Before the Third Reich there was...the First and the Second Reichs

So I realize I've been a bad tour guide with my blog posts and not actually described the cities I've been to, so here it is. This will also be my last blog post, and the only one with photos as Im at a Mac with a memory card reader!

HAMBURG
The full name of the city is "The Free and Hansiatic City of Hamburg". It is a special city in Germany as it is actually a city-state and everything is self-governed. This is one of the reasons it has such an elaborate Rathaus (Town Hall) for a municipality.
Back in the day it was a major port and member of the Hansiatic League, which was basically a trading pact designed to further economic opportunities for its members. Today it continues the tradition as it receives high traffic volumes through its port (and handles a lot of Persian rugs of all things).
During World War II, the Allies carried out an intensive 8 day, non-stop bombing campaign against the city which led to the Americans calling it the "Hiroshima of Germany". Much of Hamburg was destroyed in the bombings and in the firestorm that resulted from the bombings.

Fun facts:
-It is where the Beatles came to fame performing in bars across the city when Ringo Starr first joined the band.
-Won the 2011 European Green Capital award for its low environmental impact initiatives.
-Because of all the waterways and canals, Hamburg actually has more bridges than London, Paris and Venice combined.


COLOGNE (aka Köln)
Cologne was actually founded by the Romans in B.C. something...a really REALLY long time ago and sits right on the Rhine River. Like Hamburg, Cologne was heavily bombed during the Second World War. 95% of the citys buildings were destroyed, and Colognes Twelve Romanesque churches were all rebuilt after the war. Due to the presence of those 12 Romanesque churches it is also sometimes known as the city of sphires.

Fun Facts:
-Modern Cologne is home to one of the biggest gay communities in Europe.
- Birthplace of Eau de Cologne by the Farinahaus perfume company (picture below). NOT the 4711 brand that is advertised, and was at one point owned by Proctor & Gamble



MUNICH (aka München)
Seat of the capital of the region of Bavaria. It used to be a Duchy until one of the Holy Roman Emperors declared it a separate kingdom. It is home to one of the longest ruling royal families in Europe. The Wittelbachs ruled from the early 1100s until the declaration of the first Weimar Republic. It is also of course the home to Oktoberfest. The origin of Oktoberfest is quite funny and starts with some background on King Ludwig I. Ludwig the First was quite the playboy, and had a court painter do a portrait of every woman he slept with. His reasoning was something along the lines of "there are so many beautiful women in Bavaria why should I have to settle for the same woman more than once?". King Ludwig I eventually did marry Queen Therese and their wedding reception got a little out of hand...and became the first annual Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is of course the master of the German stein (1L beer mugs, see below).


While in Munich I also took the time to go to Neuschwanstein Castle. King Ludwig II built this, it is crazy inside (there is at one point a fake cave) and his personal bedroom alone took more than 50 carpenters to work on. It was actually designed by an artist and then given to an architect to build. It was actually never finished, and opened up to the public for visits only 6 weeks after King Ludwig II's mysterious death.


SALZBURG
Literally named the "salt castle" Salzburg enjoyed great wealth because of the salt mines in the mountains near the city. It is of course the birthplace of Mozart and is still to this day the home to no less than 7 music festivals a year. It is also where The Sound of Music was filmed. In fact, all the exterior shots were filmed solely in Salzburg and area, which is a great tourist boon for the city as it is the 2nd most often reason people visit the city. Of course, being the tourist I am I did a Sound of Music tour. Most Austrians actually aren't that crazy about the movie, but I highly enjoyed 4 hours of sightseeing and singing along to the soundtrack. They went by the 2 locations used for shooting the Von Trapps home, the scene of the wedding, the gazebo, the garden used for the DoReMi sequence, etc. See below for the house they used for shooting the back of the house.


I also took a half a day to go to the Berchtesgaden area and Lake Königsee, and Hitler's Eagle's Nest. The Eagle's Nest was built and paid for by the party for Hitler to use as a conference center for his 50th birthday present. The building itself is tiny, but the scenery around it is absolutely breathtaking.

I am now in Frankfurt, where I am sick from going from 32 degree Salzburg to 16 degree and raining Frankfurt. I fly out tomorrow, so this marks the end of the revival of my blog. Hope y'alls enjoyed reading and that I brought some amusement to your life.