DAY 22 JUNE 16 REGENSBERG, GERMANY

The place where the Danube and Regen Rivers come together and the pace of life is leisurely, in spite of 20,000 university students living here.  The city suffered little war time damage enabling it to be declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2006. Requisite stone bridge, clock tower flanked by high-roofed buildings.



Our faithful guide, Glorija, makes sure we are organized. " Boca, the mouth watering aroma is the Historische Wurstkuche- the sausage!  Be sure to order."













 Bubs ordered the wiener schnitzel.  Uh Oh.  Just like the London pubs with the frozen "fish n chips".   Frozen schntz....that's what ya get for going to a pub for grub bub.  We passed on the famous grilled sausages-best wieners in Germany.  And always a Gothic Cathedral.  The DOM is pure German Gothic.  It was started in 1275 and almost finished in 1634...towers completed in 1869.

Another picturesque German city.  Oh no, more cobble stone streets.  Bub takes to bobbing and weaving ...".shoulda brought your stick rather than hang on my arm!"







Our local guide points out the cement on the corners of the buildings...so the carts don't damage the buildings.  Boca thinks, yeah that's what we need at our hacienda...between Bubs and Pleeps my corners are beat to hell!  Note to self:  get some cement.










Bubba has some fun with fellow passengers playing Paparazzi...oy look out National Enquirer.








He lost Boca.  Figuring she's in some church...a hunting he goes.  Surely she must be in one...the poor fella checks out church after church.  Where in the heck is she!!  "Oops Sorry about that Bubs I just hopped ahead to the Thurn's Schloss.  Stop cussing so loud, you're next to a church!"

How about the famous Schoss Thurn und Taxis?  I remember ol Gloria (yes the princess) from her wild party days.  She out partied Boca by any measure.  This German noble family started the postal svs in Europe in the 16h century, then the many breweries and builders of castles.  The family is one of the wealthiest in Germany.



Prior to marrying her hubby ( she was 20 he was 34 years her senior and a distant cousin) she worked as a waitress in St. Moritz.













 But in the 80's she was know as Princess Punk or Princess  TNT.  This 500 room shloss was party central.  Remember when she barked like a dog on David Letterman?  Gloria majored in exuberant and lavish spending- a real whirling dervish on the international social scene...arrested for hash etc.



But when hubby died (he had 2 unsuccessful heart transplants and died in 1990) the Tax man cometh.  The party is over.  Glo has a transformation back to her Catholic roots and becomes Uber Catholic and friends with the soon to be Pope (he was previously a professor at U of Regansburg).


They say the annual operation  cost is between 5-10 million bucks so She now has opened the schloss to the public and rents out some of it -although the family does use it when they are in town.  Old Glo did a hell of a job restructuring the financial losses (us real estate) and now has the coffers back up to $2 B.....all in son's name.  A most desirable bachelor- ya think?

The family still stays here when they are in town.


Glo had a wicked sense of style...yes it does look like a fried egg.

This place is huge...one hallway and ballroom after another...Boca stop snooping around and keep up with the group.






As Bubs told Harry, "more whacky intermarrying Royalty in Europe."  Ya got that right Bubba.







Ah the end to a perfect schloss visit...hey wait a minitue.  We didn't see you guys on the tour?  You're catching on Boca.  More fun having ice cream sundae's in the garden!

Back on the Ms. Treasures....some of our FAVORITE CREW...

Hail to the captain!  There is a shallow area near Regensberg and the water was dropping so he decided to move the boat down river and have a coach drive us down there post excursion- rather than wait for us to come back to the boat post excursion...bravo and well done Captain.   We clap him to the designated meet up dock.  Some of the other river boats weren't able to make the passage...Viking and Uniworld??  Stuck.  who knew it could be tricky navigating a river???

Gabrille and Zhany- my computer experts.

Ruta, the Lithuanian Energizer Bunny.  Manager of the Dinning room she greats Boca with a smile and a chilled glass of wine...but Ruta it's breakfast.  "That's ok Mrs. Collins.  Mr. Collins needs it."

The front desk aid de camps for Boca...Mina, the most darling Serbian gal.  I tried to fix her up with my son Nicholas...oops she's married to the Captain.  Sorry about that oh Captain my Captain.  Gabrille is the Hotel Manager and is knocking himself out to make sure Boca and Bubba are happy.  And our new front desk trainee....Bubs said I should do my best not to scare her and run her off...Huh?  moi?

DAY 21 JUNE 15 NUREMBERG, GERMANY

Nuremberg is in Franconia, the northern part of Bavaria.  There are over 80 million Germans and  Nuremberg has about 500,000 of them living here.  Pencils and toy industries - don't forget beer and ice cream too.

Most of it was bombed out after WWI, they have rebuilt the city center to it's original state.  a la Disney?  Well why not?  Trying to outrun their history?  The city that bred the nazi movement......

Our tour guide today is from Scotland???  The Scottish accent is disconcerting for a tour in Germany.  Nuremberg is most known today for the unfortunate part it played during WWII when it was chosen by the Nazis for their conventions and for the Nuremberg trials held there after the war was over.  So let's start with a former Nuremberg resident-Hitler, born in Austria in 1889, parents died when he was 18-quit school and homeless.  Left Austria to come to Germany and signed up for German army in WWI-lost the war.  The Versailles Treaty said Germany had to disarm, pay back reparations....democracy started.  Hitler took some courses on public speaking and joined the Nationalist Socialist Party and became quite the good speaker. There was high unemployment, high inflation, army not under government, 28 political parties- no political or financial stability-a prime place for Hitler to thrive.  Wall Street asks for the money they loaned Germany to be paid back, leaving a very unhappy situation in Germany.  Hitler used this to his advantage.  He told them he had the answer to the question.  "The problem is the Jews- I will give you employment and get our land back".  Hitler had an uncanny ability to tap into the fears, frustrations and ambitions of all sorts of Germans and had a masterly understanding of how to exploit them.  Apart from the excluded Jews and other "undesirables", he promised something for everyone.  Yahoo.  No more communism.  Bullies loved putting on the ol SS uniform and pushing people around.  The perfect storm....

The shame of the Versailles treaty was a big part of this response-  Hitler

became chancellor of Germany.  The industries voted for it.  As mentioned, Nuremberg was the headquarters of the Military District and an important site for the production of airplane, submarine, and tank engines.  

Hitler received 43% of vote and got rid of the other parties.  Germany became a 1 party police state, gestapo formed ss- and the place for the 1st concentration camp Dachau/1933.  They burned the books, Jews were discriminated against, and the  mentally ill were sterilized.  Pres Hindenburg dies and Hitler takes over as Pres AND Chancellor and acts as a dictator.  I didn't realize 15 million Germans fled their country during this time frame.  This monster made himself chief of this and that.  And how did that swine die?  In April of 1945 he married Ava Braun and the next day he committed suicide a la cyanide and shooting himself in the temple.

Nothing like a double suicide to tidy up things....

DOUMENTATIONSZENTRUM

  Since 2001, the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds has existed in the unfinished Congress Hall- originally planned of house 50,000 people.




We visit the grounds first...the gigantic remains of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds are a testimony to the megalomania of the National Socialist regime aka Heil Hitler.







 The Congress Hall, with its modern addition, resembling a stake made from glass and steel,  makes a clear contemporary architectural statement.  Brilliantly designed and executed-oops bad choice of word- built.









 A terrific museum so cleverly using the Hall.  A real experience of what it might have been like....good to see lots of American college students here on tour.








 The permanent exhibition "Fascination and Terror" provides info about the causes, contexts and consequences of the National Socialist reign of terror.  No English on the walls but the audio is easy enough.  Actually only one book in the bookstore is offered in English....all other books are in German.  Hmmmmmm.

Bubba's Take on the museum:

"Not as condemning as I think it should be".

The Tauck Guide said "you can't let one person here for 15 years hijack the reputation of a city that has been here for 950 years."  Hearing that remark Boca fainted...oy.

INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL

We also visited the courts-it was a holiday and courts were closed so only able to view the buildings.  At then end of the War the Allies took the major Nazi criminals to trial.  first time an international court...role model for The Hague today.  The Nuremberg Trials were in 1945-46 and for the first time in history, representatives of a state had to answer for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  The Courtroom was chosen as the jail was here.  results- 24 death penalties,  life sentences,   acquittals.  Some committed suicide before death penalty.  Then Cold War began and allies not speaking to each other.  German courts continued with the trials and sentencing.


But what about the thousands of higher ups involved?  What about the hundreds of thousands/millions who claim no knowledge of what was going on?  Perhaps a Yom Kippur- a day of atonement, to right the wrong-is in order.  How fitting would that be?  How does the average German citizen "right the wrong?"  Surely many of their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, neighbors, etc were involved on some level?  How will future generations "own" these atrocities?  Bubs says it's no different than what Stalin did or what the Japanese did to the Chinese....I am glad to have had the opportunity to experience this property, grounds and museum....it's a step in the right direction Germany..fyi it is illegal in Germany, Czech Republic and Austria to say or salute the Heil Hitler.  At one time all German public employees were required to use the salute and also while singing the national anthem.  

Today was not about the castles, fairy tale towns or beautiful forests....it was a somber day.  While the museum signs were in German and only one book in the gift shop was in English- this is a must see.
 

DAY 20 JUNE 14 BAMBERG, GERMANY

Bamberg is a city located in Upper Franconia (huh?) on the river Regnitz.  Close to it's confluence with the river Main.  Another historic city center and listed on UNESCO world heritage site.




Bamberg played a significant role as a link with the Slav peoples of Eastern Europe, especially in Poland and Pomerania (and I thought that was a dog).  The town was laid out according to medieval planning rules as a cross, with the churches of St. Micheal, St. Stephen, St Gangolf, and St Jacob at the four cardinal points.  How do ya like the Michaelsberg Abbey?




The cathedral is a late Romanesque Bubs.  "Late what?"  Of course it became the seat of a powerful  Prince-Bishop in the early 12th century.  Here comes the prosperity and lavish restoration of the the cathedral in the early 13th century.










The World Heritage site covers the 3 centers of settlement that coalesced when the town was founded.  Bergstdt, Inseldsdt and he Theurestadt.  Pay attention Bubba, there will be a test....








Lots of Goth here...and a little Baroque.  Hello Bohemia.





Miraculously, Bam emerged from WWII with hardly a scratch...most of the city's buildings are originals.  Pleep saw the advertisement for the Monkey Bar...so off he went....









Pleep enjoyed the 10 breweries but his favorite was the Monkey Bar.  Making fast friends with the fraulein bar keep...





He told her he heard that Germany has no minimum age for drinking brewskies....ah no little Pleepster but for you I must make an exception!  Danke Babe!

While Boca dragged Bub around on more cobblestone streets...hey Boca, are ya tryin to kill me???

And Bubba enjoys his evening cocktail while Lock traversing...

after church hopping and being with the Boca all day, Bubs is easily entertained by a wall....












is the chow getting any better Bubs? " As a matter of fact it is..."
















Good, so I can expect no more hairy soup, right?

DAY 19 JUNE 13 WURZBURG, GERMANY

Wurzburg is a city in southwestern Germany, in the state of Bavaria on the Main River....noted for it's vineyards.  Yeah!    The history of this ancient university city began in the 8th century.  And we check out the Prince Bishops Residenz- a marvel of baroque architecture.  The foundation was laid in 1720.  French chateau meets German Baroque..



Hey, what is a Prince-Bishop?? That title is used a lot around these parts.  A prince-bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on  account of one or more secular principalities...anybody for some appointed nobility?  In the west, with the decline of imperial power from the 4th century onwards, in the face of the barbarian invasions, sometimes Christian Bishops of cities took the place of the roman commander, made secular decisions for the city and led their own troops when necessary.  Ah the emperor tried to weaken their power by granting loyal Bishop's imperial lands and vest them with regalia privileges.  Popes did not like this set up and eventually nixed all that Prince-Bishop stuff.  Sounds like a little Catholic Feudalism to moi.  Oh and by the way the place did get bombed up during WWII but they've managed to put it back together-to the tune of 20 million euro.



Pleep thought this Frauleins hair was soooo Rapunzel and couldn't resist giving it a tug....over and over.  I think she kinda liked it....

The Counts of Schonborn were almost all the ecclesiastical Princes from this dynasty and had a passion for building.  They built this place within a single generation- we are talking WURZBURG ROCOCOCOCOCOCONUTS!

 This Prince-Bishop sure designed one prestigious palace.  The grand staircase-wow.  Pleep took the pick hanging from a pillar...oops.







Lots of ceiling paintings of course- actually they say it's the world's largest ceiling painting, the work of /venetian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo....room after room of grand opulence.  It's good to be the Prince-Bishop.  And of course a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 and I can see why.

This is the wine region after all so a wine tasting is in order at Hofkeller of the Residence- nothing like a court cellar to quench your thirst.  Ommpapa! 










 And some Prost!  Pleep tried to convince Boca that we needed our own barrel with the Collins Crest on it...that darn monkey comes up with such wonderful ideas.  Hand over the Am X Mom...it'll be there by the time we get home.  Good idea Pleepster.  Let's keep this little purchase between us....



Well worth the visit....Bubba took the day off.  Cobble stonitis I suppose.  He did try to catch up on his FOX news...nice pose Bubs.  Boca, those are my leg stretches.

60th Wedding Anniversary Dinner



Hey I know you!  You were on the Regent South American Cruise with Boca and Bubba.  Yes, we were Boca.  And please join us for dinner tonight as Paul and I are celebrating our 6oth Wedding Anniversary.  You bet, who could forget Paul and Paula...hey hey Paula I want to marry you.  Hey hey Paul, no one else will ever do.


Bubba "commissioned" Paul a Junior Special Agent a la Secret Service.  Paul now has his very own SS "badge" in the form of a challenge coin.  Paul asked Bubs if he could use it when he gets pulled over for speeding.


And what do you attribute this great milestone of being married for 60 years??  A SENSE OF HUMOUR!, they both chimed in.

P.S.  Service improving....yahoo.  Still working on stepping up the food.