while the taxi in Berlin is of reasonable rate, and the S-bahn and U-bahn are both efficiently run, it is expected of the general public that plenty of travelling are to be done on foot, and it often has signs saying 400m to Point A, 300m to Point B...etc. which is good for urban dwellers who are so lack of moderate exercise anyway.
on the way to the Reichstag, there's a route which took one along side the river Spree. Clean, institutional architecture set the backdrop for the walk.
we had some difficulty in identifying this project as not many books or literature covered it. apparently it housed the library and reference section for the Chancellery nearby.
architect for the project is Stephan Braunfels.
one of the landmark in Berlin, the Fernsehturm in the Mitte area.
my first thought was that any spy movies must have a go at this TV Tower especially in the 70s, as it does give a certain aura of that time. The mainbody has the look of a football, most probably 3M stickers being put on for the 2006 WorldCup.
incidentally, the TV tower was built between 1965 to 1969 by the GDR (German Democratic Republic), or better known as, East Germany.
and that certainly gives you another motive to visit it.
this picture was taken when we just got off the S-Bahn Friedrichstr station on our way to Reichstag.
the journey lasted for about an hour.
once out of the station, either side of the train opened up to a vast field of greens. occasionally came in to view were the wind turbines.
as common to the very essence of daily life, Germany is meticulously conscious on the energy efficiency and green issues: escalators come into life only when a person approaches; lights dimmed down or switched off when no one is in the corridor, actuated most probably by motion sensor and dimmable energy efficient T-5 fluorescent tubes; parking meters are operating on solar energy. the people as well as the country are well aware of energy saving issues and utilizing alternative energy other than fossil fuels.
in contrast, while claiming as World City, Hong Kong is quite backward in energy concerned issues, just how many buildings were designed to tackle the punishing heat of the summer sun other than using an even more powerful air conditioner to cool down the air? the excessive light shows, which are burning the valuable fuels everynight, to signal that the city is prosperous, advanced, that we bring light to darkness, water to the desert, what cost there is to the environment?
China is catching up in an extremely fast pace in terms of car ownership, and is in the process in striking a new deal with the Venezuelan government on the supply of petroleum...
are we heading the right directions?
the weather changes according to different seasons, mirco climates, radiation of the Sun, reaction forces between planets, or as far fetched to the vibration of a pair of butterfly wings.
can it be accurately predicted, presumably yes in theory, if you have a way to store in all the data that is happening in the universe, from Time-Zero to the moment you want to know the result. But if we accept that the universe is infinitely large, then things happened at all corners (or will there actually be corners?) of the universe needs to be recorded on a machine that has infinite capacity...
"tempermental as weather", that's how we describe the mood of a person which is unpredictable.
the question is, is a person's mood really unpredictable?
many years ago, saw a documentary by QED of England, citing a person was charged with murder, but defense claimed that the man on trial was subjected to a chemical spillage, and the chemicals he inhaled affected his brain, therefore, his decisions and subsequent actions. guilty or not was a legal issue, but suppose we understand the effect of such chemicals and how it will affect a person's mind, can we then, theoretically, predict the mood of a person if we understand all circumstances, actions affecting that person before he/ she swings into a certain mood?
why am i writing this?
affected by the picture in front of me.
why was there someone still working at the height of the WorldCup fever?
thousands of possibilities were already crawling towards the window...one of final pictures we took the night before we leave Leipzig the next day.
once again, the universal rule of duality that exists. if you have not experienced the fury of the storm, how could you appreciate the calmness that comes after? if there is no darkness, how could there be light?
for knowing the sweet taste of victory, one must have fallen in countless battles before...
Nature operates the antagonistic yet symbiotic duality like clockwork, so how could we expect our life could escape from this universal rule?if you are not prepared to get hurt, how could you ever gained the experience you need and search for that Holy Grail in your life?
slightly off topic, but am just annoyed by individuals who moaned all day in their armchairs, complaining that their talents were not recognized, or that opportunities never knocked on their doors, when in fact, they ought to get up, fist tightened, and go out to battle in the storm...
no wonder Germany is filled with so many fairy tales...
the skyline was transformed within minutes, storm gathering from the east, spreading like wildfire through the forest, and turned the sky into pitch black in the blink of an eye...
for individuals who are used to life in the cities, especially Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York...etc, the city high rise did not strike too much of an impression. however, located at the top of the building is the Panorama Restaurant serving quality fine dining and literally provides a panoramic view of the city. and it is exactly because there is a lack of highrise nearby, the expansive views at the top was simply breathtaking.
quite ironic...
we witnessed the dramatic changes of weather like those described in a fairy tale. will talk about it in the next post.
a new piece of construction, claimed to be "...Leipzig's most architecturally modern passage..." according to the City Guide.
while Petersbogen was indeed quite different from its surroundings, its architecture was not unfamiliar, lined with shops on either side, the walk was less captivating than the Madler Passage UNTIL one reached the end with the Neues Rathus suddenly towering in front.
it felt as if we were inside a time travelling machine, arrived at a time of ancient romance, ready for an adventure once stepped outside...
located along in an unconspicuos spot the Grimmaische Strabe just off the Markt lies the fully covered shopping arcade, most likely built pre-war, but just how long ago? need to find some more info on this.
the interesting bar Mephisto and restaurant Auerbach’s Keller are both worth visiting.
legend also has it that touching the foot of Faust's statue at the entrance of the passage can bring good luck...but at what cost? like that in the legend of Faust and Mephistopheles?
maps folded in hand, we were exploring the area in an unplanned sequence. venturing into areas which attracted our attention. in contrary to city like Berlin, Leipzig has retained almost in a complete package buildings of similar era. if it were not the presence of the amount of tourists on the streets, one could have catapulted back to a time centuries ago.
...
could hear faint music resulted from the tender hands on a seasoned piano. i looked up, could not find where exactly the music was from, but it appeared that it must have been the top floors as while all windows were shut, there was one which was slightly opened, as if to let the music to escape from the dark interior.
there was no more noise on the pavement, not a single soul to be seen, all was quiet, not even the clouds were moving, the scene was frozen in that instant.
the melancholy melody continued to flow through the air.
i hesitated and wondered if i was meant to venture to the heart of where the music was and greet this mysterious figure in the dark...
huge museum for arts, and an intricately designed building facade.
but mark these words even if you never thought you need to know the German language:
Montag geschlossen.
meaning, Monday closed.
well, that provided us with another reason to return to Leipzig in the future.
quite a piece of stunning architecture. this stadium was integrated into the former stadium, and to reach it, one must travel across a vast piece of greens, climb the steps over the hill, and then, there it was, like a piece of alien spaceship landed on a crater.
though not exactly the most exciting match of the tournament, it did show that one moment of carelessness, victory slipped away.
the Korean supporters (a.k.a. RED DEVILS)were possibly one of the most popular football crowds from asia. with the heart pounding drums, coherent chants, and always supportive gestures, its a view to hehold even if you are not a Korean.
the match ended at 1-1 between France and South Korea, and it was rumoured that Zidane, after receiving his yellow card, and sawing his team leveled at the final minutes after being subsituted, kicked a hole in a locker door in the changing room...
