This is our last tour day. We bought tickets yesterday and need to be at the train station at 8:30 for departure. By now, we have the metro down pat--just one stop to get there.
We are among the first to board and sit in the front seat with a great view out of the big windshield.
David was hoping this tour would be led by a younger guide, and it was, but we came to regret it. Her name is Ellen, and she is syrupy sweet, but you can tell she does not enjoy this job. She provides limited information--It is almost like we are paying for bus transportation without a guide--well, that is an exaggeration, but not by much. During the first two hours of the tour, she talked loudly in German with the driver, laughing as though she was having the time of her life. David wondered if the two were having an affair. She sure seemed to be flirting with him. And clearly he was much more the focus of her attention than the passengers. If anyone asks a question, she answers very abruptly, curt and unfriendly. Other passengers commented to us that they also found her rude.
We drove north out of Munich on the so-called Romantic Road. This route has been in existance since Roman times, and begins in southern Bavaria, near the Neuschwanstein Castle, and heads north through Munich and across Germany. The name was given to it several years ago to entice tourists. Actually, a drive along this road reveals medieval Germany at its finest. It was once a trade route through Bavaria. Now it's a mostly scenic drive featuring walled medieval cities, towers, half-timbered houses and lots of tourist resources. The entire road is a little over 260 miles long, from Wurzburg in the northern Franken wine growing region to Fussen in the south where Newschwanstein is.
We drive for more than an hour through lovely rolling hills of a rich agricultural region. The round bales of hay are covered with huge plastic bags, and I wonder how sealing it up doesn't make it mildew or mold inside. There is corn in the fields, grapevines, and other crops I do not recognize. We cross the Danube River, much smaller at this point than in Vienna.
Our first stop is at Harburg Castle, a true medieval castle that is a huge fortress. This is the largest castle complex and one of the oldest and best preserved castles of southern Germany. It is first mentioned in history in 1150, so it is nearly 1,000 years old! It truly retains the feeling of medieval times, the imposing exterior walls towering high above the ground and built with stones, not blocks. Michael Jackson called it "the castle of my dreams" and tried unseccessfully to buy it. Inside the walls, it feels like the middle ages with rustic timbers, inner chambers, a chapel, dungeons, a well, its own orchard in the courtyard, animal shelters, and has displays of medieval armor and weapons. It was an important military stronghold. There are many holes and slits in the exterior walls which were used for defence by allowing guns to be fired on approaching enemies while protecting the person inside. Of course, these are narrow and would only allow the soldier to aim the gun in one direction. It was a chilly and damp day today and that added an aura to the adventure. I imagine this castle was a cold place to live!
This entire region was struck by a meteorite thousands of years ago so we are inside a giant caldera called the Swabian Crater. We can see the elevated rim of the crater all around us in the distance. It is very foggy here and the guide says that is not unusual.
After Harburg, we drove further north to Rothenburg. This is an entire medieval city, surrounded by a high wall. It is described as " the most perfectly preserved medieval town in Europe." We had time on our own to explore there, and started with lunch. We stopped at an open-air restaurant, where the waiter directed us to a table already occupied by another couple. We asked if we could join them and they said sure. We had a great visit with them. They are from Long Island and have adopted a child from China. Her family is from Germany. She has been researching geneology very successfully and told us of some of her exciting finds, like a US immigration application document which showed a great grandfather's home town in Germany. They are travelling by car and plan to stay overnight in Rothenburg. We, on the other hand, have only a couple of more hours to see the place, so regretfully excuse ourselves to look around. There are many tourist shops and they brag about their Christmas shop, but we want to see the city more than shop.
We begin with St. Jacob's church, a protestant church whose construction started in 1311. As the largest church of the time, it reflected the city's wealth and organized worship of God. There are huge beautiful stained glass windows and a famous "Holy Blood Altar", which claims a relic of a drop of Christ's blood.. We walked a few blocks to the edge of the city to climb steps up the wall and walked along the wall for some time. It is a great way to view the city and the surrounding countryside. The town hall in the Market Square center of town has a high tower, which was a watchman's tower. We climbed and climbed and climbed the stairs, which became narrower and narrower, finally ending in just a ladder, from which you emerge through a four-foot opening on your hands and knees onto the catwalk around the huge bell. I hope they don't ring the bell. At this close range, it might break our eardrums! We inch our way around the four sides of the bell. There is only room for a few tourists at a time up here! It is a great photo op, and David takes lots of pictures of the town, the market square below us, and the vistas across the landscape beyond the town. We have to get back down the ladder in reverse, feeling our way for each step as we descend. I felt sore in my gluteal muscles for two days after this adventure. There are other churches and gardens, lots to see. We decide to stop for a drink before we get back on the bus at 4, so visit another outdoor cafe for beer and hot tea.
The return home trip did not take "the scenic route" Romantic Road, instead we drove on the Autobaun. It is true that there is no speed limit for cars. Busses and trucks do have speed limits and there are stretches that even for cars, have speed limit signs. Porches and BMWs zoom past us. The highway itself is like our interstates, three lanes on each side, with truck stop areas and rest stops. There is not much to see, most of the road is lined with trees. The guide suggests we use this time to rest. But now our guide calls a friend on her cell phone and talks and laughs so loudly that there is no way the tourists can rest, even if they wanted to. Very unprofessional! I am relieved when she ends the call after an hour, but then she makes another call!
We are driving through the hops-growing area, but they have been harvested, so all that remains are 12-foot tall poles and wires in the fields. Hops must grow like grapes on a vine? Finally we approach Munich from the north and can see the Olympic tower in the distance, We pass the Audi and BMW production plants and the airport.
Back at the train station, we first decide to go to a nearby beergarden, but no one comes to take our order and we decide to head back to the room. Neither of us is hungry for dinner, and we want to pack and get organized for our 4 am departure to the airport tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sept 24, Sat. Munich City
We have breakfast at the hotel, then walk back to the main train station to find the hop-on/off bus. It departs at 10, and we ride it only part way through the city tour as we arrive at the main city square, called Marienplatz, at about 10:40, and we want to be in the square to see the famous glockenspiel clock, which performs at 11 am, noon, and 5 pm. We walk into the square which is filling with people, and has many patrons at the sidewalk cafes at the sides of the square. This mechanism first rings bells for about three minutes, then has a series of three medieval performances on the face of the clock tower just below the clock. The first is a joust, where two knights on horseback try to unseat each other. Of course the Bavarian knight always wins on the second pass. Below this area follows another performance which is supposed to be aboout surviving the plague. It has various characters dancing and moving. Finally, at the top of the area is a rooster, who slides forward and makes a noise.
I overhear an English speaking guide in the square telling all about this. She says this famous feature in Munich is the second most over-rated tourist sight in Europe. The bells are so out of tune that the songs are not recognizable, and the rooster crow is pretty lame. But it is tradition. And we can say we have seen it. The guide goes on to explain that she is a free lance guide and will be conducting a three-hour walking tour and people can pay at the end what they think it was worth. We decide to tag along and this is a terrific decision. She is from the UK, so her English is good, and she tells the greatest stories, and has a fun sense of humor. We follow her around for the full three hours, really enjoying learning about the city. She talks about the square, takes us to two of the famous churches, the open-air market, the beer garden, the opera house, and many other sights, giving us insider details. For example, she points out in the huge Catholic church a number of symbols placed at intervals along the ceiling. One of them is a Menorah. Why a Menorah in a Catholic church? During the war, the church assisted the Jews by hiding inside the church many of the Jewish religious treasures. This was strictly forbidden under penalty of death. But the Catholics saved the treasures and the Jews helped to rebuild the bombed Catholic church. Some of the things she points out are ones we would not have otherwise noticed, like a small cannon ball stuck into the side of a church. She even covers the Hitler era with an abbreviated history which makes great sense. She talks about the damage to the city from the war and how the city was rebuilt. She is by far the best tour guide we have had so far. We are happy to give her a generous tip.
The tour ends about 2 and we are ready for lunch, so choose a restaurant near the square to rest and eat and people watch. I have yummy pumpkin soup and David has a plate with three kinds of sausages, sourkraut and mashed potatoes. Great food. And of course, he has a beer.
By now it is after 4. We want to go to Rothenberg tomorrow, so need to buy a ticket at the train station. We take the metro there and purchase the tour tickets.
I read in the guidebook about the huge English garden in Munich. It is larger than Central Park in NY, and larger than Hyde Park in London. We ask the info desk at the station the best metro to take and he says" take the 100 bus which goes directly there." So we catch this bus and soon have arrived. We see a crowd of people and walk over to see what they are looking at. They are standing on a bridge looking down at the water. The fast-running water comes rushing out from under the bridge and meets a concrete barrier under the water. This causes a motion like rapids or similar to the ocean surf and there are about 20 people, men and women, who are taking turns jumping in and surfing on the water! Each turn lasts as long as the person can keep their balance, some not at all and some for up to a minute, shifting their weight and surfing the board back and forth across the rushing water. Soon each one goes down and falls into the water, bobs downstream with their board attached to their ankle, recovers and swims back up to the spot to climb out and gets back in line to do it again. We watched for quite a while before moving further inside the park. Like the other parks I have described, this one is soothing, lots of beautiful flowers, people sunbathing on the grass, a woman throwing a stick for her dog to retrieve out of the water, kids in strollers, a toddler feeding swans. We sit for a while. After all, we walked all morning.
Ready to head back to the room, we decide we are not hungry for dinner after our late lunch. We come back to blog and prepare for tomorrow. The folks outside the hotel are celebrating Oktoberfest in the bar across the street and their revelry is noisy enough to keep us awake. David shuts the window and that helps. We are down for the count.
I overhear an English speaking guide in the square telling all about this. She says this famous feature in Munich is the second most over-rated tourist sight in Europe. The bells are so out of tune that the songs are not recognizable, and the rooster crow is pretty lame. But it is tradition. And we can say we have seen it. The guide goes on to explain that she is a free lance guide and will be conducting a three-hour walking tour and people can pay at the end what they think it was worth. We decide to tag along and this is a terrific decision. She is from the UK, so her English is good, and she tells the greatest stories, and has a fun sense of humor. We follow her around for the full three hours, really enjoying learning about the city. She talks about the square, takes us to two of the famous churches, the open-air market, the beer garden, the opera house, and many other sights, giving us insider details. For example, she points out in the huge Catholic church a number of symbols placed at intervals along the ceiling. One of them is a Menorah. Why a Menorah in a Catholic church? During the war, the church assisted the Jews by hiding inside the church many of the Jewish religious treasures. This was strictly forbidden under penalty of death. But the Catholics saved the treasures and the Jews helped to rebuild the bombed Catholic church. Some of the things she points out are ones we would not have otherwise noticed, like a small cannon ball stuck into the side of a church. She even covers the Hitler era with an abbreviated history which makes great sense. She talks about the damage to the city from the war and how the city was rebuilt. She is by far the best tour guide we have had so far. We are happy to give her a generous tip.
The tour ends about 2 and we are ready for lunch, so choose a restaurant near the square to rest and eat and people watch. I have yummy pumpkin soup and David has a plate with three kinds of sausages, sourkraut and mashed potatoes. Great food. And of course, he has a beer.
By now it is after 4. We want to go to Rothenberg tomorrow, so need to buy a ticket at the train station. We take the metro there and purchase the tour tickets.
I read in the guidebook about the huge English garden in Munich. It is larger than Central Park in NY, and larger than Hyde Park in London. We ask the info desk at the station the best metro to take and he says" take the 100 bus which goes directly there." So we catch this bus and soon have arrived. We see a crowd of people and walk over to see what they are looking at. They are standing on a bridge looking down at the water. The fast-running water comes rushing out from under the bridge and meets a concrete barrier under the water. This causes a motion like rapids or similar to the ocean surf and there are about 20 people, men and women, who are taking turns jumping in and surfing on the water! Each turn lasts as long as the person can keep their balance, some not at all and some for up to a minute, shifting their weight and surfing the board back and forth across the rushing water. Soon each one goes down and falls into the water, bobs downstream with their board attached to their ankle, recovers and swims back up to the spot to climb out and gets back in line to do it again. We watched for quite a while before moving further inside the park. Like the other parks I have described, this one is soothing, lots of beautiful flowers, people sunbathing on the grass, a woman throwing a stick for her dog to retrieve out of the water, kids in strollers, a toddler feeding swans. We sit for a while. After all, we walked all morning.
Ready to head back to the room, we decide we are not hungry for dinner after our late lunch. We come back to blog and prepare for tomorrow. The folks outside the hotel are celebrating Oktoberfest in the bar across the street and their revelry is noisy enough to keep us awake. David shuts the window and that helps. We are down for the count.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Sept 23 Oktoberfest
While we were on the tour bus to Neuschwanstein Castle, we met a couple from Goodyear, AZ, Gerri and Russell. We chatted with them off and on during the tour and took photos for each other on the bridge and at other photo ops. They have a time share for a week at Salzburg, but are staying a couple of nights in Munich. By the time our tour today had ended, we had decided to go together to Oktoberfest tonight at the end of the tour. They want to see it and so do we, and they leave in the morning. While still on the tour bus, I asked the guide to tell us about how to get there and what to expect. She picked up the microphone and gave her answer to the whole bus. She started by saying "It will wear you out!"
The four of us got off the tour bus, tipped our guide, who really was excellent, even if she fretted about people getting back to the coach on time at every stop. We decided it would be less expensive to eat before we got to the Oktoberfest, so stopped at a small restaurant at the train station. After we ate, we tried again to buy metro tickets at the machine, but could not get it to work, even though a German man went through it with us. He finally said the F word and suggested we go to the window. There is a special offer for three day passes, and they can include up to five persons, so we bought one pass for the four of us. Now we are ready to go. We know from last night that the metro trains are jammed with Oktoberfest visitors. The population of munich is 1.3 million. During Oktoberfest, there are over 7 million people in the city. The metro trains double the number of cars to try to manage the load. We warned our friends to be ready for the crowds, went down the escalator and managed to squeeze onto the first train that came though. Oktoberfest is just one stop away, so when the doors open everyone pours out and jams the escalators going up to street level.
When we walk out of the metro exit the Oktoberfest spread out before us. It covers an area of several square blocks, and my best description would be state fair on steroids. There are neon lights flashing everywhere, throngs of people, dozens of rides, kiosks selling souvenirs and food, games of skill, and deafening noise. Of couse, there are huge beer tents, seating 5,000 or more each. But more about that later. There is no admission, just walk off the metro and into the crowd. We keep close tabs on each other so as not to be lost among the crowd. We walk along just watching the people. Everyone is laughing and having fun--obviously drinking a lot. Most are dressed in the traditional costumes. Men have red or blue checked shirts and laderhosen, which can very in length from walking shorts to ankle length. Women's styles are more varied, but all have a white blouse and a full skirted jumper. The bodice of the jumper comes under the breasts. Most of the styles show lots of cleavage. Some jumpers are solid color, but most have embroidery of flowers or some other pattern. These outfits are worn by woman of all ages.
There are lots of police and we see paramedics dealing with people down, whom we assume have passed out. Some of the souvenirs are crazy hats, and lots of folks are wearing them. Simple ones look like felt Bavarian hats, but silly ones have yellow or maybe even blue yarn braids hanging down, or look like a giant beer glass. They also have large cookies (like we see at the mall in the states) with Oktoberfest sayings written on them. These are suspended by a cord which women hang around their necks, so some women may have two or three of these cookies around their neck, and they also wear them during the day on the street in town.
Groups of young men hang out together, shouting or singing. Couples are necking. Everyone is buying food or playing games or just walking around in the crowd. The beer halls (tents) are filled with huge long tables, where you sit at an empty space and be glad to have it. You are afraid to lose your spot if you get up to go to the bathroom. These halls have striped tape (like police tape, but colored) across the entry area about ten feet in front of the door. There are also several guys, like bouncers, whose job it is to keep people out of the hall. So if anyone tries to duck under the tape to get inside, one or two of these guys will come to tell him or even shove him, back on the other side of the tape. We never did figure out the system of getting in. We thought at first that it was just crowd control--when so many leave, that many more get in, but that did not seem to be the case. We stood at a tape, hoping to get inside, just to see what was going on. Finally a woman "bouncer" decides to let Gerri under the tape, not to go inside the building, but to have a place at a table in front of the building. She let the rest of us in when we said we were together.
A young man trying to get in had a strip of lavender fabric which he thought would get him in as a wrist band. He asked me to try to tie the band on, and I tried, but it was too short. While I was trying to do this, the woman let us in, and this young man came under the tape with the four of us and got inside.
We sat at an empty table just outside the hall, against the front wall of the tent and a beer maid came to take our order. Russell ordered 4 beers. These mugs are a full liter, and cost 10 Eoros each. Gerri looks at me and says " I don't drink", and I said "Neither do I"! But I guess this is a place where the maids expect each person to order a beer. Not that I plan to drink it, but it now it sits at the table in front of me for photos. A couple joins us and we learn he is a pilot and she is a flight attendant for Continental airlines. We enjoy talking with them and hearing about how they travel all over the world on a daily basis. He lives on the east coast and she on the west, but they are a couple and commuting across the country is apparently not an issue.
But we still have not been inside a beer hall, so I take the camera and try to get in for photos. The guard at first says no, but when I show the camera and say I just want a picture, he lets me in. I am amazed to get in, and even more amazed at the huge size of the hall. What a mob scene! Many people are dancing on the tables, and everyone is singing the same loud drinking song. I take some photos, but there is so much action that I do not know if any of them will be good--maybe just too blurry.
When I go back to the table outside, it is about 10 pm, we decide we are ready to leave, and walk back to the metro stop. David bought me some kettlecorn on the way. There is a huge crowd at the metro entrance. We hear an announcement in German and suddenly we see these big doors sliding closed which closes off the entrance. The actual station below must be too jammed, so likely a few trains go by to deplete the crowd below, and after a few minutes, the doors open and we go down the escalator and board the train. It is a crush of people and the train takes off. When we get to the hauptbahnhof (central train station) which is our stop, it is so crowded we can hardly push our way off the train. Gerri says "I never dreamed we would have trouble getting OFF the train!" We go up the escalator into the station and say our goodbyes. I give Gerri our card with contact info. Even though there is a metro stop right beside out hotel, David and I decide to walk back. We are ready for a good nights sleep after a long day to the castle and the Oktoberfest.
The four of us got off the tour bus, tipped our guide, who really was excellent, even if she fretted about people getting back to the coach on time at every stop. We decided it would be less expensive to eat before we got to the Oktoberfest, so stopped at a small restaurant at the train station. After we ate, we tried again to buy metro tickets at the machine, but could not get it to work, even though a German man went through it with us. He finally said the F word and suggested we go to the window. There is a special offer for three day passes, and they can include up to five persons, so we bought one pass for the four of us. Now we are ready to go. We know from last night that the metro trains are jammed with Oktoberfest visitors. The population of munich is 1.3 million. During Oktoberfest, there are over 7 million people in the city. The metro trains double the number of cars to try to manage the load. We warned our friends to be ready for the crowds, went down the escalator and managed to squeeze onto the first train that came though. Oktoberfest is just one stop away, so when the doors open everyone pours out and jams the escalators going up to street level.
When we walk out of the metro exit the Oktoberfest spread out before us. It covers an area of several square blocks, and my best description would be state fair on steroids. There are neon lights flashing everywhere, throngs of people, dozens of rides, kiosks selling souvenirs and food, games of skill, and deafening noise. Of couse, there are huge beer tents, seating 5,000 or more each. But more about that later. There is no admission, just walk off the metro and into the crowd. We keep close tabs on each other so as not to be lost among the crowd. We walk along just watching the people. Everyone is laughing and having fun--obviously drinking a lot. Most are dressed in the traditional costumes. Men have red or blue checked shirts and laderhosen, which can very in length from walking shorts to ankle length. Women's styles are more varied, but all have a white blouse and a full skirted jumper. The bodice of the jumper comes under the breasts. Most of the styles show lots of cleavage. Some jumpers are solid color, but most have embroidery of flowers or some other pattern. These outfits are worn by woman of all ages.
There are lots of police and we see paramedics dealing with people down, whom we assume have passed out. Some of the souvenirs are crazy hats, and lots of folks are wearing them. Simple ones look like felt Bavarian hats, but silly ones have yellow or maybe even blue yarn braids hanging down, or look like a giant beer glass. They also have large cookies (like we see at the mall in the states) with Oktoberfest sayings written on them. These are suspended by a cord which women hang around their necks, so some women may have two or three of these cookies around their neck, and they also wear them during the day on the street in town.
Groups of young men hang out together, shouting or singing. Couples are necking. Everyone is buying food or playing games or just walking around in the crowd. The beer halls (tents) are filled with huge long tables, where you sit at an empty space and be glad to have it. You are afraid to lose your spot if you get up to go to the bathroom. These halls have striped tape (like police tape, but colored) across the entry area about ten feet in front of the door. There are also several guys, like bouncers, whose job it is to keep people out of the hall. So if anyone tries to duck under the tape to get inside, one or two of these guys will come to tell him or even shove him, back on the other side of the tape. We never did figure out the system of getting in. We thought at first that it was just crowd control--when so many leave, that many more get in, but that did not seem to be the case. We stood at a tape, hoping to get inside, just to see what was going on. Finally a woman "bouncer" decides to let Gerri under the tape, not to go inside the building, but to have a place at a table in front of the building. She let the rest of us in when we said we were together.
A young man trying to get in had a strip of lavender fabric which he thought would get him in as a wrist band. He asked me to try to tie the band on, and I tried, but it was too short. While I was trying to do this, the woman let us in, and this young man came under the tape with the four of us and got inside.
We sat at an empty table just outside the hall, against the front wall of the tent and a beer maid came to take our order. Russell ordered 4 beers. These mugs are a full liter, and cost 10 Eoros each. Gerri looks at me and says " I don't drink", and I said "Neither do I"! But I guess this is a place where the maids expect each person to order a beer. Not that I plan to drink it, but it now it sits at the table in front of me for photos. A couple joins us and we learn he is a pilot and she is a flight attendant for Continental airlines. We enjoy talking with them and hearing about how they travel all over the world on a daily basis. He lives on the east coast and she on the west, but they are a couple and commuting across the country is apparently not an issue.
But we still have not been inside a beer hall, so I take the camera and try to get in for photos. The guard at first says no, but when I show the camera and say I just want a picture, he lets me in. I am amazed to get in, and even more amazed at the huge size of the hall. What a mob scene! Many people are dancing on the tables, and everyone is singing the same loud drinking song. I take some photos, but there is so much action that I do not know if any of them will be good--maybe just too blurry.
When I go back to the table outside, it is about 10 pm, we decide we are ready to leave, and walk back to the metro stop. David bought me some kettlecorn on the way. There is a huge crowd at the metro entrance. We hear an announcement in German and suddenly we see these big doors sliding closed which closes off the entrance. The actual station below must be too jammed, so likely a few trains go by to deplete the crowd below, and after a few minutes, the doors open and we go down the escalator and board the train. It is a crush of people and the train takes off. When we get to the hauptbahnhof (central train station) which is our stop, it is so crowded we can hardly push our way off the train. Gerri says "I never dreamed we would have trouble getting OFF the train!" We go up the escalator into the station and say our goodbyes. I give Gerri our card with contact info. Even though there is a metro stop right beside out hotel, David and I decide to walk back. We are ready for a good nights sleep after a long day to the castle and the Oktoberfest.
Sept 23 Incredibly Beautiful Neuschwanstein
Visiting this wonderful castle has long been on my bucket list. We booked this tour before we left the US, so had vouchers to give to Gray Line Tours. But we had some difficulty finding the pick up site. Instructions gave the name of a large department store and we found that easily, but there was much street construstion around the area, and we could not see where the tour buses were. Finally we noticed a slip of paper stapled to the plywood fencing around part of the construction which said where the buses were. Fortunately we were there early, so made it on board in plenty of time, but we were not the only ones who had difficulty finding the spot.
Once on board, things went well. The tour director is a seasoned veteran director and was a wealth of information as we drove through Munich and out of town. She talked about the city, mentioning things like polution abatement efforts and recycling and local history as well as Bavarian history. We have heard before that these folks consider themselves Bavarian first and German second.
The tour inlcudes three stops. First, we visited Oberammergau, famous for the Passion Plays every ten years. This was a stretch break for toilets and shopping. This area is famous for its woodcarvings of all sorts, including cookoo clocks of all sizes and with all sorts of animals and peole dancing and moving, like chopping or sawing wood.
The second stop was Linderhof Castle, where we admired a lovely grotto and fountain with cascades, We also saw aMoorish Pavillion there. We had a brief tour of the interior of thecastle.and we steadily gained ground. As the Bavarian Alps came into view, the guide pointed out the tallest mountain in Germany, but said it was 9,000 feet.
Once on board, things went well. The tour director is a seasoned veteran director and was a wealth of information as we drove through Munich and out of town. She talked about the city, mentioning things like polution abatement efforts and recycling and local history as well as Bavarian history. We have heard before that these folks consider themselves Bavarian first and German second.
The tour inlcudes three stops. First, we visited Oberammergau, famous for the Passion Plays every ten years. This was a stretch break for toilets and shopping. This area is famous for its woodcarvings of all sorts, including cookoo clocks of all sizes and with all sorts of animals and peole dancing and moving, like chopping or sawing wood.
The second stop was Linderhof Castle, where we admired a lovely grotto and fountain with cascades, We also saw aMoorish Pavillion there. We had a brief tour of the interior of thecastle.and we steadily gained ground. As the Bavarian Alps came into view, the guide pointed out the tallest mountain in Germany, but said it was 9,000 feet.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sept 22 Travel Day Prague to Munich
Just a note about our return home plans. We are due to arrive in Phoenix at 3:40 pm on Delta Airlines, flight 899 from Minneapolis, September 26. Gerald and Anne have offered to pick us up.
We ate breakfast, checked out, and took a taxi to the Prague train station, got there early and stood inside at the electronic departure board. Our train was listed, but not a platform yet, so we waited for one to be posted, watching people. Finally platform 3 appeared on the board beside our train and we took our luggage to the train. I checked for the first class car, as sometimes it is in the front and sometimes the rear. This time it is front, so we find the car, board and get to our assigned seats. This was all so much less stressful today than it has been in the past, and we do not even have to change trains. The first class car is comfortable and even has a table between the seats.
We pull out on time and chat for a while with the woman across from us, who is Chek, but employed by a German medical equipment company. We chat about her work, travel in Europe, and the economy. This train is an express, but does make stops, so gradually the car becomes full of people. Part of the car is divided off for the club car. A waitress comes to take orders for drinks and we are ready for coffee and tea.
A couple boards with a baby who is well behaved, not yet talking, but trying to. A man behind us is from California and talks too much and too loud the entire trip. We are glad we are not the Australian couple who are sitting across from him.
We alternately watch scenery or try to nap. There are more roads and more farm equipment working in the fields than we saw in other countries. The soil looks rich and dark and there is a lot of water-rivers and irrigation canals. David reads a while. As more people board, they are dressed in traditional costumes, with aprons and laderhosen and checkered shirts. They are headed to Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest, but do not wait to begin, as they are drinking beer on the train, laughing and having fun.The train is a few minutes late pulling into the main train station in Munich about 3:30. Now we see many folks in the station in the traditional costumes. There is a festive air about the entire place.
We plan to buy a three day metro transit pass, but even though the machine has English translation, we cannot figure out which type to buy. David suggests we get a taxi, so we take our bags to the cab stand. When we show the driver the card with the hotel address, he says it is close enough to walk and points the way. We walk a couple of blocks--sound familiar?--but do not see the hotel. I check at a different hotel desk and get a map and better directions. They say it is close enough to walk. Finally we arrive, but this has taken some effort to pull the bags what turns out to be several blocks. Maybe the cab driver wanted a fare from a longer ride?? We check in and get settled. There is free wi-fi in the room and breakfast is included. We even have a little balcony, and the temperature is just right to sit outside.
Across the street is an Italian restaurant, so we head over for dinner-good food at reasonable prices. Of course, David has a German beer. We wander around the neighborhood a bit before coming back to the room about 7. As I have said before, a day of train travel is tiring, even though you would think sitting on the train would be easy. We are ready for showers and a good rest. We have a tour booked tomorrow to go to Neuschwanstein Castle and need to meet the tour at 8:30 across the street from the train station. At least we now now it is close enough to walk there.
We ate breakfast, checked out, and took a taxi to the Prague train station, got there early and stood inside at the electronic departure board. Our train was listed, but not a platform yet, so we waited for one to be posted, watching people. Finally platform 3 appeared on the board beside our train and we took our luggage to the train. I checked for the first class car, as sometimes it is in the front and sometimes the rear. This time it is front, so we find the car, board and get to our assigned seats. This was all so much less stressful today than it has been in the past, and we do not even have to change trains. The first class car is comfortable and even has a table between the seats.
We pull out on time and chat for a while with the woman across from us, who is Chek, but employed by a German medical equipment company. We chat about her work, travel in Europe, and the economy. This train is an express, but does make stops, so gradually the car becomes full of people. Part of the car is divided off for the club car. A waitress comes to take orders for drinks and we are ready for coffee and tea.
A couple boards with a baby who is well behaved, not yet talking, but trying to. A man behind us is from California and talks too much and too loud the entire trip. We are glad we are not the Australian couple who are sitting across from him.
We alternately watch scenery or try to nap. There are more roads and more farm equipment working in the fields than we saw in other countries. The soil looks rich and dark and there is a lot of water-rivers and irrigation canals. David reads a while. As more people board, they are dressed in traditional costumes, with aprons and laderhosen and checkered shirts. They are headed to Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest, but do not wait to begin, as they are drinking beer on the train, laughing and having fun.The train is a few minutes late pulling into the main train station in Munich about 3:30. Now we see many folks in the station in the traditional costumes. There is a festive air about the entire place.
We plan to buy a three day metro transit pass, but even though the machine has English translation, we cannot figure out which type to buy. David suggests we get a taxi, so we take our bags to the cab stand. When we show the driver the card with the hotel address, he says it is close enough to walk and points the way. We walk a couple of blocks--sound familiar?--but do not see the hotel. I check at a different hotel desk and get a map and better directions. They say it is close enough to walk. Finally we arrive, but this has taken some effort to pull the bags what turns out to be several blocks. Maybe the cab driver wanted a fare from a longer ride?? We check in and get settled. There is free wi-fi in the room and breakfast is included. We even have a little balcony, and the temperature is just right to sit outside.
Across the street is an Italian restaurant, so we head over for dinner-good food at reasonable prices. Of course, David has a German beer. We wander around the neighborhood a bit before coming back to the room about 7. As I have said before, a day of train travel is tiring, even though you would think sitting on the train would be easy. We are ready for showers and a good rest. We have a tour booked tomorrow to go to Neuschwanstein Castle and need to meet the tour at 8:30 across the street from the train station. At least we now now it is close enough to walk there.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sept 21 Prague sunshine
We are tired of struggling with city maps and since today has clearing skies, David looks on line to find a bike rental place here. We do not easily find the shop, but finally arrive and get registered for mountain bikes (as the guide book says they are best for the cobblestones), get instructions to find the bike path along the river, and set out, cautiously threading our way among the crowds between us and the Charles Bridge. When we do get to the path, we find it blocked by construction, and have to detour around a couple of city blocks to reach an unobstructed place. The path follows directly beside the Vltava River. It is relatively flat and easy to ride. We stop often to take pictures, have a drink of water and just enjoy the natural scenery, as there are tall trees on both sides. There are lots of moms with strollers on the path, as well as in-line skaters, walkers, lovers, and of course, other bikers, most of whom seem to be locals speeding by. People are fishing from the shore. Some moms or grandmothers are feeding the ducks and swans, much to the delight of their young charges. There are a variety of water craft on the river, including people who seem to be practicing rowing. There are boats along the bank which are bars or restaurants with patrons enjoying views of the river. Through underpasses, we cross under several bridges which span the river. It is peaceful and a welcome change from the hectic sightseeing crowds.
We return on the same path and turn the bikes in about 3 pm. We find a sidewalk cafe to rest and have lunch. We have not made a plan for this evening, so go back to the hotel to get information about dinner cruises. We also consider a theater production, but settle on the cruise. So that we are certain about the meeting point, we walk to the nearby address and confirm it as the pick up spot. Back at the room, David naps while I blog.
Later, we walk back to the pickup spot and ride a mini-van with others to the pier on the river
where we board the boat. The advertised live music is a man playing an accordion. Not the most accomplished musician. The dinner is a buffet. We sit with three people from California, and as usual share travel stories. The cruise, to our surpise, includes going through a lock. We go outside after eating to watch ths skyline and take photos of the bridges and the beautiful castle on the hill. People are smoking so we go back inside. David and I talk about Prague. He asks me what was the best sight here. I think it is the medieval castle. He says his is the St. Vitus Cathedral, and I have to agree it is spectacular. The ship turns a couple of times so we cover the same stretch of river more than one time. Near the end of the cruise, we begin to see fireworks and watch from the outside deck to see an impressive display. I tell David it is our farewell celebration.
The ship pulls up to dock and we all get off. Folks begin to board a bus, but the guide asks us, did you come here on this bus with me? We say no. He says, "I am sorry. But you must not have paid for a return ride." How can that possibly be? we wonder. We paid what we thought was a full fare--the advertised price. But the bus drives off without us. It is 10:15 and we are on the side of the river. We are still in town, but where? I whisper a prayer for our safety and protection. We cross a street and climb some stairs up to another street level. We think it can't be far to a metro stop and we can figure out how to get to the hotel from there. There are people on the street, so it is not an isolated area. We walk a few blocks in the direction that seems to be approaching a public area. We emerge on a square, and see the bright sign of a shopping mall. There is one by that same name near our hotel. But can this be the same one? We look around and recognize other landmarks. We are indeed very near the hotel. God is taking care of us! We walked in the correct direction, away from the river, and on a direct course to our hotel. How could we have known we were that close? Thank you, Lord! We get back to the room and deicde to finish packing in the morning.
We will be checking out early to leave on the 9 am train tomorrow for Munich. It will take six hours, as we are due to arrive at 3. Time for bed!
We return on the same path and turn the bikes in about 3 pm. We find a sidewalk cafe to rest and have lunch. We have not made a plan for this evening, so go back to the hotel to get information about dinner cruises. We also consider a theater production, but settle on the cruise. So that we are certain about the meeting point, we walk to the nearby address and confirm it as the pick up spot. Back at the room, David naps while I blog.
Later, we walk back to the pickup spot and ride a mini-van with others to the pier on the river
where we board the boat. The advertised live music is a man playing an accordion. Not the most accomplished musician. The dinner is a buffet. We sit with three people from California, and as usual share travel stories. The cruise, to our surpise, includes going through a lock. We go outside after eating to watch ths skyline and take photos of the bridges and the beautiful castle on the hill. People are smoking so we go back inside. David and I talk about Prague. He asks me what was the best sight here. I think it is the medieval castle. He says his is the St. Vitus Cathedral, and I have to agree it is spectacular. The ship turns a couple of times so we cover the same stretch of river more than one time. Near the end of the cruise, we begin to see fireworks and watch from the outside deck to see an impressive display. I tell David it is our farewell celebration.
The ship pulls up to dock and we all get off. Folks begin to board a bus, but the guide asks us, did you come here on this bus with me? We say no. He says, "I am sorry. But you must not have paid for a return ride." How can that possibly be? we wonder. We paid what we thought was a full fare--the advertised price. But the bus drives off without us. It is 10:15 and we are on the side of the river. We are still in town, but where? I whisper a prayer for our safety and protection. We cross a street and climb some stairs up to another street level. We think it can't be far to a metro stop and we can figure out how to get to the hotel from there. There are people on the street, so it is not an isolated area. We walk a few blocks in the direction that seems to be approaching a public area. We emerge on a square, and see the bright sign of a shopping mall. There is one by that same name near our hotel. But can this be the same one? We look around and recognize other landmarks. We are indeed very near the hotel. God is taking care of us! We walked in the correct direction, away from the river, and on a direct course to our hotel. How could we have known we were that close? Thank you, Lord! We get back to the room and deicde to finish packing in the morning.
We will be checking out early to leave on the 9 am train tomorrow for Munich. It will take six hours, as we are due to arrive at 3. Time for bed!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sept 20, More Prague
Today was cooler, breezy and cloudy. The bad news is we carried the umbrella around all day. The good news is we did not have to use it. Over the past two days we have done a lot of walking and got the "up close and personal" view of Old Town and the tourist sights. Today, we decided to tackle the public transit system. We have a "Prague Welcome card" which has some discounts for attractions and it included unlimited public transportation. The metro system here is easier than Vienna. It has only three lines, A, B, and C. Of course, there are many trams and buses too. We rode the B line from our hotel, transferred to the A, and then to tram 22.
We rode to the Prague Castle,which the guidebook says is the largest castle complex in the world. By sheer size, it is a bit daunting. We have checked out the grounds when we were on the walking tour a couple of days ago, but today we buy tickets to go inside. The good news was we got a two-for-one senior discount. The bad news is that the castle audio guide system is not working. We save the price of renting the audio guide, but our tour book expects we will have one, so does not give a lot of detail. Our first attempted solution was to hire an English-speaking guide, but the ticket office says the English tour is at 1 pm and we are here at 11. Not wanting to waste two hours, our second idea is to tag onto an existing English speaking tour. We wander around the large courtyard, eavesdropping on tour groups, trying to find one in English. We have a laugh as we pass up a group of teenagers. For sure we could not go undetected with this group. Nor the group of tourists in wheelchairs. Finally we find what seems ideal--English speaking guide and gray-haired participants. We follow along for a while, but it seems they are on their way out! So we bite the bullet and say we will do this on our own, and are fortunate enough to find that many of the descriptions are also written in English. We watch the changing of the guard--two men, one on either side of the huge oversized castle gates, who, like in Britain, stand stationery for an hour and then have a formal ritual changing ceremony. We walk through two castle courtyards and as we follow the small entryway into the third, find ourselves in front of the enormous Gothic St. Vitis Cathedral. Imposing and impressive. Beautiful tiled roof and spires so tall, we have to crane our necks to look up to the top.
The most impressive sight at the castle is the huge "riding hall", noted for its size and its rib-vaulted ceiling. At the time it was built, it was a tremendous technical feat to have an enclosed room of this size without supporting pillars. We went on through through the castle and I found this more like my image of castle than the other palaces we have been seeing. For one thing, we were able to tour the dugeons and see implements of torture. There was a place to see where the moat used to be. There were round turrets to climb and look out over the gardens. We toured the "golden lane", a row of tiny one and two room living quarters which used to be places for the castle guards, bell-ringers and other staff to live.
David said he did not want to do more walking, so we again boarded public transportation, this time to visit the Troja Chateau. This is another beautiful complex, built in the Roman Classicism style of the Alps, with the most beautiful Itialian gardens in Central Eurpope.The grand hall has remarkable frescoes and the building is exceptionally rich in artistic treasures. We arrived late in the afternoon, so had our own private guide who walked us through explaining paintings and furniture.
We planned to see the fountains and light show tonight and the Chateau is quite near, so we decided not to go back to the hotel, but go over to the fountains area for dinner. We again were successful in navigating public transportation, found a small cafe for dinner and bought tickets for the 8 pm fountain show. Krizik's Fountain is equipped with three thousand nozzles, managed by 50 water pumps, with twelve hundred underwater floodlights of various colors. The show was a combination of music, water, film, lighting and ballet dancers. Spectacular!! What a relaxing and enchanting evening. We stopped for dessert on the way back to the hotel. It is late, and we have been gone since before 10 this morning, but what a great day!
We rode to the Prague Castle,which the guidebook says is the largest castle complex in the world. By sheer size, it is a bit daunting. We have checked out the grounds when we were on the walking tour a couple of days ago, but today we buy tickets to go inside. The good news was we got a two-for-one senior discount. The bad news is that the castle audio guide system is not working. We save the price of renting the audio guide, but our tour book expects we will have one, so does not give a lot of detail. Our first attempted solution was to hire an English-speaking guide, but the ticket office says the English tour is at 1 pm and we are here at 11. Not wanting to waste two hours, our second idea is to tag onto an existing English speaking tour. We wander around the large courtyard, eavesdropping on tour groups, trying to find one in English. We have a laugh as we pass up a group of teenagers. For sure we could not go undetected with this group. Nor the group of tourists in wheelchairs. Finally we find what seems ideal--English speaking guide and gray-haired participants. We follow along for a while, but it seems they are on their way out! So we bite the bullet and say we will do this on our own, and are fortunate enough to find that many of the descriptions are also written in English. We watch the changing of the guard--two men, one on either side of the huge oversized castle gates, who, like in Britain, stand stationery for an hour and then have a formal ritual changing ceremony. We walk through two castle courtyards and as we follow the small entryway into the third, find ourselves in front of the enormous Gothic St. Vitis Cathedral. Imposing and impressive. Beautiful tiled roof and spires so tall, we have to crane our necks to look up to the top.
The most impressive sight at the castle is the huge "riding hall", noted for its size and its rib-vaulted ceiling. At the time it was built, it was a tremendous technical feat to have an enclosed room of this size without supporting pillars. We went on through through the castle and I found this more like my image of castle than the other palaces we have been seeing. For one thing, we were able to tour the dugeons and see implements of torture. There was a place to see where the moat used to be. There were round turrets to climb and look out over the gardens. We toured the "golden lane", a row of tiny one and two room living quarters which used to be places for the castle guards, bell-ringers and other staff to live.
David said he did not want to do more walking, so we again boarded public transportation, this time to visit the Troja Chateau. This is another beautiful complex, built in the Roman Classicism style of the Alps, with the most beautiful Itialian gardens in Central Eurpope.The grand hall has remarkable frescoes and the building is exceptionally rich in artistic treasures. We arrived late in the afternoon, so had our own private guide who walked us through explaining paintings and furniture.
We planned to see the fountains and light show tonight and the Chateau is quite near, so we decided not to go back to the hotel, but go over to the fountains area for dinner. We again were successful in navigating public transportation, found a small cafe for dinner and bought tickets for the 8 pm fountain show. Krizik's Fountain is equipped with three thousand nozzles, managed by 50 water pumps, with twelve hundred underwater floodlights of various colors. The show was a combination of music, water, film, lighting and ballet dancers. Spectacular!! What a relaxing and enchanting evening. We stopped for dessert on the way back to the hotel. It is late, and we have been gone since before 10 this morning, but what a great day!
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