7-8 A Promise is a Promise
This trip really started twenty years ago, born out of pillow talk when we first started dating. Bedroom conversation and promises flowed easily in those days. Rusty, in his haste to impress me, promised to take me to Germany “When I graduated”. Since then, I’ve graduated several times (I’m only slightly bitter gentle reader). What better way to celebrate our twentieth anniversary than making good on a promise.
We are finally on our way to Europe, and at this point the trip seems unreal. The effort, coordination, and preparation required to be gone for three weeks was monumental at best. Our lives are way to complicated when it takes a team of people to “handle things” when we are on vacation. My eternal thanks to team Walrus for their assistance. If ever we can return the favor, etc. etc.
So, soon to be Euro Trash once again. I look forward to wearing berets and chain smoking over priced cigarettes in over sized, expensive packs that I can buy on almost every street corner in an automatic machine.
It has been over twenty three years since my last trip to the continent and over thirty for Rusty. Memories have all but dissipated since, but I look forward to jogging my memories and hopefully creating new ones. After all, we are older, wiser, less volatile, and with better conditioned livers than our last trip. Well gentle reader, another 8 1/2 hours, the excitement builds...slowly.
7-9 European Heat Wave
Heiß, heiß, heiß. Germany is suffering its hottest days of the year. Stepping off the plane wasn’t much different than stepping off the plane in North Carolina. 100 degree weather with high humidity. The only difference is that air conditioners are few and far between here in central Germany.
A quick fifteen minute ride and we were in Hochheim where the Schreiber side of my family lives. It was certainly nice to see my Aunt and Uncle. We are enjoying their terrific low pressure hosting.
Although I would like to brag that my command of the German language has raised nary an eyebrow, alas, it is not so, as many Germans with whom we have interacted have just switched to English for us. But, we have had no trouble ordering bratwurst and beer and my German improves daily.
Rusty was impressed with the Hochheimer Reisling wine. Well, impressed may not be the exact word, rather, he mentioned that the wine wasn’t as sweet as he expected (damned with faint praise). Notable historical visitors to the little town are Queen Victoria and Thomas Jefferson. Who knew?
The wine wasn’t the only thing white in Hochheim, rather the entire country seems to have a dearth of diversity.
It is odd to see young people drinking bottles of wine and stealing off into the wine fields to make out. The German men all seem a little light in the loafers given the hairstyles, the fashions (especially since pedal pushers are ubiquitous), and the amount of product utilized. And everyone drinking and smoking as hard as they can.
Rusty had a chance to eat a Curry Wurst at a Schnell Imbiß, the one thing he has been talking about since planning this trip. Highlights included a band marching around consisting of an accordion player, a drummer, a tuba player and a frontman singing on a megaphone...called The Bigfeet Boys.
They were playing such wonderful American tunes as Country Roads (John Denver), and I Feel Good (James Brown). Bizarre? Yes. Awesome? Of course!
They were playing such wonderful American tunes as Country Roads (John Denver), and I Feel Good (James Brown). Bizarre? Yes. Awesome? Of course!
We dragged our tired, jet lagged rear ends home at a decent 11:00 and tried to sleep in the still hot night.
7-10 A Quiet Walk Through Mainz
A leisurely breakfast on the deck before the heat overcomes us. The problem isn’t the heat, it is the length of the day here. The day seems to never end.
Rusty and I hopped on a bus to Mainz. We walked around the Dom Markt, a lovely farmers market with every kind of sausage and many different cheeses. We enjoyed a richtiger Deutscher lunch and a beer or two to cut the heat.
After, to the Mainz Dom, a cathedral in the Romanesque style four times older than our entire country. Awe inspiring and humbling at the same time.
We also went to St. Stephan’s cathedral to peruse the stained glass windows created by Chagall after the church was rebuilt (destroyed during the bombings of WWII). An organist was practicing during our visit, coupled with the blue of the stained glass it was almost otherworldly.
We then wandered along the banks of the Rhein which afforded a desperately needed cool breeze. Drinks at a riverside cafe gave us plenty of opportunity to people watch. We sat there long enough to catch the young soccer players whisk by on the Beer Bike, a Bike pedaled by no less than 16 people, I’m assuming the pedalers were the beer drinkers and not the driver. What a civilized country to put a party on a bike.
7-11 Bitte Ein Bit!
Boy, when Europe has a heat wave, they do it with a vengeance. The air is still, the heat is high and most people have the good sense to say in the shade with a cold drink. Not these intrepid travelers.
Uncle Günther drove us to Bitburg so Rusty could reminisce a little having spent his formative years in this quaint village, although unsurprisingly, nothing seemed familiar. The tiny brewery (Bitburger Pils) of yesteryear is now a Gasthaus and a new mega complex stands next to it.
As we arrived, Bitburg was setting up for a German Folk fest parade, lots of traditional costumes and a tuba on every street corner belting out oompah music. Is there any type of music the Germans won’t put to an Oompah trio?
Then on to Trier, self proclaimed oldest town in Germany, over 2,000 years old. The Roman built Gate, Porta Nigra (or Black Gate) is quite impressive, and extremely oppressive.
It’s easy to picture Roman Gladiators marching through the gates and right over the modern German men, with their emaciated frames, pedal pusher shorts, and Euro Sandals (of which I now own, Danke Schön). Now German women on the other hand, could probably wrestle down a legion or two of Roman soldiers.
We walked around yet another Dom (Cathedral) of the Heilige Rock (Holy Robe). The Holy Robe is otherwise known as the Tunic of Jesus. It seems Helena, the mother of Constantine, brought this seamless holy robe to Trier. It’s first mentioned in the 11th century records. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I’m reminded through my humanities class that many faux Christ relics during the dark ages and into the Renaissance were circulating around Europe. I’d like to believe in this holy relic but the doubting Thomas and the agnostic in me make it hard for me to swallow. The tunic is encased in a glass sarcophagus, in a dimly lit room behind a wall of glass. I guess the only thing it takes to make a relic holy is for people to believe in it. The effect of belief is much more powerful than fact. Belief can inspire people to build a structure strong enough to stand for 1,700 years and to house a robe for almost as long.
A quick walk-by of the Constantine Basilica, which houses the throne of Constantine (I’m assuming they don’t mean the porcelain variety). Attached to the Basilica, a Rococo Palace and garden. Just over the top enough. From there, a short walk to the Roman baths, not as decadent as it might sound, nary any half naked Romans lounging around pools, rather a grouping of ruins impressive in their own right.
Trier was very interesting, but it seems the sidewalks roll up early here, so on to a different locale. We made a stop in Bern-Kastel, along the Mosel RIver. This is the type of town one pictures when one says the words “German Village”. 15th century homes, cobblestone streets and grape vineyards covering the hillsides. I think the only place more authentic, really more real, is Disney’s Epcot in Florida, the only difference is I think there are only slightly fewer dour German tourists at Epcot. Tomorrow, more Teutonic adventures.
7-12 Der Romantische Rhein
Well, Monday, it seems, is bargain day for the elderly in Germany and everyone enjoys a good trip for a decent price, my Uncle and Aunt as well. We decided to take a trip down the Romantische Rhein (everything on the Rhein was “Romantic” the way everything in California is “Artisanal”). A quick drive to Bingen, then a train ride to Boppard to catch the cruise.
Between Boppard and Bingen, there are no less than 19 Bergs. Rusty, of course, had to photograph each Berg.
We enjoyed a stop in Bacharach, a slow walk through the town and then a hike to the top of Burg Stahleck, currently a youth hostel. This afforded a beautiful view of the Rhein and a much needed breeze.
We enjoyed a stop in Bacharach, a slow walk through the town and then a hike to the top of Burg Stahleck, currently a youth hostel. This afforded a beautiful view of the Rhein and a much needed breeze.
In the small world category, on the way back to Bingen, we met some Americans from North Carolina. The young couple and their children live in Chapel Hill, and the man teaches in Durham public schools.
After a long leisurely drive along the Rhine, we arrived at Bingen and a quick drive home.
7-13 Apfelwei in Frankfurt
We got up early to go to Frankfurt on the search for spicy food. Not an easy task in Germany. For lunch? Thai food. For dinner? “Mexican” food. (Well, a German interpretation of Mexican food...not good, and decidedly, not spicy.)
The tour? A nice walk along the Main river, Römer Platz, another Dom, and Alt Sachsenhausen. A little bit of shopping and then back home to prepare for Berlin.
While walking along the Rhein, I’m reminded how in other countries a sense of personal responsibility is very much valued. A summer camp was going on and it was amazing to see a few of the activities. The bounce house was really an over inflated air mattress with very little safety precautions around. They had a slide where kids would climb up a ladder about five feet off the ground, sit in a plastic crate and roll down a conveyor belt to the ground. We were picturing the lawsuits in California as soon as some Slurpee filled kid got on and fell off the side.
While walking along the Rhein, I’m reminded how in other countries a sense of personal responsibility is very much valued. A summer camp was going on and it was amazing to see a few of the activities. The bounce house was really an over inflated air mattress with very little safety precautions around. They had a slide where kids would climb up a ladder about five feet off the ground, sit in a plastic crate and roll down a conveyor belt to the ground. We were picturing the lawsuits in California as soon as some Slurpee filled kid got on and fell off the side.
A quick drink of Apfelwei (Apple Wine) and a train ride back to get ready for Berlin.
7-14 We bid Hochheim Auf Wiedersehen.
It was nice to see Gunther and Rodegunda. Both were great hosts and showed us a very good time. Vielen Dank fur Alles!
4 hours from Frankfurt to Berlin on the ICE train. It sounds really exciting and it is. Part of the excitement included our outside window shattering during a stop.
This startled everyone in the car and didn’t make me feel anymore comfortable about the trip. Especially considering the recent reports of air conditioning going out on the train raising the temperature to 120 degrees, and reports of crashes every so often because of faulty wheels.
This startled everyone in the car and didn’t make me feel anymore comfortable about the trip. Especially considering the recent reports of air conditioning going out on the train raising the temperature to 120 degrees, and reports of crashes every so often because of faulty wheels.
One hopes we make it on this train of death!
Finally, Berlin and the ArtHotel Connection. A charming little place without all of the trappings of a modern hotel. The room is clean and a little Euro-Funky. There’s a pub right next door, but most importantly, we don’t have to sleep to the annoying hum of the air conditioning like we we would anywhere in the US. No, we prefer to wait this heat wave out the old fashioned way...through sweat and grim determination.
On our own here, I am reminded of some important facts about our host countrymen. The German people are extremely polite but not overly friendly. We are also reminded that although everyone is helpful, it is a long way from efficiency to good customer service. All in all, though, it has been difficult meeting someone we didn’t like.
Rusty went to the pub to try the Berlin beer and was reminded that the Beer here is much stronger than our quaint American beers. Coming home to sleep in the stifling heat after drinking a few German beers was no easy task either.
7-15 Berlin ist Toll!
Wow, Berlin is an amazing city. so very cosmopolitan, and so very European. The history of Berlin is extremely convoluted and interesting and happens to be at the epicenter of all things in the western world. It so easy to fall into the bubble that is America, and to forget we aren’t the only country on the planet. As a matter of fact, in the grand scheme of things, we are one of the newest upstart countries and have very little history or tradition that we can fall back on. Yes, I do love the tapestry that is American life, but am amazed at the grandeur and spectacle that is Berlin.
Instead of taking the bus plastered with the advertisements for a chance to see all the sites in six different languages for only 10 Euro, our wonderful gasthaus host suggested just purchasing a two day bus pass and taking the 100 bus because it goes to all of the tourist destinations without the headache of the headphones.
Great call although we ended up taking the bus to our first stop and walked to all of the destinations regardless. The weather even cooperated, a light breeze following us everywhere we went. Our first stop, The Brandenburg Tur (Gate). Built in the 18th century, the Gate became quite a symbol to the East Germany government as the wall went up. The area is now home to most of the foreign embassies.
From there, a quick walk past a memorial to all victims of fascism housing a statue from one of my favorite German Expressionists, Kathe Kollwitz. Very dramatic.
A walk along the River Spree, and what should happen but we hit the Bundestag, the seat of German Parliament and of Frau Merkle the Chancellor of Germany. Just amazing! No other words will do. The complex is huge and a bit overwhelming truth be told.
We spent some time in Alexander Platz, home of more demonstrations than one can count. There is an outdoor exhibition in the Platz right now showing the recent history of the fall of the Berlin wall. We walked the entire exhibition and I must say, despite my unofficial yet long standing rule to not learn too much while on vacation, I found this an enlightening display. The events leading to the fall of the Berlin wall are often not evident in Western text. I was unaware how much pressure the DDR was under from within and what a significant role the church in East Germany played. To hear the Reagan side of it, he and Margaret Thatcher kicked down the wall themselves. The true heroes are those that were willing to risk life and limb to defy the DDR, those that were willing to die for their ideals during this revolution. Great display!
After, we stopped by the Sony building (beautiful in a Euro-Techno kind of way) and Marlene Dietrich square, a nice little sitting area and a sign noting Marlene in the middle of the theatre district of course.
On our way to, well, quite frankly, we weren't sure where we were going, we passed by the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe from WWII. This memorial must cover at least a city block. I imagine the memorial is beautiful at night too, although I’m not sure we will ever see the memorials at night as it never seems to get dark here!
Then a late afternoon beer in the Tier Garten Park and home for a quick shower before dinner at an outdoor cafe. The efficiency of the German people is well documented beyond the border of this blog, but we have noticed that Germans love to just sit and chat while eating or drinking at one of the thousands of outdoor cafes in the city. This is a very civilized way to have a refreshing drink (without ice of course) and to catch up on the days events.
It turns out, since the days are so long and the heat is so oppressive, most people wait until late to enjoy a draft in a pub. Of course we went to a bar and had a few beers. Sitting at the bar was a loud over bearing demanding person speaking English, so of course we knew he had to be Australian. Low and behold an Aussie popping in to Berlin, as they are want to do, after a business trip in some other exotic place, my but those people certainly do get around.
Well the heat and the beer finally got to me and it seems the weather cooled enough to get some sleep so I went home at a respectable 1 AM. Rusty, on the other hand, went bar hopping with our new Aussie mate and peeked in after sunrise, which isn’t too difficult because the sun starts to shine almost after it gets dark here. An almost perfect day in Berlin.
7-16 Art Is Everywhere
“I’ll have the cheese plate,” I said in my mispronounced German. Fate-filled words if ever there were some, of course coupled with Rusty’s innocent, “Oh, that sounds good, I think I’ll have that too.” The waiter brought over more cheese than two people can consume in a week let alone during one breakfast. We put a major dent in the cholesterol builder special and headed for the Kathe Kollwitz Museum (http://www.kaethe-kollwitz.de/).
Our plan? Stay indoors air-conditioned museum hopping as much as possible. it appears the people at the Kollwitz Museum were not aware of our plan, as there was no air conditioning. The exhibit was housed in an historical building on several floors. The exhibit was excellent and truly gave one a sense of Kathe Kollwitz. Her often-times subversive anti-war stances during the first and second world war meant that much of her work was destroyed during the Nazi regime but the remaining work is a true testament to the horrors of war.
Then on to the New National Gallery. The Gallery has over 2,500 works in its collection but is currently running a retrospective of works from 1900-1940 (http://www.smb.museum/smb/sammlungen/details.php?objID=20&n=1&lang=en)
A very impressive collection, and air conditioning. We wandered and lingered as long as we dared to, and then took a quick train ride over to the East Side Gallery. After the wall came down in the 80’s, artists came and painted the wall to mark the occasion and to speak for a new beginning of hope and freedom. The wall was then ignored and neglected. There are currently efforts to restore the original art works and to preserve the original works. Pretty cool and pretty long.
A very impressive collection, and air conditioning. We wandered and lingered as long as we dared to, and then took a quick train ride over to the East Side Gallery. After the wall came down in the 80’s, artists came and painted the wall to mark the occasion and to speak for a new beginning of hope and freedom. The wall was then ignored and neglected. There are currently efforts to restore the original art works and to preserve the original works. Pretty cool and pretty long.
A late afternoon nap is the order of the day. The heat, despite the dropping sun, is till omnipresent, so we decided on a nice walk to cool our core temperature. The monuments at night are impressive. Even at midnight, the Schnell Imbiss stands are still open and the people are out and about. Tourists are an intrepid lot.
7-17 Bicycling Through Berlin
Mother nature has finally given us a break and provided some relief from the heat in the form of an AM rainstorm. The entire city exhaled a sigh of relief as the temperatures cooled to a tolerable level.
As for us, the rain passed and we decided to spend a few Euros on a bicycle tour through Berlin.
Our tour guide? An American expat from Santa Cruz. Everything you would expect from a sensitive artsy tour guide student type. Helpful, friendly, liberal, with a few interesting facts and more than a few passable jokes.
We rode through many of the sites that we had already walked but were treated to sites we might never have found on our own.
Our tour guide was very matter of fact about the gay elements of Berlin, something very much appreciated, as most tour groups even in SF would only casually mention the gay culture without the frankness of a Berliner. This certainly isn’t true all over Germany but Berlin has the third largest Gay population in the world, the only others greater are San Francisco and Sydney.
Back to the tour, the Karl Marx-Frederick Ingels memorial commemorating the 750th Birthday of Berlin. Completely underwhelming and a little sad really. None of the pomp and circumstance usually evident in East Berlin monuments.
The Fernseher Turm, or television tower was built in the 1960’s as the crowning achievement of communist superiority and technology. The government at that time was losing approximately 1,000 people a day to the west and had to hire Swedish workers to actually finish the tower. The veritable disco ball visible from both East and West Berlin.
A quick stop at the site where Goebbels burned 20,000 books in front of the city library. At one point Goebbels is reported to say that they shouldn’t run out of books to burn with the library right there. On the ground there is a quote from Heinrich Heine saying, “Whenever books are burned, men also in the end are burned.” This was said 100 years before the book burning in this spot. Prophetic words were never more accurate.
We went to checkpoint Charley and enjoyed a brief history lesson on the Prussians, the Weimar Republic, Communism in east Berlin, the Nazi Occupation, the German liberation, and Reunification...all for the small cost of a bicycle tour.
Facts of note, I did not know that the Berlin wall was erected literally overnight and that allied forces pretty much knew that it would be built before it actually was. The original wall wasn’t very effective, but subsequent walls in the 28 years became more and more effective. I also didn’t realize not only that lots of people were killed trying to get to West Germany, but that thousands of people continued to emigrate despite the wall using ingenious methods to get across. One such person worked for the East German Air force. His building was very close to the wall and the dead zone. He and his family went to the roof of the building, threw a rope across the wall which was tied off by a friend and zip lined to freedom.
We also passed the Brandenburg Tür again. We saw the Hotel Adolph, made famous by a certain pop star dangling his baby from the window. Yes, where Michael Jackson dangled baby Blanket from a window.
Also, the site of David Hasselhof kicking down the final pieces of the wall with his peace inspiring concert. I don’t get the whole German fascination with the Hoff, but European culture escapes me in general.
Speaking of Eurpoean culture, a very popular trend here is for groups of young men to have a a bachelor party abroad. With the advent of cheap flights from low cost carriers like EasyJet, the bachelor is whisked away to Berlin or some other exotic destination and treated to a weekend of debauchery. One of these groups from England was also taking the same tour we were on, with a different guide. There is nothing like seeing a young Brit trying to drive a bike through Berlin with a beer in one hand a cigarette in the other. By the end of the tour, the big Irish lad tour guide trying to corral these hooligans looked like he had been beaten to death by Manchester United Soccer fans.
Lest we think it is only the Brits, we also saw another group (German boys this time) with matching T-shirt on this odd rite of passage. The groom was dressed in fish net stockings, an adult diaper, a big furry Russian style hat, tennis shoes and make up. Very drunk, and taking pictures with all of the young ladies who happened to get in their path of destruction.
We ended up in a beer garden large enough to accommodate all of the people on the various tours. After a few chats with some really nice people from many different foreign destinations, a quick ride back on the bike, and a few more sites, before heading back to the hotel to collapse, well, before going for a few beers. What a horrible way to live!
7-18 14KM, Meine Asch Tut Weh.
In a discussion with funky groovy tour guide Alex yesterday, he recommended if we enjoy over the top monuments, we should go the Memorial to the Soviet dead. Well sure, let’s just rent a bike and go. Who knew on our cute little tourist map, that not everything was to scale. 15 KM later, we are finally pulling up to the monument. Both of us were hot, tired and feeling oppressed by the Soviet salute to nationalism and heroism.
The statue? Huge, Russian soldier, stepping on the swastika, holding a forlorn German child. Hmmm. Not so subtle message. Although I had not realized, Russia lost more soldiers than any other nation during World War II.
The statue? Huge, Russian soldier, stepping on the swastika, holding a forlorn German child. Hmmm. Not so subtle message. Although I had not realized, Russia lost more soldiers than any other nation during World War II.
On the way to the monument, we were stopped by two German Police officers for running a red light on our bikes. Well, I had visions of that scene from Casino Royale where Daniel Craig gets the crap beaten out of him naked in a basement somewhere. Not my experience this time. The lovely blond German cops were kind and polite, and for German women, almost flirty. We accepted our reprimands with all of the contrition we could muster and were on our way.
The problem with long bike rides are that they end up with long bike rides back. We left the monument and stopped by a beer garden in the Tier park.
The weather started to cool a bit, and we had to decide whether a few more monuments were in order, or a rest back in the hotel. Just trying to get back on the bike after our 30KM ride answered this question for us. Our rear ends were throbbing and our legs were jelly. Luckily the bike rental place was mere blocks away.
The weather started to cool a bit, and we had to decide whether a few more monuments were in order, or a rest back in the hotel. Just trying to get back on the bike after our 30KM ride answered this question for us. Our rear ends were throbbing and our legs were jelly. Luckily the bike rental place was mere blocks away.
A quick nap was the order for the afternoon. Rusty, of course, felt the need to get a few beers and make conversation with a couple living in Berlin. Everyone seems to be from some place else and this couple are a well traveled pair. The one man was from Germany but had lived all over Europe. The other man was from Spain but met his partner in Cologne and moved to Berlin with him. Nothing is funnier than hearing Germans with a Spanish accent. The amazing thing is how concerned we are as Americans with borders, and Europe seems to have much more fluid borders (at least for other Europeans, despite language barriers and in several instances strong cultural barriers).
I had an opportunity to speak with Chuck, one of the hosts in our hotel. He is an expat. from Philadelphia and had some fun things to say about Germany. He contends that German efficiency is a myth and that really we are talking about Bavarian and Swabian efficiency. This is somewhat evident in the leisurely way Berlin seems to suck up time, not just for the tourists but also for the locals.
We went to a local bar and enjoy a few more drinks and met up with our Aussie mate one more time before retiring for the night. Rusty managed to let the heat and beer hit him heavy and the walk back to the hotel was a bit of a challenge, but a good night’s sleep will prepare us for a short flight to Hungary on EasyJet (or as Chuck says “SleezyJet” because of all the hookers from Eastern Europe coming to Berlin and drunk British girls flying all over Europe.)
7-19 SleezyJet
My normal habit is to get to the airport extremely early, so you know in Europe this was no less our norm We arrived too early to check in with way too much luggage. Shifting things around, we finally managed to meet the luggage restrictions with no extra cost...no easy feat mind you.
No frills certainly means absolutely no frills. Down narrow hallways, down stairs, and through a quick passport check, and we were in the waiting area. Standing around, no announcements informed people to make their way to the door but it did seem a secret signal was given and everyone started moving forward toward the door. Those needing assistance or having paid extra were allowed on first, then the masses were let on to the tarmac for a hike up the stairs and searching for a seat on the plane. It was all so quick, easy and self regulated.
We imagined people in America tolerating this but had visions of mothers insisting that their entire 14 person families sit together in the same section in only window and aisle seats, and then complaining loudly about the whole process. This seemed rather civilized, although drinks were not included and costed a few Euros. Another oddity was the hocking of duty free wares. The flight attendants pushed a cart of nifty gifty items down the aisle and would take Euros or Visa for perfumes, teddy bears, and cigarettes.
Touch down into Budapest and the smallest most crowded baggage claim area I have ever seen. We changed our Euros for thousands of Hungarian Flores, and grabbed a cab to the hotel.
The old lady portion of the tour begins!
