Leicester, UK

Sadly this is where my travels come to an end. You see, this visit to the UK was for a job interview, and, well...apparently I am awesome (who knew?!). But its okay, Leicester is not a bad place and I'm really close to lots of stuff, like Europe, and Eurovision, and ... castles. Hell, even the States are just across the Ocean (Hi Max!).

Yup, another working fountain. My fascination with these has not changed since leaving Russia. This one is in the Leicester Town Square.

As with my job interview in Exeter, I used the opportunity to see what Leicester had to offer. Very early on I found pubs and pool tables. In fact, it was the evening after my interview that I joined a clan, Clan McTwat, in a local pub. While I promised I would see them again if I actually got the job I have only ever seen one of them since, and that was in the distance on the main street.

 

The main street, complete with a street performer.

Leicester is not a bad place. Similar in size to Canberra and has a pretty good uni (where I work). It is probably most famous for King Richard III. The uni recently dug up his remains. Archeologists have been trying to find his burial place for quite some time so this was a well recognised feat.

  

King Richard III, in all his glory before brained by a poleaxe.

 They also have a comedy club, which I have visited on many occasions and is really good. Next door to the comedy club is a Walkabout bar. This is an Aussie bar that sells Aussie beers. Hell yes have a sunk a few VBs there. I had an awesome time on Australia Day too (don't tell work - it was a Sunday this year).

A hard earned thirst deserves a good cold beer...

There are a few sites around town such as guild halls, museums, and even a space centre. But it does lack the nature reserves of Canberra, so I haven't enjoyed running as much since I got here. I've been checking out the greater Leicestershire area (no photos yet) and there are a few breweries, parks, and even a steam train - so there no shortage of stuff to do.

A Guild Hall. You know, I went through the Hall, read all the signs and took lots of photos and I still don't really know what Guild Halls were actually for...

There was one important aspect of Leicester though I had to suss out as quickly as possible. It did not take me long but it had been a while since I had had...

Airport security can't foil me this time!

Well, in brief, that's Leicester. There will be more on this as I do live here now. But before I started work I got one last hurrah, cause Goof and I went to Scotland! 

 

 Clan McTwat! Sadly, no one in the clan is actually Scottish. I assume one day I will see them again in a random pub and we can once again try to take over the pool tables.

Germany: Berlin

In Malta I met an EF teacher who was from Berlin but had spent years in the great Southern Land I still call home, Ina. As I am a charming lad we soon became friends and she invited me to join her for her 30th B'Day if I happened to find myself in Berlin on the correct date. So, I made sure that I was and thus began a journey of wander and awe.

Awe(some) - trees made of lights and light shows on buildings.

You see, Berlin has never held in interest to me. I was never a fan of modern history in school and my understanding of its development after WW2 was limited to knowledge gleaned from Top Secret!. This however was all to change - and this is that story...

I also learnt that Germans are weird...this, however, was my favourite shop.

I arrived in Berlin by train and met up with Ina brother Hanno. Together (with his missus) we taxied to Ina's house where I was introduced to Ina's husband (a West Australian). From there I shopped for clothes as her B'Day appropritely named Dirty Thirty Denim Do.

 Rockin' the Denim at the afterparty

Then the drinking began. The party was held mostly on a tram, and then we moved to a pub (thankfully I did not have to DJ) where Baiky and I rocked the dance floor. Thus my introduction to the German Drinking Culture was complete.

Party on a tram!

Next on my list to cross off was modern history. This was achieved in two ways, the first of which was a walking tour that pretty much covered the end if WWII and the involvement of Berlin in the Cold War. The tour went past the site of Hitler's grave, remnants of the Berlin War, the Jewish memorial, a chocolate factory (it wasn't all war and death), Brandenburg Gate, and the Bebelplatz.

 

Hitler's final resting place is now a carpark.

I followed this with a visit to the DDR museum, an interactive museum that concentrates on line in the German Democratic Republic. As I had pretty no understanding of the divide in Berlin (it was taught in school but I actively did not learn it) this was a hugely educational.

  

The Jewish memorial.

For Culture I visited the flea market in Mauerpark on a Sunday. I'm not much of a market person but it was good to poke around (and their was a Berlin wall marker there too).

 

Remnants of the Berlin wall, interestingly, the cylinder on top is carefully designed to ensure that it cannot be climbed. It is impossible to reach around and grip the other side.

What was cool though, was I got to see the beginning of the Bearpit Karaoke Show. Story goes that a random guy started turning up every Sunday with a karaoke machine attached to his bicycle and a few people would have a go. Now its an institution, with crowds of people turning up every week.

 And I mean everyone - even Hallinan turned up!

And it is still run from his bike! I also paid to go on a pub crawl that visited "alternative" pubs in Berlin. They were super quirky, with one having a continuous table tennis competition on (I did well the first time but went out early in the following games). Apparently the pub tour changes every time, but it was a good way to go out and meet people.

 

We even visited an Absinthe bar! Last time I had shots of absinthe Baiky had to carry me home.

Finally, I finished my Berlin trip with a beer guide book that listed a bar crawl that meandered past all the major sites in the city centre (many of which I had already visited on my first tour).

 

Brandenburg Gate.

Baiky and I gave it a go, but there were a shitload of pubs and I'm only one guy. I got through about thirteen, but by then the weather had turned horrendous. It was cold, bucketing down in rain, and dark. I did get to see a few more sites though including a lego giraffe!

This giraffe is pretty much the best thing I have ever seen and I do not know who that person is trying to gratify him orally.