Thursday, May 30, 2013
Germany2013 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a medieval city that is mostly still intact including the 3km of old city walls. We arrived around 6pm and found our hotel after just a little confusion. Someone immediately came out to greet us and took us inside to get comfortable and have a "welcome drink", and in some ways it really was a welcome drink - if you know what I mean. The hotel dates from the 11th-12th centuries and is absolutely wonderful. Our room has huge exposed wooden beams and windows the look out into the cobblestone street leading to the market plaza. Our friends also have a lovely room that looks out onto the hotel's garden terrace.
We had a bite to eat at a little cafe, I ordered sauerbraten to see what it was like. The braised beef was quite good but the knodl was not really something I enjoyed. It's kind of a potato dumpling, which sounded promising but had a really weird texture. Maybe it was a bad knodl - who knows?
After dinner we caught The Night Watchman's tour. Every night at 8pm, a man dressed up as the town's night watchman (circa 1700) gives a theatrical walking tour describing the city's history. The guy is seriously hilarious. It was raining fairly steadily but the group of about 35-40 people stuck it out for the full hour because it was really fun.
Germany 2013 - the Romantic Road
Thursday, May 30, 2013
We left Munich this morning to travel the "Romantic Road". It is a route that takes you through many charming little towns.
We stopped at Harburg and toured the castle there. Not a well-known castle but one that is still family-owned after several centuries. The tour was mainly in German but we were given written explanations and the guide was so nice, she gave her talk in German at each part of the castle, then took the time to give us a summary in English. We were able to walk the castle walls and see inside the towers. There were slots in the walls for shooting arrows which we've seen in many other castles, but Harburg also has special openings for use by musketeers. A musketeer would fire his musket through a small opening in the castle wall but, the thing that makes this different from every other castle we've seen, is that they shot through a large wooden ball with a hole in the center. The ball could rotate so that the opening could be rotated toward the wall in order to close the opening and prevent a bullet from coming through from the outside and wounding the musketeer as he reloaded his gun.
We drive on to Nordlingen but nothing was open except a few cafe's as today was a holiday in this part of Germany. We had some pizza for lunch, then climbed a church tower to work off the pizza. Next we drove to Dinkelsbuhl, which looked like a nice city to stroll around and maybe do some shopping, but everything was closed there too.
Next up: Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
We left Munich this morning to travel the "Romantic Road". It is a route that takes you through many charming little towns.
We stopped at Harburg and toured the castle there. Not a well-known castle but one that is still family-owned after several centuries. The tour was mainly in German but we were given written explanations and the guide was so nice, she gave her talk in German at each part of the castle, then took the time to give us a summary in English. We were able to walk the castle walls and see inside the towers. There were slots in the walls for shooting arrows which we've seen in many other castles, but Harburg also has special openings for use by musketeers. A musketeer would fire his musket through a small opening in the castle wall but, the thing that makes this different from every other castle we've seen, is that they shot through a large wooden ball with a hole in the center. The ball could rotate so that the opening could be rotated toward the wall in order to close the opening and prevent a bullet from coming through from the outside and wounding the musketeer as he reloaded his gun.
We drive on to Nordlingen but nothing was open except a few cafe's as today was a holiday in this part of Germany. We had some pizza for lunch, then climbed a church tower to work off the pizza. Next we drove to Dinkelsbuhl, which looked like a nice city to stroll around and maybe do some shopping, but everything was closed there too.
Next up: Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Germany 2013 - Leaving Munich
Advice to anyone traveling to Munich - Do Not Try To Drive In The City!!! We have had to take the motorway through Munich for the last 2 days and traffic is a nightmare! There is a multi-year road construction project going on, and many lanes are shut down on the motorway causing a huge traffic snarl every day for several hours and several miles.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Germany 2013 KZ-Gedenkstatte Dachau
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
KZ-Gedenkstatte was a concentration camp in Dachau during World War II. We woke up to cold, rain, and wind this morning, which seemed appropriate to a visit such as this.
The camp was used mostly as a slave labor camp rather than just a massive extermination site, though thousands of people did die there. The prisoners here included Jewish people, Christian church pastors, Germans who did not support the Nazi regime, and prisoners from other countries. The prisoners were basically worked to death (those who weren't murdered or tortured by the SS), and the dead became so numerous that the crematorium could not handle the load and some were buried in mass graves. There is a room where they experimented with poison gas on some of the prisoners, but there were apparently no mass killings with gas here. When American forces liberated the camp on April 29,1945, there were over 200 dead emaciated bodies stacked up outside the crematorium waiting to be burned.
Only two of the barracks that housed prisoners remain, but the outlines of the other barracks are there. The administration building, guard towers, a building used for holding special prisoners, and the crematorium buildings remain. The exhibits are quite extensive and there were many groups of visitors there, even on such a cold day. It was a very somber place.
KZ-Gedenkstatte was a concentration camp in Dachau during World War II. We woke up to cold, rain, and wind this morning, which seemed appropriate to a visit such as this.
The camp was used mostly as a slave labor camp rather than just a massive extermination site, though thousands of people did die there. The prisoners here included Jewish people, Christian church pastors, Germans who did not support the Nazi regime, and prisoners from other countries. The prisoners were basically worked to death (those who weren't murdered or tortured by the SS), and the dead became so numerous that the crematorium could not handle the load and some were buried in mass graves. There is a room where they experimented with poison gas on some of the prisoners, but there were apparently no mass killings with gas here. When American forces liberated the camp on April 29,1945, there were over 200 dead emaciated bodies stacked up outside the crematorium waiting to be burned.
Only two of the barracks that housed prisoners remain, but the outlines of the other barracks are there. The administration building, guard towers, a building used for holding special prisoners, and the crematorium buildings remain. The exhibits are quite extensive and there were many groups of visitors there, even on such a cold day. It was a very somber place.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Germany 2013 - The Eagle's Nest
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Today's objective: the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountaintop retreat.
We left our hotel in Starnberg and headed through Munich on our way southeast. Unfortunately there was major roadwork going on in Munich and traffic was really a snarled mess for several miles, but we finally made it through. Our route took us through the outskirts of Salzburg, Austria and so we were once again driving through Austria - but on purpose this time. Then back into Germany, and up into the Bavarian Alps. The weather was clear and sunny, though clouds were predicted for the afternoon, so we hurried to catch one of the buses that take you up the mountain. The last segment s a trip in the special elevator that takes to the very top of the mountain.
6,000 feet above sea level and a nearly 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains - the view is simply breathtaking!
There was still a lot of snow on the mountain and the surrounding peaks. A restaurant now operates from the house itself, and you can walk up the hill away from the house to the peak for a terrific view. The hill happened to be blocked off with tape as the snow was melting a little in the sun and was pretty slippery, but several people had bypassed the tape and walked up, so we did too. I took a lot of pictures but there is no way they can convey the immensity of the view. Oh, and the video camera decided to pick today of all days to go on the fritz. We went into the house itself but really the only remnant of Hitler's that is still there is the marble fireplace that Mussolini gave him, minus some pieces that were chipped off as souvenirs by WWII soldiers.
We headed back to Starnberg but we wanted to skip the Munich traffic mess, so we took a route through the countryside and ended up at a little gasthaus restaurant along the way, Gasthaus zum Bruckenfischer, "Guesthouse of the Fisherman's Bridge". We knew it would be a great place to eat as mostly only Germans would know about this place and there were quite a few people there eating and enjoying the nice weather.
I had Jagerschnitzel, which is veal in a mushroom cream sauce served with spaetzle noodles-yummy. We ordered apfelstrudel because I knew it would be good in a place frequented mostly by Germans- and I was right! It was deeeelicious! Happy and with full bellies, we headed back to our hotel.
Today's objective: the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountaintop retreat.
We left our hotel in Starnberg and headed through Munich on our way southeast. Unfortunately there was major roadwork going on in Munich and traffic was really a snarled mess for several miles, but we finally made it through. Our route took us through the outskirts of Salzburg, Austria and so we were once again driving through Austria - but on purpose this time. Then back into Germany, and up into the Bavarian Alps. The weather was clear and sunny, though clouds were predicted for the afternoon, so we hurried to catch one of the buses that take you up the mountain. The last segment s a trip in the special elevator that takes to the very top of the mountain.
6,000 feet above sea level and a nearly 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains - the view is simply breathtaking!
There was still a lot of snow on the mountain and the surrounding peaks. A restaurant now operates from the house itself, and you can walk up the hill away from the house to the peak for a terrific view. The hill happened to be blocked off with tape as the snow was melting a little in the sun and was pretty slippery, but several people had bypassed the tape and walked up, so we did too. I took a lot of pictures but there is no way they can convey the immensity of the view. Oh, and the video camera decided to pick today of all days to go on the fritz. We went into the house itself but really the only remnant of Hitler's that is still there is the marble fireplace that Mussolini gave him, minus some pieces that were chipped off as souvenirs by WWII soldiers.
We headed back to Starnberg but we wanted to skip the Munich traffic mess, so we took a route through the countryside and ended up at a little gasthaus restaurant along the way, Gasthaus zum Bruckenfischer, "Guesthouse of the Fisherman's Bridge". We knew it would be a great place to eat as mostly only Germans would know about this place and there were quite a few people there eating and enjoying the nice weather.
I had Jagerschnitzel, which is veal in a mushroom cream sauce served with spaetzle noodles-yummy. We ordered apfelstrudel because I knew it would be good in a place frequented mostly by Germans- and I was right! It was deeeelicious! Happy and with full bellies, we headed back to our hotel.
Germany 2013 - Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
Monday, May 27,2013
We woke up this morning to a strange sight - blue skies and sunshine! Hooray! The high temp today is supposed to be about 60 degrees F and no rain.
After breakfast, we packed up the car and headed for the two nearby castles. Hohenschwangau was the getaway palace of King Maximillian II and Queen Marie, rebuilt in the 1830's, the original fortress was built by a family of knights in the 12th century. The palace is furnished and guided tours are given in English a number of times each day. There are frescoes painted on nearly every wall, most of which depict important moments in the family's history. The view from the palace is nice but pales in comparison with the view from Neuschwanstein.
From the Hohenschwangau castle, you have to take a bus or horse carriage up a steep winding hill. I suppose you could walk up, but it is pretty steep. The bus takes you to the Marienbrucke, which is a bridge, built across a gorge and waterfall, that offers spectacular views of the Neuschwanstein castle with the surrounding lakes and countryside in the background. We took some pictures up there but it was quite crowded as the castle is a super popular destination for tourists from all over the world.
Then we walked down to the castle entrance for our guided tour. The castle was built by King Ludwig II, son of Maximillian II. Unfortunately, he didn't live to see it finished. The entire second floor is unfinished and some parts, such as the terrace and chapel, were never built. That is not to say that the castle is not worth seeing, it definitely is! The rooms on the first and third floors are finished and furnished just as they were when the King lived there. The furnishings and decor are very extravagant, the king's bed canopy alone took 14 woodcarvers 4 years to finish! The king was a fan of Richard Wagner's operas and many of the rooms feature a Wagnerian theme.
After walking down from the castle to the village that lies below it, we headed to the small town of Ottobeuren to see the interior of the Benedictine Abbey there. We opened up the heavy door and walked in, and were overwhelmed with the detailed Baroque interior. Every surface is covered with a carving or fresco. We spent about 20-30 minutes here, cameras clicking away. I have to say it doesn't top my all-time favorite, St. Stephen's in Passau, Germany - but the abbey here is beautiful.
We woke up this morning to a strange sight - blue skies and sunshine! Hooray! The high temp today is supposed to be about 60 degrees F and no rain.
After breakfast, we packed up the car and headed for the two nearby castles. Hohenschwangau was the getaway palace of King Maximillian II and Queen Marie, rebuilt in the 1830's, the original fortress was built by a family of knights in the 12th century. The palace is furnished and guided tours are given in English a number of times each day. There are frescoes painted on nearly every wall, most of which depict important moments in the family's history. The view from the palace is nice but pales in comparison with the view from Neuschwanstein.
From the Hohenschwangau castle, you have to take a bus or horse carriage up a steep winding hill. I suppose you could walk up, but it is pretty steep. The bus takes you to the Marienbrucke, which is a bridge, built across a gorge and waterfall, that offers spectacular views of the Neuschwanstein castle with the surrounding lakes and countryside in the background. We took some pictures up there but it was quite crowded as the castle is a super popular destination for tourists from all over the world.
Then we walked down to the castle entrance for our guided tour. The castle was built by King Ludwig II, son of Maximillian II. Unfortunately, he didn't live to see it finished. The entire second floor is unfinished and some parts, such as the terrace and chapel, were never built. That is not to say that the castle is not worth seeing, it definitely is! The rooms on the first and third floors are finished and furnished just as they were when the King lived there. The furnishings and decor are very extravagant, the king's bed canopy alone took 14 woodcarvers 4 years to finish! The king was a fan of Richard Wagner's operas and many of the rooms feature a Wagnerian theme.
After walking down from the castle to the village that lies below it, we headed to the small town of Ottobeuren to see the interior of the Benedictine Abbey there. We opened up the heavy door and walked in, and were overwhelmed with the detailed Baroque interior. Every surface is covered with a carving or fresco. We spent about 20-30 minutes here, cameras clicking away. I have to say it doesn't top my all-time favorite, St. Stephen's in Passau, Germany - but the abbey here is beautiful.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Leaving the Rhine and headed for Bavaria
Sunday, May 26, 2013
We left the boat this morning and took a taxi to pick up our rental car in a nearby town. We have a VW minivan with satellite navigation - very handy. We head southeast to Lake Constance or Bodensee as they say in Germany. We stopped in the town of Meersburg for lunch, which would have been a lovely place to sit at a cafe and enjoy the view of the (very large) lake, but it was 5 degrees Celsius out and, after buying some gloves and a warm hat, we left for Fussen which our destination for the night. Why Fussen? Because it is very near to tomorrow's main attraction - the Neuschwanstein Castle.
We made it to Fussen about 4:00 and checked into the Hotel Hirsch which is a charming place. The town was very quiet as today was Sunday and also a holiday here. Mike and I walked around a bit exploring, then decided to drive to the neighboring town to take pictures of the castle lit up at night. We accidentally turned on the wrong road and ended up in Austria(!), which actually was just a few kilometers away, so we turned around and got back to Germany where we belonged!
There area actually two castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Both are lit up at night so we spent some time trying on get good pictures of them even though one is quite a ways up on a hill. Mike saw two fox on our way back but I missed them somehow. We went back to our hotel to a nice warm bed.
We left the boat this morning and took a taxi to pick up our rental car in a nearby town. We have a VW minivan with satellite navigation - very handy. We head southeast to Lake Constance or Bodensee as they say in Germany. We stopped in the town of Meersburg for lunch, which would have been a lovely place to sit at a cafe and enjoy the view of the (very large) lake, but it was 5 degrees Celsius out and, after buying some gloves and a warm hat, we left for Fussen which our destination for the night. Why Fussen? Because it is very near to tomorrow's main attraction - the Neuschwanstein Castle.
We made it to Fussen about 4:00 and checked into the Hotel Hirsch which is a charming place. The town was very quiet as today was Sunday and also a holiday here. Mike and I walked around a bit exploring, then decided to drive to the neighboring town to take pictures of the castle lit up at night. We accidentally turned on the wrong road and ended up in Austria(!), which actually was just a few kilometers away, so we turned around and got back to Germany where we belonged!
There area actually two castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Both are lit up at night so we spent some time trying on get good pictures of them even though one is quite a ways up on a hill. Mike saw two fox on our way back but I missed them somehow. We went back to our hotel to a nice warm bed.
Cruising the Rhine - Colmar
Saturday, May 26, 2013
I was in the fitness room on board this morning (it's a couple of feet above water level), running on the treadmill, when I looked out the floor length window to see a large swan lazily floating by - kind of a surreal moment. There are a lot of swans here and they swim by the boat hoping for someone to throw them pieces of bread. Not that we've done that, of course. ;-)
We went to Colmar, France today. We were able to spend about 4-5 hours there as the boat will remain docked here in Breisach instead of going to Basel. Colmar has a lot of great buildings, very interesting architecturally, from Renaissance to half- timbered and everything in between. It is the home of the sculptor Bartholdi who designed our Statue of Liberty, and also Albert Schweitzer. This city also has canals and storks, like Strasbourg. They are proud of being French though Colmar has been "acquired" by Germany more than once in the past.
This is our last night on the boat, so we enjoyed a farewell dinner and made sure we had our favorite waiter, Carlos, who is from Portugal. We have met several nice couples on this trip - some Americans, an Australian couple, and a couple from Wales, all of whom were interesting and fun to talk to. It's been a good cruise but we're ready to get going on our own now.
I was in the fitness room on board this morning (it's a couple of feet above water level), running on the treadmill, when I looked out the floor length window to see a large swan lazily floating by - kind of a surreal moment. There are a lot of swans here and they swim by the boat hoping for someone to throw them pieces of bread. Not that we've done that, of course. ;-)
We went to Colmar, France today. We were able to spend about 4-5 hours there as the boat will remain docked here in Breisach instead of going to Basel. Colmar has a lot of great buildings, very interesting architecturally, from Renaissance to half- timbered and everything in between. It is the home of the sculptor Bartholdi who designed our Statue of Liberty, and also Albert Schweitzer. This city also has canals and storks, like Strasbourg. They are proud of being French though Colmar has been "acquired" by Germany more than once in the past.
This is our last night on the boat, so we enjoyed a farewell dinner and made sure we had our favorite waiter, Carlos, who is from Portugal. We have met several nice couples on this trip - some Americans, an Australian couple, and a couple from Wales, all of whom were interesting and fun to talk to. It's been a good cruise but we're ready to get going on our own now.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
A small glitch
So, as you might have gathered by now, the weather has been very wet and cold and windy. We found out today that so much rain has been falling in Switzerland and the level of the Rhine has risen so much, that our boat cannot fit under the bridge that lies between us and our final destination for the cruise - Basel, Switzerland.
We had train tickets from Basel to Freiburg im Breisgau to pick up our rental car and continue on our way. No way to change the tickets, so Uniworld arranged for us to have a private taxi (at their expense) to take us to Freiburg from our last stop which is now Breisach, Germany. Everyone from the ship was given a taxi or shuttle bus to get them where they needed to go.
We've actually been told by a number of people that this is the coldest Spring in 50 years in this part of Europe. Not much comfort to us as we're freezing most of the time.
We had train tickets from Basel to Freiburg im Breisgau to pick up our rental car and continue on our way. No way to change the tickets, so Uniworld arranged for us to have a private taxi (at their expense) to take us to Freiburg from our last stop which is now Breisach, Germany. Everyone from the ship was given a taxi or shuttle bus to get them where they needed to go.
We've actually been told by a number of people that this is the coldest Spring in 50 years in this part of Europe. Not much comfort to us as we're freezing most of the time.
Cruising the Rhine - the Black Forest
Friday, May 24, 2013
This afternoon we went to the Black Forest to see a "farm museum" and a cuckoo clock maker. And also to have Black Forest cake. ;-)
The drive into the Black Forest was beautiful, the higher we went the more conifer trees we saw, along with charming farmhouses set in little glens with cows in the pastures. The farm museum or Vogtsbauerhof was actually a group of historic farmhouses set together in a little village. One of the houses was originally built in the 1700's and the last inhabitant was a 90 year old lady who lived there until 1964! This house was over 200 years old and had very few of the conveniences that we take for granted every day. It had a straw roof that was about 2 feet thick and one stove for heating and cooking. The various houses in the village were furnished with things that would have been used every day by the people who lived there.
We left the farm and headed to the clockmaker's shop where the clockmaker came out to greet us and to start the mechanism of the house-sized cuckoo clock he had built next to his shop. It had all kinds of figures that moved and doors that opened, it even had a chimney sweep that popped up out of the chimney! We went inside and watched him carving wooden clock parts and looked at the amazing variety of clocks on display. Black Forest cake was offered to everyone and it was absolutely delicious, lots of cherries and cream - yum!
Cruising the Rhine - Strasbourg
Friday, May 24, 2013
This morning we took a tour of Strasbourg, France. It's really a lovely city with beautiful buildings and parks, and canals lacing their way through the city. There are lots of lovely half-timbered buildings and a cathedral that is impossible to fit in one photo - really! I tried it!
The area's mascot is the stork because the storks return from Africa in Spring, and so they were considered the sign of warmer weather and the time to plant and gather crops. There are stork nest pavilions in the parks and the tops of some buildings, but we saw a large number of nests in trees along a boulevard that ran alongside a large park built by Napolean.
The inside of the cathedral has a giant astronomical clock with figures that move and change with the hour as well as the day of the week and the phase of the moon, quite interesting.
We've tried to avoid eating too much of the pastry, but it's so hard to do. The pretzels really seem to be our problem though, we have them every day!
This morning we took a tour of Strasbourg, France. It's really a lovely city with beautiful buildings and parks, and canals lacing their way through the city. There are lots of lovely half-timbered buildings and a cathedral that is impossible to fit in one photo - really! I tried it!
The area's mascot is the stork because the storks return from Africa in Spring, and so they were considered the sign of warmer weather and the time to plant and gather crops. There are stork nest pavilions in the parks and the tops of some buildings, but we saw a large number of nests in trees along a boulevard that ran alongside a large park built by Napolean.
The inside of the cathedral has a giant astronomical clock with figures that move and change with the hour as well as the day of the week and the phase of the moon, quite interesting.
We've tried to avoid eating too much of the pastry, but it's so hard to do. The pretzels really seem to be our problem though, we have them every day!
Cruising the Rhine- Heidelberg
Thursday, May 23, 2013
We spent the cold, windy morning (are you sensing a recurring theme here?) in Speyer, which frankly was not that interesting for us.
We made up for it in the afternoon though, because we went to Heidelberg, which was something I really wanted to see. Unfortunately it poured rain the entire time we were there- but we enjoyed it anyway. The castle at Heidelberg is partially in ruins while some parts are still intact. The terrace is intact and overlooks the Neckar River and there is an old arched bridge, the Alta Brucke, that spans the river below the castle. The carvings on the colonnades are amazing, and the portcullis is still intact! The portcullis is the spiky metal gate that the castle inhabitants would drop down to close off the entrance to invaders. The wine cellar has a wine barrel that holds over 50,000 gallons of wine, the thing is huge! We had a little free time in town, but nearly enough. They have a university there and the town is seems to be a goid mix of young and old. We put Heidelberg on our list of places we'd like to see again.
We spent the cold, windy morning (are you sensing a recurring theme here?) in Speyer, which frankly was not that interesting for us.
We made up for it in the afternoon though, because we went to Heidelberg, which was something I really wanted to see. Unfortunately it poured rain the entire time we were there- but we enjoyed it anyway. The castle at Heidelberg is partially in ruins while some parts are still intact. The terrace is intact and overlooks the Neckar River and there is an old arched bridge, the Alta Brucke, that spans the river below the castle. The carvings on the colonnades are amazing, and the portcullis is still intact! The portcullis is the spiky metal gate that the castle inhabitants would drop down to close off the entrance to invaders. The wine cellar has a wine barrel that holds over 50,000 gallons of wine, the thing is huge! We had a little free time in town, but nearly enough. They have a university there and the town is seems to be a goid mix of young and old. We put Heidelberg on our list of places we'd like to see again.
Cruising the Rhine - Castle Vollrads
Wednesday, May 22,2013
This afternoon we took an optional tour of Castle Vollrads. The estate had been in the same family for 27 generations and a continuously operating winery for 800 years! The estate grounds were beautiful and even though we only saw a few rooms, they were really lovely. And huge bouquets of fresh flowers everywhere, including peonies (one of my faves). They had a huge chandelier made of Meissen porcelain, a beautiful piece.
Oh, wait, I should say something about the wine, right? The specialty in the area is white wine so we tasted three, a relatively dry wine, a slightly sweeter one, and a sweet wine. All quite good though I don't normally like sweet wine. Our guide was charming and obviously loves his work, taking a lot of pride in the wine they produce. A nice tour, though we would have loved to explore a bit more.
This afternoon we took an optional tour of Castle Vollrads. The estate had been in the same family for 27 generations and a continuously operating winery for 800 years! The estate grounds were beautiful and even though we only saw a few rooms, they were really lovely. And huge bouquets of fresh flowers everywhere, including peonies (one of my faves). They had a huge chandelier made of Meissen porcelain, a beautiful piece.
Oh, wait, I should say something about the wine, right? The specialty in the area is white wine so we tasted three, a relatively dry wine, a slightly sweeter one, and a sweet wine. All quite good though I don't normally like sweet wine. Our guide was charming and obviously loves his work, taking a lot of pride in the wine they produce. A nice tour, though we would have loved to explore a bit more.
Cruising the Rhine - Castle Day!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Today was the day we would cruise the part of the Rhine River with the greatest number of castles overlooking the river, I think 14 in all. We were really looking forward to the day, and even the windy cold weather couldn't keep us off the top deck. The weather made photography a little challenging and all of us amateur photographers were commiserating about the technical challenges. I managed to get some pretty good shots despite the fact that my fingers were freezing most of the time.
Rheinstein Castle has a cage that hangs from the front of the tower that they used to put prisoners in and then leave them there to die. Their remains were a warning to others who might displease the prince. The ruins of Sterrenberg and Liebenstein Castles are separated by a "hostility wall". The brothers who owned the castles apparently didn't like each much and eventually killed each other. We passed the Lorelei rock which, according to local legend, was inhabited by a female siren whose song lured sailors to their death in the tricky current here. The Mouse Tower sits on an island in the river and was a toll station for boats traveling up and down the river. If a boat decided not to stop and pay the toll, there was a chain in the river that could be raised to tear the ship apart from being forced against the chain by the current. Definitely not the happy fairy tale kind of castles, but still very interesting to learn about.
The chef on board offered a special snack buffet, a Fruhschoppen, which included fresh baked pretzels and pretzel buns (I love these), sauerkraut, beer, etc. We opted for pretzels and hot chocolate cuz it was nice to hold the warm cup in our frozen hands.
Today was the day we would cruise the part of the Rhine River with the greatest number of castles overlooking the river, I think 14 in all. We were really looking forward to the day, and even the windy cold weather couldn't keep us off the top deck. The weather made photography a little challenging and all of us amateur photographers were commiserating about the technical challenges. I managed to get some pretty good shots despite the fact that my fingers were freezing most of the time.
Rheinstein Castle has a cage that hangs from the front of the tower that they used to put prisoners in and then leave them there to die. Their remains were a warning to others who might displease the prince. The ruins of Sterrenberg and Liebenstein Castles are separated by a "hostility wall". The brothers who owned the castles apparently didn't like each much and eventually killed each other. We passed the Lorelei rock which, according to local legend, was inhabited by a female siren whose song lured sailors to their death in the tricky current here. The Mouse Tower sits on an island in the river and was a toll station for boats traveling up and down the river. If a boat decided not to stop and pay the toll, there was a chain in the river that could be raised to tear the ship apart from being forced against the chain by the current. Definitely not the happy fairy tale kind of castles, but still very interesting to learn about.
The chef on board offered a special snack buffet, a Fruhschoppen, which included fresh baked pretzels and pretzel buns (I love these), sauerkraut, beer, etc. We opted for pretzels and hot chocolate cuz it was nice to hold the warm cup in our frozen hands.
Hooray for fast Internet!
Finally! We're staying in a place with high speed Internet! I need to edit some of my previous entries, add photos, and post new entries- I'm way behind.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Delayed posts
Sorry about the delay in posting new entries, but the Internet on the boat is quite slow because it relies on satellite when we're under way. It's been a bit frustrating for me, and I hope I'm not forgetting to mention all sorts of fun and interesting things. Hopefully I can find better Internet access once we're off the boat.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Cruising the Rhine - Marksburg Castle
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
We took an optional trip today to Marksburg Castle. We arrived for our tour and met our guide, Emmalagh, who produced a giant skeleton key and proceeded to open the castle gate to let us in! Tours are given by appointment only, otherwise the castle is locked. We ascended 120 steps to enter the castle, then walked up the Riders' Staircase, which is not a staircase at all but dips and grooves and lumps worn into the rock by the hooves of the knights' horses as they rode up to the inner castle gates. There was a wine cellar, several canons, living and sleeping quarters, a giant wine press, frescoes on the ceilings, and displays of knights' armor from several centuries. A cool place and definitely worth seeing. We love "storming the castle"!
We took an optional trip today to Marksburg Castle. We arrived for our tour and met our guide, Emmalagh, who produced a giant skeleton key and proceeded to open the castle gate to let us in! Tours are given by appointment only, otherwise the castle is locked. We ascended 120 steps to enter the castle, then walked up the Riders' Staircase, which is not a staircase at all but dips and grooves and lumps worn into the rock by the hooves of the knights' horses as they rode up to the inner castle gates. There was a wine cellar, several canons, living and sleeping quarters, a giant wine press, frescoes on the ceilings, and displays of knights' armor from several centuries. A cool place and definitely worth seeing. We love "storming the castle"!
Cruising the Rhine - Koblenz
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Today we arrived in Koblenz, a town situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers. We strolled around the town and took a tram ride up to a Ehrenbreitstein fortress on the hill overlooking the city. The view was great from up there and the tour of the fortress was interesting. It's one of the few places that was never burned or bombed by invading forces. There was a group of schoolchildren coming down on the tram as we were going up - they seemed to have enjoyed their field trip despite the cold and windy weather.
Today we arrived in Koblenz, a town situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers. We strolled around the town and took a tram ride up to a Ehrenbreitstein fortress on the hill overlooking the city. The view was great from up there and the tour of the fortress was interesting. It's one of the few places that was never burned or bombed by invading forces. There was a group of schoolchildren coming down on the tram as we were going up - they seemed to have enjoyed their field trip despite the cold and windy weather.
Cruising the Rhine - Cologne
Sunday afternoon, May 19, 2013
We left Amsterdam and headed down the Rhine on the SS Antoinette, a Uniworld riverboat. Our stateroom is very nice and has a large window that covers one entire wall, the top of the the window glides up and down to allow for fresh air and leaning out to enjoy the scenery. This is our second cruise with Uniworld, and their boats seem much nicer than the others we see.
Monday, may 20, 2013
Our first day, we stop at Cologne. They have a huge Gothic cathedral there, though I actually prefer the Baroque style. While in Cologne, we went in search of the Gestapo Museum they have there and found it about an hour before they closed. It was not really what we expected, the building was empty except for displays of some of the letters and poems the prisoners had written on the walls. I think we expected to see it furnished with desks and maybe displays of Gestapo uniforms. We decided that perhaps they didn't want to draw attention to anything other than the prisoners and their thoughts, but we're not sure.
We left Amsterdam and headed down the Rhine on the SS Antoinette, a Uniworld riverboat. Our stateroom is very nice and has a large window that covers one entire wall, the top of the the window glides up and down to allow for fresh air and leaning out to enjoy the scenery. This is our second cruise with Uniworld, and their boats seem much nicer than the others we see.
Monday, may 20, 2013
Our first day, we stop at Cologne. They have a huge Gothic cathedral there, though I actually prefer the Baroque style. While in Cologne, we went in search of the Gestapo Museum they have there and found it about an hour before they closed. It was not really what we expected, the building was empty except for displays of some of the letters and poems the prisoners had written on the walls. I think we expected to see it furnished with desks and maybe displays of Gestapo uniforms. We decided that perhaps they didn't want to draw attention to anything other than the prisoners and their thoughts, but we're not sure.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
Rhine River/Germany 2013 - Amsterdam
We arrived in Amsterdam this morning for the start of our latest trip - a riverboat cruise on the Rhine River from Amsterdam, along the French/German border, ending in Basel, Switzerland. Then we'll be driving around and exploring Germany for two weeks.
We arrived this morning to gray skies and occasional drizzles of rain. It's quite a bit colder here than the 90 degree weather we've had at home recently. Tomorrow is supposed to clear up, and be a little warmer. So the plan for tomorrow is a canal cruise and to see the floating flower market and just wander around. We may see a couple of museums tomorrow (Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum) or save them for Sunday before we board our riverboat.
We had a nice surprise - the hotel didn't have a room available of the type we reserved, so they upgraded us to a suite. A really, really large suite. It has a full bath (with sitting area), a guest bath, bedroom, huge sitting room with a dining alcove, separate kitchenette/wet bar, and a large office. It's bigger than most apartments I've seen!
The hotel building itself is 100 years old, but it's only been a hotel for a short time, it was a maritime shipping company for many decades. It's very cool because many of the maritime designs are still here, including the ticket windows on the second floor where passengers would buy their tickets for traveling on the ships. On the third floor ceiling, the whole ceiling is made up of leaded glass windows with world maps, constellations, and other navigation symbols etched into the glass.
We arrived this morning to gray skies and occasional drizzles of rain. It's quite a bit colder here than the 90 degree weather we've had at home recently. Tomorrow is supposed to clear up, and be a little warmer. So the plan for tomorrow is a canal cruise and to see the floating flower market and just wander around. We may see a couple of museums tomorrow (Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum) or save them for Sunday before we board our riverboat.
We had a nice surprise - the hotel didn't have a room available of the type we reserved, so they upgraded us to a suite. A really, really large suite. It has a full bath (with sitting area), a guest bath, bedroom, huge sitting room with a dining alcove, separate kitchenette/wet bar, and a large office. It's bigger than most apartments I've seen!
The hotel building itself is 100 years old, but it's only been a hotel for a short time, it was a maritime shipping company for many decades. It's very cool because many of the maritime designs are still here, including the ticket windows on the second floor where passengers would buy their tickets for traveling on the ships. On the third floor ceiling, the whole ceiling is made up of leaded glass windows with world maps, constellations, and other navigation symbols etched into the glass.
Looking for Ireland/Scotland blog?
Note: If you're looking for my blog posts from Ireland and/or Scotland, go the right side of the web page and click on May 2012-there are several entries there.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
One more day! Today is packing day.
Packing is a challenge because we need nicer clothes for the cruise than for the rest of the trip, and luggage size and weight are always a consideration. And we're taking small suitcases because we need to fit the luggage for four of us in the rental car. Actually clothes aren't the biggest problem - it's the shoes. Dress shoes for the cruise, hiking/walking shoes, workout shoes, and I'm taking sport sandals cuz I'm optimistic about the weather. :-)
Packing is a challenge because we need nicer clothes for the cruise than for the rest of the trip, and luggage size and weight are always a consideration. And we're taking small suitcases because we need to fit the luggage for four of us in the rental car. Actually clothes aren't the biggest problem - it's the shoes. Dress shoes for the cruise, hiking/walking shoes, workout shoes, and I'm taking sport sandals cuz I'm optimistic about the weather. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)