The World As I See it

Much of Nürnberg was rebuilt postwar, but there are some charming spots in the surviving old town.  Having had a busy morning at the Memorium Nürenberger Prozesse, we needed a rest and some dinner before heading out on what we expected to be a one-hour stroll. Following a tour described by our go-to for European travel - Rick Steves - we wandered past the nearby Lorenskirche toward the historic square. We passed an historic hospital backing onto the river. Continuing on, we entered the market square and discovered a gilded fountain that has provided fresh water for centuries - this district houses the hospital and tanneries, all of which dumped waste into the river. The fountain still works! Sarah and I enjoyed a cold drink of water while Mom "enjoyed" a splash on her legs. Our next stop was the castle - but Rick had neglected to mention the long, steady climb required to reach it. After a rest halfway for my mom, we reached the castle, which once housed the crown jewels. By ...

Our first encounter with the Nazi history of this beautiful country was in Frankfurt. A marker set into the cobblestones marked the site of a 1933 Nazi book burning.  It was mostly ignored by the selfie-snapping crowd, and some people walked right over it. But after we spent some time photographing it we drew a small crowd. We travelled on to Nürnberg (aka Nuremberg) where the remnants of this time were more visible and acknowledged.  The Memorium Nürnberger Prozesse, the site of the famous war crimes trials, we explored how war crimes and crimes against humanity were defined, how evidence was gathered, the defendants and their legal arguments, and the outcome of the first trials. Sitting on a bench in courtroom 600, looking at the defendants bemd where Rudolf Hess and Herman Göring sat during the trial was the closest I had ever been to pure evil. The next day took us even closer when we visited the Dokumentationszentrum and Nazi rally grounds. The museum is closed for renova...

This morning we set off before 7 a.m. for our carefully planned day on the Rhine. After our original train was cancelled, we plotted a train to Mainz, a bus to Bingen and a last train to Sankt Goar that would allow us to cruise slowly back to Mainz between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. We were off to a good start, catching our train on time. But when the time came to catch our bus we misread the signs and were standing at the wrong terminal point. We realized it... right as the bus drove off. After a quick search that revealed there was no way to get to Sankt Goar in time, we decided to cruise in the opposite direction. We grabbed another bus for a short ride to the dock, bought our tickets and settled in to wait an hour to board. The cruise was lovely, sitting in the top deck in the sunshine and a soft breeze. We passed barges, overnight cruise boats and other small watercraft all making use of the watery highway that has been used to transport people and goods for centuries. Charming towns and ca...

After visiting a church, where we learned Martin Luther spoke here during his journey to the Diet of Worms and lit a couple candles for Ukraine, we made our way to the busiest spot in Frankfurt on a Saturday. The Kleinmarkthalle was packed with locals and tourists all enjoying samples of dips, apple chips and a variety of cuisines. We picked up some sandwiches, spreads, veggies and drinks to pack for tomorrow's adventure, taking some time to stop and smell the flowers. Leaving the market was an adventure all its own as we battled our way through the noisy crowd of wine drinkers packed into the terrace. Breaking free at last, our next stop was a hat store where touching the hats was verbotten - but my mom managed to try one on before we became the focus of the shopkeeper's attention and decided that it suited. Our last stop of the afternoon was Isabella's gluten free bakery where I happily spent a small fortune on bread, pastries, macarons, cookies and elegant desserts. We t...

Our flight was smooth but not sleep-inducing. We arrived in Frankfurt just before 7 a.m. exhausted and hoping our hotel had a room available for early check in.  After clearing customs and snagging our luggage, we made our way to the airport's train station and grabbed the RE 2 train into the city core. Discovering that there was no room at the inn we checked our luggage, secured an offer to ask again about our room at noon, and wandered down Kaiserstrasse to find a restoring breakfast. Fortified by an Americano and rhubarb coffee cake, Mom had enough energy to stroll to the Romerberg - Frankfurt's historic marketsquare. We discovered later that the heritage buildings were 1983-rebuilds following the destruction of World War 2, but it still has a classical ambience. And it's a great place to people watch, especially to spot newly married couples exiting city hall to cheering well wishers. Increasingly tired but with a couple hours yet to spend we climbed aboard the Gray Lin...

I no longer have access to my family's original travel blog so The World As I See It will pick up where I left off. I am jostling my way along the track toward Montreal where my mom - who is 80 this year! - and we will board a flight to Frankfurt for a 25 day adventure through Germany, Austria and Poland. Stay tuned!