The holiday in Nuremberg and Munich is now over. It ended, rather delightfully, in an upgrade to Etihad Airways first class on my way back to Abu Dhabi. I’ve written about that here. I’ll be in Abu Dhabi for a few weeks, doing my regular job and writing on this blog about travel and other things that interest me, and then I’ll be off to Brisbane for Christmas. If all goes to plan, I’ll be blogging that too.
Better than wurst: I spent my final day in Germany at the Sheraton Munich Airport Hotel. The staff were extremely friendly, the room comfortable and the service excellent. But the highlight was this (above) prawn and scallop risotto. One of the best meals I’ve had in a hotel — and the perfect antidote to all that tasty but stodgy German sausage.
Beers in a brewery: I finally made it to the Hofbrauhaus and tasted the local brew. Those 1-litre steins are heavy! I had trouble picking one up; no idea how the staff manage to carry six at a time. I also did the mandatory hop-on, hop-off tour. Munich has changed a bit since I was last here, and I already have a few places in mind to visit the next time I’m here (which, according to my airline ticket, is March).
City of contrasts: November 5. Munich is a bustling place at the best of times. Yesterday, the lead-up to last night’s Champions League football game between Bayern Munich and Arsenal brought a sea of read and white (the colours of both teams) into the central Marienplatz. The famous Hofbrauhaus was full to bursting, but I got a seat and a homemade brew at the nearby Weisshaus. You don’t have to go too far to quench your thirst in Bavaria. There are some street scenes here; I hope to take more photos and share some deeper insights later today.
Southern comfort: Although unimpressed with the train service — my reserved carriage and seat did not exist, among other hiccups — and the scene around Munich station — it reminded me of Fortitude Valley in Brisbane in the early 1980s, right down to a drunk doing 15 rounds with a lamppost — I’m starting to warm to Munich
The welcome at the Mercure City Centre has been very warm and the extras — free wifi, breakfast and minibar — have made this the best-value hotel stay I’ve had in ages. Here’s a picture of my room.
55 not out: By taking this trip to Germany, I made a deliberate choice to spend my birthday on my own. Why? Well, that’s something I may write about one day.
Nevertheless, I’ve been overwhelmed by the messages I’ve received by text message, Twitter and,especially, Facebook, where my timeline runneth over.
I’m heading off for breakfast now (they do a nice hot and cold buffet at the Hampton by Hilton in Nuremberg, with an emphasis on products that are not widely available in the UAE), then will be catching a train to Munich. Depending on how it all goes, I will update this blog later today or tomorrow.
A day at the museums: First, the Documentation Centre near the Nazi Party Rally Grounds. When you think of Nuremberg, you can’t escape that elephant.
This is where, in “the most German of all German cities”, Adolf Hitler held his annual egofest. It’s all documented in the museum, which was constructed around the unfinished Nazi Party congress hall.
It’s quite chilling, especially for somebody with German heritage, to see the footage of those thousands of people completely mesmerised by Hitler, and ponder how the human mind works; what separates good from evil.
On a lighter note, I went to the Railway Museum, and saw trains, big and small, old and new. The picture, above, is something fancy my new camera did automatically to a shot I took in the Old Town. The pictures below are a swan near the rally site; a train at the museum and a view of the Pegnitz river running through the Old Town.
When in Rome … November 3, 2015 I always like to sample the local delicacies. In Nuremberg, it’s the sausage or Bratwurst. Three small ones on a bread roll with as much mustard a I can drown it in — a bargain at 3 euro. Below are some other pictures taken yesterday. These are from the new camera, and I’m a little disappointed in the quality. I’m not ruling out operator error yet, so hopefully things will improve.
Sightseeing: It’s autumn and the last of the green leaves are turning yellow or brown. It’s cold but quite magical here in Nuremberg. Here’s a picture of the opera house.
The train trip and the hotel: November 2, noon. A smooth connection from Frankfurt airport to the train station. A 30 minute delay, but now in Nuremberg at the Hampton by Hilton hotel, and about to take a nap in the bed pictured below before I take on the town.
A surprise: Upgraded to first class. What can I say? I was feeling a little down because of a heavy head cold, so this was the tonic. Etihad service is great all the time, but especially so in business and first class. I’m not sure why they chose me but it may be because I was travelling alone. In any case, a few Bollingers and a real steak, and a flat bed, made a big difference.
The pre-flight procedure: I don’t usually have spicy foods these days (long story, don’t ask), but I thought the spicy Thai noodle in the Etihad premium lounge might clear up my sinuses. I have no evidence that the champagne will help me in any way, but, hey, I’m on holiday. the flight boards in about two hours so I have plenty of time to experiment.
The shopping. 1-2pm November 1, 2015. There’s always the last-minute shopping before. This time I went to Marina Mall and bought a jacket and a fleecy thing from the fat men’s store. That almost guarantees that the weather will be warm when I arrive in Frankfurt. The thing is that I shop quickly. The clothes were selected, tried on and bought within 10 minutes. Then I had a coffee and I wandered into Carrefour, and walked out with a new camera. Yes, I know I don’t need a camera because I have a phone. And a camera. Now I have a phone and two cameras. Hopefully my pictures on this trip will be more in focus than the one above, which was taken with my phone.
