CliffCentral and "new" radio

In a country where Internet access is still quite expensive and exclusive, Gareth Cliff's venture into Internet radio is a bold venture - but one that has made some innovative partnerships. There is a partnership with Tencent's WeChat (rival to What's App etc), a co-broadcast on Comedy Central Africa and now a partnership with MTN to bring this particular Internet Radio station at a more affordable price. The idea of having live auditions to set up new shows on the radio station (beyond the current morning show) also brings about a very different approach to radio; at least in South Africa.

I was not a big fan of the Gareth Cliff show on 5FM, and I have only listened live for a short while (though I have listened longer to some of the podcasts). In a crowded arena with other talk radio stations - such as 702 and Power FM, the competition is fierce; but many of these shows are not focused on the youth market - so perhaps CliffCentral will find its own niche.

In the past few weeks, I have been impressed with Power FM's coverage of politics, and its ability to get the leaders of various political parties to debate and discuss political issues. But I doubt, that even Power FM has managed to get a full hour interview with any politician - and Gareth Cliff's interview with Julius Malema is one of the best open discussions on politics in South African media. 

If the station can continue in that vein - it would be an excellent addition to the South African media space.

Movie: Philomena

Based on a true story, Philomena charts the story of an old woman trying to find her son - who was "adopted" against her wishes about 50 years back, together with the help of a journalist/ex-spin doctor - who initially has no interest in "human interest" stories. 

The adoption of Anthony is itself a story of effectively human trafficking. Philomena, a poor and unsophisticated Irish girl falls pregnant, and the catholic nuns effectively force her to do uncompensated hard labour for "taking care" of her and her son; who is then effectively sold to an American couple for adoption. 

Philomena's search has a bitter sweet ending; but beyond the ethical questions regarding adoption; Judy Dench's amazing portrayal of Philomena also challenges some very fundamental stereotypes of "simple folk" - that they were fooled into doing things; or that they are anti-gay etc. It is a profound story that features excellent acting, and a very sad story on the dark side of adoption.

Classical Musician Battle

Just wow! Link: http://youtu.be/w6ySSyrfJLs

Anthems of Democracy

One of my first memories of TV, is Gcina Mhlope reading children's stories, with some drawings. The stories were quite simple, but it was her storytelling that made it memorable. With Anthems of Democracy, her storytelling prowess was back in full force, melding together numerous languages in a flawless, enthusiastic performance that strung the disparate musical performances together.

In one of the introductions, Mhlope talked about the "blanket of song" that helped the nurture, grieve and celebrate the achievements and setbacks of the anti-apartheid movement. It was a disparate set of performers, who managed to blend in a strange mix of songs that were obviously about the apartheid struggle and others that were more personal, or more celebratory. 

For me, the highlight was Yvonne Chaka Chaka - her command of the stage, and her voice was simply amazing. But there were many more - Bright Blue's rendition of Weeping with the Soweto Gospel Choir was amazing; Sipho Hotstix Mabuse's energetic performance rolled back his years; and Joan Armatrading's soulful voice got everyone dancing in the aisles. 

It was a great evening - and although many more performers could have been added to the bill (Hugh Masekela and Johnny Clegg come to mind); it was a great show. And it was an appropriate celebration of 20 years of democracy in South Africa.

Movie: Noah

A vegan, loner, fundamentalist, suicidal, apocalyptic cult leader gets visions of an impending doom, and decides that mankind is doomed and saving all the creatures is a necessity. And thus, he decides to build  an ark and effectively commit the first noted genocide.

Noah, is a far darker tale than any flood story I have read - and the biblical story is not the only one. In some respects it is more futuristic than set in the past - a world that has been destroyed by human greed and industrialisation - so much so; that until a forest sprouts up to aid the building of an ark; the only animal we see is a griffin like creature killed by hunters. Also, apart from reptiles and bears, there do not seem to be any other carnivores including lions, tigers or wolves. 

There are some good performances, the visuals are amazing but the logical conclusions on how it all unfolds doesn't completely tie up. It's a new take on the flood story - a story that is found across multiple cultures across the world - and is one that makes the least sense.

Movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Set in a fictional European country, the story is about a luxury hotel concierge - Gustave M, a murder mystery involving an old Countess (who it turns out, owns the hotel) and the lobby boy (taken under the wing of the concierge) who would eventually end up owning the hotel. The movie is a comedic masterpiece  - without body fluid gags, or slapstick; with amazing performances by non comedic actors such as Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Willem Dafoe; and an amazing script. It is really a difficult movie to describe; but is highly enjoyable.

Movie: Saving Mr Banks

A Disney produced movie telling the tale of the tense relationship between Walt Disney and author PL Travers, would obviously be favourable towards the founder of Disney. Mary Poppins is one of the most well known Disney movies, but the author, who based some of the characters on her own family; was not enamoured with either Walt Disney nor its production of Mary Poppins. It's a nice movie - but for me, it was more of a catalyst to learn more about PL Travers and the excellent New Yorker article is perhaps the best of the lot.

Reading Greek

After years of science and maths studies, I have some familiarity with the Greek alphabet. However, it was not that easy converting that knowledge to reading words in Greek. It was partly because science and maths do not teach the whole alphabet; just selective letters an partly because it is one thing to know the letters; another to string them together phonetically. At the end of our stay in Greece, I was quite good - enough to read signs and names. It felt like an achievement!

Neue Pinakotek

The Neue Punakotek was originally built by Bavarian King Ludwig I in 1853; but was destroyed in WW2. The current museum building has a great layout for viewing; allowing the visitor to slowly spiral through the building, viewing the works chronologically in 22 main rooms. Some of the original collection was damaged or perished in WW2, but most was saved - and the gallery has a fine collection of art from 18 and 19 centuries. 

Of the artists, I was only familiar with latter period French Impressionist artists Renoir, Gaugin, Manet, Monet and Van Gogh - but I enjoyed most of the 18th century more - perhaps because they were more realistic. 

It is a great collection of paintings and sculptures; and Sunday was especially good given the 1 Eur entry fee (not sure if it is a regular deal); and the audio guide is excellent. 

Nazi Era Events

In South Africa, the statement raised in many political discourses is that "it seems that no one supported Apartheid" - ie a sort of amnesia on the injustices that have been committed in the past. This is common everywhere that has similar cases such as slavery in the Americas or treatment of aboriginals in Australia. In Germany, Nazism is the skeleton in the closet.

Admittedly, the Nazism past is not exactly hidden - memorials such as the Holocaust memorials and other such museums are well maintained and highly effective. But, as you walk around Munich (and for that matter Berlin and other German cities), there often seems to be one sided memorials and commentary. 

Munich's Feldherrnhalle is a good example. Apart from being a monument dedicated to the 30 Year War and the war against Napoleon fought by Bavaria; it is also the scene of the Beer Hall Putsch; where Hitler and his supporters tried to being down the Weimar Republic; and failed. Both police who quelled the riot and supporters of the Nazi parties died that day - but the current plaque on the side commemorates only the fallen policemen; and makes no mention of the circumstances on what drove the Nazi party to its action. It is as if, the Nazi party was a small party - not a well supported nationwide movement. 

There is also a monument to the "shirkers" who protested silently by using a lane behind the Feldherrnhalle to avoid passing the Nazi era memorial plaque (which required a salute) to those who died in the Putsch. 

This is not to say that these memorials are not warranted - they are. But by providing one side of the story, it remains incomplete and seems sometimes like an exercise in collective amnesia.

Glockenspiel

A highlight of the Munich Townhall (Rathaus) at Marienplatz is the Glockenspiel - a carillon comprising of a knights tournament (complete with jousting knights), and a second scene with a traditional dance. Although I have seen it play before, I have never seen the full 10 min show - can't think why not ...

Schloss Hohenschangau

Last time I came to Neuschwanstein, I skipped the residence of the last Bavarian royalty, a short distance away. The castle was initially built in the 1300's but the original castle had been destroyed during the Napoleonic wars. King Maximilian 2 rebuilt the palace according to the original plans; and the last Bavarian royalty, including King Ludwig 2 stayed here. Most of the palace is in its original state - and the paintings on the wall retain their amazing colour without requiring restoration. It's a beautiful palace, and well worth the stop.

Alpsee

The Alp lake, provides a picturesque foreground to the still snow capped Alps, even with the overcast skies.

  

Neuschwanstein Revisited

It's amazing what a difference a guide makes. The guide for the trip this time around had a strong German accent, and a low voice - and the experience was far less engaging than my previous visit.

High End Busking

Just behind Marienplatz (in Munich) I came across this group busking in the small garden. I have seen groups busking before, but never with a piano! 

St. Paul's Church

After the Ancient Greek temples, even the cavernous neo-gothic St. Paul Cathedral in Munich feels a bit ordinary. Located near the fields hosting Oktoberfest, it is currently undergoing restoration, so visitors are not allowed up its main tower. 

Unlike some other churches in Munich,the  inside is quite plain - but the large cavernous hall does have its appeal. The friezes on the walls and columns feel quite amateurish after Greece, lacking the feeling of motion and majesty. But it is quiet and peaceful - and somewhat outside the tourist path (outside Oktoberfest time).

Thoughts on Athens

The ancient world of Rome, Greece and Egypt were (and I think still are) staples of history class in school. I was (and still am) interested in mythology, and Ancient Greece was particularly rich in Mythology - from Hercules, to the Trojan War to the Iliad and The Odyssey. 

When I set out on planning this trip, I had not meant to link all the places together - I wanted to go to Pergamon, but only after seeing the Altar in Berlin a few years ago; but I did not know the deep links the kings of Pergamon had with Athens. I wanted to go to Troy, because of the stories - but had forgotten of the links to Delphi. The trip has been amazing in linking all of these together; and although I did not complete the mythological world (for example, I couldn't fit in Crete) - I covered a great portion.

Of the ancient world, Athens has particular significance in being the root of the western civilized world; and it has lived up to its hype. Despite the economic crisis, Athens has endured - like it has endured countless other crisis before this one. And the Athenians it seems, have also endured. There are many shops that have closed down; but there are many more that remain open. Streets are busy, coffee shops and bars seem to be full in the evening, trains and busses are full - all the signs of a vibrant city.

But there is an economic crisis, and it does have its signs. There are more beggars here than any other European city I have visited. Occasional shops have crisis sales, indicating all is not well; and while things aren't as bad as Lesvos, it is clearly not all rosy. There were protests two evening before in front of the parliament; the police spent most of the day gearing up, and on TV it looked really angry. There was a small crowd there this morning, but apart from playing AC/DC on bad speakers, they weren't as noticeable.

But Athens does make a great, and cheap, holiday destination. The prices for meals and drinks are comparatively cheap to the rest of Europe. The hotels are equally cheap. It has great attractions, that are all within a small radius of the city centre. The people are very friendly, and willing to assist however they can. 

And most of all, the attractions are cheap - too cheap in my opinion! The Acropolis ticket gives you access to almost all the other archeological sites, over 4 days an cost on 12 Eur. For comparison, Berlin's Museum Island pass for one day is 18 Eur! The museums are equally affordable; and prices for students and under 18s is almost free. 

That said, the tourist experience can be better in some areas. Bus routes and times could be better marked; or perhaps provided online or on an app. Opening times for the museums and attractions are inconsistent - some are until 3pm others  until 8pm; but it's not easy to say which one is till when. And more places could take credit cards - not talking about the kiosks in each street corner; but places like the Acropolis and airport metro stations. 

There are things I would still like to see in Greece, so I would like to come back. And I hope Athens is as enjoyable then.

Public Art of Athens

Athens is full of graffiti and other street art; and some of this is probably commissioned by the shops or advertisers. Unlike Lesvos, I didn't see a lot of political protest art; which I found quite strange. The majority of the good art is around the Psyrri suburb; which also had a small Asian community (Bangladeshis and Chinese mainly it seems); but the art didn't seem to have any specific ethnic origin. 

The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi

The story of the Oracles at Delphi's Temple of Apollo, are well known. So many stories and myths have the oracles involved, it is one of the central pieces in Greek history.

Delphi fell into disuse fairly soon after Roman takeover of the Greek lands; and although a number of Roman emperors supported Delphi; once Christianity took root, it was soon forgotten. Unlike other sites, there were few conversions to churches and mosques; partly because the site was impacted by earthquakes.

This has also meant that the site is well preserved - there are seemingly more well preserved buildings and statues in this area than all the other ancient Greek sites we have visited this trip.

Delphi also neatly ties in some of the cities we visited on this trip - the demise of Troy was proclaimed by the oracles at Delphi; the serpent column that once stood at Delphi can now be seen in Istanbul (taken by Emperor Constantine) and the kings of Pergamon financed a few Delphi buildings and monuments.

Sadly, the highlight - temple of Apollo is one of the more badly preserved buildings. But the grandeur of the site remains - and if replicas of what is stored in the museum is put up; this site can almost bring back the heyday of Delphi from 2000 years ago!

The Sanctuary of Athena at Delphi

The lesser known temple and site at Delphi, the Sanctuary of Athena is a small site comprising of mostly ruins. It is most notable for Tholos, a round structure whose purpose remains unclear. It is an almost unique structure - and the many adverts for Delphi tours use this as their draw card. The site also offers a great view of the Sanctuary of Apollo.