last came to Berlin and re-opened in 2021 after extensive renovation. It was originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He was the last director of the Bauhaus, the 20th century school of modernist art, design and architecture. The general exhibition is in the basement and … Continue reading / view photos New National Gallery
Berlin Tiergarten and KaDeWe
After getting off the night train, we took the Berlin metro to our hotel. At the hotel, we had an entertaining conversation with the receptionist. We told her about our train journey. She replied that there are always delays on German trains! I said that Germans, in the UK, had a reputation for efficiency. She … Continue reading / view photos Berlin Tiergarten and KaDeWe
Paris-Berlin night train
Several people have warned me about how bad the German train system is. When we arrived at 5.30pm to get our train from Paris to Berlin, the noticeboard said the train was delayed by an hour! Helene knew a nice cafe just outside Gare du Nord station. We went to it and had drinks. The … Continue reading / view photos Paris-Berlin night train
Musée d’Orsay
Musée d’Orsay is one of the best known museums in Paris and possibly the world. I wasn’t sure if I’d been there to see its impressionist collection on a previous visit to Paris. I looked at photos of the museum online and realised I hadn’t been there. All the timed slots were booked on the … Continue reading / view photos Musée d’Orsay
Belleville Park, National Library, and a concert
Having been to Paris about six times, I asked ChatGPT for some suggestions for quirky things to do in Paris when you’ve been before. One suggested place was Belleville Park, which I could walk to from my hotel. This morning, I set off early. There was a good chance the baguette de campagne hadn’t sold … Continue reading / view photos Belleville Park, National Library, and a concert
Notre-Dame Cathedral
After the early start yesterday to catch the Eurostar train, I had a lie-in. When I eventually left the hotel, I walked to a nearby bakery. I wanted to buy a baguette de campagne (“country bread”), which is a sort of sourdough bread. It was sold out. I settled for half a plain baguette. On … Continue reading / view photos Notre-Dame Cathedral
Art and fashion in Paris
Boarding Eurostar in London and getting off in Paris is still a minor miracle. And it takes only about 2½ hours, which is quicker than going to many parts of the UK by train. Getting off the train, we immediately felt the heat, which contrasted with a chilly spell in London. At Gare du Nord, … Continue reading / view photos Art and fashion in Paris
Cromford, Holmbridge and Buxton
Last year we went to Cromford in the Peak District. We liked it so much we decided to return to the area. This year we stayed further north, in Hombridge, just outside the Peak District. On the way to our accommodation, we popped into Cromford. We repeated our short walk along the canal before returning … Continue reading / view photos Cromford, Holmbridge and Buxton