Well the trip to Austria was quick and comfortable....

German trains are very clean and modern.  If you are over
age 26 you can only buy a first class Eurail Pass in the US
so I am traveling in enforced luxury.

I have to say that in my short time in Salzburg I realized
some day I would have to come back.  Out of all the places
I have been I think Salzburg is the one I would love to bring
my family and friends to.

I arrived in the early evening, and after settling
into my beautiful hotel room I strolled down
 the narrow cobblestone avenue, lined with shops
 and restaurants, that led from my hotel on one
 side of the Salzach river, across the bridge
 and into the old section of town.

Night in Salzburg

The weather was cool but pleasant.  As you approach the river the old town is lit dramatically; churches towering over the shops and a dramatic cliff with
the huge fortress topping it provides the background.

During the next day I discovered that I had arrived
during the annual Rupertikupertik or St. Rupert's Festival.  The two main town squares were packed with
revelers and families.  The kids enjoyed rides and the parents relaxed in beer gardens under shady tents.  Musical groups
performed at every street corner.

I sat down and had a local pale, spritzy beer and a Schtecklelfisch or "fish on a stick".  Squeeze on some lemon and baste it with butter...delicious!

Traditional Dancing

I then followed my Rick Steve's guide book on a tour
around the old town...though the landmarks were
a little difficult to find because of the rides
and crowds.

I ducked into small churches and sat in relative silence
marveling at the shrines and soaking in the
atmosphere.  I went into a back alley and
the guide led me to a huge, ancient waterwheel
and then through a gate into the St. Peter's
Cemetery.

The graves are marked by intricate wrought
iron name plates and covered in well tended
mini-gardens.  Apparently iron was cheaper
than carved stone.  Graves are not bought
in Austrian cities...you rent them for 10 years
at a time!  Your relatives tend the graves and every
night candles are lit on the graves.  It was very
beautiful.

Some of them are family tombs
locked behind wrought iron gates.
These were the inspiration for the scene
in the Sound of Music when the family hides
in the Abbey in the graveyard from the
Nazi's.

If nobody pays the rent every 10 years then they
dig you up! Eeeek....

Salzburg has Mozart's family home and birthplace.
When I return I would love to go to one of the
concerts that they hold in the fortress overlooking the
town at night.

Shopping is also fantastic here.  It would be easy

My hotel room

to spend money bringing back presents.

Well...on to Italy next.

Main Aisle of the Frauenkirche

Well, I am a little bit behind on this blog as I am in Italy now...

Munich is a lot more than just Oktoberfest.

I spent a few days touring through their beautiful churches;
lighting candles and listening to organ music.

Three main churches surround the main square Marianplatz.
The one everybody knows from Munich's famous skyline in the twin domes towers of the Frauenkirche.  Inside tall white columns stretch to the fan vaulting overhead.  It's a very light and airy church without the heavy marble and colorful stained glass of many European churches. Behind the altar there is and beautiful shrine with gold leaves on wrought iron.


Surrounding the church are many cobblestone streets with small restaurants and beer gardens.  I ate in the Andechs beer gardens two nights in a row.  The best food of my whole trip was definitely in Munich.  And the dark Andechs Bavarian Dunkles Beer was sweet and nutty; a perfect complement to the rich sauces and spicy meats of Germany.

St. Peters 

Two other churches that surround the town square are the Baroque St. Peters with it's rich over-the-top gold
decorations and the oldest church in the region.  It is thought to
be the original starting point for the city.
It's the opposite of the Frauenkirche- heavy and
ornamented with a huge golden altarpiece.

St. Michael's

    
The last of the three is St. Michael's.  It is the main
church for the Jesuits in the north of Europe- a bastion
against the Protestants during the reformation. Bavaria itself is very conservative and traditional. St. Michael's was severely damaged during World War II. The entire dome and altar was destroyed and then rebuilt. The atmosphere inside was hushed.  The ceiling is barrel-vaulted and is supposed to be the largest
dome outside of St. Peters in Rome.  Many of the Wittlesbachs (the ruling dynasty in Bavaria)
are buried here.

     I also spent a day traveling to the south to Fussen to see the Kings Castles.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria ("Mad King Ludwig") grew up in a stunning castle in the
forested mountain landscape of southern Bavaria, sheltered from the Prussian court.
The castle overlooks an idyllic lake and the young prince was raised on tales of German heroic history- and idealized combination of myths and history.

Howenschwangau-childhood castle

He was friends with the Opera composer Richard Wagner.
Howenschwangau is as richly appointed as you would expect.  The dining hall had a stunningsilver plated chandelier.  There is a small garden in the back with a fountain and sculptured hedges.
He built his own fairytale castle near his childhood home called Neuschwanstein. It is the castle that Walt Disney based his castle on. EVERY inch of the interior is

Neuschwanstein Castle

decorated with fanciful woodland and heroic scenes.  Even the stairwells circle up(and their were alot of stairs to climb) are decorated with mystic creatures and scrolling leaves.
The trip down was long and the trip back even longer but the landscape is everything you could hope for.

Stairwell

View out the window

Ludwig's Private Chape

Silver Swan

View from the castle balcony

Ah Munich...during Oktoberfest.

I think this is one of the best times to go...
even for tourists with no interest in
getting sloshed in the beer tents.

The entire town is decorated, both the
buildings and the people.  About a third of
the people wearing lederhosen or the
traditional dresses.  Around their necks

they wear large gingerbread hearts-
decorated with sayings in German.
Mens chests sometimes decorated with
horns and badges.  Even the kids. You could tell
 it was more than just an excuse to party-though
 partying was certainly happening.

The historic area around Marienplatz is quite

impressive.  You come up out of the metro smack in the middle of all the
 action and historic buildings.  People swirl around  you in happy groups, singing and laughing.  Outdoor cafes line the side....dining with the
Gothic Town Hall and looming church towers is worth the mark-up but I ate al fresco with a bratwurst sandwich and local brew.

On my first full day I went to the Oktoberfest fairgrounds to see
what all the fuss is about.  It could only be described as colorful
chaos.  The fair grounds go on for miles...completely covered
in carnival rides and food booths.  The Festival beer tents were
packed solid by the time I finally got into one.

I went into the Lowenbrau Tent (after a 40 minute wait).  People singing and standing on tables making toasts...beefy German waitresses barreling past with HUGE stein of Bavarian Beer...
Giant spits rotating hundreds of pork roasts and chickens...insanity.

Okay so I am actually in Austria by now...but I catch up whenever I can get a good WiFi
signal, okay?

I went from Paris to Cologne, Germany.  My plan had been to see the
cathedral and then take of down the Rhein River to arrive in Munich
 in time for the opening of Oktoberfest.

Two things I decided...I was packing too much into my schedule to really enjoy anything and I really liked Cologne and wanted some time just to wander around.  So I skipped the river cruise...have
 to do it next time.

When you come out of the haupbanhof (main train station) in Cologne
you walk out the door unaware...look to your left...ahhhhh!
Giant Cathedral looms right next to the station.  It's impossible
for a picture to show how tall this church is.  Very dramatic.
I went into the cathedral the next
day and stayed for a service.  All in German
but you can follow the rhythm of the Mass.
I sat in between two sweet old German ladies who said something kind and Christian to me after the service but i'm not sure what it was so I just smiled and nodded.
 Here are some pictures of the inside:

I walked around that night enjoying the peaceful atmosphere in the smaller city.  It was a welcome change from the bustle of Paris.
I had a relaxing beer at a outdoor bar lining a cobblestone square.

    The only bad thing about Cologne was my horrible hotel room.  No lift(that's elevator in European) so I had drag my luggage up 4 flights of stairs, then when I got to my closet room in the attic of this old building it was REALLY warm up there.
The bed was awful...sofabeds are much better and creak less....then to top it all off some guy came back at 1am and began snoring loudly on the other side of the paper thin wall...he would snort and then moan loudly "Oh God" or something equally dramatic.

Wasn't fun.  On the other hand, I did finally get my first German pretzel and
curry wurst...YUM!!!!!

On to Munich...

Here's a short little post about my second
day in Paris.

I have settled into my little shoebox room
with the creakiest hallways known to man,
and I am starting get into the rythm of traveling.

I went to the Notre Dame Cathedral after breakfast.
It is quite striking from the outside and the inside only gets better.  The square in front of the church is a
favorite gathering spot for tourist and French
people.  In the pavement you can see the outline of
buildings that used to surround the Cathedral
in medieval times.  Musicians play and there is an
air of anticipation.

The inside is hushed and awesome.  The rose windows radiated color in all directions. Beautiful carvings and inlaid marble floors.  Candles flickered in chapels.
I wandered through in awe at the beauty that love of God can inspire man to create.  Beneath the main altar is a crypt area which seemed cold and barren in comparison to all the drama and ornamentation above.



It took nearly 300 years for
the church to be finished...using very primitive methods.
There was, in an alcove, a small display of the construction
methods.  Imagine the faith it must have taken for those
first people to break ground on a building that wouldn't be finished until their great grandchildren were old.

At the front door there were nuns from Mother Theresa's
order taking donations for the care of the elderly in one of
their homes.

After the tour I went and had a quick lunch at a little cafe overlooking the square.
Just a baguette with ham and cheese.  The baguettes are very flavorful and chewy.
It makes me wonder how they do it.  Maybe the water they use is different.

After lunch I went to the Louvre Museum.  I had been anticipating this visit
for years.  The building itself is quite impressive.  It was the royal palace
before Versailles was built by Louis XIV.  There is a mysterious and lavishly
decorated hall where royal serving vessels and some crown jewels were on
display.  Walking down that hall my imagination went into overdrive.
What would it have been like to dine surrounded by such opulence?

I saw many famous statues and paintings.  I was a little disappointed by the Mona Lisa though.  The painting is MUCH smaller than you would think.  It was so crowded
you could barely see it.  I did see the famous painting of Napoleon crowning himself.
The colors are so rich.

By the time I made it out it was dark.
The Pyramid entrance was glowing beautifully.

I managed to drum up some more energy
and took the metro to Trocadero Square
to see the Eiffel Tower at night.
The square has a stunning view of the tower.  Aggressive vendors with jewelry, toys and handbags line a large open platform overlooking the tower and downtown Paris.  It was a bit windy and I
could hear my mothers voice telling me I
should have brought a jacket.

To warm myself I bought a crepe filled with
sauteed bananas and melted chocolate and enjoyed
 that as I waited with the crowd for the top of the
hour and the light show.  I filmed the light show with
 my iphone video camera as it sparkeled from afar.

The next day I talked to my friend Michael and found out they had
evacuated the Eiffel Tower that day due to a bomb threat.
Who knew?  It looked fine to me from my vantage point that night.

Here's a video:

Well here I am...finally getting to post on my blog.

I am writing this from Munich, Germany. My short time in Paris
and Cologne went by fast in a whirlwind of activities.

In a day and a half I managed to see the Louvre and Orsay Museums,
watch the Eiffel Tower light up like a sparkling christmas tree
and see one of the most glorious cathedral in Europe-the Notre Dame.

My flight from Dulles to Paris' Charles De Gualle Airport was a long one.
"Packed like sardines" took on a new meaning. I didn't manage to get any sleep
on my overnight flight (but I did watch 2 movies- Robin Hood and Babies)so it
was an exhausted Leslie that rolled her luggage off that plane.

I thanked God that I had only packed my little weekend rolling bag and my camera
backpack as I went up and down long flights of stairs in Paris' maze of subway
tunnels. Le Metro reminds me of New York City subways. Slightly grimey, completely
scaled in white subway tiles and huge fashion ads everywhere. Very hectic.

Once I got to my little hotel I took a short nap and headed out for dinner and
some night shooting with my camera. **My room was your typical shoe box with worn
carpet- but the location was great.

I took the metro to Monmarte Hill in the north of Paris. Getting off the train at
dusk I walked up a long medieval-looking street lined with shops. I could see a carousel
at the top, lights sparkling.

The carousel is at the base of Monmarte. There were crowds of people
from all different countries there. Crowning the top of the hill is the
 beautiful Sacre Coeur Basilica. To the left there is a funicular to ride
but I decided to tough it out and climb hundreds of steps to the top.
 The view from the very top is amazing. Paris is spread out before you,
glowing with the warm light of sunset.

The Basilica at Sunset

The Basilica has a very Byzantine look to it with rounded domes and arches. On the steps in front groups of students from different countries sang boisterous songs and snapped photos. Musicians and drummers played competing tunes from every corner.
I sat and ate two oranges I bought at t little market on my way out, watching the last colors fade from the sky.

Inside the church the mood was hushed in contrast. Upon entering you are overwhelmed by a stunning mosaic of Jesus over the altar. As you walk around the back of it the mosaic seems to
follow you. Nuns in long white, flowing robes with black habits were busy setting up for the last service of the evening. Soft music played in the background-very etherial.

I felt tired but happy at the end of my first day as I made my way home to my little shoebox.

Leslie

Okay folks...I am off to Europe again!

I swore in 2007 that I would be back ASAP and it only took 3 years...
not bad for someone with a limited budget and a new mortgage.

I am leaving on an overnight flight from Dulles Airport to Charles De Gualle
airport in Paris on the night of Spetember 13th....

Keep an eye out for updates and pictures.

Be sure to leave lots of comments. That keeps me from becoming
too homesick.

Leslie