January 2nd - Tuebingen to Nuremberg

Trip Start Dec 26, 2008
1
7
28
Trip End Jan 26, 2009


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Germany  , Bavaria,
Friday, January 2, 2009

This morning we had a quieter and more restrained breakfast than usual, since Rose had gone to work and the boys were still in bed, then packed our gear ready for the trip to Nuremberg. We had splashed out on first class tickets (only slightly more expensive than second class in this case) but ended up sitting in second class to Stuttgart (the alternative to standing in first class). The first class carriage to Nuremberg was relatively old and crappy, and the external doors, toilets and heating didn't work, so we were glad it hadn't cost us too much.

We alighted at Nuremberg and wandered off to find the hotel in completely the opposite direction that we should have gone. After a bit of head scratching we retraced our footsteps and found our way to the Faerbertor then headed to Knorrstrasse and the Hotel Steichele, which has been run as a hotel by the same family for 100 years, though the building is much older. The room was covered in wooden panelling reminding us of our room in Mont St Michel from last year. We dumped our packs and headed off for a walk around the old city wall fortifications and made our way back to the train station to catch a tram out to the old Nazi rally grounds.

The only remaining building is Congress Hall which now contains a museum, the Documentation Centre. The Hall looms over the tram stop reminding us of the Colosseum (on whose design it is based) - enormous and very impressive. Nearby is a huge frozen pond on which kids were skating when we went in.

The museum was excellent and gave a detailed account of the rise of the Nazis, the construction of the rally grounds, the hierarchy of the movement, the holocaust and the trials. Because Nuremberg was such an old and important town in German history, having been the base of the Holy Roman Emperors for centuries, the citizens' patriotism was exploited by the Nazis who enjoyed great success in elections there. The story as told by the museum was pretty fascinating and sobering. The best was saved for last when you walk out of a tunnel to view the arena from the top. Unfortunately it was close to dark by this point (it was 5.00pm) so we left and caught the tram back to town.

Darren could only think of two things by the time we got back to town - Nuremberg sausages and beer. We went to the first beer-hall we came to called Barfuesser) and ordered beers (no steins only pints) and shared a sausage plate with sauerkraut and black bread. Very delicious. Suitably fortified, we walked through the beautiful old city area, across the river, through the remains of the Christmas market, and back to the hotel for a quick rest before heading out for more sausages and beer at what is apparently the oldest sausage restaurant in the world, Zum Gulden Stern, not far from the hotel.

Today, for the first time since the first day in Munich, it snowed - this time big, proper snowflakes, but not many of them.
Print this entry