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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.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
More detail about our first day in Berlin...
Took the ICE train from Berlin to Munich today and are about ready to go to bed. We wanted to give you more info on what we did on our first full day in Berlin...
During our first full day in Berlin, we went on the "Discover Berlin Walk" with our tour guide Johanna. Now that we are on the train to Munich and I have some time, I will recount some more of our walking tour.
At the start of our East Berlin tour, we walked through an area called Museum Island and the Lustgarten. This is a complex that houses the Pergamon (classical antiquities), the Atles Museum (with the Egyption collection), the Old National Gallery (19th-century German Romantic paintings), and the Bode Museum (statues, coins, and Byzantine art.) During our stay we were never able to get to these musuems, but the open space in front called the Lustgarten was a beautiful place to relax in with a gorgeous view of the Berlin Cathedral.
Along Berlin's main street running East-West, called Unter den Linden (which means "under the limes"), we visited Babelplatz, the site of the Nazi Bookburning of 20,000 books, saw Humbolt University where Eistein taught, and the Opera House. (The Operncafe is supposed to make the most exquisite desserts and have the longest dessert bar in Europe. We never made it back, but that is probably just as well because I don't think Jason and I would have been able to decide! We would probably still be there!)
We took a detour into the "ghost subway stations." During the Cold War, most underground tunnels were blocked at the boarders of Eastern and Western Germany. But a few lines went through Eastern sections to Western sections. In order to make some money, the East German goverment rented the subways to the West. Western passengers could take these subways, but when passing through the parts owned by the East, they would see nothing but eerily empty subway tunnels with Eastern soldiers holding guns. No one in the East was allowed down in these subways should they try to grab hold to a passihg subway and escape to the West.
Continuing the walk along Unter den Linden, we reached the Brandenburg Gate, which is the last surviving of 14 gates in Berlin's old city wall. It's crowned by the Goddess of Peace and Napoleon liked it so much he took it to the Louvre in 1806. When Berlin got it back, the statue on top was renamed the Goddess of Victory. Nearby is the Hotel Adlon, made most famous as the place Michael Jackson dangled his baby out the window. It was a famous hotel before that fiasco though, as Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin used to stay there as well. Across from the new American Embassy there were Iranian protesters, which we would continue to see in the following days. They were peacefully sitting, singing, and playing music, but to what effect, I don't know. From here would could also see the glass dome of the Reichstag, Berlin's Parliment Building.
Our tour took us past the remains of the Berlin Wall and the bricks in the street that mark where the Wall once stood. Our guide gave interesting history on the construction of the Wall and how in some places it divided buildings so that people in an apartment in the East could jump out the windows into the West. We walked along the former "deathstrip" where guards, dogs, and minefields would later keep people from crossing over.
We walked above the former bunker of Hitler, which is now a simple dirt parking lot with a big garbage can on top. It was also interesting to see how much of the course of the former wall now is running through parking lots. Berlin is a city in constant construction and nearly every one of our pictures of important sites and interesting buildings has cranes, bulldozers, piles of bricks, and construction workers in it. Our tour guide was very skilled at pointing out interesting arcitechure and how it relates to the history and feel of the city. She also discussed the ongoing debate in Berlin on just how to rebuild the city, what buildings should be reconstructed, what should be built new, and just how many memorials the city should contain. Berlin could easily become a city of memorials.
We walked past Checkpoint Charlie, the Nazi Air Ministry and the site of the SS and Gestopo headquarters called the "Topography of Terror" which has been left a pile of rubble. We got lost in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This is a very self-reflective memorial because it does not have any statues or plaques explaining the intention. It is simply gravestone-like pillers of varying heights on a rolling ground. It is meant to leave the viewer open to his own interpretation and thoughts.
We ended our tour in Gendarmenmarkt, a square many Berliners consider the most beautiful. It is bounded by two churches and just around the corner is the Fassbender and Rausch chocolate store. The store has the most amazing chocolate scupltures of such things as the Brandenburg Gate, an exploding volcano, a Harley motorcycle and a giant bear. There were 250 different chocolates to choose from but unfortunately it was a hot day and we were afraid anything we bought would just melt in minutes.
After all the walking, we were hungry of course. We decided to be like the Germans and grab a snack and a drink at one of the carts along the road and people-watch. I remembered that one kind of sausage was pretty unappetizing, so we decided a classic "weiner" (pronounced with a "v" instead of a "w") would be a safe bet. What we got for 2 euros was a thin, pale "hotdog" about 8 inches long. The outside had a disconcerting snap when you bit in and the inside was a bit too mushy for me to handle. This was served with a hard roll and a squirt of ketchup and mustard. We weren't sure if we were to just bite right into it or break off a piece to eat with the roll. Jason decided to break it apart and half of his weiner flew across the table and into the dirt. I very generously offered him half of mine to replace what he had lost.
At this point in the evening we figured we better start heading back. We weren't quite sure how to work the bus/tram/subway system and walking just seemed the best bet. We retraced some of our tour and took a rest in the Lustgarten. I saw some people walking up the steps of the Berlin Cathedral, so we decided to see if we could look inside. We were lucky enough to be in time for an evening organ concert.
From there we walked in what we thought was the direction of the Circus Hostel where we were staying, but we took a detour to Alexanderplatz. Berlin has a giant, shiny TV tower that was our beacon and guide during our stay. It is similar in shape to our Space Needle, but more like a disco ball in the middle with a tall red and white spike on top. There we found a Neptune fountain which made for some fun photo opportunities and statues of Marx and Engels, founders of socialist philosophy.
The final adventure of the day was crossing through Hackescher Markt. We stopped to watch some dancing and acrobatics by some street performers. For some reason we were singled out in the crowd and asked to tell everyone our names. Then the guy told us we were going to be making the "backstage" for his grand entrance. We had to hold up our arms like doors or curtains and swing them open for his entrance. He rewarded Jason with a warm hug, but gave me only a polite handshake in fear of what Jason would do to him. :o) It was a very charismatic performance, and their change was well-earned. It was a fun and light-hearted way to end a very busy day.
During our first full day in Berlin, we went on the "Discover Berlin Walk" with our tour guide Johanna. Now that we are on the train to Munich and I have some time, I will recount some more of our walking tour.
At the start of our East Berlin tour, we walked through an area called Museum Island and the Lustgarten. This is a complex that houses the Pergamon (classical antiquities), the Atles Museum (with the Egyption collection), the Old National Gallery (19th-century German Romantic paintings), and the Bode Museum (statues, coins, and Byzantine art.) During our stay we were never able to get to these musuems, but the open space in front called the Lustgarten was a beautiful place to relax in with a gorgeous view of the Berlin Cathedral.
Along Berlin's main street running East-West, called Unter den Linden (which means "under the limes"), we visited Babelplatz, the site of the Nazi Bookburning of 20,000 books, saw Humbolt University where Eistein taught, and the Opera House. (The Operncafe is supposed to make the most exquisite desserts and have the longest dessert bar in Europe. We never made it back, but that is probably just as well because I don't think Jason and I would have been able to decide! We would probably still be there!)
We took a detour into the "ghost subway stations." During the Cold War, most underground tunnels were blocked at the boarders of Eastern and Western Germany. But a few lines went through Eastern sections to Western sections. In order to make some money, the East German goverment rented the subways to the West. Western passengers could take these subways, but when passing through the parts owned by the East, they would see nothing but eerily empty subway tunnels with Eastern soldiers holding guns. No one in the East was allowed down in these subways should they try to grab hold to a passihg subway and escape to the West.
Continuing the walk along Unter den Linden, we reached the Brandenburg Gate, which is the last surviving of 14 gates in Berlin's old city wall. It's crowned by the Goddess of Peace and Napoleon liked it so much he took it to the Louvre in 1806. When Berlin got it back, the statue on top was renamed the Goddess of Victory. Nearby is the Hotel Adlon, made most famous as the place Michael Jackson dangled his baby out the window. It was a famous hotel before that fiasco though, as Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin used to stay there as well. Across from the new American Embassy there were Iranian protesters, which we would continue to see in the following days. They were peacefully sitting, singing, and playing music, but to what effect, I don't know. From here would could also see the glass dome of the Reichstag, Berlin's Parliment Building.
Our tour took us past the remains of the Berlin Wall and the bricks in the street that mark where the Wall once stood. Our guide gave interesting history on the construction of the Wall and how in some places it divided buildings so that people in an apartment in the East could jump out the windows into the West. We walked along the former "deathstrip" where guards, dogs, and minefields would later keep people from crossing over.
We walked above the former bunker of Hitler, which is now a simple dirt parking lot with a big garbage can on top. It was also interesting to see how much of the course of the former wall now is running through parking lots. Berlin is a city in constant construction and nearly every one of our pictures of important sites and interesting buildings has cranes, bulldozers, piles of bricks, and construction workers in it. Our tour guide was very skilled at pointing out interesting arcitechure and how it relates to the history and feel of the city. She also discussed the ongoing debate in Berlin on just how to rebuild the city, what buildings should be reconstructed, what should be built new, and just how many memorials the city should contain. Berlin could easily become a city of memorials.
We walked past Checkpoint Charlie, the Nazi Air Ministry and the site of the SS and Gestopo headquarters called the "Topography of Terror" which has been left a pile of rubble. We got lost in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This is a very self-reflective memorial because it does not have any statues or plaques explaining the intention. It is simply gravestone-like pillers of varying heights on a rolling ground. It is meant to leave the viewer open to his own interpretation and thoughts.
We ended our tour in Gendarmenmarkt, a square many Berliners consider the most beautiful. It is bounded by two churches and just around the corner is the Fassbender and Rausch chocolate store. The store has the most amazing chocolate scupltures of such things as the Brandenburg Gate, an exploding volcano, a Harley motorcycle and a giant bear. There were 250 different chocolates to choose from but unfortunately it was a hot day and we were afraid anything we bought would just melt in minutes.
After all the walking, we were hungry of course. We decided to be like the Germans and grab a snack and a drink at one of the carts along the road and people-watch. I remembered that one kind of sausage was pretty unappetizing, so we decided a classic "weiner" (pronounced with a "v" instead of a "w") would be a safe bet. What we got for 2 euros was a thin, pale "hotdog" about 8 inches long. The outside had a disconcerting snap when you bit in and the inside was a bit too mushy for me to handle. This was served with a hard roll and a squirt of ketchup and mustard. We weren't sure if we were to just bite right into it or break off a piece to eat with the roll. Jason decided to break it apart and half of his weiner flew across the table and into the dirt. I very generously offered him half of mine to replace what he had lost.
At this point in the evening we figured we better start heading back. We weren't quite sure how to work the bus/tram/subway system and walking just seemed the best bet. We retraced some of our tour and took a rest in the Lustgarten. I saw some people walking up the steps of the Berlin Cathedral, so we decided to see if we could look inside. We were lucky enough to be in time for an evening organ concert.
From there we walked in what we thought was the direction of the Circus Hostel where we were staying, but we took a detour to Alexanderplatz. Berlin has a giant, shiny TV tower that was our beacon and guide during our stay. It is similar in shape to our Space Needle, but more like a disco ball in the middle with a tall red and white spike on top. There we found a Neptune fountain which made for some fun photo opportunities and statues of Marx and Engels, founders of socialist philosophy.
The final adventure of the day was crossing through Hackescher Markt. We stopped to watch some dancing and acrobatics by some street performers. For some reason we were singled out in the crowd and asked to tell everyone our names. Then the guy told us we were going to be making the "backstage" for his grand entrance. We had to hold up our arms like doors or curtains and swing them open for his entrance. He rewarded Jason with a warm hug, but gave me only a polite handshake in fear of what Jason would do to him. :o) It was a very charismatic performance, and their change was well-earned. It was a fun and light-hearted way to end a very busy day.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Breif first day in Berlin
This morning we got up early to go on a "Discover Berlin Walk" through a company called Original Berlin Walks. It was about a 3.5 to 4 hour walk that covered all of the main sites: the Berlin Wall, Hitler's Bunker, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, TV Tower, and many more. Tracy liked not having to navigate the streets with our map for a change. After the walk we wondered around and found a Salvidor Dali museum to go through since it was so hot outside and Tracy's shoulders were looking pink from the sun. The Dali museum housed mostly his lithographs and watercolors which you usually don't see in books. Feeling a bit hungry we backtracked and took more pictures spending more time at the places we liked. We ate a Wiener for dinner near Pariser Platz and headed back to the Circus Hostel where we are staying. We stopped of f here and there to take pictures, look in stores, or become part of a street performance. We were asked to become the "back stage doors" by holding out our arms for some street dancers. Now we are calling it a night and plan to just see how we feel for tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tomorrow train to Berlin
This is our last night in Amsterdam; tomorrow is a 6 hour train ride to Berlin. It was great to have a few days here in Amsterdam since there is so much to see. Amsterdam looked small on the map, and the sights seemed to be more than manageable in three days. We are using the Rick Steve's guidebooks, and he has an outline for seeing Amsterdam in two days. We are so glad we added an extra day to make it three. It would probably take many more trips like this in order to see it all because the streets are packed with shops, restaurants, stores, and cafes. Not only that, but there are several squares and parks that host planned events, free music and theater and spontaneous street performances. More than once we have been sidetracked by the random event that caught our attention. All this and we haven't even mentioned that there are over 300 museums, bus tours, bike rentals, and canal cruises!
The first day we walked to the Museum Plein which is a public space between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. We were hungry from the morning travels and the food at the Cobra Cafe looked awesome. Jason had a hamburger and fries; Jason had to eat his without ketchup! The locals eat their fries with mayo here. Jason kept his tomato on his burger because it was as close to ketchup has he could get. I had a Swedish wrap with smoked salmon, cucumbers, mixed greens and veggies. Then we both had some delicious soft serve vanilla ice cream afterward and wondered through Vondalpark. In Vondalpark we found a stage with free bands, cabaret, and music performances. The park was so beautiful with lots of trees, ponds, and grassy spaces. After a brief rest back at our hotel, we wandered around the rest of the night, taking pictures of the canals and watching the local wildlife. One of our favorite discoveries was the Albert Heijn grocery store where we had fun looking for Amsterdam snacks. Jason had his first Kinder Egg Surprise, which is a hollow chocolate egg with a small toy inside that you have to put together. Jason got a kangaroo, and I got Bruno the Pirate.
The next day we had a Dutch breakfast at the hotel. Hanneke made us cheese and herb omlettes, along with yogurt, granola, bread, cheese, apple pie, fruit, coffee, orange juice...and mysterious chocolate sprinkles. (We would learn the next that that for breakfast, the Dutch will eat white bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles!) During breakfast, our gracious hostess asked us about our plans for the day and with her help we came up with the perfect plan for the next few days. She encouraged us to take more time enjoying the sunny day and just relax...because we were on vacation after all! After breakfast we were fueled for the Van Gogh Museum. I think we both have a greater appreciation for the vision and talent of Van Gogh after seeing his works up close. We also toured a section of avant garde art through the 1920s to the 1960s that included artists like Picasso, Mondrian, and Andy Warhol. This took us 2-3 hours, and then we rested at the Museumplein. We decided to walk through the shops on Kalverstraat. We were drawn into Dam Square by the sounds of thumping dance music and found a soccer match in small stadium. The guys were playing soccer on a small sand field, and there were lots of street performers including break dancers and a marching drum band. On our way to the Anne Frank House were excited to find the recommended Sara's Pancake house. We both had a savory pancake on one of the largest plates we had seen! Jason had his with bacon, onion, and cheese. I had the Canadian pancake with Canadian bacon, bacon, onion, cheese, and curry sauce. Then we visited the very moving and sobering Anne Frank House. After 10 hours of walking, we decided to call it a day and chilled out at our hotel.
Today we are staying at the StayOkay hostel since we couldn't get a third night at our other hotel. I think it kind of looks like a prison room with grey sheets and a metal bunk bed, but it's a clean and quiet place to sleep! Today was another busy day of walking. We walked through Rembrandtplein and toured the Rembrandt House Museum. Then we wandered through the Waterlooplein Flea Market in the Jewish Quarter before a stroll through the Flower Market. We walked along one of the main shopping and restaurant areas, Leidsestraat, on our way to the Rijksmuseum. Since we bought our tickets early we were able to pass up the line of people who were waiting to get tickets. The Rijksmuseum is home to the most extensive art collection in the Netherlands, with works of Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters. It gave us a good overview of Dutch history with objects such as doll houses, porcelain, clothes and furniture. To understand why Vermeer's Milkmaid is so famous, you just have to see it in person. It is a fairly small painting, but it dominates the room.
Then it was dinner time for us so we went to a restaurant called Indrapura located in the Rembrandtplein. It was really great spicy Indonesian food served in a whole bunch of little tiny dishes. One meat dish accompanied the rice seasoned with 'sambal' or chilipeper. In colonial days a simple meal like this symply did not satisfy the appetite of the Dutch planters, so a greater variety of dishes, from all over the islands, was added. It is this large amount of tasty dishes that as a whole forms the elaborate 'rijsttafel' of today.
We are going to rest tonight and get up early tomorrow. Once we get to Berlin the place we are going to stay will have internet so that is when our next entry should be.
The first day we walked to the Museum Plein which is a public space between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. We were hungry from the morning travels and the food at the Cobra Cafe looked awesome. Jason had a hamburger and fries; Jason had to eat his without ketchup! The locals eat their fries with mayo here. Jason kept his tomato on his burger because it was as close to ketchup has he could get. I had a Swedish wrap with smoked salmon, cucumbers, mixed greens and veggies. Then we both had some delicious soft serve vanilla ice cream afterward and wondered through Vondalpark. In Vondalpark we found a stage with free bands, cabaret, and music performances. The park was so beautiful with lots of trees, ponds, and grassy spaces. After a brief rest back at our hotel, we wandered around the rest of the night, taking pictures of the canals and watching the local wildlife. One of our favorite discoveries was the Albert Heijn grocery store where we had fun looking for Amsterdam snacks. Jason had his first Kinder Egg Surprise, which is a hollow chocolate egg with a small toy inside that you have to put together. Jason got a kangaroo, and I got Bruno the Pirate.
The next day we had a Dutch breakfast at the hotel. Hanneke made us cheese and herb omlettes, along with yogurt, granola, bread, cheese, apple pie, fruit, coffee, orange juice...and mysterious chocolate sprinkles. (We would learn the next that that for breakfast, the Dutch will eat white bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles!) During breakfast, our gracious hostess asked us about our plans for the day and with her help we came up with the perfect plan for the next few days. She encouraged us to take more time enjoying the sunny day and just relax...because we were on vacation after all! After breakfast we were fueled for the Van Gogh Museum. I think we both have a greater appreciation for the vision and talent of Van Gogh after seeing his works up close. We also toured a section of avant garde art through the 1920s to the 1960s that included artists like Picasso, Mondrian, and Andy Warhol. This took us 2-3 hours, and then we rested at the Museumplein. We decided to walk through the shops on Kalverstraat. We were drawn into Dam Square by the sounds of thumping dance music and found a soccer match in small stadium. The guys were playing soccer on a small sand field, and there were lots of street performers including break dancers and a marching drum band. On our way to the Anne Frank House were excited to find the recommended Sara's Pancake house. We both had a savory pancake on one of the largest plates we had seen! Jason had his with bacon, onion, and cheese. I had the Canadian pancake with Canadian bacon, bacon, onion, cheese, and curry sauce. Then we visited the very moving and sobering Anne Frank House. After 10 hours of walking, we decided to call it a day and chilled out at our hotel.
Today we are staying at the StayOkay hostel since we couldn't get a third night at our other hotel. I think it kind of looks like a prison room with grey sheets and a metal bunk bed, but it's a clean and quiet place to sleep! Today was another busy day of walking. We walked through Rembrandtplein and toured the Rembrandt House Museum. Then we wandered through the Waterlooplein Flea Market in the Jewish Quarter before a stroll through the Flower Market. We walked along one of the main shopping and restaurant areas, Leidsestraat, on our way to the Rijksmuseum. Since we bought our tickets early we were able to pass up the line of people who were waiting to get tickets. The Rijksmuseum is home to the most extensive art collection in the Netherlands, with works of Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters. It gave us a good overview of Dutch history with objects such as doll houses, porcelain, clothes and furniture. To understand why Vermeer's Milkmaid is so famous, you just have to see it in person. It is a fairly small painting, but it dominates the room.
Then it was dinner time for us so we went to a restaurant called Indrapura located in the Rembrandtplein. It was really great spicy Indonesian food served in a whole bunch of little tiny dishes. One meat dish accompanied the rice seasoned with 'sambal' or chilipeper. In colonial days a simple meal like this symply did not satisfy the appetite of the Dutch planters, so a greater variety of dishes, from all over the islands, was added. It is this large amount of tasty dishes that as a whole forms the elaborate 'rijsttafel' of today.
We are going to rest tonight and get up early tomorrow. Once we get to Berlin the place we are going to stay will have internet so that is when our next entry should be.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Arrived in Amsterdam
Made it to hotel Keizershof safely and received a warm welcome from Mrs. de Vries. There was a steep narrow spiral stair case that we had to go up to get to our room. No numbers on the doors, the rooms are named after famous old time Hollywood stars. Our room was named after Marlene Dietrich and there are photos of her on the walls in the room. We are going to eat and walk around to explore. Traveling makes one hungry.
Next stop, Amsterdam
This is just a quick update as we get ready for the train to Amsterdam. Yesterday we woke up to thunderstorms and rain, but that thankfully passed after breakfast. We took a wonderful and informative tour of the Koln Cathedral, which took 600 years to build and houses relics of the 'Three Wise Men." We took pictures and videos, but it was so awe-inspiring that we don't think any of our images will do it justice. It was simply amazing to experience.
After Koln, we headed up to Dusseldorf and checked into a very clean and spacious room at Hotel Flora. They gave us the largest room in the hotel, which was quite a change from the Station Hostel we stayed in the previous night. We took a tram to the old town, had a delicious Thai dinner with our friend Sonja, and watched some tango dancers in the square. Then we talked and walked around the old town before a firework show! Turned out there was a big carnival with roller coasters and such and the finale was a very impressive firework show that lasted probably half an hour. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful night!
Now off to catch our train!
After Koln, we headed up to Dusseldorf and checked into a very clean and spacious room at Hotel Flora. They gave us the largest room in the hotel, which was quite a change from the Station Hostel we stayed in the previous night. We took a tram to the old town, had a delicious Thai dinner with our friend Sonja, and watched some tango dancers in the square. Then we talked and walked around the old town before a firework show! Turned out there was a big carnival with roller coasters and such and the finale was a very impressive firework show that lasted probably half an hour. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful night!
Now off to catch our train!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Just arrived at Dusseldorf
We found our hotel in Dusseldorf very nice large room with Wi-Fi. Tracy wanted to take a nap so I thought I would take some time to upload photos from when we were in Bacharach a few days ago. Click on the photo below to see entire album and slide show.
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| Bacharach |
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Bacharach, St. Goar, and Cologne
We finally arrived in Frankfurt at 9:30am on Wednesday the 23rd! What a long time traveling. Luckily German Customs let us in quickly and efficiently and even welcomed us to Germany. I wonder if US Customs is even half as friendly. As we walked through the Frankfurt Airport, and saw German writing all around and didn't recognize the language, we did have a brief moment of "what the heck are we doing?" But without fear, and only a little hesitation, walked on.
We successfully found a bank machine, and Jason successfully withdrew his euros. I was not, successful, however. I talked to Bank of America before I left, so I wondered if it was simply an issue with the time change and decided I'd try later. The gentlemen at the Information Center was very helpful. They printed a train schedule, signed our rail passes, and even picked up my jacket when I dropped it.
We were so happy to have found our train, we were reluctant to board it and leave the quiet tunnel we discovered all on our own. We had mostly success so far, but could we push our luck forward? Yes, we could!
Soon we were on our way to Bacharach. With the time change, we needed to stay up all day. We could already tell this was going to be a tough task but had excitement and determination on our side. With a slight delay in Bingen (what, we have to push the button to open the train door? bye bye train), we caught a second train and were soon in our destination. We wandered up the main road, took a left, wiped the sweat from our brows, and soon saw a glorious sight- the haus we were going to find sleep in tonight. (I really thought I had packed light, but I was already thinking of what I don't really need and can leave along the way.)
Sybille was a very friendly host and quickly showed us our rooms. Not allowing fatigue to get the best of us, we decided to take the 2o minute hike up to Jugendherberge Stahleck Castle. After a few wrong turns, the 20 minute hike turned into an hour and the castle was renamed "that damn castle." At least we were able to take some nice pictures with a view and discovered a beautiful Jewish memorial building with stained glass.
By this time we were famished, so we found a delightful restaurant with outdoor seating. This town is famous for its reisling wines, and the Bastian's Weingut zum Gruner Baum is even more famous for it's 14 euro wine tasting of 15 glasses of reisling. As we were already delirious, we decided the meat and buttered bread would be just perfect. After dinner, we wandered to our room and fell asleep fully clothed at 7pm. We didn't wake up until 7am.
Neither of us think we had slept that soundly since we were babies. We woke up to sunshine and the sound of birds. I felt like I was in the movie Snow White. We took a short walk along the castle wall, through the vineyards, in the early misty morning. Then we returned for a delightful breakfast of waffles, yogurt, meats and cheese. We were ready for our next adventure... and then it started to rain. Really rain. Seattle style rain. Uh oh. There were plans to tour an outdoor ruined castle. Had our luck run out?
Oh, yes! The rain stopped just at check-out time. Perfect! We were soon on the K-D Cruise boat taking videos of the castles on the Rhine. We hopped off at St. Goar, got a little bit lost trying to find the tourist information office to keep our bags (I thought I had packed light!), and jumped onto the nature trail to the Rheinsfel Castle. The nature walk was magical, Jason found a ropes course, and I fought a hobbit hole.
We spent about 2 hours at the ruined castle, imagining castle life. We dodged the medieval arrows, missed the boiling tar poured down from the towers, and escaped out of the prison. There will be pictures upon our return.
After the castle, we had a late lunch at a traditional German restaurant. I had roast beef and learned they like raisins in their gravy and LOVE their sour red cabbage. Jason learned that dumpling are best with LOTS of gravy (or sauceage as our waiter called it.)
Now we are at the Station Hostel in Cologne (spelled Koln in German and don't ask us how to properly say the "o".) The train ticket takers have been very friendly to us Americans and have helped us get to our destinations quickly; we got here 35 minutes faster than planned thanks to their help. We were told we would be in awe as we exited the train station because the Koln Cathedral would be right in front of us. Yes, our jaws dropped and we did have to pick them up. We will be touring this Neo-Gothic Dom tomorrow and will make our pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Magi where the bone of the Three Wise Men are housed. If we don't upload pictures, this is something that should be googled.
After the Cathedral tomorrow, we will be off to Dusseldorf to have dinner with my friend Sonja and then on to Amsterdam!
Updates will be coming as we have internet access!
We successfully found a bank machine, and Jason successfully withdrew his euros. I was not, successful, however. I talked to Bank of America before I left, so I wondered if it was simply an issue with the time change and decided I'd try later. The gentlemen at the Information Center was very helpful. They printed a train schedule, signed our rail passes, and even picked up my jacket when I dropped it.
We were so happy to have found our train, we were reluctant to board it and leave the quiet tunnel we discovered all on our own. We had mostly success so far, but could we push our luck forward? Yes, we could!
Soon we were on our way to Bacharach. With the time change, we needed to stay up all day. We could already tell this was going to be a tough task but had excitement and determination on our side. With a slight delay in Bingen (what, we have to push the button to open the train door? bye bye train), we caught a second train and were soon in our destination. We wandered up the main road, took a left, wiped the sweat from our brows, and soon saw a glorious sight- the haus we were going to find sleep in tonight. (I really thought I had packed light, but I was already thinking of what I don't really need and can leave along the way.)
Sybille was a very friendly host and quickly showed us our rooms. Not allowing fatigue to get the best of us, we decided to take the 2o minute hike up to Jugendherberge Stahleck Castle. After a few wrong turns, the 20 minute hike turned into an hour and the castle was renamed "that damn castle." At least we were able to take some nice pictures with a view and discovered a beautiful Jewish memorial building with stained glass.
By this time we were famished, so we found a delightful restaurant with outdoor seating. This town is famous for its reisling wines, and the Bastian's Weingut zum Gruner Baum is even more famous for it's 14 euro wine tasting of 15 glasses of reisling. As we were already delirious, we decided the meat and buttered bread would be just perfect. After dinner, we wandered to our room and fell asleep fully clothed at 7pm. We didn't wake up until 7am.
Neither of us think we had slept that soundly since we were babies. We woke up to sunshine and the sound of birds. I felt like I was in the movie Snow White. We took a short walk along the castle wall, through the vineyards, in the early misty morning. Then we returned for a delightful breakfast of waffles, yogurt, meats and cheese. We were ready for our next adventure... and then it started to rain. Really rain. Seattle style rain. Uh oh. There were plans to tour an outdoor ruined castle. Had our luck run out?
Oh, yes! The rain stopped just at check-out time. Perfect! We were soon on the K-D Cruise boat taking videos of the castles on the Rhine. We hopped off at St. Goar, got a little bit lost trying to find the tourist information office to keep our bags (I thought I had packed light!), and jumped onto the nature trail to the Rheinsfel Castle. The nature walk was magical, Jason found a ropes course, and I fought a hobbit hole.
We spent about 2 hours at the ruined castle, imagining castle life. We dodged the medieval arrows, missed the boiling tar poured down from the towers, and escaped out of the prison. There will be pictures upon our return.
After the castle, we had a late lunch at a traditional German restaurant. I had roast beef and learned they like raisins in their gravy and LOVE their sour red cabbage. Jason learned that dumpling are best with LOTS of gravy (or sauceage as our waiter called it.)
Now we are at the Station Hostel in Cologne (spelled Koln in German and don't ask us how to properly say the "o".) The train ticket takers have been very friendly to us Americans and have helped us get to our destinations quickly; we got here 35 minutes faster than planned thanks to their help. We were told we would be in awe as we exited the train station because the Koln Cathedral would be right in front of us. Yes, our jaws dropped and we did have to pick them up. We will be touring this Neo-Gothic Dom tomorrow and will make our pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Magi where the bone of the Three Wise Men are housed. If we don't upload pictures, this is something that should be googled.
After the Cathedral tomorrow, we will be off to Dusseldorf to have dinner with my friend Sonja and then on to Amsterdam!
Updates will be coming as we have internet access!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sea Tac
Here we are at gate B9 waiting for our plane to arrive. It is 6:02 in the morning and Tracy just bought water so we can have something to drink while on the plane. We are very excited and looking forward to our trip. Security wasn't as bad as expected. We got undressed, put our liquids in the tray, and after a through examination of our playing cards we were allowed on our way to the gate. We are sitting across from a water fountain that makes gurgling noise when people drink from it. I thought it was broke at first but I guess it is part of the remodel of the airport. Right now there is a family of six providing the musical entertainment for the morning.
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