Bonn building stands out because of complex layout

If the producers of the American reality show “The Amazing Race” really want to separate the pros from the amateurs, they should make any room in the Deutsche Welle building in Bonn, Germany one of their pit stops.

Exactly one year ago today I first set foot on the headquarters of Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), to take part in an online journalism workshop.

Rhine River area near the DW building

That building is located along the Rhine River, in the western German city of Bonn.

I wouldn’t dare roam the halls of the DW headquarters without an employee accompanying me.

That structure is one puzzling maze!

On the very first day of the workshop, our guide in Bonn actually had to show us how to get to our classroom.

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It was easy to understand why. Simply telling visitors to go to this floor and to that room wouldn’t work there.

But for me, that’s one of the charms of the DW headquarters.

The “complicated” layout sets it apart from the other buildings that I’ve been to. I can never say that it’s “just another building.”

Mabuhay Germany scenes: Germany in the Philippines

This afternoon I went to Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City in Metro Manila to check out the third German Exposition hosted by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The event’s theme was “Discover Germany! Explore and Experience Diversity.”

It resembled a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Germany, but of course it wasn’t about Christmas.

It was about all things German.

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That visit was like a trip to a tropical Germany.

Germany marks 20th anniversary of reunification

Who says you can’t be in two places at the same time? Historical marker reminds visitors where the Berlin Wall once stood

Today Germany is celebrating the 20^th anniversary of German reunification, which ended about four decades of division after the Second World War.

I’m not there now, but I was there last year – the 20^th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

The fall of the wall eventually led to the reunification of the democratic West Germany and the communist East Germany.

Here’s a bit of German history from our guide in Berlin:

Random Berlin bus video

We were on our way to the Berlin Victory Column when I took this video of our guide and some of my fellow online journalism workshop participants.

€xp€nsiv€ toil€t in Cologn€

Have money, will pee.

I thought it was really pricey to use a toilet at Cologne’s main train station.

The fee, one euro, is equivalent to almost 60 Philippine pesos, which is quite a significant amount of money in a country where the average daily minimum wage is just over 300 pesos.

That rate, by the way, is for workers in the relatively well-off Metro Manila, the national capital region.

But the Philippines is obviously not Germany, and Germans are the richest people in Europe. No wonder they are the European paymasters. What’s one euro?

Perhaps one euro is too small a price to pay to take good care of my urinary bladder.

And at least, I was able to do it German-style.

Cologne's main station

World Expo visitors brave rains to enter Germany Pavilion

The Germany Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010

I would have lined up to enter the Germany Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 had the line been a little shorter.

But the line never got shorter. New people seemed to replace the ones who had already gained entry into the pavilion.

The Germany Pavilion was like a “blockbuster movie” at the Shanghai Expo. Even the bad weather didn’t prevent visitors from waiting for their turn to see what’s inside.

Sigh.

If I had had the time, I would have really lined up to enter the pavilion during my visit to the Shanghai Expo site. Never mind the long line and the bad weather.

Berlin seems to be detached from the rest of Germany

The Brandenburg Gate and yours truly, November 2009

Berlin is the capital of Germany and not surprisingly, it contains many of the important structures in the country. 

For example, the Brandenburg Gate, the image shown on some of the German version of Euro coins, is found in Berlin. 

German coins showing the Brandenburg Gate

Aside from having many of the iconic German symbols, Berlin is also dynamic, prosperous and forward-looking. 

At first glance, Berlin seems to embody everything that’s German. 

Until you notice its geographical location: the German capital is closer to Poland than many of the country’s other major cities, such as Hamburg, Dresden and Leipzig. 

Berlin is about four-and-a-half hours away by train from the Bonn/Cologne area, my home away from home when I was in Germany late last year. 

On the other hand, Paris, the capital of neighboring France, is only about four hours away by train from Bonn/Cologne. 

Based on location alone, Berlin seems to be detached from the rest of Germany.

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Love locks tell romantic stories in Cologne

The video below contains random videos and pictures that I took during my trip to Cologne, Germany late last year.

In the video, I attempted to translate something written in German to English. I hope I got most of it right.

Here’s a Deutsche Welle article about the love locks in Cologne.

From the Great Wall to the Berlin Wall

From the Great Wall...

I would like to start the new year right by being thankful for the old one, 2009. 

Last year I met new friends, put an end to something that I should have ended years ago <wink> and stepped foot on places that I never thought I’d actually see in person.

Friends

In 2009, I gained friends from various parts of the world, thanks to the journalism workshops that I attended in Macau, China in May and Bonn, Germany from mid-November to early December.

End

Now I no longer have any unfinished business. Closure is a good thing.

Places

In April I set foot on the Great Wall, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

After only seven months, I saw vestiges of the Berlin Wall, probably the most concrete symbol of the Cold War.

... to the Berlin Wall

I feel so blessed.

Christmas Market shows similarities between German and Philippine Christmases

Beethoven Statue in Bonn amid Christmas decorations

The first ever German Christmas Market in the Philippines was held on December 4, the Goethe-Institut in Manila has announced on its website.

I missed it because that was the last day of the online journalism workshop that I attended in Germany.

But fortunately, when I was in Germany, I personally saw what a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) was all about.

Something in common

The Goethe-Institut in Manila said both Germany and the Philippines “share the same kind of fondness for Christmas.”

“Filipino and German cultures surprisingly find the perfect meeting point during the season of Christmas.”

- Goethe-Institut in Manila

After seeing a Christmas Market in Bonn, I can say that Germans, like Filipinos, are really fond of Christmas.

I saw the actual preparations for the opening of the market, and the mood then was festive.

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The opening of the Weihnachtsmarkt on November 20 made me feel that Christmas was just around the corner.

I also saw signs indicating that in Germany, Christmas is for kids. Just like in the Philippines.

The Goethe-Institut in Manila summed it up perfectly in one sentence: “While not immediately obvious, Filipino and German cultures surprisingly find the perfect meeting point during the season of Christmas.”