The Bailey Expedition - Germany and Switzerland

Germany & Switzerland

The flight from Cairo to Frankfort is a rather straightforward journey except for the fact that one needs to depart at about 1:00am and land at 5:30 am. We had a car reserved and after wresteling over a decision between a small spiffy and sporty number or a larger Volvo stationwagon, safety won out and we were on our way. We headed straight for Heidelburg and ran into what may prove to been a major element in our Europe leg; road signage and maps. Eventually we made it to Heidelburg where we found a reasonable room and headed straight for the castle. Schloss Heidelburg is a wonderful remanent of a renaissance castle. Sitting high on a hill provides it with a powerful perspective over the river Neckar and the city spread out below. While the weather was spotty, the view was wonderful. The following day the cathedral tower beckoned and convinced us that we should spend yet another day here. Because it is a Catholic edifice, it had not mentioned that this was a Protestant holiday and most things were closed. Nevertheless we strolled through town admiring the bridge, and the tower (see photo), and wondering if the lack of parking was a forshadowing of future experiences. As we departed the third day, we stopped to purchase travel books for Italy and France and will simply wing it in Switzerland. On our way out of town we drove past the area of town where Mark was born.

Pointing the Volvo North East we headed for what is known as the "romantic road", a stretch of road connecting gothic and frequently walled towns. Driving on the Autobaun is a unique experience. Cars are propelled past at 150+ kph (well over 100mph) and expect the left lane to be their domain alone to dominate. However on this day Mark was able to work extensively on this website while in the drivers seat, even while driving in that we went aproximately 2 km over a period of 3 hours. The worst traffic jam we have been in in decades. Drivers were out of their vehicles, drinking wine, smoking, leaving bodily fluids of every sort on the roadside. It was a memorable experience. Then after 3 hours we were back up to 120 kph getting blown past by all manner of Audis, BMWs and Mercedes. Cutting our plans short we headed to Rothenberg o de Tauber. What a unique place. This is a walled city that has survived a millenia of calm, conflict and conquest mostly intact. The high tower in the city square provides a wonderful view down on the red roofs of the city and clearly shows the wall that had protected this community for centuries. We also visited the sobering musuem of punishment and torture and a beautiful gothic cathedral containing wonderful carvings, stained glass, and a holy relic. Pamela was ready to stay in Rothenburg. Next we headded to Nordlingen; another walled city of simnilar age. Not as well preserved and a bit less romantic than Rothenberg, it is still stunning. We chose to walk around a considerable exent of its old wall as it circumscribes the city. Please take a look at our other photos from Germany.

Dachau was the destination from which to begin today's explorations. While Mark was ready to steer Griffin away from intense displays, We also had structured the visit to allow Quinn all the time he needed. He needed 2/3 of the day as we visited the museum, and walked the memorial grounds. It was intense however one editorial comment from Mark. I visited Dachau in the 1970 and it has since been remodeled. I was agast and dissapointed at how the historical record had been seemingly sterilized. There are almost no actual artifacts, all that remain are the stories and very tame photos. The only photo of the American liberators shows two of them seeming to gloat over a pile of gold fillings. The stories almost seem designed to leave the impression that this was not such a bad place. Yes people died, but it could have been worse. It appeared that there was an effort to portray the camp at its best. Few stark pictures, almost no images of gaunt emaciated prisinors and piles of bodies. Revisionist history or attempt to put a lipstick on the worst sort of pig? Either way, I felt it did a disservice to the memory of what really happened at this camp. Here are a few images from the Museum

With little time left in the day we sped to Munich and fumbled our way into the town center. Arriving just in time for the 6;00 chiming of the famous Glockenspiel and its animated dancers, we then took in dinner and a beverage at the Hofbrau Haus and headed south. Because of time restrictions, Munich received a mininmilist tourist visit.

Take a look at Griffin's and Quinn's Pages from Germany

Fussen was the summer home and a favorite getaway of King Ludwig II, and our next destination. Rising early in the morning we took tours of two of his castles. The first castle was Schwangau and while a smaller building, was filled with rich relics and memories of hundreds of years of Bavarian royalty. It is a place that was frequently visited by Richard Wagner as he was a favorite of Ludwig II. Its sister castle, Neuwanschwanstein is absolutely a fairy tale structure. Built with many different colors of stone, it contained room after room of elaborately painted images and sculpted details. Much of the theme of the artwork is an homage to the classic Bavarian tales Wagner used in his music, as well as a respect and celebration of nature. We were not allowed to take pictures in either castle, however we have some wonderful pictures of the exterior. Ludwig died under "mysterious" circumstances, however it is clear that this nature-loving sensitive dreamer did not fit inhto the classical macho Bavarian mold and was murdered. Such a sad story.

We set out to drive to the Jungfrau mountain area. As we left Germany we crossed the border and had a unusual experience in a restaurant along the road. It was not until we had left the restaurant and were looking at a children's coloring pad we had picked up that we realized we were not in Switzerland, but in Austria (Euros vs. Francs). Finally we made it west to Lichtenstein and then Switzerland. As we wove our way south and west we drove over some amazing mountain passes, one which puts Independence pass in Colorado to shame with its borderless switchbacks and clusters of milling cows. We made one detour on this day to complete the pilgramage of one in our party. Quinn had wanted to visit the Victorinox swiss army knife factory. Although they did not do tours, we got to look over every knife they made and selected a new one for Quinn. Quest conmplete. Pulling into Interlakken we headed up to Lauterbraunnen where we are spending the night tonight.

This region in Switzerland is known as a skiing and summer resort area and it is easy to see why. We have found yet another paradisiacal corner of the world and have spent 3 wonderful days here (take a look at our flower photos). The cornerstones of this area are the Jungfraujoch world natural heritage site (a 4 kmeter plus observation area: "The Roof of Europe") and the Shilthorn mountain lookout (gondola ride to a view of over 200 Alpen peaks). Between these two incredible settings are over a dozen trams, gondolas and rail lines throungh stunning areas of forests, glaciers, runoff and alpine meadows. From one vantage point today we could spot dozens of waterfalls of hundreds sometimes thousands of meters from glacier to valley floor. We have hiked both of the past two days, and have taken 4 tram rides, 3 train rides and 4 gondola rides. The Schilthorn mountain was where the James bond film Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed and is perched atop a mountain of incomparable perspective. There is a photo on the left as well as a panorama on the top of the page (to be added soon). The area is populated with tiny towns, farms and an abundance of cows who seem amused and somewhat puzzled by all the humans intent on hiking past their pastures. The people are very welcoming, the food has been marvelous and the scenery impossible to do justice to with mere adjectives. Come visit this region! Take a look at our other great photos of Switzerland.