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| Rothenburg |
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
On our way home tomorrow
We had a wonderful time in Rothenburg exploring the medieval town and eating ice cream. Tonight we are staying at a hotel near the airport in Frankfurt then flying out tomorrow morning. We don't have free internet here so we will update the blog later as well as upload more photos. Looking forward to seeing everyone once we get home.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Onto Rothenburg, last days in Munich
Our second day in Munich we got up early to take a tour to the Dachau Concentration Camp. We had a very knowledgeable and intelligent tour guide who helped us understand some basic factors that led up to the Holocaust and what life at the concentration camp would have been like. We were amazed to find out there were actually hundreds of camps throughout Europe. Dachau was the first Nazi camp and was the training ground and "parent camp" of all the others that would be formed. It was a difficult trip to make but ultimately an enlightening and valuable experience.
After those heavy hours of weighing the horrors of history, we needed a little downtime. We returned to our room with some German snacks from the train station store- chips, cookies, sodas, and juice and watched a little tv. After having some time to unwind, we headed out for another walk around Munich. The weather forecast was predicting rain and thunderstorms by 6pm, so we wanted to get out while the sun was still shining.
The sun wasn't out for long. By the time we got to the famous Glockenspiel for the 5 o'clock joust of the clock, it raining fairly heavily. People were lined up under the eves of the buildings ready to watch the show. The clock has characters of a duke and his wife watching the Bavarians beat up their enemies. Just as the knight was getting knocked off his horse, there were big flashes of lightning and thunder. So dramatic! And just when I thought it was over, the barrel-makers danced a jig of victory. It was pouring when the Glockenspiel was done doing it's thing, so we ran to the next major tourist attraction: the Hofbrauhaus.
The Hofbrauhaus is one of the world's most famous beer halls where we ate. In the tour book, it said the oompah bands in lederhosen start playing around dinner time. We were there at five and figured the fun should be starting before too long. We sat next to a kind Japanese man and read the menu that was entirely in German. I was scared of ordering some unknown sausage of unknown ingredients but he was eating a massive piece of meat called a "pork knuckle." We heard about those and thought that would be a fun food experience to have. I didn't know what it was called so I just pointed at it and shook my head yes to the gruff waitress. Long story short, we ended up being there past dinner time and made several new friends! As the place started filling up with tour groups, table space was harder and harder to find. Two middle-aged Japanese women sat down next to us, so we scooted down the large wooden table to make room. Before too long, a group of 5 people from Spain joined our table. They were all hilarious. The Japanese women knew just a little English. I knew just a little Spanish. And the folks from Spain didn't know Japanese or English. It was a hilarious table! There was a lot of pointing, and laughing, and drawing, and nodding of understanding (even if no one really understood.) Jason and I were at this point trapped at the end of the table, but the scenes unfolding in front of us were too interesting to leave. Eventually our Spanish friends left and they were replaced by two young Italians. What an evening!
The next day we had planned to visit the picturesque "Mad" King Ludwig's Castles about 3 hours away in Fussen. However, the weather forecast called for rain and we didn't feel like being on a train for that many hours with only a day left in Munich. We decided instead to tour the Residenz because we were so impressed with the English Gardens we saw the first day. It was a good choice! The palace certainly was grand! Full of gold, velvet, jewels, and relics. Afterward we wandered back through Viktualien Markt and admired the stalls of fruit, meat, and flowers. With the raining overcast day, we shared a perfect bowl of organic tomato soup at SoupMama, bought some more goodies at the store (there's a snack called Snack), and spent the raining evening at our hostel.
Now we are getting ready to head out to a small medieval town of Rothenburg. We might not have internet access there because it is a smaller town but if we do we will update the blog shortly.
After those heavy hours of weighing the horrors of history, we needed a little downtime. We returned to our room with some German snacks from the train station store- chips, cookies, sodas, and juice and watched a little tv. After having some time to unwind, we headed out for another walk around Munich. The weather forecast was predicting rain and thunderstorms by 6pm, so we wanted to get out while the sun was still shining.
The sun wasn't out for long. By the time we got to the famous Glockenspiel for the 5 o'clock joust of the clock, it raining fairly heavily. People were lined up under the eves of the buildings ready to watch the show. The clock has characters of a duke and his wife watching the Bavarians beat up their enemies. Just as the knight was getting knocked off his horse, there were big flashes of lightning and thunder. So dramatic! And just when I thought it was over, the barrel-makers danced a jig of victory. It was pouring when the Glockenspiel was done doing it's thing, so we ran to the next major tourist attraction: the Hofbrauhaus.
The Hofbrauhaus is one of the world's most famous beer halls where we ate. In the tour book, it said the oompah bands in lederhosen start playing around dinner time. We were there at five and figured the fun should be starting before too long. We sat next to a kind Japanese man and read the menu that was entirely in German. I was scared of ordering some unknown sausage of unknown ingredients but he was eating a massive piece of meat called a "pork knuckle." We heard about those and thought that would be a fun food experience to have. I didn't know what it was called so I just pointed at it and shook my head yes to the gruff waitress. Long story short, we ended up being there past dinner time and made several new friends! As the place started filling up with tour groups, table space was harder and harder to find. Two middle-aged Japanese women sat down next to us, so we scooted down the large wooden table to make room. Before too long, a group of 5 people from Spain joined our table. They were all hilarious. The Japanese women knew just a little English. I knew just a little Spanish. And the folks from Spain didn't know Japanese or English. It was a hilarious table! There was a lot of pointing, and laughing, and drawing, and nodding of understanding (even if no one really understood.) Jason and I were at this point trapped at the end of the table, but the scenes unfolding in front of us were too interesting to leave. Eventually our Spanish friends left and they were replaced by two young Italians. What an evening!
The next day we had planned to visit the picturesque "Mad" King Ludwig's Castles about 3 hours away in Fussen. However, the weather forecast called for rain and we didn't feel like being on a train for that many hours with only a day left in Munich. We decided instead to tour the Residenz because we were so impressed with the English Gardens we saw the first day. It was a good choice! The palace certainly was grand! Full of gold, velvet, jewels, and relics. Afterward we wandered back through Viktualien Markt and admired the stalls of fruit, meat, and flowers. With the raining overcast day, we shared a perfect bowl of organic tomato soup at SoupMama, bought some more goodies at the store (there's a snack called Snack), and spent the raining evening at our hostel.
Now we are getting ready to head out to a small medieval town of Rothenburg. We might not have internet access there because it is a smaller town but if we do we will update the blog shortly.
Monday, August 3, 2009
1st Day in Munich
This is our last night in Munich so we better update everyone with what we have been doing. Tomorrow we are going to Rothenburg which is a pretty small town, and we will not have internet access. After that we spend the night in Frankfurt and then head home on Thursday. Our 17 days have just flown by!
We arrived in Munich on a clear and sunny Saturday. We are staying at the Euro Youth Hostel, but you don't have to be a "youth" to stay here. :) The hostel is located right across from the train station on a quiet street with other hotels and hostels. We are only a 10- 15 minute walk to the city center. Our first day here we were craving something not Bavarian, so we found a nice little pizza place on the corner. Then we took a walk around town with no real intention of seeing anything in particular. I didn't think we would be gone for very long, so I didn't bring my camera or anything..but luckily Jason did! We ended up walking around all evening because around every corner we found something interesting going on.
As we walked to the main square, called Marienplatz, we were immediately swallowed up into a large crowd. There was what at first looked like a wedding procession with couples in traditional Bavarian costumes parading hand-in-hand down the main street, which is a major upscale shopping area surrounded by churches and Neo-Gothic buildings. The parade circled the square and then began traditional dancing around the fountain. It was a nice welcome to Munich!
Under trees, in alley ways, and under bridges we would continue to find musicians and street performances. Music was everywhere! We soon found ourselves in the middle of a beer garden festival in the Viktualienmarkt square. There were lots of beer drinkers and an ooompha band playing 90's hits. It was a bit much for us to jump right into, so we admired the May Pole and continued our wanderings. There were a several recommended restaurants from our Rick Steve's guide book I wanted to check out. We found a couple, but they were so filled with locals speaking German we were intimidated and kept going.
we then found ourselves heading toward the Residenz, the palace of the Wittelbachs' who ruled Bavaria for nearly 700 years. We strolled through the English Gardens at sunset and admired the statues and flowers. As we were leaving we caught a very romantic musical performance by a passionate Gypsy woman singing and dancing with an accordion and a older gentleman playing a violin. Even not knowing the language, it was very moving.
The weather was beautiful, and the streets were packed with people. There was so much to absorb, but we had to head back to the hostel. We were getting up early to visit the former concentration camp of Dachau in the morning. The perfect end to the evening was a band playing classical music in front of one of the department stores. They had a grand piano, cellos, violins, and a flute player. I don't know how they got the piano out there but we had to stop and listen for awhile. They played a sort of "greatest hits" mix of classical music- all pieces easily recognizable by the crowd.
We arrived in Munich on a clear and sunny Saturday. We are staying at the Euro Youth Hostel, but you don't have to be a "youth" to stay here. :) The hostel is located right across from the train station on a quiet street with other hotels and hostels. We are only a 10- 15 minute walk to the city center. Our first day here we were craving something not Bavarian, so we found a nice little pizza place on the corner. Then we took a walk around town with no real intention of seeing anything in particular. I didn't think we would be gone for very long, so I didn't bring my camera or anything..but luckily Jason did! We ended up walking around all evening because around every corner we found something interesting going on.
As we walked to the main square, called Marienplatz, we were immediately swallowed up into a large crowd. There was what at first looked like a wedding procession with couples in traditional Bavarian costumes parading hand-in-hand down the main street, which is a major upscale shopping area surrounded by churches and Neo-Gothic buildings. The parade circled the square and then began traditional dancing around the fountain. It was a nice welcome to Munich!
Under trees, in alley ways, and under bridges we would continue to find musicians and street performances. Music was everywhere! We soon found ourselves in the middle of a beer garden festival in the Viktualienmarkt square. There were lots of beer drinkers and an ooompha band playing 90's hits. It was a bit much for us to jump right into, so we admired the May Pole and continued our wanderings. There were a several recommended restaurants from our Rick Steve's guide book I wanted to check out. We found a couple, but they were so filled with locals speaking German we were intimidated and kept going.
we then found ourselves heading toward the Residenz, the palace of the Wittelbachs' who ruled Bavaria for nearly 700 years. We strolled through the English Gardens at sunset and admired the statues and flowers. As we were leaving we caught a very romantic musical performance by a passionate Gypsy woman singing and dancing with an accordion and a older gentleman playing a violin. Even not knowing the language, it was very moving.
The weather was beautiful, and the streets were packed with people. There was so much to absorb, but we had to head back to the hostel. We were getting up early to visit the former concentration camp of Dachau in the morning. The perfect end to the evening was a band playing classical music in front of one of the department stores. They had a grand piano, cellos, violins, and a flute player. I don't know how they got the piano out there but we had to stop and listen for awhile. They played a sort of "greatest hits" mix of classical music- all pieces easily recognizable by the crowd.
Third day in Berlin
It is our last day in Berlin. We knew there was no way to see even most of everything one would want to see in a city as large as Berlin, and we were okay with it. We saw most of the highlights during our walking tour and even if we didn't get back to the chocolate and dessert shops, we had special dinner plans for the evening.
We woke up late again and decided it would be a good idea to do some laundry. Jason brought mostly t-shirts, and I had been washing my same two tank tops inthe sink. It was time for a real cleaning. The laundry was just a few doors down from the Circus and would end up being one of our biggest cultural experiences yet! We walked in and a short German man wearing a white straw hat greeted us. He immediately asked us what language, we said English, and he proceeded to try to communicate with us. The machines were old, the language barrier was high, and we almost left the laundromat. Finally we just submitted to the man, handed him our money, and let him work the machines for us. Here's how it went:
Put clothes in washer. (What? Lights and darks in the same one?! Yes.) Put coins in the wall mounted machine. Press the button that corresponds to the number of your washer. Add money for soap. (Don't worry!! You will get change!) Push the button for the powdered soap. Take the cup of soap to the washer. Push more buttons. Put the paper soap cup back. Awww...now drink coffee until the laundry is done.
But pay attention! When your laundry is done someone will take it out and put it in a basket. Then when you check the number of your machine, you will think it's still going and end up sitting there for an extra half hour because hey, the machines are old. Maybe they take a long time.
Once you realize your clothes are done, take your basket of clothes to a dryer. Put the clothes in. Go back to the machine on the wall. Put in your coins. Press the buttom that corresponds to the number of your dryer. Hurry! Go back to your dryer and press the button to start it. Your time begins when you put the money, so you don't want to lose valuable minutes. These machines are old, and they DO take a long time to dry.
While you wait, help other travelers who are just as confused by this place as you were a few hours ago. Watch a strange German man spill a mysterious red drink all over himself and the floor and swear in German. Watch a young worker named Mark get trained on how to run the place while the man with the white hat leaves. This is an experience to remember.
After our laundry was done we went to our room and packed up to be ready for our train ride in the morning to Munich. It's amazihg how much stuff we can fit in just a couple backpacks! Then we went out to dinner at a place called "unsicht-Bar Berlin."
This was an amazing restaurant that is completely dark, and the waiters are all blind. I mean it is really dark. Think about the darkest room you have ever been in, close your eyes, and it's even darker. I had a slight panic attack for the first 15 minutes because there was so much I couldn't control- where I sat, what I was eating, or what I could see.
When you enter, you must pick a menu that is either vegetarian, beef, poultry, or seafood. That is all you really know about your meal because the food descriptions are in riddle. Then you wait for your blind waiter to guide you into the restuarant. Our waiter was Allen. I had to hold onto his shoulders, Jason held on to mine, and we were plunged into total darkness. I will cut and paste from the website because it has a nice description.
"When having dinner at the unsicht-Bar dark restaurant in Berlin your eyes will finally be able to take a well-deserved break. By voluntarily abandoning your visual impulses you will be able to experience what wonderful work your other senses are capable of. Feel a gentle breeze. Feel the things on your table. Let your nose explore unknown horizons and experience pure taste without any visual pretence. You will feel the presence of your table partners and will be pleasantly surprised how the simplest conversation will magnify in importance. A genuine sensory rush!"
The food was absolutely delicious! I ended up eating a lot with my hands, but Jason was more refined than I was and used his utensils. We had a crunchy salad with sprouts, nuts, beef tips, and a vinnegrette. Then we had the most amazing cream of broccoli soup (afterward we learned it was made of goat cheese. My mouths waters again just thinking about it.) For our main course we had beef with a port wine sauce, salty round potatoes, carrots, asparagus, and sweet potato pie. For dessert we had an eggnog custard with jello on top and fresh fruits, chocolates, and cookies. Everything was presented beautifully (yes, I know we couldn't see, but it was beautiful.) Some of the food was shaped in unusual ways, but cooked fairly simply so you could really use your sense of taste. This was the most wonderful meal we have ever experienced and recommend it to anyone visiting Berlin.
We woke up late again and decided it would be a good idea to do some laundry. Jason brought mostly t-shirts, and I had been washing my same two tank tops inthe sink. It was time for a real cleaning. The laundry was just a few doors down from the Circus and would end up being one of our biggest cultural experiences yet! We walked in and a short German man wearing a white straw hat greeted us. He immediately asked us what language, we said English, and he proceeded to try to communicate with us. The machines were old, the language barrier was high, and we almost left the laundromat. Finally we just submitted to the man, handed him our money, and let him work the machines for us. Here's how it went:
Put clothes in washer. (What? Lights and darks in the same one?! Yes.) Put coins in the wall mounted machine. Press the button that corresponds to the number of your washer. Add money for soap. (Don't worry!! You will get change!) Push the button for the powdered soap. Take the cup of soap to the washer. Push more buttons. Put the paper soap cup back. Awww...now drink coffee until the laundry is done.
But pay attention! When your laundry is done someone will take it out and put it in a basket. Then when you check the number of your machine, you will think it's still going and end up sitting there for an extra half hour because hey, the machines are old. Maybe they take a long time.
Once you realize your clothes are done, take your basket of clothes to a dryer. Put the clothes in. Go back to the machine on the wall. Put in your coins. Press the buttom that corresponds to the number of your dryer. Hurry! Go back to your dryer and press the button to start it. Your time begins when you put the money, so you don't want to lose valuable minutes. These machines are old, and they DO take a long time to dry.
While you wait, help other travelers who are just as confused by this place as you were a few hours ago. Watch a strange German man spill a mysterious red drink all over himself and the floor and swear in German. Watch a young worker named Mark get trained on how to run the place while the man with the white hat leaves. This is an experience to remember.
After our laundry was done we went to our room and packed up to be ready for our train ride in the morning to Munich. It's amazihg how much stuff we can fit in just a couple backpacks! Then we went out to dinner at a place called "unsicht-Bar Berlin."
This was an amazing restaurant that is completely dark, and the waiters are all blind. I mean it is really dark. Think about the darkest room you have ever been in, close your eyes, and it's even darker. I had a slight panic attack for the first 15 minutes because there was so much I couldn't control- where I sat, what I was eating, or what I could see.
When you enter, you must pick a menu that is either vegetarian, beef, poultry, or seafood. That is all you really know about your meal because the food descriptions are in riddle. Then you wait for your blind waiter to guide you into the restuarant. Our waiter was Allen. I had to hold onto his shoulders, Jason held on to mine, and we were plunged into total darkness. I will cut and paste from the website because it has a nice description.
"When having dinner at the unsicht-Bar dark restaurant in Berlin your eyes will finally be able to take a well-deserved break. By voluntarily abandoning your visual impulses you will be able to experience what wonderful work your other senses are capable of. Feel a gentle breeze. Feel the things on your table. Let your nose explore unknown horizons and experience pure taste without any visual pretence. You will feel the presence of your table partners and will be pleasantly surprised how the simplest conversation will magnify in importance. A genuine sensory rush!"
The food was absolutely delicious! I ended up eating a lot with my hands, but Jason was more refined than I was and used his utensils. We had a crunchy salad with sprouts, nuts, beef tips, and a vinnegrette. Then we had the most amazing cream of broccoli soup (afterward we learned it was made of goat cheese. My mouths waters again just thinking about it.) For our main course we had beef with a port wine sauce, salty round potatoes, carrots, asparagus, and sweet potato pie. For dessert we had an eggnog custard with jello on top and fresh fruits, chocolates, and cookies. Everything was presented beautifully (yes, I know we couldn't see, but it was beautiful.) Some of the food was shaped in unusual ways, but cooked fairly simply so you could really use your sense of taste. This was the most wonderful meal we have ever experienced and recommend it to anyone visiting Berlin.
Second day in Berlin
After our full day of walking the day before, we were ready for a more relaxed day. We slept in and had a late breakfast of rolls,Nutella, and cereal at the Circus Hostel. Then we decided to go up to the Reichstag. The Reichstag is the Parliment Building in Berlin. It has a long and turbulent history but today it has been rebuilt to have a clear glass dome on top. There is a cone of mirrors in the center which reflects light into the chambers and the clear glass in symbolic of a transparent government which the people can keep an eye on. You can normally walk around the dome and up to the top for 360 views of the entire city. Unfortunately, it was closed for cleaning when we visited, but we were still able to go up to the observation deck.
After a breif rest on the lawns of the Reichstag and almost getting run over by frisbee players we walked through the Tiergarten, which is like Berlin's Central Park. I could imagine it's woods and clearings as perfect settings for painting of Greek gods. We did manage to find our way out, and avoided getting run over by bike riders, and walked over to the Kulturform. The Kulturform houses several museums and the Philharmonic orchestra. We were most interested in visiting the Gemaldegalerie and Germany's top collection of 13th- 18th century art. We saw works by Durer, Jan van Eyck, Pieter Brueghal, Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Titian, Carravaggio and Raphael. How's that for an impressive name-dropping list?
Once again, at this point I was famished and needed to find food. I was quickly crossing the point of no return when I get grumpy and undecisive. We walked through the grandious Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz, the "Times Square of Berlin." I didn't think it sounded all that exciting from the guidebooks, but was definately worth a quick stroll to see the massive canopy of the Center modeled after Mount Fugi.
We soon hopped on tram we thought would take us back to the Circus. It was a nice double decker with empty seats on top. We were thrilled as it took us past the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gates, but we started to worry a bit as it took us off in the opposite direction we wanted to go. Oh well, an adventure we said! We passed an international sandcastle contest and an Arabian village set up in the middle of the square. Cool adventure so far! Then we ended up at the Central train station. We thought the bus would just circle back around to where we were staying. We were wrong. THe bus driver came upstairs and ushered us off the bus speaking in not so friendly sounding German. (We were the only ones sitting on the bus just staring out the windows.) Oops. Our adventure didn't get us very far.
We decided to just get a cheap "noodle box" for dinner at the train station, which is take-away chow mein and people watch again. Then we hopped on the right bus, the 240, back to where we were staying. Another adventurous day was over.
After a breif rest on the lawns of the Reichstag and almost getting run over by frisbee players we walked through the Tiergarten, which is like Berlin's Central Park. I could imagine it's woods and clearings as perfect settings for painting of Greek gods. We did manage to find our way out, and avoided getting run over by bike riders, and walked over to the Kulturform. The Kulturform houses several museums and the Philharmonic orchestra. We were most interested in visiting the Gemaldegalerie and Germany's top collection of 13th- 18th century art. We saw works by Durer, Jan van Eyck, Pieter Brueghal, Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Titian, Carravaggio and Raphael. How's that for an impressive name-dropping list?
Once again, at this point I was famished and needed to find food. I was quickly crossing the point of no return when I get grumpy and undecisive. We walked through the grandious Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz, the "Times Square of Berlin." I didn't think it sounded all that exciting from the guidebooks, but was definately worth a quick stroll to see the massive canopy of the Center modeled after Mount Fugi.
We soon hopped on tram we thought would take us back to the Circus. It was a nice double decker with empty seats on top. We were thrilled as it took us past the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gates, but we started to worry a bit as it took us off in the opposite direction we wanted to go. Oh well, an adventure we said! We passed an international sandcastle contest and an Arabian village set up in the middle of the square. Cool adventure so far! Then we ended up at the Central train station. We thought the bus would just circle back around to where we were staying. We were wrong. THe bus driver came upstairs and ushered us off the bus speaking in not so friendly sounding German. (We were the only ones sitting on the bus just staring out the windows.) Oops. Our adventure didn't get us very far.
We decided to just get a cheap "noodle box" for dinner at the train station, which is take-away chow mein and people watch again. Then we hopped on the right bus, the 240, back to where we were staying. Another adventurous day was over.
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