We left Seattle at 9:40 a.m. and flew to Paris.
We
got to Paris about 8:00 in the morning. We caught the shuttle to the Marriott
Hotel and dropped our luggage off then went into Paris. We walked over to Notre
Dame and the Hotel de Neuville.
Notre Dame
Hotel de Neuville
We
walked over to the Opera house and the Galeries Lafayette. We window shopped
for awhile then ate lunch there. It was really good.
We
walked back over to the Opera. We have been here before but I wanted to go back
inside. Michael sat inside and took a catnap while I went through. We have not
slept yet since flying in so we were tired but knew we had to stay up. As long
as we were walking we were ok.
Designed
by Charles Garnier for Napoleon III, Paris’ opera house looks like a giant
wedding cake. It took 13 years to complete. There’s even an underground lake
beneath the building which was the inspiration for Phantom of the Opera.
We walked down the street
and went into La Madeleine church. It is massive! The church was
consecrated to Mary Magdalene.
We
walked all over Paris...our feet were so tired. It was cold, damp, and
misty out. We took the bus a few times just to save our feet. We used it to get to Trocadero to see
the Eiffel Tower. We stayed for about an hour until dusk. I loved
seeing the Eiffel Tower twinkle.
The
twinkle of the Eiffel tower came out pretty blurry! It was a grey misty cold
night so it was hard to try to get the camera to focus on anything. That’s ok
we were enjoying the moment anyway!
We
walked across the street and caught the bus again and got off at the Arch de
Triumph. We walked to the Champs-Élysées. We walked from one end all the way to
the other end to the Place de la Concorde. All along both sides of the
Champs-Élysées were the Christmas market booths. Our feet and body were so
tired. We stopped at Brioche Doree and got pastries and hot chocolate. By the
time we got back to the hotel and in bed we had been up for 34 hours straight!
That bed felt so good!
We
got up and went to the train station looking for a restaurant Michael ate at
before which was really fancy and good called “Le tren bleu.” We couldn’t find
it. He thinks it could have been at one of the other train station in Paris. We went
to eat lunch at a café across the street from the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, since
we were going there next. The cemetery was huge and pretty cool. It wasn’t
raining hard but it was misty and cold. Perfect for a cemetery kind of feeling!
J
Pretty ugly pictures! We are obviously easily entertained! Keeping it classy in Paris!
This
was the best desert! “Profiteroles.”
The cemetery manages to squeeze an increasing number of bodies into a finite and already crowded space. One way it does this is by combining the remains of multiple family members in the same grave. At Père Lachaise, it is not uncommon to reopen a grave after a body has decomposed and inter another coffin. Some family mausoleums or multi-family tombs contain dozens of bodies, often in several separate but contiguous graves. Shelves are usually fitted out to accommodate them.
In
relatively recent times, Père Lachaise has adopted a standard practice of
issuing 30-year leases on gravesites, so that if a lease is not renewed by the
family, the remains can be removed, space made for a new grave, and the overall
deterioration of the cemetery minimized.
We
took the metro over to Point Neuf and walked all over. We put a “Love Lock” on
the bridge and then went over to the Latin Quarter to eat dinner. It was
raining when we got done so we walked back to the Metro and then to the hotel.
A rainy day in Paris is still pretty cool! It’s so pretty.
We
put the lock right in front of the first light pole. Now we can find it if we
go back!
November
30, 2013
We had an early morning flight from Paris to
Prague which was about 2 ½ hours. A taxi picked us up at the airport and
dropped us off at the Hotel Metero in Prague. We checked into our room and
walked around town and hung out at the Christmas market. We had a yummy but
huge ham lunch. We went back to the hotel and got a massage at 2 p.m. We were so
exhausted and the massage put us over the top. We went back to the room and
slept until about 7p.m.
Our Hotel.
Looking out our window.
The
capital of the Czech Republic is Prague. Since it escaped the bombs of last
century's wars, it's one of Europe's best preserved cities. Its nickname: “The
golden city of a hundred spires.”
We went back out and walked around town again and visited
the Astronomical Clock. We went to the mall later which was really decorated nice for Christmas. We ate dinner
in the Mall.
The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working.
The astronomical dial has a background that represents the standing Earth and sky, and surrounding it operate four main moving components: the zodiacal ring, an outer rotating ring, an icon representing the Sun, and an icon representing the Moon. Inside the large black outer circle lies another movable circle marked with the signs of the zodiac which indicates the location of the Sun on the ecliptic.
There is also a presentation of statues of the Apostles at
the doorways above the clock, with all twelve presented every hour.
The four figures flanking the clock are set in motion at the
hour, these represent four things that were despised at the time of the clock's
making. From left to right in the photographs, the first is Vanity, represented
by a figure admiring himself in a mirror. Next, the miser holding a bag of gold
represents greed or usury. Across the clock stands Death, a skeleton that
strikes the time upon the hour. Finally, the Turk tells pleasure and
entertainment. On the hour, the skeleton rings the bell and immediately all
other figures shake their heads, side to side, signifying their unreadiness
"to go."
We got a Trdelnik which is a sweet cinnamon rolled pastry
that is very yummy and all over Prague in the Christmas Markets.
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December
1, 2013
We
walked around Old Town and got breakfast. We also visited the Astronomical
Clock again. We took a bus to the Palace. to see St. Vitus’s Cathedral. We walked around the inside of
the castle area where the servants lived and worked. They are now little shops.
I bought some Christmas Ornaments for my sister, Steph and me. On the way out we stopped to take some
pictures of the city below and get some hot chocolate and Trdelnik again Yum!
The Prague
castle is a complex of churches, palaces, and towers on a hill that dominates
the west side of the Vltava River. For a
thousand years, Prague has been ruled from here. Even today, the guards march,
and the president works within its gates. The castle complex is huge.
We walked over to the John
Lennon Wall. I wrote a quote from Bob Marley on it. Before the fall of
Communism, Czech freedom-lovers found inspiration at the graffiti-covered wall
dedicated to John Lennon — an icon of Western freedom in the 1980s. Authorities
whitewashed it countless times but the graffiti kept coming back. Even
today...after 14 years of independence, Czechs treasure their freedom and their
Lennon Wall.
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We
walked down to the river and saw a ton of swans. There were people feeding
them. It was a great view of the Charles Bridge across the water. We walked over to the Charles Bridge and spent some time there until sunset.
“Love
Locks” under the Charles Bridge.
The Charles Bridge is one of the most popular attractions on the Continent.
I read a little about the bridge. I guess before the Charles Bridge was here there was another bridge. Even though it seems like the bridge is far from the sea where it is, it’s prone to flooding. In fact every single one of the statues has been replaced at least once because of high water, and a few of the figures have washed overboard and now peacefully lay resting on the river bottom.
The Charles Bridge has stood the test of time against the flood waters, or at least since its construction in the 1400's. The present-day structure bears the name of King Charles IV, the royal figure, who commissioned the first bridge that lasted only from the year of 1170 until 1342, when the rampaging river washed the Romanesque structure downstream. The first bridge was called Judith's bridge named after Queen Judith, a twelfth century Bohemian Queen.
The Gothic watchtower that serves as an entrance to the main town was designed by the same man that designed the Charles Bridge. We climbed the stairs to the top, where an exterior walkway goes in a circle and gives you a really spectacular view of the main city and the bridge.
The
night watchman posed for a picture while he was lighting the lanterns all along the
way. He started down one side all the way to the end and came back.
December
2, 2013
We
walked over to Wenceslas Square and walked to the end stopping to eat and look
at shops and things. We walked through town again and through St. George’s
church and also the Jewish quarter.
We
went back and watched the Astronomical Clock go off. We decided to go back over
to Charles Bridge again. It wasn’t as crowded as before. We went to the top of
the Old town Bridge Tower which was a great view of Prague. Before we
left Prague we walked through the Christmas Market one last time and got one last Trdelnik
and hot chocolate. They are so good.
St.
Wenceslas, commemorated by this statue, is the "good king" of
Christmas carol fame. The statue is a popular meeting point. Locals say,
"I'll see you under the horse's...tail." The "good king"
was actually an unusually educated and highly cultured 10th century Czech duke.
Stories of his enlightened reign caused Europeans to see Czechs as civilized
rather than barbarian. To this day, Wenceslas is a symbol of Czech nationalism.
An
inspiring memorial here commemorates Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc, two college
students who set themselves on fire in 1969 to protest the Soviet Union's
invasion of the Czech Republic the year before. Twenty years later, giant
crowds converged on the square, jingling their key chains and chanting,
"It’s time to go now!" in the lead-up to the peaceful overthrow of
the communist government.
With the end of World War I, the Hapsburgs were history, and the independent country of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed from this square. But independence lasted barely 20 years. In 1939, the Nazis swept in. While Prague escaped the bombs of World War II, it couldn't avoid the communist.
It
was sunny and beautiful today but still cold. The bridge was a lot less crowded
then yesterday.
We
took a taxi to the train station to catch a train to Dresden Germany. The train
was very nice and we got our own private compartment. The joy was not to last. Instead of the 2 ½ hour train ride there was a change of plans. When they came to
check our tickets they said this train would no longer be going to Germany and
we would have to get off at the next stop and catch a bus to Dresden! Nice.
Good thing Michael knows what to do and plans well. We got on a bus with our
luggage and headed to Dresden where a taxi took us to our hotel. We got there when it was dark so we
just walked around town a little. We visited the Christmas market and ate dinner
at Freiberger near the Market. It was very good. Our hotel lobby was so pretty
and decorated for Christmas. It is really cold tonight!
Our hotel
December
3, 2013
We
walked back over to the Old Town area and walked through the grounds of the
Zwinger Palace. I bet it is so pretty in the summer or spring. It was super cold.
We walked over to the Christmas Market and ate and got hot chocolate.
There are many Christmas markets in Dresden, but the largest of them all is the Dresden Striezelmarkt. The Dresden Striezelmarkt is also Germany’s oldest Christmas market and 2013 marks the 579th Dresden Striezelmarkt.
We walked over to the Christmas Market and ate and got hot chocolate.
There are many Christmas markets in Dresden, but the largest of them all is the Dresden Striezelmarkt. The Dresden Striezelmarkt is also Germany’s oldest Christmas market and 2013 marks the 579th Dresden Striezelmarkt.
The Market takes its name from the striezel or stollen which Dresden is famous for and one of the main events of this month-long Christmas market is the Dresden Stollen Festival. The Striezelmarkt takes place is in the Altmarkt (Old Market) and each year over 700,000 visitors come to enjoy this Christmas event. That’s like 10 football fields. That’s a lot of people! The Stollen is really good!!
We walked around for a long time. We later went to the mall to get lunch
and get warm! We walked back through town and went to the other Christmas
Market where we ate dinner last night. We spent time there and since it was so
good we ate dinner at the same place but ordered something different. It was
just as good. We got a really good dessert. It was the anniversary of our first
date 46 years ago! Wow we are getting old!
We
sat in the beautiful church, it was so nice and warm. They had someone playing
the organ. It was so nice relaxing listening to Christmas music in this church!
Awesome. Come to think of it…It must have been cold outside because the church
felt warm and cathedrals are not warm!
December
4, 2013
We spent more time at the Christmas Markets and
the Old Town area. The buildings are so awesome. It is bitter cold especially
when the wind blows.
We
picked up our rental car to drive to our next stop, Nuremberg Germany. It took
about 2 ½ hours. We stopped to eat dinner and also stopped in Frieberg Germany
to see the Temple.
It was the first Temple build behind the Iron Curtain. Built
in what was then the German Democratic Republic, the Freiberg Germany Temple
was the first LDS temple in a then-communist state. After the Bern Switzerland
Temple was dedicated in 1955, Latter-day Saints throughout Europe visited it
for the Endowment and other temple rites.
After 1957, East German governmental
restrictions on foreign travel prevented the country's Latter-day Saints from
easily obtaining visas to travel to the temple. Church members repeatedly
applied for visas, were rejected, then applied again. An attempt in the early
1970s by Henry Burkhardt, the de jure head of the church in East Germany, to
present the government with a list of 300 church members interested in visiting
the temple almost led to his arrest.
During
its existence the German Democratic Republic spied on every LDS congregation's
meetings, and Burkhardt had at least three Stasi agents monitoring him at all
times. The Stasi and other East German government institutions viewed the church
as connected to "the right wing of American conservatism...ruling circles
within the American government...and the American secret service.
As
East Germany sought in the 1980s to improve its image abroad, however, the
Latter-day Saints' alleged ties to the United States government and other
Western powers worked in the church's favor. The Stasi's close monitoring of
East German members over the years gave the church credibility, as the
government came to see Latter-day Saints as citizens of good character who, in
keeping with the 12th Article of Faith, did not conspire against the nation. Accordingly,
it agreed that no one without a recommend would enter the temple after the
dedication, and fears of bugging proved groundless.
Earlier
Pres. Monson went over to Germany to talk to the government. He told them that
if they allowed the church to build a temple the people would not want to leave
to try and attend a temple outside of East Germany.
It
is very small and almost looks like a simple chapel. It was dark when we got to
our hotel so we went to eat dinner and then back to the hotel room.
December
5, 2013
We got up this morning and
drove over to the Zeppelin Field where Hitler stood and rallied the people.
There was not much to see but it was still cool to check it out. Just a part of
history Michael wanted to see.
Standing where Hitler
stood.
We
spent the whole day at the Christmas Market in Nuremberg. There was tons of
booths plus regular stores we shopped in. It was very fun. We thought we had a
great parking spot. I guess we did not quite understand the sign because we got
a ticket. That’s ok at least they didn’t tow us. We weren’t supposed to park
there at all! It costs us 25 euros. Not bad for a fun full day and a great
parking spot! Tomorrow we head to Rothenberg for the day.
December 6, 2013
We spent the day in Rothenberg. It started to snow on our way. It’s a great place to visit at Christmas. We ate lunch at the same place we did when we were last here. It was really good. We mostly Christmas shopped and ate.
The last time we were in Rothenberg we stayed overnight at this hotel. I loved it. Very cool.
I
loved all the window boxes and how they were all so pretty for winter.
December
7, 2013
We
went to the town of Erding and had brunch at the café.
We drove over to Munich and just drove around
for a bit then headed to the spa in Erding for the rest of the day and evening.
We are gonna sleep good tonight. Tomorrow we will spend the day in Munich.
December
8, 2013
We
usually like to shop in the stores in Munich but its Sunday and they are all
closed. I remember that from one other time we were there on a Sunday. The
Christmas Market was open and packed with people. We ate lunch at Augstiner. It
is a very nice place on the outside and inside but the food was just ok. It
attracts the tourist and we got sucked in. Very cozy Christmas atmosphere but
that’s it. We should have gone to Zum Durnbrau where we always go. It is so
good and we have talked about it since before we booked this trip. I think a
good judge is it’s where the locals go! The first time we went there was with
one of Michael’s clients at Microsoft. He lives in Munich. Oh well live and learn. It was fun to try something new anyway.
We spent the day shopping in the markets
and walking around. We listened to a band on the street in Maxamillion Square.
They were very good. We watched all the kids ice skating in
Karlspatz Square. (Which is at the end of Mariensplatz.)
While
we were walking around we heard loud bells constantly banging, then we noticed
a ton of people watching a parade of ugly looking masked people followed by St.
Nick. We found out more about this later. It happens only twice a year on
December 8th and December 22nd from 3 to 5p.m. We just
happened to catch it.
In
what has to be the most terrifying of all Christmas traditions, in the week
leading up to the Feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6 the horned and hairy
Alpine beast known as Krampus runs riot on the streets of Austria, Bavaria and
beyond. In Germanic folklore, Saint Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with
gifts, while his devilish counterpart hunts down the naughty and the
mischievous, hitting them with birch twigs and, if he's fast enough, capturing
them in his sack and carrying them off to their doom.
In
other variations of the theme, Krampus is considered one of Santa's minions who
follows him around and obediently hands out either presents or switches,
depending on whether the child in question has been good or bad.
We
got to the Marienplatz well in advance of the Krampus’ scheduled arrival. We
heard them rattling and clanging in the distance well before the first ones
appeared.
December 9, 2013
December 9, 2013
We are going for a drive through Bavarian Germany today to visit castles. We have been to Neuschwanstein Castle and the Hohenschwangau Castle before but I wanted to go again.
We set off towards Füssen, close to the famous Neuschwanstein castle. As we
approached the Austrian boarder, mountains grew up along the horizon. It was a
beautiful sight!
Seven
weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to
the public. The shy king had built the castle in order to withdraw from public
life – now vast numbers of people came to view his private refuge. It was Walt
Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland's Castle.
Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular
of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.4 million people visit
"the castle of the fairy-tale king". In the summer around 6,000
visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single inhabitant.
The
Hohenschwangau castle was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria.
Hohenschwangau castle
We
walked up the hill to the castle but decided to ride back downhill. It was kinda
fun. Like a sleigh ride at Christmas!!
Linderhof although it was the smallest of Ludwig's three palaces it has some unique characteristics including a hall of mirrors, a chandelier made entirely of ivory, oh yeah, and a private grotto (which was, unfortunately, closed for the winter). There was evidence of Ludwig's unique style and personality everywhere. He liked to be alone and had his dining table made to be lowered through the floor to the kitchen so that he could truly dine alone. The location of the palace, set between the mountains, made for breathtaking views.
The
green-domed cathedral was built after the original building – which had been on
that site since the 1300s – burned down in 1744. Over the decades, more
buildings and towers were added on, in the same Baroque style of the dome.
During WWII, a number of people in Ettal were in on the conspiracy against
Hitler. One priest was forced to remain there so he wouldn’t go around
spreading anti-Nazi rhetoric. And theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer – who would
later be killed for his role in the resistance against Hitler – spent a good
deal of time at the Abbey as a guest of the Abbot. The Abby has been the site of some
serious violent crimes. In 2010, ten priests were arrested for sexually abusing
and “sadistically tormenting” children at the Abbey. Not a nice thought for
such a beautiful building!
We
then drove to the city of Oberammergau, Germany. It’s a pretty drive and the
city is so cute. The town is famous for its' production of the Passion Play, and for
it' woodcarvers. The Oberammergau Passion Play was first performed in 1634 and is
the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if God spared
them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region they would
perform a passion play every ten years. The play is now performed in years
ending with a zero, as well as in 1934 which was the 300th anniversary and 1984
which was the 350th anniversary (though the 1940 performance was cancelled
because of the intervention of the Second World War). It involves over 2000
actors, singers, instrumentalists and technicians, all residents of the
village. I bet that little town is a mad house whenever the play is put on. I
hear you can’t get a hotel for miles of the city at that time of year. I’m
so glad it was not this year. I was in awe, it's a very cool place.
We had apple strudel and hot chocolate at a local café’. It was so good.
We drove back to Munich to go to the shops (they were open this time) and the Christmas markets.
We
ate dinner at Zum Durnbrau. We got there just in time. It was packed and
completely full. It was good as usual! Tomorrow we head into Salzburg Austria
for the day. We fly home early the Wednesday morning.
December
10, 2013
We drove to Salzburg, Austria today. We spent the
day walking around the town and visiting all the Christmas markets.
We
ate lunch at St. Peter’s restaurant. We’ve eaten there before. It’s very nice
and it's so beautiful inside. The restaurant was established in 803 A.D. and has been
open ever since. It’s the oldest restaurant in Europe. They have Mozart concerts here and
serve dinner. The rooms are so pretty. We drove back into Munich for a while
then went to the spa the rest of the night. We ate dinner at the spa. What a
great and relaxing way to end our trip. We fly home tomorrow.
December
11, 2013
We had a 7 a.m. flight. We left for the airport at 4:30 a.m. Flying back is a lot easier, especially going west because you are chasing the sun. Loved all the wonderful Christmas things we got to experience. I love to travel but getting back home after a long trip is something I look forward to a lot.
We had a 7 a.m. flight. We left for the airport at 4:30 a.m. Flying back is a lot easier, especially going west because you are chasing the sun. Loved all the wonderful Christmas things we got to experience. I love to travel but getting back home after a long trip is something I look forward to a lot.
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