IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME (I THINK!)

So. . .We ended up eating Taco Bell food in the Detroit airport after clearing customs and while waiting an extra 90 minutes for our flight to the Twin Cities. "Welcome to American food!" said one sad student.

It IS good to be home, but I'll miss a few things:

Walking five miles a day or more on crowded, friendly, winding sidewalks and cobblestone streets
Good coffee almost everywhere
Old buildings
The cacophony of multiple languages being spoken everywhere
Great food, even at highway rest stops
Remembering "hello" and "thank you" in four languages
Swiss and Austrian feather beds
Not having to drive everywhere
Mountains
Beautiful wine and robust beer
Not watching television

I'll also be happy to get back to a few things:

Free water (with ice) in restaurants and public water fountains
Plenty of free public restrooms
Internet access
Driving my car
Not having to walk everywhere
My own bed
Television
My family and friends
Cooking my own food

Well, I know the list isn't entirely logical, but that's one of the lessons of international travel. Some things don't always make sense, but it's a big, exciting world out there that never ceases to amaze.

Special Places in a Special Town: Rüdesheim

The View from The Rhine Cruise: Castles Upon Castles!

The Perfect Way to Spend an Afternoon: Ice cream on a boat!

Rüdesheim: Good-bye BierLand; Hello WeinLand

This is our last stop on this magical tour of Europe. I often feel we don't do justice to its unique qualities because we're on our way home in our brains. The Rhine wines of this area are prized around the world for their delicate flavor and range of tastes -- from very dry to very sweet. They also produce some exquisite delicate red wines and the famous Asbach Weinbrand (brandy). The whole town (like all these lovely wine villages along the Rhine) is dedicated to creating weingartens -- outdoor eating and drinking areas shaded by deciduous trees and scented with profusions of flowers, including wisteria, lilacs and various annuals.

Our last day was spent on a Rhine cruise. We ate lunch and ice cream sundaes on the boat while dozens of castles passed by our windows. It was a time to share last stories with each other about our journey and to create a list of phone numbers so we can all keep in touch. A perfect ending to a perfect trip!

MY FAVORITE POT OF FLOWERS IN ROTHENBURG

STORE WINDOWS IN ROTHENBURG: Over the top!

THE HOLY BLOOD ALTAR: A Masterpiece in Rothenburg

This astounding wood sculpture was created in 1501-1504 by Tilman Riemenschneider of Würzburg, whose talent was considered comparable to that of Albrecht Dürer. My son said it looked as though the figures were straining to escape the wood, it felt so real. The piece is housed in the Jacobskirche. Entrance fee? 1.50 euro. A bargain, I'd say.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Cuteness Carried to New Heights

We spent three hours visiting this beautifully preserved medieval walled town on a hill overlooking the Tauber River. It's located near the Romantic Road in the Franconian area of Germany, a road of fairy tale magic. I thoroughly enjoyed the Glockenspiel in the town square. Our coach driver, Peter, told us the story behind it, which helped me understand its significance. As legend has it, the town was about to be attacked by its enemies, but the leader of the opposition said that if the ruler of the town could drink a large tankard of wine without stopping, the town would be spared. (Why such a crazy test is anybody's guess.) He did so, of course, although he apparently slept for days afterward. So, when the clock struck 12:00 noon, two fairly large windows on either side of the clock open up; the military leader and the ruler of the town are in the two windows, one observing the other drinking from the stein. It's pretty entertaining.

Nürnberg: From Ashes to Action

This beautiful city was 70% destroyed by Allied bombing during WWII because of its importance as the Nazi rally center. It was painstakingly rebuilt brick by brick in exactly the same style. Our guide would point out which parts of buildings were new and which were original. Some of the rebuilt sections were done with original materials. The Germans became so expert at this process that it was they who were called upon to reconstruct the famous Buddhas of Bamiyan when the Taliban destroyed them.

The View From the Nürnberg Castle

DOKUZENTRUM (Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds

There are other Holocaust museums that may be more interesting in some ways, but this one has three distinguishing features: it's built into the side of an immense coliseum built by Hitler that was never completed, it's adjacent to the infamous rally grounds (with a grandstand), and they have video footage of interviews with ordinary Germans (including Nürnbergers) who participated in the Nazi rallies.

ANOTHER EXCELLENT TOUR GUIDE

Our Nürnberg guide, Alma, was not only extremely knowledgeable, she was friendly and totally lovable. She told us how her generation was never taught about the Holocaust in school, even though Nürnberg was the center of so many Nazi activities, not to mention the Nürnberg trials after the war. But, she added, that's all changed and she's very happy about that. She was obviously proud of the fact that Nürnberg calls itself the city of peace; she said they are proud of their minority and immigrant population -- about 16%. Our tour with her ended at the Dokumentation Centre, a fascinating Holocaust museum that just opened in 2001.

The Nürnberg Toy Museum

I spent three hours at this amazing museum. Nürnberg has an annual international toy festival every February and has a reputation for creating original and beautiful toys. A train display was especially interesting. Curiously enough, it was modeled after a train station in Oklahoma. The dolls and dollhouses were breathtaking. . .hundreds (thousands?) of early 19th century metal mechanical toys, a special display of space-age toys (lots of robots) and even fire engines and cars for pre-schoolers. They even had a play room for kids, along with an outdoor play area where they could try out old-fashioned toys on their own. I've posted a few photos from on-line, since cameras weren't allowed.

A view of Albrecht Dürer's house in Nürnberg

Nürnberg: Cuckoo clocks, Gingerbread, Toys and Nazis

This delightful modern German city with its dark past as the center of Hitler's Nazi rallies has a lot going for it, including food treats. Lebkuchen is basically gingerbread in every possible manifestation. It dates from the Middle Ages when Nürnberg was a trade center and had access to ginger from Asia and created the basic recipe, which is now available throughout the world. It's also the home of Nürnberger wurstl, tiny sausages with some of those once rare spices and herbs. They're delicious and locals eat them all day long. While walking down the street the scent of grilled sausages greets you everywhere, along with flowers, cheese and ginger. What a sensory pleasure!

GERMAN STUDENTS AT DACHAU LISTEN TO THEIR TEACHER WHILE SITTING IN ONE OF THE PRISONER BARRACKS

SCULPTURE BY NANDOR GLID AT DACHAU

DACHAU: EIN TYPISCHE DEUTSCHER STADT

Our visit to the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime happened to coincide with the anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day, May 8. The camps had been liberated by the Americans on April 29, 1945. The two anniversaries must have been the reason for almost a hundred wreaths and other floral arrangements bearing ribbons from almost as many countries lined up along the wall beneath the famous iron memorial sculpture. It depicts crippled bodies attempting to extricate themselves from barbed wire.

We spent almost three hours at the site, and we probably could have spent more time. Only two of the barracks remain (out of dozens), but it was enough for us to get an idea of what life must have been like. Some bunks remain, and also a room of latrines lined up in military fashion.

The memorial site was overflowing with Italian high school students. Our coach driver, Peter, said that the government pays for one major field trip every year for these students, and that must be why they were here. It lent a strangely festive atmosphere to the experience.

I first visited this site in 1969, and I’ve been back several times since then, in addition to visiting Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. I’m always struck by two things: how the smells of flowers and grass and the sounds of birds seem even louder and more intense than in other settings; and how attractive the adjacent towns appear to be. This is not so much the banality of evil as the normality of it.

One curious fact: Dachau, like many other concentration camps, became a DP (displaced person) camp after the war and was in use until at least the mid-50s. The conditions were not very good, and people continued to suffer, although certainly not to the degree they had before.

WEISS SPARGEL: WEIRD OR WONDERFUL?

It's the season for a strange German delicacy -- white asparagus. Every restaurant has exclamatory signage letting you know you can eat it there plain, buttered, creamed, in soup, sauce, chopped, whole or with hollandaise sauce. It's still harvested by hand because it actually is just regular asparagus that's picked before it reaches the light and turns green via photosynthesis. I said it was strange. It's really a big deal here, but I find its taste rather bland. We had it with our dinner tonight and it drew few comments of praise. I do appreciate it as a symbol of spring.

IN MUNCHEN STEHT EIN HOFBRAUHAUS!

What would a visit to Munich be without a stop at the world-famous Hofbrauhaus? If it's not the largest beer hall in the world, I'd be surprised. It's definitely over the top in terms of size -- about the size of a warehouse, with three levels, plus an outdoor beer garden; in terms of menu -- lots of sauerkraut, sausages and ham hocks the size of televisions; in terms of music -- oom-pah bands on all levels battling it out; not to mention those liter-mug lifting waitresses in their crazy dirndls.

SUFFERING SENIORS IN MUNICH

While walking through Marienplatz we saw this demonstration, comprising hundreds of people, decrying the tough situation pensioners find themselves in these days in Germany.

Clues to translation:

Riesterfaktor = Marketplace factor
Nachhaltigkitfaktor = Sustainability factor
Ausgleichsfaktor = Compensation or accommodation factor

SOPHIE SCHOLL'S STORY: MUNICH & THE WHITE ROSE MOVEMENT

We watched the excellent movie "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" ("Sophie Scholl -- Die Letzten Tage") on our coach television monitor during the drive to Munich. It was a good choice, since the 21-year-old Sophie and her brother Hans were students at the University of Munich when they were arrested for distributing anti-Nazi literature in 1943. One week later they were both dead -- tried and executed by a guillotine. Several of us visited the university building where they distributed the literature and were arrested. I wondered if the fresh flowers at the memorial were in honor of her approaching birthdate -- May 9. It's an incredible story and the movie, directed by Marc Rothemund and filmed in Munich, was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Her last words?

"How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?"

INSPIRING SPIRES OF MUNICH

NYMPHENBURG PALACE VS. LILACS

This sprawling, gracious palace right in Munich located on a 500-acre tract was almost overshadowed by the riotous lilac blooms that actually made the air heavily sweet. I had never seen four different shades on one bush before (including white!)

Schloss Nymphenburg was commissioned by King Ferdinand for his beloved wife, Henriette, when she bore him a son in 1664. Unfortunately, she died at a young age and never did see the palace completed. he died one year later of a broken heart. Their progeny, however, were able to enjoy it for quite some time as a summer home.

THE MUNICH GLOCKENSPIEL

Our Munich guide, John Mountain, a British engineer who has lived in Munich ever since he and his young wife came here to work for the 1972 Olympics, took us to Marienplatz for the 17:00 performance of the Glockenspiel. First the royalty on the upper level and the Bavarian jouster knock their rival off his horse. Then the peasants dance on the lower level. Finally, the cock on the top level flaps his wings and crows. It all takes ten minutes, all the while bells are ringing. it's great entertainment!

MUNICH: AN UNEXPECTED DELIGHT

Culture shock: the Germans wait for stop lights. Even the bicyclists. And there are almost no motorcyclists. And cars stop for you at pedestrian walks. They all obey the rules, even when there is no traffic. It's almost annoying. I stepped out into the empty street on a red light and realized nobody else had done so. I slunk back up the curb and waited with the rest. I complained all the time in Italy about nobody obeying any rules, but now I find myself impatient with the German sense of order. As our Roman tour guide told us, the traffic rules are only "suggestions" in Italy. In Germany, they are part of the DNA.

Steve, our capable assistant director, made what I thought was an insightful observation about Munich. He said it felt more like Minnesota (or even the U.S.) than Great Britain. I would have to agree. Germans look more like Midwesterners, dress like us and are less quirky than the Brits, which, I think, sets them apart.

Munich is much less a tourist city than Paris or Rome, but that's part of its attraction. The students loved it. It's a muscular city with smart industry (if you don't consider the current deep recession that has hit her quite hard) including automotive, aerospace and engineering. It's a city that was almost demolished during WWII but re-invented and rebuilt itself as a new, cosmopolitan center, much more diverse than it was in the past.

It's livable, gracious and friendly. The students rented bicycles for 12 euro per day. Bike lanes abound, and scenic bike paths surround the city in what they call their English Garden. Some rode to the amazing BMW museum and factory. Some rode to the Olympic Park (the site of the hostage crisis during the 1972 Olympics). Some went on a WWII walking tour, followed by a beer hall tour. These, of course, are plentiful.

The photo shows the spot where Hitler would address his followers during his rise to power. This was the heart of the Nazi movement, but Hitler would not recognize the city today, which is wonderful, of course.

MOZART'S BIRTHPLACE IN SALZBURG

This is the home in which the great musician was born -- who contributed so much to the world of music in his brief lifetime.

A STREET MIME IN SALZBURG

Protocol dictates that you give one or two euros to the mime (or any street performer) in order to have your photo taken with him or her.

THE FIVE ORGANS CHURCH

The lavish baroque style cathedral in Salzburg, home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has no fewer than five organs. Two of the four smaller ones are visible here. There are two more evenly spaced in the front of the church (towards the altar) and a much larger one in the back (near the entrance). Our guide said the acoustics in the church are perfect for concerts of Mozart's music, and is used often for that purpose.

OUTDOOR CHESS IN SALZBURG

Several students in our group watched this game; they said it went on for over an hour.