Views of Cadenabbia and Bellaggio

The view of Cadenabbia and our hotel from the ferry, and the view from Bellaggio.

Hotel Riviera

The view from my hotel window just after sunrise.

Lago di Lugano

There are three large lakes in the region north of Milano: Lago Maggiore, Lago di Garda and Lago di Como, as well as several smaller ones. Como is perhaps the most famous. It was a destination of vacationers even in ancient Roman times (Pliny had a villa here) and it has been visited by many poets and artists. Mussolini was captured and executed in a town just down the road from here.
Some views of Lago di Lugano. The lake straddles the Italian/Swiss border. It is so beautiful one wonders if it is real.

The Cadenabbian Connection

Doesn't that sound like a great title for a John Grisham novel? Since this summer I didn't go to Lausanne to visit with my friend J.J., I suggested that he come to Lake Como so that we could spend a few days together here. He left very early in the morning for the five hour train journey to Lugano where I picked him up at the train station. As the crow flies it is not all that far, but since there are mountains in the way it requires a lengthy detour north to Zürich, then south to Lugano. From Cadenabbia, on the western shore of Lago di Como, it is about twenty miles to drive into Switzerland. But this took about an hour as the road goes over a mountain pass and then along a very narrow road along the lake. But what a route! The scenery is some of the most spectacular in the world. Lago di Lugano is the closest thing to paradise one will find on this planet. Once again, photos can only poorly render the splendour of the scenery.
After getting J.J. sorted out in the Hotel Riviera we had a wonderful lunch in the restaurant downstairs then hopped on a ferry (which leaves from a pier just down the street) for the short ride over to the town of Bellaggio, the town immediately across the water. It is really warm, so walking in the sun was not appealling. I did climb to the top of the hill in the old town and visited the Romanesque church of San Giacomo, begun in the eleventh century. The interior is built in a black stone and makes an unexpected impression. Since the interior was Baroque-icized in the 17th century and restored to its original form in the early 20th, I suspect not too much of the decor is original. Still, it is quite pretty.
We returned to Cadenabbia for a superb supper. It is no secret that the Italians know how to cook. We shared a lovely antipasto of lightly grilled veggies, then a scrumptious pizza ai porcini, washed down with a fine local red wine. After a luscious dessert of gelato we were in a good mood indeed.

Through the Alps. Again

I am driving through Austria at one of its narrower points. I could take the autobahn and go around Innsbruck, down through the Brenner Pass and west towards Merano. But I've been there, done that (just last year, as a matter of fact). As I am always up for the new alpine experience I am taking secondary roads. This route will traverse three different mountain passes and skirt the Swiss border before entering the South Tyrol (which is in Italy, if you have been paying attention to my blog!). The scenerey is spectacular, jaw-dropping. Most of my pics, taken in breathless rapture, cannot convey the majesty of what I saw, so I will post just a few.
The first two passes, the Fernpass and the Reschenpass are easily negotiated. The third one, the Stilfserjoch is unbelieveable. How did they even build such a road? It climbs steeply with over 42 hairpin curves on the way up (they're numbered) with a relentlessly steep incline. It takes virtuoso driving. My little Polo is really working hard today. I could only use first and second gear the entire time. This pass is much steeper than the Furka Pass I did two summers ago. The photos are taken near the top of the pass, before the descent. Going down is a bit easier. The lake is the Lago di Resia at the top of the Reschenpass.
Entering into the province of Lombardy I am now in the real Italy. The scenery is still magnificent, but the rest is disappointing. Town after town is hideously ugly, a mess of post-war apartments and commercial strips. Apparently there are no zoning laws in Italy. The few buildings of historic interest are mostly castles and monasteries perched high in the hills or the local church. They are forever marooned in this ocean of urban ugliness. I am driving directly west to reach the north end of Lago di Como. That, at least, will be pleasing. But when I finally get there (cursing the Italians for not putting up enough signs) I am again aghast. It is so built up I can barely see the lake; and the traffic! It's bumper to bumper for a while. Then it thins out and it's clear sailing. I am staying in a tiny town of Cadenabbia on the western edge of the lake. Como is shaped like an upside down Y. Cadenabbia is just across from the tip of the peninsula, where all three arms of the lake converge.

Pfronten im Allgäu

After a lovely walk through Bavarian meadows and forest I was on my merry way. I wish there were some way to bottle this country air; it is redolent of new-mown grass, blooming wild flowers with a soupçon of cowshit. (Well, this is the country, after all!). I'm on my way to the Italian lake of Lago di Como. I head south towards Reutte in Tirol, the next town just over the border in Austria. Before that I drive through Pfronten im Allgäu. I wanted to stay in this town because I had been here before, but no hotel options came up on Expedia (and I have been booking all my hotels at expedia.com). I stopped long enough to take the photo of the parish church with a background of mountains. It just doesn't get prettier than this. The weather is still gorgeous, though it is getting warmer and warmer (but I'm not complaining).

Castles

The original castle of the Wittelsbachs, the ruling Bavarian dynasty, is Hohenschwangau (the yellow one). König Ludwig II built his dream castle, Neuschwanstein (the white one) on a neighboring hill. The cost of this whim, along with several other of his castles, bankrupted the state. Now Bavaria cashes in big time on these major tourist attractions. This was not on my agenda and I really didn't feel like joining the throngs of tourists to go up the hill. Besides, I've been here before. So, I took the mandatory photos from a meadow and left. From most of the photos of Neuschwanstein it looks like it is in the middle of the Alps. But that is not the case. It is on the very edge of the mountains -- it depends which direction you are facing. How deceptive photography can be!

The Prince Regent

After the mad King Ludwig II was removed from the throne (he drowned soon afterwards under suspicious circumstances), Bavaria was ruled by a Prince Regent. This is his statue in Füssen. Yesterdays post-soccer revelers adorned him with a lei in the German national colors and crowned him with a beer bottle. Today's headlines: Crown Prince gets lei-ed in Füssen. (Well, it's about time!)

Füssen

I booked a hotel in the town of Nesselwang. It is in an area of South Bavaria known as the Allgäu, where the famous fairytale castle Neuschwanstein is located. I drove into Füssen first to have a look around. It is the biggest town in the area, but it is still quite small. It's a real charmer; nearly every building in the town is historic and high mountains surround it. I stopped for lunch and had a local specialty, Hausgemachte Käsespätzle, that is, homemade noodles with cheese, topped with fried onions and scallions. I washed it down with a golden, frothy stein of Bavarian beer. Ah, the simple pleasures of life! I remember the days when a side salad in Germany would mean various veggies (usually carrots and celery root) grated to a mush and served swimming in a few inches of vinegary water. Yuck! Things have improved a great deal. The salad I was served today would have sent a rabbit into nirvana. Note the emerald green waters of the river Lech.

Unsere Liebe Frau

On the other side of the Hauptmarkt is the Frauenkirche. The outside may be wearing a chador, but the inside is accessible. This is the one Catholic parish church in this overwhelmingly Protestant city. The brief history of the building states plainly that, in the 14th century, the Hauptmarkt was the location of the Jewish ghetto. There was a pogrom, most of the inhabitants were killed and their synagogue was destroyed. (Vicious attacks like this one occured all over Europe for centuries encouraged, if not ordered, by various 'Christian' rulers, and not just in German lands.) This church was built on the very site of the former synagogue, "to the glory of god". The sheer hypocrisy of these Christians is staggering. Anyway, the Frauenkirche is a jewel of Gothic style, much smaller than its neighbors. After the Reformation it became Protestant but reverted to the Roman church when this area became part of Bavaria in the early 1800's.
I confess. I went to Starbucks the other day. It is not that I am such a big fan, but I forgot how awful German coffee can be -- bitter, bitter. I saw several Starbucks in the city. Maybe the Germans, now that they have unravelled the mysteries of making a decent salad, can get the hang of brewing a decent cup of java. Two things I will not miss: driving through the narrow streets of the Altstadt to get to my hotel, negotiating one way streets, pedestrian zones, bicyclists, etc. I was so frustrated yesterday that I inadvertently entered a one way street (clearly marked, but I missed the sign) and had to back up half a block. People stopped to stare and no doubt thought: Who is that idiot Austrian who can't drive? (I have Austrian plates.) Let them think what they will. The other thing is getting in and out of the Agneshof parking garage. It is a sardine can. The spaces are so small you need a shoe horn to get into them. I saw many traces of paint on the walls where it had been scrapped off of other vehicles and I was sooo careful not to leave any bits of the fire engine red Polo behind.

Sankt Sebald II

I'm not done with Nürnberg yet. Before my departure I took another short stroll to St. Sebald and photographed a few of the saints who are keeping vigil in the nave.

Lauf an der Pegnitz

The marvellous weather continues to hold. I chose to go not too far afield and do a hike about 30 km from here, in the Hersbrucker Schweiz (how many Switzerlands can there be?). I remembered the village of Simmelsdorf-Hüttenbach because it was the end station of a small train line. It was often the goal of a hike starting elsewhere because it afforded a way to get back to the city. I remember, forty years ago, that the DBB wanted to terminate service on this line because it wasn't cost effective. But there was such a hue and cry from the hikers who use it primarily on weekends that it stayed in service. I wondered if it was still running now. I found Simmelsdorf by intuition and good luck. I have no map and just made a rudimentary one from the internet. Although the old station is abandoned and boarded up, the train still runs. Instead of the pre-war choo-choo that ran on the line 40 years ago there is a spanking new electric train. It's only two cars, but it runs once an hour. This exemplifies the difference between a democratic socialist state, such as Germany, and one where services are privately owned. The government is apt to make choices in favor of the common good while the private companies are only concerned with their profits. There was a large map with all the possible hiking trails well marked. I chose a tour that would bring me back to S-H in a few hours. It was lovely except for the fact that part of it ran by the autobahn. The sound of cars whizzing by is not anyone's idea of rural peace. If Herr Wolff had been here he would have seen that fact and chosen another trail. One pic shows the village of Simmelsdorf nestled in the hills. Note how much forest land there is around it.

On the way back I stopped in the town of Lauf an der Pegnitz, another cute little medieval town in Nürnbergerland. There happened to be a Volksfest going on with the usual booths offering food and drink with a live wind band for entertainment. I couldn't help thinking of a similar event I attended just a year ago in the South Tyrol. There, the event was hosted by an oppressed minority, the German speakers, reveling in their culture. This one was much more laid back by comparison. Tomorrow I leave Nürnberg heading south to the Bavarian Alps and reaching the Italian lakes by Tuesday.
[Soccer update: Germany beat England 4-1. I was out on the street at the time and heard some brief whooping and hollering, but they haven't torn the place apart yet.]

Der schöne Brunnen

Here is a monument that truly deserves its title, a beautiful fountain. It's in the northwest corner of the Hauptmarkt.
I indulged in a bit of nostalgia this afternoon. Well, more curiosity than anything else. I wanted to visit the neighborhoods I lived in forty years ago to see what they were like. First I walked out to Rennweg, in a nice residential area north of the Altstadt. I found the house I lived in during my second and third years here. It looked much the same, even had the same door. Isn't it interesting how one forgotten object can evoke so many memories of the past? A few blocks away is the Stadtpark, in its day one of the nicest parks anywhere. The lovely restaurant/café I remembered, situated on a pond, has closed down and is now overgrown with weeds. The formal gardens, once meticulously kept up, are now pretty shabby. The lawns need a good mowing. It is a bit sad to see the park go downhill.
Not a lot has changed in Nürnberg. The biggest thing is the subway that was built about twenty years ago. The city already had an extensive tram/bus network but it built a subway system as well. And not just a few stops -- it goes everywhere. I can't help thinking of Kansas City, a much bigger city, which has a laughable public transit system and has been dithering for the past twenty years about building a modest tram line.
I took the subway (Untergrundbahn) out to the south part of the city to visit the street I lived in during my first year in Nürnberg. I haven't walked down that street in forty-two years. It was much the same. I opted to walk back to town. Many people were out and about on the warm summer afternoon, chatting on cell phones, walking with friends and family. I hardly heard a word of German spoken the whole time. I heard Russian, Turkish and dog knows what else. Like most countries in Europe, Germany has been overrun by other nationalities. I walked out to a vegetarian restaurant I had located on the internet. It was a bit of a schlepp, but well worth it. Vegetarian cuisine in Germany (when you could find it) used to be a little weird. This was faaaabulous. I had the Aryuvedische Teller which was basically an Indian dinner. Fragrant rice with veggies in a mild curry sauce, some yellow dahl sambhar for protein, cucumber raita and two chutneys, one of walnut/apple (I think it was just these two items mixed in a blender) and apricot. Delizioso!

Sankt Egidien

I seem to be blogging Nürnberg's churches. The one I am omitting is the lovely Frauenkirche, but only because it is being renovated and is currently obscured by scaffolding.
Nürnberg is a Gothic city, but it does boast one single Baroque church, one that I have always been fond of since the days I lived here. Sankt Egidien (that's St. Gilles in English) was originally built in the Middle Ages, then burnt down (there seems to have been a lot of that happening). It was rebuilt in the Baroque style, dedicated in 1718. It survived until the conflagration of 1944. It was decided after the war that rebuilding it in its original form was impossible, so the interior of the new church was modified and simplified. I love the simple, classical look of the decor. It is mostly white, with some tasteful decorative elements. This is a Protestant church after all, much more reserved in feeling.

Sankt Sebald

Sebald may be a bit more somber, but to me its architectural impact is greater. When I went in the other day, in the early evening, I was deeply moved by the spirit of the place, its grace and majesty. There are many photos around the church taken after the bombing. This building stood here for seven centuries and in one night it was reduced to a pile of smouldering rubble. There was hardly anything left of it. But after ten years of painstaking work the church was re-dedicated. You wouldn't even notice anything had been amiss, that is how masterfully the rebuilding was accomplished. When you think of the destruction of a magnificent monument like this one, you could weep. Our cultural treasures proclaim who we are. This is what, as a human race, we have done, this is our best, the product of our genius, of our aspirations, of our higher nature. To see so much of it destroyed is a loss to everyone. War sucks. I think the Germans have sincerely dealt with their history and have realized the consequences of aggression. If another destructive war arises, it will not be from German soil.
The ceiling seems to float above the clerestory windows. My little camera did a good job on the interior shot. BTW, Johann Pachelbel (that's right, he of 'canon' fame) was organist in this church from 1695 to 1706. (Sometimes I can't remember my own telephone number but somehow I remembered that useless fact.)

Sankt Lorenz

There were originally two towns here, one on each side of the river, hence there are two parish churches. When the walls were put up in the 14th century Nouremberca became one city. That is how N. ended up with two glorious Gothic churches. St. Lorenz is the larger of the two, with flying butresses to support the outer walls. This innovation, originally developed in France, enabled the builders to build bigger, with more space for windows -- stained glass windows, of course. The two Nürnberg churches are by no means the largest in Europe, but they are mighty fine. Lorenz, especially, is crammed with treasures of the Middle Ages: paintings, exquisite wood and stone sculptures. It's rosette window is spectacular. One can get snap happy in this town as there is so much that is photogenic. My modest camera cannot do justice to an interior shot so I have borrowed one from the internet. No photo can convey the magnificence of a space like this. Two of these photos were taken early Sunday morning; I practically had the city to myself.

Auf der Kaiserburg

After I completed the pradakshina, the circumambulation of the Altstadt, I went up to the Kaiserburg. It is an extensive complex, with a fine museum, ancient buildings and a few gardens. The view of the city shows the towers of St. Lorenz on the left, St. Sebald on the right, and the opera house in the middle.

A bit of irreverent humor

Well, he said he wanted to be buried in his Steinway, so here goes: one, two, three, heave!

Hotel Sorat Agneshof

I LOVE this hotel. It is so comfortable and, most of all, quiet. There is no traffic to be heard at all. Walk to the end of the short lane, the Agnesgasse, and there is a view of a great Gothic church. [As I am downloading these pics I am sitting in the bar/lounge of the hotel. The much anticipated soccer match, Germany vs England has just commenced. First the national anthems of each country were played. Germany's is, of course, composed by Haydn -- top drawer, and "God Save the Queen" a rousing hymn. I can hear thousands of fans chanting and singing, Germans and Brits. No American sport gets as intense as this. There are a few hotel guests watching the proceedings; they are jumping out of their chairs at every good play of the German team. If the German team wins, the party will go on all night in this country.]

Fachwerk Häuser

This top pic is of the oldest, still inhabited Fachwerk house in Nürnberg, from 1338. What do you think the workmen who originally built this house, who fitted the timbers and slapped on the plaster would have thought if they had been informed that their handywork would still be standing and inhabited 672 years later? They would have been astonished. The middle pic is the house of favorite son Albrecht Dürer. At the bottom is another of the Fachwerk jewels of which one finds many in the Altstadt.

Nürnberg II

O, Nürnberg, wie bist du schön! This is a glorious city. It is no wonder people travel from all over the globe to experience it. This morning I decided to take a holiday from driving. I didn't come to Europe to sit behind the wheel of a car. After breakfast (again, yummers!) I undertook a walk around the entire periphery of the Altstadt. Just how big was a major medieval city anyway? (FWI, it took me an hour and fifteen minutes. I can't imagine anyone in the fourteenth century would have had the idea of putting on their hiking shoes and strolling around the town -- walking for pleasure is a relatively modern phenomenon.) The moat has long since been filled in. It has become one long park with lots of trees, lawns, sports facilites and plots that people can rent for their private gardens. The walk afforded many wonderful views of the city and the massive fortifications. The tower is the Kaiserburg, the Imperial residence of the Holy Roman Emperors. In the distance from the view from the moat is the Nürnberg Opera House.

Bamberg

Bamberg came through the war unscathed by bombs. It is a maze of twisting old streets with buildings from the 12th century to the present. It is one of the prettiest of German cities. It has a population of only 70,000 but it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The river Regnitz runs through it along with several canals diverted from the river. Tanning was once a major trade here. The crown of the seven hills of Bamberg is the cathedral of Sts. Peter and George with its four towers. The church has an altar at each end, a somewhat unique arrangement. It is Late Romanesque, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. Across the Platz is the Bishop's Palace, a magnificent Baroque structure. I suspect one could wander the streets of Bamberg for weeks and always find new architectural treasures. One of the most famous is the Altes Rathaus, built on an island in the river and handsomely decorated.
Soccer again. Nearly every restaurant and café has mounted a flat screen tv outside so that people can follow the progress of the World Cup. Soccer is not just about a sport, it's about tribal identity and national pride. I see the German national colors everywhere, proudly displayed from balconies and fluttering from car antennas. On the radio I have learned that on Sunday it's Germany vs England, two strong teams. It will be shown live at 4 PM (I have heard this bit of info about fifty times now). Everybody in the country will be watching. Everybody, that is, except me. Someone invented a kind of plastic horn for the games, the vuvuzela. Virtually every South African must have one. These ghastly things are blown non-stop creating a wall of noise. It is driving the Europeans and South Americans crazy. It sounds like you're inside an enormous wasp nest that has just been hit by a rock. Buzzzzzzzz.