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Europe 2024

Nisan - Haziran 2024
Desiree and Neil tarafından 51 günlük bir macera Okumaya devam et
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  • GezginEurope 2024
    Gün 2

    Sitrep Day 1

    1 Mayıs, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Hi folks, we started late this morning after a late arrival from our 13 hour flight last night, plus some issues with getting our e-SIMS to work fully. Now resolved - I think!!

    We started with brunch at Breka Bakery, a cross between Brunettis in Melbourne and La Cloche in Wellington. Excellent.

    Then onto the HopOn HopOff bus to Canada Square, Vancouver’s cruise ship terminal and conference centre. Three cruise ships in port, each one bigger than the last, the CROWN PRINCESS at 114,000 tonnes! We both agreed we were glad we weren’t on that kind of cruise!

    We then caught a free shuttle to the 400m Capilano Suspension Bridge. Great experience, well worth the cost of the tickets. Des’s reaction “We did it, we did it, we really, really did it!”

    Great gift shop. They had several attractive ammonite rings at half price (yes, I had to google it too!), but sadly they were all too small for Des’s finger. Bought t-shirt, hats & socks. 😟

    Back to the hotel for wine and a light dinner - a long time coming in an empty restaurant, and my side of prawns was cold.

    More Vancouver tomorrow, then Lufthansa to Munich.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    Gün 4

    Last Day in Vancouver

    3 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Excellent breakfast again at Breka Café. This morning we were joined by a strange of man who shuffled between the tables muttering to himself in gibberish. He wasn’t harassing anyone so we avoided eye contact and he eventually toddled off.
    After having such a good time at Capilano the day before, we decided to focus on one destination rather than rush about (“aboot!”).
    Van Dusen Gardens, developed by enthusiasts over 60 years on the site of an old golf course (rather like Pukeiti) was supposed in the top 10 gardens of North America, so there we went.
    Wow! And again wow!. This is a stunner, and for anyone interested in gardens. Towering pines and majestic redwoods, one picturesque lake after another. Walked around for two hours, then hopped on the golf cart tour and saw some more. People as always in Canada very pleasant and welcoming.

    Dies Nefas! 3 May, Vancouver to Munich.

    The Romans were very superstitious. They believed that particular days were inherently lucky- Dies Fas- or unlucky (Dies Nefas). Any venture undertaken on such a day was bound to go awry.

    Our Lufthansa flight started well enough, with a fine modern Airbus 350-900. Wider seats and enough legroom to keep knees clear of the seat ahead.
    Unfortunately the plane was choko, with us in the central (claustrophobic) row. Alas too the temperature was set to poach the passengers rather than cool them. Wrapped up like a mummy, overheated, with selfish gits keeping their screens on full bore all night - and worst of all, a loud droning bore who carried on a loud monotone seemingly went on forever, meant I got no sleep at all, with Neil not much better.
    Finding the baggage carousel, then waiting for our bags, took almost an hour.
    I found a minimart inside the airport, bought some basics, took a (seedy ) taxi to the hotel, tottered jet-lagged inside, then discovered I had left the groceries in their black bag in the back of the taxi - which of course had shot through.
    Sigh. Worse was to come. When Neil finished unpacking he discovered-horror- that his best outfit in the black Rembrandt bag inside the poky black wardrobe had been left behind.
    Aargh! Rang the hotel in Vancouver found the suit holder. Negotiations in place to courier it back to NZ.

    Things looked up when we discovered a little Imbiss (fast food shop) down the road from our Munich hotel. Meals basic but cheap and filling. Next door was a REWE supermarket. Replaced what we had lost with better quality.
    Here’s hoping tomorrow goes better. Hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Munich.
    Concierge very helpful. Bed looking pretty good right now.
    D.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    Gün 5

    4 May: HopOn HopOff Day

    4 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Hi folks

    Today I had booked a HopOn HopOff bus around Munich. We set off on the U-Bahn subway into town (Des wanted a window seat so she could look at the view), and hopped on the bus.

    The first part of the ride was mostly office and apartment buildings as you might expect, so when the bus got to Schloss (Castle) Nymphenburg we hopped off. Good move!!

    This was the King of Bavaria’s summer palace. We spent most of the day there, and as you can see from the photos, it’s stunning. Beautiful rooms, an amazing collection of porcelain, a fantastic museum of state carriages and gold horse regalia, and a geranium house full of geranium shapes and sizes I’ve never seen. And there were other palaces in the grounds that we didn’t see.

    We’re both a bit knackered tonight - 14,590 steps today according to my watch!

    Day trip by train to Salzburg in Austria tomorrow - Mozart’s birthplace.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    Gün 6

    Steps Day! Sunday 5 May

    5 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Up at the crack of dawn today. Caught the convenient local U-Bahn (Underground) into München Hof ( the main railway station) to catch our 0816 train to Salzburg. Having to pinch myself at the idea of nipping off after breakfast to a different country, then bimbling back for dinner!

    Seats (First Class) very roomy and comfortable. The train was so quiet and rode so smoothly that the only sign it was travelling was the countryside rolling past. An hour and three quarters later we arrived at the very modern station in Salzburg.

    Sunday morning: streets deserted, all shops shut! It was like a day-after-the-apocalypse movie. We did eventually find a café which did a delicious iced coffee with ice- cream topped mit Schlagobers ( whipped cream.) This accompanied applecake ( good) and Sacher Torte (stale.)

    Then off to the Hohensalzburg, the massive castle complex ( really a small town) which has dominated the town below since the Middle Ages. This was the seat of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg (100 of them) who ruled with absolute power.

    First set of steps up to the funicular railway. This runs straight up the face of a sheer stone cliff at such an angle that the interior of the car is three separate rooms, each a storey above the last.

    14,638 steps today! Up, down, along, around, beside, above and below. Walled terraces with amazing views. Prisons, watchtowers, medieval staterooms, an armoury, a museum of the later Habsburg Army, peeking out barred windows in massive walls many feet thick. Straight stairs, spiral stairs, worn marble stairs, more stairs.

    It certainly was a massive if claustrophobic statement of power. Though beseiged, it was never captured. Certainly well worth seeing. It must have been so cold in the winter .

    We were pretty hungry after using all those calories and tottered down to a most wecome Italian eatery in the square where we got excellent macchiato. ( expresso with a touch of milk) and superb omelettes with sliced ham and cheese. Yum!

    Next to the exquisite Kollegienkirche (university church). We found this on a month ago on YouTube. Perfect balance and proportion, the white figures reaching upwards on the walls, balanced by the brown and cream patterns in the marble floors, with larger-than-life paintings in dark colours in the side chapels in deep niches on the walls.

    By now we were running out of puff so made our way back to the station, with a Grandma Seat break in the beautiful formal Mirabell gardens. This palace and gardens were built by one of the Prince-Bishops for his mistress and family of 15 kids. He also upset the the townspeople so much they rebelled against him and imprisoned him in his own castle, where he died. So there!
    Journey back home marred by the woman next to Neil dropping her suitcase on his head as she pulled it out of the rack overhead.

    Pretty tired when we got home at 1920 but pleased with our day.

    Des    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    11
    Gün 8

    Schliersee: alpine meadows and a lake, w

    7 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We arrived at the Műnchner Banhof (main railway station) this morning in plenty of time for our 0904 departure to Schliersee, a pretty little country holiday destination 50km south of Munich. Platform 33, our tickets said. Yes, there was a train at 33, but to the wrong destination. After much too-ing and fro-ing, we were told there were three trains stacked on platform 33, ours was the one at the very far end (see photo) and it was leaving in three minutes! Dashing Des put on a commendable turn of speed, and we made it with 30 seconds to spare!
    German trains are clean, wide gauge, absolutely steady with no gdunk gdunk because the rails are laid in a continuous roll. A pleasure to travel in.
    Some 52 minutes later we arrived at this charming spot. The village at the north end of the lake is full of traditional Alpine houses straight out of Heidi. It is a boating destination in the summer, with alpine sports in the winter. Health spa getaways are very popular in Germany ( we passed several).
    We followed the sealed pathway that runs 7km around the lake. Grandma seats at regular intervals!
    We lunched at La Trattoria Vecchia in the little village at the south end of the lake. A traditional country inn, Italian themed this time, with Italian radio on the sound system. A yummy pizza and very generous glasses of Weissbier (happy Neil).
    Highlights: tranquil lake, steep meadows with brown and white cows wearing broad collars with cowbells. As you walk you are surrounded by their gentle tinkle-tonk (see photo- I have a video to play at home). A pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of the city.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    1
    Gün 9

    8 May: The Romantic Road

    8 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    “The Romantic Road” was a marketing campaign in the decade after WWII to attract tourists back to Bavaria. It was hugely successful, and today it was our turn!

    We climbed on a very comfortable bus, glad to get out of a persistent drizzle. It seemed to take ages to get out of the Munich traffic, but we eventually made to our first stop, Harburg Castle.

    Schloss Harburg is reputedly one of the oldest, largest and best preserved medieval castles in southern Germany. It survived sieges and battles, and belonged to the same family for 700 years.

    It was a fascinating comparison with Hohensalzburg that we saw a few days ago. Well worth the visit.

    Then back in the bus, and on to Rothenburg. This town still has a complete surrounding wall and medieval houses, but thankfully modern plumbing!!

    There were a couple of highlights. First a great lunch - pork schnitzel and the local Franconian silvaner wine - which we were able to linger over. Des is enjoying the local delicacy, Schneeballen, “snowballs”, made of shortbread ribbons pressed into crunchy balls with an icing sugar coating.

    Then a real eye-opener. The local St James church has a wooden sculptured altarpiece by Tilman Riemenschneider, the outstanding German wood carver of the late medieval period (as my art guru informed me!) Absolutely stunning.

    In fact the whole church was amazing - everywhere you looked there was wood carving to die for. Plus original stained glass windows 56ft high! Apparently Riemenschneider started a wood carving school that lasted 300 years.

    Another great day!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    1
    Gün 10–16

    Wedding Anniversary

    9 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Three great things happened today.

    First, we went to check out the church where my Jury grandmother (Julia Barbara Fischer ) was baptised in 1866. Finding this place was one of the reasons we came to Germany.

    The abbey of St Bonifaz is still there, but although the church facade remains, the church behind it was bombed out in WWII.

    Mass for the Ascension was ending as we arrived, and the monks made us very welcome, especially when I showed them her baptismal certificate! One of the monks showed us photos of St Bonifaz before and after the bombing. 😫

    The new modern church is only half the size of the original, with the other half now a community centre - inside the old back wall.

    Both of us found this experience quite emotional. Catching up on family roots is powerful stuff!

    The second great part of the day was a visit to Ludwig I’s collection of Greek & Roman sculpture, now in a public gallery called the Glyptothek. Des was in her happy place, especially in the Alexander room. ( The front-on dude with the don’t mess with me look.) I didn’t need an audio guide. Good coffee.

    The third great thing was our anniversary dinner, shouted us by our four wonderful children.

    We were treated like royalty in the hotel biergarten, the best table, complementary Prosecco, and fantastic food. We had white asparagus soup (never heard of white asparagus before), and follow up with exquisitely cooked pork dishes. I haven’t had crackling as good as that I stole from Des’s plate.

    And so to bed - another fantastic day!!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    11
    Gün 12

    Meeting the Old Masters

    11 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We planned to do some shopping today, so we started late - the shops don’t open till 10. We’re both feeling like a change of clothes, and I need to replace the strides left in Vancouver (now back in NZ), and maybe a jacket.
    But all the clothes I looked at were so expensive they made Rembrandt look like Farmers!

    So we settled for lunch and a return visit to the Frauenkirche, which made such an impact on us a couple of days ago.

    We decided to spend the afternoon at the Alte Pinakothek. This art gallery is home to one of the largest collections of European painting in the world. I had no idea there would be such an extraordinary number (700) and range of paintings, from late medieval to early 20th century.

    We were just blown away. Again and again Des would jump up and down, saying “I’ve got that picture in a book at home”, or come out (as you might perhaps have expected!) with some arcane but insightful comment about a Dürer, a Goya or a Rembrandt. She really has an extraordinary knowledge about many of these masters.

    We looked at maybe three quarters of the collection before our legs ran out. Coffee and home. I resisted the 2000 piece jigsaws in the gallery shop!

    Another amazing day in Munich. Last day tomorrow, on to Strasbourg Monday.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • GezginEurope 2024
    Gün 13

    Munich farewell: house and gardens

    12 Mayıs, Almanya ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Mothers’s Day today! Started with a first-class breakfast at the hotel.
    Then as I took it easy, Neil fulfilled his long-held ambition to visit the site where his great-grandparents lived, Nymphenbergerstrasse 58. Unsurprisingly the original building was gone (90% of central Munich was destroyed during WW II) but he did find the address, now an Apotheke (Chemist). It meant a lot to him to tounch base with his family’s history after 158 years.
    It was another glorious spring day, so we took Mike’s advice and visited the Englischer Garden, created by Englishman Sir Benjamin Thompson in 1789. This huge inner-city park, 375 hectares, has 78 km of paths, surfingon an artificial wave, boats on the lake, a riding school, Beergardens, landmarks like the Chinese Tower, and thousands of majestic mature trees, all in vivid spring green. Thousands of families, hundreds of small dogs, bikes in every conceivable size and shape, people everywhere quietly enjoying themselves.
    The helpful concierge had given us the number for our bus, which took us back to our hotel.
    A lovely balmy afternoon, and an appropriate end to our stay in this beautiful city.
    As Milton says,
    “Tomorrow to fresh fields, and pastures new.”    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
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