GERMANY 

OCTOBER 2005

October 1st

Aidan had a small performance today in Nürnberg

October 2nd - Berlin

We managed to find a good price on a very nice hotel in Berlin for 2 nights.  But, they were over booked the first night so they sent us down the road to the very fancy Ritz Carlton hotel (350 euro per night).  We ended up getting the night free including the buffet breakfast!!

The hotel was right outside where part of the old Berlin Wall had been.  The old 'no mans land' has been redeveloped over the past few years into fancy hotels, shops and apartments.

Checkpoint Charlie, the old checkpoint from the Russian controlled side to the American controlled side of Berlin.  More bears...

Brandenburg Gate...busker....and Aidan in front of the Reichstag.  This is the German Federal Parliament building, only being reused for the past few years since reunification.  A picture of the Reichstag after WWII, so major work to rebuild it.

A maze of concrete that Aidan got lost in...the Berlin Dom (cathedral) and the TV tower.  We went up the tower and had dinner in its revolving restaurant.

October 3rd - Potsdam

Potsdam is about 20km outside Berlin, where there is a huge park called Sansoucci.  Around the park are a number of palaces used by former Kings of Prussia.

Palace San Souci....very hard to get a clear photo!!!...last 2 photos are of the Neus Palais (New Palace), which we did an audio tour through.

When driving around Germany, there are wind farms for generating electricity everywhere.

October 8th - Salzburg, Austria  

About 3 1/2 hours drive away is Austria, and the city of Salzburg.  It's quite a small city and is known as the birthplace of Mozart and also for the setting for the movie 'The Sound of Music".  Very pretty, mountains all around and lots to see - magical!

Overlooking the city is the Fortress.  Great view of the city from up there and of course Aidan had to get the audio tour.  We turned around at one point and Aidan had climbed to the top of the makeshift cannonball stack!  We walked up to the Fortress which was a VERY steep walk.  You can take a funicular railway, which is the steepest one we've ever seen, that is the track in the last photo on the right.  

Aidan's morning tea and a couple of photos of the Salzburg Cathedral, amazing decoration inside.  The old town is squeezed in between the mountain the fortress is built on and the river.  Fourth photo shows a tunnel through part of the mountain and buildings that are built hard up against the cliff face.  We bought a Mozart print from a street painter, who was a very cheerful chap (he should be, he got a sale...).  The favourite t-shirt for the tourists was one saying that there are 'No Kangaroos in Austria'.

Mozart - the house he was born in and the house his family moved to when he was 17.  We didn't have much luck - the Mozart statue was behind scaffolding and so was his house!!  The house contains a museum with a few bits and pieces from his life.

October 9th - On the trail of 'Sound of Music' and Hitler's Eagles Nest

We travelled around to a number of the places where 'The Sound of Music" was shot in and around Salzburg.  The fountain was the setting for a scene, as was the Mirabell Gardens.  The lake was the one that they fell out of the boat into and the house in the background was used as well.  The yellow building is Hellbrunn Palace and in the grounds of it is the Gazebo used in a couple of scenes.  The mountain in the background in the next photo is the one seen at the beginning of the movie and when they escape over the mountains later.  The church is in the village of Mondsee and is spectacular.  This is where they got married in the movie - Aidan is lighting a candle for 'Little Nic'.  The street out the front of the church has buildings with the most amazing colours!

During 1937 and 1938 the Nazi party built the 'Eagles Nest' for Hitler, as a present for his 50th birthday.  You have to catch a special bus up to it, then you walk a 100 metres into the tunnel for a 150 metre lift up into the house.  It is perched on the top of a mountain, more than 1900 metres high.  Beautiful views of the Austrian and German Alps.  It is now a restaurant/cafe.

October 15th - Prague, Czech Republic  

Prague is about 3 1/2 hours away from home and is the capital of the Czech Republic.  On one side of the river is St.Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle and the other side has the old town.  From the castle is a great view over Prague, and it has some interesting statues on its gate!  The church is very spectacular, we climbed up the tower, all 286 steps for an even better view.  The grand hall of the old palace actually held jousts on horses inside.  Golden Lane was where the workers cottages were located and each now is a little knick-knack store.  Aidan thought the size of this piece of armour was just about right for him! 

The old town square with the Gothic looking church and Prague was just packed with tourists (of course we're considered locals... :-).

October 16th - Nürnberg

Always something happening in the old square in Nürnberg.  Today it was some sort of kids festival, lots of activities and games.  Aidan had a good time.

Aidan really loves the European way of lazing outside a cafe enjoying a cup of tea and cake!

October 22nd - Weisendorf

We've been asked what it looks like around where we live, so we thought we would show some pics from the drive home from Nürnberg.  First 2 photos are coming into Weisendorf, which is about 25 kms north east of Nürnberg, the next 3 show the streets getting closer to home and the last shows where we live.  We actually live in the basement unit, where the lower windows are.

October 29th - November 1st - Venice, Italy       

6 1/2 hours drive from home to Venice.  The drive took us past Munich and over the border to Austria, past Innsbruck through the alps into Italy.  The drive through the alps was very spectacular with views of mountains with snow on top.  Unfortunately couldn't get a photo of them, so will have to do with this one.

Hotel we we stayed in for the first night.  Note how small the street is.  This was about 50 metres from St.Mark's square.

Venice shopping was notable for masks, puppets and glassware.

St. Mark's square (San Marco) - View from the tower overlooking it, St. Mark's church, with the horses on the balcony.  These are copies, the original's are inside.  They were sent to the Doge in the 12 hundreds from Constantinople (Istanbul).  Inside of the church was amazing, totally covered in gold mosaic.  The Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs which links the Palace with the prison.

Pigeons in San Marco square.  Aidan just loved it!

The canals of Venice.  

Enjoying a cappuccino right beside the Grand Canal.  As the French ambassador said in 1495, "the most beautiful street in the world".

The Rialto bridge over the Grand Canal.  Where are Nic and Aidan...

Oh, there they are!

There was a major stuff up with our hotel for the 2nd and 3rd night's.  We had planned to stay at a different hotel, but they did not have our booking, (even though we had paid!!) and so they had to hunt around for somewhere else for us.  It ended up ok though and we probably ended up at somewhere with a better view. 

On the balcony of our room looking out to the Venice lagoon.

The gondola ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we were leaving the tide was up, it rises and falls 1 metre every 6 hours, and you can see how everyone who lives here stay on the 1st and 2nd floors, the ground floor is not used, unless you want to get your feet wet!

November 1st - Maranello, Italy   

On the way home we went for a bit of a detour to Maranello, which just happens to be the home of Ferrari.  Outside the main gates and the restaurant across the road where Enzo had lunch every day. 

Inside the Ferrari museum.

Fiorano, the Ferrari test track, about 1 km or so up the road from the main gates of Ferrari.

Aidan getting strapped in before heading out for a lap of the test track...