This is my Memories and Memoirs of the many trips Bob and I have enjoyed together. A sort of Romantic Travelogue of our explorations in Europe, or our road trips in the US to several of our National Parks.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Friday, June 2, 2017
Why We Should Not Travel on our Own in Europe - Part II
We left Provence and flew to Rome for 2 days. Why did we go to Rome? you ask. Because I am an idiot. Originally we were going to finish the Spain and Portugal tour with a post trip extension in Madeira for 4 days. With two days to kill between tours, I decided that rather than fly directly to Florence for the second tour, The French and Italian Rivieras, we would stop by Rome for a couple of days, then take the train up to Florence. Towards that end I had Grand Circle book our flight from Lisbon to Rome, and reserved a cute little flat in Rome. The flight was non-refundable; the flat only partially so.
Then I decided I would rather spend the time in the South of France rather than on the island of Madeira. I forfeited our plane tickets ($680 down the tube) and rebooked a flight from Lisbon to Marseille, and another one from there to Rome. Only later did I question my snap decision to still go to Rome when we could have just spent those two days in Provence and flown directly to Florence. Instead of thinking clearly, I just did it. I didn't want to lose money on the flat in Rome! I can't even remember how much the non-refundable portion was, around 150 €, I think. The $680 didn't bother me but €150 did?
The only plus of this addle-brained decision was that the flat had a washer and we were were desperate to do laundry. We were to arrive on Sunday, May 28. I emailed the owner and asked if laundry detergent was in the flat. She wrote back saying no, but there a store across the street where we could buy some. True enough, but we arrived on a Sunday - stores are closed. As a result, I didn't get to do the laundry until Monday morning and I spent most of the day washing clothes in a small washer, and hanging them out to dry on one of those movable laundry lines on a pulley. I didn't do anything else but laundry that day. It would have been so much nicer if Paola could have put some detergent in the flat along with the bottle of wine and stale pastries she left as a "welcome basket." Maybe €150 per night just wouldn't cover the €4 bottle of detergent. But the apartment was lovely .
While I was busy with the laundry, Bob went to scope out the location of the Grayline office for our scheduled tour to Tivoli the next day. First we had to take a bus, then walk to the Metro and take the subway. It took an hour to make the trip.
On Tuesday we arose at 6 AM to get to the Grayline office for our excursion at 8:30 to Tivoli. We were to visit Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este. Leaving aside the unending debate between us about public transportation (with its transfers and walking between the subway and the bus stop, taking an hour) vs. taking a taxi (15 min.), we naturally went with Bob's plan of bus and subway.
After a couple of hours at Hadrian's Villa (posted under separate cover), we loaded back on the tour bus and headed for another villa, Villa d"Este. The Villa was commissioned in the 16th century by the son of Lucretia Borgia, Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este (1509–1572), second son of Alfonso I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara and grandson of Pope Alexander VI. It was a magnificent testimony to the wealth and power of the Borgia and the d'Este families It is famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. We were there in 2000 and it was one of my favorite places.
This Grayline tour was billed as a half day tour. We were supposed to be back in Rome by 1:30, plenty of time to return to the flat (by subway and bus), pick up our luggage and get to the Termini to catch our 3:35 train to Florence. After spending a majority of our time with Hadrian, we arrived at Villa d'Este around 11:30. Our guide led us through a couple of open rooms in the Palace where the original frescoes had been restored, then at 11:40 gave us "free time" to explore the gardens on our own. We were due back at the bus at 12:45. Keeping in mind that we had to hike 15 minutes back to the bus pick up point, we had less than an hour to see these immense gardens.
As noted, these are terraced gardens. That means multiple levels. Lots of steep hills and lots of climbing. I went down 3 levels and declared myself done. Bob went on to the bottom, leaving me in the shade on a bench. After missing the Gibraltar tour out of Torremolinas, we agreed that if we split up I would always stay where he had left me and he would find me.
I also had some stupendous views from my level, and Bob takes such good pictures it was like I was there without the exertion.
He did take some beautiful pictures, but around 12:25 I was getting anxious. Bob is notorious for underestimating how long it takes to do anything and is usually late. So my worry was not unfounded. By12:30 I started getting really annoyed. Remember, we had to walk uphill to the bus pick up point. As the minutes ticked by I went from annoyed to really pissed. We had missed the damn bus and consequently would also miss our train to Florence Steam was coming out of my ears! But I stayed where he had left me. By 1:00 my rage turned to genuine concern. Was he lying dead somewhere in the gardens? Had he had a heart attack or something? Even Bob is never this late. Finally I walked up two levels to the base of the Palace, still able to see my bench, with the intention of asking the officials if there had been a medical emergency of some kind. When I got to the top, there was Bob.
First words out of his mouth: "Where the hell have you been? We've missed our bus! I thought you were lying dead somewhere!" My thoughts exactly. I told him I had stayed put and he didn't believe me! He was so convinced that he had checked that bench repeatedly and had decided I must have wandered off and gotten myself lost. He had pictured me going to the bus alone so he ran up there. The tour guide went back with him to look for me. He said he thought maybe I had gone back to Rome! How? By magic carpet? He just imagined all the completely implausible scenarios and never once did he consider the one logical conclusion - he had looked at the wrong bench! He was up a level from where he had left me. I had a landmark of a huge tree I was directly below and when I showed him that he realized the mistake his! But of course he couldn't admit this outright. His only concession was, "Well, if you insist that you never moved then I must have gone to the wrong place." Well, duh.
He said we could take a local bus back to Rome. I posted this part of this calamity on Facebook but it bears repeating for a permanent record. And there is more.
Bob said we could take a local bus back to Rome, according to whoever he asked. So we started hoofing it uphill to the pick up point for the tour bus, which was long gone. Halfway there I asked the question "Is this where we get the local bus?" He replied "How should I know?" "Because you asked about a bus. You didn't ask where to catch it?" So I asked a vendor and she told us it was back down the hill.
Once we found the stop there was no schedule. Bus after bus went by and they were just going around town. Finally we found one bound for Rome but he said we had to buy our tickets first, not from him. Once we had done that, we boarded another local bus and headed for Rome. It was now 2:30.
The bus was from the 60s, I believe. NO A/C. It rattled constantly and really reminded me of the movie Come September, when Rock Hudson steals a dilapidated chicken truck to pursue Gina Lollobrigida to Rome.
Of course it broke down, in the middle of nowhere. At that point Bob and I just started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Could this day get any worse?
Well yes, it could.
A replacement bus was summoned and got us to Rome, to the end of the bus line. From there we had to use the Metro to get to the Termini to find our if there was a later train we could catch. The trains run every half hour so it was doable. But we had to go back to the flat to get our luggage. For once in his life Bob went along with my plan and got a taxi to take us to the flat and back to the Termini. It only cost €40 plus I tipped him 5. Back at the Termini we bought our tickets (having forfeited the originals - more money lost) for only €104. The Termini his HUGE and very confusing. We had to find our train on the electronic board and it would tell us what platform. Just like at the airport. But our train didn't show a platform. The clock was ticking but it turned out the train was late coming in, and long story short, the platform was finally posted and we boarded.
All was well until we got to Florence. The train station is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. 5 minutes if you know where you're going in the maze that is the Old Town, and if you are not shlepping luggage! We had 4 suitcases, a backpack, my red tote and my travel purse. I begged to take a cab but Bob just ignored me. He had looked at his Google Map and the hotel was just around the corner. He said.
Bob headed out and I trailed along behind, calling him every vile name I could think of under my breath. I checked my own Google Map and it said it was a 7 minute walk. 7 minutes later, after dragging our bags over cobblestones and uneven payment,up and down curbs, we were still not there. I checked my map again. Now it was a 5 minute walk. Evidently, Mr. Magellan had made an unnecessary loop around the wrong block. We kept walking and found the Santa Maria del Figore Piazza and diagonally across it was the Hotel Roma. I spotted it while Mr. Magellanwas still looking around for it.
We arrived at the hotel and as I tried to pull my two suitcases through the narrow doors, one got off balance and took me with it. I fell right into the glass wall. Fortunately Bob and the bellman both grabbed me as I fell so there was no damage. But as I was going down I had visions of spending the rest of my "vacation" in an Italian hospital . . .
And that, my friends, is the absolute disaster that was our detour to Rome.
Then I decided I would rather spend the time in the South of France rather than on the island of Madeira. I forfeited our plane tickets ($680 down the tube) and rebooked a flight from Lisbon to Marseille, and another one from there to Rome. Only later did I question my snap decision to still go to Rome when we could have just spent those two days in Provence and flown directly to Florence. Instead of thinking clearly, I just did it. I didn't want to lose money on the flat in Rome! I can't even remember how much the non-refundable portion was, around 150 €, I think. The $680 didn't bother me but €150 did?
The only plus of this addle-brained decision was that the flat had a washer and we were were desperate to do laundry. We were to arrive on Sunday, May 28. I emailed the owner and asked if laundry detergent was in the flat. She wrote back saying no, but there a store across the street where we could buy some. True enough, but we arrived on a Sunday - stores are closed. As a result, I didn't get to do the laundry until Monday morning and I spent most of the day washing clothes in a small washer, and hanging them out to dry on one of those movable laundry lines on a pulley. I didn't do anything else but laundry that day. It would have been so much nicer if Paola could have put some detergent in the flat along with the bottle of wine and stale pastries she left as a "welcome basket." Maybe €150 per night just wouldn't cover the €4 bottle of detergent. But the apartment was lovely .
While I was busy with the laundry, Bob went to scope out the location of the Grayline office for our scheduled tour to Tivoli the next day. First we had to take a bus, then walk to the Metro and take the subway. It took an hour to make the trip.
On Tuesday we arose at 6 AM to get to the Grayline office for our excursion at 8:30 to Tivoli. We were to visit Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este. Leaving aside the unending debate between us about public transportation (with its transfers and walking between the subway and the bus stop, taking an hour) vs. taking a taxi (15 min.), we naturally went with Bob's plan of bus and subway.
This Grayline tour was billed as a half day tour. We were supposed to be back in Rome by 1:30, plenty of time to return to the flat (by subway and bus), pick up our luggage and get to the Termini to catch our 3:35 train to Florence. After spending a majority of our time with Hadrian, we arrived at Villa d'Este around 11:30. Our guide led us through a couple of open rooms in the Palace where the original frescoes had been restored, then at 11:40 gave us "free time" to explore the gardens on our own. We were due back at the bus at 12:45. Keeping in mind that we had to hike 15 minutes back to the bus pick up point, we had less than an hour to see these immense gardens.
As noted, these are terraced gardens. That means multiple levels. Lots of steep hills and lots of climbing. I went down 3 levels and declared myself done. Bob went on to the bottom, leaving me in the shade on a bench. After missing the Gibraltar tour out of Torremolinas, we agreed that if we split up I would always stay where he had left me and he would find me.
I also had some stupendous views from my level, and Bob takes such good pictures it was like I was there without the exertion.
He did take some beautiful pictures, but around 12:25 I was getting anxious. Bob is notorious for underestimating how long it takes to do anything and is usually late. So my worry was not unfounded. By12:30 I started getting really annoyed. Remember, we had to walk uphill to the bus pick up point. As the minutes ticked by I went from annoyed to really pissed. We had missed the damn bus and consequently would also miss our train to Florence Steam was coming out of my ears! But I stayed where he had left me. By 1:00 my rage turned to genuine concern. Was he lying dead somewhere in the gardens? Had he had a heart attack or something? Even Bob is never this late. Finally I walked up two levels to the base of the Palace, still able to see my bench, with the intention of asking the officials if there had been a medical emergency of some kind. When I got to the top, there was Bob.
First words out of his mouth: "Where the hell have you been? We've missed our bus! I thought you were lying dead somewhere!" My thoughts exactly. I told him I had stayed put and he didn't believe me! He was so convinced that he had checked that bench repeatedly and had decided I must have wandered off and gotten myself lost. He had pictured me going to the bus alone so he ran up there. The tour guide went back with him to look for me. He said he thought maybe I had gone back to Rome! How? By magic carpet? He just imagined all the completely implausible scenarios and never once did he consider the one logical conclusion - he had looked at the wrong bench! He was up a level from where he had left me. I had a landmark of a huge tree I was directly below and when I showed him that he realized the mistake his! But of course he couldn't admit this outright. His only concession was, "Well, if you insist that you never moved then I must have gone to the wrong place." Well, duh.
He said we could take a local bus back to Rome. I posted this part of this calamity on Facebook but it bears repeating for a permanent record. And there is more.
Bob said we could take a local bus back to Rome, according to whoever he asked. So we started hoofing it uphill to the pick up point for the tour bus, which was long gone. Halfway there I asked the question "Is this where we get the local bus?" He replied "How should I know?" "Because you asked about a bus. You didn't ask where to catch it?" So I asked a vendor and she told us it was back down the hill.
Once we found the stop there was no schedule. Bus after bus went by and they were just going around town. Finally we found one bound for Rome but he said we had to buy our tickets first, not from him. Once we had done that, we boarded another local bus and headed for Rome. It was now 2:30.
The bus was from the 60s, I believe. NO A/C. It rattled constantly and really reminded me of the movie Come September, when Rock Hudson steals a dilapidated chicken truck to pursue Gina Lollobrigida to Rome.
Of course it broke down, in the middle of nowhere. At that point Bob and I just started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Could this day get any worse?
Well yes, it could.
A replacement bus was summoned and got us to Rome, to the end of the bus line. From there we had to use the Metro to get to the Termini to find our if there was a later train we could catch. The trains run every half hour so it was doable. But we had to go back to the flat to get our luggage. For once in his life Bob went along with my plan and got a taxi to take us to the flat and back to the Termini. It only cost €40 plus I tipped him 5. Back at the Termini we bought our tickets (having forfeited the originals - more money lost) for only €104. The Termini his HUGE and very confusing. We had to find our train on the electronic board and it would tell us what platform. Just like at the airport. But our train didn't show a platform. The clock was ticking but it turned out the train was late coming in, and long story short, the platform was finally posted and we boarded.
All was well until we got to Florence. The train station is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. 5 minutes if you know where you're going in the maze that is the Old Town, and if you are not shlepping luggage! We had 4 suitcases, a backpack, my red tote and my travel purse. I begged to take a cab but Bob just ignored me. He had looked at his Google Map and the hotel was just around the corner. He said.
Bob headed out and I trailed along behind, calling him every vile name I could think of under my breath. I checked my own Google Map and it said it was a 7 minute walk. 7 minutes later, after dragging our bags over cobblestones and uneven payment,up and down curbs, we were still not there. I checked my map again. Now it was a 5 minute walk. Evidently, Mr. Magellan had made an unnecessary loop around the wrong block. We kept walking and found the Santa Maria del Figore Piazza and diagonally across it was the Hotel Roma. I spotted it while Mr. Magellanwas still looking around for it.
We arrived at the hotel and as I tried to pull my two suitcases through the narrow doors, one got off balance and took me with it. I fell right into the glass wall. Fortunately Bob and the bellman both grabbed me as I fell so there was no damage. But as I was going down I had visions of spending the rest of my "vacation" in an Italian hospital . . .
And that, my friends, is the absolute disaster that was our detour to Rome.
Tivoli - Part I - Hadrian's Villa
We took at ½ tour to the town of Tivoli, just outside of Rome. Full details of our time in Rome follow in my next post. It is fairly humorous now, but at the time, not so much. However, the tour consisted of two parts, and the first part was before the wheels fell off.
We visited Hadrian's Villa first. The Emperor Hadrian built this villa outside of Rome, in Tivoli, on a huge expanse of property his wife owned. He later chose this as his official residence because he did not enjoy his mansion on Palatine Hill in Rome. Seeing the peace and quiet of this place, one understands why he loved it so much. The ruins still remain and archaeologists have been able to determine what the original place looked like. I don't really care for archaeology but I could envision this place and found it very, very interesting.
Upon entering the site, we studied the model and our guide pointed out what we would be seeing so we could use our imaginations.
First we saw the large pool, which I think is the original. A little ways away is the slaves' quarters and the remains of what was the slaves' pool. Hadrian was very good to his slaves. He actually paid them!
The Romans, as we know, were really into communal baths. Further on we saw the remains of the 3 baths used for this relaxing activity. First there was the warm bath to clean the body, then the hot sauna-like thermal baths, using the natural thermal springs that flowed underneath the villa. Finally came a plunge into the cold bath for invigoration of the body. Sometimes they would even repeat the whole process. It was a very social thing.
The last area we visited was what a pool and another house where Hadrian would go to mourn his lost love, and Egyptian boy named Antine. He was the love of Hadrian's life. He captured him when Antine was just a boy, enslaved him as was the custom, then fell madly in love with him. Antine was very, very handsome and his likeness was carved into most of the statues at the Villa. His reflecting pool was his memorial to his dead lover, who had drowned.
We visited Hadrian's Villa first. The Emperor Hadrian built this villa outside of Rome, in Tivoli, on a huge expanse of property his wife owned. He later chose this as his official residence because he did not enjoy his mansion on Palatine Hill in Rome. Seeing the peace and quiet of this place, one understands why he loved it so much. The ruins still remain and archaeologists have been able to determine what the original place looked like. I don't really care for archaeology but I could envision this place and found it very, very interesting.
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| Model of Hadrian's Villa as it was believed to be in the 2nd century AD |
Upon entering the site, we studied the model and our guide pointed out what we would be seeing so we could use our imaginations.
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| This is a panorama, so you can move from left to right across the picture and see the entire pool by just panning it. |
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| The slaves' quarters |
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| Note the carving at the top of the column |
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| A carved skylight in one of the bath rooms |
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| The Bath House complex |
The Romans, as we know, were really into communal baths. Further on we saw the remains of the 3 baths used for this relaxing activity. First there was the warm bath to clean the body, then the hot sauna-like thermal baths, using the natural thermal springs that flowed underneath the villa. Finally came a plunge into the cold bath for invigoration of the body. Sometimes they would even repeat the whole process. It was a very social thing.
The last area we visited was what a pool and another house where Hadrian would go to mourn his lost love, and Egyptian boy named Antine. He was the love of Hadrian's life. He captured him when Antine was just a boy, enslaved him as was the custom, then fell madly in love with him. Antine was very, very handsome and his likeness was carved into most of the statues at the Villa. His reflecting pool was his memorial to his dead lover, who had drowned.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Why we do not travel on our own in Europe
People are always asking me why we travel with an escorted tour instead of doing it all on our own. Today I found out why.
We have 5 days in Provence on our own. I booked 3 nights in Marseille and 2 in Aix-en-Provence. That was my first mistake. Aix is not that far away but with much less traffic. Which brings me to Mistake #2. We rented a car at the Marseille airport and got to experience the thrill ride that is driving in France. Getting into the city center was challenging enough, with exits coming and going and Siri telling us where to go (allegedly), then rerouting us when we miss the turn. Which we did a lot. Stress level was about a 5. Then we got into the city center and stress rose to 10+! The streets are narrow and the cars are numerous. French drivers are insane, IMO, but they probably think Grandpa has come to town when they get near us. Street signs are on buildings, traffic is a nightmare, and there is NO parking at the hotel. There is not even a place to unload luggage! After driving around in the general vicinity of the hotel, we located a parking garage across the street from the hotel. Cost is €30 per day. But it has the advantage of being close. When we checked in we were told of a cheaper lot 100 meters away, and Bob has now gone to move the car. It took both of us to get here - me to navigate and him to try to avoid hitting anybody or anything. I hope he can pull this off sans moi because the deductible on the car is €1500! My insurance agent at home told me to take it because we're not covered in Europe. Is that a normal thing or do we just have crappy insurance?
We are staying at the Vieux Port (Old port), which is smack dab in the middle of the city center and a block from the sea. The room is quite small (compared to the huge rooms we've been accustomed to with Grand Circle. After 13 trips with them we tend to get the best rooms.) but seems comfortable and has all the necessary amenities. So we're happy with the hotel, despite the lack of parking.
The view is not bad, but you can't see the Med. from our balcony. Love the balcony!
Tomorrow our plan is to drive down the the Calanques Nat'l Park and enjoy the views of the sea from the corniche. Thursday we are taking an all day tour to the "Perched Villages of the Luberon." Friday we're off to Aix, where we have no plans other than to drive out into the countryside and see beautiful Provence.
We have 5 days in Provence on our own. I booked 3 nights in Marseille and 2 in Aix-en-Provence. That was my first mistake. Aix is not that far away but with much less traffic. Which brings me to Mistake #2. We rented a car at the Marseille airport and got to experience the thrill ride that is driving in France. Getting into the city center was challenging enough, with exits coming and going and Siri telling us where to go (allegedly), then rerouting us when we miss the turn. Which we did a lot. Stress level was about a 5. Then we got into the city center and stress rose to 10+! The streets are narrow and the cars are numerous. French drivers are insane, IMO, but they probably think Grandpa has come to town when they get near us. Street signs are on buildings, traffic is a nightmare, and there is NO parking at the hotel. There is not even a place to unload luggage! After driving around in the general vicinity of the hotel, we located a parking garage across the street from the hotel. Cost is €30 per day. But it has the advantage of being close. When we checked in we were told of a cheaper lot 100 meters away, and Bob has now gone to move the car. It took both of us to get here - me to navigate and him to try to avoid hitting anybody or anything. I hope he can pull this off sans moi because the deductible on the car is €1500! My insurance agent at home told me to take it because we're not covered in Europe. Is that a normal thing or do we just have crappy insurance?
We are staying at the Vieux Port (Old port), which is smack dab in the middle of the city center and a block from the sea. The room is quite small (compared to the huge rooms we've been accustomed to with Grand Circle. After 13 trips with them we tend to get the best rooms.) but seems comfortable and has all the necessary amenities. So we're happy with the hotel, despite the lack of parking.
The view is not bad, but you can't see the Med. from our balcony. Love the balcony!
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Salzburg,-May 4 Day 3
What can you say about Salzburg that hasn't been said already? It was our second trip there, and the first was in 2002. It hasn't changed a bit! Mirabell Gardens was as lovely as ever. The Fortress still stands guard over the city. The streets in the Old Town are still narrow and colorful. The beer is still cold and the Cathedral is still impressive.
The only negative was getting to the Tour Operator at the Main Train Station. When we got to the train station we had to walk forever to reach the tour office. The we had to walk even further to get to the correct track. By the time we walked to the END of the train we had walked 1.2 miles! The ride to Salzburg was beautiful, and we had a walking tour of the Old Town and the area across the river below the Fortress. We then had 3 hours of free time. We elected not to go up to the Fortress, since it would eat up 2 ½ hours and we've seen it before. We missed out on some terrific views I could have captured on digital, but I do have them on film from the last trip. At any rate, Salzburg was nice, and it was nice not to be walking 5 mies like we did the first 2 days in Munich. It was nice, but not great.
The only negative was getting to the Tour Operator at the Main Train Station. When we got to the train station we had to walk forever to reach the tour office. The we had to walk even further to get to the correct track. By the time we walked to the END of the train we had walked 1.2 miles! The ride to Salzburg was beautiful, and we had a walking tour of the Old Town and the area across the river below the Fortress. We then had 3 hours of free time. We elected not to go up to the Fortress, since it would eat up 2 ½ hours and we've seen it before. We missed out on some terrific views I could have captured on digital, but I do have them on film from the last trip. At any rate, Salzburg was nice, and it was nice not to be walking 5 mies like we did the first 2 days in Munich. It was nice, but not great.
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| Where the Von Trapps hid from the Germans in SoM |
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| The Salzen River |
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| Salzburg Cathedral |
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| The Fortress over the Town |
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| Famous Restaurant |
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Munich - the Third Reich walking tour
The skies were overcast but managed not to rain as we took a walking tour of places Hitler and his gang of thieves got their start in creating the Third Reich. It was a 3 hour tour involving a walk of 4 miles, standing time while we got history lessons and NO sitting time.
Yesterday's excursion was almost 5 miles and when I woke up this morning I felt like someone had beat me with a stick! The last thing I wanted to do was a walking tour, but it was prepaid and non-refundable. We were to meet at Marienplatz a 3:00. We went early so we could see a few more places around it.
We stopped in briefly at the Munich Cathedral, called Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). I have seen many magnificent Cathedrals in Europe, but this was not one. I thought it rather plain.
Afterwards we went into St. Peter's Church, the oldest church in Munich, and it was more impressive. One € 4.20 cup of cappuccino and we were off to meet our guide.
First was the building in Marienplatz where, on Nov 8, 1938, the Nazis planned Krystallnaacht.
The Torbrau Hotel, the oldest in Munich, gave birth to the SS. .
We were taken to Briemerstrasse, a main drag in Munich, where the Nazis marched in what was called the Beer Hall Putsch. The police got wind of it and waited in the large square for the Nazis to emerge from the narrow street they were on. It was a pitched gun battle, with 16 Nazis killed and 4 cops. The amazing thing was that Hitler and Goering and some others were in the front line, walking arm in arm. A shot felled the man right next to Hitler and as he hit the ground he drug Hitler down with him. Hitler dislocated his shoulder but had no other injuries.
Hitler led charmed life. There were so may times he could have died, from his sickly childhood, his time as a message runner in WWI (one of the most dangerous jobs. He had to run in from trench to trench Generally no one survived, but Hitler did. He survived several assassination attempts including one in particular that made Hitler look like he had a guardian angel. A fallen angel, to be sure, but he was protected by something. A communist named Elsa planned to blow Hitler up as he was giving a speech. This guy crept into the building night after night a meticulously planted a bomb inside the podium, and covered it with stucco, blending it in so it looked normal. He set the clock on the bomb three days before Hitler's speech, to explode near the end of his speech. However, his guardian angel intervened and brought such heavy, dense fog to Berlin that Hitler's flight back from Munich was cancelled. It was decided that Hitler would have to take a train to Berlin, and to catch the train he had to leave 13 minutes earlier. He was well out of the building when the bomb went off.
Hitler was a charismatic political genius who knew what buttons to push to appeal to the people. Blaming the Jews for the German loss of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles, the resulting collapse of he German economy and rampant inflation. He was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and promptly kicked the President to the curb and took over. Opposition was handled by the SA (the brownshirts) who would crash opponents events and disrupt them with shouts and jeers, and frequently violence. This is what every dictator in history has done. They can tolerate nothing that doesn't conform to their ideology or further their agenda. The opposition must be silenced. The Press was his next victim, as only Nazi propaganda was allowed to be published.
Germany today is a very different place. Holocaust denial is a crime. So is displaying the Nazi flag or giving the Nazi salute. Schoolchildren have been hammered with guilt for what happened long before they were born. The sins of the father visited upon the children.
Our guide told us the story of a tourist (probably American) who thought it would be funny to stand on the spot where the battle of the beer hall putsch and give the Nazi salute. A German woman saw it and informed on him to the police (which is in itself very Nazi-like). The man was arrested and spent the night in jail!
Our tour guide, Alun, was a Welshman married to a German, so his English was perfect. That is not always the case, even when a tour is marketed as English-speaking. Some guides have such thick accents that make it difficult to understand what they are saying.
It was a very interesting tour and if every muscle in my back, legs and feet had not been screaming at me, I would have enjoyed it more. That's one reason I do videos. As I edit our pictures from the comfort of my home, I am not suffering from the excessive walking, or the rain, wind or cold. I can appreciate things more. Malta, for instance, was absolutely gorgeous. But it was really windy and very cold, so I didn't enjoy the actual experience. Yet my Malta videos are of beautiful places, and the wind isn't blowing. I loved Malta once I got home, especially Gozo island. This was the scene of the Dothraki wedding on Game of Thrones and I recognized it immediately! But while I was there I was just cold.
Yesterday's excursion was almost 5 miles and when I woke up this morning I felt like someone had beat me with a stick! The last thing I wanted to do was a walking tour, but it was prepaid and non-refundable. We were to meet at Marienplatz a 3:00. We went early so we could see a few more places around it.
We stopped in briefly at the Munich Cathedral, called Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). I have seen many magnificent Cathedrals in Europe, but this was not one. I thought it rather plain.
Afterwards we went into St. Peter's Church, the oldest church in Munich, and it was more impressive. One € 4.20 cup of cappuccino and we were off to meet our guide.
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| Frauenkirche (the Munich Dom) |
First was the building in Marienplatz where, on Nov 8, 1938, the Nazis planned Krystallnaacht.
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| The building with the spire is the scene of the crime. |
The Torbrau Hotel, the oldest in Munich, gave birth to the SS. .
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| Hotel Torbrau |
We were taken to Briemerstrasse, a main drag in Munich, where the Nazis marched in what was called the Beer Hall Putsch. The police got wind of it and waited in the large square for the Nazis to emerge from the narrow street they were on. It was a pitched gun battle, with 16 Nazis killed and 4 cops. The amazing thing was that Hitler and Goering and some others were in the front line, walking arm in arm. A shot felled the man right next to Hitler and as he hit the ground he drug Hitler down with him. Hitler dislocated his shoulder but had no other injuries.
Hitler led charmed life. There were so may times he could have died, from his sickly childhood, his time as a message runner in WWI (one of the most dangerous jobs. He had to run in from trench to trench Generally no one survived, but Hitler did. He survived several assassination attempts including one in particular that made Hitler look like he had a guardian angel. A fallen angel, to be sure, but he was protected by something. A communist named Elsa planned to blow Hitler up as he was giving a speech. This guy crept into the building night after night a meticulously planted a bomb inside the podium, and covered it with stucco, blending it in so it looked normal. He set the clock on the bomb three days before Hitler's speech, to explode near the end of his speech. However, his guardian angel intervened and brought such heavy, dense fog to Berlin that Hitler's flight back from Munich was cancelled. It was decided that Hitler would have to take a train to Berlin, and to catch the train he had to leave 13 minutes earlier. He was well out of the building when the bomb went off.
Hitler was a charismatic political genius who knew what buttons to push to appeal to the people. Blaming the Jews for the German loss of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles, the resulting collapse of he German economy and rampant inflation. He was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and promptly kicked the President to the curb and took over. Opposition was handled by the SA (the brownshirts) who would crash opponents events and disrupt them with shouts and jeers, and frequently violence. This is what every dictator in history has done. They can tolerate nothing that doesn't conform to their ideology or further their agenda. The opposition must be silenced. The Press was his next victim, as only Nazi propaganda was allowed to be published.
Germany today is a very different place. Holocaust denial is a crime. So is displaying the Nazi flag or giving the Nazi salute. Schoolchildren have been hammered with guilt for what happened long before they were born. The sins of the father visited upon the children.
Our guide told us the story of a tourist (probably American) who thought it would be funny to stand on the spot where the battle of the beer hall putsch and give the Nazi salute. A German woman saw it and informed on him to the police (which is in itself very Nazi-like). The man was arrested and spent the night in jail!
Our tour guide, Alun, was a Welshman married to a German, so his English was perfect. That is not always the case, even when a tour is marketed as English-speaking. Some guides have such thick accents that make it difficult to understand what they are saying.
It was a very interesting tour and if every muscle in my back, legs and feet had not been screaming at me, I would have enjoyed it more. That's one reason I do videos. As I edit our pictures from the comfort of my home, I am not suffering from the excessive walking, or the rain, wind or cold. I can appreciate things more. Malta, for instance, was absolutely gorgeous. But it was really windy and very cold, so I didn't enjoy the actual experience. Yet my Malta videos are of beautiful places, and the wind isn't blowing. I loved Malta once I got home, especially Gozo island. This was the scene of the Dothraki wedding on Game of Thrones and I recognized it immediately! But while I was there I was just cold.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Munich
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| Marienplatz - the Rathouse and the famous Glockenspiel |
This is the first day of our 7 week tour of Bavaria, Spain, Portugal, Provence, and Italy.
We arrived at the Munich airport around 10:30 AM. Naturally I hadn't slept on the plane, in spite of buying Premium Economy for the bargain price of an extra $710. That got us a few extra inches of leg room, and it is worth every penny! For an extra $1500 we could have had a bed!
After an € 80 taxi ride we got to the Hotel Leonardo. Little did I know that it is not centrally located. We arrived at 12:30 and were told we couldn't check in until 3:00. I begged to get in earlier, but the desk clerk said no. There is absolutely nothing of interest in this neighborhood, so we were soon back at the hotel. It's 1:15. There is this big circular seating area in the lobby, and I could stretch out and sleep there. At 1:30 the desk clerk ran over to me and told me our room was ready! I guess someone sleeping in the lobby looked bad for the hotel, and miraculously they found me a room! Good tip for future reference.
I collapsed on the bed and slept until 8:15. It was light out but pouring down rain and I literally didn't know if it was AM or PM. My iPhone said 8 PM but I wasn't sure it automatically changed to Central European time. For all I knew it was 8:00 in Colorado! It finally got dark around 9 so I figured it out and went back to bed.
We awakened to the birds singing, loudly, at 5:30 AM. We had breakfast in the hotel for - wait for it- for €26 EACH! It was a good buffet and there is nothing around that serves breakfast (Germans don't eat a big breakfast). The bread was outstanding, as is bread all over Europe. Why can't they make good bread like this in the States?
It quit raining so around 10 we headed to the Deutches Museum (Bob's idea). A 3 block walk and 2 stops on the tram, then another 3 or 4 blocks to walk to get to the museum. I was tired when we got there, and it's a man's museum. All about Power, electric, Marine engines, etc. I didn't care for it, although it is a very highly rated museum, if you like that stuff. Bob was here in 1964 and spent an entire day here, mostly in the aerospace exhibits. This time it wasn't there. They moved it to another facility miles away.
After a reasonably priced lunch of bratwurst and sauerkraut, we left the museum and headed to the Munich Residenz by bus. This was the palace of the Wittelsbach family (Mad King Ludwig). It was already past 3 and they were having trouble with the ticket machine, so we blew it of for today and went a few blocks to the Royal Gardens. Trip Advisor said this was not to be missed, but here it is:
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| The only flowers in the garden |
What a disappointment!
According to my iPhone, I walked 4.6 miles and climbed 4 flights of stairs (one was out of the underground because the escalator wasn't working. If you have ever been in a subway, you know how far down it is from the street. It was daunting. But it was early in the day and I had no problem. If it had been at the end of the day we'd probably still be there!
So ends my first day in Munich. The forecast for the rest of the week is rain. And thunderstorms. On Thursday we are taking a day trip to Salzburg. We were there in 2002 and I want to go back. In retrospect I wish I could have booked a day trip to Hitler's Berchtesgaden and the Eagles Nest, but it only runs two days week and we missed the first and won't be here for the second.
Tomorrow we have nothing planned beyond a walking tour of the Third Reich places where Hitler got his start. His brown shirts silenced all opposition. They would protest in the streets against the Weimar government, and crash political meetings and beat people up. It sounds exactly like what the Left is doing in our country. It's called Fascism.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's report.
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