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Published: November 6th 2006
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Day 1
After spending the last week in transition at an apartment in Willesden Green, Mum and I were off to Berlin for the start of our trip through Europe, whilst Liani was off to South Africa to visit her family.
We headed off from Stanstead Airport flying Air Berlin which turned out to be one of the most comfortable flights I have had in Europe. At Berlin we caught the bus into town and found our hostel, East Seven not far from all the main sights. After finding some supplies we had a nice dinner not far from our hostel, sitting outside by candlelight.
Day 2
We decided not to do an organised tour of the city; instead on the advice of the hostel staff, we planned a full day of sightseeing. First we visited the Reichstag - Berlins Parliament which was hugely impressive. Next onto the Brandenburg Gate which played a formidable role in World War II and the Nazi era, as the main entrance between the divided city. From there we visited the Jewish Holocaust Memorial - a controversial monument of blocks signifying the vast numbers of Jewish people who were murdered at the hands of
Adolf Hitler. The memorial itself is impressive, the ground undulates whilst the blocks are of various heights indicating the different ages of those who lost their lives.
After this we stopped for a quick bite to eat, and then moved on to Checkpoint Charlie - which marked entry to the American Sector during the war. We saw the only original part of the Berlin Wall still left standing and walked through the open air exhibition of the Topographie of Terror. From here we saw the Jewish Museum, the Book Burning Square and then caught the bus out to the infamous Zoo station. After returning back to the hostel and having a quick beer, we were out again into Potsdamerplatz for a meal. I loved Berlin, it is a vibrant, friendly and impressive city. There are visible traces of the old history and the new Berlin which is dotted with the most amazing modern architecture.
Day 3
We spent the day travelling by train from Berlin to Nurnberg - the site of the Third Reich’s Documentation Centre and where the trials were held after the fall of Nazism. Looking back now the hostel in Berlin was lush compared to
the one we arrived at in Nurnberg. Our room was called twister and the color scheme was somewhat reminiscent of a drug den! Bright colors and bad beds and much to our dismay - shared bathroom facilities with the boys! Anyway we decided to go and wind down a bit with a beer in a lovely little beer garden with the aim of catching the bus out to the Documentation Centre and surrounding grounds where Hitler held some of his ralleys. After one rather large beer, that plan was scrapped and we decided to wander through town and have some dinner. Nurnberg is a picturesque old town surrounded by a wall which in past times would have kept out the enemy. We managed to walk all the way up to the old castle with spectacular views over the city. On our back to the hostel we found a nice little Italian place to eat and enjoy a wine, before heading back to the hostel for the night. Tomorrow mad King Ludwigs Neuschwanstein Castle!!
Day 4
We left Nurnberg walking to the train station and boarded a train for Fussen - with the aim of seeing the Neuschwanstein Castle in
the afternoon. The castle has been made famous by Walt Disney’s use of it as their trailer for movies. It is also known as the fairytale castle. Soon on arriving into Fussen we stored our bags in a locker and headed off on the bus up into the area where King Ludwig spent his childhood. He spent his childhood in a smaller castle and then had Neuschwanstein built as a young adult in honour of his friend, composer Wagner. The castle took over 16 years to build and during this time Ludwig was declared clinically insane. On moving in, he only had 100 days in residency before him and his doctor left for a fateful boating trip where they were both later found dead. The cause of his premature death to this day remains a mystery. 6 weeks after his death the castle was opened to the public and continues to host recitals and music performances in the huge music hall. 20 minutes walk from the castle is Marion footbridge where you can walk out onto and view the castle and waterfall from above. The huge blue lake Schloss, below the castle creates an extremely picturesque backdrop. The whole area
is heavily wooded forest, wildlife, rolling green hills and sheer rock faces. It is a very beautiful place, and well worth the visit.
On returning back into Fussen we checked in to the lovely LA House where we had a quaint little room overlooking the hills and a beautiful home cooked breakfast in the morning! From here we were on our way out of Germany and onto Switzerland!
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peta
non-member comment
hey kim
so stoked to see you and brenda in some cool parts of the world it is puking snow here right now and all is white and magical hopeyou and health and your lady love are all well hope to hear form you soon love peta