So, Where’s the View?

Eagles Nest, Germany

Let's pretend there's a view

Beautifully carved sign at the entrance

Glimpses of what might have been - on the way down of course!

Having ventured north into farming heartlands looking for romance, it was now time to head south for a history lesson in those famous Bavarian alpine playgrounds with massive views.  Oh dear, it was overcast and raining (again!)…..  This was not the best of days to be heading off to tour Berchtesgaden and visit what remains of Hitler’s Alpine HQ of the Third Reich.

Along the way, we dropped off some of our fellow passengers at Lake Chiem for their visit to Ludwig’s famous Herrenhiemsee, a wondrous palace built on an island in the lake – a replica of Versailles!  Bavaria is one of those places where you simply wish you could stop and see everything, but we stayed on the bus, climbing higher and higher into the Bavarian Alps to reach destination Obersalzburg.

A good indication of the places we visited in the Bavarian Alps from Munich

First stop was the “elevator bus” to take us to Eagles Nest.  Somehow we imagined this bus to be a futuristic, innovative German-engineered rig.  It was in a way, just not what we had envisaged.  The road up to Eagles Nest is incredibly steep and ordinary vehicles are not allowed.  (Even the maintenance staff drove trucks that would have happily been at home in a US “monster truck derby”.)  The views from the bus though are expansive and the drop to the valley floor deadly; it quite takes your mind off mere technicalities.  The end of the road was a simple tunnel entrance to a not-so-simple Elevator.  Made from polished brass with green leather benches and Venetian mirrors, it was confection enough to make any interior designer of the times swoon. 

Tunnel to the Elevator

Selfies? in the Elevator

Mussolini's Marble Fireplace

Inside Eagles Nest

Eagles Nest itself is situated high on a rocky outcrop in the Alps and this smart elevator takes you the last 124m skyward to a modest stone lodge.  Presented by Martin Bormann to Hitler for his 50^th birthday, it was rarely used.  Sadly, the Italian marble fireplace, a gift from Mussolini, was damaged by souvenir hunting soldiers after the war.  Currently, a charitable organisation operates a restaurant at the top.  It was raining and miserable, so with no spectacular views for us to contemplate today, we bussed back down the slopes. 

Obersalzburg has a sobering history.  It seems that Hitler enjoyed vacationing here and initially rented a chalet.  That was until owners and neighbours were “encouraged” to leave, making way for the area to become Alpine HQ with the chalet modified into the famous Berghof.  Others in the Nazi upper echelon lived nearby, the area a fortified pleasure garden and warren of tunnels.  The Documentation Centre, a resource of historical information about the area under this regime, has been built over the former Guesthouse.  Little remains of the complex given that it was heavily bombed following the end of WW2.  One of the original buildings, Hotel zum Turken (a hotel prior to its occupation by the SS) sits serenely in what is now a quiet forested area albeit with a nearby bus terminus busy with Eagles Nest visitors. 

Remains of the Berghof's solid retaining walls

Restaurant near our steep ride to Eagles Nest

We had lunch (inside) this restaurant - hearty, German-sized portions & hot chocolate, celebrating having survived the trip down!  Eagles Nest is up there somewhere  - in the clouds.  It was certainly closing in for the day.

Our final stop for the day was at a damp Berchtesgaten, once famous for its salt mines, now a resort town with immediate access to winter ski resorts & sports venues and summer pleasures on deep glacial lake, Königssee.  We strolled briefly around this picturesque village to take in, aside from some lovely buildings, those delightfully romantic external frescoes known locally as luftmalerei painting.  Wealthy merchants in the 18^th c had wall murals applied to their homes, themes varying from the religious to folk lore, fairy tales included.  We stuck our noses briefly into the church, but not wanting to drip in one of the few dry places in town, moved on to “window shop” before taking the journey back to Munich.  

Town Square - church & palace

Town Square - decorated with luftmalerei paintings

  

Inside the Church

Fashionable Dirndls

Shop window full of hand painted goodies

During this run up the A8 highway we noticed a large police checkpoint just out of Salzburg and lines of delayed traffic - all part of organising the bourgeoning flow of refugees & migrants.  In fact our whole trip had been re-routed along country roads to save the inconvenience of border crossings.  There were few amongst us who had not left passports locked in our hotel safe.  Kudos to Grayline for this quick thinking!!

It was going to be a wet ride home...

A Romantic Notion

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

(Warning: much camera fodder follows, click, click, click!)

We had planned, on arrival, for a few afternoon hours to explore the old town in Munich.  However, it was not to be.  A forest fire sent the ICE scuttling back to Bamburg where we sat (2 hours patiently) waiting for clearance to recommence our journey.  There was talk of re-routing to another line but it wasn’t clear if we did.  Who could tell what towns we sped past!  Travel at this pace adds a whole new dimension to the romance of train travel - not!  Munich Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) was exceptionally busy when we finally arrived, but we thought little of it given the number of trains delayed by the fires.  

Later, we were to realise it was the beginnings of the refugee/illegal migrant crisis, with thousands arriving by train that day.  Munich was also busy preparing for the Oktoberfest and the annual onslaught of lederhosen clad tourists this brings.  We made a quick dash for our hotel leaving the chaos behind.

Intriguing Rothenburg

Next morning we made tracks for the Gray Line bus departure point, opposite the station & our hotel.  Our day (over 10 hours!) was to be spent travelling part of the famous Romantic Road, a 420 km road that links Wurzburg to Fussen with delightful country views, attractive medieval towns and imposing castles dotted along the way.  This road was once a section of an ancient (Roman) trade route through southern Germany.  Now a popular tourist destination, the area really does retain that picture-postcard charm promised in tourist brochures.

Inside the Castle Walls at Harburg

First stop was tiny Schloss Harburg.  This diminutive castle dates to 1150.  Some constructions on the site though are believed to have existed earlier and evidence of Roman habitation has been found.  Schloss Harburg was a stronghold of the medieval Staufer Kings (1138 – 1268) and later pledged to the Count of Oettingen (1295).  It has been in this same family line ever since, although it’s understood that Michael Jackson once made an offer.  Yes, the castle is sheer fairy tale.

Harburg Castle was constructed as a medieval stronghold and thankfully has been maintained to this end, surviving most wars and catastrophes.  Its grounds include the castle house, chapel, prison tower –with functioning loo (well, not now of course!), dungeon, courtyard & deep well, timbered sentry wall walk and six towers.  

We had a private tour booked and escorted by a guide started at the central courtyard working our way around many of the castle’s nooks & crannies. We remained well away from their hotel and restaurant area though!  At one stage we had the good fortune to be able to gaze at the owner's family tree lavish with crests (in the Granary?) and could only wonder at being able to trace your family back over all those years. Impressive! 

Back on the bus, we hit the road only to discover that our journey took us through the Swarbian Crater, a massive leftover of meteorite action some 15 million years ago.  Yes, it was only in 1961 that authorities decided a meteorite (about 1km wide) had impacted with our lovely blue planet on this very spot causing a crater some 4km deep and 25 km wide.  (Apparently, heat and pressure would have decimated everything within seconds for a 100km radius.)  Not that you would notice anything out of the ordinary today.  Still, I'm keeping my eyes peeled....


Main Gate Rothenburg

Rothenburg ob der Tauber was THE attraction of the day.  Luckily we had a few hours to relax and really explore this lovely old town.  It too survived the worst of the war years and its medieval profile maintained against all odds.  Today, Rothenburg is considered the most perfectly preserved medieval town in Europe, so quaint it seems pure fantasy. 

Mmmm, well that means lots of tourists too but on a Sunday with some shops closed (including a patchwork shop!!) we were able to take our time to wander the town, climb the stairs to walk the wall and wonder at some stunning architecture.  It’s almost possible to walk the complete circumference of the fortified town with plenty of cobbled side streets to admire cute cottages, covered bridges and delightful gardens. 

We stopped briefly for lunch – a German sausage on a bread roll (naturally), and later giant helpings of apple cake – then just strolled the town, enjoying the ambience and sunshine.  I think we need to live here….

 

Walking the Sentry Walk - Inside the Walls

Formidable Exterior Walls

Flitting across Germany

Munich, Germany

Green, green as far as the eye could see

Yes, we’d managed to save a few days on our Schengen schedule – mere crumbs in the basket – but felt it was important to cover a bit more of Germany than just Berlin where our Intrepid tour officially ended.  This of course was a WJ3 thing; going against many, many recommendations to stay in Berlin – being that it capably manifests all things for all people.  We made do with a few last minute regrets at not having visited other highly recommended sites (such as the Pergamon Museum) and boarded our ICE speeding bullet (actually it was a train) hoping we’d made the right choices. 

After reading heaps about “Things NOT to miss in Germany” several plans had been concocted.  We wanted to be realistic about what we could cover in the remaining 6 days.  Our airline offered more flights with better connection times to get home from Frankfurt and as we had friends in the area, fixed it as our departure point.  Also, we had been on the move constantly for our 29 day tour and now wanted to stay put with no packing.  We were also looking for a city from which to access some of Germany’s best.  After all, our chances of going back are pretty slim.

Hauptbahnhof in Berlin - a very modern central
train station but looking a bit grim on a wet day

Munich was agreed as our best option because it allowed access to a variety of places.  We could have continued our affair with train travel – it’s such a fantastic way to see Europe but, in the end we chose day excursions on buses.  Someone else drove, excellent guides filled us in on itinerary fine-points, we covered all our choices, and with cunning planning, the bus departure point was very, very close to our very central hotel.  

So, decision time!  We’d signed up to cover Rothenburg on the Romantic Road, Hitler’s Eagles Nest in the Alps, and Mad Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle.  On our final day, we wanted to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp on a self-guided tour then catch an early afternoon train to Frankfurt.  Long days, but absolutely worth the planning effort!

The ICE travelled at speeds of over 240km/h (it can go to 300!); snails pace was a mere 110km/h.  Photos we took of beautiful scenery were mostly just blurs : ) 

ICE blur!

In Aus, we had dilly-dallied about buying Rail Passes, and then, a bit confused, didn’t.  Our best advice was from The Man in Seat 61.  In the end, with only 2 intercity connections, and on advice of the very helpful Deutsche Bahn staff at main stations, we’d purchased and saved heaps with 2^nd class seats and “purchase ahead, no refund” special offers.  Our hotel in Munich provided us with local fares (our accommodation deal) and the fares to Dachau offered cheaper rates for couples.  So trains taken care of, yeah!  The only grumble we had was Wi-Fi.  In every other country we’d travelled this year, free Wi-Fi was part and parcel of our stay or ride - buses, trains & ferries.  Deutsche Bahn (with its significantly higher fares – meow!) wanted passengers to pay for use – unless you travelled first class, of course! 

Petty grumbles aside, we wanted to share our travel planning thoughts because it’s quite possible to travel easily under your own steam through Germany.  There are fantastic road & rail links, convenient accommodations and well-serviced tourist sites with lots of facilities.  You can drive on the autobahn doing “the ton” or amble along delightful country roads on a bicycle.  And you can do it all on your own….

Three Ways to See Berlin_#3

Berlin, Germany.  Sightseeing Options

#Three_Under the Microscope

Documentation Centre in the late evening light

With only a few hours left, now was the time to decide on what sites were “important” for us to cover before leaving Berlin.  Alighting at the Brandenburg Gate, we made our way back to the Topography of Terror (for him) and thankfully (for her) just next door to the Martin Gropius Bau, featuring artworks from the vast private collection of Reinhold Würth.

The Topography of Terror considers the worst of the Third Reich on the site of buildings once used as the headquarters by SS and Gestapo during the Nazi regime (1933 to 1945).  The site comprises of a section of the wall, relatively graffiti free, a trench and once underground Gestapo cellars where prisoners were interrogated, tortured and executed, a pavilion or documentation centre and park.  Models, photos and text displayed both inside and out of the museum scrutinise the horror and terror that shadowed over Europe. 

Martin Gropius Bau

Spectacular column bases

Heino Schmieden , CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Martin Gropius Bau is a sumptuous pink confection of neo-classicism thankfully saved from the ruins of Berlin’s bombing (WW2) and restored to its former glory.  Although somewhat at odds against the sparse and minimalistic architecture of the Topography of Terror next door, it glows with positivism.  This delightful building was designed by architect Martin Gropius (family to Walter of Bauhaus fame) and completed in 1881 to house an Arts and Crafts museum.  Arts & Crafts was a counter-movement to the rigours of the Industrial Revolution that swept Europe.  It was at its peak between 1880 to 1910 with William Morris one of its better known advocates.  The gallery now offers space for touring exhibitions and the banner that caught GS’s eye “From Hockney to Holbein” led her to discover an exhibition even more incredible than she imagined.

Remembering the building's Arts & Crafts background on the walls

The exhibition is made up from the art collection of just one man, Reinhold Würth, who owns one of the largest private collections in Europe.  He has, over the years since 1964 gathered more than 16,800 pieces that range from medieval, to post-war and modern-day art.  Not only is the collection vast but Würth has managed to acquire pieces from internationally known and respected masters of their genre. It was definitely time to strap on the roller skates as the Gropius Bau advised the showing covered a selection of 435 art works through 27 rooms over 5,000 square meters. (No photos allowed but you get a really good idea from this youtube vid link.  Remember, it is modern art...) This exhibition remains open until January 10, 2016.  Give yourself more than 2 hours to digest it!

A group farewell dinner at a delightful restaurant in Friedrichshain heralded the end of our oh. so. short stay in Berlin and 29 days of togetherness for the group.  No more late nights sharing loud music and shots with the uni crowd in Berlin for us.  We had a train to catch and a promise of beers to sample – it was countdown to the Oktoberfest in Munich!

Three Ways to See Berlin_#2

Berlin, Germany.  Sightseeing Options

#Two_Take the BIG Bus Ride

A Trabi (GDR era Trabant) - that's a car to you & me...

With rain threatening (not more!) we decided it was the perfect day for a bus ride (no walking and undercover too) so headed off by train to the huge Hauptbahnhof (main train station).  Whilst there, we could do a recce for our next day’s train to Munich - two birds and all that! 

After signing up for two, two-hour tours, we just made the “green” Wall & Lifestyle route.  This essentially took us around north Berlin or the former East Berlin and almost back to our hotel at Friedrichshain. 

Now, are you keeping up?  We covered everything from former grand esplanades to abandoned bunkers.  Rather than write up realms on each and every site, we’ve include a few of the better photos, though there aren't many!

Football anyone?

A fellow traveller perhaps ?

Back at the Huaptbahnhof, we waited patiently for the “red” route, a tour of the traditional Berlin city sites and a drive through the Tiergarten, a huge central park with the zoo.  These rides made the huge effort of getting around this city in a short time, pleasurable.  

Just to finish up, our room had the words in German, “Our language is also our history” by the famous Brothers Grimm painted (nicely) on the wall.  Just so you know, not all German place names on English maps are translated into English.  There are few easy options for travellers with limited language skills, so life becomes an immersion into the real Germany.  Whilst at times frustrating, it also presents as a wonderful opportunity to "learn on the run".  Mind you, this was our 13^th country for the year (so easy to do in Europe), so I think we could be forgiven for a little cultural fatigue.

 

 

Look closely to see portraits
painted on this building

We seem to have concentrated
on photographing old buildings

Bears are big in Berlin,
they crop up everywhere!

Crossing the bridge to
Museum Island

Three Ways to See Berlin_#1

Berlin, Germany.  Sightseeing Options

#One_The Orientation Walk

101 Uses for the Berlin Wall

More Wall Art

All too soon it was time for our train ride to Berlin.  We were happy.  Trains came with comfy seats, power outlets and included wifi…brilliant!  It didn’t take too long to realize though, that photos taken from a train travelling at the speed of light, are never going to be wonderful.  Still, it was a good time to take stock of our journey so far, give GS’s mouse an opportunity to escape (our technology woes continue!) and to work on our post-tour tour of Germany.

East Side Gallery on a stretch of Inner Wall

Our hotel was located in Friedrichshain, close enough to trains and trams to get us round the many top sights of Berlin.  Although considered a trendy boho area, the walk to the station required a dash past some locals who neither knew nor cared about this designation.  One young couple begged pleadingly for coins with a cup curiously marked (in bold letters) “F*** You”; another meowed for attention.  Lost souls, all.  The area is also home to other contrasts.  The East Side Gallery, a stretch of the Berlin wall, is covered in memorable (some more than others!) artwork and the Oberbaumbrucke (1896), a stunning bridge with a confection of towers, turrets, archways and crenellated walls, typifies romantic Germany.

Obviously a tourist hot-spot despite the rain

Before & After photos of the Brandenburg Gate

 

Getting lost in the
Holocaust Memorial

An Orientation Walk however, showed us another side to Berlin – that is, before a storm sent us scrambling.  We’d arrived at Brandenburg Gate too busy listening and taking photos to notice ominous dark clouds building quickly behind.  A short stop under the Gate revealed that it was a mere decorative trifle (ie didn’t offer much cover), so we hot footed it past the labyrinthine Holocaust Memorial to shelter at a snack bar.  

We waited for the weather to clear (ever so hopeful!) sampling local beer & wines plus an interesting development in the art of cooking sausages, the currywurst.  Even before you begin to groan, let me tell you, it is sliced sausage swimming in tomato sauce (so far so good – the Queenslander in me respects this!) but then it’s heartily sprinkled with raw curry powder.  No seconds on that, thanks!  And believe it or not, there’s even a museum dedicated to this savage beast… 

Signs of crass tourism....and curry badly mistreated

Reflective Pool at the former Ministry of Aviation Building

Well, the rain did clear for a wee bit so we continued on to look for Hitler's infamous bunker, once part of the massive & complex Reich Chancellery, now a simple car park.  Across Leipziger Strasse, the former Ministry of Aviation (in German, Reichsluftfahrtministerium or Luftwaffe Headquarters) reminds us how imposing the Chancellery must have been.  Grand architecture as a statement of power – we’d seen similar last year in Bucharest, Romania (The grandiose Palace of the Parliament)!  

Not far behind is Potsdamer Platz, formerly a gate into fortified Berlin and from medieval times, part of a trading route across Europe (Paris to St Petersburg).  In 1930, its reputation as a brassy entertainment district (thinking “Cabaret”) was bolstered.  Now it’s the destination for viewing incredible modern architecture (and eating sublime apple tart with lashings of cream – energy boosting of course!).

Waiting near Checkpoint Charlie for the weather to clear. 
It's decision time. Stay in the rain, or train home.

We stopped briefly at the Topography of Terror with its standing segment of outer wall.  Built on the site of former SS and Gestapo Headquarters, it is indeed an imposing memorial.  Not far away is a further reminder of divided Germany - Checkpoint Charlie.  At this point the rain really settled in so we decided to finish our tour, on paper, back at the hotel. 

TV Tower, the Fernsehturm
behind an artistic pink pipe?

For anyone interested in following our tracks, the plan was to end back at Alexander Platz, leaving Checkpoint Charlie for Gendarmenmarkt Historic Market Square; taking in Book Square and the Book Burning Memorial; admiring the German History Museum GHM; before taking a break to consider a slice of East Berlin at the Berlin Interactive Museum DDR.  Finally, it is possible to zoom heaven-wards in an elevator to admire the view from the TV Tower, Fernsehturm, on a clear day.  Shoppers can linger at Alexander Platz (for hours).  Time then to train underground, back to our hotel.   

After all this activity, our thoughts were otherwise on food, so off we went to explore the student quarter, settling on a pub packed with students well into a cocktail frenzy.  The food served was appalling (mmm, shocked?) so backtracked to a Thai hole-in-the-wall serving aromatic curries with life-reviving properties!