Our Christmas Vacation in Germany - Part One

My mom, Sheila, has become very good at journaling about her trips with us since she then goes home and creates wonderful scrapbooks with our treasured memories. This trip was no exception. She was very dedicated to write down her adventures every night before she fell asleep, then once they returned home she has typed them all up, did research to add historical significance to some sights and this time even included traditional German recipes for all the food we ate. I can’t wait to see how this scrapbook turns out! Since she has done such a wonderful job, I’m “borrowing” just a sampling of her journaling to create my blog.

Dec. 23^rd, 2009

(Ok, I’ve already mentioned the worst part of the trip. Luckily only the first two hours, which included delayed flights, destroyed luggage, stolen jewelry, incorrect rental car and my father running over my husband’s foot…so we’ll just gloss over those details, get on the road and to the enjoyable rest of the trip.) We proceeded on our two hour drive to Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber (literally, "red castle on the Tauber"). At the Marketplaz we found the Christmas market where we had Gluhwien, (glow wine) a hot wine, which nobody especially cared for. I like the smell of it and enjoy holding a steaming hot cup on a cold winter’s night, but not so much the taste. Jim and Seth had brats (mmmm bratwurst), while Kristal and I had wiener hose or meter long brats. Those were fun to eat! We all had the Schneeballen (snowball), which is a Rotherburg specialty.

Our bed and breakfast was inside the city wall and was built in 1521.  It was very cozy, although we all had to share a room together.  I’m sure, just the thing Seth wanted to do with the man that just ran him over. Being jet lagged, I unfortunately awoke at 3AM and decided to shower not realizing it was so early.  I broke the shower head in the process so we all had to shower with just the hose.  After my shower I figured out that it was the middle of the night so I laid down again until Seth's alarm went off, he had forgotten to adjust for the time zone change so instead of 5:30 it was only 4:30.   But no one realized this until everyone else had gotten up and showered.  Then we realized that it was only 5:30 AM (not 6:30) and breakfast wasn’t until 7AM.  So we all went back to sleep for another hour and a half.  Once it was 7AM the hotel cat came around meowing.  If we would have known that the hotel had its own alarm clock system we would have all just slept till the cat.

Dec. 24^th, 2009 Christmas Eve

We continued along the Romantic Road toward Nurnberg today.  The Romantische Strasse or Romantic Road is 220 miles in length.  The name isn't meant for lovebirds but rather means, wonderful, fabulous and imaginative having started as a road on which the Romans traveled.  The route winds through medieval towns, villages, castles and churches.  The concept began after World War II to attract tourist to the region.  This area did not contain industrial plants or areas of military interest so they were spared destruction during the war.  Prior to World War II the area's economic base had been destroyed by the Thirty Year War, thereby preventing modernization of the area.  These factors preserved the towns in their historic state.  The Romantic Road begins in Wurzburg and winds its way down to Fussen. 

Once in Nurnberg we headed straight to the Christkindlesmarket (Christ-child-market) in the old city center, Hauptmarket, we didn’t have much time since it closed at 2:00.  Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmarkte) date back to at least the 14th century.  Well into the 20th century they were the only time to buy seasonal items, such as baking molds and decorations.  The most famous Christmas market is the Nurnberg Christkindlesmarkt.  It is at least 375 years old making it one of the oldest, and with over 200 vendors it is also one of the largest.

 

We arrived just in time to see the Mannleinlaufen strike 12 noon.  The Mannleinlaufen is a clock dating from 1509 and every day at noon the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire glide out of the clock to bow to Emperor Charles IV before sliding back under cover.  The clock is on Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) built in 1350 by Roman Emperor Charles IV.  The site was originally the Jewish quarter until Charles IV had it burned, killing 500 Jews, making way for the central market.

Within those 2 hours we had time to stimulate their economy by buying 3 sets of the Holy Family wood carvings.  It is a set with many additional pieces which we hope to add to each year.  Germany, especially southern Germany, is known for its wood carving and wooden nativity sets.  Seth and Kristal also got a wooden Advent calendar which plays a music box when the doors are opened.  The Advent calendar (Der Adventskalender) is a German invention designed to involve children in the time leading up to Christmas.  The first hand-crafted Advent calendars were produced in the mid 19th century.  The first printed calendar appeared in Munich in 1903. 

On the corner of the Hauptmarket market square is the Schoner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain).  Carved around the year 1400, the elegant 60 foot high Gothic fountain is adorned with 40 figures arranged in tiers.  The gold ring is set into the railing surrounding the fountain, reportedly placed there by an apprentice carver.  Touching it is said to bring good luck. Kristal remembered from her trip in high school that you had to turn it three times, so that's what we did.

 

Just as the market was closing we were able to get sausages and lebkuchen (gingerbread cookies), then we took a walking tour of Nurnberg starting at the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle), once the residence of the Holy Roman emperors.  The oldest part of the complex was built in 1050.  Also on our walking tour was the house of the great painter Albrecht Durer who lived there from 1509 to 1528.

Dec. 25^th, 2009 Christmas

Since it was Christmas day we weren’t planning that much would be opened today and so planned to spend the day leisurely driving the Romantic Road and stopping and several of the quaint little towns along the way.  First we stopped at Dinkelsbuhl a beautifully preserved medieval town which is less tourist-oriented than Rothenburg.  The Munster St. Georg (Minister St. George) is a focal point of the town.   

Then we set off for Nordlingen, which has it entire city wall still intact and you can walk along the top of it around the entire town.  We set off along the top and walked half way around, and then wandered through the streets 

 

Nordlingen lies in the center of a huge, basin like depression, the Ries, that until the beginning of this century was believed to be the remains of an extinct volcano.  In 1960 it was proven by two Americans that the 24-km-wide (15 mile wide) crater was caused by a meteorite at least 1/2 mile in diameter.  The compressed rock, or Suevit, formed by the explosive impact of the meteorite was used to construct many of the town's buildings, including St. Georg's tower.  You could see the crater rim best from the tower.  At the center of town is St. Georg church or "The Daniel" as the locals refer to it.  We climbed the 365 steps which were concrete spiral steps the first half but then turned to wooden switch back steps the last half.  It was quite scary to climb up.   

 

 

Dec. 26^th, 2009

As we approach Dauchu we see our first glimpse of the Alps.  Dachau is infamous worldwide as the site of the first Nazi concentration camp.  The camp is the site where more than 30,000 of the 200,000-plus prisoners lost their lives.  The atmosphere at Dauchau was reverent and somber.  One is left to wonder how man's inhumanity to his fellow man could be allowed to reach that extent.

I wondered what life was like for my Great Grandparents and how they came to the United States and what my Grandparents thought of the reports of what was happening in Germany during the war.  What did they think of their sons fighting against their homeland?  What records I have indicate my Great Grandparents were from Westphalia, Germany, which I have found a region called North Rhine-Westphalia in what is now Lower Saxony.  I remember that my mother said they spoke "low German" and that she did not speak English until she started to school.

We then walked around the town of Dauchu and visited Schloss Dachau, the hilltop castle, with views of the Alps and Munich, dominates the town.  Only one wing of the palace remains having been built for the Wittelsbach ruler Max Emanuel in 1715.

Dec. 27^th, 2009

We took the train into Munich.  Our first stop was to watch the glockenspiel which plays daily at 11, noon and 9PM.  As the chimes peal out over the square, the clock's doors flip open and brightly colored dancers and jousting knights act out two events from Munich's past: a tournament held in Marienplatz in 1568 and the Schafflertanz (Dance of the Cooper's), which commemorated the end of the plague of 1517.

We took the tram to the Flugwerft Schleissheim (flight museum).  Jim was somewhat disappointed in the aircraft museum, in that they didn't have more German versus American aircraft.

And of course no trip to Munich is complete without dinner at the Hofbrauhaus with it's oompah band - the father of all beer halls.  In 1589 Duke Wilhelm V founded a brewery at the royal residence and it continued until 1808.  Maximilian I built his brewery in 1607 and Ludwig I decreed that it should be open to the public in 1828, thus laying the foundation of today's Hofbrauhaus.  Measuring 11,000 square meters the Hofbrauhaus that we know today was opened on Sept. 22 1897.  It can seat 3,000 people and with hundreds of waiters and waitress it can accommodate as many as 30,000 people a day.  Over it's 400 year history it has had regulars such as Mozart and visitors from all over the world.  In January 1823, Munich's opera house caught fire and since the fire brigade's water had frozen the Hofbrauhaus sent large barrels of beer to put out the fire.   During the Thirty Year War the Hofbrauhaus gave 362 buckets of beer to the conquering Swedish army and was therefore not destroyed.  It was not so lucky during the wartime bombing of World War II when 60% of the building was destroyed.

 

In Germany, they don’t serve tap water in restaurants and most bottled water is mineral water and more expensive than soda.  The soda is also more expensive then the beer.  So I finally had to concede and acknowledge the fact that Kristal did indeed HAVE to drink lots of beer while she was studying here in college…it was simply the most economical thing to do.

Dec. 28^th, 2009

We once again took the train to Munich today and then a tram to Schloss Nymphenburg. Nymphenburg Palace on the outskirts of Munich was the summer residence of Bavaria's electors and kings.  In 1664 when construction began it was surrounded by open countryside.  Over the years the palace and gardens have been expanded and remodeled extensively with each successive ruler by an army of architects, artist, painters, sculptors, landscapers.  Radiating out from the focal main pavilion is the "ideal town" with the residence of the royal family, stables and a dairy, kitchens and butcher's facilities, rooms for artists and craftsmen, palace chapel and monastery, a mill and a porcelain factory.  To this day members of the royal family live here and the porcelain factory is in operation as it continues to be one of the most extensive palace complexes with its lavish display of wealth and power.

Bavaria's "fairy-tale king, Ludwig II was born here and spent much of his youth here.  King Ludwig I's Gallery of Beauties is a series of portraits done between 1827 and 1850 reflecting Ludwig I's ideal of beauty rather than social rank of the sitters.  The daughter of a cobbler is included in the collection.  It occurred to me that all of the beauties had very straight noses.  The Koch nose would not have been attractive to Ludwig I.

 

We then headed back to the main part of Munich to the Fussgangerzone or pedestrian zone which is a mile long central shopping area and got some roasted hot chestnuts.  We had 10 to share between the 4 of us and had a surplus.  Soft and chewy is not appropriate in our minds for a nut.  Although they were not a favorite for any of us, we can at least say we tried them.

Dec. 29^th, 2009

We left Augsburg and drove in a wintry mix to Ettal to see the Kloster Ettal.  It was founded by Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian for a group of knights and a community of Benedictine monks.  This is the largest Benedictine monastery in Germany: approximately 55 monks live here.  The church's chief treasure is its enormous dome (83 feet wide) depicting heaven.  Ettal liqueurs, made from a centuries-old recipe, are still distilled at the monastery.  The monks make seven different liqueurs, some with more than 70 mountain herbs.  Originally the liqueurs were made as medicines, and the have legendary health-giving properties.  Their ad is "Two monks know how it's made, 2 million Germans know how it tastes."

From Ettal we went to Schloss Linderhof.  Built between 1870 and 1879 on the spectacular grounds of his father's hunting lodge, Schloss Linderhof was the only one of Ludwig II's royal residences to have been completed during the monarch's short life.  It was the smallest of the king's castles, but his favorite retreat as a reclusive monarch. The palace's main inspiration came from the Sun King of France, Louis XIV, who is portrayed in numerous pieces of art.  This castle has several impressive features including the dining room which features a table that rises from and descends to the kitchen below so that Ludwig could eat his meals in private and a huge artificial grotto in which scenes from Wagner opera were performed, with full lighting effects to create the illusion of a royal dream world.  After seeing a few of his castles and learning a little be about Bavaria’s “Fairy Tale King” we all go very interested in learning more about King Ludwig II and also about Richard Wagner who influenced him so much.

 

 

Seth and Kristal had a snowball fight.

Dec. 30^th, 2009

Today we were four more of the one million people to visit Neuschwanstein Castle.  With the background of the Thannheim mountains, Poellat Gorge and the two lakes; the Alp Lake and Swan Lake make Neushwanstein a very picturesque and romantic setting. We arrived early morning and bought our ticket and still had over an hour wait, which we spent walking up to the castle and taking pictures along the way.  The walk took about 40 minutes. 

After 17 years of construction, Ludwig II only spent a total of 108 days at Neuschwanstein Castle and work stopped when he was taken away and died.  The castle is a symbol of the mysterious life and death of the King Ludwig II and one of the most recognized symbols of Germany and top attractions.  This castle was conceived by a set designer instead of an architect, thanks to King Lidwig II's deep love of the theater.  The castle soars from its mountainside like a stage creation - it should hardly come as a surprise that Walt Disney took it as the model for his castle in the movie Sleeping Beauty and later for the Disneyland castle itself. 

 

Above the Poellet Gorge with it's 149 foot high falls is the Marienbrucke  (Queen Mary's Bridge).  At a height of 304 feet, the bridge is older than the castle.  It was named after Ludwig's mother, Queen Mary, when it was rebuilt in 1866. 

It had rained for several hours during the night and there was still heavy fog and mist.  The walkway to the bridge was closed and there was still ice on the path but quit a few people including ourselves climbed around the barricades and braved the icy sidewalk.  This will probably be one of Seth’s most memorable experiences during this trip that his mother-in-law was the one persuading the rest of the group to break the rules and go around the barricades. But it was totally worth it for the pictures. 

On our way to the bridge we had a good view of the Hohenschwangau castle.  We did later go walk around the Hohenschwangau castle.  Built by the knights of Schwangau in the 12th century, the castle was remodeled by King Ludwig II's father, the Bavarian crown prince (and later king) Maximilian, between 1832 and 1836 after it had been heavily damaged during the Napoleonic wars.  Unlike Neuschwanstein, the yellowish Schloss Hohenschwangau has the feeling of a noble home, where comforts would be valued as much as outward splendor.