Travel: Cruising the Danube on Viking Tor - Nuremberg

Salzburg is an entry point of the Syrian and other refugees to get into Germany, and because of border control, we could not buy our train tickets ahead of time. We were told to show up on the day of our departure, which was Friday. That morning, the hotel receptionist told us a train scheduled from Salzburg to Munich was cancelled but we could catch the 10:15 a.m. train. We hurried to the train station and bought our tickets. Before boarding, some officials checked our passports with a declaration of, “No passports, no train.”  A group of three, who could have been refugees, did not have passports and the train doors were closed on them.  Later, they were allowed on board, and I assume they had the necessary transit papers.

Haunting Scenes of Refugees in Munich, Germany #refugeecrisis, #Syrian, #middleeast, #munich, #syrianwar

We are in Munich, Germany during the refugee crisis -- referring to the rush of Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, and others fleeing conflict areas to find asylum in this city of 1.4 million. In September, the refugees were met by locals with enthusiasm, which quickly dampened with fears of a clash between the newcomers and Oktoberfest revellers. The borders between Germany and other countries were closed, slowing down the entry of refugees.

Zum Augustiner and Schweinhaxen in Munich #Germany #travel #food

My friend, Tina Heiter, who lives in Switzerland, alerted me that Munich's specialty food is pork shank cooked like crispy pata in the Philippines.  It's called schweinhaxen in German.

Crispy pata is something sinful - pork roasted so the skin turns brown and crispy. I couldn't wait to try schweinhaxen. 

Paying for Tap Water in German Restaurants #travel #Germany

In the US, it is customary to tip from 15-20% in restaurants. Another American custom is that water is served liberally, for free. 


In Germany, we learned that the customary tip is from 5-10% in restaurants, and tap water is not free. Aside from ordering drinks, we have been asking for glasses of water, and waiters seemed puzzled at our request, although eventually they did give us our glasses of water. Last night, at the Sheraton where we stayed and had dinner, the waitress also appeared confused when we requested glasses of water . She did give us an entire pitcher of iced cold water and, to our surprise, charged us Eu 4 for “wasser.” We paid but I was planning on asking the hotel desk people about what I considered an unnecessary charge. Before I did, I fortunately checked the internet and stumbled upon a lot of discussion about the matter. 

Travel Nuremberg Castle or Kaiserburg #Travel #Germany

 Today we visited the ancient Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, (Kaiserburg) recorded as existing as early as 1105. Located in the northern end of the walled city of Nuremberg, the Castle sits atop a hill and is said to be one of the best fortified medieval fortification.

I love travelling because those names that I'd learned in my history books become real as I see evidence of their existence. This castle, for instance, had been occupied by the Hohenstaufens, Hohensollers, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, and the Habsburgs.

What I found most interesting was that early on there had been a system of selecting the emperor by seven kings. I was also reminded that the Lutheran religion became dominant around 1521 - I should not have forgotten since I'd written a paper in high school on Martin Luther, one quite supportive of Luther, for which I earned an A.

Travel City Center Nuremberg, #Germany

We made it to Nuremberg, Germany. Travel time was 11 hours from LAX to Frankfurt, plus another 2 hours for layover and flight to Nuremberg.  It's gray and chilly here, but thankfully dry.

Coming Up -- Germany!

I'm leaving behind 73 degree sunny weather and going to 44 degrees with clouds and high probability of rain. I've got my boots and London Fog and I've rolled up my clothes as tightly as possible in my suitcase. I'm trying hard to travel light.

I'm ready for my next adventure, so stay tuned dear Readers for reports from Germany!

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Tags: travel, holiday, vacation, Europe, Germany, Bavaria

This is all for now,
Cecilia