12.21 TOURING A LOCAL

Casey's friend Stephen joined us from Erfurt for his first visit to the town of Nuremberg. This well travelled bloke had never been to this historic city, despite living only a few hours away by train.

It speaks to the notion that we percieve what is farther away or outside our nation's bounds as being more exotic and therefore having more appeal.

So how do you show a German around an old German town? Both Casey and I were stumped and so meandered the streets alongside Stephan exchanging information about our hometowns instead. I learned a lot about Erfurt, while Stephan got plenty of detail about my life in the UK.

Casey provided a more suitable tourguide, showing him to the gourmet Lebkuchen stalls and insisting he turn the legendary Nurenburg Ring, an ironwork of intricate piercing inserted withing latticed grills by the renaissance locksmith Andreus Kuhn. It is said that turning the ring once will bring good fortune and make your wish come true.

We toured the Nuremberg tower with Stephan and tried to explore some of the history, but realized we knew very little about the town, its history, or its art. At the end of the day, he said we had seen what Nurermberg wants us to see. I was disappointed that we had only skimmed the surface but then wondered if I really want to see what Nuremberg doesn't want me to.

We ended the day at a local brewery where we dined on traditional food local to this town and bid Stephan adeiu as he hopped on his return to Erfurt.

12.20 SANTA SPOTTING

Casey and I travelled from Munchen to Nurnburg today. This city boasts a reputation for being the Number 1 Christmas Town. It certainly hosts plenty of markets to make its name and is home to the best ever Lebkuchen, or traditional ginger bread cookies.

And there certainly is no shortage of Santa Claus posers.
I spotted him here today with his pup.

Later in the day I found he was also musically inclide, with accordian in hand and puppy in tow. I'm not sure if it was Santa's merry making or the adorable sidekick that had me, along with most passersby, throwing our money at the man.

Anyhow we made our way through this beautiful town, on either side of its Pegnitz river, through several of its ornate gothic churches, and up and down the christmas market stalls for treats and souvenirs. I browsed a couple of bookshops as well and landed an golden find: A copy of "Rotkappchen" by the Bruder Grimm. It is the original german text of the story of Red Riding Hood, only the illustrations have been done by a contemporary artist in a wild and abstract juxtaposition to the text.

Merry Christmas to me.

12.19 DACHAU

A trip to Dachau made for an interesting history lesson today.

Instead of touring the place on audio or just reading the posts on monuments and sites, Casey and I booked a tour with an independent guide working for the concentration camp. His name is Gordon.

Gordon is a fine artist and provides tours of Dachau on the side. He does it because he is passionate about the history of Bavaria during WWII. Born in Ireland, Gordon has lived in Germany for 8 years, has learned the language, and had some fascinating insights into the culture and its history to share.

The tour was certainly flavoured by Gordon's opinion on the implications of what happened here during the war, what it meant then and how it remains significant in our world today. It was an enlightening experience as I knew little about the development and running of a concentration camp.

Dachau was the central camp, where high profile prisoners were originally held. It eventually became a training ground for S.A. members and a starting point where all prisoners were filtered through.

Gordon is pleased that the camp has become somewhat of a cemetery and a place where families of those who died here are able to visit and mourn. At the same time, the grounds have been imposed on by several religious memorials, each bestowed upon the camp as a reconciliatory gift by different religious denominations.

Here I have captured the peak of the Russian Orthodox monument. This church decided against erecting its memorial on the site of the camp in a motion to keep the location neutral of religious or cultural divisions. I am looking at the monument from across the ditch and beyond the electric barbed wire fence where prisoners were once tempted to cross the line and commit to their execution.

The camp was cold and eerie but not in a way that is spooked. Instead I felt empty here and at the same time fascinated by some of the stories Gordon told. I was less moved by facts and figures than I was by circumstances and opportunities which made the atrocities of WWII possible. The role of the Dachau concentration camp is a piece of this monstrous and materminded puzzle which.

12.18 SALZBURG

On a bit of a whim, Casey and I hopped on a train from Munich to Salzburg today. We expected to be amongst a bunch of other like-minded tourists, heading out for a day trip to see some sights. In fact, the train was loaded with local Germans, mostly pensioners, who set out annually to visit the market stalls in this neighbouring Austrian city and get some good deals on Leivchuken and crafts.

We diverted from the typical tourist paths which follow the monumental spots where the "Sound of Music" was filmed, despite desperately wanting to know where we could find a relic of one of our favorite old films. We found a cow, a tacky green colour, painted with scenes depicting Julie Andrews and the rest of the von Trapps twirling in the Alps.

Speaking of Alps, I got my first glimpse of those great peaks today. It was at the top of the (exhausting) climb up to Salzburg's tower where we got a gorgeous view of the city and landscape. You can barely see Casey in this pic - she is tiny compared to the gigantic tower entrance.

After the trek we made our way to a cafe to enjoy a piece of Sukretorte - a traditional chocolate pie. Absolutely scrumptious.

12.17 GLUHWEIN

We spent the day roaming the city and the market stalls then headed to the Tollwood Christmas Marketplace where we met Bowerman for some traditional gluvein.

The Tollwood markets are an ecclectic arrangement of artisan work and food. Its has a Bohemian flare to it and is held in a wide open space just outside the city centre.

The gluhwein is a mulled red wine spiced and spiked with whiskey or rum. This one was fired up with a flaming piece of sugar on the lip of the mug, it simultaneously warms and sweetens the drink.

Bottoms up...once it cools off the gluvein loses is sweet flavour and the sharp alcoholic taste becomes almost unbearable.

12.16 BRATWURST

Finally, Casey and I got our mitted hands on some german sausage. A bratwurst bun was on the to-do list for the day and it was worth scouring the Christmas markets for the best looking bite.

Typically, I only do street meet at 3 in the morning on a hangover. But the cold air forces the senses to yield to the smoking smell coming from market stalls and the steamy spiced sausage on a bun.

12.15 HOFBRAUHAUS

I am in the historic Hofbrauhaus in Munich with Bowerman and Casey. On the upper level of this old beer hall, Hitler held meetings with his political supporters, establishing the Nazi party and SA troops.

The place has a dark past, but the night was merry. Today it remains a popular place for gathering with friends, for pork and beef and wheat beer to wash it all down.

And I am in the good company of friends indeed. Bowerman has offered Casey and I a place at his apartment for the next few nights. He has been living in Germany for a few years now, teaching and loving life with knoodle and bratwurst. Who could complain, really?