My Trip in Mugs

It was partly inspired by M's comments on the blandness of my coffee mugs; partly because it would be a practical souvenir and partly because it was likely to be found everywhere. I decided, in Seattle, (though I did think of it originally in San Francisco) to buy mugs or similar drinking implements as souvenirs for the trip.

The first mug, was bought in Seattle. Other than Pike's Market, there are not many places selling souvenirs; so a souvenir from the Space Needle, Seattle's most recognizable landmark felt appropriate.

San Francisco's souvenir market seems to be congregated in Chinatown. Close by, the Cable Car museum, also sells souvenirs and since the entrance is fee; I felt it was a better place to buy a souvenir from!

Belgium is known for its variety of beers. In fact, a store near the town hall advertises that it stocks more than 400 varieties. A glass beer mug with the Antwerp crest, was better than the other options in my opinion; as most of the souvenirs seemed to be advertising Brussels!

Helsinki's markets are more interesting in the warmer days I think. Regardless, a traditional wooden mug was really interesting; though the ornate shot glasses were a close second.

After going through many souvenir shops in Tallinn old town (other than souvenir shops and restaurants there seems to be few other commercial ventures), finding something unique was difficult. But there seemed to be only one shop stocking these mugs, and it is the prettiest of the lot.

The shop just before Neuschwanstein ha an interesting deal - 5 Euros for a mug, with a hot drink and a slice of cake. I wasn't planning on buying a mug; but this was a good deal!

Munich and beer, synonymous I think. So a beer mug it was; though I still want one of those really ornate ones!

Random Stats and Facts from my Trip

Number of flights: 10
Approximate total time on planes: 60 hours
Number of different airports traversed: 9
Approximate total time in airports: 20 hours
Best legroom in economy class: United
Best Airline in terms of service: Virgin America
Worst Airline in terms of service: FinnAir
Best Airline Food & Drinks: SAA¹
Number of delayed² flights: 0
Best Airline Website: Air Berlin
Best Airport Traversed Through: Munich
Worst Airport Traversed Through: Tie between Berlin Tegel and Brussels
Number of cities (and surrounding towns) visited for more than 4 hours: 7
Number of cities visited for under 4 hours: 2
Number of transit cities (ie didn't set foot outside airport): 2

Number of intercity trains: 4
Number of ferry trips: 3
Number of bicycle trips: 1
Number of metropolitan transport systems used: 9

Most expensive single purchase: Bose QuietComfort headphones
Number of persons identified as South Africans (not traveling from same flight out of SA or known before hand): 3
Number of persons identifying me as a South African: 1 (Chinese tourist, supplier to K-Way)

¹ SAA was the only airline to include a full bar service for free. It was also the only airline that gives bottles of water, cans of drinks and cartons of juice instead of pouring half into a glass in Economy class.
² I am only counting in terms of arrival time. United flight out of San Francisco was delayed in departure by 45 minutes, but arrived almost on time in Chicago due o strong tail winds.

Rammstein: Made in Germany

The reason I came to Antwerp was to see Rammstein. It was a late decision, leading to a bit of a complicated itinerary (1 additional flight, 3 additional trains) and some expensive (i.e. bought from scalpers) tickets. I did get standing tickets (there is no golden circle, just standing and sitting; the standing is in the centre of the hall) and interestingly there is no difference in the price either.

A quick note on the venue logistics; getting in and out was a mess, with only a few entrances open. Besides that it was well organized especially with the seamless public transport links after the concert. Photos are taken mostly from a distance, so may be a bit blurry ... clicking will enlarge them slightly.

Deathstars
I am surprised that there hasn't been an older band that has used this name. They are a Swedish goth/industrial metal band, though their songs were in English. Their music sounded great, though their lyrics (which i could decipher) weren't that impressive. But then, I think most bands just treat voice and lyrics as a backing sound track, so I suppose it doesn't really matter. They were a great warmup to Rammstein.

Rammstein
A great performance is made of different factors - the music, the lyrics, the show, the lighting to name a few. Rammstein embodied all of these last night; starting with a spectacular entrance. The main stage was pretty standard, though a number of industrial effects (such as huge fans) would come in as the show progressed. There were no video screens, strange for such a large venue. In front of the sound deck, was a small cordoned off area( which I assumed was for fireworks) and this is where I stood.

As the show started a bridge dropped from the ceiling connecting the main stage with the small cordoned off area. It looked and sounded exactly like spaceship landing in sci-fi movies; and the band paraded through the crowd onto the smaller stage, before crossing the bridge. They would return later in the show to perform two songs, most notably Bück Dich; which takes their shows into the realm of performance art like no other band.

Being a "best of" show, all the hits were played (including my personal favorite Engel, which was not played in the SA show); accompanied by some spectacular fireworks. As with the South African show, the band didn't speak much with the crowd (no "we love you" or other chit chat) but there seemed to be a lot more engagement with the crowd; and the show was absolutely spectacular. At over 2 hours, it was also a long set for such a high energy performance.

Antwerp

The wider city is a business city, focused around the port and the diamond trade. The diamond district is neither flashy (except the glitter of jewelry off course) nor pretty - it seems purely functional.

The old town however is very pretty, with a lot of grand architecture, small alleys and off course cobbled streets. Most of the old buildings have been adapted for modern commerce and usage, with seemingly minimal changes. Even if you discount the churches, there are a lot of buildings to see in a stroll around the old town.

Getting around is easy (excellent public transport, and it is small enough to explore by walking around), people are friendly and most seem to speak English. It is the Flemish part of Belgium, so my little Afrikaans helped with reading text in Dutch, though understanding either Flemish or Dutch was a lot more difficult.

Click on photos for a small enlargement.

Cathedral of our Lady

One of the largest gothic cathedrals in the world, its spire seems to be the tallest construction in Antwerp. Given that it has some of the best paintings of Ruben on show, I decided to go in here instead of Ruben-house. There was no one else interested in the English guided walk, so I got that a personal tour as a bonus; focusing on some of the history (mostly impacted by the numerous wars) and a brief crash course in art-history. There are some magnificent art pieces, such as marble statues with fantastic level of detail and off course the paintings (not only Ruben, but also other Belgian masters).

Sint-Carolus Borromueskerk

A beautiful interior with a rather plain exterior. There was a small fire 2 years ago, restoration still in progress.

Antwerp Train Station

Antwerp has a beautiful train station, feels like stepping into a palace.