Nuremberg

“In the valley of the Pegnitz, where across broad meadow-lands

Rise the blue Franconian mountains, Nuremberg, the ancient, stands.”

This is the opening stanza of Longfellow’s poem, Nuremberg.  I came across this poem when I was researching my blog and found its description of the city as relevant today as it was when it was written more than a century and a half ago.  Michael and I traveled to Nuremberg with the main goal of seeing the Christmas markets.  I would have to say though that the markets were out shone by the beautiful city.

Nuremberg is a very old city of cobble stone streets, large churches and cathedrals, many statues and fountains all overlooked by the castle on the hill.  It is a truly beautiful city to wander around and the Christmas markets were possibly the best we have seen in Germany.  We sampled as much of the local specialties as possible including Lebkuchen, a delicious gingerbread like cookie.  We also tried the Nuremberg sausage, a tasty sausage that must not be longer than 9cm and weigh no more than 25g.  They were generally sold in a bun containing 3 sausages and were seriously moreish.  Another delicacy we tried was the Kniekuchla (knee cake), so named because the bakers used to stretch the dough across their knees.  They were served deep fried and dusted with icing sugar.  It is safe to say that we did not go hungry during our stay.

We did find some cultural activities aside from eating.  We chose to walk up the hill to the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg and, as we were ascending the steep slope, snow started to fall. 



 It was quite a heavy fall of snow and the streets were soon covered giving the city a fairy tale like appearance.  The castle itself is an imposing structure with the first fortified buildings constructed around 1000. 







The fortress expanded over the years, with modifications added and then a huge part of it was destroyed in World War II. 

 
 It has now been rebuilt and restored and we spent a long time exploring the various rooms and exhibits. It was magical to look out of the windows and see the snow-covered city from this high vantage point.

One of Michael’s favourite artists, Albrecht Durer, was born in Nuremberg and we were lucky enough to visit the house where he lived and worked for nearly 20 years.  The house is one of the few surviving burgher houses and was built around 1420.  




 

 The home was damaged in an air raid during World War II with bombs landing nearby blowing the roof off and knocking out the windows and some exterior walls, however, luckily, it did not catch fire.  The house was subsequently restored and re-opened as a museum.  The museum was beautifully presented, displaying copies of Durer’s paintings with a workshop set up where you could see the historical printing techniques.

A short train journey took us to the World Heritage City of Bamberg.  The city rests on seven hills and is known as the “Rome of Franconia”.  It is an incredibly beautiful city that appears to have been lifted from the pages of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. We spent a lovely day wandering up and down the hills admiring the mediaeval buildings, churches and town squares. 

 

The River Regnitz winds through the town with the old town hall built in the centre of the river.  There were also a number of Christmas markets in various locations adding to an already wonderful atmosphere.  The highlight for Michael was trying a Rauchbier (smoke beer).  The malt for the beer is roasted over a beech wood fire instead of being dried in an oven giving the beer a unique flavour, which is often described as “liquid bacon”.  It really was delicious.

Next stop on our Christmas jaunt was Munich.  It is always fun to visit this city but especially so during the festive season when the city comes alive with Christmas markets.  Our hotel room was a pleasant surprise - a luxurious suite of rooms spread over two floors. We have no idea why we were upgraded to such style, however it was much appreciated.  We spent a lovely couple of days roaming the now familiar streets, spending time visiting the markets and generally enjoying the Bavarian hospitality of the city. 




Of course, no visit to Munich would be complete without dining at Michael’s favourite restaurant, Wirtshaus Zum Straubinger.  Naturally Michael ordered the Schweinshaxe and the meal did not disappoint.

Old Father Thames

Michael decided to take a long weekend so that we could visit friends in London.  It would be our first trip to London since James and Amber returned home to Australia, so it would be a very different experience for us.  The flight to Gatwick was a little bumpy but nothing to overly concern us until we started our descent to the airport.  The turbulence really started to rock the plane and I was beginning to get anxious.  Suddenly, just as we were about to land, the pilot gunned the engines and we took off sharply.  You could have heard a pin drop as all the passengers fell silent.  The pilot addressed us a few minutes later and apologised for the aborted landing however the wind was just too strong to land safely and he would have to try again.  We circled the airport for a while until we approached the runway again where we landed heavily.  I joined in the applause of the grateful passengers and was very thankful that considering how often we fly, seldom do we have any cause to worry about our safety.

We checked into our Whitechapel hotel and decided to set off to explore. The weather was appalling with lashing rain and high winds, which made it unpleasant to walk about.  We did our best but eventually gave in and found a pub to shelter until the worst had passed.  The rest of the day was spent dodging showers until dinner at Tyyabs and an early night.

The next day the weather couldn’t have been more different.  The skies were clear and apart from the odd puddle or two, you wouldn’t have known how much it had rained the previous day.  This was just as well as we had booked a walking tour with the enticing name “Burnings, Butchery and Black Death.”  We met our guide outside Barbican station and set off with another dozen or so people to discover the gruesome past of the area.  The tour lasted about two hours and we covered a distance of only two miles however every step was steeped in history.  We began outside the Charterhouse, which Michael and I had visited on one of our previous London trips, and discovered that the beautiful park out the front was in fact where thousands of Black Death corpses were disposed of during the fourteenth century.  


 The tour continued around the Smithfield Markets area where the guide regaled us with stories about the animal and human slaughter that has taken place over hundreds of years.  We learned about the body snatchers and regular bloody executions that took place in the area outside St Bartholomew’s Hospital.  We also retraced some of my steps from the Charles Dickens’ tour that I took earlier in the year, so Michael was able to see for himself where the most notorious slum in London was and where the novel Oliver Twist was set.  The guide was engaging and knowledgeable and by the end of the tour I really felt that I had learned a great deal. 

All that talk of murder and blood shed made for thirsty work, so Michael and I decided a roast lunch was in order.  The Old Red Cow is renowned for its Sunday roast and we were lucky to obtain a table.  We proceeded to enjoy a roast meal that even James would have agreed was top notch.

Suitably refreshed, we set off to explore more of the city.  We didn’t really have a set plan in mind, instead just wandered about the streets stopping to look at anything that sparked an interest.  It was too early for the Christmas lights as most of the streets would hold their official lighting ceremonies over the coming weeks, however we could see them hanging over the roads in readiness. 




I did want to see the Christmas windows along Regent and Oxford Streets, as I knew that the big stores would already have their displays.  We could see a crowd had gathered outside of Hamleys and decided to see what was causing the interest.  It turned out that Simon Cowell was posing for selfies with his fans.  Michael was more interested in his flash Tesla while I couldn’t have cared less for either the man or the car.  The shop windows were pretty though.  The Selfridges Christmas windows were very disappointing this year.  The theme is Future Fantasy but I am not sure that children would be very impressed.

Michael and I took a bus to St Paul’s Cathedral so that we could walk across the Millennium Bridge in the dark, as I wanted to see The Illuminated River, a long-term art commission that will eventually light up the major bridges across the River Thames. 




At present there are four bridges which light up at night and we walked along the river to have a look at them all:  Southwark Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Cannon Street Railway Bridge and London Bridge.  They all look very pretty however, I think that the Millennium Bridge is my favourite as the pulsating lights mimic the movements of the people crossing.  Eventually 15 bridges will be lit along the Thames and I hope that one day I can return to see them all illuminated. 

The following day started with a walk around the Whitechapel area.  We didn’t have to walk far before Michael pointed out an interesting building, which turned out to be the Old Whitechapel Bell Foundry.  I was enchanted with the building and decided to look up its history.  To my dismay, I discovered that this foundry, which has been operating since the 1740s, was sold last year and a developer is planning to turn it into a boutique hotel.  The UK Historical Preservation Trust (founded by Prince Charles) is fighting the new owner and Tower Hamlets locals have been protesting also.  It would be a real shame to lose the historic foundry, which has made some of the world’s most famous bells, including the Liberty Bell and the bells in Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.  I hope that people power will win the day.

The main purpose of our trip to London was to catch up with friends, Peter and Marna, who were on holiday from Australia. 


 

We met for lunch at Duck and Waffle, a restaurant and bar on the 40^th floor of the Heron Tower in Bishopsgate.  Needless to say the view over London was magnificent and after ordering our meals, we settled back to catch up on 7 years worth of news.  There was no way that we could cover everything over lunch, so we adjourned to a nearby pub to continue our chatting.  I think that we would have continued well into the evening if Marna and Peter had not had a concert to attend.  It really was a fabulous day and hopefully we can look forward to seeing them again in Melbourne next year.

We were due to fly out of Gatwick on the Tuesday evening, but, before doing so, we had one more important visit with Michael’s Godmother, Margaret.  Margaret has recently moved from Orpington and we arranged to visit her new home.  We caught the train to West Wickham where Margaret met us at the station.  A short walk took us to the centre of town where we quickly found a restaurant, ordered our lunch and set up catching up on all the news.  Margaret looked a picture of health and told us all about her upcoming travel plans.  After lunch, we took another short walk to see Margaret’s new home.  It is absolutely lovely and cosy and we enjoyed a cup of tea and slice of Battenberg cake before Margaret walked us to the bus stop.  Hopefully it won’t be long until we see her again and we hope that she will take up our offer to come and visit us in Dublin.     

Family Portrait

It has been a while since I updated our blog.  Summer has been and gone and our Dublin life has continued happily.  Michael managed to get some diving in including a weekend away at Quilty, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  

 June saw me attend the protest march against Donald Trump’s visit.  The protest attracted a sizeable crowd and the infamous baby Trump balloon made an appearance.  The placards that the protestors carried were less polite and witty than the ones I saw in London.  The Irish don’t mince their words when it comes to voicing their displeasure.  In July Michael invited me to one of his whiskey club events held at Bar 1661.  This particular event was a Whiskey Cocktail Masterclass where we were treated to a number of cocktails accompanied by some very funny banter from the host.  My favourite was a Belfast Coffee, which is a made from Ban Poitin, coffee, cream and nutmeg.  It was divine and Michael and I have returned to the venue a number of times for a tipple. 

James and Amber made a quick visit to Dublin for a weekend early in September and we had fun just hanging out together.  James and I visited the Butler’s Chocolate Factory where we learned all about the origins of chocolate and visited the chocolate gallery where we could watch the chocolates being made, sorted and boxed.  We finished the tour by decorating our own chocolate bears with liquid chocolate.  James’ bear looked quite artistic when he finished the decorating whilst mine looked positively demonic!

  

I made a couple of brief visits to London to see James in September. The highlight of these visits was a trip to Syon House to see the Percy Lion.  I had wanted to visit this historic home since reading a short story by Charles Dickens titled Gone Astray, which tells of a young Dickens staring with fascination at the stone lion atop Northumberland House and losing his guardian.  I discovered that Northumberland House was demolished in 1874 to make way for new roads and further research revealed that the lion was restored and placed upon the roof at Syon House.  The lion is distinctive in that it has a long, straight tail. 



Syon House itself is the magnificent residence of the Duke of Northumberland and is surrounded by an 80 hectare park.  James and I had a lovely time wandering the house and admiring the many beautiful rooms and furnishings.  We finished with walk around the gardens and park and visited the Great Conservatory.     

We received a visit from an old Cathedral Chorister friend of James, Michael and his new wife Sam.  We spent a lovely day playing tour guides and showing them around Dublin, even taking in a bit of traditional Irish music along the way.  Michael (the senior one) led them through the finer points of whiskey tasting and a enjoyable day was had by all.

The biggest excitement of all for us though was the visit of Tim and Jess.  It had been two long years since their last visit and it was absolutely wonderful to welcome them to Dublin again.  They arrived weary from the long flight however it wasn’t long before we were ensconced in a pub with a pint of Guinness, listening to their news and receiving an update on their wedding plans.  We spent the weekend roaming the city, stopping along the way for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  In the interval since their last visit, two new distilleries had opened, so naturally we had to visit them, along with the old favourite, the Jameson Distillery, which they missed seeing on their last visit.  We also popped into a number of historic pubs along the way for a mandatory Guinness or two.  We walked pretty much the whole of Dublin, taking in the autumnal colours in the parks along the way.  Tim and Jess availed of the sunny weather and took in a game of golf at Clontarf.  This game was much more enjoyable than the one they played in the driving wind and rain of Connemara on their last visit.

Dark Bologna

One of the best things about living in Ireland is its proximity to Europe and so we organised a trip to Italy for the four of us.  It was to be Tim’s first time there while Jess had been before, however she hadn’t visited Bologna.  



 I refer to Bologna as “my happy place” and we spent the next two days wandering the beautiful city at a leisurely pace, stopping to eat some of the best pasta and mortadella along the way.  We drank fabulous wines with our meals and enjoyed nightly aperol spritzes and negronis.  There were also gelatos in numerous flavours, cannolis and, of course, excellent coffee and cornetta.  To say that we ate and drank our way around the city would not be an exaggeration.

A short, high-speed train trip took us to the city of Modena, the home of balsamic vinegar.  The ancient town is very beautiful and we strolled around the various town squares in the sunshine.  There was also a beautiful covered market, Mercato Albinelli, which was founded in 1931.  We were in Modena to lunch at Franceschetta58, the sister restaurant to Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana. 


We were all looking forward to our meals so much that I was a little concerned that the restaurant might not live up to the hype.  I needn’t have worried, as the entire experience was fabulous from start to finish.  The service was terrific, the wine outstanding and the food absolutely delicious and beautifully presented.  The icing on the cake for me though was spotting Massimo himself sitting in his car outside the restaurant.  I was the only one who noticed him and after much discussion, Jess returned to the restaurant to verify my sighting.  Jess agreed that it was Massimo who was sitting there smiling as he could obviously hear every word of our argument through his open car window.  I suppose we can put this episode in the “embarrassing mother” file!

We had a bit of time before our return train was due, so we decided to try a tasting of balsamic vinegars.  We were led through a tasting of 5 vinegars, each one older than the previous.  You would think that there wouldn’t be much difference between the various balsamic vinegars, however the flavours of the older vinegars were beautifully complex and the liquid viscous. 

The City of Dante

It was time to briefly leave Bologna, as we wanted to show Tim and Jess some more of Italy, this time the beautiful city of Florence.  We took another short, high-speed rail journey and in no time at all we had checked into our apartments and were ready to explore a new city.  Florence was much busier than sleepy Bologna, and I think that Tim and Jess were a little taken aback by the vast number of tourists that thronged the streets.  I dread to think what the city is like in peak tourist season.  That is the problem with having such a beautiful city – everyone wants to visit.  We mainly let Jess and Tim discover the city for themselves, while Michael and I walked the familiar streets, stopping now and then for a glass of wine or spritz and to sit in the sunshine and people watch.  We would meet up with them at the apartment for a pre dinner drink, The Age Quiz and a game of Bananagrams before heading out for another fabulous meal at one of the many, many restaurants in the city.

We did have a dose of culture though, taking them both to the Uffizi Gallery to see The Birth of Venus (Michael’s favourite artwork) and Medusa (my favourite).  We made sure to arrive at the gallery early in an effort to beat the crowds however it was hard to get close to the more popular artworks due to the ever present tour groups.  While we were on a roll we also took in the Galleria dell’Accademia to see the wonderful David.  

Cheeky

 It doesn’t matter how many times I view this sculpture it never loses its magic. 

To celebrate Tim’s birthday we booked lunch at Antinori nel Chianti Classico a wonderful winery that is 40km south of Florence.  The vineyard has been refurbished at the cost of 85 million Euro in a modern style with the racking rooms, offices and car park under the vineyard and a restaurant on the top overlooking the countryside and winery. The weather was perfect to sit outside and soak up the sun while enjoying a tasting of wines.


We then moved onto the terrace for lunch and immediately the adjoining table filled with a group of 10 extremely loud American men.  Jess politely asked if we could move and we relocated ourselves to a table on the opposite side of the terrace with uninterrupted views of the vineyard where we toasted Tims’ Birthday and James and Amber’s engagement.




 

We enjoyed a wonderful meal of freshly prepared local food accompanied by sensational wines.  The waiter could see that we were appreciating the wines so much that he brought us a bottle of the local brandy to share.  It truly was a memorable day and a perfect way to celebrate Tim’s 30^th birthday.

It was time to depart Florence but, before doing so, I made sure that Tim, Jess and myself rubbed Il Porcellino’s snout to ensure that we would return the city someday. 


We were all excited to be returning to Bologna, as Jess still had a number of recommended restaurants that she wanted to try and there was still more of the city to explore.  We then spent the next two days doing exactly that – eating, drinking and exploring.  Bologna really is my happy place and now I think that it just might be Tim and Jess’ too!

General Guinness

We left the sun and warmth of Bologna and returned to good, old Dublin where it was raining and 10 degrees Celsius. Time to get the coats out again!

It was the Halloween long weekend and Jess had her friends Mitch and Tom come over from London for the weekend. Jess took Mitch to the Guinness Storehouse, leaving us with Tim to entertain.  Michael found a brand, new brewery, 5 Lamps, which had only opened that week and booked a tour for us.  The brewery is housed in a former cinema, which has been beautifully renovated, and after watching a short film about Dublin we were then treated to a tour and tasting.  We had a great time listening to the Master Brewer explaining the brewing process and then leading us through the tasting.

We were lucky enough to spend some time with Mitch and Tom and it was great to finally meet them.  We enjoyed a leisurely brunch with them and luckily the weekend weather took a turn for the better and Tim and Jess were able to show them the city without getting soaked.

We also managed to squeeze in a trip down to Howth to see Sammy the seal and his friends and to enjoy the fresh sea air and a nice seafood lunch.

All good things must come to an end and Tim and Jess flew back to Australia. It was sad to see them leave after such a wonderful few weeks together however the positive thought is that we will see them again in March at their wedding.  Roll on 2020!