Thursday, October 20, 2016 – Copenhagen, Denmark

 

Train rolls onto ferry; ferry crosses the Baltic; train rolls off the ferry. Yep, that’s right. Our trip from Lubeck, Germany, to Copenhagen, Denmark, was eventful and pleasant. We watched the fall colors in the trees roll by and saw the sea on all sides. Pretty cool.

Copenhagen, the capitol of Denmark, is a sophisticated city on the fun side. We have been impressed by the pleasant and friendly people we have met. Our hotel room, while quite well placed in the old town, may have the smallest room we have ever experienced. Mind you, everything is quite nice, but teeny tiny. In wonderful minimalistic Danish design, space-saving arrangement is evident. The waste baskets are on the wall–this is hard to describe–with plastic bins/bags attached to big clips that are attached to the wall. You push one end of the clip and the bag opens; you let loose and it closes. Funny thing is, when you use the toilette, you need to have the shower doors open–how do I say this delicately–I don’t think I can be delicate, so just use your imagination.

We enjoyed walking on this clear, sunny day. We saw the Holmen’s Church (Lutheran) dedicated to the Danish navy. The woodwork was splendid. Balconies, pews, altar and pulpit were hand-carved and crafted in intricate detail. A large wooden sailing ship model hung in the middle of the church over the baptismal font. This is probably the finest woodwork I have ever seen in a church.

Our lunch was an experience. Since our train arrived in early afternoon, we wanted a light lunch, and sandwiches sounded good. Our receptionist at the hotel recommended an authentic Danish place that “had a base of rye bread and a selection of Danish favorite toppings.” I heard sandwich shop. Wrong! We were seated in an elegant space with long wool chair covers, linen table cloths and lighted candles. The muted colors and modern lights said “posh.” The traditional Danish food is not cheap. Our waiter suggested a sample menu from a smorgasbord that included four different foods. So, we ate marinated herring (using nutmeg, I’m sure) with capers and organic cream. Next came the smoked salmon topped with an egg salad. Then came the beef slices with a roulade of who knows what and fried potato salad, and finally, chicken with root vegetables. The waiter suggested schnapps as the traditional drink, but we were not into that. Local brewed beer was great. The bill was astronomical. I am pretty sure we had been directed to one of the priciest joints around and we thought we were just getting a simple sandwich. By the way, each course did come with a thick rye bread. I must say, it was a great food experience. WEG

Wednesday, October 20, 2016 – Lubeck, Germany

Our travel experience turned decidedly north as we went to Lubeck, Germany, along the Baltic coast. Lubeck is a charming city, built mainly of brick. The use of brick as a building material was early used in Lubeck, thus charting the way for the use of brick in other cities. As the leading member of the Hanseatic League, cities allied for merchant and commercial purposes and whose craft guilds regulated trade in a large swath of Europe, Lubeck had great wealth. That is reflected in its old town. Brick trading halls, now trendy shopping venues, and brick Lutheran churches with tall spires dominate the surroundings. An ancient brick gate guards the entry. A canal river runs through the city and beautiful buildings from the 1400s, now upscale living spaces, line its way. Walking the city is quite enjoyable. We wished we had another day in this wonderful city of which travel guides offer little space, but we were blessed by the day we enjoyed. WEG

I had low expectations for our trip to Eisenach. I thought it was a backwater and had nothing to offer other than the Wartburg Castle, which was the reason for our visit. What a surprise was in store! The city is very German in architecture and atmosphere. Quaint, yet with really good eating establishments and shopping streets. Walking about is easy and public transportation is easy to figure out. Our accommodations are excellent. We have throughly enjoyed our visit.

We took a city bus up the high hill on which the Wartburg Castle sits. When we debarked, we discovered that the castle was still a ways up and the only way to get there was to climb the steep staircase. Once accomplished, we found magnificent views over the countryside and also the city below. The trees are turning fall colors and that made the views even more spectacular.

We spent time looking at some of the castle’s treasures, some dating back a thousand years. The collection of paintings by Cranach the Elder were especially pleasing. We then wound our way to the Luther rooms where the 16th century religious reformer hid out in protective custody when the Pope declared him a heretic and the Emperor declared him an outlaw. During this time he standardized the disparate German language by translating the Bible’s New Testament into a common German so that the people could read it for themselves. Thus, by protecting Luther, the castle played a significant part in history.

Tomorrow, Mike and Sandra and Sherlene head to Frankfurt where they will board a plane for their trip home. Allen and Rhonda and Kathy and I will continue on our adventure. We have had a wonderful time together over the past month. WEG

The trees in Berlin are turning gold and red and maroon and yellow right before our eyes. It is lovely. Kathy and I spent quite some time in the Pergamon Museum while Allen, Rhonda and Sherlene spent time in the Kaiser Dom (Kaiser’s Cathedral detailed in yesterday’s blog), and Mike and Sandra whiled away the day in Potsdam, a small city on the outskirts of Berlin.

The Pergamon is one of five national museums on Museum Island on the River Spree just steps away from the Kaiser Dom. Kathy and I were awe-inspired from the moment we entered. Immediately we were on the Procession Way, built by King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon. The blue tile walls were laden with large lions in gold tile and lined both sides of the Procession Way. The King inscribed, “My name is Nebuchadnezzar and I am the King…” The Procession led to the Gate of Ishtar with the same blue tiles but overlaid with bulls and mythical creatures. Anyone approaching Babylon long ago would walk this way into the city and be impressed and fearful of the power of the King. Reassembled in the museum, it is impressive indeed. That was only the start–artifacts, statuary, stelae (large markers), palace walls and decorations from the ancient Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians and Mesopotamians filled rooms. King Sennacherib of Assyria and of Old Testament Biblical fame was well represented with artifacts. We were impressed, and then we walked into the huge room that contained the largest ancient artifact contained in any museum, the Gate of Miletus, the columned and storied gate that led to the marketplace in that important ancient port city. The museum was a “wow” experience!

Mike and Sandra enjoyed their time in Potsdam. They spent much time in the beautiful Neu Schloss (New Palace), the summer home of the Kaiser. It is both opulent and massive. The gardens are a mile long and connect to other palaces. They walked the gardens, but after spending six hours, they had only scratched the surface. They realized that Potsdam is more than a day trip. However, their day was grand.

In the early evening, Allen, Rhonda, Sherlene, Kathy and I rejoined to explore the almost three mile long Kurfürstendamm shopping street. Tree-shaded and lined with upscale stores on both sides, it is a shopping mecca for Europe. At the end is the famous KaDeWe mega store. The second largest store in Europe, it has upscale interior shops set in a modern decor. Its gourmet floor is huge. We found it interesting that American brands, like Hershey’s Chocolate Mix, were three times more expensive than at home. Their Tex-Mex section was a hoot!

On our way home on the hop on-hop off bus, the hour stuck 6:00 PM. Immediately, the bus pulled over and the driver ordered us all out. The service stopped at 6:00 PM–no “ands, ifs or buts.” Stranded on the street, we were fortunate to see a cab that took us to our hotel. Another grand day in Berlin came to a close. WEG

Sunday, October 16, 2016 – Berlin, Germany

What a wonderful two days so far in Berlin! There is much to do and see in this capital city of Germany. Wide boulevards, large platz (plazas) and much green space give the city an easy graciousness. The buildings are stately and grand. Everything is quite orderly. The River Spree runs through the city spanned by creative bridges, often with the intent to show the joining of the West to the East.

Much history dominates and defines the city. While the recent history of World Wars I and II are alive in the city: ie, the rebuilt Reichstag (Parliament) with bullet holes still in the facade and with its rebuilt glass dome; the ruins of the Gestapo (Nazi secret police) building; remnants of the wall built by the Russian-backed East German government to keep people from escaping the tyranny of oppression; plaques on the ground where people died trying to cross the dividing line of the oppressive East to the free West, and Checkpoint Charlie, a visible reminder of the way station where people with proper identification could cross between West and East. Berlin, however, has an important distant history as well, where Kings and Kaisers helped shape modern day Europe. This distant history is alive in grand palaces and magnificent churches and world class museums.

The Berliner Dom, an Evangelisch (Lutheran/Reformed) Church, is huge. An impressive multi- domed exterior and a gold and marble interior make it one of the largest Protestant buildings in the world. Its crypt is awe-inspiring; Kings (later Kaisers), Queens, Princes and Princesses are buried in beautiful bronze sarcophagi in orderly rows. Centered in the rear of the crypt is a large and beautiful statuary of an angel sitting on a stone slab with the script (in German), “He is not here…He is risen…,” in reference to the angelic announcement of the resurrection of Christ and in testimony to the royalties’ (mostly Lutheran) Christian faith. With all the tourists milling the crypt, it was eerily silent.

The Reichstag dome is a wonder of glass and steel. We had an appointment to visit and went through the security process to enter. We walked the spiral interior walkway that curves its way upward until we reached the top platform where we received impressive views of the city. The center of the dome has a shard of reflective mirrors that reflect light into the German Parliament Hall below.

We walked a great fair that was set up in the Alexander Platz. Requirements to set up shop must be stringent. Every tent was impeccable, and all tents matched. Interspersed were wooden shops in German country design. I could not resist a Thuringer bratwurst with spicy mustard on a hard roll, nor could I resist the dark chocolate-covered apple.

We were happy to disembark our hop on, hop off bus at the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of the German nation. There were many protests going on. Sandra and I photobombed the Vegan demonstration. The rest of our group were like, “Really?!” I wanted to photobomb the Yemeni demonstration against Saudi Arabia, but everyone refused to take my picture. From the Gate, we strolled down Unter den Linden Boulevard, walking under the Linden trees, for which it is named, and past beautiful buildings. We stopped for pastries and hot chocolate before heading back to the hotel after a fulfilling day. WEG

Friday, October 14, 2016

When we were in Wittenberg three years ago, the entire city was under scaffolding and construction wraps. Today, most of it is gone, as the refurbished city prepares for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation next year, with the posting of the 95 theses (statements) by Martin Luther on the Castle Church door. A beautiful (small) city has emerged. We are astonished.

Much has happened during the past two days. At the Old Latin School, an outreach headquarters for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in Wittenberg, we ran into the International LCMS president, Matt Harrison, who proceeded to give us a personal tour of the Old School. Dating from the 1400s, the School houses a library, chapel, meeting rooms and sleeping quarters for guests. It just so happened that the Old School was hosting a gathering of Lutheran Seminary presidents from around the world, and I was able to visit with Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, President Larry Rast. I had served as Chair of the Regents of this seminary for a decade before retirement, and so this was an unexpected pleasure. Mike and Sandra were with Kathy and me, and so they were able to meet and experience along with us. That late afternoon, we attended an English devotional service in the St. Mary’s Town Church (Lutheran) sacristy chapel. In the early evening we were invited to attend the closing Vespers of the International Lutheran Seminaries Leadership Conference in the main church. What more Lutheran experience can there be than singing Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress,” in the church were Luther preached most of his sermons, with Lutheran leaders from around the world from every tribe and race. A blessing indeed. St. Mary’s is also know as the Cranach Church because there are many paintings by Cranach the Younger in the Church. The altar painting is the most famous and has recently been restored. Art lovers from around the world come to gaze upon it.

We also visited the Castle Church (Lutheran) down the street from the Town Church. The wooden doors where Luther posted his earth-changing 95 theses have been replaced with bronze doors inscribed with the theses. The Castle Church is now beautifully refurbished. It contains the graves of many important historical figures, but none more important than Luther. We enjoyed chilling out in this quaint city, whose inhabitants changed the course of history. WEG

Wednesday, October 12, 2016 – Dresden, Germany

Dresden is famous for one of its historic art collections known as the Green Vault, which is filled with unusual art objects, such as ostrich eggs covered in gold design and a royal jewel collection that is the most complete in Europe. Under ground in marble rooms that turned green with time, the collection was removed prior to the fire bombing of the city in World War II. The vault rooms were heavily damaged, but were rebuilt to former glory and the art reinstated.

Noon time found our group at the magnificent Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady–Lutheran) for a devotional service. The organ music was wonderful and, although in German, we could make out the psalm reading and the prayers and even recognized the hymn setting. It was a great meditative time seeing the wonderful statuary at the altar, especially Jesus praying at the Garden of Gethsemane, with cherubs flying near and the all-seeing eye of God in a Trinity triangle peering down.

Our group did various activities during the day as each individual determined what was their interest. Kathy and I went to a street fair and walked in the old town. We came upon a stall that made “fried bread,” something my mother made when I was a child and which I had not eaten in like, forever. How good a memory it brought! We also sipped a cup of hot gluwein, a mixture of wine and liquor. It was very good on an unseasonably cold day. It was also rather potent. We walked back to our apartment and took a nap! Rhonda, Allen, and Sherlene went to the Saxon Historical Museum and an outdoor market, and Mike and Sandra went to the Green Vault.

Our evening meal was in a cozy restaurant, and we ate mostly traditional foods. Unfortunately, the waiter did not understand that I only wanted fried spatzle as a side dish without the rest of the featured meal; so he brought each of the foods on the menu that accompanied fried spatzle on separate plates, far more food than one could consume. An English-speaking waiter helped clear up the matter; however, I know it caused them apoplexy. Allen gave me grief over the order, saying, “Next time, just order the whole meal. I’ll even pay for it.” I took that to mean he is paying for all my meals for the rest of the trip :-). WEG

 

 

Tuesday, October 11, 2016 – Dresden, Germany

 

Raphael, Cranach, Rubens, Durer, Van Dyck, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Holbein, Cranach the Elder, Cranach the Younger, Titian, Rembrandt, and the works of other great artists make the Old Masters’ Gallery in Dresden an exquisite museum. The collection of art is not overwhelming in number, but it is high quality. Set amidst the grandeur of the Zwinger Palace, the royal home of the Saxon kings, it was a time well spent. We walked through Dresden’s old town and marveled at the splendor of the baroque buildings. It is an appealing atmosphere.

We loved spending part of the day in a shopping mall, marveling at the electronic directory where you simply touched the name of the store you wanted to visit, and the board produced a map from your location to the specific store. We loved people-watching and visiting local stores to compare with our American experience. We noted that the food areas had very little that we would find in our malls, or that it was presented quite differently. You could watch bakers making the breads and pastries. Restrooms are sparkling clean, and you pay 50 cents to enter. There were name brand stores we would know, but also many we would not. Taking this time is one of the reasons we like to arrange our own travels, so that we are not rushed through to simply see the sites.

We loved our evening meal, set in an antique-filled space. Sauerbraten, rouladen, potato and sausage soup, pumpkin soup, red cabbage, potato dumplings, and local Dresden beer and wine combined with laughter and good company made for a delightful evening. WEG

Monday, October 10, 2016

Our comfortable train ride from Prague to Dresden took us along the Elbe River and through what is called the Saxon Alps (there are no Alps in Saxony) because of the unusual rock formations that make up the high rolling hills. The ride was smooth and the scenery was pleasant, what more could one ask for?

The baroque beauty of Dresden is uplifting. Sometimes the ambiance of a place hints at a certain character and the fine buildings of Dresden say, “culture.” Walking into the old city, there is the immediate sensation of history, planning and beauty. Wide squares, cobblestone streets, architectural integrity and quality of building are immediately evident. We saw an entire city block under an architectural dig in order to save every brick and stone from past centuries that could be reused in rebuilding the block exactly like it was prior to 1945 when Allied bombing (resulting in a fire storm) completely destroyed the city. Workers with small trowels and whisk brooms were painstakingly uncovering items for future use. Since the fall of the Communist hold on East Germany about 30 years ago, Dresden has been recreating the historic city, block by block.

We could not withstand going to the Frauenkirche, the magnificent Lutheran Church that is the icon and emblem of the city. A stunning and worshipful space, the baroque atmosphere is a tranquil mix of pastels. The altar and organ are a brilliant display of statuary in pastels, white and gold. We were able to watch a short film in the media area about the history of the church and the rebuilding efforts that resulted in the church as it stands today. We left the church emotionally moved and inspired.

We ate our evening meal in a wonderfully warm and Saxon-decorated restaurant. The cheese soup was excellent and the roast boar, veal liver, hunters meat loaf and rosti (fried potatoes in a cast iron skillet) with fried eggs were a treat. It was new beer, both dunkle and wheat, both refreshing none the less. We look forward to our days in this glorious city. WEG