Blog by jo

Mikey is now on holidays and its planes, trains and automobiles for us for the next 4 weeks. Yay! After painstakingly whittling down our wishlist of places to see (which seems to be getting longer rather than shorter), we are heading to the following locations:

4-9 April Copenhagen, Denmark

9-13 April Berlin, Germany

13-16 April Salzberg, Austria

16-21 April Vienna, Austria

21-25 April Milan, Italy

25-28 April Marseille, France

28-1 May Avignon, France

1-4 May Paris, France

4-5 May Frankfurt, Germany

Most of these places we have never visited, although Mikey has been to Vienna and we have both been to Paris. We are particularly looking forward to Austria and spending some time in the south of France. Hopefully we will get some warmer weather as we go along. It has been pretty cold so far (10°C is a warm day).

On 5 May, we fly from Frankfurt to Austin, Texas – where Mikey goes back to work – and then we head home to Australia at the end of May/start of June.

I’m not sure how much access we will have to the internet while we are on the road, so my blogs may be posted in bursts…

Before Mikey went on holidays – and we left Germany to tour Europe – we spent our last weekend in Tübingen (29-30 March), the little town we called home for two months. I picked up a ‘historic tour of Tübingen’ map from the Visitor’s Information Centre and roughly translated it into English using Google translate and a couple of Tübingen websites. So, on Saturday, I decided to take Mikey on a historic tour of Tübingen.

The weather was good, and Mikey was pretty forgiving all the times I realised I had not been looking at the map and we had missed the next turn. Many of the sights we had already seen, but it was nice to see them while learning a bit about their history ie. the City Hall, the Collegiate church and Tübingen’s castle.

Tübingen’s Rathaus (City Hall)

Mikey also took some nice photos of Tubingen in black and white and posted them on our site.

Tübingen in black and white

About 6km out of Tübingen is the Bebenhausen Monastry, so we drove out there after we had finished our historic tour. The former Cisterian monastery was one of the richest monasteries in Württemberg between the 13th and 15th century. The cloisters were cold and eery, but looked really great. I could imagine a monk sitting on a bench reading quietly.

Bebenhausen Monastry cloisters

On Sunday (29 March), some friends from Tübingen went with us to see Lake Constance (Konstanz). It was about a 150km drive south to the town of Constance that sits on the Swiss border. We met up with some friends who had driven up from Zurich and toured the town, taking some great pictures from the top of the Gothic cathedral and by the lake.

Lake Constance/Constance

It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for walking around and then settling in the sun for a chat and a beer. After a relaxing afternoon, our friends from Zurich headed home (which was a bit sad because it will be a while before we see them again) and we took the ferry across the lake to the town of Meersberg.

Meersberg is a much smaller town than Constance, but makes up for it with charm. The lakeside promenade, with its colourful flower beds and sparkling water view, was the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon… in fact most afternoons would be well spent here. It had a real Mediterranean feel, which was unexpected (although not really well reflected in the photos). We walked the cobblestoned streets to the Altes Schloss, an 11^th Century castle that is said to be the oldest structurally intact castle in Germany. As the sun started to set, we felt the tiredness in our legs and decided to head back to Tubingen.

Meersberg

So that was our last weekend in Tübingen. Mikey and I are thoroughly appreciative to all the people who made our time there special. Particular thanks to our flatmates, Ines and Sebastian, and Mikey’s colleagues at work who made such an effort to welcome us and help us out. Thanks all!

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site entrance

On Saturday (22 March), the rain stopped and we took the train just out of the city to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site. This was the first Nazi concentration camp built in Germany in 1933, and served as a prototype for the other Nazi concentration camps. It was established a few weeks after Hitler became the Reich Chancellor to hold politically prisoners. In total, it is estimated that 200,000 people were imprisoned here, of which one third were Jews. Approximately 40,000 died in Dachau and its sub-camps, largely from disease and malnutrition. In 1945, American troops liberated the survivors.

After hiring audio guides, Mikey and I walked through the camp entrance into the roll call square, where the chilling wind ripped right through us. I felt horrible thinking how cold it was, and here I had the luxury of a coat and gloves. The main barracks on one side of the roll call square held the museum, which outlined the conditions in Germany prior to the war, the events in Europe during World War II, and life in the Dachau camp until its liberation.

On the other side of the roll call square, two prisoner barracks remain on the site and have been recreated to show what they were like when the camp was in use. The rest of the barracks have been removed, so the camp looked and felt extremely desolate.

Dachau – where the prisoners barracks originally stood.

While it was sobering to walk through the camp, I was not prepared for how disturbing it felt to walk through the crematorium. The gas chamber, with fake shower fittings installed to disguise its real purpose, was horrible because of the vivid pictures I saw in my mind’s eye. I struggled to process it. I didn’t want to look, yet I didn’t want to stop in the hope I would find a way to comprehend it and what it meant.

Dachau – fence line

As we walked out, we passed a wall which was inscribed with what seems to be the purpose of this site, established by the camp’s surviving prisoners:

“May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933 – 1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defence of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men”.

A memorial at Dachau, with “Never Again” written in several languages.

On Sunday (23 March), we went to Munich’s Englischer Garten (English Garden) – one of the largest city parks in Europe. The light snow ensured the locals kept their clothes on (apparently the locals like to nude sun bake in the gardens in summer).

Englischer Garten

Much to Mikey’s excitement, the river running through the park forms a large natural wave when exiting a particular tunnel in the park. There are more than a few photos (and videos) on our website of some guys making the most of the wave by practicing some surfing.

Surfing in the snow at the Englischer Garten

That night, we went out for a beer before dinner. Mikey found a place in the lonely planet that was nearby, but failed to read the descriptive paragraph. As I walked in, it was clear to me that Mikey had taken me to a gay bar. After ordering some beers, and noticing the art and lack of females, Mikey realised too…Anyway the beer was good.

Before we left Munich on Monday (24 March), we just happened to be strolling through the main square for one last look around Munich as the Glockenspiel (carillon) at the top of the Nues Rathaus was chiming. All these figures came out to dance around the top – including jesters and knights jousting. It was nice of Munich to give us a farewell.

Glockenspiel – Knights jousting

Dear readers,

Do not despair, I have not forgotten about you. Sorry, but I’ve been busy being sick and finalising our April trip around Europe. But now it is time to update you on the last couple of weekends, starting with Easter in Munich.

Neues Rathaus (new town hall) in the main square

While I think it is difficult for a place to be both a charming old town and a modern city, Munich successfully does both. The long mall stretching through the centre of the city is dotted with historic buildings, none more imposing than the new town hall and the Glockenspiel (carillon) in the main square. However Munich also has a modern feel, with a really great underground metro system and many things to see and do.

Munich is famous for ‘Oktoberfest’, a festival where hordes of tourists descend on Munich to drink beer. It’s origins – to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig in 1810 – seems to have been long forgotten. Due to this festival, Munich caters for tourists (particularly English speakers) and displays the traditional dress and food of the region. It is said that the people of Munich are so proud of their state, Bavaria, that they consider themselves Bavarian first and German second. Many of the costumes and foods that people think of as typically german, such as lederhosen, pretzels and beer steins, are actually typically Bavarian.

Mikey and I arrived in the absolute freezing cold via train on Thursday night (20 March). After finding our hotel, we headed out for dinner and were pleasantly surprised to find the metro very efficient and the restaurants offering English menus. I tried the turkey schnitzel, which was covered in cornflakes…interesting and delicious. It went down perfectly with a glass of orangeschorle (half orange juice, half mineral water).

Turkey schnitzel in cornflakes

On Friday, we braved the cold (2°C) and rain to explore the city, particularly the old town. We saw the Karlstor, which was once a gate to the city, and the Michaelskirche, Germany’s earliest and grandest Renaissance church. In the main square, Marienplatz, we admired the old and new town halls and then wandered to view the Residenz (palace), which housed Bavarian rulers from 1385. After a coffee and a bit more of a walk around large impressive structures, we succumbed to the cold and took the metro to Alte Pinakothek (art gallery) to see some paintings by Dürer, Botticelli, da Vinci and Rembrandt.

Karlstor

That night we went to the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl for dinner.

The Hofbräuhaus is a well- known Bavarian beer hall catering for tourists. I understand it can seat about 3,000 people and is packed during Oktoberfest. We had dinner on the second floor, where there are long rows of tables from one end of the room to the other.

Hofbräuhaus

The room was filled with the noise of laughing drunk people, and we understood why when the waiters seemed a lot more interested in delivering beer than food.

Mikey enjoying his 1L beer

Beautiful, spectacular…I have a feeling that the more you read my blog the more you will get sick of these words. I am at a bit of a loss as to how to describe Innsbruck. While it is a bit unfair to compare it to the other places we have seen on this trip, I have to say that so far it is the highlight.

It is not just the sight of the Swiss Alps towering overhead, or the fact that you are surrounded by them. It is not just that Innsbruck is a lovely town littered with cafes and pubs or that is has a charming old town. I think it was the way Innsbruck made me feel – comfortably cosy and startlingly awestruck at the same time.

It sounds a bit crazy but I was really taken with this town. It had the two main things I really like to see when I’m in Europe – a beautiful old town that tells you the story of the way things used to be and a dramatic landscape that is like nothing I’ve ever seen (preferably including snow). Compared to the dry, flat plains of Australia, and its unique terrain, Innsbruck is certainly a world away.

We drove to Innsbruck from Tubingen last Friday (14 March) in just under four hours (420km) and had dinner with friends who had come to Innsbruck to do some skiing and snowboarding.

On Saturday we looked around the old town, including through the very ornate Dom Zu St. Jakob (church) and past the Goldenes Dachl – a golden roof built by Emperor Maximilian I in the 16th Century comprising of 2657 gilded copper tiles.

Goldenes Dachl above the Easter markets.

We then headed south past the Triumphforte, built in 1765 to commemorate the betrothal of Leopold II to Maria Ludovica. I quite like it, I think arches are a better monument than a statue.

Triumphforte

After a bit of walking, we finally reached the Bergiselstadion, a ski jump used in the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976. After having a bit of a break and enjoying the views of Innsbruck, we decided to walk to the other side of town and take the cable car to Nord Park and then on to the summit of Hafelekarspitze, which is at 2,334m. When we got to the top, I felt like I was – literally – on top of the world.

After convincing myself that I was not going to slip off the top and plunge to my death, I really enjoyed sitting in the snow and enjoying the view. I was thrilled to find that it was just the right temperature for the snow to stick together and made my first snowman.

Although it may not look like a snowman, with 1 euro cent pieces for eyes and a broken matchstick for a nose, I wasn’t wearing gloves so that’s the best I could do while still avoiding frost bite.

When Mikey and I could brave the cold no longer, we tore our eyes away from the magnificant sight in front of us and headed back down the mountain to catch up with our friends again in the evening, who had enjoyed a great day skiing and snowboarding on Stubaier Gletscher (Austria’s largest Glacier Ski Resort which reaches 3,200m).

On Sunday, full from our lovely hotel breakfast, the group of us went to the Hofburg (museum) inside the Imperial Court to view the exhibition “Mountains, a mysterious passion”. It was interesting to read about the experiences, conditions and equipment of the first mountaineers.

Mikey and I then headed off to meet a family member of Michael’s who lives in Innsbruck. We had a lovely time catching up with her and enjoyed a delicious Austrian lunch, where I finally tried a piece of sacher torte.

In the afternoon, we headed back to Tubingen via Fussen to see the castles of King Ludwig II – Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. ‘Mad’ King Ludwig II is usually described as a man who had a dubious state of mind and a well-developed ego. As a child, he lived in Hohenschwangau castle, but Neuschwanstein is his own creation. Neuschwanstein castle is described as a “sugary pastiche of architectural styles, which are overwhelmingly beautiful but also a little over-the-top”. This castle is reportedly the inspiration for Disney’s Fantasyland castle, which may be why it is such a popular tourist attraction.

Neuschwanstein castle

It started to rain when we arrived, so we just took a few shots of the side of the castle from the base of the hill and went on our way. A better view of the front of the castle can be found here.

And this weekend we head to Munich for Easter.

On Sunday (10 Feb), we decided to visit Stuttgart for the afternoon as switching trains at the station on the day we arrived in Germany doesn’t really count as seeing Stuttgart.

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg and, as it was heavily damaged during World War II, has many relatively new buildings as well as reconstructed historic ones.

Stuttgart has a huge park in the centre of the city that starts at the Schlossplatz (castle square) and goes a long, long way (about 5km). It was a great day to be outside, so we went for a walk through the park for a couple of kms.

Schlossplatz

The shops close on Sundays in Germany, at least everywhere we have been, and we probably noticed more about the Stuttgart mall because of this. Although the shops close, eateries remain open so we had some food…including a freshly baked pretzel! Pretzels are now the most frequently consumed food by Mikey, and I am not sure what he is going to live of off once we get home. His constant goal…to find a pretzel that’s still warm from the oven…

The apples give you some idea of the scale of the pretzel.

A few pretzels later, we drove the 40 or so kms back to Tubingen, knowing we will be back in Stuttgart again when we head off on our four week holiday around Europe. Stuttgart is quite the train and airport hub.

This weekend, however, it’ s off to Innsbruck, Austria, to catch up with some friends and hopefully see some snow.

Last Saturday (8 March), Mikey and I drove about 150km to Heidelberg for the afternoon. It was a more impressive place than I expected, steeped in fame and history.

Our first stop was the Heidelberg castle, or Schloss, where we quickly realised we had forgotten to take our camera. For once, I was actually glad for the camera that is in my mobile phone, although I expected the photos to be poor. However I was pleasantly surprised when the end result was not too bad give the apparatus.

We hired handheld audio guides (as is our custom) and wandered around the grounds listening to stories about aspects of the castle, which is (apparently) one of Germany’s finest examples of Gothic-Renaissance architecture.

Castle grounds

Inside the castle we toured the Grosses Fass, an 18th Century keg (or vat) capable of holding 221,726L. I think they said that wine was held in the vat, although the wine wasn’t very good because, due to the size of the keg, all sorts of wine was dumped in and mixed together.

The castle also contained a German Pharmaceutical Museum, which I found interesting as I’ve done some work in the area of pharmaceuticals. Some of you may be interested to know that pharmacy “location rules”, where only a certain number of pharmacies are permitted within a certain geographical area, were in force in the Middle Ages. In 1350, the Pharmacist Oath of Nuremberg said that pharmacies were entitled to a modest profit from the dispensing of medicines. In the 15th Century, the government mandated the level of profit a pharmacist would receive. Pharmaceutical companies were permitted to produce medicines for sale in 1827, but the monopoly of dispensing remained with the pharmacist. In 1872, a guild was established to represent the needs of pharmacists to government and pharmaceutical companies.

Anyway, one of the parts of the castle I was particularly taken with was the Powder Tower, which looks like it got its face blown off. With such thick walls, it is hard to imagine how this would happened…

Powder Tower

Heidelberg is situated on the Neckar river (the same river running through Tubingen) and from the castle there are beautiful views of the river and the town, which were an inspiration to the famous writer, Mark Twain.

In the overcast weather, it was a little eerie and mystical touring the castle and its grounds, and quite a contrast to the bustling, student-filled streets of the Heidelberg mall we went to afterwards. There is an American influence on the culture of Heidelberg, due to visiting students attending Heidelberg’s university and the U.S. Army base located just on the outskirts of the town. It was surprising to walk down the street and hear quite a few conversations occuring in English with that distinct American accent.

Heidelberg is quite similar to Tubingen in having a university town feel, with a bit of history thrown in. So if you are in the area, Heidelberg is definitely worth a visit!

Main street of Heidelberg

Mum – here’s another post just for you…

On Friday 29 Feb, Storm Emma brought strong winds across Germany, so Mikey and I avoided driving through the Schwarzwald (and falling tree branches) and took the bad-traffic route around the top of the Black Forest to get to Strasbourg, France.

We arrived in France in the rain, but were pleased to find our hotel was in an excellent location facing the Cathedral, the city’s centrepiece. We settled into our shoebox…I mean…hotel room (which made up for its size by being very clean) and then wandered the town.

The City’s Cathedral

Before long, we realised our French phrasebook was pretty useless when it came to decoding menus, but we managed to find an excellent restaurant (with an English menu) and had one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. Plus the wine was exceptional.

We spent Saturday walking around with a handheld audio guide from the tourist office, which took us on a tour of the Cathedral, main streets and into the old part of town.

The Cathedral was an impressive building, housing a huge astronomical clock. If you buy a ticket (we didn’t), you can view the clock come to life at 12.30pm everyday, with figurines of the apostles popping out of doors, lots of things turning and chimes sounding (according to the audio guide).

The Cathedral’s astronomical clock

As we listened to the stories of how the locals lived all those years ago, we gazed upon the beauty that is the Petit France (old part of town).

Petit France

After trying a Flammkuchen for lunch (traditional German food consisting of thin bread dough covered by crème fraîche, onions, and bacon), we hired some bikes and cycled to the Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the European Court of Human Rights. It was a great day for a ride and we were lucky to enjoy a rain-free afternoon. And after working up an appetite, we enjoyed a dinner of savoury crepes.

Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg

We spent a quiet Sunday having coffee and visiting the Petit France again, and then climbed the Cathedral’s tower to take in some views of Strasbourg before heading back to Tubingen.

View of Strasbourg

Ok…I’m behind again…

The day after we visited the Schwarzwald (Sun 24 Feb), Mikey and I decided to enjoy the beautiful weather (14°C) by going for a drive to the Hohenzollern castle.

Hohenzollern castle is situated 26km southwest from our place in Tubingen, perched atop a 855m hill. It was originally constructed in the 11th Century, but was rebuilt a couple of times. Today’s version is from 1867.

I took this photo in the car while driving to the castle.

We left our car in the carpark about half way up the hill and walked the rest of the way to the top. Yes, there were a lot of stairs…

The views of the Swabian countryside were spectacular, and we were lucky to be there on such a fine day. After wandering through the gardens and courtyards at the top, we took a tour through some of the rooms of the castle.

The tour was a little boring, possibly because it was in German. However we had tour booklets in English which explained the significance of each of the rooms. The best room we visited was the Royal Treasury, which housed the Royal Prussian crown (minus its jewels), suits of armor and weaponry, medals and other objects of art and memorabilia. I also learnt a bit about the Prussian kings and German emperors who originally descended from the Hohenzollern dynasty, the most famous being King Fredrick the Great (1712-1786).

It was a nice day and an education all in one.

The main courtyard

It snowed yesterday, which was cool, and it was our 3rd wedding anniversary. Nice.

Thanks for the good wishes we received yesterday. Much appreciated. Mikey worked from home, so we enjoyed a walk at lunchtime in the light falling snow and had a lovely dinner at a cafe.

5 March 2005