Not the Munich scene we were expecting . . .

 

During one of our lost than finding ourselves walks in Munich, we were very surprised to come upon this scene. From the distance, it looked like some kind of shrine so, naturally, we ventured closer for a better look. Hey, we were still lost so a few steps in any direction didn't matter! It was some kind of tribute to Michael Jackson and it seemed to be ongoing as there were new items and some weather-beaten items.

Neither my son nor I are Michael Jackson fans but we had to snap a few pictures to prove that we did see this. This was definitely not on the guide of sights to the City of Munich . . . but it was fun.

The Wolfgang Sea

 

This was one of the most beautiful places we visited on vacation. We traveled by boat through a rain storm which lifted just as we arrived on the shore. The town was maintained in it's old-fashioned, quaint roots and the views from almost every aspect was fantastic.

Castles, castles, castles . . .

 

I enjoyed visiting all these castles but they sure put a end to childhood dreams of every living in one of these stone mansions. I can only imagine how cold and damp they were in winter. We were there in temperate weather and needed a jacket inside!

Although the Bavarian King Lugwig was eccentric, he wasn't stupid. He invented a flush sort of toilet in one of his castles. Good thinking as it would have been a long, winding staircase of a walk to be comfortable in any other circumstances.

All the castles were in Germany except the one on the upper left which was the Hohen Salzburg in Austria. Didn't hear any mention of ghosts in any of them. There is, according to my mother, some ghostly monk that hangs out in and around the Hohen Salzburg. We did not meet him!

Das Kehlsteinhaus or Eagle's Nest

 

Hitler's Eagle's Nest is on the top of a very high, rocky mountain. The bus ride just to the area where we catch the special bus to actually get to the Eagle's Nest is not for the weak of heart of those who don't care for heights. Although the Eagle's Nest was built as a quiet retreat for Hitler, he only visited there a few times due to his fear of heights and the very high altitude. Not much to do after you've eated at the excellent restaurant and been in the famous elevator but look around. The views are amazing and pictures hardly capture them. We were there on an overcast day but before we left, the clouds and mist lifted and we were treated to views that covered wide distances around the Eagle's Nest. This was my second visit there and both times, the clouds made their presence known. At least there wasn't any rain this time!

Residents at the 'horse farm' hotel in Normandy . . .

True to it's nickname, the horse farm 'hotel' also had resident horses in and around the property. My son and I got up early in the morning for walks and to visit the horses and the family dog. We were still getting used to European time zones so enjoyed filling in our wakeful hours checking out our surroundings.

When we came up to this particular field of horses, they were all calmly eating their own breakfast. Suddenly, one of the horses looked up, saw us, and nudged the horse next to him. That horse, in turn, notified the next horse and so on until they completely stopped their eating and just stood and stared at us.

Bastogne - a look back at World War II

Another collage of pictures. This time, from our visit to Bastogne where the 101st Airborne defended the besieged town during the Battle of the Bulge. The center picture was our guide in the city who was also a 'witness' from World War II so could tell us first hand about that time in history as he lived it. The inside views of the church are especially memorable for us as our guide whispered a request to the church organist who, in turn, played the United States National Anthem on the pipe organ for us. Complete quiet in the church when he finished playing and more than a few tears were shed. Bastogne has a great love and respect for the United States and we saw our flag flying in many places.

And the rest of Munich, Germany

Learned something interesting that I never really thought about but the symbol of Munich is a monk . . . because that is what Munich means . . . monk! The figure of the monk shows him holding a Bible but some of the tourist stuff shows him holding the national drink . . . a beer! The joke is that he is holding 'the liquid Bible'. Also, another of our favorite eating places in Munich, the Ratskeller. The entrance was at street level but you had to go down a long flight of stairs to get to the actual restaurant. Too many beautiful sights to snap pictures of and we came home regretting all the ones we missed. Yes, we have already started a new vacation fund.

A last visit to all our favorite sights in Munich, Germany

The day before we flew home, my son and I just walked around the main squares of Munich and snapped pictures of some of our favorite places. Although we were tired and ready to go home, we were already realizing that we were going to miss the time we spent here in Germany. The last time I was in Munich was almost 30 years ago. The place definitely had changed a lot but it still felt comfortable. All the old landmarks were still in place and we soon found our away around. Okay, we did get lost a few times but that only added to the adventures. We won't talk about the two-hour walk in the rain while reading a wet map! The Augustiner Cafe in the collage was a favorite eating place for us. It had a huge outdoor eating area right on the square plus an even bigger, inside restaurant. The noise in the evening was deafening but fun. The food was also excellent and very German.

The Netherlands . . .

So, what is your first clue that we might be in The Netherlands? Windmills, anyone? I didn't really realize how much went on in The Netherlands during the war. A lot of the area was flooded by the Germans to prevent attacks on the ground. The witness who spoke with us said that the earth is constantly changing and, to this day, bodies from the war still turn up as well as shells and such from the battles.

Nijmegen, Netherlands

 

Pictures from our visit to the City of Nijmegen, Netherlands. Views of the area where the Allies attempted to end the war quickly through Operation Market Garden. After a drive around the area involved in the Operation Market Garden, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the National Liberation Museum. We had two 'witnesses' of the war who lived in and around Nijmegen and shared their personal stories with us.

Dessert Memories . . .

When you book a package tour that includes meals, you don't usually expect anything except basic food to get you from one guided tour to the next. Much to our surprise, all the meals on our trip were more than excellent. We almost looked forward to eating than sightseeing . . . almost!

One of our fellow tourists took pictures of every meal put n front of her. I wish I had taken her lead as it is hard to remember them all now. However, this dessert demanded a picture and I'm glad I have it to look back on and remember.

Heading up to Hitler's Eagle's Nest . . .

Okay, so we can't resist men in uniform! As we were climbing our way up to the bus for the ride up to the Eagle's Nest, this group of men were changing guard. They seemed flattered at the sudden camera attention.

Honoring Jewish Traditions

 

 

 

The first time our tour group visited one of the American cemeteries, our guides warned us to NOT brush off any pebbles we might see on the Jewish headstones. There is a Jewish tradition of leaving a pebble or stone on the tombstone signifying that someone has honored the deceased with a visit to the grave. There are other superstitions surrounding the custom such as the stones were to keep the soul in the grave. A more practical evolution of this was probably putting the rocks on graves to keep scavanger animals from digging them up back in the olden days.

In any case, the first thing we started looking for was the sight of these pebbles on the Star of David tombstones at the American cemeteries. The 'devotion' really touched us and we started keeping an eye out for pebbles to have on hand in case we found a 'neglected' grave. We didn't! Note the large memorial on the left of the collage also has some stones left there.

American Cemetery at Luxemburg

 

The burial grounds for our soldiers is considered American soil so when we visited their graves, we were actually in America!

Mass Burial Sites near Dachau

Here are some views of the two mass burial sites mentioned in a previous posting. You can see the wall with the bullet holes where the Russians were murdered. It is a very shady, quiet area with a great sense of peace.

Scenes from Dachau, Germany

Interesting history regarding the concentration camp at Dachau. It didn't start out as a Jewish camp but one for political prisoners. It was eventually used for financial gains and needed cheap labor which led in great part to the use of the Jews for that with little thought to anything but working them to death. Actually, Dachau didn't have a majority of Jews 'in residence' from what I understand. Needless to say, however, it was a sobering experience to walk through the halls with the tortue rooms, stand in the gas chambers, and view where they burned the bodies.

We had an excellent British guide for Dachau. He was good at his subject, sensitive to the subject, but seemed matter of fact. However, he took our group to two other places near Dachau that seldom has visitors and many people do not even know exists. One place is a mass grave for 4,000 Russians murdered towards the end of the war. Believe me, you get a whole new perspective on war and its byproducts when you stand in front of the wall where the Russians were systematically shot down and see the bullet holes. There is a memorial set up there and it is a quiet, peaceful place. The beautiful meadows certainly don't recall the horror that took place there one time. Our guide was visibly moved and just seemed to want us to understand. The next off the beaten path visit was to another mass grave of Italians. I believe there are something like 7,000 buried there. Another memorial is on the property which is maintained by the Italian government. Again, you don't want to make an unnecessary sound in respect of what you are feeling here. Everyone sees Dachau but few get a chance to visit these places.

Scenes from World War II

 

The amazing part about many of the museums we visited during our World War II tours were the life-sized sets they had put together showing various scenes from the war in detail. You could almost smell the gun powder and hear the explosions as some of them were so realistic. You almost expected one of the soldiers to blink or look your way.

Found at the National Liberation Museum in Nijmegen

This was a plaster sculpture outside the National Liberation Museum in Nijmegen, Netherlands. I loved the representation of all the fallen war heroes being reunited after death. It was a very simple but moving exhibit.

A Suitable Tribute to June 6, 1944