Week One

Leipzig

One of the largest towns in former East Germany, it was here where the iron curtain crumbled. The CSD celebration here was not very big, but the day was hot, the drinks cold, and the company pleasant.

As with most towns in Eastern Germany, the city centre has more than its share of construction equipment.

The city council is one of the few to have an official in charge of gay affairs.

The local speciality, Rostbraten, is lovely: A meat patty layered on top of onions and black bread.

Colditz

Colditz now has a home page! The castle celebrated its 950th anniversary on the weekend from August 31st to September 1st 1996, and the site maintainers are trying to generate more interest in the castle to help develop the museum.

The castle made famous by the movie The Colditz Story and the Colditz television series is unknown to most Germans. You can visit it, but be careful not to arrive too late in the day, as it now functions as a psychiatric hospital and is closed to visitors in the afternoon.

The train trip there slowly passes through some pleasant countryside. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof claims to be the biggest (in terms of roof span) train station in Europe, but the place at which you change trains for Colditz barely justifies being called a platform. It is a simple wooden affair that is not even as long as the train - you have to go to a specific carriage to get off the train!

There is a small museum at the foot of the castle which has postcards and picture-books about the castle in several different languages. The town itself is quite a pleasant provincial German village, complete with village square. Being in the former East Germany, the pace of life is still quite a bit slower there than in the big cities, and not a huge amount of English is spoken.

Cologne/Köln

The cathedral is just incredible. It took the Germans 800 years to build it though, so it should be!

The Pride celebrations were incredible. The main town squares were filled up with beer tents, and packed with people. Apparently 80,000 people turned up for the parade and party.

The local food specialities could have been better. I'm not very good at liverwurst.

Amsterdam

Fun, fun, fun.

On a sober note, the homomonument (near Anne Frank's House) is a memorial to all the homosexuals murdered by the Nazis. Article one of the Dutch constitution forbids discrimination on any such grounds.

Antwerp/Anvers

Lots of diamonds shops here. In fact, most of the world's diamonds pass through this town. The main station is quite impressive too.

Brussels

The Grand Place in the centre of Brussels is one of the finest town squares you'll ever see. At night the spires of the townhall and museum are lit up and Beethoven's Ode To Joy is played through hidden speakers.

The food here is fabulous.

Luxembourg

Leaving Brussels early in the morning I travelled through the Ardennes (where a lot of Scouts got off) and spent lunch time in Luxembourg. I spotted a Ukrainian folk group amongst the cobbled streets.