Berlin day 1

The 12 hour air trip from Singapore to Frankfurt passed slowly as we ate gluggy food and tried to sleep (Qantas food was much better) - then it was all rush to pass through German security and passport control to catch the flight to Berlin with only minutes to spare. What a relief to have our luggage appear on the conveyor belt and Merryle and Margaret beaming welcome at the gate.

Our hotel is Arcotel JohnF and it's in what used to be East Berlin quite near to the famous street Unter den Linden. First impression is - what a lot of building is going on: there is scaffolding, huge cranes, holes in the ground and everywhere a bustle and feeling of energy. It's not only new buildings: a lot of money is being spent refurbishing old buildings and the amount of gilt is dazzling. David liked walking around the cathedral looking at where they've patched up the bullet holes.

We are free until group dinner at the hotel tonight and decide to wander in the surrounding area for a coffee then a canal trip on the River Spree which takes us several miles upstream and is a popular tourist thing. Once we get access to our room and have a shower it's important to have a coffee at a place we spotted this morning, which we manage but get thoroughly lost getting back to the hotel. Google maps is good BUT the whole issue of wi-fi access is very fraught and I could throw Sony Xperia Z in the River Spree. It does take good photos though...

Gardens by the Bay

'Do you have an umbrella? It's going to rain at 10 o'clock' said the hotel doorman and 'You can't go there' said the taxi driver 'Its going to rain at 10 o'clock. I  take you to casino.' But David prevailed - well we'd come to Singapore to see the gardens - and it didn't rain.  Anyway there are two enormous biodomes which would keep out the rain nicely.

We did the Flower Dome first and it is amazing. The gardens are built on land reclaimed from the sea and everywhere you go you can see the distinctive Marina Bay Sands Hotel with its infinity pool balanced along the top. Inside the dome are different areas like the Australian garden, the Mediterranean, African etc  each with its native plants and tasteful sculptures. School groups abounded; what a great field trip!

As thunder growled around outside we crossed into the Cloud Forest and climbed higher and higher up into the trees with fog swirling around. It's very cleverly done and beautifully planted with orchids and tropical plants. We had dim sum for lunch - inexpertly handled with chopsticks by me - and iced coffee near the skating rink in the MBS shopping mall.

Afternoon Tea

Raffles is an amazing building rambling over an entire block and guarded at the entrance by an imposing Sikh in full uniform. There were about 100 of us partaking of afternoon tea in the Tiffin Room and listening to a harpist.
There were very fresh sandwiches, scones jam and cream and little pastries - so far standard fare - plus exotic fruit and baskets of steamed dumplings. The Ritz still wins for excellent service but this wins for different.

Singapore day 2

It's overcast and looks like rain but who cares - we have only one commitment which is afternoon tea at Raffles, a famous Singapore tradition pre-booked from home. I collect afternoon teas (refuse to say high tea) - so far The Ritz in London wins. Just as Michael and Catherine promised taxis are cheap and for $5.50 one takes us to Marina Bay Sands hotel which is the fabulous Singapore hotel with the rooftop infinity pool. Could one just pour over the edge with the water? We don't get to find out today because the next tour conflicts with afternoon tea but the lobby is an amazing experience with a huge steel sculpture filling the airspace. The Shoppes are of the expensive Bulova/Dior type so we don't bother. Catherine says that shopping is a sport in Singapore and can take all weekend for the whole family in the many many airconditioned malls.  Her hospital where she is podiatrist is not airconditioned and they suffered greatly in the recent smog pollution.

A stroll along the river where we went last night shows us a gorgeous sculpture and a restaurant offering crodos - a cross between a croissant and doughnut with the bonus for David of custard. Must be 3 million calories. Bonus for me is an amazing living green wall.   

Email address

I do have one:
bbb4books@gmail.com

Singapore at night

Michael is the son of David's brother Richard who lives here with his partner Catherine. They both have good jobs and love the many opportunities here for travel, sport and careers - in spite of high rent in the area of SPD 3000 per month. On the other hand Catherine's sister has live-in house help for 500 per month. They are a fund of local knowledge and take us to eat where the locals go at Gluttony Lane, down by the river where the best street food is grouped together. We had chili crab and a few strange dishes - all delicious - including 'carrot cake' which wasn't a cake and had no carrots. Fresh juices were lovely and refreshing.
Then we walked along the river to the Merlion in the warm evening. He sits on the Fullerton pier and spits water back into the river.

Singapore

Singapore is hot and quite a shock after Mount Gambier's winter. The flight from Australia was uneventful and we had half an hour for a shower before meeting Michael and Catherine in the lobby for a drink. I had a Singapore Sling which seemed appropriate and David and Michael had beer, poured from a kneeling position by the waitress.