Being a long time fan of Kurt Vonnegut I had heard a lot about Dresden, Germany. Fire-bombed in 1945, virtually nothing remained of what had been called one of the most beautiful Gothic cities in Europe. Today much of the historic Alt Stadt has been rebuilt to resemble it's former glory, and indeed it is a sight to see. Most prominent in the city center is the Frauenkirche (pictured), which was completely reconstructed only five years ago, using about 4000 of the original stones.
One of the nice things about a visit to Dresden is how close it is to Prague. At merely two hours away by train, it was no further than most of the Czech towns I've visited lately. But the moment you cross over that border you are greeted by the friendly sounds of the German train conductor, who is happy to have you on board, versus the tone of the Czech one, who would just as soon drive an empty train round and round all day. Despite my positive attitude towards the Germans, it was a bit annoying that for whatever reason my friend could not purchase a Currywurst until noon. No less than three places had the sausages sitting there, they just refused to serve them until later. Perhaps there's some custom I was unaware of. It was good to see Germany again, this was the first time I had returned since the big road trip last summer, and it might the last. So it goes.
You wouldn't even realize there was nothing but smoking rubble here.
Flowing rivers, fortresses, and former homes
Koblenz - Our next stop was at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers (confluence is a word that previously had never entered my active vocabulary). So right at the spot the rivers meet, in Koblenz, there was a huge Wilhelm I memorial that had monuments set up for every region of Germany. It was oddly similar to the WWII memorial in DC. Here we stayed in a lovely hotel, and the man at the front desk had a lovely French accent, which made me excited to experience the French speaking side of Central Europe.
Burg Eltz - Along the Mosel River from Koblenz one can find Berg Eltz, a medieval castle still owned by a noble German family. Next to the structure remains the ruins of a siege castle when the King of Luxembourg, or the Pope or someone who thought they were important, decided they wanted the land for themself. In the end hurling stones over the walls amounted to no progress and they let the nobles keep it.
Trier - Further down the Mosel River, lies the city of Trier, which was built upon Roman foundations (as so many European cities are). Quite a few ancient structures remain including the Porta Negra, pictured below. Apparently 37 years you could waltz right into the ruins, but now most are fenced off and they charge admission. Thus is life.
Auw bei Prum - On our way into Belgium we stopped at the small village, Auw, where my parents lived in 1973, when my father was in the military. It was amazing for them to see how little the area had changed since then, just a few improvements, street lights, wind turbines in the fields, and fancier houses here and there. We discovered from speaking to a resident that the same family owned the house my parents had stayed in, but that it had passed from the father, to the son who my parents saw come into this world so many years ago.
Heidelburg - After a few days in Benelux, which I will speak about later, we headed back through Germany into the town of Heidelburg. Like so many others places we visited the city consisted of a historic old town, a fortress on a hill, and a bridge over a river. The fortress was beautiful, and remains in ruins as it was after the French laid siege on the city hundreds of years ago. You can see a bit of it looming over the main square in the photo below.
Along the Romantic Road
Füssen - After Munich we headed to a small town, Füssen, just on the edge of the Alps. There was a beautiful lake called the Forgensee (pictured), and we stayed in a guesthouse, right near the marina, with an energetic and charismatic Bavarian named Christian. It was a welcome change from the big city atmosphere.
Neuschwanstein Castle - On the other side of the Forgensee lies two castles of Mad King Ludwig II. One was the home where he grew up, and the other was Neuschwanstein (New Swan Stone), a project Ludwig worked on until the day he was found mysteriously drown with his physician, in a nearby lake. The castle, although never completed according to the orginial plans, was a magnificent sight, and apparently the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland.
Augsburg - The next stop was the larger town of Augsburg, which had a nice historic center, a few Roman foundation pieces here and there, and at a restaurant, which had supposedly been visited by both Mozart and Goethe in the past, they had some of the best spätzle (noodly-things) in Germany.
Rothenburg od der Tauber - Further north we happened upon a historic castle town, Rothenburg (pictured), everything within the giant stone walls was preserved in medieval design. The town was mainly a tourist stop for Germans, so English speakers were harder to come by. That's not usual around Europe in Summer.
Not one Bavarian Creme in the place!
The first stop on our road trip was Munich, the capital of the Free State of Bavaria. Here we stayed in a high-rise hotel, which was awesome because we were able to catch a 45 minute fireworks display from our window, randomly one night. Overall the city was very accessible, we were able to use the trams and underground pretty easily, but for the most part we were able to cover most of the old town on foot. At the beginning of our journey it was very exciting to see such fantastic Neo-Gothic architecture, so we spend most of our time looking at the Rathaus (pictured), and hanging around the main square.
On the tower of the Rathaus, one can find the Glockenspiel, which three times a day rings out elaborate melodies while wooden figures dance and march around. It was much more impressive than Prague's Astromical Clock which just has a few saints pass by a window. On the other hand the clock is several hundred years older than the Glockenspiel, so I should give it fair dues.
In the evening we visited the Hofbräuhaus, a historic beer hall and brewery. It was crowded, sweaty, and noisy, but one could not help getting swept up into the merriment, especially after two 1-liter steins of Hofbräu.
All Your Art are belong to Contemporary
Allow me to tell you a little more about sites in Berlin. To the left you'll see the Berlin TV Tower and Marienkirche. As you can see, the tower is much like the one in Prague, minus the horrifying babies, but with the added charm of a giant discoball. Apparently for the World Cup they made it into a giant football. And then you have Marienkirche, a 14th century cathedral predating the Protestant Reformation. Here is a great example the blending of the historic and modern. It's all about juxtaposition. Walking in the city you'll find the remains of cathedrals and monuments that survived destruction through the ages, but then turn the corner and you see something off the cover of a 1970's Science Fiction novel.
Another example is the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche where you have the ruins of a 17th century bell tower, and a modern octagonal church tower. Discovering this structure was a surreal experience, for just as we enter the square the great bells begin to echo a haunting melody through the air. It lasted at least ten minutes, and I couldn't help thinking that this was the music we will hear on Armageddon. I have to wonder how the people working the office building nearby react to hearing the deafening roar of the bells every hour.
Then you have the quite famous building, the Reichstag (pictured below), which is the German Parliament house. It was complete in 1894 during the rule of Wilhelm II. Later in the years leading up to World War II, the building mysteriously caught fire. The supposed arson was blamed
on the Communists by the newly appointed Chancellor Adolf Hitler, thus securing the power of the National Socialist Party. Then a lot of bad stuff happened for many years, and the building laid damaged and empty. Crashing on, we come to the year 1999, when a beautiful glass dome was completed atop the reconstructed building. Soon after Parliament returned to the Reichstag, and they continue to meet there today. Again we have a structure with a long history, set against the modern architecture of the dome. Although it's true that many European cities blend the old and the new, never before have I seen done so skillfully. Typically the modern sticks out like a sore thumb, but in Berlin it is all quite fitting.
That's all I have to say about the city for now. Perhaps I will visit again some day, but for now let me leave you with a quote. It is from the glowing neon sign that decorates the front the Altes Museum, a nearly two hundred year old building. I leave the interpretation to you.
"All Art Has Been Contemporary"
Youth culture thaws my frozen soul.
When I first came to the Czech Republic I had a list in my head of all the cities in Central/Eastern Europe that I wanted to visit. Surprisingly, Berlin was not one of them. Aside from a unit in World History I never took much interest in the city. I think that's part of the reason why I absolutely loved it when I did visit over a weekend; I entered in with no expectations.
Berlin was much different than any other city I've seen in Europe. Since most of it had been destroyed numerous times most of the infrastructure is quite modern. But it is not the layout or architecture of this city that makes it so impressive. There is an intangible quality that this city holds: It's just fun. Prague is often hailed as an international city, but really it seems to be more of a foreign invasion. Many Czechs are very bitter about the tourism in their city, not that I blame them after seeing the British Stags running through the streets acting like Prague is there own personal playground. But I digress. Berlin is a much more accepting place for foreign culture. On my first day in the city I sat in the grass in a large park in the Kreuzburg district (pictured above) surrounded by people speaking all sorts of European languages, playing frisbee, drinking, or being way to public with their girlfriends. And this was no holiday, it was simply a sunny day. I think it is really quite striking because in places like Czech Republic and 
Hungary, the so-called former Communist nations, you encounter a standoff-ish attitude, especially among the service industry. Getting a server to so much as look at you in a pub is a chore in Prague. What I find interesting is that even though Berlin was at the epicenter of the Cold War, the Germans are some of the friendliest people I have met so far in Europe. I'm guessing this was not always the case, but today the younger generations have really set themselves apart as being both Worldly and progressive in their ways. The Prague youth is unique, certainly, but there is still a lingering inclination towards quiet reservation. At least when I'm trying to get them to speak in class, that is.
Typically when I'm visiting a new city, I tend to run around like a crazy person trying to see as much as I can. But for whatever reason, I felt no rush, no hurry in Berlin. In the second picture you see the Victory Column. I spent at least an half hour looking up the tower, content to nap in the grass. The trip was a much needed break after the long, cold winter in the Czech Republic. So to sum it up, Berlin is home to an active youth culture, a vibrant night-life, and friendly locals. Then again four euros for a beer is torture, compared to Prague. So I'm not moving just yet.