Imperial Cities here we come!

It’s fair to say that, in the past, taking a guided tour hasn’t been the style of travel preferred by your two faithful correspondents.  We have done them twice in the past, but both in countries where self-guided is more difficult and/or there is a load of history which you may miss much of the detail and context without a guide (Egypt and Turkey).  However on this occasion it’s actually a really nice break from navigating, driving, and constantly having to figure out where you’re going next.  This tour also takes in huge amounts of history which you would never be able to research yourself so, at the end of the day, we’re rapt to be underway with our Imperial Capitals Tour, currently in Prague with 31deg outside!

The day after our last blog edition started in rural South Wales and ended in Munich - it was a long day with a bus, 2 trains and a delayed flight however we finally fell into bed just after 2am.  There was less than half a day in Munich at the start of the tour so we decided to allow 2 extra nights first so we could take a more extensive look around town ourselves.

Munich is one of the most affluent cities in Europe with a GDP larger than many small countries (luckily NZ isn’t on that list, but not by much).  Like pretty much all large cities in Germany it was extensively bombed during WWII which sadly included the destruction of many of the old historic buildings.  A massive effort has clearly gone into rebuilding the city including restoration of several of the significant historical sites.   

However the place we really needed to tick off first was Dachau.  Visiting a place like this really isn’t much fun as you’re forced to confront the worst of humanity and your brain really works overtime trying to make sense of it all.  But it most certainly has to be visited.  Constructed in 1933, Dachau was the first of the Nazi concentration camps and was the site of unprecedented cruelty and murder on an industrial scale.  Initially it was used to house enemies of the state, political prisoners, and generally anyone the Nazis didn’t like the look of and although grim from the start, things got exponentially worse once war broke out and Jews started being sent there.  It’s hard to capture the place photographically because these days its’ just an entrance, huge parade ground, 2 remaining barracks used to house inmates (rebuilt) and a huge workshop area which has been converted into a museum.  The horror is also hard to describe, as is the feeling when you’re there.  It just seems unfathomable that such cruelty could be perpetrated from one human to another.

The next day was a visit to the Residenzmuseum which is the former royal palace of Bavaria.  Rebuilt after WWII to an astonishingly good standard, much of what you see inside in terms of furniture and artwork are also replicas or replacements for obvious reasons.  What strikes you about this place is the sheer size and scale of it – we’ve been to a few palaces, castles and chateaux but this place is up there in terms of size.  We took the ‘short’ tour but by the end we were both getting to the ‘just another cool old thing’ stage as we meandered past with less and less stopping to peruse exhibits in detail.  Despite all of this, a hugely impressive place and definitely worth the visit, especially the treasury.

That afternoon we joined the tour and met everyone, mainly older Americans but 2-3 families with teenage youngsters & we’re making new friends already 😊.  The start was back to Marienplatz but it was all good, we knew what was on the itinerary so weren’t doubling up on any previous exploring.  Before this trip I had heard the word glockenspiel but really had no idea what it was.  Take a look at the video below however let’s say it’s a mechanical clock with figures and bells which re-enact a medieval wedding and jousting scene.  One has to remember that this attraction was built more than 100 years ago when there was no such thing as laser light shows and multi-media and I know some felt that, as an attraction it was a little underwhelming, but we both thought it was cool!  After a short, guided tour it was free time with the (readily taken up) recommendation that one of Munich’s oldest and most famous beerhalls, the Hofbräuhaus München was just around the corner.  A few of the others on the tour joined us and what fun, with an oompah band playing and plenty of conviviality!  You may be picking up on a theme here however beerhall is pretty much a Bavarian codeword for pub/restaurant so we found another one nearby to the hotel to have dinner which served up deliciously cooked local specialties – roasted pork knuckle and wiener schnitzel…  and of course those most excellent steins of beer 😊

Next morning we were off on the bus and the first stop was Regensburg in southern Bavaria.  After an intro from our guide on the walk into town (over the 12^th century bridge) your faithful blogger and his lovely wife were back in their element wandering the streets of a new place and exploring.  It’s a brilliant time to be in Europe just now because the weather is at its’ best and everything has fully reopened.  Ordinarily around 40% of visitors to this part of the world are Chinese but at this time there are none to be found so, although there is a lovely buzz around, the busy-ness level isn’t off-putting or problematic.  While in town we stumbled across a small square where there seemed to be bridal parties and guests from least 4 weddings all milling around with beer in hand – in one of the parties all the guests were dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndls which was great to see.

First of the capitals is Prague and what a treat we had!  I suspect going forward it will be hard to pick a few highlights from a few of these places if Prague is anything to go by, but probably the most famous landmark is the Charles bridge which has been there since the 13^th century.  Fortunately this city was one of few capitals not bombed during WWII so it’s amazing to stand in the middle of somewhere like the bridge and understand that pretty much every building you see around you is more than 250 years old.  Our Czech guide had the driest sense of humour, so self-deprecating to his own kin but also massively knowledgeable.  His grandfather spent several years at Dachau prior to the war but luckily was one of the survivors.

We finished the evening walking tour with a tram ride to the hotel and today it was a lunch time cruise up and down the Vltava River.  As it passes through the city, that river drops something like 8m so there are a number of locks, one of which we passed through.

A few impressions of Germany and Czechia for you in no particular order.

-      German bakeries live up to their reputation.  Although the French are world-renowned for their pastries, the bakeries in Germany have beautiful breads and a huge variety of delicious baked goods – not helpful for our waistlines!

-      Germany is as super-efficient as you would expect and the public transport system runs like clockwork!  And did I mention that it runs totally on honesty?  There’s no scanning on/off or going through turnstiles - theoretically there are spot checks, but we never saw any. 

-      After 3 months of a mask-wearing break, all good things came to an end for us with German public transport requiring their use.  We discovered that the reputation of the Germans as rule-keepers is well founded as you had pretty much 100% compliance and you just knew that none of them would be on the train without paying!

-      Czech Republic (or these days more correctly Czechia but no-one really calls it that) is surprisingly prosperous for a former communist country.  Skoda cars are made there (it’s a massive business, these days owned by VW) but there is a load of other manufacturing and industry as well.

-      And believe it or not, the Czechs are into brewing beer even more than the Germans – yep, we’re in the highest per capita beer-drinking country in Europe (your author is not unhappy!)

I think that’ll about do us for today, thanks for sticking with us.  We love your likes and comments so keep ‘em coming!

Lots of love and keep warm you guys back home shivering through your cold snap!

The travelling Woodies  

Dachau admissions building

parade ground

the gate through which all inmates walked is translated as 'work sets you free'

the rebuilt town hall at Marienplatz

our favourite exhibit at the treasury, a bejeweled depiction of St George slaying the dragon

rogues gallery of the ruling Wittlesbach family - they have a portrait of everyone for a quite a few hundred years 

antiquarium at Residenzmuseum dating from 1568

the green room at Residenzmuseum

now you know what a glockenspiel looks like 

cheers from Bavaria!

the bridge into Regensburg

too many treats to choose from!

a German bridal party in traditional dress

view of Prague from top of the hill

look who found a ginger bread shop :-)

end of the Charles Bridge right on dusk

it's a popular photo opportunity at this time of the evening!

entrance to Prague Castle - I asked him to smile for the photo but perhaps his English was a bit rusty :-) 

in the castle grounds

looking over the Vltava River, castle in the background 

very serious vendor selling us a delicious trdelníks, warm cinnamon covered doughnut cone, in our case filled with eggnog and ice cream

Charles Bridge from the river

the perfect place for this husband :-D