Jaye Rothman's Blog, page 2

WHAT AN AWFUL SMELL!

WHAT AN AWFUL SMELL!

On day one I took a hop on hop off bus tour. Budapest is big, and I thought it would give me an overall picture of the layout of the city.  Taking the green route, the bus drove down a street next to the Castle and stopped at the Funicular railway, which does run up the side of the cliff. I decided to stay on the bus as there was a long queue. The bus chuggedup a hill. At the top passengers were told to get off as there was “Eine pause.” for 20 minutes. As it was a clear day I had abreath taking view of Budapest with the Danube running through the centre. At times like these I wished I had a camera with a zoom lens to capture the moment.  The bus which had brought me up had disappeared. A large crowd gathered waving their tickets and becoming increasingly annoyed as no buses arrived. Eventually over an hour later one appeared and I climbed on.

The bus went past the Castle gardens and out of the corner of my eye I saw two huge statues of soldiers and a poster with the dates 1914-1918 on it and the words exhibition.  I asked the guide, and she shrugged and said she didn’t know. 

The exhibition is about WW1 and told from the Hungarian point of view which was interesting. Before the Great War, Hungary was part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire and ruled by Emperor Franz Josef. The Hungarians wanted independence and all through Franz Josef’s long reign, he never resolved the ‘Hungarian problem’. It helped that his wife Empress Sisi loved Hungary and its people, and they adored her. They still speak of her with affection. Sisi has a statue, a bridge and many roads named after her in the city.

There were quotes written all over the walls by Thomas Mann, George Orwell and soldiers writing letters home. This corridor led to a room which had a dreadful smell coming from it.

‘The smell of rotting bodies, human waste, mud and cordite never leaves you.”

I looked down and saw two trenches filled with mud. I admit I didn’t look too closely, but this was where the smell was coming from. The museum had managed to create an olfactory experience for the visitor. Another corridor resembled a trench, dark, thick mud coating the walls, ropes hanging down, with the sounds of screaming and guns roaring.

Black and white movies played showing the horror of trench warfare. One showed soldiers climbing out of the trenches, running into cannon fire and blown up. 

Half way through I watched a movie by a Hungarian director about the War with English subtitles. Apparently, England wanted to declare war on Germany because she was jealous of Germany’s powerful position in Europe. It didn’t mention that England had tried successfully for years to negotiate a limitation of German naval ships with Kaiser Wilhelm, but as I said this is from the Hungarian point of view. The spark that lit the flame which began WW1 was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. He despised the Hungarians who didn’t much care for him and Hungary didn’t mourn for him.

After WWI Hungary lost 67% of its land, 43% of the agriculture, 60% of its population, 83% of its iron production and 99% of its gold and silver mines.

Now you’d hope lessons would be learnt. Sadly not.  Hungary with its neighbours, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania joined Hitler’s Axis powers. The Hungarians fought against the Soviets and invaded Yugoslavia. In 1944 Hungary could see the writing on the wall, and attempted to engage in armistice negotiations with the Allies. Hitler found out and German forces occupied Hungary. This was when the genocide of the Hungarian Jews began.In July 1944 the bombing of Budapest began by the Allies. All the bridges were destroyed and most of the city. InDecember 1944 the siege of Budapest started when Soviet soldiers surrounded it. Budapest finally surrendered in February 1945.

I’ve been on a Communist tour, which consisted of sitting in two expresso bars and chatting to the guide for three hours. Milkos shared his experiences under Socialist rule, it wasn’t called Communism in Hungary. Compared to other countries under the Warsaw Pact, life in the 1980’s appears less strict. Although you could only travel to the West once in every three years, and the cost was astronomical. There was only one brand available in shops. Why did you need a choice? If you couldn’t produce your ID, then you were arrested and spent the night in prison. Milkos kept disappearing, I thought to have a smoke but then I realised. At the last stop he asked me to buy a drink. He downed a triple vodka in one! He said goodbye and staggered out of the café. I went into an antique shop, the two guys who served customers were so drunk, they could barely stand. On the streets I’ve seen many people who are homeless and very drunk. Apparently, the government doesn’t see it as a big problem….

More next time on folk dancing, a Communist park and must see sights!

DON’T COME HERE FOR A DAY TRIP!

Bratislava.

It seems most tour companies combine a stay in Vienna with a day trip to the Old Town of Bratislava. When my Airbnb accommodation fell through, I considered staying in Vienna and taking a day trip by train. I’m so pleased I didn’t.

I found a hotel on Booking.com which had great reviews and booked in for 8 days. The hotel is three tram stops from the centre of Bratislava, tucked down a quiet side street and my room has a couch in it. It’s spotlessly clean, and the staff are kind and helpful.

I had to get a ticket for the opera the next night, so I jumped on a tram to the Old Town and nearly got run down in the process. Trams have right of way here, and the tracks are in the centre of the road. Cars drive up on ramps which are situated directly next to the pavement. You must keep your eyes peeled when getting on and off a tram, as cars drive next to the doors.

Google maps don’t work in the Old Town, the wi-fi signal is very poor. So, I had to find my way using a street map. I needed a ticket for the two hour opera in French on Saturday night. I didn’t particularly want to see it, as my French is a bit rusty these days, but I needed to see the inside of the building for research purposes.

The next day I wandered around the Old Town in the rain and came across a cultural festival which highlighted Bratislava talent. I watched a group of children in national dress dance various polkas for 20 minutes! The polka is very energetic, and I hadn’t realised it originated in Slovakia. Stalls were selling fish soup the local dish for one Euro. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so strict but needs must.

Onto the opera. Except it wasn’t the opera, communication difficulties had surfaced once again, I had bought a ticket for the International Piano competition. I felt underdressed as the auditorium filled with locals who had dressed up to the nines for the occasion.  To loud applause the Slovakian Philharmonic Orchestra appeared on stage in full evening dress and proceeded to play Beethoven and Mozart with three solo pianists. The last classical concert I attended was in London in the 80’s, and I’d found it tedious and avoided them since.  To my surprise I enjoyed it and I’ve changed the plot of the book to include the concert.

I decided to take a boat trip to an art gallery on the Danube but it was cancelled due to low water levels!  I opted to take a cruise down the Danube to Castle Devin. This is a medieval castle, but it’s now a complete ruin and has amazing views. You can for the price of 8 Euro, walk around the entire site which is huge. But medieval castles don’t interest me. I came here because during the Cold War this was the fortified border between Austria and the Eastern Bloc. The banks of the river had fences, barbed wire, watch towers with soldiers and wolf dogs patrolling it. Standing in the drizzle, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what it must have looked like in 1982. There is a plaque to commemorate those who lost their lives while trying to flee, and an arch which is riddled with bullet holes.

Today I went on a private tour with Peter and visited Communist buildings and sites around Bratislava. I could never have found these places on my own. I forgot to mention, all signs are in Slovakia and I can’t understand any of it. The first port of call was an amazing indoor market which hadn’t been modernised. I could have stepped back into the 80’s. Young people don’t come here, only pensioners who exist on between 200-300 Euro a month.

An old style café served food for 2 euros, and the customers ate their food standing up while a queue formed outside. Wine is 1.50 euro a litre but you have to bring your own plastic bottle. Two wine shops were doing a brisk trade. It costs 20 cents for a glass and it’s common for the patrons to stay there all day. We drove past the national radio station which is an upside down pyramid and a disused metal fountain, typical Communist structures.

 Onwards to the border, where Peter took me to a bunker which had been built in 1936 in preparation for war against Germany. It wasn’t utilised, as Chamberlain and the British Government effectively handed Czechoslovakia over to the Germans.

“How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing.”

— Neville Chamberlain on 27 Sept. 1938, shortly before he flew to Germany to sign the Munich Agreement.

 

I was surprised at the bitterness Peter expressed about the British, because of Chamberlain’s lack of action, Slovakia suffered for nearly 60 years under the Nazi’s and the Soviets. I shared with him my Dad’s view that most British people felt awful leaving Czechoslovakia to its fate and despised Chamberlain’s lack of leadership.

Our last port of call was Slavin the Soviet cemetery where 6,845 Red Army soldiers fell in the retaking of Bratislava from the Germans.  This took place in the final days of WWII, between 25 March and 5 May 1945, when 17,000 Soviet soldiers died in the retaking of Czechoslovakia.

I’ve enjoyed my time here, andhave great material for my book and an understanding of Slovakian history which I hadn’t been aware of. I never realised the Soviet Union military causalities were  

 10,725,345.​.

 Yes, million. 

​

 

Next time Budapest!

Beautiful Belvedere, Stunning Schoenbrunn

Beautiful Belvedere, Stunning Schoenbrunn and the Incredible Imperial Apartments!

I’ve run out of superlatives to describe this awesome city. I love it so much, I’m thinking of relocating! (Joke!)

Belvedere Palace is where the Gustave Klimt collection is housed. Some of you might remember the movie ‘A Woman in Gold’ starring Helen Mirren was released. It tells the story of the of an elderly Jewish woman who attempts to reclaim her aunt’s portrait painted by Klimt which the Nazi’s stole in 1941. It’s based on a true story, and it features her long legal battle with the museum.I learnt from a bored assistant at a museum, there have been quite a few legal battles with various museums in Vienna over who owns the pictures, furniture or antiques. The Austrian government make the process of retrieving your relative’s possessions very difficult.

The gold on Klimt’s paintings close up is incredible, and I think one of the high lights of my trip so far. Early starts did pay here, as we visited when it opened, and avoided the crowds who arrived around 10am. The audio guide gave tips on what to admire in the paintings, and worth the extra few euro. Although you’re not supposed to take photos, I did cheat and take a couple. They didn’t come out well, probably due to the lightning in the room. So, cheating didn’t pay.

The Schoenbrunn Palace is where the Austrian Royal Family, the Hapsburgs lived in the summer. There are over 1,440 rooms in the palace, if you take the Imperial Tour you get to see 40! The grounds are the size of Monaco so you can get some idea of the vastness of the place. As it was a hot day, I took advantage of the 5 Euro miniature train which took just under an hour to circle the estate.

The guided tour walks you through the rooms where the Emperor and his Empress Sisi lived. Franz Joseph died in 1916, so it’s not that long ago. The rooms are preserved so it feels as if the Imperial family stepped out of them. Franz Joseph reigned for nearly 68 years. During this time, his only son and heir, Crown Prince Rudolf killed himself in a bizarre suicide pact with his young mistress. His brother Maximilian, who was crowned Emperor of Mexico was captured by rebels and murdered. The worst tragedy which befell him was the death of his beloved wife Sisi. She was assassinated in Geneva by an Italian anarchist.

There is a Sisi cult in Austria and I can understand why. She’s an incredibly interesting character. At the age of 16 years old she married Franz Joseph. She had led a sheltered, informal life in Bavaria before she was thrust into the rigid and structured Austrian court. She was at loggerheads with her mother-in-law from day one, and didn’t produce an heir until her third child. By nature,Sisi was introverted and prone I think, to depression. When her eldest daughter died, it became worse. She began to show symptoms of an eating disorder, and became obsessed with her weight. Franz Joseph was passionately in love with Sisi but she withdrew from him, and she began to travel excessively. Partly to escape the stifling formality of court life, and because of her health, which had suffered having three children in quick succession.Sisi loved the sea, and in rough weather she’d ask the sailors of the Imperial yacht to bind her to a chair so she could experience the thrill of the storm.

She was incredibly beautiful. Her long hair reached her feet. She spent hours on beauty routines and exercising. She was an accomplished horsewoman, fencer and spoke six languages including ancient Greek!

In the last years of her life, she spent most of her time with women and spent very little time in Vienna.  She wrote ‘I am destined to leave this earth, without finding a soul mate.’

 Yes, I learnt all about Sisi when I visited the Imperial Apartments and the museum dedicated to her. Again, an audio guide helped me retain this knowledge and I arrived at 9am before the swarm of German tourists arrived.

Another must see is the Jesuit Church. It’s a splendid example of early Baroque and is, in one word – stunning.

I nearly forgot to mention, I donated 120 euros to the Austrian post office. At Schoenbrunn I found a beautiful coffee table book. A bargain price for only 10 euro! I bought it despite warnings from my cousin and an American tourist because it was heavy. Yes, over 2kg. When visiting the Imperial Apartments, I bought another heavy weight about Maria Theresa. Yes, you guessed right another 2kg.

Ten days ago, I went to the Austrian lakes to have a break from cities and get creative. Apart from the blog I’ve not written anything, well, for a long time. Podersford Am Zee can be described as an Austrian Snells Beach. It’s extremely windy, probably worse than Wellington, kite and wind surfers holiday love it.  It took me less than 2 hours to get there, and I had to rely on my poor German for all communication. Nobody spoke English, but I survived. On day two I went for lunch, but all the cafes close for a rest day. Day one of the diet – a packet of Tuc biscuits. The hotel looked over the lake, so I sat rugged up on the balcony hammering out words. I finished a short story in three days! Awesome!The diet was over on day two, when I tucked into a large plate of Apfel strudel with vanilla custard!

GLORIOUS, WONDERFUL VIENNA!

I realised I’ve not written about the city, and my stay, unfortunately is nearly at an end. I love Vienna, the coffee houses, the cakes, the buildings, the museum, the people – the list could go on!

I’ve managed to negotiate the city with ease. Vienna has an awesome transport system with trams and buses arriving literally within minutes. I’ve taken a DIY Rick Steve’s audio guided tour around the Ring which was the old perimeter of the city. Instead of spending 10 euro for a tour, I used the tram, I jumped off at suggested places, and leapt back on. A travel card is more expensive than Berlin, but for 16.20 euro a week, excellent value.

The Staatsopera is one of the most famous in the world. I would have loved to have gone to a performance, but at a very steep 250 euro for the cheapest seat, ok, Anna Netrebko was performing, decided to pass. I needed to see inside it because a scene from one of my books is set there. I found the ideal solution. A guided tour of the opera house for 7.50 euro. Tours are given in four languages. My guide spoke English extremely well and we were taken on a back-stage tour, and saw how enormous the stage is. Every day the props need to be changed because the Staatsopera never performs the same opera on subsequent days.

‘The Third Man’ has always been one of my all time favourite movies. Vienna has a privately-run museum dedicated to it. A guided tour is conducted twice a week, and a very entertaining and informative tour it was. The owners have spent an extraordinary amount of time and money building a collection that is outstanding. Lots of stills from the movie, posters from different countries and even a script with notes by Trevor Howard written in it.  Apparently, he wasn’t sober the whole time he was on location in Vienna. The movie was a massive success everywhere except Austria. The Austrians hated it. They didn’t like the way they were portrayed in the movie as unhelpful to the police, liars and eating awful food.

Did you know that Vienna was occupied after WWII by the four Allied Powers? It lasted for ten years and in 1955 elections were held. Stalin gave his agreement to this, only because he believed there would be overwhelming support for the Communist party which there wasn’t. Stalin could do nothing about this as he had made an agreement with the three Allied powers. Austria had elections and the Social Democrats won and formed a government. The price Austria paid for their part in WWII? Austria must always stay neutral, it can never align itself with any other country in the face of war.

I bought a poster for 10 euro but it cost me 20 euro to post it home, but I don’t expect many Kiwis will have a ‘The Third Man’ poster in German in their living room.

I decided to take a ride on the Prater wheel, which features in the movie. What a disappointment! It cost 10 euro, and I wish I’d saved my money. The ride is supposed to take 15 minutes, but I hadn’t realised it had become a romantic date venue. It took 10 minutes for couples to be ushered into individual carriages and then the wheel would begin again. I recall coming here about 20 years ago and the draughty wooden carriages were still in use. Sometimes it’s not a great idea to revisit the past.

In Germany, as part of their studies students must visit Holocaust monuments and camps. I asked a young Austrian woman this question. Students study WWII history for six months, and that’s it. In Vienna, older people are very reluctant to discuss WWII and the Holocaust. It’s seems to have been swept under the carpet. I’ll write a little more about this next time.

I’ve found the Viennese delightful, warm with beautiful manners. There are so many tourists here it would drive me nuts, but most of them are helpful and gracious when asked a question.

Next time more famous sights of Vienna!

 

 

ME AND MRS WOLF

ME AND MRS WOLF… (Or never go to a hairdresser who doesn’t speak your language)

How I thought it would turn out OK, I don’t know.

For the last few weeks I needed my hair cut and coloured. I noticed a hairdresser’s shop within a minutes’ walk of my apartment so I decided to book an appointment. My cousin who was staying with me and speaks German came with me and explained to Mrs Wolf, the proprietor what I wanted.

What could go wrong?

When I looked around the salon it did look dated, and the owner Mrs Wolf who probably was in her 80s with dyed blonde hair was wearing carpet slippers.

An appointment was made for 3pm on Thursday. When I arrived Mrs Wolf was liberally spraying lacquer on a customer’s hair which I thought a little strange as he was a man in his 50s. Perhaps that’s normal in Austria.

Mrs Wolf’s two daughters who work in the salon had identical dyed blonde hair and wore slippers.  One of them showed me to a chair, where she produced a book with samples. Mrs Wolf and the daughter had a heated discussion, I presumed to decide on my hair colour. Mrs Wolf jabbed her finger on a medium brown and nodded.

I said.

“Do you think it will be too dark?”

Mrs Wolf waved her hand and said something I couldn’t understand. She sent the daughter off to make up the colour.

As she plastered the colour on my head, I asked if she spoke any English.

Shaking her head, she said in German.

“Nein, only Hungarian.”

Mrs Wolf proceeded to take a seat in the middle of the room and gave a commentary loudly for everyone who was in hearing distance her opiniononAustrian politics. Her daughters shook their heads, and tried not to laugh.

Mrs Wolf’s elderly customer arrived. She ushered her over to a seat, stuck a few rollers in her hair and went out for a smoke leaving her under the dryer.

Another woman sat in the chair next to me while Mrs Wolf’s other daughter powered up a razor and proceeded to shave off half of her head of thick shoulder length hair.

At this point, I became slightly alarmed and said in poor German.

“Not that short please.”

The daughter smiled, and finished colouring my hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw smoke billowing from under the dryer.

The daughters rushed to extract the customer shouting.

“Mama! Mama!”

Mrs Wolf ambled over and wafted a tea towel to get rid of the smoke.

I think she might have said.

“What’s all the fuss about?”

I had to cover my mouth to stop laughing out loud.

I was led over to the wash basin and my hair washed. When I looked at the colour I could hardly believe it. I was dumb struck. My hair hadn’t been this colour since I was in my 20’s.

Time to have it cut, the daughter began and suddenly she whipped out a razor and used it on the back of my head. The result is a short back and sides and I mean very short!

The daughter whisked off the cape and nodded briskly. She had finished. Time to pay.

Mrs Wolf has a very old till. Every time she added an item she would call it out in a loud booming voice. She even charged me for a head massage when the conditioner was applied. Her daughters cringed with embarrassment and groaned.

“Mama, Mama. You can’t.

Meanwhile all the customers were hooting with laughter. She waved her daughters away and presented me with the bill.

I think Mrs Wolf said.

“Do you like it?”

I replied in German.

“It’s awesome.”

WHO REMEMBERS THE SOUND OF MUSIC?

Why didn’t I think the train wouldn’t be crowded?  As passengers stood in the aisles during the two hour journey. I had arrived early, bagged a seat by the window so I could see the Northern Alps. For the bargain price of 25 euros a return ticket to Salzburg, unsurprisingly other tourists had the same idea.

A day in Salzburg, a city made famous, some might say by Mozart but I think because the SOM was filmed here.  Would I have time to visit all the locations in four hours?

You can take a professional tour for around US$60, but I decided to do it myself with a tourist map and Trip Advisor. A thoughtful person has posted detailed information on where the locations are and how to get to them, just as well as Google Maps gives incorrect bus numbers.

First stop the Mirabel gardens where Maria and the children dance around the fountain and sing ‘Doh Ray Me’ on the steps. It’s a bit tricky to get a photo of the steps without people jumping up and down on them. Yes, some enthusiastic fans do relive the song. The hedge tunnel although looking a little sparse is still there. Yes, people did run through it singing to capture it on video.

A short walk led me over the bridge over the fast flowing Danube, and into the old city. The city was jampacked, out of all the places I’ve visited this by far, Salzburg had the most tourists. Camera clicked away at the brightly painted Mozart’s House.

As I wandered along, I saw several Austrians dressed in traditional dress. The men wore lederhosen and short jackets and the women dirndl dresses. Perhaps it was a national holiday? It didn’t appear to be, perhaps they enjoy wearing it. I don’t know, but I expected them to burst out in song with ‘Edelweiss’, at any minute.

I found the Residensplatz, this is the horse fountain where Maria dips her hand in as she leaves the abbey. Thankfully, there were fewer tourists here and no singing.

The cathedral was beautiful where Maria and Gaylord von Trappe married, but marred by the ever present Japanese talking loudly and taking selfies in front of the altar. As you exit a man sits in a kiosk hoping for a donation, which few tourists give.

A short walk leads to the cemetery, where the family hide behind the grave stones to escape the Nazis. The graves had beautiful colourful flowers growing over them, and the cemetery was immaculate.

Time for a quick lunch and back to the catch the train back to Munich. Would I recommend a DIY tour? Yes, it was fun and I liked going at my own pace, instead of following a tour guide. The main drawback was that I didn’t get to see the locations outside of Salzburg, but I understand the gazebo where Rolf and Liesel danced is on private property, and you have to take photos over a wall.

I can imagine how picturesque Salzburg would be in the winter with a light dusting of snow covering the buildings, but I think I’d enjoy this romantic city with someone special rather than alone.

Next time Vienna!

MUNICH AND KING LUDWIG

Arriving in Munich in the afternoon, I thought I had plenty of time to research locations, but I didn’t bargain it on taking 40 minutes to try and find the tram stop to Rosenheimstrasse.  Karlplatz is in the middle of a complete rebuild. Actually, most of Munich has scaffolding outside buildings, roads dug up and workmen toiling away.

I couldn’t find the stop, never mind, I’ll go by the U-Bahn. Yeah, that took another 30 minutes to find the right platform and the direction. Eventually I arrived there, and to my relief, I’d chosen a perfect location.

The next day, I went to Munich Residenz has been awarded 4 and 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor. It’s huge, and by that, I mean massive. There are over 130 rooms on display to the public, fortunately many of these were closed. Yes, you guessed it for renovation work. It took over fifteen minutes to find the entrance, and I only found it by chance.

The Residenz was the ancestral home of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria, when Germany prior to WWI had rulers for its 26 separate states, most of which were ruled by royal families. The most famous King of Bavaria was Ludwig II, who built some over the top palaces such as Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. Walt Disney probably modelled the Sleeping Beauty castle on Neuschwanstein.

Unfortunately, Ludwig bankrupted Bavaria and himself in the process. He was an interesting character who preferred to live in fantasy land, rather than reality. He became engaged but repeatedly postponed the wedding date and he never married. Probably because he preferred the company of his friend, Prince Paul. They read poetry to each other, and staged scenes from the romantic operas of Wagner. Although Paul did marry, Ludwig continued to enjoy close friendships with other men. He died a mysterious death which has never been fully explained.

The Hall of Antiquities is incredible with baroque, gilt and paintings. It’s worth the five euros to see this alone, and another four for an audio tour. If you’re expecting to see furniture, there isn’t much. Munich was bombed in the last War, destroying over 50% of it.  The rooms look new because they’ve all been refurbished since 1958.

Another tram ride to see the English Garden which is pleasant to walk and sit in but I can’t see why it’s outstanding and a must see. 

The NS Dokumentationzentrum is outstanding. The tour begins in the 1920’s and charts Munich’s specific history with Nazism using audio clips, footage and reading boards. The Nazi Party was founded here, and Hitler’s initial support came from the Bavarians.

The museum is free, and I paid 5 euro for the audio tour, and borrowed a folding stool which are thoughtfully provided. Some of the images are still with me. A Jewish lawyer paraded down the street, barefooted in the middle of winter, with his trouser legs cut off. The sign around his neck read. “I won’t complain about the Police ever again.”

A film clip shows ordinary people wobbling on their cycles past a Nazi memorial with their arms outstretched in the Nazi salute. Another chilling photo shows ordinary Germans having coffee and cakes in a packed café. There is one line underneath the photo.

“The Gestapo headquarters are across the road, and it doesn’t seem to bother customers.”

Trams are my preferred mode of transport, as I can see where I’m going rather than spending time under ground on the U-Bahn. 33 degrees were forecast but that didn’t deter me from visiting Nymphenburg Palace where Ludwig was born. It was the summer place of the Wittelsbach monarchs, and it’s enormous. There’s lots of walking to do if you decide to explore the grounds, but I skipped this. It looked as though some of the rooms had their original wallpaper and paint. When I enquired, I was informed by a delightful lady who curtsied to me at the end of our conversation, that the rooms had been preserved. Unlike most of Munich, the Palace had not been bombed. It had escaped because large green nets had been erected over it, and it blended in with the grounds. At night, the Allies planes couldn’t see it so they didn’t bomb it. I think that’s what she said.

Did I enjoy Munich? Yes, I did. I found people friendly and of course, the weather played its part.

NUREMBERG IS THE MOST GERMAN OF OUR CITIES!

A five hour train ride took me to Nuremburg, but it passed quickly. The high-speed trains travel up to 165km per hour.

Nuremburg baked in 33 degrees, and I reached my hotel in ten minutes which was situated in the old walled town. I was informed by the receptionist that my room was on the third floor but it had no lift. I asked for assistance to carry my case, I was informed there was none. Where was the porter? She blinked at me in amazement – there was no porter.

So, I sat in reception and waited for her to come up with a solution. Yes, there was a room, which could be assessed by lift. It was newly renovated, had a balcony but would cost an extra 20 euro a night. I took it.

The next day I rode the tram to the Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelaende – the museum dedicated to the rise of the Nazi Party and Nuremburg’s involvement. The museum is located in the Deutscheshalle built but was never finished, as all resources had to be concentrated on winning the war. Hitler choose to hold his party rallies here, because it demonstrated the unity of the German nation, and drew a parallel with the NS movement and the glory of the medieval emperor. Audio, film, reading and photos relate the chilling story of the rise and fall of the Nazis. Thousands of the party faithful came from all over Germany to extol and listen to Hitler and other party members speak. I was surprised at the number of women who attended. There is one photo of three generations of women waving frantically, the look of adoration on their faces is truly chilling. In a film clip, two elderly women recount their experiences at the rallies. One says excitedly she saw Hitler 12 times waiting for hours to see him. They showed no remorse for their part.

It takes about ten minutes to walk to the rally grounds. The monumental structure is similar to Rome’s coliseum but has fallen into disrepair. I walked up the steps and stood probably where Hitler did, when he addressed his fanatical followers. A strange and surreal feeling.

I would recommend anyone coming to Nuremburg needs to visit this museum. It’s interesting, informative and shocking. A reminder of the inhumanity of the Nazi regime.

The next day I visited a toy museum. Yes, a toy museum! I spent a lovely couple of hours looking at the amazing range of exhibits from the very early toys from 1870 to the 1960’s. The dolls houses were amazing with their kitchen appliances modelled in incredible detail. I never cared for dolls, and some of them looked quite spooky. I hiked up to the castle, a very steep climb on cobbles, but worth it for the views over the red roofs of the city.

Tomorrow onto Munich!

HITTING THE WALL!

I’m over Berlin. I don’t know if it’s because of my eye operation or my sleep deprivation, but I’m counting down until Friday. It’s the day I leave this apartment.

This is my first experience of using AirBnb. The description sounded great ‘A Home Away from Home’, but the reality is different. There was no mention of the windows overlooking a courtyard filled with rubbish bins and cycles. As the buildings are so tall, they shield the apartment from sunlight. I’m never bitten by mozzies at home. One night I woke up with 12 bites on me, and now I spray twice a night to prevent being bitten to death.

Then there’s the noise. Every night the upstairs neighbour comes home at 11pm, and bangs and scrapes furniture until 2am. These apartments are pre-war and have no sound insulation. I’ve complained to the owner, but had no response which didn’t surprise me.

As for the area, Neukolln is described as gritty and urban on the internet. I find it dirty and unappealing.

So, I decided to visit Hamburg. It’s two hours away on the express train. I arrived at lunchtime on the Friday, in the rain and it finally stopped on Saturday night. I took the hop on bus which included a harbour cruise. The container ships are enormous, and not surprisingly most traffic is shipped via China. Peering out through the steady, soaking rain, I had an idea! Inspiration has been in short supply lately. I’m setting the beginning of one of the Tentacle series books in Hamburg. On a container ship. In the rain.

The Hamburg Iron Man took place on Sunday morning, and the crowds were out. Then it began to rain again and they dispersed. I went to the Kunsthall (art museum) paid an extra 3 Euros for an audio guide, and looked at some great works of art. Monet’s ‘Nana’ is superb. In the afternoon, I took a cruise around Lake Alster, which reminded me of Lake Pupuke. I must be getting homesick…., but I had 3 nights of uninterrupted sleep – fantastic.

What am I reading? A Woman in Berlin. This is an anonymous diary of a woman who lived through the Russian invasion of the city in 1945. Over 100,000 women are believed to have been raped by the soldiers of the Red Army, and she tells her story with courage and honesty.

POTSDAM, MEMORIALS AND BERNIE!

Thank goodness my cousin came to stay for a few days. I was so pleased to see her, as I’ve found it tough going with my eye problems.

We’d arranged to leave early the next day for Potsdam, the home of Frederick the Great. We stopped at the Tourist Office and bought online tickets for the palace in the afternoon, essential when we were there for the day. We hopped on a tram and disembarked at the palace 15 minutes later.

Compared to other royal palaces Sanssouci is small, it’s more intimate, rather like a large villa. Frederick wanted somewhere to relax away from the cares of state, and the palace reflects this. Sanssouci in French means without concerns. No, I didn’t know but thank you Google!  What did we do before the internet? The grounds are vast, more like a park. I think we walked about 12 kms that day, visited the Roman Baths and the Chinese House, but it wasn’t  well signposted.

Google maps came to the rescue yet again! This is the one app I couldn’t do without, as I’m hopeless at map reading.

When visiting the palace make sure you pick up the audio guide which gives comprehensive explanations about the various rooms.  As the tours leave every five minutes the rooms don’t feel that crowded. Another example of German efficiency!  My cousin speaks German, and it made life so much easier. No more struggling to understand and speaking a few badly pronounced words.  Anything I didn’t understand was translated for me.

On Sunday, we took a hop on bus tour. We jumped off at the Brandenburg Gate, and visited the Holocaust memorial to the Jews. 2,171 concrete slabs are arranged in a grid pattern. To me, it looked like a cemetery. A small notice in the corner of the memorial, requests that people don’t eat their lunch on or jump across the slabs. Some young people ignored this. Across the road, and poorly signed posted there is a concrete block which is a memorial to the LGBT community who were murdered in the Holocaust. If I hadn’t read about it, I wouldn’t know it existed.

A fan of Bernie Gunther? The hotel Aldon where Bernie worked and often visited is located next to the Brandenburg Gate. If you haven’t read any of Philip Kerr’s wonderful books which are set from 1930 to 1960, you’re missing a brilliant read. How could we resist the amazing coffee and cakes at the Aldon?

This weekend I’m off to Hamburg!