[This is the 3rd post today - they've piled up as I haven't had internet access recently]
When I arrived in Rothenburg (my previous destination), there were 3 women checking into the hostel ahead of me. That night, when I went on the Night Watchman's tour - there they were. The following night, when I went to dinner at the English COnversation Club - there they were again! (although, not as a part of the club).
When I got to the Rothenburg train station to leave, I probably shouldn't have been surprised to see them there. Then, when they got off at the same connecting stop as me, I decided to find out what their deal was.
Me: "Didn't I see you 3 at the hostel in Rothenburg"
Them: "Yeah"
Me: "Where are you going now?"
Them: "Bacharach"
Me: "Really? So am I. Small world. Where are you going after that?"
Them: "Amsterdam"
Me: ... "Really? Wow - small world. So am I. So, where are you 3 from?"
Them: "Singapore"
Me: ... ... "Wow - really small world"
So, I chatted with them a bit, and found that they were following Rick Steves' book through Germany too. :-)
Anyways - My last stop in Germany was the Rhine Valley - famous for wines & the castles that line the Rhine river. It's definitely a busy place - there are barges & ferries cruising all over the river (not to mention tourist cruise boats), and trains are constantly running up & down tracks on both sides.
I went for one of the famous cruises on the Rhine - from Bacharach (where I stayed) to St. Goar (about an hour away). The cruise was ok - you looked at castles along the way. When I got to St. Goar - there were the Singaporeans again!
We wound up going to the same castle - the only castle in St. Goar: Rhinefelds. I toured the grounds. It offered some good views of the river & valley. But, I was more excited to get to the tunnels under the castle. Most are closed off, because they're pitch black & really easy to get lost in. But, there are a few that have been mapped off (but, they're still very very dark - only a few slits of light in the wall).
I made my way down a stone spiral staircase to a tunnel that was 30-40 years long. It was completely dark in there - no light at all. I thought about turning back (because I didn't have a flashlight, as they recommend that you bring with you). But, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity, so I proceeded by using my camera's flash to light the way. Every few feet I'd take a pick & get a glimpse of what lied ahead. Obviously I made it through, since I'm writing this. :-)
Later that evening, I took the cruise back up the river to Bacharach. Bacharach's a small, quiet town. There is really nothing to do there in the evening - everything pretty much shuts down by 9pm. So, I grabbed dinner (schnitzel with some of the local wine - which was great), and headed to the B&B to go to sleep.
Today was pretty quiet. Woke up, and had breakfast at the B&B. It was a little awkward, since I was the only guest at the time & the little old lady was waiting on me hand & foot. The food was good, though - her husband has bees & makes honey, and she made strawberry & apricot jams.
Then, it was time to make sure I had had a ticket up to Amsterdam (this train required reservations), grabbed some lunch, bumped into the Singaporeans again, and then bought some of that awesome wine.
As I write this - I'm on my way to Amsterdam; my last stop before I come home.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Rothenburg
Slowly making my way back towards Amsterdam, I stopped in the small, midevil town of Rothenburg. The old city is surrounded by wall, with guard towers over every street connecting the city with the outside world.
The highlight of the visit was the Night Watchman's tour. At 8:00, everyone meets in the town square, and is led around the town by the Night watchman - who tells the history of the town, explains the duties of a Night Watchman, and entertained the entire crowd with his sense of humor. It was definitely the most entertaining tour that I've been on in a long time.
Another great experience was the dinner I had with the English Conversation Club. The club meets every Wed evening at a restaurant to have some food, drinks, and chat in English. It's mostly locals, although every week some tourists join in. I read about it in Rick Steve's book, and was also referred there by one of the town's shop owners. It was fun talking with the Germans, and there was also a woman from Wisconsin who had moved over to Rothenburg after marrying a local farmer. The food was great - pork w/ cream & mushroom sauce, and a pear stuffed with cranberries.
I visited 2 museums - the Museum of Midevil Crime & Punishment & the Imperial City Museum. The Crime & Punishment museum was supposed to be great, but I was a little disappointed. I went to the Imperial City Museum right before it closed, and had to rush through it. I wish I had more time - the museum was much cooler than I had expected. They had a great display of midevil weapons - swords, lances, rifles, pistols, crossbows, etc... Some of the swords were huge - as tall as me! And, they had rifles there that were 7-8 feet long... I had no idea how anyone would lift one of those. I guess midevil people were strong.
One more stop - the city of Bacharach, to spend the day cruising on the Rhine river. Then, it's back to Amsterdam for a couple of days & then back to Minnesota.
The highlight of the visit was the Night Watchman's tour. At 8:00, everyone meets in the town square, and is led around the town by the Night watchman - who tells the history of the town, explains the duties of a Night Watchman, and entertained the entire crowd with his sense of humor. It was definitely the most entertaining tour that I've been on in a long time.
Another great experience was the dinner I had with the English Conversation Club. The club meets every Wed evening at a restaurant to have some food, drinks, and chat in English. It's mostly locals, although every week some tourists join in. I read about it in Rick Steve's book, and was also referred there by one of the town's shop owners. It was fun talking with the Germans, and there was also a woman from Wisconsin who had moved over to Rothenburg after marrying a local farmer. The food was great - pork w/ cream & mushroom sauce, and a pear stuffed with cranberries.
I visited 2 museums - the Museum of Midevil Crime & Punishment & the Imperial City Museum. The Crime & Punishment museum was supposed to be great, but I was a little disappointed. I went to the Imperial City Museum right before it closed, and had to rush through it. I wish I had more time - the museum was much cooler than I had expected. They had a great display of midevil weapons - swords, lances, rifles, pistols, crossbows, etc... Some of the swords were huge - as tall as me! And, they had rifles there that were 7-8 feet long... I had no idea how anyone would lift one of those. I guess midevil people were strong.
One more stop - the city of Bacharach, to spend the day cruising on the Rhine river. Then, it's back to Amsterdam for a couple of days & then back to Minnesota.
Prague
Prague is a spooky city at night! It's super old, dimly lit, and there are statues (darkened with age) that loom over you like spectres. (especially on the Charles bridge) It's a lot of fun to wander around at night.
At this point, I'm pretty fatigued with museums, so I didn't go into many. I will definitely come back to Prague, and will tour the museums then. For this trip, I spent a lot of time wandering around the city while admiring the architecture & hearing the stories.
I took 2 tours in Prague. The first was a Free Walking tour, which was a lot of fun. It was led by a Scottish guy who was a lot of fun to listen to. He told us about Prague's bloody history - there were a lot of Catholic/Protestant battles here, and a lot of hangings & beheadings.
In the evening, I went on a Ghost Tour - I was inspired by how spooky things are here. The tour was fun, but not as great as I had expected. I didn't see any ghosts. :-(
I did go to one museum - the museum of Communism. It showed how bad things were in Czechoslovakia under Communism, and had a very clear anti-Communist message. It was surreal to see news clips, photos, and stories from things that happened just 20 years ago, but seems so different than the way things are now.
The food in Prague was good - I had some good goulash, and some chicken, dumplings, and cabbage. And, of course, I had some really good Czech beer. After the walking tour, I went to a Monastery that brewed beer for Kings for a great lunch with their specially brewed beer.
Spooky statue in Prague
At this point, I'm pretty fatigued with museums, so I didn't go into many. I will definitely come back to Prague, and will tour the museums then. For this trip, I spent a lot of time wandering around the city while admiring the architecture & hearing the stories.
I took 2 tours in Prague. The first was a Free Walking tour, which was a lot of fun. It was led by a Scottish guy who was a lot of fun to listen to. He told us about Prague's bloody history - there were a lot of Catholic/Protestant battles here, and a lot of hangings & beheadings.
In the evening, I went on a Ghost Tour - I was inspired by how spooky things are here. The tour was fun, but not as great as I had expected. I didn't see any ghosts. :-(
I did go to one museum - the museum of Communism. It showed how bad things were in Czechoslovakia under Communism, and had a very clear anti-Communist message. It was surreal to see news clips, photos, and stories from things that happened just 20 years ago, but seems so different than the way things are now.
The food in Prague was good - I had some good goulash, and some chicken, dumplings, and cabbage. And, of course, I had some really good Czech beer. After the walking tour, I went to a Monastery that brewed beer for Kings for a great lunch with their specially brewed beer.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Austria
I made 2 stops in Austria - in Salzburg (near the German border), and in Vienna.
Salzburg was a lot of fun. It's divided by the Salzach river, into the Old Town & New Town. Overlooking the Old Town (and dominating the entire city landscape) is the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which is high atop a hill.
I decided to rent a bike for the day, which was a great decision. It was great to bike along the river, and stop whenever I wanted to take a look at something. I was also able to get from my hostel to the Old City & around very quickly. Bike rental is definitely the way to go!
I spent the first day going around the city & seeing the sights. (BTW - I bought a Salzburg card, which gets you into lots of sights for free. It's kind of expensive, but worth it if you go to a number of sights, which I did). I went to Mozart's birthplace, and the home where he lived a little later in life. I also went up to the fortress, which was really cool (it has never been taken by force, and when you're up at the top, you can see why).
Later in the afternoon, I went to a piano & violen concert at Schloss Mirabell (which, incidentally, has an awesome garden with statues & a great view of the fortress). It was cool to hear music by Mozart in his home town.
Wandering around in the evening, I was reminded how small the world is. As I was walking up to a restaurant to eat, I thought I saw a familiar face. I did a double-take, and there was Tim - an American that I had met while living in Singapore!
The next day, I took a bus back into Germany, to the town of Berchtesgaden. I went to see the Eagle's Nest, which was Hitler's mountain retreat & where he planned a last stand (this place was in the one episode of Band of Brothers that I saw).
There were 3 things to see there. The first was the Nazi Documentation center (which was destroyed & rebuilt into a museum). They showed how Hitler was first presented to the German people (Eerie to see the propaganda, presenting him in such a positive light). They also showed how the 3rd Reich operated, the propaganda against Jews & other minorities, and how the Nazis committed their atrocities. Finally they showed how WWII progressed, and how Nazi Germany fell to the Allies.
The 2nd sight to see was the underground bunkers that the Nazis built. They were much bigger & more high-tech than I had imagined. They had air-locks, fuel storage facilities, power & life support faciliities, etc... And, the tunnels were not small - they were easily big enough to drive vehicles through.
Finally, it was off to the Eagle's Nest - the mountain retreat. I only had an hour up there (it closes earlier than I had expected), but an hour was enough. It has been converted to a mountain-top restaurant now (definitely better as a restaurant with a view than a Nazi hideout). The view was fantastic - you could see all the way to Salzburg!
Speaking of Salzburg... the hostel that I stayed (YoHo) at there wasn't the best. The internet access sucked (everyone had trouble getting online, except either very early or very late - and when you did get online, it was very slow or it dropped you). There was also a bar in the hostel, which was very smokey & the smell drifted up into the halls. The rooms weren't too bad, but it was pretty hot - which made it tough to sleep. It wasn't a disaster, but it could have been better.
My next stop was Vienna. While I'm on the topic of hostels, I'll preface my Vienna experience with a story from my hostel (Westend Hostel). The hostel was pretty nice - modern, and they served breakfast. But, I found out the true meaning of noisy roommate. One guy in our room snored so loud - it kept everyone up both nights. I couldn't believe that anyone could snore that loud. I put earplugs in, and it still woke me up - although not as much.
So, most of my time in Vienna was cloaked in a veil of exhaustion. Coffee & redbull were definitely my friends. But, I also wonder if I am getting a little fatigued on traveling - we'll see after I have a good night's sleep - I've booked a single room in Prague.
Anyhow - Vienna was a nice city, although I think I need to come back again to do it justice. I visited Stephansplatz, the giant church in the center of town, and a number of other churches. I visited 2 small museums, and spent quite a bit of time out in parks - sitting in the grass & relaxing.
The highlite of my Vienna experience was going to see Mozart's Requiem performed by an orchestra & choir at Karlzplatz church. It was great to see that performed in such a magestic setting.
So, now I'm off to Prague, with high expectations. Everyone says Prague is a great city, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to getting a little more sleep. :-)
Salzburg was a lot of fun. It's divided by the Salzach river, into the Old Town & New Town. Overlooking the Old Town (and dominating the entire city landscape) is the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which is high atop a hill.
I decided to rent a bike for the day, which was a great decision. It was great to bike along the river, and stop whenever I wanted to take a look at something. I was also able to get from my hostel to the Old City & around very quickly. Bike rental is definitely the way to go!
I spent the first day going around the city & seeing the sights. (BTW - I bought a Salzburg card, which gets you into lots of sights for free. It's kind of expensive, but worth it if you go to a number of sights, which I did). I went to Mozart's birthplace, and the home where he lived a little later in life. I also went up to the fortress, which was really cool (it has never been taken by force, and when you're up at the top, you can see why).
Later in the afternoon, I went to a piano & violen concert at Schloss Mirabell (which, incidentally, has an awesome garden with statues & a great view of the fortress). It was cool to hear music by Mozart in his home town.
Wandering around in the evening, I was reminded how small the world is. As I was walking up to a restaurant to eat, I thought I saw a familiar face. I did a double-take, and there was Tim - an American that I had met while living in Singapore!
The next day, I took a bus back into Germany, to the town of Berchtesgaden. I went to see the Eagle's Nest, which was Hitler's mountain retreat & where he planned a last stand (this place was in the one episode of Band of Brothers that I saw).
There were 3 things to see there. The first was the Nazi Documentation center (which was destroyed & rebuilt into a museum). They showed how Hitler was first presented to the German people (Eerie to see the propaganda, presenting him in such a positive light). They also showed how the 3rd Reich operated, the propaganda against Jews & other minorities, and how the Nazis committed their atrocities. Finally they showed how WWII progressed, and how Nazi Germany fell to the Allies.
The 2nd sight to see was the underground bunkers that the Nazis built. They were much bigger & more high-tech than I had imagined. They had air-locks, fuel storage facilities, power & life support faciliities, etc... And, the tunnels were not small - they were easily big enough to drive vehicles through.
Finally, it was off to the Eagle's Nest - the mountain retreat. I only had an hour up there (it closes earlier than I had expected), but an hour was enough. It has been converted to a mountain-top restaurant now (definitely better as a restaurant with a view than a Nazi hideout). The view was fantastic - you could see all the way to Salzburg!
Speaking of Salzburg... the hostel that I stayed (YoHo) at there wasn't the best. The internet access sucked (everyone had trouble getting online, except either very early or very late - and when you did get online, it was very slow or it dropped you). There was also a bar in the hostel, which was very smokey & the smell drifted up into the halls. The rooms weren't too bad, but it was pretty hot - which made it tough to sleep. It wasn't a disaster, but it could have been better.
My next stop was Vienna. While I'm on the topic of hostels, I'll preface my Vienna experience with a story from my hostel (Westend Hostel). The hostel was pretty nice - modern, and they served breakfast. But, I found out the true meaning of noisy roommate. One guy in our room snored so loud - it kept everyone up both nights. I couldn't believe that anyone could snore that loud. I put earplugs in, and it still woke me up - although not as much.
So, most of my time in Vienna was cloaked in a veil of exhaustion. Coffee & redbull were definitely my friends. But, I also wonder if I am getting a little fatigued on traveling - we'll see after I have a good night's sleep - I've booked a single room in Prague.
Anyhow - Vienna was a nice city, although I think I need to come back again to do it justice. I visited Stephansplatz, the giant church in the center of town, and a number of other churches. I visited 2 small museums, and spent quite a bit of time out in parks - sitting in the grass & relaxing.
The highlite of my Vienna experience was going to see Mozart's Requiem performed by an orchestra & choir at Karlzplatz church. It was great to see that performed in such a magestic setting.
So, now I'm off to Prague, with high expectations. Everyone says Prague is a great city, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to getting a little more sleep. :-)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Fussen
[WiFi connectivity continues to be really spotty at hostels recently. Hopefully I'll be able to keep updating...]
Germany has been great so far. I've been down in Bavaria - in the Southeast corner of the country. The food has been really good - I've had sausages, sour kraut (which I actually liked, unlike the times I've tried it in the US), schnitzl, pork knuckles, etc... And, the beer has been fantastic. I've had lagers (light) and dunkels (dark). I've also had some beer mixes. A Radler is lager mixed with lemonade/sprite (a shandy in the US). I've also had a dunkel mixed with coke. That was pretty good, but nowhere as good as a Radler.
My 2nd stop in Bavaria was the city of Fussen. It's a small town that many people stay at while visiting the castles of Neuschwanstein & Hoenschwangau. I toured the castles, which were pretty cool - especially Neuschwanstein. Many people believe that Neuschwanstein was the model used for the Walt Disney castel - I'd believe it. They look a lot alike.
The tours through the castles were a little rushed (but going on a tour is the only way to get into the castle). The artwork & decorations inside the castles were really impressive - they are more recent than other castles, and have been really well preserved. Lots & Lots of gold, ivory, and jewels...
While the insides were cool, the area around the castles was really cool. There were mountains around them, and an alpine lake (Alpensee) nearby. I hiked around the castles for a while, and went up to a bridge that spans a gorge & waterfall for a better view of Neuschwanstein. Unfortunately, there's a lot of scaffolding up on one side of the castle. I guess I'll have to come back again someday.
Alpensee is awesome - it was really calm (mirror-like), a dark blue/green, and surrounded by mountains. I rented a row-boat & paddled out on the lake for a great view of the castles & surrouding area.
Back in Fussen that evening, I grabbed an outdoor table at a restaurant. Since they were pretty crowded, I invited a couple to sit at my table. They were from Spain, and we had a great conversation throughout dinner. I was amazed at how much of my Spanish came back. I was able to communicate w/ them (albiet in somewhat broken sentances), and they helped correct my grammar as I went along. :-)
This morning, I woke up & checked out of my hostel. I had a few hours to kill before the train, so I seized the opportunity. I dropped my backpack off at a locker at the train station & rented a bike. I biked down to Alpensee (only a 15 minute ride), and went for a swim! It was great - cool, but not as cold as the water in the English Garden in Munich. Definitely a great way to end my time in Fussen.
I'll be back to Germany in a week or so, but for now I'm off to Salzburg Austria.
Germany has been great so far. I've been down in Bavaria - in the Southeast corner of the country. The food has been really good - I've had sausages, sour kraut (which I actually liked, unlike the times I've tried it in the US), schnitzl, pork knuckles, etc... And, the beer has been fantastic. I've had lagers (light) and dunkels (dark). I've also had some beer mixes. A Radler is lager mixed with lemonade/sprite (a shandy in the US). I've also had a dunkel mixed with coke. That was pretty good, but nowhere as good as a Radler.
My 2nd stop in Bavaria was the city of Fussen. It's a small town that many people stay at while visiting the castles of Neuschwanstein & Hoenschwangau. I toured the castles, which were pretty cool - especially Neuschwanstein. Many people believe that Neuschwanstein was the model used for the Walt Disney castel - I'd believe it. They look a lot alike.
The tours through the castles were a little rushed (but going on a tour is the only way to get into the castle). The artwork & decorations inside the castles were really impressive - they are more recent than other castles, and have been really well preserved. Lots & Lots of gold, ivory, and jewels...
While the insides were cool, the area around the castles was really cool. There were mountains around them, and an alpine lake (Alpensee) nearby. I hiked around the castles for a while, and went up to a bridge that spans a gorge & waterfall for a better view of Neuschwanstein. Unfortunately, there's a lot of scaffolding up on one side of the castle. I guess I'll have to come back again someday.
Alpensee is awesome - it was really calm (mirror-like), a dark blue/green, and surrounded by mountains. I rented a row-boat & paddled out on the lake for a great view of the castles & surrouding area.
Back in Fussen that evening, I grabbed an outdoor table at a restaurant. Since they were pretty crowded, I invited a couple to sit at my table. They were from Spain, and we had a great conversation throughout dinner. I was amazed at how much of my Spanish came back. I was able to communicate w/ them (albiet in somewhat broken sentances), and they helped correct my grammar as I went along. :-)
This morning, I woke up & checked out of my hostel. I had a few hours to kill before the train, so I seized the opportunity. I dropped my backpack off at a locker at the train station & rented a bike. I biked down to Alpensee (only a 15 minute ride), and went for a swim! It was great - cool, but not as cold as the water in the English Garden in Munich. Definitely a great way to end my time in Fussen.
I'll be back to Germany in a week or so, but for now I'm off to Salzburg Austria.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Munich
[Note - this was written a few days ago, but I haven't been able to get online recently... so I'm way past Munich already] :-)
Arriving in Munich, it occurred to me that I hadn't been in a big European city for quite some time. Since Paris, every place I've gone has been a relatively small place. At these smaller cities, the train comes up along side the station; stops; lets people out & in; and then keeps on going in the same direction.
Munich's train station is big - 30+ tracks, and each track ends inside the building. There's a sea of people coming & going everywhere. Some running to meet their train. A few walking back after missing their train, and everyone else going on their way. I was excited to be back in a big city, and thrilled to be in Germany (I had really been looking forward to this part of the trip)
I had not booked any place to stay, so I set out in search of lodging. The first place I went to was honest with me - they told me they were a party hostel. Not wanting to be kept up until the wee hours, I went to another place. They were full. But, the 3rd time was the charm - I found a place not too far away that had an open bed.
With only a few days, I set out right away. I headed to the city center - a place called Marienplatz. A lot's going on there - there's the New Town Hall, which has magnificant architecture. After checking that out for a while, it was time to head to Virtalienmarkt. Under the huge Maypole there is different vendors selling different produce & food, and most importantly - a beer garden. I grabbed my first liter, and an enormous pretzl & went to town.
After finishing that, I noticed someone reading a book written in English - so I decided to go over to talk. After she & I chatted for a while, we decided to head over to Hofbrauhaus. It's an enormous beer garden that has become quite a tourist destination. Everywhere people are hoisting huge glasses of beer, and eating things like pork knuckles, sausages, etc... It also has an important history - it's where Hitler gave one of his first public speaches.
The next morning was the somber portion of my Munich stay. I visited the concentration camp at Dachau. As I did with Normandy, I decided to go with a tour group in order to get the most details about the history. It was definitely worth it - I got much more out of the visit than if I had gone there & walked around alone. The stories of what happend there are unimaginable. We were able to visit a dormitory, a prision block, and administrative block, and finally the gas chamber & creamatorium. After that, I also visited 3 memorial structures that have also been built on the compound.
Later that afternoon, I visited the English Garden in Munich. This was a big change of pace from the morning. The garden is huge, and full of people having fun. There's a stream that flows through the park, and goes over a small waterfall. People were jumping in & swimming around. I desperately wanted to join, but didn't have a swimming suit & had my camera with me. So, the best I could do was to soak my feet - it was very cold! (Lake Superior cold, for the Minnesotans reading this)
I continued to wander through the park, and came across the beer garden. Hooray! And, I ran into a guy that was on the tour during the morning. So, we sat down & had a beer. The beer garden felt just like Oktoberfest (on a smaller scale). People in leiderhosen, an Um-pah band, lots of beer, and lots of fun. We even saw a Beer Bike - a moving bar, where 8 people sit around on stools & peddle. The peddling powers the thing, and those 8 people get driven around while they drink. Definitely have to try that some time!
Oh, and there's a 'clothing optional' portion of the park. As was explained on an episode of Seinfeld once, there's 'good naked', and 'bad naked'. Most of the park was populated by the latter. :-( I walked through that area quickly.
After the beer garden, we headed up to a restaurant that my friend Brian recommended (Weyprechthof). We ate way too much, and drank another liter there. It was really good.
Today was more fun. I headed to a modern art museum, where I got to see some works by Salvador Dali, and some exhibits on 'old' stuff from the 1970s. They had some old school computers, including some of the first laptops.
After the museum, it was back to the English Garden! I love that place. I made my way to the stream again. After sitting around for a while, I couldn't resist. I took my shirt off, and emptied my pockets & climbed in. It was refreshing for a few seconds, and then I lost my breath. It was really cold! I couldn't believe people were playing around in it - I could only handle a minute or so. (On a side note - I firmly believe that my time in Singapore has softened my tolerance to cold... I'll have to spend a lot of time outside this winter, to toughen myself back up)
Well, now I'm down in Fussen, Germany. I discovered on the way down that the train schedules can, indeed, change without notice. The connection that I was supposed to take (according to my rail schedule) doesn't exist. Oh well, I just had to take 2 other connections, which only delayed me by an hour. At least I didn't get stranded at some station. Tomorrow I see the castles of Howenschwangau and Neuschwanstein - I have reservations for the morning (since it's tourist season), so it's good that I made it here tonight. :-)
Arriving in Munich, it occurred to me that I hadn't been in a big European city for quite some time. Since Paris, every place I've gone has been a relatively small place. At these smaller cities, the train comes up along side the station; stops; lets people out & in; and then keeps on going in the same direction.
Munich's train station is big - 30+ tracks, and each track ends inside the building. There's a sea of people coming & going everywhere. Some running to meet their train. A few walking back after missing their train, and everyone else going on their way. I was excited to be back in a big city, and thrilled to be in Germany (I had really been looking forward to this part of the trip)
I had not booked any place to stay, so I set out in search of lodging. The first place I went to was honest with me - they told me they were a party hostel. Not wanting to be kept up until the wee hours, I went to another place. They were full. But, the 3rd time was the charm - I found a place not too far away that had an open bed.
With only a few days, I set out right away. I headed to the city center - a place called Marienplatz. A lot's going on there - there's the New Town Hall, which has magnificant architecture. After checking that out for a while, it was time to head to Virtalienmarkt. Under the huge Maypole there is different vendors selling different produce & food, and most importantly - a beer garden. I grabbed my first liter, and an enormous pretzl & went to town.
After finishing that, I noticed someone reading a book written in English - so I decided to go over to talk. After she & I chatted for a while, we decided to head over to Hofbrauhaus. It's an enormous beer garden that has become quite a tourist destination. Everywhere people are hoisting huge glasses of beer, and eating things like pork knuckles, sausages, etc... It also has an important history - it's where Hitler gave one of his first public speaches.
The next morning was the somber portion of my Munich stay. I visited the concentration camp at Dachau. As I did with Normandy, I decided to go with a tour group in order to get the most details about the history. It was definitely worth it - I got much more out of the visit than if I had gone there & walked around alone. The stories of what happend there are unimaginable. We were able to visit a dormitory, a prision block, and administrative block, and finally the gas chamber & creamatorium. After that, I also visited 3 memorial structures that have also been built on the compound.
Later that afternoon, I visited the English Garden in Munich. This was a big change of pace from the morning. The garden is huge, and full of people having fun. There's a stream that flows through the park, and goes over a small waterfall. People were jumping in & swimming around. I desperately wanted to join, but didn't have a swimming suit & had my camera with me. So, the best I could do was to soak my feet - it was very cold! (Lake Superior cold, for the Minnesotans reading this)
I continued to wander through the park, and came across the beer garden. Hooray! And, I ran into a guy that was on the tour during the morning. So, we sat down & had a beer. The beer garden felt just like Oktoberfest (on a smaller scale). People in leiderhosen, an Um-pah band, lots of beer, and lots of fun. We even saw a Beer Bike - a moving bar, where 8 people sit around on stools & peddle. The peddling powers the thing, and those 8 people get driven around while they drink. Definitely have to try that some time!
Oh, and there's a 'clothing optional' portion of the park. As was explained on an episode of Seinfeld once, there's 'good naked', and 'bad naked'. Most of the park was populated by the latter. :-( I walked through that area quickly.
After the beer garden, we headed up to a restaurant that my friend Brian recommended (Weyprechthof). We ate way too much, and drank another liter there. It was really good.
Today was more fun. I headed to a modern art museum, where I got to see some works by Salvador Dali, and some exhibits on 'old' stuff from the 1970s. They had some old school computers, including some of the first laptops.
After the museum, it was back to the English Garden! I love that place. I made my way to the stream again. After sitting around for a while, I couldn't resist. I took my shirt off, and emptied my pockets & climbed in. It was refreshing for a few seconds, and then I lost my breath. It was really cold! I couldn't believe people were playing around in it - I could only handle a minute or so. (On a side note - I firmly believe that my time in Singapore has softened my tolerance to cold... I'll have to spend a lot of time outside this winter, to toughen myself back up)
Well, now I'm down in Fussen, Germany. I discovered on the way down that the train schedules can, indeed, change without notice. The connection that I was supposed to take (according to my rail schedule) doesn't exist. Oh well, I just had to take 2 other connections, which only delayed me by an hour. At least I didn't get stranded at some station. Tomorrow I see the castles of Howenschwangau and Neuschwanstein - I have reservations for the morning (since it's tourist season), so it's good that I made it here tonight. :-)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Gimmelwald
Wow - I can't believe that it's been almost a month since I came over here... time is flying by!
My most recent stop was the quiet, quintessentially Swiss, town of Gimmelwald. Everyone that has been there raves about the place, and with good reason. The town is nestled in between mountain ranges, and the views are spectacular! It's beyond small-town... there's a hostel (the world-famous Mountain Hostel), a couple guest houses, and then some old-school Swiss houses on the hill. Cows & sheep are grazing everywhere, and there's nothing to do except hike around or, perhaps, throw yourself off a mountain (preferably with a parasail attached).
I arrived in late afternoon, as the day's hikers were making their way back to the hostel. Nothing to do but relax & have a pizza (the hostel makes fantastic pizzas).
The next day, I set out early on a hike to the Schilthorn. James Bond fans will recognize the peak of this mountain as the Villian's lair from On Her Magesty's Secret Service. Despite the fact that I am in reasonably good shape (at least I think I am), this was a difficult hike. I was winded within 20 minutes, and was taking frequent breaks. Fortunately, the breaks are all very scenic.
About halfway up, the clouds started rolling in. Not wanting to get caught in a rain on a mountain (again), and not really wanting to climb all the way up to look at clouds - I changed my route. I headed up to another peak, which offered a cloud-free view. It was breathtaking - I had never seen mountains like that before. Hiking down, I found myself behind a waterfall that emptied into a deep mountain gorge - with a mountain in the distance.
Today I woke up early & took the cable car up to the Shilthorn. Yeah, I cheated, but my legs & available time wouldn't allow me to hike. The view at the top was great for about 45 mins, and then the clouds rolled in again. It was cool to watch clouds racing up the sides of the mountain towards us.
The hostel may as well have been a US embassy - I couldn't believe the number of Americans there. I met a nice couple from Brooklyn, another couple from Austin, and a big group from Indiana. There were also a couple of families from Minnesota at the guest house next to the hostel... small world. There were also a number of Aussies there. I have always found Aussies to be very friendly & fun-loving people, and the people here definitely lived up to that reputation. It was a lot of fun at the hostel!
This afternoon, I took the cable car back down - sure that I would return to Gimmelwald again. I'm back in Interlaken now, getting ready to head up to Munich tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to hoisting huge steins of beer!
~~~~~
Tons of Americans - several new friends
everyone has computers
My most recent stop was the quiet, quintessentially Swiss, town of Gimmelwald. Everyone that has been there raves about the place, and with good reason. The town is nestled in between mountain ranges, and the views are spectacular! It's beyond small-town... there's a hostel (the world-famous Mountain Hostel), a couple guest houses, and then some old-school Swiss houses on the hill. Cows & sheep are grazing everywhere, and there's nothing to do except hike around or, perhaps, throw yourself off a mountain (preferably with a parasail attached).
I arrived in late afternoon, as the day's hikers were making their way back to the hostel. Nothing to do but relax & have a pizza (the hostel makes fantastic pizzas).
The next day, I set out early on a hike to the Schilthorn. James Bond fans will recognize the peak of this mountain as the Villian's lair from On Her Magesty's Secret Service. Despite the fact that I am in reasonably good shape (at least I think I am), this was a difficult hike. I was winded within 20 minutes, and was taking frequent breaks. Fortunately, the breaks are all very scenic.
About halfway up, the clouds started rolling in. Not wanting to get caught in a rain on a mountain (again), and not really wanting to climb all the way up to look at clouds - I changed my route. I headed up to another peak, which offered a cloud-free view. It was breathtaking - I had never seen mountains like that before. Hiking down, I found myself behind a waterfall that emptied into a deep mountain gorge - with a mountain in the distance.
Today I woke up early & took the cable car up to the Shilthorn. Yeah, I cheated, but my legs & available time wouldn't allow me to hike. The view at the top was great for about 45 mins, and then the clouds rolled in again. It was cool to watch clouds racing up the sides of the mountain towards us.
The hostel may as well have been a US embassy - I couldn't believe the number of Americans there. I met a nice couple from Brooklyn, another couple from Austin, and a big group from Indiana. There were also a couple of families from Minnesota at the guest house next to the hostel... small world. There were also a number of Aussies there. I have always found Aussies to be very friendly & fun-loving people, and the people here definitely lived up to that reputation. It was a lot of fun at the hostel!
This afternoon, I took the cable car back down - sure that I would return to Gimmelwald again. I'm back in Interlaken now, getting ready to head up to Munich tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to hoisting huge steins of beer!
~~~~~
Tons of Americans - several new friends
everyone has computers
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Paragliding!
I went paragliding today - my first time. It was awesome!
Pictures speak louder than words, and video speaks louder than pictures (unless you have the sound turned off). :-)
The pilot also let me fly a little bit.
And, we did stunts (but, this isn't me flying the glider).
Pictures speak louder than words, and video speaks louder than pictures (unless you have the sound turned off). :-)
The pilot also let me fly a little bit.
And, we did stunts (but, this isn't me flying the glider).
Monday, August 10, 2009
Switzerland
I said Au Revoir to France on Saturday, and crossed into Switzerland. My first stop was Geneva. Geneva seems to be a very pleasant place - not too exciting to visit, but it looks like it would be a good place to live.
I arrived via bus, and had a long walk to the area where I'd be staying. I stopped to chat & get directions from a British woman, who explained that there was a huge festival going on & I might have trouble finding a place to stay. Fortunately, I was able to get a spot in the City Hostel. This was the first hostel that I'd stay at in Europe, and I was a little skeptical. But it turned out really great. It was very clean, very cheap (I'd heard Switzerland was expensive, but I was surprised to see how expensive everything is), and I was looking to meet people. I hadn't met many people so far, and I figured that it would be easier in a hostel. It worked out really well. I met a guy from New York City in my room. He's a high school teacher for at-risk youth, and was very nice to talk to.
The first night in the hostel was anything but quiet. There were fireworks being set off over Lake Geneva. They were the loudest fireworks I'd ever heard! The guy from NYC & I both thought it sounded like we were in a war zone.
The next day I got up & went for a walk down to Lake Geneva. There's a really cool display to promote astronomy down at the lake. There are several dozen huge posters on display, with incredible images from space (taken from Hubble or land-based telescopes). I spent some time admiring the images, and reading about the science behind them.
Then I walked around to the other side of the lake to see Jet de Eau. It's a huge water fountain that shoots water 140 meters in the air. The water exits the nozzle at 200km/hr (120mph). Of course I had to touch it - it was incredibly powerful!
After that, I grabbed a kebab for lunch & headed up to the United Nations. They offer free tours, so I joined & learned some really interesting stuff.
Geneva was enough for a day, but I was ready to move on. I took the train up to Interlaken, where I'm staying at another hostel. Again, this one is super clean & a great price. And, just like Geneva - I've met some really cool people here. The first night I went out with an Italian guy, and Danish guy, and an Austrian woman for some drinks.
Today I woke up & found that the weather was teetering on the brink of rain. I decided to go for a 'short' hike up one of the mountains nearby. Well, I kept going "a little further", and then decided to go to the top of the trail. My 'short' hike turned into 6 hours, and I came down the hill in a slight drizzle feeling very tired. But, it was a lot of fun & it gave me a great view of Interlaken.
Again tonight, the hostel did it's magic. I met another guy from NYC - a CSci professor. I had dinner w/ him & we might do stuff together tomorrow.
Weather permitting, I plan on going paragliding tomorrow. I hope I'm able to - it looks incredibly fun!
After that - it's off to the small mountain village of Gimmelwald... recommended strongly by everyone who's been there. I can't wait.
I arrived via bus, and had a long walk to the area where I'd be staying. I stopped to chat & get directions from a British woman, who explained that there was a huge festival going on & I might have trouble finding a place to stay. Fortunately, I was able to get a spot in the City Hostel. This was the first hostel that I'd stay at in Europe, and I was a little skeptical. But it turned out really great. It was very clean, very cheap (I'd heard Switzerland was expensive, but I was surprised to see how expensive everything is), and I was looking to meet people. I hadn't met many people so far, and I figured that it would be easier in a hostel. It worked out really well. I met a guy from New York City in my room. He's a high school teacher for at-risk youth, and was very nice to talk to.
The first night in the hostel was anything but quiet. There were fireworks being set off over Lake Geneva. They were the loudest fireworks I'd ever heard! The guy from NYC & I both thought it sounded like we were in a war zone.
The next day I got up & went for a walk down to Lake Geneva. There's a really cool display to promote astronomy down at the lake. There are several dozen huge posters on display, with incredible images from space (taken from Hubble or land-based telescopes). I spent some time admiring the images, and reading about the science behind them.
Then I walked around to the other side of the lake to see Jet de Eau. It's a huge water fountain that shoots water 140 meters in the air. The water exits the nozzle at 200km/hr (120mph). Of course I had to touch it - it was incredibly powerful!
After that, I grabbed a kebab for lunch & headed up to the United Nations. They offer free tours, so I joined & learned some really interesting stuff.
Geneva was enough for a day, but I was ready to move on. I took the train up to Interlaken, where I'm staying at another hostel. Again, this one is super clean & a great price. And, just like Geneva - I've met some really cool people here. The first night I went out with an Italian guy, and Danish guy, and an Austrian woman for some drinks.
Today I woke up & found that the weather was teetering on the brink of rain. I decided to go for a 'short' hike up one of the mountains nearby. Well, I kept going "a little further", and then decided to go to the top of the trail. My 'short' hike turned into 6 hours, and I came down the hill in a slight drizzle feeling very tired. But, it was a lot of fun & it gave me a great view of Interlaken.
Again tonight, the hostel did it's magic. I met another guy from NYC - a CSci professor. I had dinner w/ him & we might do stuff together tomorrow.
Weather permitting, I plan on going paragliding tomorrow. I hope I'm able to - it looks incredibly fun!
After that - it's off to the small mountain village of Gimmelwald... recommended strongly by everyone who's been there. I can't wait.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Chamonix!
Chamonix, France is great! It's an outdoor sports mecca - I've seen tons of people with climbing gear (both rock & ice). People ride mountain bikes through the streets, and para-gliders circle above. The city has the feel of a ski resort, like Vail.
Chamonix is in a valley between 2 mountains. I've been to the top of both of them - one yesterday & one today. The views were spectacular! I rode cable cars to the top of both of them, and across a huge glacier today. At the end of the trip, I was in Italy. I stopped for a pizza, before heading back to France. Exhausted & a little sunburnt (despite lots of sunscreen), I'm very satisfied.
I considered staying longer, but I decided that I've been in France long enough. Off to Switzerland tomorrow, where I'm sure to see more mountains. I'll definitely be back here someday.
Chamonix is in a valley between 2 mountains. I've been to the top of both of them - one yesterday & one today. The views were spectacular! I rode cable cars to the top of both of them, and across a huge glacier today. At the end of the trip, I was in Italy. I stopped for a pizza, before heading back to France. Exhausted & a little sunburnt (despite lots of sunscreen), I'm very satisfied.
I considered staying longer, but I decided that I've been in France long enough. Off to Switzerland tomorrow, where I'm sure to see more mountains. I'll definitely be back here someday.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
More France
Since last writing, I've been through 2 cities in France. The first was Tours, in the Loire Valley. Tours was nice enough. But if I had to do it again, I'd go stay in one of the smaller cities - maybe Blois or Amboise. And, it would be more fun if I'd had a car... next time.
While in the Loire, I visited the final home of Leonardo da Vinci & an amazing Chateaux - Chenonceau.
Da Vinci's home was very interesting. He was brought there by a French King (I forget which one), because the king loved Da Vinci's work & wanted him to have a place to just create. When he moved there, da Vinci brought 3 of his paintings with him. One of them was the Mona Lisa. The king fell in love with the painting, and it's been famous ever since.
They also have several models of da Vinci's inventions, which are really cool to see in person. It's amazing to see all the things that da Vinci thought of, that are very similar to things that are in use today.
Next was Chateaux Chenonceau, which was really cool! I was getting kind of tired of museums & chateau, but this was definitely worth it. The grounds were amazing - the gardens were cool, and the Chateau extends across the river. I also found the kitchen & other areas used by the servants to be really cool.
My next stop was the city of Carcassonne, which is in Southern France - a little north of the Spanish Border. I went there to see the Midevil city - which is the largest midevil restoration that has been done in Europe. It was enormous - with 2 walls wrapping around the city, a Cathedral, and a fortefied castle within the walled city.
There were a number of restaurants & shops inside the midevil city - a little touristy. But, it was still cool to see a well-preserved midevil fortress.
Oh - and I learned an important lesson in Carcassonne: know where your hotel is. When I reached the train station, I had a general idea of where it was. I asked the information area, and they pointed me in sort-of the right direction. I say sort-of because it was a little bit off, which resulted in me hiking around residential neighborhoods for an hour with all of my stuff on my back (it was hot, and there were hills). I was looking for someone to ask, but all the shops were closed. Finally, I stumbled upon a hair salon - when I asked the lady where the hotel was, she pointed next door! :-)
Turns out, if you go the right way, it's only a 15 minute walk to the train station. Lesson learned.
After Carcassonne - I took the overnight train to Lyon. It was much more comfortable sleeping on a train than I expected. The bunks were actually long enough for me to stretch out, and there was plenty of space in there. I didn't get the best night's sleep, but I'll be able to make it through the day. :-)
Now I'm on another train - heading to Chamonix, a city in the Alps that is on the Italian border. I'm really excited to see the Alps.
While in the Loire, I visited the final home of Leonardo da Vinci & an amazing Chateaux - Chenonceau.
Da Vinci's home was very interesting. He was brought there by a French King (I forget which one), because the king loved Da Vinci's work & wanted him to have a place to just create. When he moved there, da Vinci brought 3 of his paintings with him. One of them was the Mona Lisa. The king fell in love with the painting, and it's been famous ever since.
They also have several models of da Vinci's inventions, which are really cool to see in person. It's amazing to see all the things that da Vinci thought of, that are very similar to things that are in use today.
Next was Chateaux Chenonceau, which was really cool! I was getting kind of tired of museums & chateau, but this was definitely worth it. The grounds were amazing - the gardens were cool, and the Chateau extends across the river. I also found the kitchen & other areas used by the servants to be really cool.
My next stop was the city of Carcassonne, which is in Southern France - a little north of the Spanish Border. I went there to see the Midevil city - which is the largest midevil restoration that has been done in Europe. It was enormous - with 2 walls wrapping around the city, a Cathedral, and a fortefied castle within the walled city.
There were a number of restaurants & shops inside the midevil city - a little touristy. But, it was still cool to see a well-preserved midevil fortress.
Oh - and I learned an important lesson in Carcassonne: know where your hotel is. When I reached the train station, I had a general idea of where it was. I asked the information area, and they pointed me in sort-of the right direction. I say sort-of because it was a little bit off, which resulted in me hiking around residential neighborhoods for an hour with all of my stuff on my back (it was hot, and there were hills). I was looking for someone to ask, but all the shops were closed. Finally, I stumbled upon a hair salon - when I asked the lady where the hotel was, she pointed next door! :-)
Turns out, if you go the right way, it's only a 15 minute walk to the train station. Lesson learned.
After Carcassonne - I took the overnight train to Lyon. It was much more comfortable sleeping on a train than I expected. The bunks were actually long enough for me to stretch out, and there was plenty of space in there. I didn't get the best night's sleep, but I'll be able to make it through the day. :-)
Now I'm on another train - heading to Chamonix, a city in the Alps that is on the Italian border. I'm really excited to see the Alps.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
An aside
First thing (nothing to do with travel).
I am proud to announce that I've had my 2nd photo published! Once again, someone found one of my pics on flickr, and asked to use it. It's in the Schmap!! guide - a free guide for cities. A photo I took on Lake Harriet was selected:
http://www.schmap.com/minneapolis/activities_outdoors/#p=255636&i=255636_44.jpg
Here's the original on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theycallmecb/3552770698/
BTW - if you're interested, here's the first pic of mine that got used (I got $50 for this photo) :-)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theycallmecb/1157461848/
Ok - back to travel stuff.
Mont St-Michel was nice. I spent the day there, and had a good time. I toured the Abby, went to a couple museums on the island (it's an island when the tide is in, which it wasn't), and walked around. But, one day was enough - definitely not enough stuff to spend more than one day there.
This morning I took the train back to Paris. Hoping to get an overnight train down to Carcassonne - that wasn't in the cards. So, I got a train to Tours France - right in the Loire Valley. I'll spend a day or 2 here, and then head to Carcassonne (trains permitting).
I haven't done anything in Tours yet. As I walked around this evening, I had several moments where I thought something was a sign for a tourism office. Then I realized it was just the town's name: Tours. :-)
I am proud to announce that I've had my 2nd photo published! Once again, someone found one of my pics on flickr, and asked to use it. It's in the Schmap!! guide - a free guide for cities. A photo I took on Lake Harriet was selected:
http://www.schmap.com/minneapolis/activities_outdoors/#p=255636&i=255636_44.jpg
Here's the original on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theycallmecb/3552770698/
BTW - if you're interested, here's the first pic of mine that got used (I got $50 for this photo) :-)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theycallmecb/1157461848/
Ok - back to travel stuff.
Mont St-Michel was nice. I spent the day there, and had a good time. I toured the Abby, went to a couple museums on the island (it's an island when the tide is in, which it wasn't), and walked around. But, one day was enough - definitely not enough stuff to spend more than one day there.
This morning I took the train back to Paris. Hoping to get an overnight train down to Carcassonne - that wasn't in the cards. So, I got a train to Tours France - right in the Loire Valley. I'll spend a day or 2 here, and then head to Carcassonne (trains permitting).
I haven't done anything in Tours yet. As I walked around this evening, I had several moments where I thought something was a sign for a tourism office. Then I realized it was just the town's name: Tours. :-)
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