Days 7, 8, & 9

Usually, I compose this little blog one day at a time. Our time in Vienna, however, has been so packed full of amazing experieces, and miles of walking (close to 80 miles in total) that I collapsed into bed at the end  of each evening instead of writing. 

Day 7: Arrival in Vienna

Our arrival into Vienna's Westbahnhof was fairly uneventful. We were able to quickly purchase 72-hour tickets for Vienna's U-Bahn and Strassenbahn (street car) system and hop onto a train for our hotel. This was a Sunday in Vienna, a Catholic country, and the streets around our hotel were almost completely deserted. I'm sure the heat didn't help any either. The forecast temperature for Vienna was 99° that day. The high humidity ensured that we were all soaked with sweat as soon as we stepped off of the U-Bahn into the station. 

As soon as we checked into our crazy, ultra-hip hotel, it was time to grab some lunch and see some of the sights. It was also time to sweat some more. The first stop on our brief sight-seeing tour was St. Stephan's Cathedral, the largest church in Vienna and the national symbol of Austria. During WWII Vienna was bombed extesively by the United States (54 separated bombing raids). The buildings next to St. Stephan's went up in flames during one of these raids. The burning embers from these buildings were blown by the wind onto the roof of the cathedral, setting it ablaze. The entire roof burned and collapsed into the cathedral below. To make matters worse, the outside of this beautiful church was scarred by gunfire as the Soviets invaded the city in 1945. After the war, the citizens of Vienna banded together to raise the money necessary to restore the cathedral roof. By 1955 the cathedral had been restored, with each citizen of Vienna symbolically owning a piece of the roof. Today, it is truely a wonder of gothic architecture.

Our second stop of the day was just as overwhelming as the first, the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History). Just imagine about 600 years of Habsburgs collecting art from all over their realm, from Spain to the Netherlands, from Italy to Bohemia and the German States, and displaying almost the entire collection in one giant building. That perfetctly describes the Austrian Museum of Art History. So, what's in there? Well, everything! Bruegel's "Wedding Party," " The Peasant Dance," and "The Massacre of the Innocents; all there! Raphael's "Madonna of the Meadow,"; she's there! Vermeer's "The Art of Painting" is there too! We stayed in the museum until they kicked us out (not an exaggeration). 

Day 8: Sightseeing and a Dance Lesson

I don't even really know how to describe how amazing this day really was. It began with a guided walking tour of the old city center of Vienna and the Hofburg (Imperial Palace). The old city of Vienna was surrounded by series of defensive walls until the middle of the 19th century, when the demands of industrialization and the urbanization it brought forced Vienna to tear down it's walls so that the city could grow. The area that used to stand within the walls is simply known as the city. It is a very compact area, whose narrow street plan has not changed since the middle ages. This is the Vienna that Mozart once called home. He lived here for ten years, until his death at the age of 35. He lived in several homes in and out of the city center as his finances were always in flux (he was a notorious gambler, and not a very successful one). The biggest and best of these houses is perserved as a museum today. 

After a very quick ride on the U-Bahn, we found ourselves standing in front of the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors of Austria, Schönbrunn Palace. Determined not to be outdone by their French rivals, the Habsburgs modeled Schönbrunn after the ultimate palace, Versailles. Built in the 1690s, Schönbrunn has been the host of historic events in almost every century since. In 1960 the palace played host to the first meeting between Khrushchev and Kennedy, setting the stage for the showdown over Berlin and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Standing in Schönbrunn's Hall of Mirrors, I could almost see Khruschchev uncomfortably oogling Jackie Kennedy in her Oleg Cassini gown (Google the pictures. It's every bit as creepy as it sounds.). 

The next highlight of the day was a waltz lesson at one of the best dance schools in Vienna. This was fun! Our instructors started us off learning a basic box step on our own. Once everyone got the hang of it, and seemed to be able to do it without falling all over the place, we each found a partner. The shortage of females on this trip meant that some of the guys found themselves dancing with each other. I guess the learned the importance of finding a partner who leads well while dancing the woman's role. By the end of the hour-long lesson they had us waltzing and turning like pros. Well, mayby not like pros, but they got us to the point where we weren't stepping on our partner's toes. 

Day 9: A Free Day in Vienna

This was my favorite day in the Austrian capital. We were free to explore any sights in Vienna that we wanted to see. This was a very difficult decision to make. Museums? Parks? Palaces? There are so many wonderful things in this old imperial capital, and we wanted to see them all!

Most of us elected to hop on the Strassenbahn to the Upper Belvedere palace to see the collection of 19th and 20th century art hanging in its galleries. The highlight of this museum, is undoubtedly "The Kiss" and other works by Vienna's own Gustav Klimt. But this gallery also contains works by Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, and even "Napoleon Crossing the Alps" by Jacques Louis David. Why Napoleon? Well, he married into the Habsburg family. His second wife was an Austrian princess. His son, who would have been Napoleon II, had the empire survived, lived and died here in Vienna (he was only 21 years old). 

A second Strassenbahn ride took a few of us to the other side of the Ringstrasse to the University District and the home of a Professor Dr. Sigmund Freud. Since 1971, the apartment where Dr. Freud lived and the attached offices where he practiced psychoanalysis have been open as a small museum. It was here that modern psychology had it's beginings. The museum highlights Dr. Freud's life, his practice, and his flight from the Nazi. In 1938, Sigmund Freud and his family, with the help of his friend Princess Marie Bonaparte, paid the Nazi's exobitant emigration tax for Jews (equivelent to €200,000) and fled to England, where he remained for the rest of his life. The highlight of this tiny museum for me was to hear Dr. Freud describe this experience in an interview for the BBC Radio Service, the only recording of his voice ever made.

After our trip to the Freud Museum, our little group split up for lunch and to see other sights in the city of our choosing. We hit up a grocery store and had a picnic in the Hofburg Park. Then, we jumped back on the Strassenbahn for a visit to Vienna's Zentralfriedhof (Main Cemetery). This is where Beethoven, and other stars of the Habsburg Empire are burried. We didn't make it to any of those graves. Instead, we wandered through the Old Jewish section of the cemetery. Most of the once ornate and beautiful 19th and early 20th-century graves in this section are in a sad state. The state of neglect and disrepair of the Jewish cemetery stands in stark contrast to the other, very well maintained secions. This is because there is nobody left to tend these graves. No families left to care for their ancestors. Hitler carried a special hate for Austria, it's capital Vienna, and especially for the Jews of this city. The Jews of Vienna were rounded up ruthlessly, most of them shipped of for concentration camps and extermination camps in the east. Most of those who survived the war could not bring themselves to return to Vienna. Their family graves stand here as a reminder of what Austria has lost. 

Our final evening in Vienna ended in a brief visit to the amusement park at the Prater, and then bed. Our wake up call for our flight home... 5:45 AM. Yuck!

Days 5 & 6: Salzburg

The past two days have been incredibly busy. We put at least ten miles on our feet each day! It has also been very hot (90°+) with thunder, lightning, and rain in the evenings. I was so tired at the end of each day that I chose to go directly to sleep instead of staying up late to update this blog. So, you're going to get two days worth of Salzburg goodness in one post. 

After checking in at our hotel (which was amazing) we hiked into the old town along the Salzach River. The bicycle and walking paths that line the Salzach were once towpaths used by teams of horses to tow the salt barges back up the river to load up with more salt. Before refrigeration, salt was the "white gold" of Europe, and Salzburg and its Prince-Archbishops controlled much of the supply. Salt was used as a preservative to keep food from spoiling quickly. 

Our first stop was the Mozartplaz to meet up with our Salzburg city guide. Mozart was born in Salzburg, and lived there for the first twenty-five years of his life. His father was a "modern parent" of the 18th century. He found every opportunity to allow the young Wolfgang to develop his talents as a musician. Young Mozart traveled all over Europe with his father, performing for nobility and royalty while perfecting his craft as a musician. By the time Mozart was an adult, he had a job as the organist in Salzburg's cathedral.

The cathedral was the first stop on our walking tour of Salzburg. This magnificent building only took 15 years to build, an incredible feat in an age when constructing such huge churches took a century, or more, to build. So, how did Prince-Archbishop Wolf-Dietrich acomplish this "miracle"? Cheap labor made it possible. Salzburg was a major refugee center during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) which was raging to the north during the years when the cathedral was built. Recognizing the opportunity to give work to the refugees and increase Salzburg's and his own prestige, the Prince-Archbishop put the refugees to work building the cathedral. By Mozart's time, the cathedral had a total of six organs, and all of them to be played at the same time. It was in Wolf-Dietrich's cathedral that Mozart composed and performed his earliest masses.

At the end of our tour, we boarded a funicular that zipped us to the top of giant rock that overlooks Salzburg to visit Festung Hohensalzburg (the Salzburg Fortress). This imposing fortress, high above the city, took a bit longer to build than the cathedral. It took about 800 years for the fortress to reach its final configuration. It was well worth the time and the money to build the fortress. It was so difficult to reach, and so imposing, that it was never really attacked. 

After a night of heavy thunder, lightning, and rain, we boarded a local post bus for the little town of Sankt Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee (Wolfgang Lake). This town was the birthplace of Mozart's mother, and, later, served as the home of his sister, Nanerl. We, however, weren't here for the music or the history. We came for the chocolate! We visited a confectioners shop to learn the art of making Mozartkugeln (Mozart balls), the most famous chocolate candy in Austria. With the help of a master, we learned how to shape the marzipan, pistachio paste, and nougat into layered balls, and then dipped them into melted chocolate to form the perfect (or mostly lopsided) Austrian treat. 

After the bus ride back into Salzburg, our group split up into little groups to explore Salzburg and the surrounding region. My little group bought tickets for the next train to Hallein for a trip to the salt mines. The mines were a much needed break from the heat. The tunnels stay at a constant 55°F all year long. This particular mine extends deep into a mountain and crosses the border with Germany twice. In order to reach the lowest levels of the mine, we had to slide down two miners' slides and cross an underground lake of salty brine. 

We closed our evening watching the opening ceremonies of the Salzburg Festival. Hundreds of Salzburgers dressed in traditional clothing paraded around the huge fountain in the plaza next to the cathedral with lit candles, while a small orchestra played baroque fanfares and traditional marches. It was quite a sight to see. We just had the good fortune to be in Salzburg at the right time to see it. 

Right now, I'm writing on another train. This one is bound for Vienna, the last stop on our little tour. 

Day 4: Munich

Our third day in Munich was definitely the busiest. That's why this post is coming a little late. I was too tired before bed to write a blog post. That is the surest sign of a very good day of travel. 

First thing in the morning we hopped aboard the U-Bahn for Olympiapark and BMW Welt (World). BMW Welt is BMW new showcase for all of their new cars (BMW, Mini, and Rolls Royce). Don't worry, they didn't leave out the motorcycles. The highlight for me was a working BMW Isetta, the little egg car from the 1950s. This little wonder of German and Italian engineering has three wheels ,seats two people, is powered by a motorcycle engine, and features one giant door made up of the entire front-end of the car. I guess the Rolls Royce Phantom limo wasn't that bad either. 

Of course, we couldn't leave out the Olympiapark itself. This was the site of the 1972 Olympic Games, the games marred by the killing of Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village. The park was designed to highlight the recovery of the German people after the devistation of WWII. It was built upon the heaps of rubble that were piled upon the site after the war. Before that, the park was a German military air field. The giant, curved translucent panels of the stadium and the various sports halls are shaped to reflect the nearby Bavarian Alps.

While at the Olympiapark, we enjoyed the view from the tallest structure in the Munich area, the Olympic Tower. This giant structure was originally built to accomodate the television antennas that were necessary to broadcast the games in 1972 (Makes one appreciate the Internet and satellites). We were fortunate to have a clear and sunny day. The view was spectacular! The towers of Munich's several churches stood out clearly against the skyline to the south. My last trip the tower was on a very cold, windy and rainy evening. The wind wind on the top observation deck was so strong that it nearly knocked me off of my feet. 

After a picnic filled with circling geese (honk!), the group split up for some free time. Some of our group returned to central Munich to swim in Englischergarten (away from the naked people). My little group took a trip via S-Bahn to the summer palace of the Wittelsbachers, Schloss Nymphenburg. When the palace was built, the palace of Versailles was still the model of political power in Europe. Any king or duke who had ambitions of great power (or just wanted to show off his wealth) built a palace in the style of Versailles. By the time of Nymphenburg, however, the baroque stylings of Versailles seemed a bit out of fashion (like a bad pair of flair bell bottoms). So, this palace was built in the highly ornamental Rococo style of the 18th century. Instead of a flashy golden yellow, this palace is painted in a classy grayish blue. The interior is magnificent. The palace, instead of being centered on a hall of mirrors, like Versailles, is built around a mavellously painted and palatial music room, emphasizing the importance of the arts to the Bavarian monarchy. 

Our final evening in Munich was spent in the most Bavarian way possible, in a biergarten in the Old Botanical Garden. This is the perfect definition of Gemütlichkeit, a Bavarian expression used to describe a perfectly cozy and comfortable scene.

As I write this entry, we are seated comfortably on a train to our next stop, the old city of Salzburg.

Day 3: Munich

We started the morning with a trip outside of Munich to the town of Dachau and the concentration camp memorial located there. Dachau was the first, the model for all other concentration camps opened by Hitler's Nazi regime. It was opened within a month of Hitler's seizure of power in 1933, and was handed over to the SS shortly thereafter. It's original purpose was to serve as a place for the Nazi's to keep all of their political enemies. While Dachau was not an extermination center, it was the scene of horrific torture, medical experiments, and outright murder. 

This was my fifth trip to Dachau. It is not an easy trip to make. The very sight of the camp serves as a vivid reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis. The tranquility of the remains of the camp is eerie. Everywhere, the wind can be heard rushing through the row of giant trees that stand guard along the main road of the camp. Those sentinel trees were planted by prisoners, who knew that the trees would remain long after they were gone. That is exactly the point of this memorial, that we never forget.

We returned to Munich for some free time in the afternoon. At this point the group split up. I took my group on a brief tour of Bavaria's dead royalty. That's right, we went in search of dead people. In this case the dead people are all members of the Wittelsbacher dynasty, and they can all be found under the alter of the Jesuit Church of St. Michael. The most famous of these Wittelsbacher dead are Duke Maximilian and King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Duke Max, as the leader of a coalition of Catholic states, had a hand in starting the most devastating war in early modern European history, the 30 Years' War, by providing the Holy Roman Emperor with an army to pacify his rowdy Calvinist Bohemian nobles. Ludwig (the most popular of the dead Wittelsbachers) is famous for being Bavaria's fairytale king. Bored with life in his capital, Munich, he decided to spend his life (and a lot of the Bavarian treasury) building beautiful, romantic castles. This did not sit well with the politicians in Munich. They eventually had Ludwig declared incompetent to rule and removed him from the throne. The next day, Ludwig and his personal physician were found drowned in a lake. Was it murder, or suicide? The case has never been solved.

We wrapped up our evening with a bicycle tour of the Englischer Garten and the Isar River. One of the highlights (besides the nude sunbathers) was watching the Bavarian surfers who ride a static wave in the Eisbach where it enters the park. The legend is that this tradition was started by an American soldier from Hawaii stationed in Munich after WWII. He saw the wave and did what came natural.

Tomorrow, we get to take a look at the modern side of Munich at the BMW World. No, we won't be bringing any cars home. Sorry.

Days 1 & 2

While it is generally exciting to be back on the road, the first day of travel isn't usually all that thrilling. That suits us just fine. Our first day of travel brought us uneventfully to Atlanta and then on to Munich.

Day 2 started with an early landing in Munich. After negotiating the questions of the German customs agents (How long will you be in Europe? Are you here for business or pleasure? Is this your first time in Europe? Oh, Cah-lee-fohr-nee-ya! We love Schwarzenegger!) we collected our luggage, took a quick trip to the loo, and met up with our tour manager, Patrick. Just like the locals, we hopped on the S-Bahn and headed out for our hotel. It's a very nice, but very typical European hotel... tiny lift, tiny rooms, and no air conditioning. Fortunately, the evening temperatures are very mild. 

The first day is always the most difficult. We had to push ourselves to fight fatigue and jet lag in order to acclimate ourselves to a new city and a different time zone. Patrick was able to help us out with that. He had plenty of activities planned to keep us awake. The first stop was lunch at the Viktualienmarkt. At this old food market in the center of Munich, our group had to venture out into the stalls to buy their own lunch (typical Bavarian food). With a full stomach (and maybe a little beer) we met up with our Munich guide, Markus, for a walking tour of the old city center. 

Munich was founded over 850 years ago by Duke Henry the Lion. The name Munich (München) comes from the old Bavarian word for monks. That's all that was here in the beginning. But, very soon, Munich became an important center on the old trade routes from Austria and Italy to the Netherlands and the Baltic. Salt passed through the city gates from Salzburg on its way north. Luxury goods from Italy passed through a separate set of gates. This crossing of roads has shaped the city of Munich to this day. The main thoroughfares in the city follow these old trade routes. For 700 of its 850, Munich was ruled by the descendants of Duke Henry the Lion, the Wittelsbach family. They no longer play a role in the government of Bavaria, but they still live in Munich to this day.

After our walking tour, we enjoyed a little free time (museums, shopping, getting lost...) and then reconnected with the rest of the group for dinner in the Ratskeller. For dessert, a few of the more intrepid explorers spent an evening in the Augustiner Biergarten, enjoying the company of hundreds of locals under the chestnut trees.

Tomorrow morning we head out for Dachau.

Thinking About Packing

Hello Travelers! Can you believe that our trip begins in 84 days? It's time to start thinking about the details of traveling. It's time to start thinking about what you might want to pack for our tour.

If you haven't heard yet, our tour has been changed. We are now booked on a tour of Munich and Bavaria called "Hidden Gems of Germany." This tour of southern Germany is one of ACIS's new Pathfinder tours. These tours are specially geared toward smaller groups of as few as 13 people. These tours are also designed to allow participants to live a little less like tourists and a little more like the locals. This means that we will not have our own dedicated tour bus to take us from city to city. Instead, we will be riding the trains. This means that you will be dragging your luggage across town to the train stations. It's very important that your suitcase be well-suited for the journey. A light but sturdy suitcase with rollerblade-style wheels is best (something between 26 and 28 inches; 70 liters). Those suitcases with the swivel wheels are nice for the smooth airport floors, but they are absolutely useless on European streets and train statioins.

Let's not forget about all of that walking. You will be walking everywhere! We'll also be getting a little bit of exercise on a bicycle tour of central Munich and the Englischer Garten, Munich's version of Central Park (fair warning: they allow nude sunbathing in the park). We also get to do a little bit of ice skating at the Olympia Park, where the 1972 Summer Olympics were held. I know that in Southern California we tend to skip the appropriate footwear in favor of our favorite flip-flops. These beloved sandals will do you no good on European streets, and may even damage your feet.  It will serve you well to pack a lightweight but supportive pair of shoes that will go with whatever clothes you pack and get you though all of the kilometers that you will be putting on your feet.

Germany has weather, even during the summer months. It could be chilly and rainy in the morning and warm and humid in the afternoon. You need to be prepared. The weather won't stop us from doing anything. Bring a lightweight jacket that you can cram into your daypack. You might also want to pack a lightweight hoody to layer under the jacket in case it gets a little chilly (maybe in Füssen or Oberammergau, closer to the Alps). 

That's enough for now. I don't want to overwhelm anyone. In my next blog post I will talk more about packing and what to bring.