Day 26, 27 and 28 - 19/09/2008 - 21/09/2008 - Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic to Regensburg, Germany.
One of the old gated entrances to Regensburg.
Day 26, 27 and 28.
Walked to the bus stop passing under the outer wall of the castle. We had to catch a bus to Ceske Budejovice. Just missed a bus when the driver said he wasn’t going there despite being told by a local, after the bus left, that he was going there. After a long wait we tried the train station by taxi only to find that it was an even longer wait for the train. By taxi back to the bus stop and finally on a bus. Arrived in Ceske Budejovice and went looking for the train to Linz, Austria. From there we were going to Regensburg, Germany. There was much surprise when we told there was no train to Linz. There had been a problem and the train was not running. This really set the mood! I had done a fair bit of research for this trip and knew we could go back to Plzen for a train into Germany to Nuremburg and then get another to Regensburg. The long way around but the only way apparently.
In Plzen we found the right platform and the train to Germany came in. The train was absolutely packed. Full of students going home from Prague. No seats despite first class tickets. Had to stand in the aisle with a couple of drop kicks who sat on their bags rolling joints and leered at all the young school girls. I had a couple of beers with me and some police boarded the train and saw them sitting there with our bags. Police in the Czech Republic wear camo trousers with black jackets. The cop looked at the beers, then at me and then at Liam and said “Ha, baby’s milk”. He clapped me on the shoulder had a laugh and went on his way happy I was drinking good Czech beer. There was a Czech train conductor who tried to help us out letting us know when stray seats became available. Eventually the train stopped and with great relief I recognised the station as Schwandorf, Germany. It was a relief to get back to Germany where we could communicate and felt more comfortable after the day’s disasters. We told the conductor we were going to Regensburg and he told us to get off at Scwandorf as there was a Munich bound train that would get us to Regensburg. The train arrived within minutes and we were in Regensburg ringing jakki;s friend Susie a lot quicker that we would have if we had of gone our way via Nuremburg. Thanks to the Czech train conductor who did nothing but try to help us.
In Plzen we found the right platform and the train to Germany came in. The train was absolutely packed. Full of students going home from Prague. No seats despite first class tickets. Had to stand in the aisle with a couple of drop kicks who sat on their bags rolling joints and leered at all the young school girls. I had a couple of beers with me and some police boarded the train and saw them sitting there with our bags. Police in the Czech Republic wear camo trousers with black jackets. The cop looked at the beers, then at me and then at Liam and said “Ha, baby’s milk”. He clapped me on the shoulder had a laugh and went on his way happy I was drinking good Czech beer. There was a Czech train conductor who tried to help us out letting us know when stray seats became available. Eventually the train stopped and with great relief I recognised the station as Schwandorf, Germany. It was a relief to get back to Germany where we could communicate and felt more comfortable after the day’s disasters. We told the conductor we were going to Regensburg and he told us to get off at Scwandorf as there was a Munich bound train that would get us to Regensburg. The train arrived within minutes and we were in Regensburg ringing jakki;s friend Susie a lot quicker that we would have if we had of gone our way via Nuremburg. Thanks to the Czech train conductor who did nothing but try to help us.
In Regensburg.
The first day in Regensburg Susie took us on a guided tour of the city. Regensburg was first established by the Romans and as such is an extremely old city. It’s was known as Ratisbon in1809 when Napoleon laid siege to it and the first settlement in the area actually dates to the Stone Age.
We walked through the lovely cobbled streets to the Steinerne Brücke (Stone Bridge) which was built between 1135 and 1146. The bridge was used by Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land on the 2nd and 3rd Crusades. We wandered along the Danube and around to the palace and then walked back to the Obermunster church in the centre of town which was built in 1010. We went into the church and had a look at the interior and even ventured down to the crypts. Lunch was had in a little beer garden although we ate indoors as it was a bit cold. In the evening we had a drink of a special apple cider brewed in Regensburg and had dinner at Susie’s with her three kids at her apartment. It was quite nice to open the window and lean out as there is no fly wire on most buildings in Europe.
Photographs:
1. The Steinerne Brücke over the Danube.
2. On the Steinerne Brücke.
3. On the Steinerne Brücke.
4. Me, Jakki, Liam and Mia on the bridge.
5. Jakki, Susie and Liam.
6. Wonderfully pained buildings in the town.
7. The Danube.
8. The Obermunster Church.
9. The Steinerne Brücke from a distance.
10. Part of the old Roman walls.
11. Roman walls incorperated into a modern house.
12. A roman archway.
13. Intersting statue of an adoring bishop with his flock. Represented by geese.
14. Close-up of front of statue.
15. Rear view. A wolf in sheeps clothing.
16. The Obermunster Church spires.
17. Interior of Obermunster church.
18. The altar.
We walked through the lovely cobbled streets to the Steinerne Brücke (Stone Bridge) which was built between 1135 and 1146. The bridge was used by Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land on the 2nd and 3rd Crusades. We wandered along the Danube and around to the palace and then walked back to the Obermunster church in the centre of town which was built in 1010. We went into the church and had a look at the interior and even ventured down to the crypts. Lunch was had in a little beer garden although we ate indoors as it was a bit cold. In the evening we had a drink of a special apple cider brewed in Regensburg and had dinner at Susie’s with her three kids at her apartment. It was quite nice to open the window and lean out as there is no fly wire on most buildings in Europe.
Photographs:
1. The Steinerne Brücke over the Danube.
2. On the Steinerne Brücke.
3. On the Steinerne Brücke.
4. Me, Jakki, Liam and Mia on the bridge.
5. Jakki, Susie and Liam.
6. Wonderfully pained buildings in the town.
7. The Danube.
8. The Obermunster Church.
9. The Steinerne Brücke from a distance.
10. Part of the old Roman walls.
11. Roman walls incorperated into a modern house.
12. A roman archway.
13. Intersting statue of an adoring bishop with his flock. Represented by geese.
14. Close-up of front of statue.
15. Rear view. A wolf in sheeps clothing.
16. The Obermunster Church spires.
17. Interior of Obermunster church.
18. The altar.
Day trip to Nürnberg (Nuremberg)
The next morning it was off to the Hauptbahnhof and onto the train for a trip to Nuremberg. I wanted to see the Nazi Party rally grounds and the Documentation Centre. If it has something to do with WWII it is a documentation centre in Germany although we would call it a museum. The train trip is only about one hour through the Bavarian countryside. From the Hauptbahnhof in Nuremberg we caught a tram to the area where the rally grounds are located. Visited the documentation centre and walked to the old party rally grounds. Most of the concrete structure still stands but there is now a soccer field where before tens of thousands of adoring Germans once stood listening to the Führer give his speeches. We caught the tram back to the centre of town and had Burger King for lunch and then caught the train back to Regensburg. That eveining we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant close to Susie's apartment.
Photographs:
1. Nuremberg buildings complete with gargoyles.
2. A Nuremberg church.
3. The never finished Congress Hall (Kongresshalle).
4. The Tribüne from where hitler gave his speeches.
5. Looking out from the Tribüne.
6. Where Hitler stood for his speeches.
7. Me in the same spot.
8. The door Hitler made his entrances from.
9. Liam in his stroller.
10. A view of hte Tribüne from afar where a 100,000 Nazi's stood in Zeppelin Field (Zeppelinwiese).
11. The structures that flanked both sides of Zeppelin Field.
12. Closer view of the structures.
13. Susie and Jakki followed by Mea pushing Liam.
14. The kongresshalle from across Lake Grosser Dutzendteich.
15. Outer facade of the Kongresshalle.
Photographs:
1. Nuremberg buildings complete with gargoyles.
2. A Nuremberg church.
3. The never finished Congress Hall (Kongresshalle).
4. The Tribüne from where hitler gave his speeches.
5. Looking out from the Tribüne.
6. Where Hitler stood for his speeches.
7. Me in the same spot.
8. The door Hitler made his entrances from.
9. Liam in his stroller.
10. A view of hte Tribüne from afar where a 100,000 Nazi's stood in Zeppelin Field (Zeppelinwiese).
11. The structures that flanked both sides of Zeppelin Field.
12. Closer view of the structures.
13. Susie and Jakki followed by Mea pushing Liam.
14. The kongresshalle from across Lake Grosser Dutzendteich.
15. Outer facade of the Kongresshalle.
Day 29, 30, 31 and 32 - 22/09/2008 to 25/09/2008 - Regensburg to Munich.
Welcome to Okotberfest!
Day 29, 30, 31 and 32.
The next morning Susie took us to her favorite café where we had a big Bavarian breakfast which consists of meats, cheeses, fruits, yogurt etc. Susie then had an appointment and Jakki, Liam and I went for walk to the Post Office which is near the Obermunster church. From there we took a walk around town stopping and buying a few souvenirs before getting geographically embarassed (horribly lost). We thought it would be easy getting around with the size of the church spires for orientation but you cannot see them from the little streets with three to four storey buildings. Our luck held though and as we passed a shop Susie poked her head out and asked where we were going. It turned out we were not far from the café where we had breakfast and would have been right had we kept walking straight down the road. The answer being that we really didn’t know. Once we were on track again we went and had lunch before going to pick up our bags and catch a cab to the Hauptbahnhof for the train ride to Munich.
Upon arrival in Munich we rang my brother Bern and his fiancé Fiona. The station was very busy because of Oktoberfest and the trains were disgorging large groups of people in traditional Bavarian dress of Lederhosen and girls in Dirndles. Bern and Fiona met us at the entrance to the Hauptbahnhof before we headed off the AO Hostel at Bayerstrasse 75, a short walk from the station and close to the Theresienwiesen, where Oktoberfest is held. After arriving and attempting to check in we found we were at the other AO Hostel at Arnulfstrasse 102. This was on the other side of the railroad tracks and we needed to walk back to the Hauptbahnhof. We tried to get a cab but there was obviously not enough room for us all and our backpacks. So the girls and Liam and all the bags were loaded up and Bern and I walked to the hostel where we booked in. Bern and I had passed the Augustiner Keller on the way there and decided that would be the place to have a stein or two and some dinner instead of going to Oktoberfest straight away. The Augustiner Keller is a Bavarian brewery and is typical of the style. A large open room with long tables and all sort of traditional paintings, like hunting scenes etc on the walls. After dinner the girls and Liam headed home whilst Bern and I had another couple of steins and ended up being rather drunk before walking back to the hostel.
Upon arrival in Munich we rang my brother Bern and his fiancé Fiona. The station was very busy because of Oktoberfest and the trains were disgorging large groups of people in traditional Bavarian dress of Lederhosen and girls in Dirndles. Bern and Fiona met us at the entrance to the Hauptbahnhof before we headed off the AO Hostel at Bayerstrasse 75, a short walk from the station and close to the Theresienwiesen, where Oktoberfest is held. After arriving and attempting to check in we found we were at the other AO Hostel at Arnulfstrasse 102. This was on the other side of the railroad tracks and we needed to walk back to the Hauptbahnhof. We tried to get a cab but there was obviously not enough room for us all and our backpacks. So the girls and Liam and all the bags were loaded up and Bern and I walked to the hostel where we booked in. Bern and I had passed the Augustiner Keller on the way there and decided that would be the place to have a stein or two and some dinner instead of going to Oktoberfest straight away. The Augustiner Keller is a Bavarian brewery and is typical of the style. A large open room with long tables and all sort of traditional paintings, like hunting scenes etc on the walls. After dinner the girls and Liam headed home whilst Bern and I had another couple of steins and ended up being rather drunk before walking back to the hostel.
Hofbräuhaus
A trip to Munich is not complete without a stein or two at the Hofbräuhaus. Hofbräuhaus is one of the Oktoberfest brewers and have a large Festzelt (festival tent) which hold up to 10,000 drinkers at the Theresienwiesen. The building itself is at 9 Platzl and a short walk from the centre of Munich, the Marienplatz. Hofbräuhaus was established in 1589 and can seat 1300 guests. The place has a very friendaly atmosphere, what the Germans call "Gemütlichkeit". There is no lite
There were quite a few people there being lunchtime and an Oompah band was playing as they do from opening to closing. We had lunch there with pork knuckles being the go and a few steins before heading off to the Marienplatz and a bit of shopping.
This is a short history of Hofbräuhaus:
Wilhelm V., Duke of Bavaria (1579 – 1597), had a thirsty and demanding royal household, which was dissatisfied with the beer brewed in Munich. As a result, beer had to be imported to Munich from the city of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. Wilhelm ordered his royal court to come up with a way to reconcile cost and pleasure. On September 27, 1589, the chamberlains and council members, C. Strabl, A. Amasmeyr, S. Prew and G. Griesmair, approached him with an idea: why not build their own brewery? Wilhelm welcomed the plan with open arms. As a matter of fact, that same day, he recruited the master brewer of the Geisenfeld Monastery, Heimeran Pongraz, to be the planner, developer and the first “brown” Hofbräuhaus’ master brewer, which went into operation at the “Alter Hof” (Old Court ) in 1592. It was called the “brown” Hofbräuhaus as only brown ale was brewed there.
There were quite a few people there being lunchtime and an Oompah band was playing as they do from opening to closing. We had lunch there with pork knuckles being the go and a few steins before heading off to the Marienplatz and a bit of shopping.
This is a short history of Hofbräuhaus:
Wilhelm V., Duke of Bavaria (1579 – 1597), had a thirsty and demanding royal household, which was dissatisfied with the beer brewed in Munich. As a result, beer had to be imported to Munich from the city of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. Wilhelm ordered his royal court to come up with a way to reconcile cost and pleasure. On September 27, 1589, the chamberlains and council members, C. Strabl, A. Amasmeyr, S. Prew and G. Griesmair, approached him with an idea: why not build their own brewery? Wilhelm welcomed the plan with open arms. As a matter of fact, that same day, he recruited the master brewer of the Geisenfeld Monastery, Heimeran Pongraz, to be the planner, developer and the first “brown” Hofbräuhaus’ master brewer, which went into operation at the “Alter Hof” (Old Court ) in 1592. It was called the “brown” Hofbräuhaus as only brown ale was brewed there.
KZ Dachau
Catching the S2 S-Bahn to Dachau/Peterhausen it takes 20 minutes by train to visit KZ Dachau. Bus number 726 then takes you straight to the camp. Dachau has the dubious honor of being the first concentration camp in Germany. Dachau concentrated more on the keeping of important and political prisoners as opposed to Jews. Two thirds of all prisoners were political. Dachau was liberated by US troops on the 29th of April 1945. Coditions at the camp so appalled the liberators that many SS guards were summarily executed.
The only thing missing from Dachau are some of the barracks buildings. A lot of the barracks buildings were in such poor condition at the time the memorial was started they had to be torn down. Several barracks have been refurnished to show them as they were during its operational period.
The crematorium is still there as it was the day the Americans liberated the camp. On the Battlefield page there are several “Then and Now” photographs of Dachau at its liberation. Most of the outer buildings are now a museum and the suggested path through the complex follows that the path that new arrivals took when they were interned.
The only thing missing from Dachau are some of the barracks buildings. A lot of the barracks buildings were in such poor condition at the time the memorial was started they had to be torn down. Several barracks have been refurnished to show them as they were during its operational period.
The crematorium is still there as it was the day the Americans liberated the camp. On the Battlefield page there are several “Then and Now” photographs of Dachau at its liberation. Most of the outer buildings are now a museum and the suggested path through the complex follows that the path that new arrivals took when they were interned.
Berchtesgaden - Kehlsteinhaus - The Eagles Nest.
A day was put aside to travel by train to Berchtesgaden to visit Kehlsteinhaus more commonly known as the Eagles Nest. To get to Berchtesgaten you catch a train from Munich Haputbahnhof to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, Austria. From there you board a bus which taked you back to Germany and to Obersalzburg where you then catch another bus to the Eagles Nest.
It was a cold and wet day as we got off the train at Salzburg and found the bus to Berchtesgaden. The bus trip took us through Salzburg and we could see the fortress on the hill over Salzburg. Upon arrival at Berchtesgaden Hbf we found the bus to the Eagles Nest and began the long steep, winding drive to the Documentation Centre passing a small building at the bottom in Berchtesgaden which I recognised as the first SS guard Post. The documentation centre is in the area where all the top Nazis had houses including Göring, Göbbels, Bormann, Speer and Hitler himself at the Berghof.
We changed buses which took us up to the Eagles Nest car park and the entrance to the Golden Elevator built into the mountain that would take us up. Unfortunately the weather was not conducive to sightseeing. The Eagles Nest was fogged in to the point that it began to snow whilst we had lunch in Hitler’s tea room, now a restaurant. The Eagles Nest itself is rather small and Hitler only visited it himself on about five occasions. But you still get to walk the corridors and stand in front of the famous fireplace. Whilst it was snowing my brother and I went outside and got some photographs of what you could actually see with the bad weather etc.
We caught trains all the way from Berchtesgaden to Munich instead of taking the bus to Salzburg and enjoyed the train ride through Bavaria which is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
It was a cold and wet day as we got off the train at Salzburg and found the bus to Berchtesgaden. The bus trip took us through Salzburg and we could see the fortress on the hill over Salzburg. Upon arrival at Berchtesgaden Hbf we found the bus to the Eagles Nest and began the long steep, winding drive to the Documentation Centre passing a small building at the bottom in Berchtesgaden which I recognised as the first SS guard Post. The documentation centre is in the area where all the top Nazis had houses including Göring, Göbbels, Bormann, Speer and Hitler himself at the Berghof.
We changed buses which took us up to the Eagles Nest car park and the entrance to the Golden Elevator built into the mountain that would take us up. Unfortunately the weather was not conducive to sightseeing. The Eagles Nest was fogged in to the point that it began to snow whilst we had lunch in Hitler’s tea room, now a restaurant. The Eagles Nest itself is rather small and Hitler only visited it himself on about five occasions. But you still get to walk the corridors and stand in front of the famous fireplace. Whilst it was snowing my brother and I went outside and got some photographs of what you could actually see with the bad weather etc.
We caught trains all the way from Berchtesgaden to Munich instead of taking the bus to Salzburg and enjoyed the train ride through Bavaria which is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Oktoberfest 2008
The holiday to Europe was timed so that we would end up at Oktoberfest, the greatest beer drinking party in the world. The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich on October 18, 1810. The event celebrated the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen. It was decided not long after that the event should run every year without exception and that the timing should be pushed back rather than forward so that the Bavarian September weather could be enjoyed. War is abut he only event that has stopped Oktoberfest being held. Oktoberfest attracts millions of visitors each year.
In the four days in Munich we attended Oktoberfest four times. We drank at Paulaner, Hofbräu and Löwenbräu. The fest tents are huge. For example Hofbräu holds about 15,000 people. You have to be seated to be served and we found ourselves outdoors in the beer gardens at least twice. This did not matter as most Germans are willing to let you get served from their table if it is standing room only. Our last visit was at opening time 10:00am on Friday the 26th of October. After having two or three steins we collected our bags from the Hbf bag lockers and headed to Frankfurt for our last night in Europe.
In the four days in Munich we attended Oktoberfest four times. We drank at Paulaner, Hofbräu and Löwenbräu. The fest tents are huge. For example Hofbräu holds about 15,000 people. You have to be seated to be served and we found ourselves outdoors in the beer gardens at least twice. This did not matter as most Germans are willing to let you get served from their table if it is standing room only. Our last visit was at opening time 10:00am on Friday the 26th of October. After having two or three steins we collected our bags from the Hbf bag lockers and headed to Frankfurt for our last night in Europe.
Day 33 - 26/09/2008 - Munich to Frankfurt am Main.
The reason it is sometimes called Bankfurt.
Day 33.
The 26th of October was our last full day in Europe and we were catching the train to Frankfurt am Main for our flight home the next day. We decided to go to Oktoberfest for one last time and checked out of the AO Hostel and caught a cab to the Hbf where we found some baggage lockers and dumped our backpacks. We then walked to the Theresienwiesen and went to the Löwenbräu tent for a couple of steins. Today was really the first sunny day we had encountered in Munich so we had a beer inside and then moved outside to enjoy the beer garden.
After a couple of steins we collected our bags and boarded the train for Frankfurt. Bern and Fiona decided to come with us so they could go on to Cologne the day after we flew out.
We checked into the hotel and took a bit of a walk around town. We had arrived late and left all the exploring of Frankfurt until the morning.
The following morning we walked to the Main River and along to the old town centre. Like Warsaw, Frankfurt was extensively damaged by Allied bombing in WWII but rebuilt with painstaking accuracy and authenticity. We had a look at the Roman ruins near the church and went shopping.
The time had finally come when we had to catch the train to the airport. Our flight was EK0048 departing Frankfurt at 10:20pm. We got there early and there was a bomb scare at check-in. We were moved away from check-in whilst the Polizei moved the package, a shopping bag, and took it away for X-rays. Bomb scare over we checked in. A long flight home via Dubai, Singapore and Darwin. The end of our European holiday!
Photographs:
1. The main square of Frankfurt am Main.
2. The Rathaus or Town Hall.
3. Roman ruins unearthed near the Cathedral.
After a couple of steins we collected our bags and boarded the train for Frankfurt. Bern and Fiona decided to come with us so they could go on to Cologne the day after we flew out.
We checked into the hotel and took a bit of a walk around town. We had arrived late and left all the exploring of Frankfurt until the morning.
The following morning we walked to the Main River and along to the old town centre. Like Warsaw, Frankfurt was extensively damaged by Allied bombing in WWII but rebuilt with painstaking accuracy and authenticity. We had a look at the Roman ruins near the church and went shopping.
The time had finally come when we had to catch the train to the airport. Our flight was EK0048 departing Frankfurt at 10:20pm. We got there early and there was a bomb scare at check-in. We were moved away from check-in whilst the Polizei moved the package, a shopping bag, and took it away for X-rays. Bomb scare over we checked in. A long flight home via Dubai, Singapore and Darwin. The end of our European holiday!
Photographs:
1. The main square of Frankfurt am Main.
2. The Rathaus or Town Hall.
3. Roman ruins unearthed near the Cathedral.
