2023 Croatia/Germany

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2023 Croatia/Germany
Walhalla
October 13, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Davor started the day by helping his sister pick quitten from the tree in her garden. He had to use a long pole that had a claw and basket attached to it. The claw to pick the quitten and then it was supposed to be caught in the basket. (Pic 1)That didn’t often happen and they would fall to the ground, but they are big, and hard so you had to be careful not to get hit!! (Pic 2) “Quitten” are quince and Davor’s sister makes jelly out of them but mixes in other fruit.
Then we went to the Walhalla, the German Hall of Fame and honors distinguished people in German history. It is modeled on the Parthenon in Athens.
As you can see in pic 3 the Walhalla was built high above the Danube River (pics 4-6). Crown Prince Ludwig 1 of Bavaria conceived the idea of the Walhalla in 1807 (pic 7). Pics 8-11 are of the inside of the Walhalla, there are about 100 busts of famous Germans and they are still adding more.
Pic 12 is in memory of those who stood up against the injustice, violence and terror of the Nazi era.
We enjoyed lunch in a nearby restaurant with a nice garden (pic 13).
We visited Davor’s mom a third time. (Pic 14)

Highlight of the day: the view of the Danube River from the Walhalla.Read more
TravelerThe quince is fun! I didn't realize that Tante Maja had that in her garden.
10/15/23Reply
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2023 Croatia/Germany
Muenchen
October 14, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
This morning we drove from Davor’s sister’s home to Munich, our 6th and final stop of our vacation!
Munich holds a special place in our hearts because 2 weeks after we got married, we moved here so Davor could finish his master’s degree at the Technical University. We lived here for 1 1/2 years.
As you drive into town you see the 1972 Olympic grounds. I still think it’s an interesting structure (pic 1). Then we drove by our first apartment. The building still looked good after 44 years! We were on the 9th floor of this high rise. (Pics 2&3) Our first Christmas we had a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree! It got so dry that we didn’t want to carry it down the hallway and into the elevator to take it to the garbage. Needles would have been everywhere! Our solution… late at night, we made sure no one was walking by, and we threw it from the balcony to the ground. Then we hurried down to pick it up!
We’ve been getting tired of the German food so today we found a wonderful Italian restaurant. It was yummy (pic 4)!!
Then we drove by Schloss Nymphenburg. We used to ride our bikes behind the Schloss in the gardens and there was a shepherd there with his sheep. (Pic 5)
For dinner we visited a dear friend, Dagmar. She worked with the YFU program and helped to pick
Davor to come to the US as an exchange student!
(Pic 6) As they say… the rest is history!

Highlight of the day: Being in Muenchen!!!!Read more
What a great day and so full of memories!! [Nancy]
10/17/23Reply
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2023 Croatia/Germany
Downtown Munich
October 15, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
In Munich we got around with public transportation. A bus right outside our Airbnb took us to a nearby underground station and we took the “UBahn” into town. The first pic is of the long, steep escalator you take to get out of the UBahn station downtown and a pic of the train (pic2).
As you step out of the station into the center of town you immediately see the New Rathaus, the new town hall(pic 3). A closeup shows you basically the big music box that moves and the characters dance, every hour. (Pic 4). A huge tourist attraction. Then if you turn around you’ll see pic 5, the Old Rathaus.
Pic 6 is the opera house, pic 7 is the Frauenkirche. It’s the church with 2 towers in the background. It’s hard to get a clear pic of it because it’s in the middle of town.
Pics 8 & 9 are a couple things you’ll see as you walk around.
Pics 10-16 are my favorite church in Munich! Theatinerkirche! Last time I visited it was covered in scaffolding because they were renovating the outside. It was so fun to see it uncovered! It was built from 1663-1690 and was a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long awaited child who was heir to the Bavarian crown. It’s built in the baroque style and is heavily ornamented but, because it is all white inside, it’s not so overwhelming like a lot of European churches. I think that’s why I like it. It’s a calming breath of fresh air to sit inside, and take in the beauty of the church.
In the evening we were invited to a concert with our friend Dagmar. (Pic 17)The concert was in a concert hall of a castle in the middle of town (pic 18). We listened to Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. I’m not normally a classical music fan but it was wonderful as the music filled the hall. One of the choirs was on both sides of the balcony, trumpets sounded from the balcony and onstage was a second choir, full orchestra and 4 soloists. Afterwards we went to a Weinkellar nearby for a glass of wine and some cheese to snack on before we had to say goodbye to our friend.

Highlight of the day: seeing the TheatinerkircheRead more
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2023 Croatia/Germany
Auer Dult
October 16, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
This was our last day in Munich. It was very chilly but we still enjoyed the city. The first pic is of one of the old gateways into the city. As you walk through, you enter the pedestrian shopping area which is about 3/4 of a mile long. It’s actually been disappointing to see that Germany is losing its uniqueness and you see American stores and things everywhere.
Pic 2 is a fun view of the Frauenkirche that I showed you yesterday. Pic 3 is of the Bavarian courthouse.
In the afternoon we went to the Auer Dult. It’s a housewares market and also a carnival for the kids. It takes place 3 times a year. I remember going there so was excited when I saw an ad for it! The rest of the pics are from there. As you can see, they sell everything imaginable. It was fun just to wander around.
Our month long vacation has come to an end. Thanks for hanging in there with me as I journaled our travels. It’s been a good mixture of memories, vacation and seeing special family and friends. But I must admit, now we are ready to come home!!

Highlight of the day: one more day in Munich!Read more
TravelerThe market looked so fun!
10/16/23Reply
TravelerThat looks amazing! That's so cool that it happened while you are there.
10/16/23Reply
TravelerI would have had a hard time not buying everything at that market! Glad you are home...let's get together soon!! Missed you!!!
10/18/23Reply
TravelerLovely!
10/21/23Reply
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Trip end
October 17, 2023

Walhalla

Muenchen

Downtown Munich

Auer Dult