Loket, Czech Republic

This was my first time in the Czech Republic, a notable fact since my last name and part of my family comes from here. I landed in the Prague airport and proceeded late at night to stay in a very small town with the name of Loket. Loket has a 12th century castle that was established here because of the excellent defensive position the natural terrain provides.
The wide, deep river forms an almost complete circle around steep sided mountains. At the top of the mountain is a beautiful castle with tall walls and a central keep. I can not imagine that it was every taken by force, the cliffs are so steep. Perched around the castle are a variety of houses, small pensions, and a couple cafes. At night it is completely silent here.
A stroll through town revealed much of that charm that I was missing so badly in Italy.
We stayed in the Cisar Ferdinand Hotel. It is an old hotel in the best of the European Grand Hotel tradition. The hotel brews a brown beer that is excellent for drinking while sitting on the side patio.
The breakfast room of the hotel is covered with old photographs of military officers. Some photos includes wives and family.

There is a crest that is repeated throughout the hotel, on the curtain rods, painted on the side of the building, over the bar, etc. I noticed in the breakfast room this crest created entirely out of beetles. Kind of nasty but certainly the product of a dedicated person who must have had a lot of free time.

Milan, Italy

I spent a weekend in Milan before proceeding to the west of Italy near the border with France. Milan did not charm me as it does many other people. Generally, I found it to be very warm and it lacked the old world European charm that really draws me to this continent. Even in the oldest parts of the city look as though they were constructed in the 1930’s. It is strange since I believe Milan escaped the bombs that changed the face of so many other European cities during WW2.
I walked all over the city and noted a few particularly impressive sights. On top of the list is the Milan Cathedral (Duomo). Very, very impressive, certainly one of the nicest I have seen. The view from the central plaza is incredible, with hundreds of spires reaching towards the sky. The church is a dazzling white and is covered in sculptures.
The inside of the cathedral was a but different from others that I have seen as it was lined with large paintings today that are worth a fortune. Under the chancel is the treasury which houses relics from a Saint.
I did stop by the La Scala opera house, famous the world over. It is named after my favorite restaurant in Columbus. It was not open, but it was interesting to see. It was not nearly as impressive from the outside as it was from the inside.
There is a large castle in the middle of the city, built to protect the city inhabitants in very different times (Castello Sforzesco). It is a very large castle, clearly meant as much for show as for defense. The dark black color contrasted nicely with the bleached look of the rest of the city.

I stayed in this very odd Golf Club over the weekend. It was very formal and I clearly did not belong. I was told that the grounds outside the hotel were restricted and I was only allowed to wander out after dark. The rooms were very dated, but my room did open to a roof top patio which provided a nice place to sit and enjoy the night sky. The food at the club was excellent and it was fun to be served by tuxedo clad waiters.

POTD – Shower Alarm

Picture of the day – Cord pull in the shower in Italy to signal an emergency. Apparently a common fixture all over Italy.

Nuremburg, Germany

Nuremburg is the sort of city that you envision when you think of Germany. A large castle, narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses, street cafes bustling with people laughing and drinking beer. I had dinner in a busy outdoor beer garden which was a fine way to kill a couple hours. The city is in the Franconian region, known for hearty food such as grilled finger-sized sausages, sauerkraut, and brown bread. You order the sausages by just saying a number so they know how many to bring. The pretzels freely available here are excellent and rival the Philadelphia street corner specials. The most significant and historical buildings are clustered in the circular Altstadt. Many of the streets are pedestrian only and there is an excellent regional subway system. The city can be explored in one day and it is possible to see most of the key sites on a two mile loop through the altstadt.

Nuremburg currently has about a half million residents. The city is about one thousand years old, having become a Free Imperial City in the 1300’s. From 1356 onward, each new emperor had to convene his first meeting with the princes of the empire in Nuremburg. This was called a Reichstag. The important, powerful history of the city as well as its classic German architecture led the National Socialist Party which brought Hitler to power to make this its rally site and headquarters six hundred years later. Much of the city was destroyed by Allied bombing during WW2, but the city reconstructed or restored many of the most important buildings.

Stadtbefestigung – The city is surrounded by a 5km network of walls and towers. There are four main gates that are massive and require a walk past a variety of defensive fortifications (arrow slits, openings above to drop hot oil).
Mauthalle – Once one of the twelve civic storehouses to protect the population in times of crisis, this building consists of three stories plus another five stories under a steeply pitched roof. Built in 1498, the building now houses a variety of stores and the Barfusser restaurant in the basement.
St. Lorenz Kirche – Constructed from 1270 to 1470, this gothic church is the largest in the city. Flanked by twin towers, this church is visible over much of the city.
Heilig Geist Spital – Established in 1339, this hospital complex was the largest ever gift from an individual in the Holy Roman Empire at the time. Extended out over the river when they ran out of space, this building is still beautiful and is only a small part of a much larger complex that no longer exists.

Hauptmarkt – The main market square is large, surrounded by cafes, and has been used as a market area in the city since 1349. During the summer there are still stalls set up selling fresh flowers and fruit. In one corner stands the Frauenkirche, the oldest church in this part of Germany and in constant use since 1358. The church is beautiful, covered with statues and featuring a large ornamental clock. In the other corner is the Schoner Brunnen, the Beautiful Fountain. Built in 1396 to resemble a gothic spire, it includes 40 statues that reflect the world view of the Holy Roman Empire.
Kaiserburg – Looming on a hilltop on the northern edge of the city is the thousand year old city castle. Home to Holy Roman Emporers for over five hundred years, the castle complex grew and expanded to include countless towers, a very deep moat, and all manner of defensive structures. The walls were at least 25 feet thick.

Handwerkerhauschen – Surviving examples of the tiny houses that the workers in the city used to squeeze into.

Pilatushaus & Tiergartnertow – The square between the half timbered House of Pilate and the tall square defensive tower is full of cafes and was bustling when I went past. I stopped in a small place to try a Rauchbier, translated “smoke beer”. This beer is made with smoked barley and has a distinct mesquite flavor. I have always wanted to try this type of beer but it is only available in a few places the world over.

Albrecht-Durer-Haus – Built in 1420, this was the home to renaissance painter Albrecht Durer in the early 1500’s. It is the typical Nuremburg style, constructed from sandstone on the first floor and half-timber above.

Weinstadel – Originally erected to house lepers, this building is another fine example of what makes Nuremburg special. It is reached via a wooden bridge near where the city executioner lived in seclusion since his job was considered dishonorable. People avoided contact with him out of fear of contamination.

Dinner in Leipzig, Germany

We made a quick trip to Leipzig to take a quick look around, have some dinner, and watch a bit of the world cup. Leipzig is a medium sized city and has some really nice pedestrian areas lined with cafes.

Had dinner at a cafe in the close packed Barfussgasschen (Barefoot Way).

Germany played Serbia and took the win. This country is gripped with football fever and it is fun to be a part of it. The restaurants patched electric lines together to show the game outside. Around each cafe there was a large group of fans yelling and having fun.

Merseburg, Germany

I am on a two week trip for work that is taking me to some new places. Over the course of those two weeks, I will set foot in four countries – Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do in a very short time period, so there will not be much time for sight-seeing.

I flew into Nuremberg, Germany and drove three hours north through some very beautiful country to get to my destination this week. The first hour of the drive reminded me of West Virginia, with lots of rolling hills, sparse population, and many deep forests. As I progressed north and made my way onto bigger highways the terrain turned into gentle rolling hills covered by crops of various sorts. I noticed quite a few wind turbines, the Germans have really jumped in with both feet in trying to reduce oil and coal dependence.

My first week is in a little medieval town in Eastern Germany called Merseburg. I have not been able to much information about this town; it does not seem to be much of a tourist destination. This is surprising though as the town is quite beautiful. It was a major city center six hundred years ago holding a strategic position above the Salle River.
Merseburg has the feel of a resort town that the tourists forgot. The flowers are planted, the streets are clean, the castle and churches are restored, but the streets are empty. There are only a few restaurants in town, two of three left me wishing that I did not eat. My hotel is nice though and the air is cool and fresh.
Old ruins abound in the town. There is an old, stone cloister that looks as though it is haunted. On the edge of town is a crumbling cathedral with an amazing large bell tower that is hiding a water tower.
The streets are narrow and lined with some classic half timber German buildings.

Central in the town is the Merseburg castle, built in the 1600’s. It is distinguished by high stone walls, a deep moat with drawbridge, and a high position overlooking the river. Many high towers with black pointed roofs and crosses stick out above the castle. I believe it was never actually attacked, so it largely served a ceremonial purpose.

There is one important story concerning the castle and a bishop that lived there in the 1700’s. The story is that the bishop took off his valuable, jeweled ring and placed it on a window sill one day while washing. He forgot about the ring and later returned to the room to retrieve it, but it was gone. Knowing that his loyal servant of many years was the only person with access to this area of the castle, the Bishop knew the servant had stolen the ring. Despite misgivings about it, the Bishop had the servants head cut off, even though the servant maintained that he was innocent. A few years later there was a terrible storm that ripped the roof from one of the towers. When the laborer climbed to the top to begin repair, he found a raven’s nest cradling the Bishop’s ring. In his despair, the Bishop declared that forever more a raven would be kept caged in the castle dungeon. While over the years the raven was moved to a more humane outdoor cage and given some company, there is still a raven caged on the castle grounds.
The Merseburger Dom is a large cathedral built into the castle wall. From the outside it is impressive, but it is only open for visitors when I need to be at work. The Dom was stared in the 1400’s and only completed two hundred years later.

In front of the castle is a nice park with formal gardens that used to host royal balls. Opposite the castle is the garden house, a large building designed especially to house large outdoor events. Today it is still a popular spot for weddings.
The city hall was built to echo the style of the castle, with high spires topped with black roofs.