Imperial Splendors Tour with Globus

July 24 I joined the Globus Tour in the evening and let someone else do the thinking for me for 10 days. The trade-off was that I had to get my suitcase packed by a certain time and get on a bus. On the other hand I did get to meet some people who were fun to travel with and see some place I wouldn’t have bothered to check out on my own.

Photos on the way out of Munich: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/LeavingMunich2011/index.html

Our tour guide Anthony was pretty good and this tour worked out fairly well, raising my estimate of Globus Tours after a somewhat disappointing Southern Italy tour. We visited Prague, Bratislava (just stopped for lunch), Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg, returning to Munich. Unfortunately, in Budapest I had to admit to myself that my sinuses were infected, which really slowed me down, but didn’t stop me. Since getting caught in that downpour while climbing up to Maennlichen in the Swiss Alps, I had been fighting off something.

Prague at night: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/PragueNight2011/index.html
Prague during the day: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/PragueDay_2011/index.html

In Prague the beer was good and I enjoyed the walk some of took around the town at night. I also liked my solo trip to the St. Agnes gallery which featured Medieval art, as well as the small but fascinating Muchas Museum. I didn’t like the attitude of waiters that they could cheat you on the bill, especially if you used Euros. I enjoyed another evening walk in Budapest, but I spent my free time sleeping to try to fight my illness. I would have liked to visit the Roman Ruins. I also took the my down time to read up on the sad history of the battles that were fought there in WWII and dreadful story of the Arrow Cross. Free internet with good bandwidth in Prague and Budapest let me catch up with my photo uploading.

Bratislava: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Bratislava2011/index.html

I think it was in Prague that I really started using my iPad for navigation. I had been trying to use my Garmin Nuvi 500 with a European micro SD card. It had helped point me in the right direction in Berlin, but hadn’t been that useful due to the limited view of the world it gives. Okay for driving a car if you blindly believe it. I found that the iPad gave me a better idea of what was around me and what my travel options (paths) might be. Of course, I had the version with GPS and electronic compass. I had downloaded at least three types of maps and found Citymaps2go the most useful, assuming I had remembered to load the maps for the cities I was visiting. I also had a general map of Europe that worked pretty well when I didn’t have a specific city map. The most disappointing were the stand alone city map packages. Their only advantage was that they often included a metro map when applicable. The only problem with Citymaps was that the street names seemed to shrink as you zoomed in, making them hard to read, although they were temporarily large as you zoomed. Their real advantage was that they attempted to show what direction the iPad was pointed. With the Etch a Sketch housing the iPad was actually very easy to hold on to and watch while walking. The raised lettering made it easy to hold on to, although the gold on the lettering was almost gone by the end of the trip. Someone pointed out that was authentic for real Etch a Sketches.

Budapest Photos: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Budapest2011/index.html

I really enjoyed Vienna, getting out since I was feeling a little better. The first free afternoon I visited the Kunst Historisches Museum, which is the art museum of art museums in terms of presentation. I rested in a very nice rose garden after my visit. It was a good walk since the sun was out and I wished that I’d better to take better advantage of the nice afternoon. The next day I decided to master the public transportation system to track down all the public accessible flak towers. It wasn’t as simple as I thought, but I eventually got the hang of the tram system, which can get you everywhere once you understand it.

Vienna: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Vienna_KHM2011/index.html

I have to admit this was a strange quest, but it did take me out of the tourist areas and got me to see the rest of Vienna. For example, Augarten is a large park with many rows of trees where people were walking, albeit in not large numbers. The flak towers were built at optimal spacing so they are pretty far apart, and pretty tall, probably because of the lower elevation-the tops of all 6 flak towers (three pairs) were supposed to be at the same elevation. The Augarten had the latest model Gun Tower, which was round instead of rectangular. You can see the cracks in the tower where the Soviets tried unsuccessfully to blow it up, but it is still imposing and looks light something out of a science fiction movie. The Lead Tower is quite a walk away and appears intact. The tall trees make it difficult to see the towers in the park, since the park is so large, but I did notice one of the towers as I approached in the tran.

The next stop was the Arenberg Park, which once belonged to the Esterhazy family. This is a small park with a beautiful garden and a dog park. The park is very small so the the Gun and Lead towers are crowded close together. The atmosphere is not as gloomy as at Augarten, and the Lead Tower is now serving as a cell phone tower. It looks like there are plans for converting the Gun Tower into a venue for the arts. In this park it’s pretty hard to ignore that the towers are there. I think the gun tower is a second generation type.

Going to the Arenberg Park put me into position to visit the Belvedere Palaces of Prinz Eugen. Actually, I only visited the Upper Belvedere since I wanted to see the Klimts there. The gardens don’t look that level from ground level, but once you get to the upper floors and look down, you can understand what the idea is. I guess that limited the appreciation to only a privileged few. There was a nice brewpub next door, but I was short on time and had a cold. I had to get back to the hotel by a certain time since I had signed up for one of the extra excursions.

The final tower was the Lead Tower at the Stiftskaserne, which was actually not too far from my hotel. This was the ultimate example of swords into plow shares. This tower has been converted into an aquarium and a tropical garden. You can also go out on the former 20mm gun platforms and have a great view of Vienna. You can also see the top of the Gun Tower, but it’s owned by the Austrian Army, so you can’t visit it. It’s a third generation type tower and seems to have a lot of antennas on it. The aquarium is reasonable for its size, and there are some little monkeys running around in the tropical areas, which are actually add-ons to both sides of the tower. Probably not a bad place for Viennese families and peculiar tourists. Worth it just for the view, and it’s very close to a metro stop. The iPad was invaluable for getting me to the Flak Towers, as well as the Belvederes. It also was good for finding metro and tram stops, and telling me when I was on the wrong tram or had missed my stop.

Flak towers: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Flakturm2011/index.html

On the way to Salzburg we went on a short cruise on the Donau that was very pleasant. The iPad even worked below deck as long as I was near a window, and helped give me an idea of what was on the shore. I later found that I could even track my progress on the bus and sometimes on trains.

Donau cruise: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Donau2011/index.html

In Austria, especially in Salzburg, there seemed to be far less graffiti than I’d seen in Germany and Switzerland. I asked the local guide in Salzburg if they shoot people. She said only the young ones.

We only spent a day in Salzburg, and I spent most of my short free time in the Mozart Museum. Before that we had taken an optional side trip to Kehlstein, also known as the Eagles Nest. Whatever its sad past history, the area is incredibly beautiful. Too bad it was wasted on Nazi scum. Looks like there are a lot of hiking trails around.

Salzburg: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Salzburg2011/index.html

Kehlstein: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Kehlstein2011/index.html

Munich

Leaving Dresden wasn’t that hard since I found that I could catch my train from the station in the Old Town, which was an easy walk from my hotel. Along the way I passed a couple of interesting fountains.

I was delighted when I got to the Muenchen Hauptbahnhof and found that there was a Starbucks in the station (Wifi access) and that my hotel was just across the street. Later I found that sex shops were conveniently located around the corner. Anyway, the Le Meridien was a much more expensive hotel than any of the ones I had stayed in up to that time, but of course it didn’t have free wifi. After I got my room and squared away my bags I took off on foot to revisit the Alte Pinakothek, Munich’s old masters museum. For some reason I enjoyed it more that the last time I was there.

Photos: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/ToMunich2011/index.html

After getting back to the hotel I decided that I ought to check out a beer garden, so I asked the councierage for directions to the Rick Steves recommended Augustinian Gardens. He sent me in the right direction, but didn’t get the distance quite right on map. I did find a supermarket complex in the area he described. From the outside, you never would have known that the supermarket was there, which is sort of typical of the former West Germany. I looked in my ebook Rick Steves guide and used the adress to get me to the right place. I think that day was also the first one where I really started using my iPad for navigation. I had used my Garmin in Trier and Berlin, but I was now finding the iPad much more useful and not that bad to use while I was walking.

Because of the bad weather the indoor seating at the Augustinian was packed and I found a seat outdoors that was survivable.The beer was good and the food actually included vegetables, so I was happy.

The next day I decided to go somewhere new and headed off for the Nymphenburg Palace, which was a short tram ride away. I did get an all day metro pass, which came in handy. The Nymphenburg facade was undergoing restoration, which seemed to be the story at a lot of placed I visited. Some of the palace’s rooms could use some work, while others are in pretty good shape. Collections include the Gallery of Beauties belonging to Ludwig I, which include a portrait of the notorious Lola Montez. The rain kept me from walking the gardens, and I also wanted to get to the Deutsches Museum.

Photos: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Nymphenburg2011/index.html

I’d been to the Deutsches Museum before, and I wanted to see if the collections had been expanded. Unfortunately this museum, too, was undergoing restoration, in this case to add more stairways to meet safety requirements. That meant a lot of exhibits were closed, including the Galileo room. The aerospace collections seemed to have really expanded, with much more hardware crammed in. I remember the ME-262 having plenty of room around it, but now it looks like my bedroom. I made the mistake of taking in the mining exhibit. This one is totally immersive and you can’t escape from it once you start. It just keeps on going and seems like it will never end. I guess mining is really important to Germans.

Photos at: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/DeutschesMuseum2011/index.html

Dresden

I’d had nice weather in Berlin, but my luck was changing as I headed towards Dresden. Dresden has two train stations, one in the Old Town, the main one, and one in the New Town. I ended up in the main one, and my hotel was in the New Town, so I decided to put my bags in a locker to see some sights since I got in early. It’s not that far from Berlin to Dresden. Getting into Dresden I saw my first real arrival delay, but I didn’t need to make any connections, so it didn’t matter to me.

The Dresden train station still has an East German feel, and I got to use my German when I ordered coffee at the cafe in the station and the next day when I got my ticket to Koenigstein. Then again, I used my bad German when I got my train timetable in Trier. The woman at the cafe was rather rude, though, the only time I encountered that in Germany.

I put on all my rain gear and headed towards the tourist attractions in the Old Town. Pretty much all the way from the train station to the river that separates the town into two it’s one big shopping mall, with 2 McDonalds and a Starbucks. Thank God for Starbucks in Germany because it’s the only place I encountered where you can get unlimited free Wifi. The NH hotels provided a 1/2 hour free per day, which was better than most. With the rain and cold wind it was freezing, and I hadn’t brought my jacket to put inside my parka. Nevertheless I found my way to the Frauenkirche, the Protestant main cathedral, and went inside and then found the statue of Martin Luther. They were also preparing a stage for some large production in the square, I then walked over to the Zwinger, the Royal Palace where it was pouring. Back at the train station I’d bought a Dresden card which was similar to the Berlin card, but good for only two days on the tram system and with free admission to a number of top museums, except the old Green Vault.

The irony of Dresden is that the Old City is new. During WWII it was the site of the one of the worst fire bombings by the Brits and Americans. Almost everything you see is new. This is a story I’d already seen in Berlin and would see in Bundapest, although in that case it was due to the Russians and Germans. I went to the Gemaeldegalerie Alte Meisters (Old Masters Gallery) and then decided to head to my hotel. I retraced my way through the shopping malls, but looked for a sporting goods stores to find some more insulation, since I knew that even with my jacket I would still be cold. The former Eastern Germany has embraced shopping malls more than the western half since they had a chance to embrace capitalism from scratch, or so goes my theory. After a couple of tries I found a place very much like an REI or Sports Chalet with very similar merchandise, except with some European brands mixed in with familiar ones. One difference is that outer clothing isn’t always separated by gender. I found a vest at an exorbitant price, but that brand is also expensive in the States, and found some warmth.

I walked back to the station and picked up my bags, and decided that I should take the tram system to my hotel since it was across the river. Using the maps I received with my Dresden Card, it wasn’t too hard to figure out and I got to a stop about half a block from the hotel. I had made my reservations with a Tulip Hotel, but it was a Park Hote when I got there. It actually wasn’t bad, and it was close to the bridge and a park. I walked a little bit north into the New Town to explore. The New Town is the old part of town because it wasn’t destroyed during WWII. I didn’t get to the core of the Old Town, but to an area that looked rather Bohemian. None of the restaurants were too attractive, so I had dinner at the hotel. The menu was more Eastern European than German, which wasn’t so surprising since Dresden is so close to the Czech Republic.
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The next day the weather was a little better so I took the tram to the local train station and bought a S-bahn ticket to the town of Koenigstein in the Saxon Switzerland, a major park that straddles the border between the Czech Republic and Germany. My goal was to hike up to the fortress of Koenigstein. There wasn’t much signage at the train station and I blundered my way to the local tourist office where they gave me a nice map. There was more than one trail up to Koenigstein (of course you can also drive or take a bus) and I decided to take the one behind the church. This is not the one that the signs in town would direct you to.

The trail starts up a steep set of steps, but then transitions into more conventional trails, and seems to be parts of a system of hiking trails. Signs were pretty good, except near the goal where you should just take the trail that goes up. At one point there appears to be an easement through local farm where there are some rather unfriendly warnings posted, but no barriers. The drizzle I had at the start of my little hike eased off as I got to the top. This particular trail ended up in the parking lot where there were already some tour buses. The scenic elevator was out of commission so there was not choice to take the ramp which leads into the main entrance to the fortress. This is a rather serious affair with two long ramps that tunnel through the hill the fortress is on and emerge in the developed part of the fortress. This area is built up with a church and barracks, water works, and more. Some of these buildings are little museums and there is an ample selections of cafes and restaurants, who were doubtless hampered by the bad weather.

There is a path that circumnavigates the main walls of the fortress, and offers great views of the surrounding countryside, especially the river valley that the train follows. Especially impressive is a geological feature that looks like a refugee from Monument Valley, albeit very green. You can also find out why over half the area of the fortress is stil an undeveloped forest-it’s where the main powder magazines were located, although there are also some in the developed area. There is also what appears to be a guest house on the walls. Besides this walk, there are also ones that take you through the original castle and down almost to the level of the entrance gate, but don’t quite connect for obvious reasons.

On the way down I took a different path that takes you past the outer battlements and down what must have been the main supply roads since it was paved with large uneven stones that are uncomfortable to navigate on foot. By the rail station there is a little cafe where I got some coffee and cake for the most reasonable price I had seen yet in Europe.

Koenigstein photos: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Koenigstein2011/index.html

I got back to Dresden in time to do some more sightseeing, so I got off at the main train station and took the tram back into the tourist town. Back at the Zwinger I checked out the Ruestkammer, or Armoury, and then went over to the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace) for some more museums, including the New Green Vault and the Turkish Vault. The Historical Green Vault requires reservations. I got delayed there for almost an hour since the strap from my pack ended up hanging out of my locker and intruding into another on where it got locked in.

Dresden photos: http://ikemi.info/graphics3/Dresden2011/index.html

From Dresden it was a short trip to Muenchen to meet the Globus tour the following day. I had a half day free plus a full one to do some exploring.