For our last full day in Germany before returning to the USA, we decided to go on an excursion to see Schloss Neuschwanstein (translated literally: “Castle New Swan Stone”), the fairy tale castle of “Mad King Ludwig” (King Ludwig II) of Bavaria. To get to Neuschwanstein we used the last of our 10-day Eurail Pass, … Continue reading
The sun came out in force on Friday, so we made our way to the English Garden (Englischer Garten) on the banks of the Isar River. As we have been wandering around town, we've occasionally seen surfers on bikes riding down the street: I had heard about river surfing in Munich, so we followed one … Continue reading
Before this trip, when someone mentioned Munich, I thought of Oktoberfest, Biergärten and Lederhosen. But I suppose that Americans and Europeans of my parents’ (and their parents’) generation associate the city with something much more sinister than Lager and pretzels: Munich is the birthplace of the Nazi Party and the political career of Adolph Hitler. … Continue reading
The weather has continued to be cool and overcast since our arrival in Munich, not really good for spending time outdoors at the Englischer Garten or a Biergarten, which is what we had hoped to do. But the gloomy and foreboding feel of the day matched the mood and experience of our excursion to nearby … Continue reading
When we arrived in Munich (München) on Sunday afternoon it was in the mid-80s. But, a front moved through southern Germany on Monday and today it was in the 50s. It was odd to be looking for a fan in the apartment one day, then trying to figure out the heating system the next. At … Continue reading
The first new building completed on the Ringstraße was the opera house, built in 1861-1869. It was originally known as the Wiener Hofoper (the Vienna Court Opera), but after the fall of the Habsburgs in WWI, the name was changed to the Wiener Staatsoper (the Vienna State Opera). Bombing during WW II destroyed most of … Continue reading
We returned to Krems from Melk on the other side of the Danube River, the southeast side, which is not as scenic, but the cycling was better because the trail is mostly off the road and right along the river's edge. The morning started out mostly sunny, but we found ourselves riding in the shade … Continue reading
The town of Melk, where we spent the night, is the site of the Stift Melk, a Benedictine abbey that sits 200 feet above the Danube. Originally founded in 1089, a monastic school and scriptorium were added during the next century and the abbey became known for its manuscripts and library long before the invention … Continue reading
A little over five miles upriver from Krems, we came to the medieval walled town of Dürnstein (established 1019 A.D.), just as the tourist riverboats from Vienna docked nearby. The main attraction inside the walls of Dünstein is the Augustiner-Chorherrenstift, a gothic monastery built for the Order of St. Augustine in 1410 and then rebuilt … Continue reading
On Monday, we set out on the train from Wien Spittelau Bahnhof (“Wien” is German for Vienna) to the town of Krems an der Danau for an overnight bike ride along the Danube River to Melk. Across from the train station was another Hundertwasser creation, a garbage incenerator known as the District Heating Plant Spittelau. … Continue reading
Friday was Art Day for us as we set out to see the exhibits of reknowned Austrian painters Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) and Egon Schiele (1890-1918) who, I subsequently learned, were of the Vienna Secessionist movement which turned its back on the realistic historical style of mainstream Austrian artists and worked in a contemporary, impressionistic mode. … Continue reading
It hadn’t occurred to me, though it should have, that Austria is a Catholic country (75% of the population). You know, the Habsburgs were the Holy Roman Emperors, allied with the Roman Catholic Church – that should have been a tip-off. But we were a little surprised to find out that everything was closed Thursday … Continue reading
On our first day in Vienna, we rode trams 1 and 2 around the Ringstraße, hopping on and off as it suited us. We were intrigued by what appeared to be a city gate with a palace of some sort behind it, but the sky looked a little ominous so we decided to save exploring … Continue reading
It was fascinating to learn about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire when we visited Turkey in 2012. Prior to that trip, I knew relatively little about Rome from the early years of Christianity on – and nearly nothing about the Byzantine Empire, that is, the Eastern Roman Empire that continued on until … Continue reading
On Tuesday (“Mardi” in French), we went on the scenic train ride known as the Südbahn, the Austrian Southern Railway, over the Semmering Pass to Austria’s second largest city, Graz (pop. 265,000), the capital of the Austrian state of Styria. Leaving Vienna, the country’s largest city with 1,725,000 residents, we traveled through relatively flat countryside … Continue reading
I remember taking Civics class in Junior High School and learning how government works. Government has always fascinated me and later, in law school, I took both local government law and international comparative law, studying the interplay within the United States’ governmental hierarchy, as well as the different systems and forms of government around the … Continue reading
If there's one thing Austria is known for above all else, it would have to be music. And while we Americans might immediately think – Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music – the hills around here are filled with much, much more than that. We first visited Austria in 1983, just after marriage and … Continue reading
The Hofburg Palace complex contains several museums, in addition to one of the two royal residences, the treasury and the Spanish riding school. It also is home to the Austrian National Library, the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Around the back side of the National Library, and somewhat hard to find, is the Prunksaal (the State Hall) that … Continue reading
After spending a couple days just walking around the city center getting our bearings and looking at magnificent structures from the street, we finally settled on our first excursion, the Hundertwasserhaus. According to Wikipedia, the artist, Friedrich Stowasser, was born in Vienna in 1928. After World War 2, he studied art briefly at the Academy … Continue reading
We will be living in an apartment in the Neubau district in the heart of Vienna (“Wien”) for the month of May. Our apartment is on the top floor (we would call it the 4th floor, but in Europe it's called the 3rd floor, that is, three floors above the ground floor). Street level is … Continue reading
I have to say that I really love the beer, pretzel bread and wurst here but my favorite Swabian food is Spätzle, a boiled dough that looks and tastes a little bit like spaghetti. Dale asked Heike to show her how to make it, so when we got back to the house, Heike and Dale … Continue reading
Friday, May Day, turned out to be a rainy day – like what we would expect in Bellingham, Washington, this time of year. In fact, Bellingham and Schönaich are at just about the same latitude which explains the similar weather and vegetation. In preparation for our visit to Germany, Manfred had sent me a list … Continue reading
Thursday afternoon, we decided to go for a long walk to burn off some of the calories from the Frühlingsfest. Dale had already been on the trail that runs below and behind the Langner's (Jörg's and Heike's) house, so she knew the route. The trail has been adorned with outdoor art. This piece is probably … Continue reading
Everybody has heard of Munich’s Oktoberfest, but did you know that it has a rival in the Spring? Well it does: the Stuttgarter Frülingsfest, also known as the Cannstatter Wasen, held every year in Stuttgart between the middle of April and the end of May. Its the largest Spring festival in Europe! And we were … Continue reading
Leaving Ulm, we traced the Blau River ten miles west to its headwaters: the spring at Blaubeuren known as the Blautopf (the “Blue Pot”). Blaubeuren is also home to an ancient Benedictine monastic village, obviously located here for the spring water and mill power it provides. Blautopf is the second largest spring in Germany and, … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 