Summer 2010, Germany

After a few days in Ribe in Denmark it was time to head off down the tracks again on 11 August. This time it was on some secondary lines firstly to Tønder in Denmark where we changed to a cute little railcar type train and crossed into Germany to change into an express at Niübell. Another change at Elmshorn to connect with a train to Bremen at Hamburg Hbf (Hauptbahnhof). After five trains we stopped at Bremen for the night.



The ICE train. A great way to travel around Germany

and into surrounding countries.

Travelling in Europe is a breeze.We get a Eurail Pass which works out really great. Zipping along at 300km/hr one can cover large distances in a short space of time. Another advantage is that there are lots of hotels close to the station which is usually near the middle  of the city. Forget about getting around Europe by air. No check in or security checks, arrive at the correct platform at least five minutes before the train is due, but you do have to get your luggage onto the train and up into the racks although there are convenient storage spaces in the ICE trains. If you miss that one, there is another in an hour's time.



An interesting site in the middle of Bremen - a vege garden!



The main square in Bremen



A curious bronze statue in Bremen which everyone seemed to line up and have their photograph taken with. Not me though.

Bremen was another German city, extensively bombed in WW2 which has been extensively rebuilt. The centres of a large number of cities were rebuilt to their pre-war style but one can see often where this has occurred in a number of cases.



Fire blackened door way, Dresden, 30 July 2008.

I've included a photo here from a previous trip to Germany to show where restoration has occurred after WW2. New blocks of light coloured stones have been laid on top of the blackened stonework, new doors as well; as the old one would have been burnt to cinders. The statues stand testament to the horrific bombing raids. All around Bremen, and the other cities on our trip show similar signs if you know what to look for.

Leaving Bremen the next day we headed off to Belgium with a brief stopover in Køln (Cologne) and change of ICE train we continued on to Brugge. Fours day later we changed again at Køln (Cologne) on our way to Würzburg.



Festung Marienburg

 

Dominating Würzburg is the fortress which was originally built in 704AD.



Princes Garden, Festung Marienburg

What's inside? A small building in the courtyard.

It's a well of course. How else would you get water if you were stuck in your fortress besieged by invading armies?

So now you know.

Wurzburg 1945. this model is in the museum at Festung Marienburg

Surrounding Würzburg on the hills are grape vines. This part of Germany is famous for its rather sweet Franconian style wines. We found this plaque on a house when we were heading off to find another important part of world history.

For those of us bought up on Cold Duck and Montana Pearl in New Zealand in the 1970s will remember the thrill of graduating to Müller-Thurgau. Well this is where the varietal originated. And then came Savignon blanc.

Not only is Würzburg famous for its wine but is also where 17 Noble Prize winners (in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine) went to university and where we came to find where x-rays were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Röentgen. He was the first recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901.



Röentgen's original lab where he made his discovery.



There are lots of displays tubes, x-ray machine and a copy of the first every x-ray taken and the original Crookes Radiometer! The original x-ray is locked up for safe keeping.

For some one who is keen on the history of scientific discoveries, this museum, in the building still used by the university has to rank alongside Rutherford's Den in Christchurch.

Having had a good dose up on x-rays the river Main offered a slow cruise down to Veitschöchheim. The main attraction here being the Schloss and its baroque gardens.

Schloss at Veitschöchheim

The main water feature at Veitschöchheim

A good day trip on another day was had down to Regensberg with a stop at Nürnberg (Nuremburg) on the way back.

Regensberg

Central Nürnberg (Nuremburg)



Watch tower, Kaiserburg Imperial Castle, Nuremburg

After three busy days around southern Germany it was time to head north towards Copenhagen to fly back to Abu Dhabi. However it is too far to do comfortably in one day in the ICE trains so a stopover in Hannover for a couple of nights was on our itinerary. A few surprises were in store here for us. Will leave you guess one which really set us back on our heels.

The new Rathaus in Hannover, built 1908 and extensively restored after 1945.



Local wildlife in front of Rathaus, Hannover.

The view from the top of the dome in the Rathaus (Town Hall) include the remains of a bombed church left as a memorial. It is remarkable that the bell tower survived and now has a modern glockenspiel.


Bombed church in Hannover (Hanover)

Central Hannover

In Hannover you can walk the Red Line around the old city. It takes you through the above area, to the Rathaus and bombed church before heading back towards the centre of the city. At one point something caught my eye in the cobbles in the footpath. I froze as I realised what it was all about.

On closer inspection this is one of the plaques.

This needs no explanation, and on this sombre note I will conclude our accounts of Summer 2010.

I hope you have enjoyed tripping around Europe with us and would love your comments at the bottom of each blog.

Summer 2010 - Belgium, Brugge

Brugge was our base for the short visit to Belgium and from there we had the trip out to Flanders. see previous blog. This town in Belgium is a very pretty town which fortunately missed the ravages of the world wars and is one of the top tourist spots in Belgium. It is only around an hour by train from Brussels.

The few photos here give a taste of why thousands go there.

Brugge is built around a canal which encircles the old town and links up with the rest of the European canal network.

Join the thousands of others for the 30 minutes canal cruise. A must do.

Brugge is famous for chocolate! A chocoholics delight - Celia take note.

The Cloth Markt in Markt Square.
(Shot details: Canon 450D, EF-S 10-22mm at 15 mm, f/4, 1/10s, ISO-800 with -1/3f stop compensation.)

Another must do is the 366 step climb to the top. Be prepared to queue up but it is worth the effort just to see the glockenspiel on the way. At night the centre of Brugge takes on another character as the light fades, time the get serious with the camera.



Markt Square
(Shot details: Canon 450D, EF-S 17-85mm at 38 mm, f/5, 1/5s, ISO-800 with -1/3f stop compensation. Image stabilisation comes into its own on this type of shot.)

Some great restaurants to choose from here and the choice of Belgium beer is excellent. Juliper was my favourite.

Just off Markt Square is another square where we found the barrel organ man.


Colourful arch, entrance to Blinde-Ezelstraat. Blind Donkey Alley



Good to see the young generation keeping the lace making tradition alive.



Back street of Brugge

After three nights in Brugge it was time to get back on the train. This time to Würzburg in Germany via Brussels, Køln  (Cologne) and Frankfurt Flughafen.

Next blog: Germany including Hamburg, Regensberg, Nürnberg (Nuremburg) and Würzburg.

Summer 2010 - Belgium - Flanders

One of the main reasons for going to Belgium was to do a pilgrimage to Messines Ridge where an uncle of mine was killed on 8th June 1917.  I had often heard my father talk of Herbert although he (my father ) would not have known his eldest brother as he was only about 3 years old when Herbert went off to WW1. 

We took the train from Brugge to Ieper (Ypres in French or Wipers as the town was called by the Tommies). Brussels is too far away for a day visit.

The Cloth Hall, Ieper

 The Cloth Hall was almost completely destroyed in WW1 but has been lovingly rebuilt and houses one of many museums in Belgium. (I didn't know until our visit that about 130,000 Chinese labourers were sent to the front by the British army to carry supplies and dig trenches.)

In this museum we found this poem, in a very prominent display:

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

An important part of Anzac Day in New Zealand and Australia.

Next stop was the small town of Mesen (Messines). This is where the New Zealand Division was heavily involved in the battle which commenced on 7 June 1917.




The advance occurred up these slopes.

The day started off in light misty rain hence the rather poor light in the upper part of the photo. (A good case for a soft graduated filter to improved such shots.) Just behind this photo are the remains of several German bunkers taken by the New Zealanders. Some where around here my uncle became a casualty - missing believed killed.



The New Zealand Memorial at Messines Ridge.
Erected on the point of the New Zealanders' furthest advance.

At the other end of Mesen we found the Messines Ridge Cemetery. As we arrived here the skies cleared as you can see in the following photo.



Entrance to the Messines Ridge Cemetery

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has an extensive list of war casualties and cemeteries. This was how we discovered where my uncle's name is on the memorial here at the entrance to cemetery. Although this cemetery is a mainly a British one, the mound topped by the cross at the entrance has the names of all the New Zealanders killed during the Messines Ridge battle and who have no known grave.



Time to pay respects.



I wonder if ................?



Lest we forget