Day 28-30: Nuremberg (Eric)

Day 28-30: June 24th - 26th, 2019. We’re on our way back to Frankfurt as we fly out tomorrow. 

Before I update the travel blog, I’d like to start by mentioning that today, June 27th, marks the 14th anniversary of the day I married my best friend, traveling companion, and love of my life. This trip has been another incredible adventure, and I can think of no one I would rather share it with than my beautiful wife. She does all the planning for these trips, and I am always amazed at how all of the plans she makes for us turn out to be one remarkable experience after another. For this and everything she adds to my life (which would fill volumes), I am truly grateful. 

Now, on to the update, we’ve spent the last three days in Nuremberg, and I have to say even though we were both a little sad to leave Prague, this city helped lift our spirits and is another place that I would gladly visit again. The central part of the city is an awesome combination of old and new which is remarkable because much of the city was devastated during World War II. 

The horrible effects of the war aside, Nuremberg stands as a tribute to the resilience of humankind. The residents had to clear a mountain of rubble and rebuild almost from scratch. The old buildings that survived were mimicked and incorporated into the new plans as seamlessly as possible. It is another great place to simply wander and see what you see. It’s also not as crowded as some of the other destinations we’ve visited on this trip. Having said that, the locals seem to spend as much time in the historic part of the city as the tourists which makes for a lively atmosphere. 

The city was also home to one of the great artists of the Northern Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer. His house is one of the few that survived the war and is worth a visit as it provides some remarkable insights into the genius that called Nuremberg home for most of his life. On a side note, I recommend the Nuremberg Card for access to the sights and transit systems. 

As a result of Albrecht Dürer’s legacy, Nuremberg has become another city devoted to artistic development. It displays art from both old and new artists around the city. It’s worth the time to wander and just examine some of this pieces as you see them. If one piece strikes you, you could do some research about it as there is no information about any of them near the piece themselves. I did this for the last sculpture pictured below, and I will go into what I learned after the pictures. Enjoy!

The above sculpture, by Jürgen Goertz called Der Hase (“The Hare”) is of a large rabbit that has crushed a person. If you look carefully, there’s a human foot underneath the rabbit. There’s also a smaller rabbit in front.  It was added to this square in 2008 and the locals hangout all around it in the evening because The Wanderer, a popular local pub, is next to the sculpture but has limited seating, so people gather around the statue instead. The artwork is interesting enough to see, but one possible interpretation that I found compelling is connected to Albrecht Dürer, Nuremberg's most famous artist. Dürer painted a famous painting of a rabbit - shown below...

This interpretation of the sculpture implies that the overuse and commercialization of this image has “crushed” Albrecht Dürer’s real legacy as an exceptional artist. I found this particular art piece compelling, disturbing, and fascinating all at once. 

Now, a trip to Nuremberg would not be complete without a mention of the more infamous side of its history - the National Socialist Party, more commonly known as the Nazi Party. The headquarters of the Nazi Party were located in Nuremberg, and the Nazi Documentation Center Museum is located on part of their old rallying grounds a short tram ride from the city center. The Documentation Center is a powerful reminder of the havoc power in the wrong hands can wreak upon the world. The grounds themselves have been turned into public spaces and have fallen into disrepair which is a fitting reminder of the downfall of a terrible regime. The museum presents the factual and horrifying details of what Hitler and his Party were trying to accomplish ending with the famous Nuremberg trials where several high ranking members of the Nazi regime were sentenced to death or prison. The exhibits were terrifying and educational all in one. I recommend a visit to the museum, and while you’re there, you can also walk around the rest of the rallying grounds which are massive in scale. As it was a hot day, we only explored Zeppelinfeld. 

To escape the record-breaking heat that Nuremberg and much of Europe has been experiencing, we also explored two different cellars that were used to store beer during the Middle Ages, but during World War II, were used for much different purposes. 

The first was used as a bomb shelter and is located under Hausbrauerei Altstadthof. The network of cellars was able to shelter 10% of the population of the city. The second was used to protect some of the more valuable artwork of Nuremberg. Both were cool, literally and figuratively.

A little warning, since the first tour begins and ends at a brewery, it turns into a little bit of a sales pitch at the end to try to convince you to purchase some of their craft beer and alcohol that they brew and still store in the cellars. The tour includes samples. I didn’t partake, but Jenny tried a beer and a beer brandy. She said the beer was good for beer, but she’s still not a beer fan. The brandy was like “jet fuel” - a little strong for her liking. 

While we were there, the cellars also happened to contain a temporary art exhibit consisting of seven coffins where a local artist was making several statements about life, death, and life after death. 

The second tour, The Art Bunker Tour, is only offered at select times, so check the schedule before going. Jenny and I both found this tour to be interesting and informative, so if your schedule permits, it’s worth squeezing in, especially on a hot day. 

This concludes our month long adventure in Europe. We fly back tomorrow. We hope our adventures inspire you to go out and have some of your own. Bye for now!

Day 25-27: Prague (Eric)

Day 25-27: June 21st - 23rd, 2019. We’re leaving Prague today, and we’re both a little sad to be leaving such an amazing city. The city is a remarkable mix of artistic, eclectic, modern, and traditional that has a vibrant atmosphere unparalleled by many of the places we have been to.   

But one of my favorite expressions “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” is definitely applicable here, and there was plenty to smile about in Prague. We saw so much that I think I’m better off organizing this by sights and experiences rather than chronologically. 

I’m going to start with one of our favorites, The St. Charles Bridge. Despite this place being a clear favorite for many people besides us, it’s a fascinating place to visit day, evening, or night. Every time we walked across this bridge, we experienced something different. Live musicians are frequently found playing a wide variety of music. Other performances are found as well. There are people selling a wide variety of wares from makeshift booths and tables. The statues that line the bridge are fascinating, and looking up some of the stories behind these is worth it if you want to be better informed. The crowds for us provided for entertaining people-watching. On to pictures...

Next, the Prague Astronomical Clock, this beautiful clock is worth seeing. The clock is historical in the sense that it was built in 1410, making it the third oldest astronomical clock in the world, and the oldest one still operating. We happened to time it right that we saw it chime, but don’t go out of your way to see the performance unless you’re really into clocks. The square where the clock is contained is filled with interesting sights and activities, and another good place for people watching even though it can get crowded, especially when the clock is about to chime. 

The Museum of Communism was another place we were both excited to visit despite suffering from a little museum overload at this point in our trip. We’re both glad we made the trip. This is one of the most interesting museums we’ve been to, period. The displays and the materials were highly informative, and even though, Jenny and I normally don’t spend as much time reading displays as we should, we read most of them in this place. It was a powerful mix of satire and the history of the rise and fall of the USSR. We both recommend a visit to this place if you happen to be in Prague. 

On to Prague Castle, this is a castle complex on the top of a hill that dates back to the 9th century. It also contains the buildings that house the Czech Republic’s government, including the official office of their currently unpopular president (more on that later). You do have to pass through security to explore the grounds, and it is a popular destination, but I recommend it. If you can be there close to 12:00, you can witness a changing of the guard ceremony. There are some remarkable views of the city from the top as well. You can easily take the transit system to get to the top if you’re feeling a little hill-fatigued as we are at this point in our trip. 

We also visited Petrin Park which has hillside gardens and a viewing tower. We decided to skip the tower because it would’ve involved a lot of dealing with our old nemesis, stairs, but the gardens and green spaces on this hill were beautiful. You can take the funicular to get to the top which is included in the Prague transit pass. 

Now to get political for a second (I know a subject best avoided in a travel blog), but I’m going to return to the unpopular Czech President, Babis because Jenny and I both found the Czech people’s response to him inspiring. If you haven’t been following the news, Babis has been accused of corruption, and he has been doing everything in his power to avoid facing charges for his alleged conflicts of interest and abuses of power. So the Czech people are doing what they did back in the days before the fall of the Soviet Union, take to the streets to protest. The movement was known as “The Czech Spring” and it involved a few mass protests, one in Wenceslas Square and another in Letna Park (which gathered an estimated 800,000 people). I bring all of this up because the current protests are mirroring the previous movement. The first protest a few weeks ago happened at Wenceslas Square (pictured below) and gathered an estimated 120,000 people and the second which happened yesterday had a record number of protesters for the Czech Republic (formed 26 years ago). Early estimates put the number at over 200,000. We happened to see some of these protesters returning from the rally held at Letna Park, and it was cool to see so many people inspired by a perceived injustice just like in the 1980’s. 

We also rented a paddle boat to ride around on the Vitava River for an hour. It was a nice way to see some of the same sights from a different perspective. It was also a relaxing and romantic end to our adventures in this city. 

I’m going to finish with my favorite part about Prague, the random eclectic, artistic, and bizarre sights we happened to encounter as we explored this remarkable city. This is what I recommend the most: wander and see what you see.