Where's Mike?

Section 21: Germany

Click here to see Section 20: More of the Alps

Monday August 14th

Rothenburg, Germany: Shortly after waking up, to much more rain, of course, I made a quick stop at the Reinfall for a hike down to the river...and minor addition to the same. The next time you are enjoying some terrific 2006 Rein varietals, thank me for that enjoyable bouquet.

The last time I was here was in the spring of '94 on my first trip to Europe. Heinz-Jurgen was showing me and my friends around the Alps during my visit to the Flight Design office in Stuttgart. It is still powerfully impressive...and I am not sure whether it was the rain, or the mist, that got me and my camera more drenched!

I continued my long drive north through central Germany with the intention of stopping at interesting locations along the way. Rothenburg, a terrific medieval walled city, definitely qualifies..

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 73e for 61l at 112615/552km

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink:

Supplies: 5e

Misc: 23e knife, 6e parking for 24 hrs.

Odometer: 112804

Tuesday August 15th

Rothenburg, Germany: Despite the stereotypical gloomy German weather, walking the wall is a treat for the many rooftop views of the city. Most people just walk the covered, wall-top, passage on the north and east sections, but you can also make it about a three mile hike by doing the whole thing. The western wall, making up about half the total, is done at ground level, both inside, and out,  of the walls.

Along the way are several gates, towers, the Castle Gardens, and more. One quite impressive structure is the 17th century Spitalbastei on the southern tip of the city. The Spital Bastion is an incredibly imposing bulwark with two inner courtyards (great for pouring hot oil on unwanted visitors), seven gates, a moat, and an upper walkway filled with cannons.

Additionally, making up part of the western wall, is the Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum, which is housed in the 1395 building of the former Commander of the Order of St John.

This is a fascinating museum, with many displays in English, and spending a couple hours wandering around looking at mouth pears which are inserted into your mouth and then expanded with a screw action, neck violins which you and/or your mate must wear around town, spiked chairs where you get to have a seat and then be strapped down till blood flows, fools masks for a variety of sins, leg irons, spiked cages, tongue & finger screws, and more, is an interesting way to escape the rain.

An oddly fascinating display of instruments of, and insight on, 1000 years of European legal history.

Granted, there is ample amount of Doom & Gloom on these four floors, and 2000 square meters, but, happily, in order to add some balance to an otherwise grim display, a few items of love are included in as well.

The Chastity Belt in no way could be construed as an instrument of torture as it is simply a husbands way of showing his love for a faithful (little choice) wife while he is away protecting the fatherland during times of war, working diligently to provide for his family, or spending quality time with his girlfriend in the next village over.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 3.5e museum

Odometer: 112804

Wednesday August 16th

Krickelberg, Germany: With a long drive in front of me, I was awake at 05:00 and headed north to Wurzburg. Of course I arrived a couple hours before the Wurzburg Prince Bishops Residenz, a Franconian Versailles, reconstructed, for the most part, after the war inflicted damage, opened for the day.

To kill some time I took a very quiet walk through town, watching it wake up, while I viewed the various fountains, statues, churches, and bridges on my hiked to the Marienberg fortress perched on the hill.

The early start gave me the chance to be the first into the Residenz, and avoid the crowds. The Residenz has only a few, but very massive, rooms, and it not loaded with "stuff" as so many museums are. This is my kind of place.  Quality, not quantity. Beautiful architecture, Olympic swimming pool sized frescos on the ceilings, and gorgeous rooms...some trimmed in silver, some in gold, some blacks & whites, and one in a shimmering metallic green...blend to make it spectacular and well worth an hour or two.

The attached Hofkirche Chapel, is free to enter, and photos are allowed. The massive pillars, and gold trim, to the high ceilings are great...as are the gardens.

After only a few hours, I rushed out of Wurzberg to the north, the east, and then the north again, to arrive just out of Berlin for an overnight on the autobahn after what must surely be the longest driving day of my trip.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 67e for 59l at 113129/514km

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 8e

Supplies: 6e HABA

Misc: 5e museum

Odometer: 113303

Thursday August 17th

Berlin, Germany: Made the short drive into town under sunny skies, found Dcc Camping Gatow and did laundry & chores, while relaxing in the sun.

If moldy memory serves, this is the first day in August without any rain.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 21e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 15e shirt

Odometer: 113405 (Solo Oil Change)

Fri-Mon August 18th-21st

Berlin, Germany: More bridges than Venice, more trees than Paris, encompassing more area than any European (Earth-Bound?) city, with a third being made up of numerous parks, lakes, rivers, and streams...Berlin, devastated, divided, mostly reconstructed, opened up, and reunited, is city in constant change. Needless to say, the four days I gave it were not nearly enough to see a small fraction.

If you have been to Berlin in the past...it is time to go again. If you have never been to Berlin, buy a ticket.

Diverging from typical patterns, I took a guided walking tour offered by Original Berlin Walks and, for 9e, found it to be an incredible value and very informative, and I would strongly recommend it for anyone.

The Berlin short list?

Not in any specific order nor corresponding 100% to the photos...

Reichstag Dome, home of the new parliament, with a phenomenal glass dome, and lines to match. I was not going to wait 2 hours to get in, but the next time I will make some lunch reservations in the rooftop restaurant and skip the lines. On the tour we were reminded how the 1933 fire in the original building set the stage for Hitler's rise to power as he blamed the communists and sparked a McCarthy mentality that enabled Hitler to sweep the German people up in a war movement never to be forgotten.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews was envisioned, by the artist, as a place to come and relax, be at peace, play, live life, hide and seek around the blocks, enjoy family, reflect, and, essentially, be you. Lately however, the Jewish community leaders have raised concerns about people having too much fun. After years of realizing the artists dream, it is now patrolled to keep...kids from hopping block to block, lovers from becoming too entangled, people from sitting on the blocks, or anyone from having too much fun.

Not sure why, but I sort of like seeing Russian Embassies. Perhaps it is the fear instilled while growing up, or just the mystery of the unknown? Regardless, the embassy in Berlin looks great with its old sickle from the Soviet days over the windows and doors.

Bebebelplatz, bound by the rebuilt German State Opera building and the former state library where Lenin studied, is the location the Nazis, as they were just gaining power in 1933, burned all the books they thought were inappropriate. A plaque on the square states (paraphrased from German and my memory) what some German said at the time, and that is: Burning books is a precursor to burning people. This wise man was not referring to deeds to be done, but was referencing history. Hmmm.

Brandenburg Gate was curtained off during President Kennedy's visit to Berlin so the East Berliners could not see him standing in the square speaking of peace and freedom. Additionally it had been used for grand entrances to the city by all the rulers of the past and was also the gate used by the militaries, right up through the Nazis, where they would march off to war after assembling in the square.

What remains of the wall and it's corresponding Deathstrip, where you were fairly assured of meeting your maker if caught crossing it, checkpoint Charlie, and the Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie, are all worth a gander. You can get your photo taken with mock US, British, or French guards at the location of this most famous point. Hanging above the checkpoint are photos of the American and Russian soldiers on duty when the wall fell.

Oh, and the reason this section of the wall remained fairly intact, as happy Berliners hammered away at the rest of it after the fall, was that the SS and Gestapo headquarters were right there. I guess no one really trusted the "fall" so much as to get that close.

You can no longer collect pieces of the wall other than from touts on the street, and even then, it could just be some old chunk of concrete with a dubious history. For me, a photo sufficed.

An odd blast from the past are the "Ghost Stations". When the wall was built, parts of the underground traversed East Berlin so stations in that area were walled off. No East Berliners could even ride those lines, and no West Berliners could get on/off. The trains simply slowed as it went through the station...an eerie calm as the westerners looked out the windows to the armed, and solemn, guards in an ageing station.

Hitler's final bunker, suicide location, and location where he murdered his wife and dog, is worth the time, regardless of the German governments attempt at keeping this location, along with all 3rd Reich historical locations, secret for years. It is still simply just a grassy parking lot with some 70's Soviet apartment buildings next to it. The reasoning for this attempted secrecy is that the German government does not want any neo-Nazis coming to immortalize Hitler, or the site.

Checking the British, or amazingly bland, still under construction, American, Embassy is always homey.

Museum Island with, in addition to many other, the Pergamon Museum housing the 580 B.C. Ishtar Gate from Babylon could kill an hour or three.

Not on the island, but at Check Point Charlie, is the Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie, which is ok if you read German, enjoy crowds, and are dressed for a sauna, but the nearby Topography of Terror is a better value at ZERO euros. Both are informative, have some great photos, and displays.

Kurfurstendamm street is a major shopping street, and nearby KaWeDe center is the largest shopping mall in Europe. On the top floor I found the wine section and was pleased to see several tasting stations pouring Champagnes, sparkling wines, German wines, new world wines, a good French section, and more. Not sure how I made it home, or if I have yet, but it was a good afternoon!

Checking the university where Einstein taught before escaping to America just prior to the war, is ok, in addition to so much MORE! Much of it new construction, but also a lot of restoration, tossed in with a few historical buildings which made it through the war.

The Ministry Of Ministries, as it was called in Soviet days is a typical, gray, boxy, depressing, 70's construction with a nice mural mounted by the USSR/DDR depicting a happy, and productive, peoples. What it never showed are photos from the East German uprising in the 80's. The day immediately became a national holiday in Western Germany and, after reunification, an image, of identical size and shape, was mounted in the plaza of a different reality under Soviet rule.

Of course I, or anyone appreciating a little nature, could not make a trip to Berlin without a stroll through Tiergarten, a MASSIVE park in the middle of town. Human encroachment has eliminated most of the the indigenous animals in the former Royal Hunting Grounds, but you can still see the occasional turtle, fox, or deer, in addition to your typical human life.

Near Zoologischer Garten are the remnants of a bombed out church. Good reminder for us all.

In addition to the art, tumultuous history, and culture, I was able hit the unbridled, uninhibited, and occasionally unusual nightlife. This, mixed with a couple of nights doing up a BBQ in the campground with some young Germans on holiday, was a perfect blend. Marko and Markus provided some incredibly insightful, and interesting, conversation well into the evenings. Our last night in camp we kept our Italian neighbors awake until 03:00. Well worth it, as collectively we solved many of the worlds problems.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: --

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 143e

Supplies: 10e Briquettes

Misc: 27 Public Transport, 2e internet, 7e museums, 9e walking tour, 5e tour tip

Odometer: 113405

Tuesday August 22nd

Berlin, Germany: After packing up and saying bye to everyone, I headed to the Luftwassa Museum to check out some old military hardware, including a bunch of planes and choppers!

In addition to a few radar guidance trucks and missile launchers, this museum, built on an abandoned airfield, also has an entire runway filled with WWII and Cold War aircraft. It is the largest I have ever seen and had many Migs, Phantoms, and A-6 bug suckers...in addition to having several types built by manufacturers I have never heard of.

Once the rain started, I moved inside a the hanger where there are several WWI style planes, gliders, and uniform displays of the USSR, DDR, and the Allies. It took me much longer than I had planned to view it all, and this fact made me too late to get into the German Museum of Technology or to make it very far.

Wound up still in Berlin, in the pouring rain, but at least made it onto one of the Autobahn Rest Stops, where I am in a good position to hit Poland in the morning.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 73e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 38e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 1e internet

Odometer: 113474

Click here to see Section 22: Poland, Russia, and the Baltic States (Part One)

Click here to see Section 22a: Poland, Russia, and the Baltic States (Part Two)