Day 12, 13 & 14: Linköping

Ho hum! Back to Linköping! That was a great chance for my parents to see how boring the town is.

The whole corridor seemed deserted when I returned. Well, it's the end of the spring semster so I'm ain't suprised. A rule of thumb though: Always remember to clear your fridge before you leave for the summer. Apparently, someone didn't.


Anyone fancy a black banana?

Day 10 & 11: Stockholm

Being my 5th time in Stockholm, I shan't elaborate on the places that we visited. However, I've decided to post some random pictures of the Swedish capital.




In addition, I'll like to share with everyone the hostel that we lived in. It looks cool on the outside... a disused ship that was retrofitted into a hostel.


First impression was great and we looked forward to a unique experience. However...


Surprise! The small room consisted of 4 bunk beds with 1 basin. End of story. It's kinda funny. All the people whom we had encountered had exactly the same reaction. Open door --> jaw drop. I guessed nobody expected it to be so claustrophobic. It's barely enough for one person to manoeuvre around comfortably. Fit in another person --> welcome to concentration camp Stockholm!

Ah well! We had only 2 nights in Stockholm anyway.

Curious how Stockholm looks like at 11.30pm?


Weird? Welcome to Scandinavia!

Day 9: Berlin

My final day in Germany...



The Victory Column was built to commemorate the war victories that Prussia had won over the foreign invaders. The structure used to occupy a site opposite the Reichstag building but it was re-located to accomodate Hitler's monumental plan which comprised of re-designing Berlin into Welthauptstadt Germania. His dream was never realised when Germany entered WWII.



The Reichstag building is the seat of the German parliament. During Hitler's reign, no parliamentary sessions were held but were instead utilised for propaganda and military purposes.



The Brandenburg Gate once formed the impenetrable boundary between East and West Berlin. Many a times, it has been used as a backdrop to stage rallies and processions.



Checkpoint Charlie used to be the former exchange point between East and West Berlin, which was manned by the Americans. It's amazing how one small little guard house can be so much photographed by the tourists.



Sections of the Berlin Wall still remained intact, although much of it had been torn down. I'm skeptical of some souvenir shops selling chunks of the wall. If they were ever the real fragments of the wall, then the amount available will be enough to build a wall longer and mightier than the Great Wall of China.



Berlin offers many jewels despite its utter destruction in the war. Some were beautifully restored and new ones arised from the ashes. I'm lazy to write about the last few pictures as they don't hold much historical values. However, the last picture featured the TV Tower in Alexanderplatz, which is the tallest vintage point in the city.

Day 8: Berlin

Berlin, with a history of around 800 years, has undergone numerous turbulences and revolutions, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 as the most recent event. One needs to understand its rich history in order to be captivated by the German capital.



Sachenhausen was the model concentraion camp in Germany. Located north of Berlin, those deemed politically undesired, Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and anti-socials by the Nazis were interned here before WWII. During the war, thousands from the occupied countries were deported here as well. Sachenhausen became the administrative headquarters of all concentration camps in Germany. Tens of thousands died here due to disease, starvation, forced labour, execution and death marches. After the fall of Berlin in WWII, the Soviets used part of the camp for their political prisoners.

All barracks for the prisoners were destroyed after the war, leaving the guard towers and some other structures intact. A few of them were reconstructed to re-enact the actual conditions. Reading the accounts of the survivors from the concentration camp, prisoners were treated with inhumane brutality and living conditions were atrocious. One couldn't help but pity the victims of the concentration camp system imposed by the Reich.

The entire camp grounds is enormous. To gain a full comprehension, you can easily spend up to one full day. Due to time constraint and our growling stomachs, we decided to head back to Berlin despite missing out large sections of the camp.



Schloss Charlottenburg was begun as a summer palace in 1695. The gardens are extensive and were influenced by English design.

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche is a poignant reminder of the devastation wrought upon Berlin during WWII. It was bombed by the British in late 1943 during an air raid, leaving the west tower standing. It hasn't been rebuilt nor restored ever since.

Day 7: Berlin

Nothing particularly interesting happened on this day as we took a 6hr train ride from Prague to Berlin, except for the 2.50 euros that my parents each paid for the coffee which tasted horribly bland.

However, something deplorable stained my day. Seemingly lost upon arrival in Berlin, I approached their train station to ask for directions. I asked, "Good afternoon! Do you speak English?"

She shook her head.

No choice. I proceeded to a nearby hotel and inquired, "May I know where Storkower Strasse is?"

"Sorry I don't know." I was really infuriated that he wasn't being helpful at all. I don't believe that hotels don't have street directories.

Ah well. I called the hostel. I was given an immediate answer without any fuss. But the problem was, I don't know how much it'll cost to get us to the location. So I returned to the train station. Ah ha! The same person who claimed she couldn't speak English was entertaining two Americans, in flawless English. Anyhow I waited patiently for my turn and asked her for help regarding the costs of the tickets. In the end, I guessed she had no choice but to help us.

Both incidents really gave me a bad impression about Germans. I hope they were the only black sheep around.

And guess what? Later in the evening we wasted 10 euros to spend 5hrs doing our laundry. In the end, we only managed to sleep at 2am.

Day 6: Prague

Charles Bridge connects the Old Town and Mal� Strana. Construction commenced in 1357 with one tower on the Old Town end and another tower on the Mal� Strana end. Flanked by baroque statues on both sides of the bridge, it's perpetually crowded with people. Legend has it that the bridge was built with egg yolks reinforced into the structure. Musicians, artists and souvenir vendors lined the bridge, enticing tourists with their creative works.



One can easily spend the whole day at the Prague Castle. Established in the 9th century, the imposing St Vitus Cathedral had been the most prominent landmark, dominating the city's skyline with its gothic farcade. One of the most interesting feature of the castle grounds is the Golden Lane. With its colourful and cartoon-like character, it used to be inhabited by the castle servants. Notice how small the houses are (last picture).

Today, Prague Castle is the seat of the President of the Czech Republic, and serves as the historical and political centre of both city and state.



We ended our day by taking a stroll along river Vltava to appreciate the picturesque buildings which line the bank. The National Theater, bulit in neo-renaissance style, was founded in 1881. Residential houses along the river bank offered awesome views of Charles Bridge with Prague Castle in the background.



Check out this unique structure, dubbed the Dancing Building.

Day 5: Prague

A cloudy day beckoned early in the morning, which is something I loathe since my shoes aren't water-proof. Try walking around in a pair of soaked shoes and the constant squishing of water in the socks. Trust me, it's gonna ruin half your morale. This happened to me when I was in Venice last Christmas. Rain coincided with flood seeped through into my shoes, making my train journey to Vienna miserable.

It started to drizzle and continued throughout the whole day. Thanks for my umbrella which I've not used in Linköping before, I remained dry.



Wenceslas Square is the modern day commercial hub of Prague. In 1989, it was here that the Velvet Revolution took place in which Czech Republic transited from a communist state to a democratic nation. More recently, Tom Cruise booked a hotel here whilst filming Mission Impossible. Hmm... really? I shall watch the movie one more time.



The Municipal House Concert Hall & Exhibition Centre is Prague's most prominent Art Nouveau building. It was the scene for the proclamation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia in 1918.



The Old Town Square has to be the most beautiful spot in Prague, not forgetting to mention the huge numbers of Japanese tourists that crowded the place. I've not seen so many Japanese tourists in my life before. The Astronomical Clock at the Old Town Hall is the most photographed spot in the Old Town Square. Every hour, the clock will strike and some ang gong gia will move around. This is again as anti-climax as the clock in Munich.



The Jewish Quarter forms part of Prague's Old Town. Prague's Jewish population had lived in this area for centuries and was nearly wiped out during World War II. The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest working synagogue in Europe.



Gazing across the river Vltava offers great views of Prague Castle. Situated atop on a hill, it is the jewel in the crown of the city which mirrored Czech's history.