Blogs from Nuremberg (aka Nürnberg), Bavaria, Germany, Europe - page 14

Last time we were in Nürnberg we loved the city but were unable to spend time at WWII sights...so we went back today!! We went to the Dokumentationszentrum (Documentation Center) and the famous Courtroom 600 from the Nuremberg Trials. We were also inspired to go to the Nürnberg Tiergarten (zoo) after our history lesson! We arrived at the Kongresshalle and were amazed by the size of the building. Hitler had wanted to outdo Rome's Colosseum - and what he created was massive!! The structure itself was never completed (along with some of the others he planned for his rally grounds). One of the pictures shows the archetects' intent: a roof with no support beams over the interior court, which could hold up to 50,000 people. It is the largest remaining monumental National Socialist building in Germany. ... read more

December 2007 was the month of the Christmas market for me. First, mum and I headed to the Nuremburg Christmas markets to celebrate mum's last weekend in the Northern hemisphere. They are one of the oldest in Europe (dating back to 1628) and are held in the square in front of the Frauenkirche church. They work hard to keep them traditional. All the stalls have to have the same striped red and white roofs, they are not allowed to sell certain things (like war toys), there are rules about the way that the wares are displayed (no tatty cardboard boxes) and so on. The main wares are Christmas decorations (of all kinds), gingerbread, candied nuts, gluhwein and some winter type clothes (hats and scarves) - although not many of these. Luckily, I have a slight Christmas ... read more

Gutten tag! I planned a half-day stop in Nuremburg on the way from Berlin down to Munich. Nuremburg was pivotal in Nazi Germany as the city Hitler envisioned as his fascist capital. Many of the newsreel clips we’ve all seen of the gigantic rallies and Hitler inspecting soldiers all came from Nuremburg. Since I didn’t allot much time to seeing the city (and Alissa and I were both lugging around all of our baggage) my only goal was to hit the few really historically important sites in Nuremburg. The first stop was the Nazi Party Rallying Grounds. The place was used for the big rallies from 1933 to 1938. The main building still standing is Congress Hall, a massive Nazi-style structure that Hitler intended to be the new capitol building. The grounds include Stadion der Hitlerjugend ... read more

Three nights in Nuremberg. Enjoy our stay with Andreas, who previously lived in Vancouver. ... read more

"I stood for a long time by the roller coaster, and I noticed that most people get on it in search of excitement, but that once it starts, they are terrified and want the cars to stop" (Eleven Minutes, Paul Cohelo). Why do people go to amusement parks? The only so-called "amusement" comes from the possiblity of ending your life and the churning of your guts. Amusement parks are just a platform for sugar and death. And that is exactly why we love them. What other place do you pay to terrify yourself after gorging on such gastronomic nightmares as candied apples and chocolate coated bananas on a stick? After consuming exorbant amounts of sticky delicacies, we then decide to go on rides that pulverize internal organs and cause mental anguish. Why do we do ... read more