April 7 Museum Day in Berlin

I should mention I am being spoiled by my new friends/family in Berlin.  When asked the innocent question what I usually eat for breakfast, I named a few alternatives I might eat.  For example yoghurt and fruit, or toast and an egg or cheese, or maybe a bowl of porridge.  The next day all those options, with the exception of the porridge, were on the table, plus various cold cuts and Siegfried had picked up fresh White Sausage that I must try.  It is a special seasoned port sausage that you boil then suck out of the sausage skin and is very tasty.  Who knew they would put it all before me, when anything would have done fine.  Claudia said it gave Siegfried and excuse to shop and eat, which he loves to do...I was just awed by the assortment of food on my private buffet.
After breakfast I head out via the bus and underground to museum island. I bought a museum pass which gives me access to 60 some museums in Berlin and the Island itself has five museums.  The pass is more economical if you plan to attend at least two museums.  The Boden famed for its sculptures, Pergammon with amazing ancient Roman, Babylonian, Macedonian artificats including the huge alter and gates, and the Neues Museum with a great collection of Egyptian exhibits and papyrus scrolls were highlights. If you are ever in Berlin the Pergammon should not be missed...it also had Syrian and Islamic cultural exhibits with beautiful Persian carpets, dieties and carved wooden relics.
Lunch was the Egyptian Sampler in the Neues Museum Cafe, though it seemed quite Greek to me with hummus, tabouli, tsitsiki, turkish bread and red lentil soup. From there it was over to the National Gallery which unfortunately was not honoring the museum card as they had a special exhibit of the artist, and excuse my spelling, Wagner with an admission charge. I am not a fan of his work so I opted to head over to the Dom cathedral. Got sidetracked and took a canal cruise which was almost like a private excursion as there were only five passengers on the boat as we cruised by many sights from another perspective than via the streets.
The white squares with black cross on the canal wall was a solemn reminder of those who lost their lives trying to escape the east via the waterway. All the museums and the canal cruise have English option audio systems that keep you well informed on what you are seeing. The museums system especially allow you to wander at your own pace, just key in the number code at an exhibit and you get to hear the details.
The canal cruise ended nest to the Dom and I just had time to explore before sitting down for the forty five minute Evensong service which is in German and English on Thursday. The huge pipe organ music was wonderful as the low booming notes resonated through your body. It was then time to head home for my last night in Berlin and the companionship of family.

Berlin - April 6

My host took a day off work and we headed out to Potsdam (about 30 km out of Berlin) ~ it is also known as the Berlin Hollywood because of all the movies filmed in the area.  We got tied up in a traffic jam as police detoured vehicles over a large area for a bomb disposal.  We heard later on the news a 250 kg bomb from WWII was found in a residential area, requiring clearing the area while the specialists defused and disposed of the bomb.  Apparently it is not uncommon to still find bombs even 50 plus years after the war ended. Definitely an unexpected experience, and not on any tourist information.
We eventualy arrived at the magnificent palaces of Schloss Sanssouci (French for 'free of care' or as Siegfriend put it 'No Worries'). It was a summer home for the Prussian Kings with the first palace built in the mid-1700's for King Frederick (he is buried there with graves of his favorite dogs) 'without pomp and splendor' as the king had requested.  On his humble grave slab were raw potatoes, a reminder of his legacy. The story goes that he ordered the farmers to grow potatoes but they did not want to change their way of farming. So the king had fields planted and guards posted to protect the precious potatoes (though he told the guards to look the other way if 'thieves' came to steal the potatoes).  And the farmers did come and steal the king's potatoes and start growing them and they became a food staple.
Over the years additions to the palaces, more gardens, vineyards and new palaces turned Sanssouci into a huge complex...fountains, windmill, Oriental pavilion - so the visit involved a lot of walking and the steps up to the original palace finished off my legs.  We caught a public transit bus back to the parking lot and headed home.
The evening was highlighted by a 'Bavarian Feast'and of course the local beer.  The platter for two had enough meat for a week - crispy pork shank, wursts, roast, chicken, potatoes, cooked purple cabbage side and coleslaw plus...though we tried valiantly we could not eat it all and had a big doggy bag to take home.

April 5 On to Berlin

Left Erfurt on the high speed train to Berlin.  It doesn't feel like you're going 200 plus km as the scenery flows by.  The train only seemed to slow through major cities and to let the occasional train pass. The rolling farmland gave way to the flatter and more industrial look as we headed into Berlin, a city of three million. I arrived shortly after noon at the central station, a big complex as it is a major train hub for the country.
Stopped for lunch at a creperie and gelato shop in the station - cherry crepes with creamy smooth ice cream - maybe not the most nutritious choice but certainly delicious.
Called my mom's cousins Claudia and Siegfried then took a cab over to their home - a lovely modern three bedroom two bath condo with deck-patio. Claudia had no sooner settled me into a bedroom then Siegfried arrived. After a quick coffee we headed out to see multiple sights. I had picked up a highlights of Berlin tourist information brochure at the station and my hosts happily took be about to many on the list, stopping for pictures along the way.  Had stopped at the Berliner Dom but could not go in due to a special concert about to start requiring a pricey ticket. So our tour continued on to the Potsdamer Platz, a shopping mall decorated with huge easter eggs, each painted or decorated in different artistic manner...beautiful to a little over the top, the styles were interesting to see.  From there we walked to the Sony Centre, another on the list of tourist must sees, and indulged in a dinner of one of Berlin's specialties ~ Currzwurst and a local beer.
Berlin may be one city but I found it visually still showing evidence of the east/west differences as the east prefabs, less green and international influences (ie. immigrant neighborhoods).  Evidence of 'the wall' was pointed out as we drove several times over the brick/stone lines in pavement on the streets where the wall had previously stood.  Siegfried said two experiences in his life he will never forget - the day the wall came down and secondly, dinner with seven princes (but that is another story).  He was an excellent tour guide, giving background stories to go with the many famous buildings, monuments, etc we visited and answers for my continuous questions. To give a sampling of what we saw that afternoon and evening on my Berlin tour - the Brandenburger Tor (gates), Chancellor's official residence, Reichstasbebaude (seat of parliament), Charlotteburg Palace, Palace Bellevue (the official residence of the president of the Federal Republic - like the US White House), Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (bombed and left as a war memorial) along with the new octagonal church (a symbol of post war architecture), Triumphal Column, Radio Tower, Air Bridge monument, Check Point Charlie, plus mayor's homes and council chambers in various sectors of the city, concert hall, cultural centre, parks, people, bridges where protestors were martyred...a full day.

April 4 - SOS Mom's Chicken Soup Please

Woke to pouring rain and my cold having moved into my chest and still fighting chills and fever. What a time to be sick! All I want is the cure all of Mom's special chicken noodle soup...but had to dress instead to head out to pick up juice, water, Vicks type medicine and a cough syrup I can take with my other medications. I finally managed to get that last item at Apothke (pharmacy) with garbled German/English and list of prescriptions in hand.
STAYED IN BED THEREAFTER. Tiefengruben will have to wait. By the way it 's really no fun being sick with only one English channel - CNN British news and sports.

April 3 - Good byes and sneezes

Final breakfast buffet onboard and farewells as busses transferred guests to the airport and I hopped a taxi to the train station.
Cruising into Frankfurt had me wondering which route my Grandparents had taken as they left Germany to emigrate to Canada.  Having seen thousands of years of history over the past weeks gives me a new appreciation for their roots and courage to emigrate.
I activated my Eurail Pass and enjoyed seeing the city become suburb, then beautiful hilly countryside on the two and a half hour train trip to Erfurt. The hotel was literally right outside the train station so I signed in and went in search of something for my headache, plugged sinus and cough...hard to do when my German dictionary and translator don't have much in the way of medical terms.
I also stopped at the tourist information office to get details on the bus to Tiefengruben (20 km away) however neither young lady working there had ever heard of it (even though it has been designated a historic site as a prime example of a circle village). They could find bus info to Bad Berka which from their net research was 4 km from Tiefengruben but that was as close as they got. I'm regretting now telling Harold and Marianne they didn't have to come down from Achim to show me around Tiefengruben.
Had an early dinner - Jaegerschnitzel with spirrelli. I though it would be a veal or chicken schnitzel with mushroom hunter gravy as per my trusty menu terms in the German dictionary.  Instead it was some sort of ham sausage slices breaded like schnitzel and rigatoni noodles in a tomato sauce. Ah the adventures of eating in a foreign language.
Headache and fever so it was off to bed - to sleep, perchance to dream...

April 2 ...the end is near

I love wandering the streets and coming across funky decorative wrought iron, and sculptural pieces such as the guy who looks like he is holding the building up and hidden art pieces...Frankfurt had its fair share.

I had planned to take the optional day trip to Heidelberg but with the sore throat and sniffles cancelled to stay onboard as the ship finished cruising into Frankfurt. I actually slept in until 10 am (missed all three breakfast options entirely) and woke feeling somewhat better, sore throat gone and sniffles held in check with antihistamines (so no wine today).

After lunch it was off for a bus city tour, then a guided walking tour (which saw me lose the guide in the market when I stopped for a bathroom break...he was supposed to wait on the other side of the market - or so he said - but seemed to have forgotten that as he faded out on my earphones as I raced through the market). With no one in sight on the other side I just thought 'to hell with it' and did my own thing. I went back slower through the market, stopped for coffee and a great apple-cheese pastry in a tiny shop on the square, and people watched to my heart's content.  It was very sunny and hot and the locals were taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.  The walk along the river saw Spring was in the air, cherry blossoms, tree full of magnolia blooms and young lovers groping on the grass (oblivious to the crowds and families picnicing). There were a few times I was tempted to say 'Get a room'.

Once back onboard, I finalized the details and documents for my next river cruise - on the Danube - Passau to Budapest starting April 17 for eight days. The Captain's Farewell Dinner that evening saw everyone at their spiffiest - champagne toast to start and free flowing wine. Dessert was the usual cruise finale - lights out as the staff march in Baked Alaska (though I don't get what the fuss is about Baked Alaska, especially after they have been giving us much better desserts all week).
The evening wrapped up with a three piece group, La Strada  (two violins and a guitar) doing a concert in the lounge. They came from Belgium to entertain us with classical pieces and rousing gypsy music. Excellent performance before it was off to finish laundry and to pack for the morning disembarkation.

April 1 - Crusing the Romantic Rhine

Nothing like having to pass through the pub in order to get to church...such is the case with the building with the flag in front of it. Not an idea that caught on apparently as it was the only one I saw on my travels.

Woke with a sore throat to a grey and chilly day to sit back and cruise the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. The 40 mile (65 km) scenic section has also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features bucolic landscapes dotted with castles - medieval ruins to ones still functioning as hotels and hostels. Terraced vineyards passed by on steep, steep slopes you would think impossible to cultivate, yet they produce many tasty German Reislings.
It was beautiful to see as we quietly cruised, birds singing, the sun eventually shining, snapping pictures at every turn. Rik, the cruise director, introduced each castle and entertained us with the legends associated with them...from feuding brothers, to a miserable Bishop who hogged all the food and production of the workers while they were starving. He was eaten by mice whose population started at one and doubled each night as a warning for him to change his ways, which when he refused to change resulted in his mousey demise. And there are tales of each town's taxes for river traffic along the way and the torture of those who refused to pay...for example people put hanging in baskets off the castle wall, sitting there as skeletons when they starved to death and serving as a constant reminder to pay up or die.

This is one of the "toll" fortresses on the river, where they could see the merchant ships coming and going, take their taxes for their stretch of river and thus keep the castle on the hill and the village below.

We stopped at Bacharach, a small village of 800, to take a walking tour through its many historical, well preserved remains, including medieval walls, charming timber frame houses, cobblestone streets and of course, the winery tour and tasting of the local Reisling. The village in old days was a vibrant trading centre but now is dependent on tourism April until the end of October and ours was the first cruise in for the new season. Come May the streets are jam packed according to our guide.  We enjoyed our peaceful stroll and the tasting (which was actually three full glasses of wine).  After a late lunch we continued Castle cruising on our way to Mainz.  (By the way, the engine was repaired overnight, so it was full speed ahead)

Medieval walls of Bacharach - very thick.

After our day of fresh air (and several glasses of wine) all the passengers were looking forward to the 'Epicurean Adventure' special evening meal with wine matching through each course.  It was delightful (not that I am a gourmet or wine tasting expert) and after a new wine with each course (another four or five glasses that I am sure they kept topping up every time you turned your head), I joined a few other tipsy people who opted to make it an early night.  I did manage to stay awake long enough to watch/listen to the classical pianist special one hour concert in the lounge...then it was off to la-la land.

A famed composers home in Bacharach...where he sat looking out the window, drinking wine and finding his muse to create.

My favorite castle...doesn't look like a princess and prince could appear at any moment?