The Dark Side of Nuremberg: "Fascination and Terror"

What a strange title for the exhibit at the Dokumentationszentrum set amid the 4 square km grounds of the Reichsparteitagsgelande that 80+ years ago were the site of those horrifically amazing NSDAP rallies.  Nuremberg was ground zero for Hitler in his rise to power.  Here he held his first rallies; here his thugs managed to unseat the Lord Mayor who refused to issue a second permit for an NSDAP rally after the first one ended in a bloodbath; here he implemented the Nuremberg Laws with their severe restrictions of Jews, and here he molded a party that would gain increasingly vicious traction across all of Germany and much of Western Europe. 

It's no coincidence that Nuremberg is where the famous post-war trials were held to bring to justice the most egregious perpetrators of 'crimes against humanity' and 'crimes against peace.'  And, finally here is where the worst of them were hanged on October 16, 1946.  We both felt it was important to include Nuremberg on our tour of Germany . . . what does this city feel like now?  How have today's Nurembergians dealt with this legacy?  How can  a city ever recover from a history like this? 

But first the site of the famous Nuremberg trials.  

Courtroom 6 where the trials were held is only open to the public when no trial is being conducted there.  Today it was not open, but the rest of the exhibit was, complete with an audio guide.

It doesn't appear to either of us that this is any sort of apologist effort on the part of the Germans.  Neither does it have a 'mea culpa' tone; it is, with typical German efficiency, a narrative of the preparation for the trials, the multinational cooperation (the US, France, GB, and Russia), the judicial process, and the conviction results. Given the diverse judicial imperatives of the four major countries, it is quite amazing that the trials went off as smoothly as they did.  Much of the evidence had been destroyed not to mention the millions of witnesses.

One interesting aspect of this was the defense claims that the Allies bore a similar if not comparable level of culpability for their 'crimes against humanity' with the frequently-cited dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The bulk of those victims were civilians.

It's a sobering exhibit . . . then we're off to the park.

*******************

The park is several kilometers south of the city and the site of concerts, outdoor events, and family outings. There is a small lake, miles of bike and walking paths, a symphonic venue, and the 'museum'.  Our guide book states that there has been no small amount of controversy surrounding the conversion and uses of this land.

A map of the whole complex.

  

This is another dimly lit exhibit (all red and black) with a painstakingly-detailed narrative of Hitler's rise to power and his end.  It is almost impossible to comprehend the monumental ego and colossal evil of the man . . . here's a photo of a structure, never finished, that he was building to rival the Coliseum in Rome.

A very sobering ending . . . an installation of RR tracks with the names of the death camps on the wall.  On the 21-meter rail bed are the names of 6,000 people who perished at the hands of the Nazis.  Each name represented 1,000 people; were these tracks to have all the names of those who died in the camps, it would stretch over 4km, right into the center of the city.

Tomorrow we're off to Dresden, another city nearly leveled by Allied bombing at the end of the war. And 25 years ago Dresden was in East Germany . . .   

Did we find answers to our questions about Nuremberg?  Not sure . . . our host, Peter, feels the current government is somewhat lackluster, but our sense was that everyone lives pretty well (haven't seen one homeless person or panhandler).  People look healthy and well-dressed, but it's hard to characterize them as happy.  Efficient, clean, energetic - absolutely.  Vibrant, warm, welcoming . . . mmmm . . . not really.  But Germany is almost as different regionally as the US and perhaps what we're seeing is a regional persona attributable, perhaps, to Nuremberg's history, perhaps not . . .

We'll see what Dresden has to reveal!

Nuremberg - The Residence of Kings

After an easy 3-hour drive from southern Bavaria, we arrive in the Nuremberg suburb of Furth.  We are greeted at our sweet flat by our host, Peter, and his wife, Carola.  This is our first rental from the European site, 9flats.com, and we are delighted.  Peter built this flat for his Mom and on her passing converted it to a rental.  As a result, it has lots of things we don't usually find in our travels, including a washing machine and a dryer!!  After two weeks of travel, everything we own goes into the washer.  The flat has a lovely, large deck . . .

One of the big draws of Nuremberg is its old city, dating back to the Middle Ages.  Despite the tangle of streets, our trusty Garmin GPS gets us right to the center of town!!  We even find a parking place within a half block of the main square, the Hauptmarkt.  It's a gorgeous day, great for a walking tour.  First stop, the Frauenkirche cathedral.   Interesting history - it started life as a Jewish synagogue.  In the 14th or 15th century (??), the Emperor Charles IV decided he wanted to appropriate much of the holdings of the Jews so he not only ousted them from the synagogue, he assassinated them.   The Lutheran Church took over the cathedral for several centuries but the Catholic church ultimately took control of it and still claims it today.

The facade . . . 

This square is not just for tourists; it has a thriving market and all the booths appear to be permanently installed and sell everything from Ronco-type kitchen gadgets to handmade soap and wooden spoons.

Following our trusty LP walking tour we wander around the narrow, cobblestone streets, nearly empty of cars.  The old city is bisected by the Pegnitz River and until Charles II was actually two distinct cities.  Its most famous citizen is Albrecht Durer . . . 

Right opposite this statue is an underground brewery and beer cellar, the Felsengange.  During WWII it also served as a bomb shelter.  And like Dresden to the northwest, much of Nuremberg was reduced to rubble in the bombing raids of early 1945; it has been painstakingly rebuilt.

The entire old city is ringed with a massive stone wall, complete with ramparts.

Now they make an ideal spot for street musicians . . . fabulous acoustics!

Looks like Germany also has a liberal weed policy.

Typical view of the streets in the old city.

And these jaw-droppingly beautiful views from the bridges.

Back at the market, we see a London double-decker bus (the Piccadilly Queen), adorned with German bier signs!

All this walking and gawping, time for a latte and apfelkuchen!  The pastries are absolutely wonderful and very cheap.

Lovely, relaxed day in Nuremberg!

High Line 179 or How I Conquered My Fear of Heights in Austria!!

Our host, Jean, suggests an outing to a reecently-opened (Nov 2014) local attraction: the longest suspension bridge in the world.  This wouldn't even be up for debate but I figure if the Germans built it, it's got to be safe . . . and what an opportunity to overcome my fear of heights.  We drive a short way into Austria (let's hope the Germans had the engineering part of this project) and find the 'High Line 179'.  It's way, way, way up there . . . and spans a busy roadway.

We fork over our 8 euro each admission and then think to ask how we get up to the bridge.  The ticket lady tells us the beginning is a bit steep but then it levels off to a walking path.  HAH!!  This trek makes the walk up to Neuschwanstein seem like a Sunday stroll.  I bet they couldn't even get horses to pull a carriage up this mountain.

We finally make the top and approach the entrance to the suspension bridge.  Yikes - did I really say this was something I wanted to do??  Maybe I'll just hang on to this wee fear a while longer . . .

No, no, no I can do this (I am woman, hear me scream!) . . .

Now I just have to make it to the other side!

A bunch of teenage boys were just behind us and couldn't resist jumping on the walkway, making the whole thing wobble and sway (no, I'm not going to give up!).

Yes, that's the parking lot where we left our car.

A nearby Austrian village . . . and part of the mechanics of this engineering marvel!

And here I am whining about this climb - a fortress built just above us and all these stones had to be hauled up this hill!!

This is obviously not one of Tim's fears - way cool he is!!

One last look on the way out . . . I did it!!

And now for the reward - a fabulous German dinner at a nearby restaurant (schnitzel, cabbage, spaetzle and of course, German bier!).  Ahh, life is gut!!

Tim's dinner - pork, cabbage and a bread dumpling (it was like a lead weight!)

The Swan Castles . . .

Our first day in southern Bavaria is familiarization - finding a gas station, a food store, and a bakery!  Day two we're ready for adventure which means a visit to the famous castles:  the summer palace of young Ludwig (Hohenschwangau), later King of Bavaria, and the other, Neuschwanstein, his fantasy castle known around the world and the inspiration for the centerpiece of Disney's Magic Kingdom.

It was a somewhat sturm unt drang day but that didn't deter the hordes of tourists.  Estimates are that as many as 6,000 people visit these castles every day, and up to 1,000,000 a year.  We were advised to get there early (8:30) and that was wise.  We were among the first in line to buy tickets and then queue up for the horse and carriage ride up the looming hill.  We didn't go much faster than the people on foot but it was a whole lot easier!!

Tours are 30" long and start every 5 minutes!  About every fourth tour is in English; otherwise they're in German with the occasional self-guided audio tour in several other languages.

You line up and feed your ticket into a turnstile, all automated, too bad if you're late!!
Photos are absolutely, utterly forbidden inside Neuschwanstein.  We had one opportunity ('landscapes aren't copyrighted') . . .

 . . . and at the end of the tour we could photograph the massive kitchen.

Poor Ludwig led a sad and lonely life both as a child and later into adulthood.  He idolized the composer, Richard Wagner, and this castle was actually designed by an operatic set designer, not an architect.  Reports differ as to how many nights Ludwig actually slept here - some say three, some 100 and others 177.  Not many at all given that it took 17 years to build and only about one third of the interior was completed at the time of his death.  Six weeks after his death in 1886 at the age of 40 - under mysterious circumstances at a nearby lakeside where he'd been committed to a sanitarium for 'madness' - the castle was opened for tours.  And the interior remains in its unfinished state even today.

The parts that are finished are indulgent and grand - like the kitchen.  Ludwig was a night owl and the kitchen staff had special night shifts to accommodate his culinary whims.  Another rumor about Ludwig was that he insisted on eating all of his meals outside . . .

Another opulent spot is the throne room which has 2,000,000 pieces of mosaic in the floor but no throne . . .

Looking up at the entranceway . . .

We ride the horse carriage back down the hill and hustle to make our next timed-tour for Hohenschwangau, the summer home of Ludwig's parents.  Looking at this lovely, intimate summer palace, at one time a medieval knights' castle, you would think that this was a happy home and a lovely place to spend ones childhood,  It reminded us of many warm family homes in Mexico!

All the roof tile is terra cotta (note the cement in all the joints) and many of the walls are ornately painted.

Another Mexican touch, the fountain in the courtyard!

Once again, photos inside the castle are forbidden . . . too bad, as this is a wonderful home with many delightful touches:  a chair our guide described as the 'first Lazyboy' - a reclining reading chair, complete with book holder and foot rest and set in an alcove with 270 degree views of the mountains; the king's bedchamber with an elaborately painted tree behind the headboard, arcing onto the ceiling inset with stars and a changing moon.   

A view from one of the windows . . . 

And a few more photos . . . 

I loved the potted succulent in this environment!

Sadly, this was not a place of childhood happiness for either Ludwig or his younger brother, Otto.  From our guide, we learn that their mother had 'some issues' - I questioned why in that time only two children, Ludwig and Otto, were born to the royal couple,  As the heir apparent, Ludwig was tutored, trained, and disciplined - all things he didn't take to at all well.  He was a brooding, introverted, artistic child whose close friends were all male.  Upon the death of his father, Ludwig became King of Bavaria at 18; he was engaged for a long while, but never married.  

Legend has it that he was beloved by the locals despite the fact that he spent all the allowance granted him as King of Bavaria by the newly-installed German ruler and then some.  When Ludwig was removed based on his 'madness', Bavaria was deeply in debt thanks to the construction of Neuschwanstein as well as several other, lesser-known castles. Was he mad?  Eccentric, no doubt, and a not very effective ruler, sure.  

But he had to be certified insane in order for those in power to have him removed.  (They used the fact that his younger brother, Otto, had been declared mad years earlier as justification for declaring it a family curse.)  The fact that Ludwig died just days later in waist-deep water at nearby Lake Starnen in the company of his 'attending' physician who was also found dead and severely bruised . . . all very suspicious.  Every year on the anniversary of Ludwig's death, the locals hold a candlelight vigil at the site of his death.

I couldn't help but wonder if he had any idea what his 'folly' would become - an iconic structure and the source of thriving tourism for this part of Europe (we're only miles from Austria, Switzerland, and France).  Just look at the parking lot:

Thank you Ludwig!  Oh, almost forgot - the meaning of their names:  Hohenschwangau - 'high swan land' ---- Neuschwanstein - 'new swan land'.  All the door handles in Neuschwanstein are shaped like the curved necks of swans . . . 

From Bruges to Bonn to Bavaria . . .to Bed

We left Bruges on Tuesday and after an adventurous trip and an overnight in Bonn, via Cologne, are now in southern Germany - Bavaria the beautiful!  The train from Bruges to Cologne took all day rather than the scheduled three hours, picking up the rental car and making our way to Bonn was also a challenge, but we finally made it to the home of our new friend, Ilse - only five hours later than planned!

She was a bit frantic as she hadn't heard from us and expected us for lunch at 2pm not dinner at 7.  Lunch/dinner was exquisite - all Italian thanks to her having just returned from two weeks at Lake Maggiore and still feeling very 'la dolce vita' in the kitchen.

We had a lovely evening catching up on her travels, looking at all her artistic creations, and hearing more about her upcoming party on September 26th.  Alas, we won't be there to celebrate with the scores of long-time friends.  Our original plan was to have lunch and then head south to our rental flat in southern Bavaria, but by the time we finished dinner it was almost 10pm.  Ilse graciously offered us a spare bedroom which we gladly occupied.

Ilse seeing us off after breakfast with a bottle of coffee!

Onto the autobahn!!  Tim has been so stoked about driving this famous road system it's hard to describe how disappointed he is with the reality.  The trip from Bonn to Fussen, our destination, is just under 400km (250 or so miles) and it took us EIGHT HOURS!!  At least 75% of the autobahn on our route is under construction and it's stop and go, usually at 30-50km per hour.  The last 1.5 hrs is really smooth and we arrive at our flat well before dark, stopping for a couple of photos just a few km from the flat.

One of the two famous castles we've come to visit . . .

And this is the other . . .

But first we need a good long recuperation at our flat . . . with a view of the beautiful Bavarian countryside.

We'll be back after a long rest!!

A "Lesser Known Bruges" Walkabout

Our lovely B and B host, Riet, has an abundance of tourist stuff, including a book on Bruges with some detailed walking tours.  It's time we saw more of this unique town than just the tourist hot spots.  A walk in the book promises sights in the 'Lesser Known Bruges' so off we go.

We're zooming across the Markt to the 'less traveled lanes' when we both stop and stare . . . 

Tim thinks they're advertising some sort of sci-fi movie . . . whatever they are, they're colorful and consent to photo-ops.

After walking for 10-15 minutes we're in a totally different part of town, residential, quiet and very local feeling.  The big draw here is the Church of St. Giles (Gillis) which dates back to the 1300's.  Much of it was destroyed during the anti-papist years and has been completely restored.  It's a peculiar but strangely harmonious mix of baroque and neo-Gothic.

We are the only visitors and are greeted warmly by a woman attendant who tells us she's Iranian, Catholic, and married to a Belgian.  We ask what she thinks of the recent US-Iran Nuclear pact and she just shakes her head 'You can't trust them, not for a minute.'  That's encouraging . . . 

I just loved this doorway . . . the sign in the door said 'Enter at Your Own Risk'.  We didn't . . .

 A gorgeous view down one of the 'lesser known' canals . . .

  

Part of our walk is along the ramparts of the city which on the eastern side are dotted with the iconic windmills (wait a minute, aren't windmills Dutch??).  

We got absolutely soaked yesterday while walking home so with the skies clouding up, we decide to abbreviate our walk and make for home.  

Our downstairs sitting area and breakfast table, with a view of the garden.  Lovely, caring hostess and sweet accommodation.  Tomorrow we're off to Koln (Cologne) and an overnight with Ilse in Bonn.

We've had an excellent adventure in Holland and Belgium!