Nuremberg Castle

Today was a day to enjoy the full hangover and relax.
But….there is always so much to do….we had rashly agreed to meet Tony and Laura at their hotel for 9am, with plans for a busy day: Nürnberg (whichever spelling you prefer!) has a lot to offer 👍

So with a slightly dull head, we set off: it was going to be an even hotter day. There was a slumped statue near a small church that I could associate with 🤪

First up was a video chat with our mutual pal, Julian. I’ve know Julian for over 25 years: a legend in our time at Netapp, he had emigrated to Auckland with his wife around 8 years ago. It was good to have a quick chat with them both.
We went hunting a brunch, and when we realised there was a Cafe Auckland in the city, we had to eat there: very nice healthy food!

Refreshed, we headed up the hill to the impressive castle. Dating back over 1,000 years, it is one of Europe's most formidable medieval fortifications, and represented the power and importance of the Holy Roman Empire and the outstanding role of the Imperial City of Nuremberg.
Of course a massive amount of damage was wrought on it during WWII, which the Germans frequently remind people that they started….so much has been rebuilt, over many decades following the war.

A very grand edifice, it was well worth the €7 entry fee. The 49m deep well is an interesting part of the tour, with the demonstration and stories told by the entertaining member of staff.

From there, we went to visit the Art Bunker. A cool spot for an hour, the stories of how much of the cities most valuable pieces were protected there, with climate controlled spaces. Some larger pieces above ground, such as the Schöner Brunnen fountain, were covered in sand and then had protective concrete set around them.

Of course, if those art historians had managed to stop the madman from taking charge and invading places, none of it would matter….
. Lessons modern day Russia has failed to heed 🙄

A cheeky beer and cheesy snack before we spotted people looking out of windows across from the square, so we walked over to take a look. The Pilatushaus is a grand building that survived the war, but had fallen into disrepair.

We had a good stab at walking around the walls, but there were only short stretches available, so we headed back into the centre. Time was marching, and many restaurants closed on Sunday. We spotted a fella fishing with some success: he landed a third big fish as we watched. Eventually we found the rather nice Trödelstuben on a small island on the Pegnitz and settled in for dinner and a beer or two 🍻

Our weekend was coming to an end, so we had one final wander to the east, past a beach bar, before finally saying farewell and bon voyage….our holidays would both continue, but ours only for a few more days….Read more