Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2014

Beware these Travel Scams

I've been the victim of expensive taxi drivers in Rome, Paris and Vienna even though the taxi or airport shuttle was ordered by the hotel. And I've been surrounded by gypsy children at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris who I thought were so sweet and cute without realizing they were opening my handbag until a companion forcefully told them to go away. And recently in Italy, inside the train on our way to Rome from Padua, both of my cousins were pickpocketed as they were trying to put our luggage in the storage bins. No one is exempt from these scams, not even seasoned travelers.  J ust the Flight details 40 scams to avoid in various situations: On the street Travelling (by car, bus, train or taxi) Shops and Services Locals and Children Check out this link: www.justtheflight.co.uk/blog/16-40-tourist-scams-to-avoid-this-summer.html Forewarned is forewarmed. *  *  *

Random Berlin

Our flight route from Amsterdam to Berlin passed over these rich patchworked fields. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The restaurant on the top floor of the department store, Peek and Cloppenburg, not only serves a selection of entreés prepared on the spot, it also has one of the best views of what remains of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church after World War II and the modern steeple beside it. Peek and Cloppenburg is on K Ü rfurstendamm. The Memorial Church is under renovation hence the white structure surrounding it. Berlin Wall This fragment of the Berlin Wall says it all. The dates 61 refers to the year the wall went up and 89 when the wall started to crumble. At the bottom of this fragment are two hearts representing East and West and the words "l'amour tousjours" or love always.  "All free men, wherever they may live are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'." -- John F. Ke

The Market Gate of Miletus

The Market Gate of Miletus at the Pergamon Museum was rebuilt around 1925-1929 from hundreds of tons of fragments excavated in the ancient city of Miletus and shipped to Berlin by German archaeologists. The original gate dates back to the 2 nd century AD and was at the northern entrance to the southern agora or market. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 10 th or 11 th centuries and suffered damages during World War II. On each side of the center door are statues, one of which is believed to be that of Hadrian (with a vanquished slave). The columns supporting the gate are Corinthian in style and the gate itself was originally constructed from marble. However, this reconstructed gate now consists of brick, cement, steel and the fragments from the excavation. On the floor in front of the gate is a mosaic taken from a private home in Miletus . It depicts Orpheus with his lyre. According to classical Greek mythology, Orpheus could charm all living things with h