Bauhaus Building Dessau
Stay tuned for the story on my visit to Dessau Germany to see this iconic building.
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Bauhaus Dessau
Tag: travel tips
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A Design Influence on Me.
Bauhaus Museum Weimar opened in April 2019. Its collection houses pieces from the 1920’s to the present. Focusing on design, art, dance, and architecture, the Museum narrates the history of Bauhaus over 3 floors.
Side Note: The Black and Paper logo was influenced by the Bauhaus movement. We incorporated some of the graphics in our face shield design.
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Second Day in Weimar
Exploring the cultural city offerings on my staycation. Still inspired and strolling around the city. It’s easy to see why Weimar has appeal. On the second day, I saw the dramatic and elegant.
Classic Anna Amalia Library 
Modern Anna Amalia Library 
Anna Amalia LibraryRussian-Orthodox Chapel 
Garden Park 
Top View 
Top View 
Bauhaus Style 
Goethe House 
For my first travel in the New Normal I decided on a staycation. As if I had a choice. Nothing is flying these days. Where to go? The city of Weimar, located in Thuringia, a 3 hour drive from Berlin. I knew little about the city.
Classy, compact, and elegant the former Grand Duchy Capital is a Unesco Heritage Site. A centre for culture for 2 centuries, many German intellectuals called Weimar home. The giants in the city mythology are writer Goethe, poet Schiller and composer Liszt. Each man contributed to the Artistic and Intellectual Movements of the 19thcentury. The Weimar Republic period of Germany started here with a 1918 Congress declaring the country a republic after World War 1.
The uproar the early 20th century produced the Bauhaus Art School headed by Gropius and Kandinsky. (Stay Tuned for the feature on the new Bauhaus Museum).
It is easy to fall for the charm of Weimar form its small square to strolling the parks and small cobblestone streets. Mercifully, the center was spared bombings during World War 2 and the cheap architecture of the Communist regime.
Arriving not expecting much. Sometimes it’s nice to be proven very wrong. Casual, not overloaded, take time to enjoy Weimar. There are many museums and exhibits. Or just take a stroll. On my stroll meter: 8.
More coverage coming.
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Staycation Weimar
In Weimar. All the details coming soon.
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Is It Worth It?
As the Coronavirus takes a toll on travel. Global Tourism has crashed down around us. I could not decide if it is appropriate to post or encourage destinations. Accounting for in some cases up to 20% of countries GDP. Many livelihoods depend on the travel industry.
Boarders are still closed. Airlines on the brink of insolvency. Hotels remain vacant.
As a travel enthusiast, I started questioning over tourism After a trip to Prague, the whole system looked as if it had come off the rails. Too many people. Cheap. Little value. Overrun. At times Tacky.
Things changed fast. Lockdowns are being eased. I am not ready to get on a plane. Traveling involves risk from the time you purchase a ticket. Will the destination be virus free? A long weekend to a beach is not worth it in the “New Normal”. On return, a possible 14 day Quarantine. No Thanks!
I am keeping an eye on events. My fingers crossed. Meanwhile, I am at home like everyone.
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My Berlin to Munich Trip
I took a business trip to Munich on the Deutsche Bahn recently. Booking a first class ticket with a reserved seat to the Bavarian city is a must. Once,,,, I made the mistake of taking D Bahn without reserving a a seat. No Thank You! “Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me!”
Reliable not Spectacular
The challenge of buying a bargain ticket on Germany train is same as guessing the winning numbers of a lottery ticket. Sometimes it is cheaper to go first class than second class. YES! It all depends on destination and luck. I had a bit of luck on this travel.
My first class ticket only costs 50 euros round trip plus an additional 10 euros to reserve a seat. I got a ICE normal fast service from main station Berlin to Munich in 5 hours. The new fast express service takes 4 hours. With this, the air line travel has become needles. Especially with the Munich airport being one hour away from the city center. Trust me, this is fastest way to go between these two cities.
The Deutsche Bahn Service, First Class is above average, nothing spectacular but reliable. First class car is made up of leather seats three across. In comparison, second class is 4 seats across.
I had a table for working and spacious leg room. The Internet connection proved smooth, easy to log in with few interruptions on the travel. I saw the ticket conductor once. Then a coach stewart came to ask me if I wanted something from the cafeteria car. I got a juice for 2.80 euros. Suddenly, in the middle of traveling, the stewart came back offering complimentary small chocolate bars.
Center to Center
The trains makes several stops on the way to Munich. On some past travels I had to change trains in Nuremberg before completing the last part of the journey.
I arrived in the center of Munich 4 minutes late. Not bad. I had a smooth journey, felt relaxed, walked straight to my meeting only 10 minutes away from the central station.
If you plan to travel on Deutsche Bahn, book in advance and look at all the options for the best fare.
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Prague, The Over Toured, The Good.
The first time I visited Prague in 1997, it was a city still waking up from years of Communist rule. I managed to cross The Charles Bridge many times both day and night. Walking up to the Prague Castle to get pictures standing overlooking the River was easy.
My first day I met locals who showed me around, took me to real basement bars. Hanging around, talking to Czechs about everything and how proud they were of the future.
The Over Toured
2019, my first visit after 22 years. Reading as a destination, Prague joined the list of “Over-touristed Cities” with Barcelona and Venice. I could not imagine the level of visitors, 8.6 million tourists for a city with a population of 2.6 million. At times I had to wonder if I am a part of the too many tourist problem.
Walking across the same bridge, waiting in line for Space Mountain is simpler. Navigating through the Medieval passages, a tuna in a can has more space. The Old Town Square evolved into a cheap tourist trap selling overpriced souvenirs and hawkers.
If you want to be near the Prague Clock at striking time. If personal space is not an issue, get there early.
A restaurant within a 20 minute walk of the center requires a reservation after 5pm.
My advice: Be Prepared. Be Patient.
The Good
I like Prague. A place that retains a very unique charm. Not as Imperial or Grand as other European destinations, the capital city is intimate. After walking around during 3 cloudy days I can understand a bit of Kafka’s melancholy crisis. The city lacks the feeling of optimism, instead an outward feeling of the serious side of life is everywhere.
I took pleasure walking around. I looked up to see a statues on buildings or an ornate facades: Gothic, Romantic, Post Modern, Art Nouveau. Each style is represented along the the streets from District 1 to 5.
Once a part of the Austrian Empire, the coffee culture continues to influence the mid day social life. Stylized cafes in the center still buzz with locales and visitors having cake and drinks. One day we went to 3 houses, each one different.
I recommend visiting Prague. As a travel destination, it is enchanting.
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Prague, Just Look Up!
Prague is a walking city. Along the shores of the Vltava River, the Czech Capital buildings go from Dark Gothic to Minimal Modernist to Ornate Art Nouveau. While I did not recognize a masterplan. Admittedly, I am a laymen when it comes to architecture, the eclectic harmony is visually pleasing. On every street, I was inspired to take a picture of a facade or a statue. There was not a dull moment when I looked up!
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A Kid Again
When I was a kid I loved plane spotting at airports. Granted I am from a second tier city with an airport capacity of a few flights a day. Delta Airlines controlled the region. All the liveries were usually Boeing 727’s. I could look up in the sky and knew the time by a passing plane.
During the time I lived in London, Heathrow airport flights dominated the sky. Planes from around the world coming and going at one of the busiest airports in the world. While jogging I would look up to see an A380 from a Middle East Carrier.
While traveling on the autobahn through Southern Germany I saw the tail wing of a Lufthansa 747. Why is that there? Perhaps we missed a signed saying “airport”. Sinsheim is a small a town. The population stands at 35.000. I reasoned there could not be an airport with size to accommodate big planes.
What could it be?
The Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum opened in 1981. For aviation enthusiasts, a must stop. The dramatic sight of an Air France Concorde and Tupolev 144 side by side made me feel like a kid again. I had a model Concorde. Using my hyper imagination to fly from New York to Paris.
Air France Concorde 
Tupolev TU 144
According to the website, there are over 3,000 exhibits including cars and tanks.
As I did not have time to enter the museum, I just took pictures from the parking lot. Then walked inside to the gift shop and cafe. No worries. I plan on returning.