Remembering Auschwitz

Given all the major historical events we have seen in the 20th century, i find it ironic and terribly depressing that we still have wars, genocides, and atrocities being committed to this very day.

It has been more than 60 years since the end of World War 2. The fact that the disastrous outcome of WW1 where millions of people perished, and countries went bankrupt trying to outdo each other by building more sophisticated killing machines didn't seem to do anything to stop us from starting another war. And then some.

To what cause? It all boils down to the fight for power, resources, race, religion, the fight for supremacy over the rest of humankind. By the looks of it, history does not seem to have taught us anything.

Could we have avoided the genocides and mass murders in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Sarejevo? I think so. Was the Iraq war really necessary? Not really. As if hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, famines and droughts aren't enough for us to donate our time, money and effort to. As if there isn't already enough disease, poverty and despair in the world to keep us busy.

I suppose one can argue that it is precisely because there are limited esources in the world, that is why people, governments, countries are going to war and killing each other for it. However, it seems to me we are creating more problems than solving them.

Why do we need to divert already scarce resources to feed poor little kids in Lebanon and the Gaza strip, or patch up buildings and roads in war-torn countries? Or spend money repairing water pipes if they weren't bombed in the first place? Why couldn't we spend the money on sending poor African kids to school instead so they wouldn't be toting guns on the street? Or try and find a cure for cancer?

Its a bleak world, it is.

Tallinn in pictures

Bye-Bye Finland!

The bar was FULL at 10am on the cruise ferry to Tallinn. And no, they weren't having coffee.


Alexander Nevski cathedral

Town Hall Square - previously used as markets/ execution grounds. Now you can stroll around and enjoy that continental cafe ambience. Tallinn was first mentioned in the records in the year 1154.

From this in 1991...

...to this in 2006. Estonia, especially Tallinn has progressed on so rapidly from its ex-Soviet past in just 15 years. Nobody has to walk into a shop with a coupon to queue up for their rations anymore. Supermarkets shelves are abundant with food. This Viru Shopping mall offers the latest European brand name fashion labels, cosmetics, perfumes, electronics, and gourmet restaurants.

At the Kadriog park - wooded area with gardens, fountains, museums and the Kadriog Palace. This area is also home to the President of Estonia.

View of the old town - i had to climb the equivalent of a stair-case marathon to get to this! you can see the towers and parts of the old town wall on the right.

5 completely random facts about Estonia

My education in the skool of life continues in Tallinn, capital of Estonia.

1) WIFI

Tallinn is so advanced it offers free wifi at several cafes, restaurants, hotels and even petrol stations. Yep. I have seen the future and it is in Tallinn. You can get a car wash and check your emails at the same time. Soon, you'd be able to go ride a bicycle or go to the supermart to shop for groceries AND surf the internet. Now if only i have a darn laptop! At the airport, it had, you guessed it -free WIFI but no internet terminals. Grrrrr...

2) Toilet signs. (take note especially if you are visiting Estonia)

Male/female toilet signs are denoted by triangles on the doors. A triangle pointing upwards refers to female restrooms. And a triangle pointing downwards refers to male restrooms. Guess how i found out.

3) Beverages

The Estonian word for "Cheers" is "Terviseks!" and you have to look your beer-mates in the eye when you say it. It is forbidden to drink alcohol in public places, e.g. in the park. You may be fined 600 EEK (1 euro is about 15.6 Estonian Kroons) if caught. Hide well.

4) Storage space

Estonia has a teeny population of 1.4m people spread out in a land area of about 45,000 square km. (Ok, about 400,000 live in Tallinn alone) Compare that with Singapore, which has 3 times the number of people squished in only 680 square km of space.

5) Transport options from Helsinki to Tallinn/ Buffets

Tallinn is only 82km across the Baltic sea from Helsinki. It is 3.5hrs by ferry, or 18 mins by helicopter. However, i heard that there was a helicopter mishap just a few months ago so it isn't a terribly popular choice at the moment. I took the ferry simply because, you know, i wanted the scenic route and definitely not because there was one of those ubiquitious breakfast buffets offered for only 9 euros. Frankly, I don't see how the helicopter company can compete and counter that offer - i mean, how much can one eat in 18 mins?

Helsinki, Finland

My already-long list of "Places for return visits" is growing and i am adding Helsinki to it.

After stepping off the boat from Stockholm, i headed straight for the city centre to explore. It is a nice and cool temperature of 13 degrees celcius. I thought it would be impossible to perspire in this weather but a 1km walk with my rucksack from the ferry terminal to the city centre soon proved me wrong!

Me in front of Kamppi, a shopping mall built on top of the central bus station.

Uspenski Cathedral - Finland was once under the control of Sweden and after the war of 1808-1809, was ceded to Russia. here, you can see traces of Russian-style architecture - like the "onion domes" of this Orthodox cathedral. Unfortunately, a Russian visa takes 12 weeks to apply so i would probably have to wait for some other time to go.

At the Senate Square - The Helsinki cathedral, statue of of Tsar Alexandar II (with a bird perched on his head), and 4 other statues underneath him representing Law, Peace, Light and Work. This square is where Helsinki citizens usher in the new year.

Rudolph swimming in a cheesy bowl of soup! So it is true that Finns eat reindeer meat and it is a normal everyday affair. They also have it stocked in supermarkets frozen or canned. There was also canned bear meat for sale. Costs about 7 or 8 euros - definitely more upmarket than tuna then.

Actually, Helsinki is pretty cosmopolitan in its tastes. There are plenty of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Greek, and Turkish restaurants around, and they are always crowded!

Street march on a Saturday afternoon. The ASEM (Asia-Europe) summit is taking place in Helsinki right now, and all the big wigs, like the Japanese and Korean prime ministers are in town. Protesters have timed a demonstration to coincide with the event. It is an all-in-one protest. Anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-EU, anti-NATO, and even "Free Burma" causes were promoted. It was quite peaceful in the afternoon, but the riot police soon had some action as it turned a little violent later, as i saw on the evening news.

3 days in Stockholm

Another top-notch city with lots to see and do. I really want to come back here again some other time, as with Copenhagen.

Boats lined up at the marina. There are lots of islands in the archipelago just outside of Stockholm you can sail to.

Royal Palace - where the King and Queen of Sweden receives visitors.

Colourful old houses in the Gamla Stan (Old town)



A viking ship - the ultimate souvenir. If not for space constraints in my rucksack, i would have bought this!

Full moon in Stockholm. Notice how beautiful those big yellow cranes look in the moonlight! :-)

Another day, another cruise. This one took me all the way to Helsinki, Finland. These overnight cruises are popular with locals (Swedes and Finns) as cheap weekend getaways. Think huge floating casinos, bars, and duty-free shops with aisles chocked full of duty-free alcohol, cigarettes, perfumes and cosmetics. It is all designed to make you Spend! Spend! Spend! Resistance is futile.

Malmö, Sweden

It is amazing what TV can do to you. I remember watching a Discovery Channel programme on "Mega Structures" and one particular episode featured the trials and tribulations of building the "Turning Torso", designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It is about 180 metres high and comprises of 9 big "cubes" all twisting to look like, well the turning torso of a human. It was by no means easy to construct and took about 4 years to complete - after several delays of course. But i think winning a few engineering and design awards makes up for it.

So, a few months later, i find myself trudging in the rain in the city of Malmö to locate this building and take about 20 photos of it from all angles.

Everything is slanted at an angle, even the windows.

It was well worth the effort.

I don´t remember much else of Malmö, to be honest. It was very rainy and i had to abandon my plans to cycle around the southern coast and head straight to Denmark instead!

Denmark

In Denmark, i visited Odense, a small city in Funen island, and Copenhagen -the capital city.

Do you remember reading fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen like "The Little Mermaid", "The Princess and the Pea", and many others? I definitely have fond memories of my mum reading these stories to me when i was a kid! This celebrated writer had his books translated into several languages all over the world. HC Andersen was born and raised in Odense until he decided to leave for Copenhagen on his own to explore a career in theatre and the arts. He was also a gifted artist. I went there to visit the HC Andersen Haus that detailed his life story. They have a whole library full of his books in various languages, and also on audio.

Odense - statue of HC Andersen - the famous fairy tale writer

In Copenhagen - crowds throng the streets along the canals and Nyhavn here is the start-point for boat tours.

View of the sound between Denmark and Sweden from the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

As previously mentioned (several times), Scandinavia is extremely expensive and the supermarket is my best friend for economising. I usually pack sandwiches and snacks with me when i go out. The weather was pretty good in Denmark so i sat outside most of the time to have my picnic lunches! This way, i can save my money for sightseeing. And Coffee. And Cake. Mmmmm...

Mackeral salat, sandwich buns and banana from supermarket = 24 DKK

Coffee and chocolate cake = 20 DKK

Thats about 6 Euros in total.

Tivoli - an amusement park smack in the city of Copenhagen. It is more than 100 years old and has a variety of amusement/ thrill rides, games, stage shows. This is one of the several restaurants within the park.

Forget about Ikea. The Design Museum and cafe in Copenhagen showcases the cream of modern Danish design - style, form and functionality! So cool it hurts. It makes you want to buy everything in its shop - from furniture, glass ware, to home accessories to travel gear.

Bergen and the western fjords

I realise i am way behind my postings but better late than never. Norway is incredibly scenic and i took many photos along my train and even bus journeys as it meandered through the mountains and valleys between Bergen and Oslo. These are some of the photos i took from the cruise excursion.

Kjosfossen falls - free fall of 305 feet.

The tiny village of Flåm, where i took a ferry through Aurlandsfjorden and Sognefjorden - see photos below.