Winter in Nuremberg

When you realize that Nuremberg was reduced to a pile of rubble at the end of World War II, you can really appreciate the care that was taken to recreate this marvelous city. The old town, divided by the Pegnitz River, has been faithfully restored to its medieval glory. As you cross the river heading toward the German Nation Museum, turn to your left and feast your eyes on the Holy Spirit Hospital, located on an island in the river. It once served Nuremberg’s most needy citizens as well as housing the imperial insignia.

I love the Haupmarkt. Not only is it the home of the Beautiful Fountain, which is just that, a glorious medieval fountain like no other, but the west side is dominated by the Frauenkirche. If that wasn’t enough to get you there, our favorite store, Der Topferladen, is located on the northeast corner - shop here for hand-carved Christmas ornaments and other unique souvenirs. On the corner diagonally across from here, is the Eilles Chocolate Shop. This is a stop that you will want to make especially if you are dying to taste some fabulous chocolate laced with the most delectable array of alcohol. Be warned, there are very few alcohol-free chocolates in this shop.

We had wanted to visit the Rathhaus Museum, but the torture chamber was closed for the winter. I’m not sure if I was happy or sad about this!

Quick Tips:

MUST VISITS

1. Durer Haus on the Tiergartnerplatz - this is an attractive house to visit even if it wasn’t the home of the Leonardo of the North. The tour of the house guided by Frau Durer is very entertaining, she being a woman of strong opinions.

2. Kaiserberg - high above the old city, this fortress offers the best views in Nuremberg. Take the time to climb the tower it is worth the effort.

3. German National Museum - a stellar collection of German paintings, home décor, religious items, weapons and much more in an attractive and well-organized building ( the art galleries will be closed for the next four years for restoration).

4. Churches - Nuremberg has a fine collection of both Lutheran and Catholic Churches. St. Sebald, St Lorenz, St Klara and Frauenkirche. They are all within walking distance of each other in the old town. They offer several contrasts in style and décor.

5. Market Day - On Friday, the Lorenz district becomes a market. There were fresh fruits and vegetables as well as cooked foods. All very tantalizing. There was a carillon on one of the buildings that played music as we walked.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting around the old town is best done on foot. The streets are narrow and parking is really not an option. There is a parking garage near the German National Museum, but if you have read my previous Nuremberg journal, you will know that it was full and we chose on-street parking, which earned us a very expensive parking ticket. The old city is small enough to cover easily on foot and it is the optimal way to appreciate the beauty of the buildings. There are taxis available if you must get from one place to another quickly. Outside the old city there is normal public transportation, but since I have only driven through the other parts of town, I can’t offer any additional information.

We were welcomed with a smile and genuine warmth when we checked in at 1:30pm. Parking is in their private garage and was free. The spaces are very tight in this garage, and we had concerns about our Mercedes station wagon getting through the doors, let alone into the spaces. Suddenly the scratches we had signed for when we picked up the car made perfect sense. When we went to get into the car to leave, it wasn’t there. We had to call the desk and voila, they pushed a button and the car in our spot rose in the air and we came out from below. Amazing!

The rooms were the smallest we had so far (except for the singles at the Victoria in Frankfurt), but they were extremely clean. The bed was very comfortable and dominated the room.

We had the usual two separate featherbeds. We requested extra pillows, and when we returned from our afternoon out, they were on our bed.

Our room had one closet, a safe, a desk and chair, and a suitcase holder. The desk was perfect for our domino games. Our TV had the usual English channel (CNN) and was remote controlled. The bathroom was small, with only a shower, but it had a hair dryer, shampoo and shower gel, and a towel warmer that doubled as a laundry dryer (and also came in handy for drying our bathing suits after we visited the Jacuzzi or sauna). The health club is located in the basement, and there is a 2€ charge if you want a robe to wear.

The lobby has a bar and a sandwich station. There is also a couch and chairs and a computer with free Internet access. The location of the hotel could not be better. It is a 2-minute walk to the Durer House and Kaiserberg. It was one of the easiest hotels we have ever had to find. Right after you enter the Neutor (New Gate), there are signs pointing to hotels that get specific very quickly.

The breakfast buffet is included in the very good rate.

We feasted on scrambled and boiled eggs, cold cereal, juice, meat and cheese, fresh fruit, and bread and rolls. You have the choice of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. It was a very good buffet, and there are plenty of seats in the breakfast room. The hot drinks were served to you by a waitress who also picked up your used plates.

What really stands out about this hotel is the staff. Everyone we came in contact with, from the desk staff to housekeeping, was wonderful. We never felt that there was anything too much trouble to ask and the recommendation that they made for dinner was an excellent choice.

I asked the young lady at the desk for a dining suggestion, and this is one of the two she gave me. She asked if we wanted to eat typical Franconian food. The fact that it was just around the corner from our hotel made it a natural choice. She made a reservation for us, and our table was waiting for us when we arrived. We enjoyed our meal so much that we returned the second night.

Be prepared - there are no English menus. We had by this time picked up a few key German phrases, so we could at least guess at some of the menu items. When they realized that we didn’t speak German, they sent over a waitress who spoke very good English. She described things that we were unsure of for us.

We decided to try three of the four soups they offer. They have horseradish soup with salmon, potato soup with a clear broth, and curry and cream - not a bad choice among them. I had the curry the first night,

It was delicious. After tasting the other two (both good), I opted for the horseradish for the second night. Al isn’t big on soup, so he had the salad, which came with a great dressing (there was no choice of dressing). The second night we had a salad with our meal that was totally different; it had German potato salad, coleslaw, pickled cucumbers, and curry lettuce. The only dressing was a vinegar base, and it was very tasty.

Our entrée was the local Franconian specialty, which is pork shoulder with the skin on, red cabbage, and potato dumpling.

I exchanged the dumpling for fried potatoes. The second evening they offered a special of roast pork with two sides. All the food was well-prepared and the portions were large. Bread is not automatically offered. It was provided when we asked but was without butter.

Throwing all caution to the wind, I had dessert both nights. The first night I had the A. Durer Stube. It was a combination plate of delicious fruits, custards, ice cream, and a cookie. Something for everyone. The second night I had a cappuccino and kuchen for dessert.

It was served warm with a scoop of ice cream and berries; the plate was decorated with chocolate and vanilla custard.

We really loved this place. The food was not fabulous, but it was good, and the atmosphere was so warm and friendly that we couldn’t wait to return. The cook even came out to say goodbye to us when we left the first night.

My only complaint would be that the smoke was at times overpowering. It is a small restaurant, so although we were in the non-smoking section, there was no way to really escape from it.

Towering over the Alte Town, the castle offers the best views in Nuremberg.

We purchased a combination ticket for the four us for 20€. This allowed us entrance to the museum, the well, and the tower. In order to visit the apartments, you need to be part of a guided tour, which isn’t offered in English. This was a great disappointment to us, as we had looked forward to visiting the staterooms and the chapel.

We began by visiting the museum. The first floor has several models of the castle to familiarize you with the evolution of the fortifications over the years. The Kaiserberg was a fortified imperial residence for the Holy Roman Emperor since the 11th century. It was used as such into the early 19th century. Prior to World War II, it had only fallen once. Most of what we see today is a recreation of what was here before the Allied bombing. Reconstruction was ongoing until the early 1980s.

There are three floors of exhibits in the Kaiserberg. In addition to the models, the first floor includes a collection of spurs, bits, saddles, and other accouterments of the medieval knight. To reach the second floor, you need to climb a very steep circular staircase. Here we find weapons, swords (some almost 1,000 years old), crossbows, daggers, pikes, early cannons, and armor (helmets, breastplates, and chain mail).

The third floor has a wonderful collection of firearms. The 16th-century guns fascinated us. They were so big that we could not figure out how one man could handle them. A visit to the Germanisches National Museum answered our question. They were placed on a rolling stand, much like a cannon would use, and suddenly it all made sense.

To really appreciate the view, you must climb the tower. It is 110 steps up. This is a difficult walk on winding wooden stairs, but the view is worth it. You get a 360-degree perspective of the city of Nuremberg. While you are up there, look for Al’s and my name on the wall. It looks like everyone who has ever climbed the tower has signed his or her name. While Bob was signing his name, we noticed the camera suspended from the ceiling. We half expected to be snabbed when we reached the bottom again, but we weren’t.

Time seems to stop when you visit Dachau. For the entire time you are in the camp, you find yourself in a vacuum that returns you to the years between 1933 and 1945. The history is so palpable that at times it is almost hard to breathe. Unlike anywhere else I have ever visited there was hardly a sound, no loud voices, no laughter. Although there were children present, there were no childish sounds. It was eerie really. After the first hour or so, it became hard to continue to read all the horrible things that have happened here.

What keeps you going are the few stories of hope and courage, of survival and triumph. I think we all smiled when we read about the Hungarian inmates who hid an elderly deportee so that he wasn’t sent to a death camp. He survived the war and was almost 80 years old. Some of the facts are so amazing as to be inexplicable. With this mentality of total annihilation how some Jews were able to buy their freedom, were released and were allowed to emigrate. Stories of ministers and priests who stayed to minister to the inmates. This is not just the story of the thousands who died here; it is the story of all who passed through and those who survived. It is more than the big picture; it is the individual picture. We now have faces to put on the inmates, we don’t know all the names but all of their faces tell a story that we need to hear, even more so today.

Beyond the administration building, where the displays are, there are several other areas to visit. There are expiatory chapels, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish.

We visited all four and even went to the chapel outside the gates of the camp. You walk down the center road to reach the chapels. It takes you through the area where the original barracks stood. Now there are only numbered markers to identify them.

If you keep walking you will reach the crematory. It is out beyond the Orthodox chapel. In the woods beyond you can walk by the spot where the Russian prisoners were systematically executed. There are still bullet holes in the wall.

As you walk back to the parade ground, you will be able to visit the reconstructed barracks. They give you a visual picture of what they looked like. Stark and barren are the words that come to mind. Cleanliness was pushed to the point of obsession. It was used as a way to dehumanize and to discipline. The object of this camp wasn’t as much to destroy the life as to destroy the spirit.

There is an audio tour, which you can pick up in this building. There isn’t a store per se, but you can rent the tour or buy a book in the first barrack.

The sculpture of the barbed wire fence with human bodies caught on its barbs is a poignant reminder that we are standing on sacred ground and above all we must never forget what one human being is capable of doing to another.

You walk back along the walls with their barbed wire, past the guard towers and into the present. The heavy feeling doesn’t leave us for days and frankly, this was an experience I will never forget.

Basic Information

Money

Germany is part of the European Union, and they have adopted the euro as their currency. You will need to convert your money into euros either at home or in Germany. You will get the best rates by using your ATM card. However, please read my entry Captured in Munich; you will want to make sure you have more than one option with you for acquiring cash. It has been our experience that traveler’s checks are not universally accepted, even if they are in the euro currency. If you need to cash them at a bank, you will be charged a surcharge to do so. American Express Offices will cash your American Express cheques if you are a cardholder for fre,e but that requires that you locate the local office. We usually bring about 200 euros of cash that we get from our local bank. You will need to have cash when you arrive to take transportation from the airport. Credit cards are universally accepted in Germany, but not everywhere and not for everything. There are still restaurants and small stores that don’t accept credit cards, as we found out. Nymphenberg Palace

didn’t accept credit cards for entrance fees. You will also need change for parking.

Driving

Driving in Germany is enjoyable. The roads are in excellent condition, and the signs are easy to understand. Most signs use the international pictures, so even if you don’t understand any German, you will be able to decipher them. On the Autobahn, only get into the left lane to pass; etiquette requires that you not linger in the passing lane. Watch out for posted speed limits. There are sections of the Autobahn without limits, but not all are without limits. When it comes time to park, always look for a machine selling "park and display" tickets. Just because you don’t see parking meters, don’t assume that parking is free - it probably isn’t. Check the cars around you and see if they are displaying a ticket on their dashboard. A very expensive parking ticket is a sure way to spoil your day, and as we found out on the last trip, the ticket needed to be paid at a bank.

Speaking

I would advise that you get a small book of German phrases and at least familiarize yourself with the obvious words. In spite of prevalent rumors, not everyone in Germany speaks English. There were several occasions when we need to use our very rudimentary German. I carry Just Enough German by Passport Books, and it has just about every occasion covered.

Eating

German food, overall, is a rather heavy affair. Knodels are very heavy dumplings that taste like a soggy baseball as far as I am concerned, and they are served universally. I learned very quickly to say, "Kein knodel. Kartoffeln, bitte." (No dumplings. Potatoes, please.) Salad

can mean anything from just lettuce to a plethora of vegetables, and we have never been offered a choice of dressing; you will get what the house serves. When it comes to ordering German beer, you are in for a treat. I personally am a big pilsner lover, and this is very much the lager we are used to in the United States. You will usually pay considerably less for a large pilsner than you will for bottled water in a restaurant. Tipping in German is usually included in the bill; look for the word bedienung. If service is good, we always leave at least 10%, which, from what we observed, is generous.