797. Travel Stories - Dresden and Berlin

As the hotels in Dresden and Berlin, Germany don't provide free internet access, I scribbled the following into my laptop and post it today at sunny hot Dubai Winchester Deluxe Hotel Apartment facing the GM on the receptionist table (only one plug here for laptop) at 10.45 am.

Overall, it had been quite a depressing tour - coldness, grey skies and the sadness of Auschwitz in Poland and the Berlin Wall in Germany. I prefer not to visit the "Killing Fields" of Cambodia, the "tunnels" of Vietnam as a person is expected to de-stress not to reflect on man's inhumanity. I had been to another Auschwitz some 40 years ago from London when I was much younger and one visit is enough. There are still atrocities and killings in some countries, even in this modern age and therefore I don't want to pay to see more historical killings.

MY SCRIBBLINGS
It is better to write drafts rather than perfect reports as I don't have much time and if I have to publish only "good English" reports of my work and travels, I will not be able to be productive and will produce 10% of what you read.
Dec 31, 2011 Hotel ABACUS Tierpark Hotel Berlin 4.48 am Singapore time 11.48am
No free wireless even in reception space. In Berlin, I believe that most shops do not provide free wireless, including McDonald's. At Starbucks, one has to go to the Starbucks page and click "connect". If not, no free wireless. It was not automatic. I believe McDonald's has same situation for one hour surfing but I could not get into it "Hotspot".
TWO TIPS. Temperature 4 degree C and lower at night
1. This hotel has steam heating radiators. Don't forget to turn the dial as some of them are switched off and you wake up in a cold room.
2. In one Czech hotel, the maid had not closed the window 100%.. As the curtains were closed, I could not understand at first why the room was cold when I woke up and the thermostat did not seem to function.

Yesterday Dec 30, 2011
Berlin Wall - Guide Yoko - Drizzling
Afternoon - Shop at De Ka Wa. LV still popular. Rarely see Chinese national tourists in Belin today but Caucasian salesgirl could speak Mandarin having been to China for study. Her own sling bag (company staff only, not for sale). .
Dinner - Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant. I slipped when my right foot turned as I stepped on a tapering step downstairs to the Ming Garden Restaurant. One in the group disputed that dinner was in the itinerary as the first night, we had no dinner. Finally, we got Ming Garden and Marcus told us his efforts. He handed us the feedback form during lunch at another Chinese Restaruant. Today Dec 31, 2011, at 5 am we would wake up and leave Berlin at 7 am to drive to the Hamburg airport. Marcus would fly back to Singapore (tiring) and we would be in Dubai for two nights (free? accommodation at hotel). Apparently, a 10-hour flight (stopover in Colombo) instead of a 7-hour flight back to Singapore via Emirates. SIA is more expensive and so Emirates with its "free" stay n Dubai had our business for this East European Tour. Global competition for SIA is increasing as for all Singapore companies. Best Chinese dinner was at Ming Garden. Sweet and sour soup, green veg, pork, tou foo with chilli sauce, fruits (grapefruits, pineapples, oranges, apples). It was quite packed. The operator has some ideas on variety and good cooking.

Be frank and proactive and ask for good grades if you want a good feedback from your customers as Marcus had done so. Also he had served his free tea and home-made chilli. He had been extremely hardworking and entertaining. Not an easy job to handle 18 Singaporeans. He is a free-lancer. I gave him a point "5".in the feedback form sealed in a blue envelope. "You can always steam the envelope and open it," I said to Marcus. "Your company would never know." He also used blue envelopes to give tips to the local guides at 2 euros per tourist. Apparently, local guides (probably Gulliver Travels) are paid 200 euros/hour and so they are employed for half a day only.
Not a Japanese car is seen in Berlin's "Orchard Road." More Mercedes. VW


Dec 29, 2011
Prague to Dresden - Guide Sylvia - great story teller, enthralled group more than other guides. Natural. Examples:
1. A stork statute. I could not take a photo fast enough as the bus drove too fast or I was too slow.
"Stocks carry babies," she asked how many of us knew this. Four hands went up. I knew it too. Sylvia said: "In one tour, a gentleman asked what gender the stocks were," she asked us. We didn't know. "The gentleman said the stock was male," Sylvia said. "Female stocks can't stop talking and talking and would have dropped the babies!" Sexist reply? Sylvia said: "I slapped him real hard on behalf of all women."

2. Audi. Sylvia said that Audi was originally named Horsch. "Nobody could pronounce Hor.." she said in a coughing voice. "I want to buy a Hor..Hor.Haw..Haw." Since it was difficult, the prospective buyer would say "Never mind, give me a Benz!". So the name was changed to Audi which is easy to pronounce.

3. "Be careful, there is a dangerous shop there. Don't let the women go in!" Sylvia said as we crossed the road to more monuments. I was wondering whether the shopkeeper was going to scam us. Some foreign exchange shops in Prague would display a good exchange rate and when you enter, the rates would be different and unfavourable. The group paid attention to a small lit jewellry shop called "Lights" or some similar sound. Sylvia said" "It is dangerous for the men's (wallets) as the women would buy all the things there."

4. One luxury VW car shown by her. I took a picture. 65% are produced and sold to China. VW was profitable in 2011. It has acquired other car brands too and Audi is one of them.

5. FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINTS. Sylvia knows how to address any potential complaints by humour. As Marcus handed over his usual blue envelope of tips to her, she pointed to a gold figure on top of a statue and said that it can hear all complaints about her and report to her as this figure is omnipresent. I doubt anyone would complain about her efforts and humour as you can see from one image I took where she captured the attention and evoked the smiles of 15/19 of the group with her pictures of the history and her condemnation of the politicians who tore down heritage buildings in the recent years. "What was not bombed had been torn down by the politicians," she said. "So Dresden looks very modern and new."

Singaporeans seem to be her group. "You may see me in Singapore if I go there,"she told us. She's an architect and had lived in various cities but lived longer in Dresden. When I asked about the horse carriage tours, she said not to take the tour as the guide will not give accurate tour info. A man and a boy was playing an instrument on the road side. "Gypsies from Romania," she told me. "European Union permits free travel for EU citizens." I asked when she said hello to a big man at a stall: "Is the man selling mineral stones a gypsy?" She said: "No."



An image of Sylvia is posted for readers. You can learn much from Sylvia in your working life.

"Be passionate in your work" by research and know how to present in an entertaining relevant manner. The customer can sense or at least smile when you lecture on the dull historical facts. For example, "Ladies will like this handsome king..." We remember her and her presentation in our images and mine and none of the historical kings of Prussia etc. We had a fun time.


You can see my tour manager Marcos also listening to her stories. I was taking pictures as there was no time and did not appear in the picture. Another couple and one other Singaporean were wandering off taking pictures. That is why there were 15/19.

An image of a tour dog. Another tour guide with Caucasian tourists. Asian and Singapore tourists seldom are interested in European history, kings and queens. More into shopping and more shopping. So, the European tour guide may need to entertain rather than inform because arts and culture is not part of the Asian culture compared to the general Europeans and Americans, in my opinion.

796. Travel Stories - First Impressions Count

7am Abacus tierpark hotel to Hamburg airport to Dubai.

WHAT MAKES THIS HOTEL SUCESSFUL AS A BUSINESS?

Abascus TierPark Hotel, Berlin, Away from downtown, Near Zoo. Has theme of animals e.g. dining table has a wooden elephant. Big framed close up of a cock, fish, fruits on walls.


1. First impressions of reception and dining room shows a well managed hotel.
2. Affordable to tour agencies. Top in travel tour gp revenue in Berlin? Least costly 4-star hotel for Gulliver and other travel agencies apparently.
Rates 99e single 120e double for walk in clustomers
3. Free car parking.
Free Independent Travellers around 30% estimated. Free car parking. Weekend v high occupancy tour gp (Europeans mainly).

4. Provides 8 lots for coach parking. Max 400 tourists if all 8 coaches come. Hotel has only 300 rooms and therefore occupancy rates can be 100%.
Hard to find free car park lots in Berlin and this is probably its selling point.

5. "A" introduced. ABACUS Tierpark Hotel. I noted that the neon sign shows only Tierpark. Therefore ABACUS must be a later addition to the name. "A" is top of phone listing advantage. Has a real abascus displayed at reception but hotel owner is not Chinese. "Abascus" is just for top listing

6. Robust revenue is dependent on buoyant tourist economy. Berlin's downtown and Brandenburg gate appeared to be full of Caucasian tourists in the time I was there. Long queue outside Madam Tussard Wax Museum.

7. Privately owned

OTHERS
No free internet access Around 50% of Berlin hotels do not provide free internet access
Zoo theme
bedroom 2 single beds slide towards each other to form a double bed. One of the beds creak and squeak. No maintenance check as the Winchester Hotel in Dubai has good beds, mattresses and two solid pillows. European hotels provide one thin pillow and soft mattresses in general or is it the quality of hotels selected by EU tours? What to expect for packaged tourists on a lean budget?
Mainly Netherland tourists for this hotel.

TIPS
1. Temp around 4 deg C. Can be quite cold inside the room

Steam heating in this hotel. Must check as the setting in room and bathroom. The setting may be zero and the room is cold. Setting no. 5 means a hot room.

Ensure windows are properly shut or cold air comes in.


Berlin has >1 million tourists a day according to desk manager and low unemployment rate of 7% (Dresden 17%).

NO English brochures for guest - Not interested in English-speaking or Asian groups as Europeans form main clientele
Free n lots car park spaces unlike Berlin's other hotels

795. Putting bare feet or legs onto the coffee table

When I was working for the Singapore Turf Club, there came an older Australian vet who was appointed the Chief Vet when the Club was taken over and renamed the Bukit Turf Club.

One day, we had a meeting with the young newly recruited management committee of the newly formed Bukit Turf Club to talk about the Veterinary Department. He asked us to sit down and he placed his legs onto the coffee table. The others felt uncomfotable and some commented about this unusual behaviour. Do all Australians do that? I don't know.

Is it good manners to sit around the sofa set and you, the Chief Vet put your boots and legs to rest on the coffee table? I don't do it and I don't want any of my employees to do it as I don't think it is becoming of a vet or the manager. Sometimes, the young people do it without realising that it is not good.

794. Travel Stories - Vet stories - A visit to a Prague vet

Dec 29, 2011 Hotel Duo wireless area near reception, 7.40 am 

Free wireless only at the reception area, not in rooms or even dining areas on 2nd level. The past days, my 5th floor room and another one had the smell of sewerage, as if there was a leak somewhere in the toilet. The smell disappeared later. 

From my experience in seeing the Sewerage truck coming to Toa Payoh outside my surgery to suck out the sewerage material, the smell was almost identical. This hotel is popular with Japanese and other Asians and boast gym, bowling ally, pool and casino and so is of a higher standard. I can't understand why there is this sewerage smell inside the bedroom on a 5th floor! Luckily, today Dec 29 morning, I would be leaving for Dresden, Germany. That odour was nauseating.

Yesterday, the others went to another shopping mall and then another one called Venezula Square with its boutiques from 10am to 6 pm. A free and easy day and so Marcus recommended this shopping as the group was not keen on another heritage castle visit some 3-hour drive away. I was tired of seeing castles, churches and shopping.

Fortunately for me, I went with Daniel to the Jest ski resort. He was skiing. Patches of snow below the hill, due to global warming. On driving to the top, there was a sudden blast of air or wind. Visibility was 1 metre in front. Temperature was below zero. Was this man-made machine whipping up artificial snow or was it nature? I went into the tower to hide.

The resort was not open fully. Only a small lane was open for skiers. Some bumpy areas. A snowboarder hit Daniel and broke his ski. It was not fun skiing in such an area. So, at 1.30 pm, after the ghoulash steak lunch, the guide Katrina drove us back to Prague. 

I asked to meet her boyfriend Dr Tomas Stastny who does voluntary cat welfare work 3 evenings a week. "His practice is a small one. Not those with lots of equipment," she said.

"It is not the practice that is full of modern equipment that I will want to see," I said. "It is to know more about how the vet works in Prague."

"There are only 5 vet surgeries in Prague," Katrina said. "It is very expensive to buy equipment to set up a practice. There are 180 vets. For 2 million people." Katrina worked with international tourist and so her conversational English is good. Daniel said: "She means that there are only 5 vet hospitals in Prague."

Her boyfriend's practice is in a farm area. The town centre with the church (see image), the big land of farms and the row of shop houses remind me of James Herriot's practice some 50 years ago. I studied in Glasgow Univ in 1969 and had visited Thirsk, a village mentioned in James Herriot's novels. 

Katrina and Tomas are fans of James Herriot too and his Yorkshire vet stories must have been translated to Czech. Tomas' practice is located in similar farmland countryside small village as you can see from some pictures. His 12-year-old son wants to be a journalist and he could write stories of the stray cats and patients of Tomas if this young man can be motivated to do so. 

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792. Travel Stories - Prague Castle and another Christmas Market Fair

Dec 28, 2011 Hotel Duo 7.50am Singapore time 2.59pm

Yesterday, another city tour, mainly Prague Castle and the churches. Christmas Market Fair and shopping in the afternoon. I am quite sick of this itinerary of shopping. But I had a chance to do street photography of the tourists. Only 3 are interesting to viewers and are as follows:

I like the "gray" colour theme of the distinguished gentleman with his gray poodle in similar stance and profile. His lady friend is also dressed in gray coat. There is a market square tower and when the clock chimes at the hour, the two windows open and some figures can be seen. A trumpeter will blow his trumpet! This seem to attract the crowd. A concert was shown for children too. Overall, this Christmas market fair is the most varied. Horse rides, concert, vintage car rides, hop on tours and lots of stalls. It seems that the food stalls do brisk business. The others are suffering.

791. Travel Stoires - Salt mines and Death camp Auschwitz I in Poland

Dec 27 2011 hotel duo Praque 3 nights 8.45am

Yesterday visited poland's salt mines n Auschwitz.

Hotel duo is busy but one male reception staff has poor service in telling me that there are 650 rooms n guests keep their laptops inside their rooms. Previous hotels permit me to accommodate my laptop with reception. Hotel Duo is near subway warm bathroom tiled floor. Surprisingly no free Internet access in rooms. Young adults congregate near reception to use their smart phones as free wi fi is only present in this small area

OBSERVATION. When a business is big and busy, service is bound to be poorer. Other hotels in Austria and Budagpest, before I came to Prague provide free wireless internet in the rooms for the smart phone and there is one desktop for free internet access.

In Hotel Duo, I have to pay for the desktop or use the free wireless only near the reception area. The staff was quite abrupt

OBSERVATION. PLAN B. After walking over 300 steps deep into the salt mine, we were told that we just needed to go back to the earth surface by the lift. The electrician was busy repairing the lifts. So, there was Plan B -the old lifts probably used by the miners. Small ones. The two doors could only open inwards and so it was fun. Emergencies do happen and Plans B and C must be in place, unlike the SMRT subway breakdown in Singapore recently. Obviously, no Plan B had been thought out and there was widespread panic.

PACKAGED TOUR'S HIDDEN COSTS
Told Marcus I do not want to pay n take 3 hours coach to the countryside to see another castle tomorrow free n easy. The ladies warmed to his new found big shopping mall to shop till they drop tomorrow.

I prefer to take a 50-min subway ride to ski resort tomorrow. Global warming may have no snow. I can't stand seeing more branded shops like Zara as I don't shop and it can be cold. Too much "free and easy" from this travel agency adds up to the hidden cost

Morning guided tour of castle church christmas market which has good ideas to make money. Vintage car rides horse n carriage children buy pellets to feed n pat goat sheep lamb kids donkey n miniature horse.
Sausage n food stalls v busy
2to5pm at this market sq then walk 30min to dinner place as coach not permitted into this area pollution

790. Travel Stories - Day 6 Kracow, Poland

Dec 26, 2011 Kracow Poland 1.56 am Singapore time 8.58 am

Spent whole day in Kracow, Poland.
Gregory, a M.A degree tour guide provided a morning city tour with lots of history about Kracow and the Jews being sent away by during World War Two. Some old houses had been kept for the owners by the Polish Government are unrenovated as no owners had come to claim them. In Summer, over 20,000 tourists but now, not many. 8 Jewish synagogues, empty chairs as monuments of the War seen. In Budapest, along the Danube River bank, I saw the metallic shoes representing those Jews shot and pushed into the river during World War Two. Castles and churches again. Then to Christmas Market. Lots of history given by this guide. "Short but can really walk fast," one Singapore lady told me as this man in his 30s would walk so fast that none of us could be near him whenever he had to proceed to another spot to gather us to explain the history. I had not thought of why short people can't be fast pacers.

After lunch at the same restaurant, I asked the guide that I would prefer not to stay another 3 hours in the chilly air of zero degree C at the Christmas market. 14 Singaporeans elected to go back to the fair and then being picked up at 5 pm for dinner at China Palace. "The reason we can't have dinner at Hotel Sympozium is that the guide and driver will not be given free dinners unlike at China Palace," Marcos the tour manager told us."I hope you understand. The other group from 5-star you saw having dinner there yesterday paid themselves."

I had offered to stay in the hotel in the afternoon and pay for my dinner in this hotel. I was sick of walking around closed shops and watching another Christmas market stalls again. It is like walking around Orchard Road with shops closed for 3 hours in freezing cold. "Why not pack fried rice back for us, like you did for the driver?" the wife of the management consultant said. This middle-aged couple also did not want more wandering. For me, I had something to do - street photography. Otherwise I would be most bored to death listening to history of Poland for 4 hours.

Krakow's Market Square is the focal point for all tourists. Horse-drawn carriages, vendors of sausages, flowers etc on this Christmas Day. Mostly tourists were seen, as locals would stay at home on Christmas Day. A pigeon-feeder was seen, likely to be a local senior citizen.

I had gone to a McDonald for a warm cup of coffee at around 11.30 am with the guide and Marcos. This McDonald was the only one open (by law, only 3-employee shops and self-owned shops are allowed to open on Christmas Day. Even Tesco supermarket that opens 24 hours was closed on Christmas Eve and Day). It had a metallic gold "M" logo outside the entrance. A famous 136-year-old hotel cafe was open too. A few hundred tourists, mainly Caucasians at the Christmas Market seen. One man juggled balls with his body to get paid in coins. Another man dressed like a Ghenkis Khan statue moved when coins are dropped into his bowl in front of him. Horse and carriage for tourists seen. More famous old churches and different styles of architecture but it seemed that none of us were interested in the details.

So, my afternoon was spent in the hotel to catch up with jet lag. In this tour, the group stayed 2 nights in the same hotel. So, less rushing and packing. The group also had 18 tourists unlike last December's tour of Western Europe when there were 40 tourists crammed in tight seats of the coach. So, nowadays, many of us could sit by ourselves as there were more seats available. Four couples would sit together - a newly wed and two senior citizens.

iPhone does not seem to work in Kracow's Hotel Symposium. A free internet access is for laptops. Got a phone line from the hotel to connect. The young men Dan and Jason knew how to create a "hotspot" via Internet Explorer in the laptop and used the laptop as a router for their iPhones. Still, at certain times, they could not access the internet while the laptop was OK. "There should be no reason for this failure to access the internet," Dan told me when I said that the hotel could be using software to prevent signals going to the iPhone from the laptop so as to secure payment for wireless use by iphones. "After all, the hotspot is inside your laptop and it is accessing the internet."

I was thinking of the Allies jamming the direction of aircraft missles by releasing some bright metallic things when missles are fired at the aircraft. So, iphones could be jammed intermittently.

Now it is 2.29 am. I tapped my iphone 4 for access to www.asiaone.com.sg which I could read about the Singaporean couple being mugged in JB and the Orchard Road flooding. The "Cannot Open Page. Data Roaming is turned off" appeared on the screen. Why can't the iphone access the hotspot which was created again by the young men? I would not know. Something to do with iphone 4's technical aspects I would think. At night, I don't want to go out to Tesco even if it is opened just in case 5 men appeared suddenly to mug me, as happened to the Singaporean couple in JB. The world has become much less safe nowadays with many people preferring to rob rather than to work and the police being under-staffed while the politicians of democratic countries try to govern the country by giving goodies to the citizens to win their votes.

Enough of kings and queens, churchs, shopping malls for branded goods and Christmas Markets in Vienna, Budapest and Kracow and the cold winter air. I did not have runny nose today unlike in Budapest's Christmas Market yesterday. Why no cold air rhinitis? I do not know.

I will be visiting the salt mines today. Got to get up at 6 am and have breakfast at 6.30 am.