BMW European Delivery - Day Four

Emergency Power Supply

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Although the Art Bunker normally tapped into the city's power supply of electricity, during bombing raids or losses of power this generator could provide enough power for ventilation ans illumination for short periods of time. It was a museum piece.

Gail Listens in on the Commentary

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If I remember correctly this was the room where the local church statues that were moveable were kept.

A Protected Triptych

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This altarpiece was removed from a local church and stored here after 1942.

Statue Storage Room

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The works of art are long gone but this photo shows how art from throughout the Nazi empire was hidden down in this tunnel beneath Kaiserburg castle.

The Most Precious Items were Stored Here

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This reinforced section of the art bunker housed precious religious art from Poland. One of Poland's greatest treasures was the Altarpiece of Veit Stoss. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939 the Poles dismantled the altarpiece and hid it in crates. Somehow the Nazis discovered its whereabouts and moved it to "safety" in Nuremberg. Considering the Nazi hatred of the Poles I'm a little surprised it wasn't destroyed. The Poles got it back after the War in 1946. Today it is on display in St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow.

Bomb Rubble

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Hopefully these bombs are defused. After the war the surviving inhabitants of Nuremberg had to remove tons and tons of rubble from destroyed buildings out to the outskirts where it was disposed of in big rubble piles near the Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Short gauge trains were routed right into the downtown to haul the refuse out. In among the rubble live unexploded ordinance was often found. And there are still live ammunition finds occurring today.

Historic Shoes and Gloves

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Another collection of important historic value kept in the bunker was the Imperial Regalia that once adorned the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. They were strictly ceremonial but they are the only surviving bits of regalia from the Middle Ages. Today they are back in Vienna at the Schatzkammer in the Hofburg palace.

The Nazi Plan Unfolds

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The Imperial Regalia was supposed to go on display at this immense building, the Kongresshalle, at the Nazi Party Rally Grounds complex south of Nuremberg.

Still a Miserable Looking Day

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I kind of forgot about the weather outside when we were down underground. Back on the surface it was still overcast and even threatening, but compared to the sub-zero temperatures back at home, it felt absolutely balmy here.

Off Limits Today

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We did a great job of seeing all the recommended sites in town, except for the Durer museum and the Kaiserberg. Walking the old city wall would've made for a perfect day.

Another City Gate

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After returning for a quick shopping stint in the tour ticket office/beer brandy shop we stopped at the next-door tavern for libations. It was a cozy old atmospheric place and had it been colder it would've been the perfect place to spend a few hours. But we still had a section of the Old Town to explore. Walking along the western city wall we eventually came to the Neu Tor (New Gate).

Gigantic Ezzies

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The Germans all seem to have dogs, well-behaved dogs that can go unnoticed laying on the floor of a restaurant. But this trip we mostly saw tiny lap dogs. Very few German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rottweilers or Weimaraners. These huge Chows were typically aloof German mutts - they didn't even slow down when I made a high pitched squeak.

This was Highly Recommended by Stephanie at our Hotel

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And it was certainly a picturesque little corner of town. Where were all the people? Supposedly this was where the better restaurants were located and it was expected that this would be where the action was come Fasching night. Right now nothing was going on.

Window Crane

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Although these seem to be on every single building in Amsterdam, I doubt I ever saw them before in Germany. Because some of these old buildings were 4 stories tall and had super narrow staircases furniture and other heavy objects were lifted up to the proper floor's window and swung inside by means of block and tackle suspended from this beam.

The Third Biggest Dog of the Day

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At least the archbishop or whoever he was owned a big dog. And his was apparently not all that well-behaved. A very cool looking new Old building in one of the most heavily destroyed sections of town.

Inside Finyas Taverne

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Stephanie from the Smile Hotel insisted that we stop in her friend's restaurant. It was right in the center of the deserted cool part of town. The interior was even even nicer than I expected. Very Olde Worlde. There was no one else inside other than a pair of waiters who let us look around. When Stephanie's friend, the owner or manager, showed-up we asked about coming back for dinner. She practically laughed in our faces. "On Fasching?" Meanwhile the place was totally vacant. German restaurants have a weird code when it comes to reservations. They will leave a table vacant all night with a "Reservation" sign on it until the person making the reservation shows up. An American restauranteur would find a way to fit you in and out before the reservation time. For a German one customer per table per night is good enough.

I Wanna Come Back

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Looking at Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews of Finyas Taverne makes me want to come back here ASAP. All 5 star reviews on Yelp and only 1 bad review out of 27 on TA. Supposedly there's a Viking/Medieval theme with mead served in goblets and haunches of meat. Sounds like fun.

The Site of Nuremberg's World Famous Christkindlmarkt

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Thirty some years ago Gail and I went to the Christmas market here. We don't remember much about it other than the fact that it was huge and that they sold Lebkuchen everywhere. This church looked familiar and a huge square sits in front.

Let the Festivities Begin

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As we walked across the big cobblestoned square we started seeing a few crazies gearing up for a night of frivolity. It was 5:00 pm and the city was deader than most places are on Christmas Day. It was very confusing. Was everybody in town suddenly about to descend on this square like New Year's? We were warned numerous times about the Mardi Gras atmosphere we'd encounter but we still hadn't seen much of anything yet.