Rothenburg - The Walled City

The Romantic Road, one of the few parts of Southern Germany that I'd never seen before this trip, climaxes in Rothenburg. This walled city is surrounded by gravel parking lots attesting to its shameless tourism industry that ensures the locals stay well fed.

Unlike the old days when Rothenburg used the wall as a protective fortress/something to throw trash over the exterior of the town is neatly mowed with well kept trials and fresh blooming trees.
The wall itself contains tower after tower. There is actually a walkway on the top inside edge of the wall that connects each tower. It's tough to see in the pictures but there are quite a few slits in the wall along that walkway presumably to shoot arrows through. The walkway as well as the still 100% intact wall circle the entire city, which is very large compared to most old European cities.

After following a trail around about half of the city Mom and I were ready to make our entrance (above).
This picture is actually before entering the city, yet due to BlogSpot I cannot change the photo order and still have them linked so you can click to see the image full size; you'll survive.

At any of the numerous gates we could freely pass back outside. In fortress days I'm sure there would have been guards and gatekeepers ensuring trouble stayed outside. Above is Mom in front of one of the gates we zigged and zagged past.
In constant competition, Mom and I would see who could out-do who with the hair. I still think she has me a bit on length - before I catch her though it's gonna get cut.
Inside the city is a throwback world of cobblestone and color. Bakeries and gift shops line the streets while colorful signs adorn the partially-timbered architecture. A company who hand builds these gas powered throwback buggies offers a country tours for quite a hefty price. Check their website if you have time, it's in English, http://www.aaglander.de/.
Rothenburg, like many European cities, is not flat, nor is it set within a grid. What they end up with is cool angles where houses are custom built. I really enjoy the partially-timbered look, especially when mixed with neat angles or overhangs.

Had I known how cool Rothenburg was I would have planned more than an afternoon there. However, King Ludwig's Castles waited anxiously for our entrance fees and the town of Reutte, which we only visited for a few hours, waited to give two crazy stories.

Quintessential Germany (Der Romantische Straße)

A few weeks back my mom came to visit Europe and enjoy what I've spent many years enjoying. She flew into Frankfurt where I was a mere hour late to meet her before we grabbed a little rental car and drove into the heart of Germany, the Romantic Road.
We drove to Würzburg, another US military town, and had lunch at an outdoor cafe. People walked here and there and young mothers gathered to push their lil ones in strollers. The weather had been great lately and the sun continued to shine for us. Another sure sign of spring arrived too, blooming flowers and road construction.

Mom was tired from the trip but we had much to see so we continued for an hour stopping for the night in the small village of Röttingen.
Germans take great pride in the appearance of things. Nearly every grave in the Röttingen cemetery boasted bright planted flowers. Many window boxes also showed their first blooms of the year.
We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Gasthaus Karl (not pictured). It is common in Germany for people with extra rooms, or an extra story, to convert the free area into a bed and breakfast. I enjoy gasthauses as a colorful and reasonably priced way to experience Deutschland.
It was Monday, the one day each week that many German restaurants are closed. We had trouble finding anywhere to eat, but after a short drive to a neighboring town, Credlingen, we found a homey place serving traditional food; soup, salad, and schnitzel.
Having lost a night's sleep on the airplane Mom put in early. We had a lot of driving over the next few days. We likely could have filled our entire trip with just the cities on this road, but wanting to see as much as possible we chose a whirlwind route.

Heidelberg, Germany

Long planned and longer awaited, I finally visited Heidelberg with my buddy Greenie. We stayed with the Melli family, missionaries who go back with me to my college days. Heidelberg is a military town with a large U.S. base; it also has a huge fortress, half in ruin. The city is situated along a river, between two long hills. As you look up, the fortress would have protected both the city and the passage on the river.
It was a formidable structure that has taken centuries to start the process of decay, though with a few exceptions as shown above the fortress is in great shape.
Crossing the river and climbing up, up, and up some more stairs is the famous philosopher's way. True to its name we pondered and debated intense topics; the meaning of life, whether or not to count wood chuck chucking records if the wood chuck had used any sort of steroid, and relationships - you know, un-understandable topics.
The city is quaint and small, situated neatly. As with many German cities it also boasts a nice walking district where cars and bicycles are not allowed. These areas are always the most happening part of town filled with street cafes, shopping and restaurants.
This trip was a great relationtional relief after a long spell away from my friends and computer. If you squint just right you can see Greenie and the girls walking above. After 12 days alone, this trip refilled me. It also put me two hours closer to Frankfurt Airport where my mom was to arrive in only a few days.

Networking in Berlin

I do not want anybody thinking that I am touring Europe pointlessly. Therefore this blog will describe my few evenings of work I have managed to carve out of my six month schedule. Past skiing, photography, and traveling, I have also been contacting people and attempting to meet up. My contacts are in the sports marketing world.
While in Berlin, I met with Kirstin, a U of O Warsaw MBA alum. I spent time with her probing the ins and outs of sports business. To give me a better view of the sports marketer's life she invited me to a few events. The first of those was a Hertha Berlin professional soccer game. This team is privileged to play in a historical arena, Olimpiastadion; built by Hitler's government for the 1936 Olympic Games.
Kirstin gave me a VIP ticket so after time had expired I was able to go into the heart of the stadium for a full meal.

This was one of two times during the year that the Germans have to play two games in a single week. The crowd, I was told due to it being a work night, was abnormally small. Still, the crazies in the end zones managed to scream and waive their scarves from the beginning until the bitter, scoreless end (it was a tie at zero).
The second event was a celebration for the Berlin Ice Bears hockey team. They had recently won their national cup. I was a guest at their players, friends, and sponsers only dinner. A little salmon, some nice wine... then an underground metro back to the reality of a night in the airport before a flight to Basel where I'd be again on my own dime.

Santorini, Greece - a volcanic island

After accepting a local's advice I took a long ferry ride to the island of Santorini. It is a crescent shaped island that once was a rim of an active volcano. All that is left is sun-heated rocks and some Greeks that thought white houses would look good on the cliffs.
The ferry stopped a few times along the way; this island (I can't remember its name) was the first stop. Given my short time frame it may have been wise of me to choose an island that was close to Athens, but onward I went.

I spent a good portion of the ride inside bogging my way through The Confessions of St. Augustine. I recommend the book, it's great; not all great books are easy to read though. I managed to step out into the wind a few times. Sunset was particularly nice looking over the hazy endlessness of the sea. (The photo above is actually a reflection in a window).
Athens was dirty, so I found a very nice hotel on Santorini that was only €5 more per night than the hostel had been back on the mainland.
This was the evening view from my room's balcony. It was very nice to have a private space after living for a few weeks in hostels, which are little more than bunk beds jammed into any open space.
Much of the island's buildings are white. It really made me wish that I had remembered some sunglasses. Unfortunately, the Greeks version of style is a bit wild and I couldn't find any new shades that suited my no-so-blingy taste.
Santorini is an island where one would take their bride on an anniversary. There is little to do but sleep, shop, and dine. I am glad to have visited, but I would not again choose to go alone. Due to time constraints and ferry schedules I booked a nighttime ride back to Athens where I hopped a flight back to Berlin - I had a party to attend, a weekend to enjoy, and a mother to pick up after her transatlantic flight.

Athens, Greece

April 12th through yesterday gave me 6 flights, 6 countries, 16 or so cities, 18 international border crossings, and somewhere around 600-700 photos. It did not give me, however, decent access to the internet.

I flew from Berlin to Athens on what I expected to be the pinnacle of my six months. I took a lot of photos and saw a lot of culture, but other cities/countries will top my list of favorites.
Athens is a massive city that boasts of being the birthplace of democracy. Within Athens there are still a few temple ruins that rival the greatness of Rome. The sacred sites are bunched together within endless apartment buildings that look as if they were designed by the communist block.
The picture atop this blog is of the Greek flag on top of the hill that houses the Parthenon and other temples. The second photo is of Hadrian's Arch and the above photo is the Ancient Agora. The Agora is in excellent condition. It is the only Athenian relic that stands without scaffolding.

It was warmer in Greece than it had been in Germany. Their wildflowers were already in bloom.
Major renovations are saving the integrity of nearly everything. This is the Temple of Athena Nike, looking towards the Parthenon.
A few other half fallen temples stood on the same mount but I did not see what they were called or who was worshipped there.
After much effort and a few laps around the Parthenon I managed to find this angle that shows the least amount of scaffolding possible. The 10 yards or so around the entire temple are filled with pieces that the contractors have pulled off the temple, then numbered. I assume they will re-piece together everything that they have dismantled once they have figured a way to strengthen the structure and maybe earthquake-proof it.
Below the temple mount are a few amphitheaters. This one is still in great condition.
This one, which they let us climb on and lounge around, is in a slightly worse repair.

From the Parthenon mount, I could have walked to all four sides and taken pictures of endless apartment buildings. They didn't stop until they faded into the haze.
Below the temple mount is another site, the Temple of Zeus. Unlike the others above, it is at city level (the Parthenon sits on a big flat-topped hill). Anything below the Parthenon is subject to the thousands upon thousands of wild dogs that are running around. It was actually difficult to get photos without random, ugly dogs in them.
Beyond the sites, Greek culture, while dirty and loud, lit up at night. Their dinnertime (around 10:00pm) was when they were in the best of spirits. I'm not sure when the city slept.
After a few days in the big city, I took a local's advice and took a long fairy ride to one of Greece's prized islands, Santorini. I'm working on a few of those photos so check in say in two days or so and enjoy. I'd like to blog each of the cities I've been in the past month so check back often.