Dachau

Yesterday started with a trip to Dachau, which was the model for all other concentration camps. The camp is large, as expected, and our audio guides took us through the camp from arrival to the crematorium.

Because of expected rain, we didn't follow the route in order but started with the crematorium. It started pouring pretty much as we got inside and it quickly became a popular spot to wait out the rain. While nothing like the overcrowding that would have actually happened at Dachau, it was an unsettling feeling. Dachau claims to have never used their gas chamber for mass killings but there is one and I think the general consensus is that it was used. There are also several graves where thousands are buried (and the graves are not large) as well as two places where executions where carried out (I think one was firing squad and the other for hangings.). The barracks are no longer standing but the foundations are still in place, plus two reconstructed barracks, one of which shows the progression of the barracks over the years. They get more and more cramped as time passes. And while originally built for around 50 people, they held up to 450. 

The original maintenance building has been turned into a museum where you learn more about particular prisoners, life at the camp, the progression of SS officials, and the eventual liberation of the camp. It's been open for quite a long time and was created with the input of camp survivors. The memorial out from, in the roll-call square, is very large and prominent, as you would expect. Generally, the camp is a tribute to survivors as opposed to a grisly history, focussing on the people who were there. It was an experience that will stay with me for a long time.  

Munich

We arrived in Munich on Tuesday morning after our overnight flight from Toronto. It was an uneventful flight, which is always nice, and after catching a train into the city, we got settled into our hotel and headed out to see Schloss Nymphenburg, a summer residence of Bavarian rulers. It's Great Hall was pret impressive but what was really mind blowing was the carriage museum. It had many of the carriages used by various kings, queens and princes, including a few used for coronations that were really elaborate, entirely covered in gold. The grounds of the palace are really extensive and open to the public. There are formal gardens right outside the palacios, itself, but also extensive wooded areas with paths and four pavilions used by the rulers to get even further away from it all.  It was raining lightly and I had forgotten my umbrella but we made it to all four. They were very impressive on their own - one had an indoor swimming pool and another was built to look like ruins and had a grotto inside. 

From there, we headed back to our hotel before heading out to dinner. We landed at a packed restaurant where I had a sampling of three different kinds of dumplings and EDP had duck and pork. A kindly gentleman sitting near us advised EDP what to do with the sauce that came with his meal - and even interrupted a bit later to insist EDP put the sauce on his dumpling since it would be too dry without it. We finished with a type of apple pancake, which was quite tasty, and then headed back for a good night's rest. 

On Wednesday morning, we started at Alte Pinakothek, an art museum with an extensive Rubens collection, including one painting that is one of the largest paintings in Europe. The building was actually designed to fit the painting and it hangs in the best spot in the gallery and has never been moved. It also houses the first known Da Vinci, which was exciting to see. From there, we went to Marienplatz to catch the glockenspiel before sitting down for some lunch at a cafe with a very impressive dessert selection. I took the recommendation of the gentleman behind the counter and it was delicious, though I'm not really clear what it was. As we left, he tried to convince me to take a piece to go but we still had things to see.

And that thing was the Munich Residence. We started at the Cuvillies Theatre, which was built in the 1750's but destroyed in WWII. Before the war, someone had thought to store the interior in a safe place so they just reinstalled it in another building. Sadly, there were no performances happening while we were in Munich, but we were able to go into the theatre to take a look and it was beautiful. After that, it was into the Residence Museum. And wow, I don't think I've ever been in a palace where so much of it was open to the public. It felt like every king built his own apartments and all were on display. There were some highlights - like the Antiquarium and the Ornate Rooms and the Imperial Hall - but after a while, it all started looking alike. 

We headed back to the hotel after that, stopping in a shop that we thought was a liquor store but when we got inside, we decided it was like German Williams Sonoma. But then it turned into German Lee Valley. And German Staples. And German Home Hardware. And several other shops. All rolled into one. It was quite the store. We then headed out for dinner, which was pizza. We ordered a sampler pizza meant to feed 3-4 people. The waitress seemed concerned when we ordered it and asked if we were sure. We were. It had four kinds of pizza - cheese, margherita, salami and prosciutto & mushroom. It was SOOO GOOD. We polished off all but three pieces of the 36 pieces it was cut into. Then we stopped for some ice cream where I had a delicious chocolate and EDP had an amazing apricot and basil. It was a good way to end a few days in Munich. 

This morning, we picked up our rental car and headed north. It's been a long day and I'm nodding off as I type so I'll have to pick this back up again tomorrow after a good night's sleep. Auf Wiedersehen! 

So.... I'm going to Germany tomorrow?

Yep, true story.  At this time tomorrow, we'll be packing up the car and heading to the airport for an exciting adventure in the Bavarian Alps, driving the Romantic Road and German Alpine Road.

We've had this planned for a while - booked flights back in February, roughed out an itinerary & hotels in March...  Yet somehow, I haven't had the chance to sit down and really do the final planning until this week.  And really, most of it was today.

So what's the plan?  Well, we leave tomorrow for Munich, landing around 10 on Tuesday.  We'll check in to our hotel and spend the next day and a half in Munich, checking out The Residenz Munchen (home of Bavarian Monarchs), Nymphenburg Palace (summer home), Alte Pinakothek (one of the oldest art galleries in the world), and Marienplatz (the main square where the Rathaus-Glockenspiel is).  There's also a dessert place I'm pretty interested in finding.  

From Munich, we're heading to Dachau to visit the concentration camp.  It was one of the first concentration camps to open in Germany, originally intended for political prisoners but ultimately  housed over 200,000 prisoners from all over Europe, of whom, 41,500 were murdered.

After Dachau, we're heading onto the Romantic Road up to Rothenburg ob der Tauber - a village rumoured to look exactly like the village in Shrek (though, I presume it's not animated.)  The Romantic Road isn't really as delightful as it sounds - it was dreamt up by some travel agents in the 1950's but does take you through a number of quaint towns.  We're not doing the whole thing but we will get to Rothenburg where I'm looking forward to trying as many of the varieties of snowballs I can get my hands on and we're going to take an evening tour of the village.  We're also driving up to Würzburg, which is the northern most city on the route where we'll take in their  Residence, which was commissioned by some prince-bishops, and the city's fortress.  

After Würzburg, it's over to Harburg to visit their castle, which is one of the most impressive medieval castles in Germany.  It is one of the oldest castles that wasn't damaged in the war and has the claim to fame that Michael Jackson once tried to buy it.  I'm not making that up.  

Harburg will lead us to Hohenschwangau where there are two castles that were fairly important to Ludwig II.  One is Hohenschwangau Castle, which was his childhood home and the other is Neuschwanstein, which Ludwig had built as a retreat and a homage to Wagner.  But, more interesting, it's the castle that Walt Disney used as the inspiration for the castle in Sleeping Beauty.  I, obviously, am referring to it only as Sleeping Beauty's castle.  There are also some hiking trails in the area that we're trying to figure out how to get on to, since the famous Marienbrücke bridge is closed for repairs and the gorge isn't accessible due to rock slides.  

That's the end of the Romantic Road so we're then picking up the German Alpine Road, which winds through the Alps.  Again, we're not doing everything, just a small piece of it.  We'll visit the Ettal Abbey which was founded on my birthday, except in 1330 instead of the 1980s.  Another Ludwig had it built and is pretty famous for it's beauty.  There's also a distillery and brewery on site, so I think this Ludwig and I would have been friends.  We're also visiting Schloss Linderhof, which is another palace that Ludwig II built.  It sounds like it is the most beautiful of the three Ludwig II castles we're visiting so I'm really looking forward to it.  We're also going to visit the little village of Oberammergau, which is known for the Passion Play that it puts on every ten years.  Our visit does not coincide with the next production.  But they are well-known for their woodcarving and frescoes on the buildings.  So that should be fun to see.

After that, we're going to spend a day hiking in the Partnach Gorge and then another day heading over the Austrian border to see the Eisreisenwelt ice cave.  Then, it's back to Munich to catch a flight home.

Oh, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be eating as much Black Forest Cake and German Chocolate Cake (though, I assume it's just called chocolate cake there) as I can get my hands on.  It should be an excellent trip.  Now I just need to finish packing.  

Last day in Peru

EDP got food poisoning.  Let's just leave it at that.

Why we didn't make it to Colca Canyon (Or: When things don't go as planned)

So where were we... Right - touring Lake Titicaca.  

Our boat tour took us out to the floating islands of Uros, which are these islands made of reeds. They are a bit spongy, for lack of a better description but really fascinating.  Our tour guide, Franz, gave us a really good overview of the history of how the islands came to be and how they are made. I was surprised at how many islands there are - I thought there would be just a few but there were a lot. It was quite the community, with schools and churches and all sorts of stuff.  

After that, it was on to Taquile. We had quite the hike up to the main plaza but once there, we were rewarded with amazing views of the lake and the mountains in both Peru and Bolivia. There was a wedding taking place while we were there and we got to see the exit of the bride and the groom from the church with the important people of the community. From there, we went to lunch, overlooking the lake where Franz told us about the various woven bags, knitted hats and other things that make up the local customs around single people and married life. Different styles of hats or pompoms tell you whether or not somone is married, how good a knitter someone is tells you how good of a husband he'll be, etc. Then it was back onto the boat for the trip back to Puno and an early bed before catching a bus to Arequipa.

Our bus arrived without a problem and we were soon on our way. We expected a long bus ride - we weren't scheduled to be in Arequipa until at least 12:30 even with a 6:00 start. We were told we'd get into Arequipa a bit later than expected since we would have to take a back road. There were some protests going on in the city around a copper mine being opened and the protestors were at the main road into the city. At one of our stopping points, we parted ways with the folks heading on the Colca Canyon and we transferred to a van for our back way into Arequipa. Well, when they said back way... The road was sandy and often very narrow with lots of rocks and wound all around a mountain. Our van didn't seem to really enjoy it's off-roading adventure and at one point, our driver struggled to get the van up the road. So, we all piled out and walked a bit ahead for him to try without our weight. No dice. In the end, it took all five of the gentlemen on board to push the van up the road. I don't think it's what anyone was expecting for the ride. Luckily, that was pretty much at the highest point we needed to go. Then it was literally all downhill from there. And harrowing. The road was so narrow and bumpy, I was quite convinced there would be news reports of a van full of tourists that went over the side of the mountain. I've never been so happy to see a paved road in my life. From there, we had to make our way to our hotel.

The protests were going on in the main plaza, which our hotel was very near to. Because of all the people - and because the protests were getting a little less than peaceful - we had to walk to our hotel instead of being dropped off right by it. The girl accompanying us from the bus company had us wait for a little bit while some of the people marching moved away from the part of the square we were heading through. Soon we were at the hotel - but much later than expected. With the road blockages, we decided it was best to not try to get out of the city so we canceled our hike and explored the city today instead.

We visited Santa Catalina monestary, which was like a city within the city, sitting on five acres. The streets and cloisters were beautiful with such interesting architectal aspects, like stairs leading nowhere all over the place. After that, we stopped for a hot chocolate before making our way to Plaza San Francisco for a free walking tour of the city. Our guide, Carlos, took us all around, telling us about the history of the city and then taking us for a few food tastings - chocolate, potatoes and Pisco sours. It was a great way to see the city and something we hadn't planned on doing. After the tour, we stopped at Casa de Moray, a mansion that was quite lovely before heading off to dinner at a restaurant owned by a Peruvian celebrity chef. Now, we can't move. It was an amazing meal - one of the best of all our travels (and not just this trip!)

Tomorrow, it's an early flight to Lima to spend one more day there before flying back home tomorrow night. Vacations always seem to go by too quickly.   

What a couple of days...

We survived our Inca Trail hike! We were up before the birds to meet our guide, Hector, for our trek and soon were on our way to catch the train to take us to the start of our hike.  It was so cool in the morning, we were all shivering at breakfast and through the wait for our delayed train. Once on the train, we had a very scenic trip before the train stopped in the middle of nowhere and we got going!

After going down a little path and over a bridge, we got to our starting point Where we got our passports stamped, stopped for a bathroom break and headed off.  We came across our first Incan ruins almost right away, which was a nice way to start the hike. Hector pointed out where we'd be having breakfast and off we went.  We seemed to make pretty good time despite stopping frequently to make sure we were hydrated and to capture all the scenery.  We had blazing sun for most of the pre-lunch portion but did get a bit of rain right before lunch.  The trail was both easier and harder than expected.  We were hiking up more than I would have preferred (but to be fair, we were climbing a mountain) but the trail itself wasn't as uneven or rugged as I thought it would be.  We quickly learned the difference between flat and "Inca flat" and let me tell you - there wasn't a lot of flat.  There were a couple of shelters built along the way which made great places for snacks and longer breaks out of the sun. We certainly earned our lunch, climbing from about 2200m to 2600m in just over three hours. Lunch was right after reaching Winay Wayna and man, it was the best lunch ever.

After that, it was fairly flat for another hour or so to reach Sun Gate where we got our first view Machu Picchu. It was pretty spectacular.  Then, we got to start heading downhill into Machu Picchu which was a nice change from climbing but challenging in its own way. Once at Machu Picchu, we hiked down to Aguas Calientes, reaching the town just after the sun went down. Then it was over to our hotel for hot showers, dinner and bedtime. 

It rained through the night which meant our morning was pretty dreary. We went back up to Machu Picchu for our tour and our hike up Huayna Picchu. Hector guided us around and we watched the fog roll in and out of the mountains.  It burned off in time for our hike Huayna Picchu, which we did in just under an hour. It was no Inca Trail - rough, steep steps that would have been near impossible without the cables that had been bolted into the mountain.  It was totally worth it though. The view from 200m above Machu Picchu and over the entire valley from the top of the mountain was in-freaking-credible. 

Then, it was back down the mountain and back to Aguas Calientes to have lunch and catch our train and bus back to Cusco.  Once back, we had time for dinner before heading to the bus station for our overnight bus to Puno where we are now waiting for our tour to start for Lake Titicaca.