Germany Archives • Page 2 of 4 • Folksy Travel by Bill Smale

September 25, 2024

Dacau Munich – a dark past

I did not realize how close this prison camp was to Munich but when I saw on the map I had to visit. Below is a link to information about this camp.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

This place is massive. I decided not to walk around the whole area. Visiting the one main museum building and maybe one or two others is sufficient for the history. The rest is a walking tour.

These dots represent supporting sub camps. When I saw this map I found it a little difficult to believe after seeing even the massiveness of this main camp.

This photo above and the photo below are the infirmary areas which were also massive. But the infirmaries were not just for healing people they were for human experimentation as well.

Probably not a relative but the closest to where my family lived. I need to keep looking in other places.

This massive book contains every registered prisoner.

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024

nuremberg – The court and the city

This is the room where the criminal court for war crimes against the second world war government was held. It was built specifically for the trials

Is there any other good name for a hotdog stand?

Above the door you can see the individual panels of the different districts defined by the Lords or the church. This isSt. Lawrence basilica

Again the coat of arms of the different fiefdoms

A campari spritz which so many people seem to be drinking in the afternoon and the evening

Different from a Campari spritz but you get to know how they are made

Schöner Brunnen
Iconic fountain with Gothic church spire

This just strikes me as funny. It’s a Vietnamese restaurant advertising Japanese Ramen and avocados which are so popular, plentiful and cheap in Laos. Most of the Asian food restaurants we have seen in Europe are run either by Vietnamese or Chinese immigrants

Albrecht Dürer, sometimes spelled in English as Durer, was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints.

You see these extended rooms with windows and I was not able to ask anybody why they’re built this way but I suspect it’s for watching what’s going on

This one has a night in shining armor watching out for everyone

The view from the castle and the photo below explains the different sites

This was a very delicious orange sherbet with some fruit and …. just so delicious

August 4, 2024August 4, 2024

Landshut – a few notes

Landshut is a very interesting and beautiful place to visit. The old buildings, the rivers and all of the services that make it a very livable place as well. Here are just a few parting notes.

You can tell from this I like wheat beers in Germany. This is a very nice one

On the way to the castle, going up the steps, you will pass Ristorante Rossini. It is exceptional food and the service is more than you could expect from any restaurant. Just look at the fresh basil picked from the garden. In addition they are growing basil on the table so you can pick it off and put it in your food. This pizza was very delicious and the Vegetarian ravioli with the beautiful cream sauce, almost like a four cheese, was very rich but not overly.

The pizza at Pizzeria Pomodoro & Mozzarella is also exceptional. We ate here three times it was so good.

The neighboring town of Freising had some amazing history associated with one of the popes, the retired one, along with some important political stories for Bavaria.

There is constant improvement in the city. It’s such a nice place to walk around.

July 14, 2024July 14, 2024

The Pride March was right in the center of Munich. It was interesting to see the first parade since the Phuket vegetarian festival when people stuck sharp things in their bodies (1995) and the first stage event since Tony Bennett in 2000. No, wait, Dinah Ross in 2017. There were tens of thousands of people and kilometers of people in the parade. It was quite a fun event.

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024

Euro 24 Soccer

in a few days the final game in this European soccer championship will be played and there will be a big party in the winners country. I visited when the games were in Munich. Here are some photos.

The scouts were all ready in their kilts and some and some were Pipers. They love German beer.

The BMW museum is here at the Olympic Stadium area. Here is one of their iconic classics

The Scotts were everywhere and friendly with everybody

You put some money in the machine and a robot makes your coffee for you and possibly serves you a snack

Beach volleyball along way from the beach

The Olympic swimming pool is now for Public use

Romanian fans were having a great time and singing their fan song

The Scot’s were competing with their songs and pipes. The Scots drew the biggest crowd

Hofbrau house was packed with more than 1000 customers

I didn’t know they had sales for police cars

It was nice to see a new lotus in the showroom. I remember the Elan from “the avengers”.

July 8, 2024July 8, 2024

Landshut, Munich – a happenstance gem

Landshut is a very old city, wonderful place to walk around, study the history and a very livable city as well. Transport to Munich is easy as are buses around town. There are monthly storage facilities if you need, which we did, and the Italian restaurant (Rossini) on the steps leading up to the castle is so fantastic. The food quality and pricing can’t be beat in this city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landshut

Cute Fiat with rear tires in the middle of the rear and fake wheel images on the back. Interesting

One church downtown. Bavaria is very catholic.

Fruit drink and a huge cappuccino, cup with no handle

Rossini’s superb quattro formaggi and spaghetti oil and chili pepper

Pretty good wheat beer at a local beer garden

An excellent weisenbier made at the local brewery and served here at an italian restaurant in the shopping area.

July 7, 2024July 7, 2024

Freising – Bavaria. 1,000 year old beer

this little town is very old and very interesting. It is where the former pope Benedict was made a priest and it has the oldest continuous brewery in the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freising

This Rubens painting is a replica. the original has been moved to a museum.

The decorations in the cathedral were done by two brothers. One did the stucco work and the other one did the painting.

This cape stucco work was the only part of the cathedral that the two brothers worked on together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freising_Cathedral

This brewery is over 1000 years old and therefore is the oldest continuously operating brewery in the world , or so they say.

August 18, 2023August 18, 2023

Frankfurt – back again

What tour of Germany would be complete without a schnitzel?

Look at all the frankfurters near the frankfurter

Enjoying our lunch looking at my great grandfather’s house in Bad Kreuznach

And of course it had to rain in Frankfurt on our last day in Germany and in Europe

I want to make a cap with this logo, “my hometown Bad Kreuznach”

Finally, back in Thailand and some delicious food

July 10, 2023July 10, 2023

Konstanz (Germany) – Kreuzlingen (Switzerland)

Konstanz, Germany is on a beautiful touristy lake on the border with Switzerland. We found it cheaper to stay across the border 50 meters than to have a hotel near Konstanz station. The Swiss town is Kreuzlingen and as typical with Switzerland everything but the hotel was more expensive than in Germany, double in many instances. We found Konstanz to be a much more beautiful environment as well. A thing to remember is the currency difference. Euros are not used in Switzerland or Liechenstein. They use Swiss Francs. Now the US Dollar, Euro and Swiss Franc are about equal, give or take a few pennies so it’s pretty easy for merchants to accept the neighbor’s currency and make the calculations. Another thing to note is prepaid phone sim cards don’t cross this border without subscribing to some special, and expensive, roaming service. So I just bought a Swiss sim and switched back when back in an EU country. The signal disappears 5 meters from the border. Those phone companies surely are jealous about a few pennies.