Europe V2

 27 June 2018

We took off from Dubai and landed safely in Hamburg yesterday and then moved into our quaint hotel. Quaint means old and tired but very comfortable. With the afternoon to kill we went down the hill from our hotel to the Elbe River and jumped on a ferry for a cruise around the harbour. Following are some shots from the river.

Shot of our hotel from the river.

Brand new concert hall built on top of an old coffee warehouse.

Some of the old warehouses converted into apartments and offices.

After our cruise we stayed on the extensive riverfront wharves and had a few beers and some dinner then called it a night. We hit the sack at about 9:30 and sun was still shining brightly.

Today we set off on our favorite, the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus, for a tour of the city. We both agreed that it is a beautiful city and would be very livable. Once we got our bearings, we went to the Central Bus depot to book our tickets for Hanover tomorrow. A few shots from the bus tour.

An example of the villas around Aussenalster Lake - you have to be a squillionaire to live here.

City Hall

During the tour we found out about a tunnel under the Elbe River so we went and checked it out.

There is an elevator at both ends of the tunnel and cars quite often use it - plenty of push bikes as well.

More tomorrow from Hanover.

28 June 2018

We started off the day with a relaxing coach ride from Hamburg to Hannover which took about 2 hours through scenic, green countryside. The grass was that green you could eat it.

Checked into our hotel and it turns out that it is a 5-star joint - very nice. Our first task was to find our old friend, the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus for a tour of the city. Once this was over, we had a stroll around “the old town” (photos attached). On the tour, we were told about an elevator that was designed to follow the contour of the dome on top off the New Town Hall (Rathaus) so we had to check it out. Very odd going up in an elevator that develops different leans as you are going up.

The local university - it was once a palace.

One of the streets in the old town.

The new Rathaus - see the dome on top.

Shot of the elevator shaft going up the dome.

I should point out that most of Hannover was destroyed during WW2 and the buildings that were not destroyed have been saved through renovation. Some of the important buildings that were blown up have been rebuilt to the original specifications.

Off to Frankfurt tomorrow to join up with our 1st tour.

More then.

2 July 2018

It has been a couple of days, so this is a bit of a catch up.  We flew into Frankfurt, but it turns out that we are staying at a city called Offenbach which is about 6 kilometers from Frankfurt.  We caught up with our fellow tourists and had a quick bus ride around Frankfurt with an explanation on some of the developments from WW2. We must all bear in mind that most of these big towns were destroyed during the war and all of the “old” buildings have been reconstructed.

These things could be the death of me.

We left Frankfurt and headed for Berlin for a couple of nights. Most of the day was taken up with driving through the German countryside. Having settled into the hotel we set of for the “Bridge of Spies” made famous by the Tom Hanks movie by the same name.

This is where spies from both sides were exchanged over a number of years.

From here we were taken to Moorlake Lakeside which was an old hunting lodge, now a restaurant on the lake for a sensational meal and heaps of drinks thrown in

This morning, we met up with a local guide who took us to the Berlin TV Tower which has a viewing platform 203 meters up and gives a good panorama of the city. From here it is easier to get your head around the East and West Berlin which has nothing to do with geography - are you confused? You should try it from this end.

Follow this road and you will end up in Moscow.

Our next stop was the famous Checkpoint Charlie which is where the Russian and American regions of Berlin met, and people were able to pass from east to west and vice versa. During the cold war a lot of confrontations happened here - a lot of stuff we did not hear about. All of the original checkpoints have disappeared and is now just a mockup.

From here we went to the Brandenburg Gate, which was another checkpoint between east and west, but unfortunately, we could not pass through because it was blocked off due to World Cup celebrations.

Our next stop was at the Holocaust Memorial was a very sombre place and was made even more sombre because one of the ladies in the group had her purse stolen by some gypos - pricks!!!

Our last stop was at the section of the wall that has been left in tact and gives a true idea of what the East Berliners had to contend with.

Here’s a couple  desperates trying to get out.

A lot of the buildings that have survived the destruction of WW2 all bears the scars of war and are usually riddled with bullet holes. This is how you can tell if the building is new - built in the old style or an existing building.

More later

4 July 2018

Not a lot to report yesterday as we had a big drive from Berlin to Warsaw which took up most of the day. We had a lunch break at a small town called Poznan which was also smashed during WW2. We had lunch in the Old Town which had been mainly reconstructed to appear as it was before the war.

We eventually made to our hotel in Warsaw and were served dinner in the dining room - there was no choice, just what they put down in front of you. Interesting note - across the road from the hotel they have saved some of the Jewish Ghetto which is a bit sobering.

This morning, we were taken to Wilanow Palace which was built in the late 17th century as a summer home for King Jan Sobieski III and remained mainly intact during WW2. Even after all the looting by both the Germans and the Russians most of the furniture, portraits and china have been recovered and are in place in the palace.

Some of the gardens outside the palace.

From here we went to the Old Town for lunch. Our guide told us that towards the end of the war Germany were determined not to leave any of Warsaw standing and began systematically destroying the town. Meanwhile the Russian army camped on the opposite side of the river for 6 months and watched. As a result, 85% of Warsaw was destroyed. So, the Old Town is no more than 50 years old but made to look old.

We are off to dinner in some restaurant out in the countryside tonight so it should be a bit of fun.

More later

6 July 2018

We had a massive day yesterday, leaving at the crack of dawn and heading for our final destination of Krakow. Along the way we had intended to stop at Czestochowa to view the Black Madonna at the monastery. However, an accident on the freeway put paid to this as we had to travel miles the wrong way to get back on track.

We were on time for our tour through Auschwitz Memorial Site. I won’t say much about it as you all had heard about it. The only thing I will say is that I cannot get my head around it. Here are some photos.

Empty cans of Zylone B - the gas pellets used.

Some of the glasses found in one of the warehouses.

Some of the suitcases found in one of the warehouses.

Some shoes found in one of the warehouses.

Typical accommodation.

Execution wall where people were shot for whatever reason. The wall has been reconstructed.

Chimney of the crematorium.

We left Auschwitz and headed a couples of kilometers down the road to Birkenau which was a much bigger camp than Auschwitz. Here the people arrived by rail and were sorted into either the work camp or the death camp on the whim of one SS officer.

Rail line coming in the gates.

Railway carriage that transported the people. The restoration was paid for by Westfield’s Frank Lowry to honour his father who only lasted about 20 minutes after arriving.

One of the restored huts.

Our guide informed us that as soon as the war was over and these tragedies were discovered, every school age German was sent to visit at last one of the concentration camps with the hope that this would never happen again.

From here we made our way to Krakow arriving at a very late hour.

Today we were on our way again very early to visit Wieliczka Salt Mines which is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. Unfortunately, we were unable to take photos in the mine but trust me, well worth the visit.

From here we went to the Old Town and viewed the Royal Castle and the Cathedral on Wawel Hill. The place was crowded with people, but it was good viewing.

Royal Castle

Tonight, we are heading out to a farmhouse to have dinner and attend a polka party which is very traditional in Poland.

More tomorrow.

10 July 2018

Time for a bit of catch up. We went to the polka party, and it was a fantastic night. For a change Trafalgar opened up the purse strings and the drinks flowed but most of it was vodka. They had dancers there to demonstrate the different types of polkas which was fine until they tried to coerce folks to get up and try it. Fortunately, they fell for the old football injury, and I was left alone.

The next day we left Krakow and headed for Budapest, traveling through Slovakia. It was another long drive, but the scenery was worth it. That evening the rest of our fellow travelers went on a Danube River cruise but having done that previously we opted for a walk around town and a local restaurant in which to have dinner. We both ordered a steak and a glass of bull’s blood (famous red wine) and it was all delicious. Just a note: we have been to Budapest and Vienna on a previous trip and decided not to do the optional tours as we have done them before, so we need to entertain ourselves.

Next morning we went to Buda Castle and the Fisherman’s Bastion ad the view over Budapest is spectacular. The rest of the group went off to the village of Szentendre to learn how to make goulash and be involved in a sales opportunity at the local market. The Lady Tourist and I took off for the New York Café. Lady Tourist had been here on our last visit, and it is all I have heard about for 4 years. It was worth the walk as the joint was spectacular - built in 1894 as a palace. We had to queue up for about 20 minutes to get a seat, but it was worth it.

That night we went for a Be My Guest Hungarian dinner with the Schieszl family who own a winery and restaurant out in the suburbs. We were taken into the 300-hundred-year-old cellar and were treated to a tasting of some of their wines. They were nice but not quite the same as our Australian wines. We then had a 3-course dinner in the restaurant upstairs and were sent home very happy.

More later.

10 July 2018 (Part B)

This morning the crew went for a tour of the Hungarian Parliament House (we’ve already been) so to kill some time we took a walk along the river and back to the hotel through the center of town.

Buda Castle from the Pest side of the Danube.

Parliament House from the river side.

Some of the old buildings in the middle of town.

When the tour was over, we headed to Vienna via Gyor, a small Hungarian town that was the birthplace of the fellow who invented the soda stream. They are so proud of him they had a foundation erected in his honour.

We had lunch here and then it was all aboard for Vienna. Checked into the Hilton Danube, which, as the name suggests is on the banks of the Danube River. The extra outing for the night was dinner and a Strauss concert which we have already done so we went to the local shopping mall with a few others and had a bite to eat and an early night.

This morning's excursion was to the Schönbrunn Palace (been there, done that) followed by a walking tour through the older part of town.

Schönbrunn Palace (summer palace)

St Stephen’s Cathedral - it was being renovated when we were here last time 4 years ago.

Winter Palace

When the tour was over, we were given a couple of hours free time to explore on our own and have some lunch. We headed off to an area we had not been and found a restaurant called 1516 Brewery - that will do us. We ordered lunch and a couple of drinks and the heavens opened up with a summer storm. It was about the only restaurant that was covered so we decided to stay here and wait out the storm - more drinks thank miss.

Lady Tourist waiting out the storm.

More later

12 July 2018

We said farewell to Vienna and made our way towards Prague. On the way we had a stop at a small town of Tabor which is a small town situated in the lake district of Czech Republic. Nice place to spend a little time and had some lunch.

The next leg of our journey was into Prague itself. Once we had checked in, we were provided with a buffet dinner and then taken on our city tour with a local specialist. First stop was at a monastery on top of the hill overlooking Prague. The good thing about this joint was that it also doubles as a brewery, and we were offered samples while a musician entertained us on a squeeze box.

Yummy.

We then jumped on the bus and went to the old town for a walking tour to see the highlights of the city. It was all very impressive, but the best bit was walking across Charles Bridge, which let me tell you was very crowded. We took a few photos but because of the low light did not turn out very well.

More tomorrow.

14 July 2018

Day 2 in Prague sees us with an early start with our local specialist for a walking/driving tour around some of the older parts of town. We started with the 1000-year-old Prague Castle which is now the office of the Prime Minister and therefore we were subject to a full security search before we were allowed in. Within in this complex is St. Virus’ Cathedral which is a beautiful building, both inside and out. Next, we drove down to the old town for a bit of a walk around. I will mention here that we forget the camera so no photos (tour fatigue).

We were giving a couple of hours free time, so we organised a horse and carriage ride around the town with another couple which was a bit of fun. Having had enough of walking around old towns on cobble stones we found a bar near the pickup point and had a couple of beers - Czech beer is very drinkable.

Our next adventure was a cruise on River Vltava with a lunch of local specialties - nice. The cruise involved going through one of the locks on the river which was a buzz for some of the people who have never seen it before.

There was nothing planned for the evening some we went across the road from the hotel with another couple to one of the pubs for drinks and dinner. The pubs here are a bit different from the ones back home but we persevered.

This morning, we headed off for Frankfurt for the conclusion of this tour. Tonight, we have a farewell function and fly out tomorrow for Denmark to start our next tour.

More from Denmark.