Reise nach Europe in 2019

 

Our earth is a wonderful place to live. There is so much to explore in every aspect. Moreover, the existence of humanity has given us more to explore about various cultures, nature, history, and development of technology over centuries. There are many places to discover. But one continent, a small one but is the hub for travelers is Europe. It is the most convenient continent to ever explore. Here, one can easily explore any tourist places, even by changing to another country in their  itinerary at the last moment. Yes!! It is that easy. So, during the Indian holiday month of May in 2019, me and my parents set out to check our bucket list, explore Germany and Austria.

 

DAY-1 (15^th May 2019)

We packed our bags to set out for an amazing trip of Germany and Austria. I packed my bag as light as possible to reduce the efforts to carry heavily loaded bags. We said goodbye to our house in Mulund, a suburb of Mumbai. We arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2 and checked-in at the Lufthansa Airlines counter for our flight LH767 to Munich. Terminal 2 is a gorgeous terminal which makes anyone feel nostalgic of leaving a country. After our security, we had a final Indian coffee before starting our trip. While mom and dad were talking to our relatives, I was enjoying a plane spotting treat as it was late in the night, a peak time for arrival and departure of European, American, and Asian flights. We boarded our aircraft, a Lufthansa Airlines Airbus A350-900XWB and the first impressions were great. The seat was comfortable, reclining and the headrest was adjustable as well as foldable. There was literature and inflight entertainment. We departed right on time at 01:30 AM. As soon the plane reached cruising altitude, the crew started the service with a snack box and inflight shopping. Then the lights were turned off for passengers to sleep (Although I did not have a comfortable sleep due to economy class).

DAY-2 (16^th May 2019)

At around 04:30 AM Munich time, we were given a full breakfast. We landed in Munich Airport Franz Joseph International Airport on time.

                        MUNICH (Marienplatz)

It was a cloudy and a cold morning and remained the same for the rest of the day. After taking our baggage, we firstly validated our Eurail pass at the DB (Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company) Counter. This pass allowed us to travel in any long-distance train in second class and S-Bahn (Suburban train) of any city without any ticket. We took an S-Bahn from the airport (Flughafen) to Munich Hauptbahnhof (Central station). Our hotel was just across the square in front of the station, a very convenient location. Although it was rated 3 star, the staff was extremely friendly, and the rooms were also pretty good. We checked- in and after a short rest, took an S-Bahn to the Technical museum. The museum was huge and a lot to offer. We saw the ancient methods of Mining, transportation, and chemical engineering. There was also a demonstration where they demonstrated the generation of an electric spark which occurs during the natural phenomenon of lightning. By the time we completed our visit, it was evening. We came back to hotel and left for dinner at an Indian restaurant. It was nice to see that there are outlets in foreign cities ready to offer our home cuisine. After dinner, we were dead tired because of the jet lag. We immediately fell asleep after coming back to our Hotel.

DAY-3 (17^th May 2019)

The next day was a pleasant one. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and it was reasonably hot. We had a very good breakfast at our hotel and immediately boarded an S-Bahn to Dachau to explore a Nazi concentration camp. The Dachau concentration camp was built by the Nazi Regime under Adolf Hitler to detain and “systematically” kill the Jews, Handicapped Germans, and the Allied troops (During World War 2). We saw the some of the 6000 bunks which were somehow used by 30000 detainees during the peak times. During that time when there were excess prisoners, the hygienic conditions were horrible. The prisoners were made to stand still in the open grounds for many DAYS and were not even given water and food. Several prisoners died because of hunger. Finally, we paid our respects to the people who lost their life because of such inhuman treatment. After exploring the camp, we had a quick snack and then boarded a bus to the Deutsche Aviation Museum. The museum was amazing. It had a huge display of different type of planes. And not only that, the museum also had displays of the old devices and methods which were used for navigation and maintenance of a plane. It also gave us detailed information of some of the most frequently used freighters, rescue, and fighter planes. After exploring the museum, we boarded an S-Bahn to Marienplatz (Town square). We had a nice cappuccino and Sachertorte (Chocolate Pastry filled with nuts) and enjoyed a clock tower show which happens every day at 11 AM, 12 PM and 5 PM. We also bought some fresh cherries and strawberries (a rare thing in India). We went back to the hotel, packed our bags, and checked out to board an ICE (Intercity Express) which is high speed train from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Erlangen, a town near Nuremberg.

 That journey was my fastest train journey ever. We topped at 242 km/ph. We reached Erlangen. My mom‘s brother, who lives in Erlangen and works for Siemens company came to the station to pick us up. It was delightful to meet my uncle and aunty after many years and exploring Nuremberg and Stuttgart along with them.

DAY-4 (18^th May 2019)

NUREMBERG (The Kongresshalle)

The next day, we all drove to Nuremberg on the Autobahn (Freeway) in my uncle ‘s car. In the Autobahn, there are no speed limits. Our first stop was the Kongresshalle. This was one of the 3 most frequently used parade and assembly grounds of Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party. There was a huge museum which explained us about the political career of Hitler, the creation of the Nazi ideology and its success in Germany. It also explained us about Hitler‘s consideration of media, speech and literature as an important medium of influencing the people‘s mind-set. There was also an Audio-Video Documentary which explained us the functioning of the party. We also got a small view of the assembly ground of Hitler which used to be packed with thousands of people but now is a simply deserted ground. Then we walked around a lake in front of the Kongresshalle. The path was beautiful with the lake full of ducks and trees everywhere. Then we reached the parade grounds where the annual Nazi Army parade use to take place and Hitler used to take the salute. The ground is a racing track today and the remaining grounds host many live shows. This shows that how the people of Germany came out of the damages caused right from the emergence of the Nazi Party to World War 2. Then we headed to a German restaurant in a popular shopping area adjacent the main railway station. We tried a dish which had a chicken patty with a tomato-based gravy poured on it along with French fries as a side dish which was tasty. I also had grape juice as a drink whereas Dad tried a Non-Alcoholic beer. After lunch, we went to the Nuremberg trial court. It was in this court that 24 politicians and military personnel of the Nazis were tried for war crimes and inhuman activities after the Nazis surrendered to the Allied troops in World War 2. 12 were sentenced to death and the others were sentenced to life imprisonment. Audio guides were provided to us which explained us the structure of the main trial rooms and how the trails used to take place. It also explained the charges under each of the 24 accused men. According to the guide, the court room was connected to an adjacent prison via a secret passage where the executions were conducted in the prison gym and the 12 prisoners served their life imprisonments. After completing our tour of the court, we went back to Erlangen and had a beautiful evening stroll in a grassland area. It was quiet and there were only a handful of people jogging, cycling etc. We saw a beautiful sunset and had the perfect end to an amazing day.

DAY-5 (19^th May 2019)

We woke up early in the morning and after freshening up, started our road trip to Stuttgart.

 It was an approximate 2 hour 45 minute drive on the Autobahn. We made a stop at a food court in between our journey. I tried the famous German bread variety, Pretzels along with some butter. It was yummy. We continued our drive and arrived at Stuttgart at around 11:30 AM.

STUTTGART (Mercedes Benz Museum)

 We were to be staying in Stuttgart Youth Hostel whereas Uncle and Aunty were to be going back to Erlangen after exploring Stuttgart. So first, we figured our hostel and checked-in our bags. Then, we headed to Mercedes-Benz Museum. We were lucky for the fact that that day was the “Birthday” of Mercedes-Benz. So, we got our tickets for free. The museum had restored some of the most “legendary” cars used in the 20^th century. It also explained us the major milestones by the company in its entire history. This included the most units of a single car model to be sold in Germany and the building of the greatest number of military jeeps and mini trucks for the army. It also explained us about the latest models in a variety of cars like race cars, zero -emission cars and luxury cars. We also got a view of the testing track where various cars are tested on a replica of the various challenging terrains. After exploring the museum, we had lunch in an Indian restaurant. Then we headed towards the outskirts of the city, in the hills filled with vineyards. There was a scenic point where we got a full view of the city. Although it was cloudy, the view was beautiful. Then we went back to the city where we said goodbye to Uncle and Aunty. We headed to our youth hostel. The hostel was amazing and was made for the youngsters. Although, it was not luxurious, it had everything a traveller may require during his/her stay. We had an amazing day enjoying Stuttgart‘s various tourist sites

DAY-6 (20^th May 2019)

We woke up at 6 AM and after having a very early breakfast, headed to Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof to board an IC (Intercity) to Koblenz Hauptbahnhof.

KOBLENZ (Deutsches Eck)

 The journey was amazing. In the second half of the journey, we were riding parallel to the Rhine river. We could see several freighters, ferries and cruisers which showed that Rhine river is famous for cruising. When we reached Koblenz, firstly we bought a locker at the station and kept all our bags in the locker. Then we boarded a bus to Deutsches Eck. The Deutsches Eck is the point where the Rhine river and the Moselle river meet. The view offered an amazing view of the Rhine winding through the hills filled with vineyards. The point also has a statue of William I, the first German emperor. Then we had a small break. Koblenz is a major stop for river cruises and ferries. We saw several long but small height cruise ships and ferries, a favourable design for river cruising. We were to buy tickets for a ferry ride on the Rhine from Koblenz to Cologne. But when we asked for the same at the ticket office, the lady gave us a brilliant suggestion. She said that there is not a single castle to see between Koblenz and Cologne. She suggested us to take a ferry to Boppard since it has the greatest number of castles to see. Then she instructed us to take a commuter train back to Koblenz and then later on take a train to Cologne Hauptbahnhof. Her suggestion was brilliant. Not only we saw 5 castles and a beautiful view, but we also reached Cologne earlier than expected.

COLOGNE (Cologne Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge)

 We checked-in into our youth hostel and then met up with my friend‘s father who had come to cologne for work purpose. He used to frequently come to Cologne for his work and was familiar with the city. Together, we explored the famous Cologne Cathedral which was massive. Then, we walked on Hohenzollern bridge across the Rhine river. We ended our day in Cologne.

DAY-7 (21^st May 2019)

We started our day early and headed straight to Cologne Hauptbahnhof to board an ICE to Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

The best part of travelling by railway in Europe is the amount of convenience. There were several shops in the station where one can buy a whole meal to eat in the train. We took this advantage and bought a full breakfast from Cologne and enjoyed it in the train. We arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Firstly, we went to the DB Information office to reserve a cabin in the OBB Night jet to Vienna. One must acknowledge that under Eurail Pass he/she can directly board a train which has only sitting cars i.e. it covers a full journey in one day. But to travel in an overnight train, one must do a separate reservation of a sleeping berth. After doing our reservations, we had lunch at a Thai restaurant in the station and then checked-into our hotel. After freshening up and washing our clothes at a public laundry service, we headed to the famous Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg gate mainly represents the horrifying past of the Cold War. Not only was it a crossing point on the border Between East and West Germany, it also witnessed the epic event of the unification of both Germanys and fall of the Berlin Wall. The German embassy of the United states is located besides the Brandenburg Gate. We were just in time to see the gate light up in the evening sky which was gorgeous. We ended our day by having a fancy dinner at a 5 star Indian Restaurant

DAY-10 (22^nd May 2019)

BERLIN (Riechstag)

We started our day at the Reichstag, the German Parliament. The building looks iconic from the outside with the iconic sentence written on the entrance, “Dem Deutschen Volke” meaning “to the German People.” We got a peek of the parliament room. Then we started our Audio guide tour of the glass dome. The design of the dome represented a message to the members of the parliament that the people are watching the government. The dome also gave an amazing view of Berlin. We then headed to Berlin Hauptbahnhof to catch a commuter train to Potsdam. The station is gigantic. It’s a four storey complex and there are platforms on the top level as well as underground. It has all types of shops and restaurants for the passengers to enjoy before their journey. We reached Potsdam, a small city near Berlin filled with 17 palaces and open palace gardens dating back to the Prussian and German Empire. There was also a functioning windmill whose operation could be seen from inside. It was very fascinating to see how windmills were used to do various functions like grinding grains, cutting wood logs etc. We then headed to the first of the 2 palaces to be explored, Sanssouci Palace. It was built by Frederick the Great, the emperor of Prussia, as a Summer Palace. The Palace was built on a tiny hill and thus, the garden was built on the slope of the hill. It contained 10 main rooms designed mostly in “Rococo” style. The second palace, the City Palace, was again, the residence of several Prussian and German emperors. It was damaged during World War 2 and was dismantled by East Germany during the Cold War. It is now the Parliament of the state of Brandenburg. After exploring these two massive palaces, we went back to Alexanderplatz to explore the Berlin TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm in German). Built from 1965 to 1969, the TV tower has a total height of 368 metres. The panoramic view deck stands at 203 metres, offering a view up to 42 kilometres during a clear day. There were also binoculars available in the deck and some pointers gave an idea of some of the location of some of the famous sites. We ended our long day after exploring the tower

DAY-9 (23^rd May 2019)

We started our final day in Berlin. But first, we kept all our luggage in a locker in Berlin Hauptbahnhof. We then headed to the Berlin Wall. We boarded an U-bahn to Bernauer Strasse which is an underground station and lied on the border of East and West Berlin. It was closed twice during World War 2 and the Horrific Cold War. During the Cold War, it was used frequently to illegally cross between East and West Germany. The Berlin Wall was an armed border with Russian watch towers at periodic distances and 3 layers of defences excluding constant patrolling. This included a layer of metal mesh fence, 3 to 4 metre high walls and a contact and signal fence. There was also a cemetery besides the wall where the people caught and killed in their attempt to cross were buried. It is believed that some of the allied force troops killed in World War 2 were also buried. We then headed to Charlie Checkpoint. Charlie Checkpoint was a famous crossing point between East and West Berlin. This is this place where the United States and the Soviet Union showed off their military strength to each other. I clicked some photos with the US Army guards.  There was a museum which explained us about the checkpoint and the various ways by which people would cross over from East to West Berlin. It also explained how the United States and Britain carried out Air Force operations to deliver food and other essential supplies into West Berlin. It was so surprising to see that people were cramped into bogus gas tanks in Vehicles to cross into West Berlin. We then headed to the Olympic stadium which was unfortunately closed for tourists due to a match. But we found an amazing flower store where we could see all sorts of beautiful flowers and plants which were hardly seen in India. We understood that German people take their plants very seriously. There were also huge bags containing various types of soils and fertilizers, beautiful flower pots and other gardening equipment. Mom had a blast at the shop. It was time to prepare for our first ever overnight train journey in a European sleeper. We were to board an OBB (an Austrian railway company) Night jet (a premium long distance sleeper express) from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Vienna (Wien in German) Hauptbahnhof.

We bought our dinner for the night from a vegan food shop. We finally took out our luggage from the locker and were ready to board our sleeper. We said our goodbyes to Berlin and then settled in our second class cabin. OBB had provided some amenities to us along with the standard pillow for our overnight journey. The amenities included slippers, a bottle of water, a pack of mini pretzels, napkins, eye shades and ear plugs. A full morning breakfast was also included in the ticket. The cabin had 3 bunk beds stacked one upon the other on one side. This was causing problems to me as there was not enough height for me to sit straight as I am a tall person. Moreover, the opening and closing of the bunk bed and the setting of the safety net was very complicated. But somehow we managed it. There was also a basin with soap in the cabin.

DAY-10 (24^th May 2019)

As we woke up in our cabin in our train, we had entered into Austria. We reached Wien Hauptbahnhof at around 8:30 AM. 

VIENNA (Hofburg Palace)

We checked-into our youth hostel. After freshening up, we went to Hofburg Palace. Vienna was the Capital of the Habsburg Empire and the palace was the residence of the emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth. The palace was huge and we saw some magnificent cutlery and the luxuries of Franz Joseph and Elizabeth. We also read about the lonely life of Elizabeth despite all the luxury, her running away from the palace and her assassination in Italy. Overall, it was a beautiful experience exploring the palace. It was evening by the time we completed only half of the palace. We then headed to the Preter Amusement Park to the ride its giant wheel. We saw the first glimpses of the Vienna skyline and also some of the countryside on the outskirts of the city. We ended our day on the banks of the Danube River enjoying the sunset.

DAY-11 (25^th May 2019)

We started our day at the Hofburg complex but in the Spanish riding school where the rider students would ride their horses in various formations and perform stunts. The show is performed in a grand indoor arena. It may be special for others but we did not find anything special in the performance. The Trumpet Banner horse show which happens in the Rashtrapati Bhavan (The official residence of the President of India) is much better and epic than this one. We then continued exploring the remaining part of the Hofburg Palace. This time, we saw the main rooms of Emperor Franz Joseph and Queen Elizabeth (A.K.A Sisi). Queen Elizabeth was one of most beautiful princesses and she loved to maintain her beauty. Every day, she used to sit in her room and make her hair for 2 HOURS! The palace also had some of best portraits of Franz Joseph and Elizabeth. The sealing was covered with floral paintings. After completing the palace, we headed to the Butterfly Park. It was basically a huge glass dome inside which, a natural habitat was maintained for the butterflies. It was a huge treat for mom (I hate butterflies, sorry to all butterfly lovers). People were feeding the butterflies, kids were chasing them around and some people had 3-4 butterflies on them. It was an enjoying experience. We then headed to Café Demel to have a traditional Viennese Coffee with cream along with Sachertorte. If you are in Vienna, you must have coffee in a proper Café. It’s a very unique experience. We even saw how the chefs made a variety of pastries and snacks to have along with the coffee. We then set out to have an evening to remember. We reached a theatre to see a ballet which revolved around the famous story ‘Peter Pan’. The best part was that orchestra of the ballet was live in front of the audience and some roles were played by kids. The show was really mind blowing, grand and was beautifully performed. We ended our time in Vienna on a beautiful note.

DAY-12 (26^th May 2019)

We checked out from our hostel in the morning and reached Vienna Hauptbahnhof to catch an OBB Rail Jet to Salzburg.

 We checked into our hostel and took some rest in the afternoon. In the evening, we headed to the Hohensalzburg Fortress. To reach to the top of the hill, one has to take a funicular. The Fortress was built to protect the arch-bishop of Salzburg during the Holy Roman Empire. The fortress was well defended and had the advantage of the top inaccessible by foot. The fortress also had a display of the weapons of the regiment which defended the fortress. But the best part was a bird‘s eye view of Salzburg and the foothills of the alps.

DAY-13 (27^th May 2019)

SALZBURG (Salzburg Fort and Salzach River)

We started our day by joining the ‘Sound of Music’ tour. Salzburg was the location for the movie, Sound of Music, which won 5 Oscars and was nominated for 10 Oscars. We saw the house where the captain and his 7 kids used to live. The entry path to the house was the same path on which Maria ran in the song ‘I have confidence’. The lake in front of the house was the same lake where the scene of a boat overturning was shot. We saw the church where the wedding scene was shot. We then reached the gardens where Maria and the children sung the most famous song of the film, ‘Do re mi’. Everyone enjoyed the tour and we all sang the songs of the film in the bus. Our tour guide told us an interesting fact that the opening scene of the title track was shot in the hills of Berchesgarden in Germany. So if we think about the scene in reality, Maria literally ran 20 Kilometres crossing the German-Austrian Border to the Church in Salzburg after the song to attend the chapel for which she was late (Take it as a Joke). The tour was fantastic. We then headed to the Untersbergbahn Cable car. The cable car takes tourists to a mountain top offering breath taking views of the foot hills of the Alps and the town of Berchesgarden. The ride itself was a surprising one. There was a point where we crossed over a smaller mountain and then suddenly saw a valley way below. The height was huge taking everyone by surprise. The weather was cloudy, so we could not see anything but I touched snow for the first time. At the top, there was a huge cross. We then came back to our hostel and had an early dinner and prepared ourselves for a busy day.

DAY-14 (28^th May 2019)

We woke up early and checked out of our hostel to leave for Hallstatt.

 We boarded a bus to Bad Ischl and changed our bus to reach Hallstatt. 

HALLSTATT

We headed to the Salt mine Funicular. We kept all our suitcases in the lockers and boarded a Funicular to the top. It was a 20 minute walk to the mine entry from the funicular. The walk was pretty steep but went through a beautiful forest. We started our tour of the salt mine. The mine was created during the continental drift. The machinery used to extract the salt was preserved. Mining began from the Bronze Age. We also saw a video explaining the history of the mine. We also enjoyed a wooden slide inside the mine and a ride on a cart to get out of the mine. It was a unique for us to see a salt mine for the first time. We went to the Viewing platform which is built on the edge of the mountain. Unfortunately, it was cloudy during that day. But the platform is famous a gorgeous view of Hallstatt and its lake with a backdrop of the Alps. We then headed back to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to board a Rail Jet back to Munich Hauptbahnhof

. We checked in the same hotel across the station and prepared for our final exploring day in Europe.

DAY-15 (29^th May 2019)

We started our day by boarding a train from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Fussen.

 

 We then headed to Neuschwanstein Castle.

NEUSCHWANSTIEN CASTLE

The castle was built by Ludwig II on hill near Fussen because of the view offered by the location. Construction started in 1869 but Ludwig II died before its completion. Till this date, the castle is still incomplete. The castle design was Romanesque style and has 200 rooms. But only 15 were complete. The interior, although incomplete, was incredible. The castle had some impressive chandeliers and the walls were filled with paintings. But the best part that we enjoyed was the view of the castle from the outside. There is a bridge in front of the castle giving an amazing view of the castle along with a waterfall in front. In this way, we ended our trip of Europe.

The next day, we came back to Mumbai with some great memories.