Politischer Stadt: Ciudad Politica: Political City

We had an appointment set up by our main man, Mike, to meet at the Marienplatz fountain at 10 am. We freaked out thinking we would be late after our the metro line Rachel had taught us to get there by last night wasn't working. We didn't realize until the announcement came on about 2 or 3 times in German and 1/2 of the people peaced out... Finally we got the hint and tried to follow someone to another line, assuming they would be going to a line that would work...but I picked the wrong person and we ended up standing in what is equivalent to metro center in DC...but bigger, a bit confused. Bob and Tom got us set straight again and I just followed along. We got to Marienplatz right on time. It was colder than I thought it would be today...I think the first sunlight we've seen since getting to Germany threw me off, but no complaints--the sun was surely missed! We met our guide, Michael, a school teacher in Bavaria, originally from outside of Wurzberg. He took us around the city and shared his wealth of knowledge. I didn't take many pictures, but below are a few of the ones I did take.

Die Frauenkirche-one of the most famous images of Munich because of the memorable bulbous shapes atop the two towers. Apparently Pope Benedict had some connection, though I didn't manage to catch what it was.

artwork inside Frauenkirche

Tom, our super-knowledgeable guide (who is mid-deep-convo with Tom), and Bob

Das Rathaus-Glockenspiel: basically a 15-minute long, lifesize cuckoo clock!

Staatskanzlei -State Chancellory, where the office of the head of the Bavarian State government offices are, as well as the Chancellor, himself, who was in a meeting while we were touring the building. Architecturally it is a really interesting re-interpretation of the old parts of the building which were destroyed in bombings, and the connection to the only remaining part of the previous building, the center, with its fantastic dome and colorful columns.

The interior of the old part of the Staatskanzlei, redone after bombings and, "kids having fun in the ruins."

Can you see it?!

We got back to Rachel's but she hadn't gotten home from work yet, so we took a nap in the car, which we are just paying for by day so we don't have to go find a garage or something. Then we all hung out and went to get pizza from a local place to eat at the apartment. Rachel and one of her apartment-mates Svetelina invited another intern from Kraft, Manuel, to meet up with us before we all headed over to the other "Kraft flat" where the Kraft interns were all gathered in the hallway of the apartment having a party. Someone should have designed for this better!

Bob, Tom, and Svetelina

Bob, enjoying an incredible peanut-butter cookie offered by the host.

Hanging out with the international Kraft crew.

Someone in the apartment apparently had a thing for Canada...

Manuel...demonstrating the best way to enjoy a party in the german apartment hallways.

Rachel!

Munchen: Munich: Munich

After a full day of "touristing"...this is a new verb I created just now...we finally arrived in Munich, on Schwarzmannstrasse...at the apartment owned by Kraft Food Corp, of all things, where Rachel Green, one of my close friends from High School, is living for her internship. She invited us in, gave up her bed, and fed us cookies...how much better can it get?!

We did have a 3 hour dinner at a restaurant near Marienplatz, the main square in Munich...things in Europe are just a little bit slower where I've lived most of my life...but I think I'm starting to enjoy it.

Tomorrow we're meeting up with a co-worker of one of Mike's contacts who, "owed him a favor." He will be taking us on a tour of the city and bringing us to some pretty important government spaces...Mike is basically like God, I think.

PS-I've missed Rachel!

Dachau...:Dachau...:Dachau...

So this is Dachau...

"...shows the historical background to the Third Reich. The preceding history does not necessarily mean that everything that followed had to happen the way it did, or that it could not have turned out differently. But the seeds of antisemitism, racism, and disregard of human dignity and democracy had been sewn during the preceding period, and gained ground after 1933 with alarming speed.

Each of us today is shaping the background history of tomorrow."

-Chaim Schatzker

"Work will make you free"

Rothersberg-Stadt eins: Rothersberg-Ciudad uno: Rothersberg-City One

Woke up, said goodbye to Mike and Matthew and headed south. At Mike's suggestion we hit up Rothersberg, which is considered "typically German," and one of few, if not the only remaining walled cities.

We walked along the guard's path on the interior of the wall around the city.

...Bob would have been a giant...

Contrast

The construction of the walls was crazy. It looked like the structural columns and beams were a mold and the puddy for the wall was squeezed into it, much the way those play-doh games work.

Two roads diverged in a German City...

There's something enchanting about bridges...

Old cities set up a perfect display of layers without introducing an excess of heights and forms.

Time to get on the road to Dachau, then Munich for the rest of the trip!

Wir fahren nach Heidelberg: Conducimos a Heidelberg: We're driving to Heidelberg

Mike had a meeting to go to at the base in Heidelberg where he used to work. He knew the area from living there so he gave us a run-through of the roads to get to the old town from the base, we dropped him off, found one of a billion parking lots, and started our walk along the river...in the rain once again. I wonder if it's always this rainy in Germany?

Mike jokes with us that every good tourist city has an old bridge, a castle, and a big church. Heidelberg had all of them, but we were denied access to the church because it wasn't open-oh well.

The castle from the plaza in which we stood for 10 minutes while the rain decided to crash down in buckets...luckily we were under the cover of a roof.

"The Red Ox"-legend has it this restaurant was frequented by Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.

Tom at one of the terraces at the entrance.

Tom, entering the celler...

Tom and Bob from the top of the keg.

Bob and the GINORMOUS Keg. Taxes used to be payed in whatever form of alcohol a farm produced...then all of it was mixed together in this vat. People in the typical home in the town drank about 1 liter of wine per day, but in the castle, the average was 3 liters! The tour guide later told us that they used to add things like mustard to the already nasty mix of different types of beers and wines!

Bob hiding in the cave from the rain as we think about going to the tour in an hour or so.

This tower was sliced in half when attacked in one of the battles. It is one of the first, if not only, times I have literally SEEN the section of a building that we draw so often for architecture. It was really really intriguing. I took lots of pictures, but none of them quite grasp how cool this ruin is...it's as if on half just slid off the other into the ground.

They look like they are up to something!

The castle from the gardens. The gardens were created by the king for his wife, but were a terrible idea because they allowed attacking armies to infiltrate the grounds and take the castle with few problems.

Model of the final additions to the castle before attack and downfall.

Incredible ceiling detailing...in the hallway.

Amazing detailing and color, even in the flooring of the typical room.

Random, but beautifully made, spiral staircase in the corner of the room which goes to all floors of the castle.

Last stop of the tour was the beautiful chapel in the basement of the building made for the King's wife. The carvings above the altar were particularly impressive.

Wurzberg Tag: Dia de Wurzberg: Wurzberg day

Sabo was our alarm clock.

We checked out the Merienkapelle interior while we waited for our host to meet up with us.

Bob shows off his German side with a Beer for our meal with Mike and Rudy.

Mike gave us a tour...and then pulled some strings, I think he gets a kick out of this, and so do we! The main conference room reminded me of the UN, but on a smaller scale, and with a HUGE mural on 3 of the 4 walls depicting German history in different tones of blue and white...QUITE impressive, but my photo-montage of it won't load, so you'll have to ask me about it later on.

We have really gotten into the castles here...and this one is no exception, even in the driving rain in which we climbed the hill, pictured above, and walked in a complete circle around the outside of the fortress just to get in! There were hardly any people and there was no charge, that we know, because the ticket office at the entrance was blocked off. The coolest part, for me, was the well in the center of the castle which was 5 meters wide and deeper than a football field into the center of this huge hill to an underground water source. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of this or any other cool things inside because I neglected to charge my battery and the camera wouldn't turn on.

I did manage to get the camera to work for this picture of Bob and Tom guarding the SECOND fortified wall of the castle...yeah--it was pretty intense. They had the angles of the outside wall calculated so that attackers were visible from all points because the walls were battered, meaning they slant outward at the bottom.

Cool lookout point over the major fortified wall.

This is the city...some of which we are now familiar with, most of which we can't hope to see in the few days we are here.

Went back to the house and cooked dinner for Mike, the boys, and Bob and Tom. Papa rellena-Thanks to Jung-and fried apples with icecream. Good times.

Mike took us to the base tonight. We were technically on American soil...which is weird. They don't even use Euros on the base, but US dollars...I was completely blown away but I refrained from Americanizing my experience here in Europe...or at least tried to. It was eery to be on this almost-empty base at night, to think about home and how this compared, to be on an army base in general was just intriguing. It is its ow secret society in a way. We know about it but we don't, really.

We have to get up early tomorrow to go to Heidlberg.