Snowy Berchtesgaden

A tiny mountain village nestles into a valley just over the German border. It is just below the luxury mountain retreat built for Hitler,called the Eagles Nest. All around the villages were occupied by staff officers. Today Berchtesgaden is colourful, lively and full of delicious food. A local speciality is white sausage, washed down with white beer.

Salzburg and real snow

Just ouside Salzburg is a gorgeous mountain area, with picturesque houses, fir trees laden with snow, and neat piles of firewood ready for the open fire.

Christmas day castles and cathedrals in Vienna

On Christmas day there was snow and ice on the ground as we crunched over the stones at Schonbrunn, the imperial summer palace of the Hapsburg dynasty. We only managed to visit nine of the 1441 rooms,but that was enough to learn of the grandeur and wealth of a family which ruled the Austro-Hungarian empire for 500 years.

We heard the strains of a choral mass from the private chapel, as we drifted down a wide staricase, but that was the nearest we got to church this Christmas. We focussed on Maria Theresa, rather than the Virgin Mary, and on her son Franz Joseph, rather than Jesus.

Maria Theresa was known as 'the mother in law' of Europe, because she carefully married most of her 16 children off into European ruling families. Franz Joseph gave his name to a glacier in NZ, so there is a little connection there.

In Schonbrunn Palace, we saw portraits of all the family on the walls,including a series of delicate oil portraits by one of the daughters. The family were all very talented in art and music, and seeing so many pictures of them all, and where they enjoyed thier summers, it was quite appropriate to compete the life cycle by later visiting their last resting places, the crypts and vaults , under a Capuchin monastery.

There lie Maria Theresa and her beloved husband, holding hands in death, plus all the children, grandchildren and great grand children, up to the present day. The last Hapsburg is Otto, now 90 and living in exile, who is often seen at the crypt, where his place stands waiting.

It was lovely to walk around a fairly quiet Vienna on Christmas afternoon, to admire the Winter Palace, the Cathedral,the Opera house, and all the grand buildings of this most appealing city, then to go back to the Hilton for a perfectly designed light Christmas supper. Having spoken with most of our dear far flung family, we were content.

Vienna for Christmas Eve

What a romantic idea- snow on the ground, Christmas lights sparkling against the whiteness, old Bavarian hotel with a steep pitched roof, dripping icicles, sleigh bells in the distance.

None of that happened , as the snow had not arrived, but it was still wonderful!
Our room at the Vienna Danube Hilton Hotel looked over the Danube River gliding past on its way from the Black Forest, east to the Black Sea- so impressive. No wonder the most popular tune in Austria is the 'Blue Danube Waltz'.
The Christmas Eve treat was a concert by the Salonorchester Alt Vien, at the Kursalon Vien, followed by dinner at the restaurant Johann.

I could imagine the The Kursalon when it was built in 1865 in Italian renaissance style, where people came to drink the curative waters, then stay on for dances and promenades concerts. It was here that Johann Strauss became a musical sensation with his innovative waltzes.

In the richly decorated salon today, the Salon orchestra has developed a highly enjoyable program of Viennese music. We heard Voices of Spring waltz, Roses from the South, Rondo alla turca, Overture to the Marriage of Figaro and , of course, the Blue Danube waltz. Properly called, On the beautiful Blue Danube', it was originally composed for male choir and military band - that must be quite a different sound from the violins and piano versionthat we heard.
It was beautifully presented by an orchestra who seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Two ballet dancers leapt and pirouetted, two opera singers charmed us with arias, and the audience even got to clap along during the Colonel Radetsky march. Great fun.

Organised by Sound of Vienna, these excellent concerts are for local Viennese who want to show their visitors a slice of Vienna, for companies wishing to offer clients an exclusive musical evening, and for tour operators to offer excellent music, dance and opera. www.soundofvienna.at

During the interval we sipped dry Prosecco, and after the concert there was an elegant meal in the downstairs restaurant.

In Central Europe, it is the custom to celebrate Christmas on 24 December, with the family gathering ,and the special meal. Everyone is at home with families that day- we saw this for ourselves on the motorway into Vienna- it was virtually deserted. Interestingly, there are no presents. They are given much earlier, on 6 December, St Nicholas day, so there is no space for Santa around Christmas at all. Infact, I saw only two Santas the whole time. Instead there are lots of nativity scenes, of all shapes and sizes. Many of the shops put on beautiful animated nativity scenes,and there are throngs of children and families standing and gazing at these illuminated spectacles.

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Budapest-two cities on the Danube

Budapest by night was another perfect introduction to a city with a complex past. The wide Danube reflected the carefully illuminated buldings, as we heard the stories of the devastation of the war years, followed by the neglect which occurred during the Communist years. The twin cities of Buda and Pest are joined by several graceful bridges.

The seat of government is found in the Parliament Buildings, so huge that they only use half of the rooms. The Parliament was built when Hungary was a vast Empire of 60million people. Now , because of the Treaty of Trianon, it has only one third of its former territory.I was intrigued that there are 96 steps up to the buildings commemorating the beginning of the Arped Dynasty in 1096. For more history see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary

Attila the Hun was famous proto Hungarian, a long time ago- in the 5th century. He is still remembered for his fierceness and refusal to submit.

Early morning we visited Heroes Square , a grand open space with statues of heroes of the last 1000 years of Hungarian history. It is situated at in front of the City Park, at the end of the Andrássy Avenue, one of the most important streets of Budapest, a World Heritage site. The millenial monument was built in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin.

Heroes Square is where the Russian tanks rolled in 1956.

It is on the edge of a gracious and leafy park,surrounded by elegant houses now occupied by embassies. They used to be wealthy family homes, until the commuists nationalised everything, and required up to 12 families to inhabit each home.

We saw the Great Synagogue built in a Moorish style, and heard a little of the Jewish people being resettled and put in ghettoes, transported, and killed. See
.http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Budapest.html

A very sombre visit was to the House of Terror, a museum of the Nazi and Soviet days in Hungary. A tank pointing directly at the visitor is a scary start. On the walls are thousands and housands of photos of people who died or disappeared duriing those dark days. All around are old black telephones reminding us of the surveillance and informer networks which so terrorised the population. I saw copies of signed 'confessions', photos of the terrible conditions experienced by those sent to brutal work camps in Siberia, and displays of books, jewellery and belongings of those forced to leave home in a hurry. The Museum is on elegant Andrassy Avenue, in the former headquarters of the Hungarian Nazi Party. It is compulsory viewing to see what evil people are capable of, given the 'right'conditions.http://www.terrorhaza.hu/index3.html

Bratislava- after the Iron Curtain and the Velvet Revolution

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, a pretty city on the banks of Danube, only 60km from Vienna in Austria. It was behind the Iron Curtain, then it became one of the main centres of the ani-communist velvet revolution in tha late 1980's. It has emerged as a very prosperous and active commercial, academic and cultural centre. We loved the street sculpture, like this man emerging from the underground system.

Bratislava is the home of the famous fine Herend porcelain, which filled the windows of many of the enticing shops, in the quaint and colourful old town area. Swarovski crystal is also found here, although it originates in Bohemia. We could not resist some small crystal earrings here.

There has been much restoration and rebuilding of damaged buildings,but it is a bit sporadic, as this photo shows.

Throughout central Europe we saw groups of people begging. Often they are gypsies from Romania , or Albania. Some are genuinely poor and displaced but our guide spoke of organised Mafia style gangs . The people are being driven to 'work' the streets and picked up afterwards. This little family group were singing under an archway with great enthusiasm and people were happily giving them money. Another time, we saw a gang with a mother, two teenage daughters and a baby, going up and holding the baby out , and asking for money in a pleading manner . Later we saw them again sitting, eating and laughing. Once on a train, a gipsy left a scrap of paper on the table in front of each passenger. It asked us not to be prejudiced against gypsies, who are simply trying to make a new life in a new land. It is hard to know who to believe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratislava

Prague by night

A blue Christmas angel protects the square in Prague.

Prague castle seen from the river

Prague- castles, cars, clocks and beer

Prague is a fary tale city, with slender spires, castles on the sky line, a romantic river and cobbled streets.
To see it from the river at night when all the buildings are flood lit is to catch some of the beauty and splendour. Prague was fortunate not have had much war damage, so the atmosphere is one of a well preserved historical centre, with a lively contemporary life.

Prague castle is well guarded by stern young men, who vounteer for the job, but ony have to spend one hour at a time- partly because of the icy cold, and partly I suspect because of the foolish tourists, lke this one, who insist on posing for photos.

The huge castle complex has stood on top of a hill for over 1000 years doing a great job of protecting the city. It is immaculately clean and maintained, with a large and beautiful church, St Vitus cathedral, and views across the Vltava river.

In the old town square is the famous astronomical clock, which demonstates a very advanced scientific understanding that the earth moves around the sun. We were shocked to learn that , when the clock was finished, the brilliant creator was blinded, so he could never make another.

We made a brief visit to the pilgrimage church of Our Lady Victorious, home of the infant Jesus - this is an antique doll which is who is dressed up in different clothes according to the season, , displayed in a gold surrounded baroque fantasia, and venerated by millions.

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A tour with no photos but a beauty I will never forget was a guided tour through the Municipal House, the state buildings, proudly paid for entirely with CZ money, designed and built by Czechs,, in 1905-1912, all in Art Nouveau. We saw 9 rooms, which open one to the next. Do have a look at it here. http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=649
I loved the art nouveau details. Bevelled edge mirrors, hand embroidered hangings, huge nationalistic frescoes, theme rooms, such as the Oriental room, and the Ladies room .
My souvenirs were postcards and two ‘antique buttons’ turned into brooches- a great idea.
Prague is the location for many movies- our excellent guide Kaspar showed us where some movies were filmed , including Amadeus, Mission Impossible, The Illusionist, Fatherland.

Near Prague is Pilsen, home of beer, on a very large complex of five breweries. we tested the Pilsen and pronounced it good.

Also nearby is the Skoda factory.During the war, Skoda was the SS car of choice, and therefore very unpopular with the local Czechs. After the war it was known as a cheap but poorly made vehicle. Now it has been bought by Chrysler and is apparently very much better. The Octavia is their best seller.

Prague is one of the places I hope to return to- its present day beauty, its noble history, its range of cultural activities, the photographc opportunities.See the next blog!

Mulled wine and hot sausages- Christmas markets in Munich and Regensburg

Marionplatz in the middle of Munich was heaving with heavily wrapped people, carrying beutifully wrapped presents, and leaning aginst temporary outdoor tables, drinking heavily aromatic and enticing mulled wine, or gluhwein. In spite of the warmth of the crowd, we were experiencing our first night of European winter- it was cold enough to freeze my nose. We paid for E2.50 for a steaming cupful of the spicy hot wine, and joined the cheerful crowds.

Every Christmas market we visited had stalls selling this essential winter drink, and we did sample many versions, in the interests of research of course, but the first sip on that cold night, with the beautiful Christmas lights all around us was memorable.

In Regensberg we enjoyed the market set among the coloured and undamaged facades of the town square. The market here was small but had high quality jewellery, lovely felt hats, and charming ornaments, as well as the gluhwein, hot sausages and huge rolls of fresh cinnamon bread sticks. These people with a single rose were off to a wedding.

Up to the Black sea

If you go down to Galata bridge, in the middle of Istanbul, you can stand with one foot in Europe and one in Asia. The bridge spans the Bosphorus and links the two parts of this 17 million strong city.
Beside the Galata bridge are the ferries which ply across the water day and night. The wharves are seething waves of black clad locals coming to and fro.
We took a regular ferry up the Bosphorus as far as the Black Sea. It took 90 minutes, calling in to seaside suburbs on both sides of the water. Restaurants, parks, mosques, expensive houses with launches tied up outside, palaces, castles, universities, all line the shore and stretch up into the hills as far as you can see.17 million is a lot of people to house!
The narrow stretch of sea goes from the Dardanelles all the way to the Black Sea. The last stretch is all military zone and seriously off limits. At Anadolu Kavagi, on the Asian side, we walked up to a crumbling castle overlooking the heads and looked down onto a modern naval base, A warship lay at anchor in the bay, and gunfire echoed in the hills.
In Turkey all young men must do 18 months military service - in fact it is seen as a rite of passage. For young men living in remote country areas it is an essential part of becoming a modern Turk. For city boys the experience can draw them closer to their roots. And of course it strengthens the already strong sense of nationhood and history.
It was fascinating to see the Black Sea to the north, having been to the Aegean to the west, the Mediterranean (called the White Sea by the Turks) to the south, and knowing that Iran/Armenia/Georgia were very close to the east. Way ahead is the Crimea, with Russia, Moldavia, Romania, Bulgaria bordering the Black Sea. No wonder all Turkish boats, even fishing and hobby boats, fly the Turkish flag as they sail up and down the sea, - nation of origin is very important in these parts.
Back down at the wharf, there are many fish restaurants selling the most delicious fresh fish, with salad and a beer. We watched military vehicles come and go, women selling jewellery pashminas, and traditional bags, men trying to capture tourists into their particular restaurants, and little children coming home from school. In late December it was warm and completely absorbing, a marvellous way to see yet another aspect of this intriguing country.

Fairy chimneys, underground cities- Cappadocia has it all.

Fairy Chimneys, intestinal tunnels, caves in the sky-we saw it all in one day.
The underground city of Derinkuyu was built to house people in times of war. In the soft tufa or volcanic rock, is a warren of rooms, kitchens, chapels, wine and food storage areas, water containers and air shafts. We crouched to shuffle along low tunnels which connect each area, going further and further into the earth. The tourist paths are well lit and signposted, but we could see a myriad of passage ways in many directions. Fantastic place to hideout, if you can control the claustrophobia!
There are at least 36 underground cities in Cappadocia, in central Anatolya. dating from at least 7th century BC. People could live as troglodytes for up to six months, and there is evidence that tens of thousands did so. There are round stones to cover up entrance ways, booby traps for unwary enemy, and holes in the roof to pour in boiling oil if enemy did breech the doors.
Rising above ground, we stood on a stomach lurching plateau looking at a perfect triangular volcano (dormant), Mt Erciyes, a carbon copy of Mount Taranaki. Below it the valley floor was full of conical rocky outcrops. On closer examination they revealed little holes for doorways and windows,. There were even ladders and steps cut out of the soft rock. This was the unearthly monastery of Goreme, the land of the so-called fairy chimneys.
Once a double monastery, with separate dormitory blocks and individual cells cut into the rock, Goreme is the most fascinating of all the world heritage sites we visited. There are several little chapels dedicated to different saints, some still with beautiful bright wall paintings and patterns. They date back to the 9th century, and are Byzantine frescoes depicting the lives of Christ and the saints. One is St Gregory of Nyssa, the old name for the place we stayed, Nevsehir. Gregory was the brother of the more famous St Basil, the local Archbishop. There are rock kitchens with black cooking smoke on the walls, refectories with seating platforms, and complex pigeon houses, where the dropping were collected. This fertilised the productive valley floor where even today there are excellent crops of apricots, grapes, cherries, sugar beets and chick peas. . The surrounding hills are a national park. The light snow fall made it all seem ethereal and other-worldly- a place I wish we had more time to explore to just absorb the atmosphere.
My heightened awareness was rudely broken when I stopped to take a photo of a camel sitting by the car park. The owner leapt out of his chair and shouted in a very unsmiling fashion. I think he wanted me to pay for the photo, but his manner was so aggressive I decided to move quickly to our waiting bus and not discuss the matter.