angusmccoll

Castrop-Rauxel (Friday 28 October)

Today I experience some German theatre, in German of course. Andreas is an assistant director and actor with a theatre company here in Castrop-Rauxel. He is working today so we have a bit more of a look around the countryside then on the theatre bus to take the troup to a theatre in Hagen whereContinue reading “Castrop-Rauxel (Friday 28 October)”

Bremen (Thursday 27 October)

Today we visit Bremen. Bremen is about two and a half hours from Castrop-Rauxel via the Autobahn. You may have heard of Bremen. The city was severely bombed by the allied forces during WW2. I believe it was in retaliation for Hitlers bombing of civilian London with those V2 rocket bombs. Anyway, Bremen copped aContinue reading “Bremen (Thursday 27 October)”

Frankfurt to Castrop-Rauxel (Wednesday 26 October)

After a restless night I catch an early train directly from the airport to the city of Dortmund, approximately two hours from Frankfurt. The train is electric all the way and of course perfectly on time as you would expect of Germanic efficiency. The countryside is how I imagine Europe to be in the autumn.Continue reading “Frankfurt to Castrop-Rauxel (Wednesday 26 October)”

Madrid to Frankfurt (Tuesday 25 October))

My late arrival to Madrid has caused me to miss my connection to Frankfurt. This is bloody annoying because it upsets my plans for meeting my friend Andreas, who will be in Frankfurt before going home to Castrop-Rauxel, after work. Instead of arriving in Frankfurt at 7.30pm as planned, I arrive on another flight atContinue reading “Madrid to Frankfurt (Tuesday 25 October))”

Buenos Aires to Frankfurt (Monday)

At last I am free of Buenos Aires. My flight isn’t until 9.30 so I simply fill the day with another bus tour and a walk back to the cemetry for a further look. I get to the airport and my flight is delayed a half hour to accommodate the late arrival of a connectingContinue reading “Buenos Aires to Frankfurt (Monday)”

Buenos Aires (Monday 24 October)

I’ve been staying in a hostel right in down-town Buenos Aires. The entrance to the hostel is directly off a busy shopping mall. There are several streets here closed off to traffic. The hostel is fair but the location is fairly handy to shops of all sorts and to the subways. There isn’t much EnglishContinue reading “Buenos Aires (Monday 24 October)”

Buenos Aires (Sunday 22 October)

A memorial to all those killed in the battle for the Falklin Islands. Apparently ownership of the islands is still in dispute. I thought that was well sorted! I took another open-bus tour through Buenos Aires. This time we went through the posh upper-class areas. I will say it again, this city is visually stunning.Continue reading “Buenos Aires (Sunday 22 October)”

Buenos Aires (Saturday 22 October)

I went for a tour today on an open-top bus. It took us through the administrative heart of Buenos Aires, then out into the colorful poorer ares of the city where dancing and horses seem to be an important part of the culture. And soccer of course. We passed an impressive old soccer stadium fromContinue reading “Buenos Aires (Saturday 22 October)”

Buenos Aires (Friday 21 October)

It’s a beautiful day here in Bueno Aires. The sky is a nice blue. The city really is physically impressive and I can see what people mean when they rave about the cityscape here. Both old and new buildings are visually spectacular. The architectual flare has obviously been passed down through the generations. The buildersContinue reading “Buenos Aires (Friday 21 October)”

Buenos Aires (Thursday 20 October)

Buenos Aires was obviously built by architects and not engineers and planners. It’s a perfect example of beauty over function. The buildings are striking and grand structures running side-by-side for miles but the streets are narrow and clogged. Traffic is more chaotic and dysfunctional than I have ever seen in all my travels. Even inContinue reading “Buenos Aires (Thursday 20 October)”