Tag: adventure

Fabulous Berlin – Germany

Which Berlin do you want to visit? Because there are so many Berlins all rolled into one. There is the modern capital Berlin building itself into the 21st Century with construction going on everywhere. There is the nightlife and decadent Berlin with endless clubs, fetish bars and late-night raves where 100’s of people line up to get into private places thumping to the endless electronic beat that Germany seems to love so much. There is the cultured Berlin filled with museums and historic buildings plus the exciting avant-garde music, theatre, art and film scenes exploring everything at the same time. Or the quiet, circumspect Berlin paying homage to the victims of its turbulent past with memorials and exhibits to the past and hoping for the future.

Berlin Wall Walking Museum

Which one do you want? But why choose, because you can have them all at the same time. You can experience many, many things in the wonderful and exciting city that is grounded in the past but reaching for the future with both hands.

Over the last couple of decades, Berlin has become a construction zone with ripped up streets and giant cranes overhead in every part of the city. It is the rebirth of a great European capital right in front of your eyes. City planners seized on the opportunity of the city’s reunification and the return of the central government to completely rebuild Berlin. What used to be rundown, Soviet East Berlin is now the new, modern, vibrant heart of the city filled with shops, hotels, clubs, and soaring modern buildings and plazas. While what used to be West Berlin feels more residential like a very chic suburb. And this is all linked by one of the best metro systems in Europe. You can get anywhere in Berlin in a matter of minutes by train, metro, tram, bus and using your feet.

Remains of the Anhalter Branhof

I stayed in Central Berlin for a week in an AirBnb apartment located across the street from the S. Anhalter Bahnhof (an old pre-WW II train station), now a subway station. The amount of nightlife, clubs and bars that I could walk to in a few blocks was pretty amazing. While I was technically in West Berlin, I was only a few blocks from Checkpoint Charlie (where East Berlin used to begin) and Friedrichstrasse. Along Friedrichstrasse, there are literally hundreds of clubs, cafes, hotel bars, restaurants and other night spots that stretch for blocks from the Checkpoint north up to the Spree River. Yet, all over Berlin there are neighbor restaurants, cafes and bars. Right in the same building complex that I was staying in was the well-known Solar Sky Bar, very upscale bar visited by tourists and locals alike.

If you followed Friedrichstrasse up to the Spree River as you cross the bridge there, you come to Murphey’s Irish Bar, a true Irish bar (full of real Irishmen) right in the heart of Berlin. Turn right as you walk out the front door of Murphey’s and walk one block to come to a whole string of bistros with outdoor eating areas set up along the river serving all kinds of food from German, French, Italian and Turkish. And nothing in Berlin tastes better after some late-night drinking than stopping at a Turkish food stand and getting a hot, fresh kebap which is a large mix of chicken, lamb or beef with herbs and tomatoes, onions and peppers wrapped in a large pita bread. And yes, you have probably had something similar, but somehow it tastes better made by a real Turk cook in Berlin. My personal favorite was Prime Kebap, Friedrichstrasse 100, 10117 Berlin.

 

Modern Berlin

On the weekends, if you stay up long enough you will find one the late-night raves that open all over Berlin in the early morning hours. The one that I ran into on Friedrichstasse on my second night in Berlin had about 500 young people all dressed in various forms of black trying to get into store front while thundering electronic music boomed out of the outdoor speakers. Or if your personal taste run to the more exotic, you could try one of Berlin’s fetish clubs like the world-famous Kitt-Katt Klub located in central Berlin. Berlin has long been known since the 1920’s as one of Europe’s most decadent cities, and it is all on display in Berlin if you just try to look for it.

A couple of websites that offer a non-stop list of events happening every day in Berlin would be;

  1. Berlin Programm – berlinprogramm.de
  2. Exberliner Magazine – exberliner.com

Also, a place to buy same day half-priced tickets to any event in the city would be as Hekticket, located at Alexnderplatz at Karl-Libknecht-Strasse.

Museum Island

If museums and art galleries are your thing – then Berlin has entire island in the middle of the Spree River dedicated to that. Literally called Museum Island, the island houses 5 world class museums and art galleries, the ornate Protestant Berlin Cathedral, and one of Berlin’s best open space parks, Lustgarten. Plus now where the old palace of the Hohenzollern dynasty stood, that the Communists tore down to be the East German Parliament building, that the city of Berlin tore down – there a huge public venue known as the Humboldt-Forum Berliner Schloss being built that will house more museums, shops, galleries, and concert halls costing the citizens of Berlin 600 million euros. So hopefully for politicians, it will be worth the expense.

It is worth noting that the museums are the Bode, Pergamon, the Neues, and Altes Museums plus the Old National Gallery of Art. Each museum specializes in a different historical era like Roman, Hellenistic, Babylonian and Islamic art and treasures. Of special interest is the 3000-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti located in the Neues Museum. The bust has been called “Berlin’s most beautiful woman”. It is amazing that after 3000 years, this statue makes such an impression not only because of its age, but her sheer beauty that still astonishes after 30 centuries. Right across the bridge toward the Brandenburg gate, is the German History Museum and the German State Opera house both worth consideration. Plus there are museums and art galleries in every part of the city exploring Berlin’s history and artistic contributions.

Victory Column, Tiergarten

Since my background is in live theatre, I took some time to explore Berlin’s avant garde theatre scene.  Berlin possesses more than 50 or so working theaters and produces more than 1,000 new live shows a year. Deutsche Welle’s Ben Knight describes the Berlin theatre scene as “Berlin theater is a hard thing to love – it’s pretentious, abstruse, cerebral and elitist. But on a good night, it’s also unique, iconoclastic, bizarre, and compelling.”

While I understand that Berlin’s theatre scene was one of the richest in Europe, it is really elitist and hard to understand sometimes. Even if you just take in the four international known theatres in Berlin, the Berliner Ensemble (formed by Bertol Becht’s wife), the Deutsches Theatre, the Schaubuhne, and the Volksbuhne, you are going to get four completely different experiences based on the artistic direction of each theatre, and they play to completely different audiences. Yet, I found some of the work I saw to be compelling and inventive, but emotionally distant as if I was watching an exercise in a theatre class. I am told the Berlin music and film scenes are just as inventive and wild.

Small Lake, Tiergarten

If you are looking for something a little more quiet and not quite so cerebral, then check out Tiergarten Park in the middle of Berlin, right across from the Brandenburg Gate. Huge, green, quiet and filled with bike paths and walking paths, where you are always finding a rose garden or a fountain or a memorial hidden among the lush green trees. To US citizens, it will remind you of New York City’s Central Park because of its large size, placement in the city, and how several streets run right through the middle of it.

Along its eastern edge you will find several important sites and memorials including the Brandenburg Gate, the Terror Museum, the Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe, the German Resistance Memorial, and the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims (the official names of the Gypsy race).

Holocaust Memorial

History, shopping, music, art, culture, food, cafes and clubs, Berlin has everything that you could want in a capital city. When I visit Europe, I often trying to envision myself living there and where would feel like home if at all. Rome is the first place that I think about, but Berlin while it can give you a cold distant feeling has an energy that I have not found in many European cities. It does not feel old and tired, it feels alive, new and  vibrant, and that is why I came to like the city so much.

Author with a new friend in Tiergarten

The Night Watchman of Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Germany

You find yourself in Germany and you are on a budget. You are staying in hostels, taking regional trains to save money. You are eating in small cafes or roadside stands. Anything to save a few euros. You are always looking for a bargain. Some way to save money so you stay on the road longer. But you are tired of the castles, churches, and endless tours to see this and that. Yet you want something entertaining. Something that does not require you to buy a meal or a drink or a ticket, yet is fun and entertaining.

Well, buddy, I have a deal for you.

In Rothenberg ob der Tauber not far from Munich is the best entertainment deal in Germany. Cheap, fun, entertaining, and educational. There are no tickets. No long lines. You pay at the end not the beginning. If you don’t like it just leave, no problem. It lasts an hour and walking is involved. Yet, I guarantee that you will laugh, be entertained and learn a whole bunch of things you did not know.

What is this fantastic deal – it is the Night Watchman’s Tour of Rothenburg ob der Tauber featuring the most famous, non-famous actor in Germany.

Ok, lets stop here a moment and fill in some gaps.

Every night (from March to Christmas) just before dark (7 PM in the fall and early spring, and 8 PM in the summer), a single bearded man dressed in a long grey cape, a tri-corner hat, carrying a lantern and a hellebarde (a type of ancient spear with an axe head on the top used in medieval times) strolls into the main square of Rothenburg. He stands on the steps of the ancient city hall and groups of people who have been waiting for his arrival – some for an hour – gather around him. Some nights the crowd could be 50 to 100 people, and some nights in the summer the crowd could be as large as 300. From all over the world – people gather in front of this stranger and wait for him to speak. In a soft, sing-song voice that somehow carries quite far, speaking in English he advises the people that if they want to take a photo with him – to do it now, and that it is free. And as many as 30 to 40 people will rush up and take selfies, or group shots with this mysterious man.

Who is this person? Is he a cult figure, or some religious or political figure? No, he is Hans Georg Baumgartner, an actor, and he has been doing this wonderful tour for 25 years.

Awarded the TripAdvisor Award for Excellence in 2014, Baumgartner tells his stories about Rothenburg’s medieval history using dry wit and sly puns with a comic’s timing. He tells you just enough without boring you with endless details and too much information. Yet, he does convey the harshness of medieval life even in what was one of Germany’s grandest cities of the 14th to 16th centuries.  He talks about the day-to-day life in a walled city where the livestock were stored inside the city gates at night in the people’s homes, the constant fear of famines, and the unpleasant odors (especially in the summer) from people throwing their waste into the streets each day and the open sewers that ran through the city. He talks about plagues, the wars, how the city became wealthy, and how it slipped away.

 

All while he manages to hold an audience’s attention without aid of microphones or projections or sound effects. Just a single performer using his voice and his story-telling ability to weave his story as he walks the streets of his small town as cars, motorbikes, other tourists and residents pass by. It is really a very impressive performance as he leads through the streets and down alleyways, through gates, in and out of tunnels and to vantage points that offer sweeping views of Rothenberg and the surrounding valley.

Yet, Baumgartner is not really acting a role, he is the role because after doing this tour for 25 years the entire tour reflects his wit, style and personality. His bright blue eyes flash with humor and his devilish smile and inflection get constant laughs from his engaged audience. Yet, the narrative is what drives this interesting tale full of legends and true stories.

A legend like a 1631 drinking contest, in which the mayor of the town supposedly saved Rothenburg from being destroyed by the Catholic army during the Thirty Years War. It’s said that he downed three liters of wine in one gulp, besting the conquering general.

Or the very true story of how the town suffered during the end of World War II, when Allied bombing destroyed about 40 percent of its buildings and 2,000 feet of its wall. The town was about to be destroyed by the Allies when an official in the US State Department halted the bombardment because his Mother had gone to the village as a young woman and fallen in love with it. Years later, she often talked about the experience around the family dinner table, so when he heard about the possible destruction of the village he had to act. The official told the US commander to offer the Germans a chance to evacuate or be destroyed. The Germans withdrew and Rothenburg was saved all because a son honored his mother’s memories.

Rick Steves, the travel guide-book author, savvy in what American tourists will pay to see in Europe, calls the watchman tour “flat-out the most entertaining hour of medieval wonder anywhere in Germany.”

At the end of the tour – which lasts almost exactly an hour – he passes the hat and almost not one person refuses to pay him. Many in fact give him more Euros because of the quality and fun of the tour. He has a DVD for sale as well, that he hawks a couple of time during the tour, but even that gets a laugh. Baumgartner is a rock star storyteller and you can tell he loves the audience reaction.

This is without a doubt the best entertainment deal in Germany. Check it out and enjoy the ride.

NOTE: There are several Rothenburg’s in Germany. Do not go to the wrong one. You must go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (the city’s official name) or you will miss out on Germany’s kept medieval city.

NOTE 2: There is also a strictly German-speaking tour later in the evening. Baumgartner sometimes does this one as well, but there is another Night Watchman for the German tour. Check local travel guides for the times of this tour.

 

Romantic Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Germany

After 5 rainy days in Munich, I took the train out of Munich to Rothenburg to experience the community that has been on this site since 1150 AD. The official name of the city is Rothenburg ob de Tauber, or “Red Fort on the River Tauber.” Around 1160, Rothenburg was swiftly became a commercial center because of its’ enviable position on the age old trade routes through Germany where goods from the East passed through, but also because of “the white gold” known as salt.

700 year old cobble street

By 1400, the city was one of the largest and most successful cities in the area. The city had a population that topped 6000 people, and business was booming. Rothenburg was becoming very wealthy and was much worried about the safety of its’ wealth and citizenry. The city elders through the years constructed a sophisticated system of walls, towers, and gates for the protection of the city. Massive stone walls were constructed that were pierced with 7 main gateways and aided by 42 stone towers for defensive positions and protecting the town. Along the inside length of much of the city’s walls, covered walkways were built that allowed for archers and other solders to take up protected positions for watching or shooting at possible invaders.

Guards walkway on the outer wall

However during the early 1500’s and into the late 1600’s, the city began to experience a steady decline because of political and religious upheavals like the Peasants War, the Reformation, the counter-Reformation and the 30 Years War. Plus the “Black Plague” that were sweeping through Europe killing millions of people also visited Rothenburg and killed as many as one-third of the citizens. What remained by the 1800’s was a walled village that was once famous yet now was a backwater town with no real business and thus no real reason to change anything. It was if the once prosperous medieval village was trapped in a time warp. Narrow cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses with red tile roofs, massive stone walls that no longer protected anything but a poor half-empty village that recalled a more ancient time.

Massive stone walls and towers are part of the defense.

Yet along about 1850, fortune began to smile on Rothenburg once again. This time it was because of the very backward nature of the village that people were attracted. Because of its’ very medieval look and feel, artists, poets and writers discovered the old town and painted it, wrote about it, and talked about it. What was considered ancient and backward now became quaint. And as is true through the ages of man, when the artists and creative types come, soon the general public follow and you have tourism. Tourists helped make Rothenburg relevant again.

Chapel courtyard

They came for the quaint ancient walls and half-timber houses that were 500 years old. They came to see the old churches like St. James Church, the Gothic masterpiece with its hand carved altar. They came for the excellent Franconian wine, food and hospitality. They came for the chance to step back time and experience a little of what it must have been like in the Middle Ages.

One of the many gateways into the town

And that is what you get when you spend a day or two in Rothenburg – living history. Walls and houses and buildings that are in some cases over 700 years old, but people still use and live in them. A chance to walk cobblestone streets that have carried people and goods for over a thousand years. Walking the same covered walkways along the village walls that some guard walked 500 years before you.

You can actually walk the city by using the guards walkway

There is a suggested Town Walk around the village that will lead you through large squares where you will see historic buildings, along the city walls where you will find towers, churches, gateways and bridges that date from the 12th century and leads to other parts of the city where you may decide to wander off the “official” tour to see some mysterious door or walkway of Rothenburg that interests you. There are several museums in Rothenburg like the German Christmas Museum showing the history of Christmas through the centuries, the Imperial City Museum with its’ collection of items covering 9 centuries, and the gruesome and very interesting Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum featuring scary examples of torture and execution devices.

Center square

The most interesting thing to see in Rothenburg is actually live entertainment. It is the world-famous Night Watchman’s Tour which I will write about in my next blog, but it is without a doubt the best hour of entertainment in Rothenburg and at 8 Euros the best deal in Germany.

400 year old cover bridge (rebuilt of course)

The most romantic place in Rothenburg is the Castle Garden and Burgtor Gate. A huge quiet garden at one end of the town as you pass through the Burgtor Gate with spectacular views of the city and the surrounding valley. There is a small old chapel that has stood there since the 14th century and a lovely herb garden. The area is quite large with many old trees and benches to sit and read or just chill. If you walk further in the park past the chapel and herb garden to another viewpoint of the surrounding valley, rumor has it that this is the best place to grab a kiss with your significant other.

View of Rothenburg from the Castle Garden Park

And of course as a tourist destination, there are plenty of eateries of all types and places to sleep inside and outside the village walls. For something to eat, you have traditional German fare, non-German styles foods, Italian food (because it is just on the other side of the nearby Alps), sandwiches and snacks plus several Biergartens (beer gardens) all covering a range of prices and styles. But make sure that you eat early. Rothenburg shuts down early. In the Old Town there are no night spots, although a couple of places stay open till mid-night during the summer where locals mix with tourists.

My Hotel, PhinzHotel Rothenburg

If you are staying in the Old Town there are more than 20 hotels and hostels to chose from and in all different prices ranges from very expensive to a very reasonable hostel located in a former horse-powered mill house. Outside the walls, there are even more choices of food and hotels.

One of the Tower Gates into the City

Getting to Rothenburg is very easy. By car or bus, you are on the Romantic Road, a route that extends from Fussen in the south to Frankfurt in the north, and you pass right through Rothenburg. There several car parks in and around the Old Town, and cars are allowed to drive in parts of the Old Town. If you are coming by train, the station is literally a block away from the main gate of the Old Town.  You can only get to Rothenburg if you make a connection in Steinach. It is a little spur line with a small train that runs about every hour until 10:30 PM. If you arrived after 10:30 in Steinach, there is a subsidized taxi service that can take you to Rothenburg, but you must call them 2 hours ahead of time to make a reservation. To use them call AST at 09861/2000 in advance, and they will take you to Old Town for 4.60 Euros per person instead of the regular 31 Euro daytime charge.

Enjoy Rothenburg and step back in time for a romantic and fun adventure.

 

5 German Castles in 3 Days – Part 2 – Munich

Continuing on with the castles of Munich, we come to the town of Hohenschwangau which is a village in Germany’s southeastern state of Bavaria about one hour’s drive from Munich. This is the home of not one but two of Ludwig’s castles. His childhood home is here Schloss Hohenschwangau, and his dream castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein whose entrances are literally across the main village road from each other.

Village of Hohenschwangau

Ludwig’s father raised his sons primarily in the country at the family palace of Hohenschwag to be far away from the court intrigue of Munich and the two palaces there. So Ludwig would never developed the hard shell needed for the political hardball that Munich and governing required.

Foothills of the Alps around Hohenschwangau

HOHENSCHWANGAU

Lake Alpsee

Built high about Lake Alpsee in the foothills of the Alps, Schloss (German for castle) Hohenschwangau started out as a fortress in the 12th century. The castle started to take shape around 1535 when the owners brought in an Italian architect to create a new interior floor plan while keeping the existing walls. That owner then sold the residence to the Wittelsbach family, the Kings of Bavaria in 1550 and it stayed in their family (mostly) until Ludwig II’s time. The place was used mostly as a hunting lodge and retreat for the family. However, in 1832, Maximilian II, King of Bavaria and Ludwig’s father, began a new reconstruction of the old place and turned it into his official summer palace. This is where Ludwig grew up and fell in love with the beauty and seclusion of the area. From windows in Schloss Hohenschwangau, he could see the location of where his future palace, Newschwanstein would be. He continued to live in Hohenschwangau for large sections of time during his reign splitting his time between Hohenschwangau and Schloss Linderhof after it was finished.

Hohenschwangau Castle

After Ludwig II was deposed by his family, the castle continued to stay in family hands, and even after the King of Bavaria stepped down, the German state allowed the family to continue to use the residence up until the current day. While belonging to the German state and being used as a museum/tour destination since 1913, the family has continued to live there even during World War I and II.

While I did not actually tour the castle during my Grey Line tour, you can clearly see it from below in the village and if I had more time on the tour, I would have loved to see it. You can tour Hohenschwangau separately or as part of different tours that run out of Munich. If you happen to be in the village itself, you can purchase tickets right from the local ticket booth which handles tours for both castles.

Lake Alpsee

NEUSCHWANSTEIN

Young Ludwig was a dreamer and romantic at heart. He was born at a time when as King of Bavaria he would not have absolute power but was part of a “constitutional monarchy” where he shared power with a legislature in Munich. He hated this position plus as well his government was being played by Prussia on one side and Austria on the other. With no real power and not being able to do much about it, he turned inward and began to dream of magnificent castles like Versailles and his personal hero, Louis 14th of France. Imagining himself to be like Louis, he envisioned great castles that would reflect his hoped for and never to be achieved power and control, and Neuschwanstein is the zenith of that dream and desire.

View from Neuschwanstein

As king of a constitution government like Great Britain, the cost of the building came from his personal and his family’s fortune, and he borrowed that money from the Bavarian State Treasury. As he was building three or more castles at the same time, the cost was immense and as the members of his family saw their fortune being eaten away and were now in huge debt to the State, they conceived of a plan to remove Ludwig from power by proclaiming him mad. Thus Neuschwanstein and another castle were not finished during his life. He actually only lived in Neuschwanstein for about 170 days before he was removed in a coup. He was mysteriously killed or committed suicide the next day.

Neuschwanstein

Schloss Neuschwanstein which in German means “new swan stone” was built as a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace. The swan was Ludwig’s favorite bird so the name reflects that and images of swans are on displayed throughout the castle. The palace was also as a homage to Richard Wagner, and the romantic German legends that his operas are about – myths, legend and heroic characters.

Inner Courtyard

The castle was never completely finished although it was far enough along that he could move in. After his death, the family immediately opened it to the public as a museum and tour destination. Since then more than it is estimated at over 61 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Great Escape, and served as the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disney Theme Parks.

Tours of Neuschwanstein can be brought almost anywhere. Online, local tour companies in Munich, or locally in Hohenschwangau if you take the train down from Munich at the local ticket office. Please read the entrance requirements before you come because the tour is very strict about time of entrance. There is a new tour starting every 5 minutes and if you miss your time you are out your money. No refunds or excuses. Also be prepared to walk a lot. You have to walk up hill to the castle and in good weather it can take 45 minutes. There are buses, horse carriages, and other forms of rides part way to the castle but they do not go all the way up, so you will have to walk at least some of it uphill. Please check for any handicapped access or help with the local German tour office or view online.

Kitchen
Pantry to Kitchen

NYMPHENBURG

Nymphenburg Palace

The final stop to the Palaces of Munich happened on the 3rd day. Again a wet, windy, cold day in Munich, I ventured out once more to see the exalted lifestyle of the former Kings of Bavaria, the Wittelsbach family.

Schloss Nymphenburg or “Castle of the Nymph (or Nymphs)”, is a Italian Baroque style palace located on the outside of old Munich. The palace served as the main summer residence for the House of Wittelsbach. The palace was commissioned by the King Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy after the birth of their son, Maximilian II. The castle was gradually expanded and transformed over the years. (The Wittelsbachs still live and use the Palace as a residence living in one wing of the Palace.)

Great Hall

Starting in 1701, Max Emanuel, the heir to Bavaria, undertook a huge redo of the entire palace.  Two pavilions were added one on the south and one on the north connected with the center pavilion by two gallery wings. Other parts were added to the Palace to make it equal on both wings and huge formal gardens with lakes were added in the back of the Palace as well.

Great Hall

Interesting factual note – to those who trace the line of legitimate British monarchy down through the legal heirs of James II of England (Jacobites), the head of the house of Wittelsbach is the legitimate heir of the Stuart claims to the thrones of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland; this claim is not being actively pursued.

Ceiling Great hall

Where the Residenz tour goes on for miles, this tour only shows about 16 rooms in total. The tour starts in the Great Hall, which barely begins to describe how huge it is and the effect that it was supposed to have on visitors. It is truly a beautiful and grand statement of power and royal taste.

Then you view North wing which were more state rooms for the king’s business and then return to the great hall to view the more interesting South wing which were official apartments for the Wittelsbach kings.

Most impressive is King Ludwig I’s Gallery of Beauties. Using the greatest single pickup line in history, “I would like to have a portrait painted of you”, King Ludwig would invite beautiful women from all over Munich and all classes – elite and commoner – to come to the summer palace and have their portrait painted by the court painter. During this time, the affair would start – some short, some lasted very long. Who could refuse that offer? King, Portrait, Affair! He used it 36 times, and the beauties all hang in a room of the tour. You will notice one physical trait that they share – I will leave you to find it.

Part of the wall of Beauties

The tour is relatively short but you get a real sense of this place and the type of people who lived here. Again most the furniture and paintings are not original to the house. Many were lost to bombing in the war or stolen. The replacements are from other palaces in Germany or donated by the public after the war.

This palace is also the birth place of Ludwig II, the mad king. He was Ludwig I’s grandson.

The gardens in the back extend far back beyond the palace and are open to everyone. Joggers and walkers alike.

After my 5th palace in 3 days in a cold, wet Munich – I stopped for (when in Munich) a cold beer and rested my feet. That was a lot of walking, but totally worth understanding the history and position of Munich and Bavaria during Europe’s long history of war and struggle among all the royal families.

Enjoy Munich!

5 German Castles in 3 Days – Munich

So when people come to Europe, some like museums, some churches and some castles. I fit into the castle branch. After two or three churches – yawn. Museums are amazing, but only so many paintings or sculptures can I retain in my head unless it is astonishing like the David in Florence or a Cavagio in Rome. So on this trip to Germany, I planned to see a few castles, but the weather in Munich suddenly turned cold and rainy, and castles became the main focus for the next few days. Three days to be exact and in those three days I managed to cram in 5 castles either in or around Munich. And thus we begin –

Main Reception Room – Residenz

The first castle that I was went to one cold rainy day was the Residenz. For 500 years, this mammoth complex of buildings was the official residence and seat of power for the rulers of Bavaria, the Wittelsbach family. It began in 1345 and continued to be used and added to until 18th century. It was almost destroyed in World War II and what you see today has been reconstructed using old photos, paintings and original plans.

Main Reception Room

The place is so large that it now consists of three different museums that you can see separately or together in a couple of different combinations. There is the Residenz Museum which is the palace itself, the Residenz Treasury where some of the Bavaria crown jewels are located, and the Cuvillies Theatre which is a perfectly restored Rococo opera house. If you decide to see all three, then the price tag is 13 Euros.

The Green Hall – Residenz

The Residenz Museum is really about 90 rooms of Rococo banquet and reception halls (you will see about 70 rooms if you take the long tour), and the royal family apartments. Because of the war, most of the furniture that you see is of the time, but not the original items. There are a couple of amazing rooms like the Shell Grotto and Antiquarium, but in all honesty (maybe because of the weather) the palace was very blah. Just endless room after endless room. The place (or palace) is huge covering hundreds of meters of floor space. You can wander around until you say “enough already.”

Relic Bone
A Relic Head

The most gruesome room was the Reliquary Room which contains a very odd collection of Christian relics which were very big items to have in the Middle Ages. You will see mummified hands, skulls and bones all contained in golden cases. It is a little disquieting to be honest.

The New Court Chapel

The most impressive room to me and where you can see the painstaking work that the city of Munich has done to restore this monstrously huge palace complex is the Court Chapel which was completely destroyed in the bombing. They have rebuilt it as a very simple space showing you all the steel beams and walls made of simple red brick. Not like it was before the war. They use it as a concert hall for about 300 people and it was just moving to me. Plus the rebuilt windows are beautiful.

Window – Court Chapel

The Residenz Complex is right in the middle of Munich and worth the view, but be prepared to WALK!

Bavaria Rainy Day

The next morning I got up early and took the S Bahn (subway) to the main train/bus station. There I bought a tour on Gray Lines, a very large tour bus company in Germany. The tour was going to cover 2 of the 3 main “Mad Ludwig” castles.

Gold Fountain – Linderhof

Ludwig II was a young gay man of 18 when he assumed the throne of Bavaria in 1845. He ruled for 22 years at a time when Bavaria had become very weak in terms of power. He spent his entire reign being played by either Prussia on one side or Austria on the other. Instead of being depressed in Munich as a powerless king, he stayed at the family country palace of Hohenschwangau, a former hunting lodge that had been enlarged to palace scale. From here, he dreamed up his three amazing castles – Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, and his castle in the middle of lake, Herrenchiemsee.

Linderhof

The only one to be finished in his life time was Linderhof. It is very small, compact, frilly, and personal to the only man who ever lived in it – Ludwig. Rather than face being a weakened king, he dreamed and spent his family’s fortune on building and building these images in his head. Linderhof’s tour offers the grounds which look much like Versailles but on a smaller scale, and in the “castle” 10 rooms have been set aside to view. It is frilly in it’s overly ornamented Rococo and Baroque styles and is filled with priceless furniture, chandeliers and porcelain figurines. It is not really a castle either in size or scale – but because a king lived here for 8 years and surrounded himself with land and priceless objects, it gets the name. Yet in size, it is not any larger than Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello either in scale or design. You could call it a mini-castle, but whatever it size it is amazing to view and consider this sad lonely man living here along by choice.

Atlas Shoulders the World – Top of Linderhof

Possibly the saddest thing to consider is that he did not want to see anyone or be seen even by his servants. His personal dining room was designed in such a way that the table was prepared with all the food, drink and dishes already on it in the kitchen, and then was lifted by elevator through a hole in the floor in front of Ludwig who was sitting in the dining room waiting for dinner. When done, he would ring a bell and the table would disappear back through the floor. The entire time he was totally alone and saw no one. Yet he did have long imaginary conversations with kings of past that he admired like Louis the 14th and others.

Classic Statues Abound at Linderhof

I am told that the highlight of Linderhof is the Grotto which he had built so he could sail around in this underground lake/cavern listening to a opera company perform works by his favorite composer, Richard Wagner. Of course, the opera singers and musicians never saw him at all. Unfortunately the Grotto is under repair until 2019, and I did not get a chance to see it.

Main Fountain – Linderhof

Next column – the final three castles of Munich.

A Point In Time – Munich 1923

One of the most famous storylines in science fiction is the time line story. A man goes back and time and has to be very careful to not change history by his actions. One of the counter arguments to that storyline is the belief that most people even if they went back in time and somehow acted in the past it would have no effect on the time line because we are just not that important.

Very few men stand on the ledge of history and have the chance to change the world. Even fewer know that they are even in that position. And if they knew the outcome of their actions would they still do it? Today’s blog is about such a man and such a time.

The site of the Beer Hall Putsch – Munich

On November 8, 1923, a 34-year-old Austrian led a large band of armed men through the street of Munich. His intention was the armed over throw of the beleaguered German government struggling to find a way in light of the harsh postwar measures put in place by the Allied powers at the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War 1 that stripped Germany of much of its power, money and pride. Outside the old Munich royal palace known at the Residenz, the group of insurrectionists ran into a solid line of Munich police. After a fierce gun battle in the street, 16 of the insurrectionists lay dead plus 4 policemen.  Whether the leader was wounded or not is up for debate, but he was arrested for crimes against the German State and High Treason and placed in jail.

Line of police/soldiers waiting for the mob

The leader felt that Jews and Marxists were ruining Germany from within, and the Allied powers were ruining Germany with their harsh treatment from outside. Germany was in the clutches of some of the worst runaway inflation that modern society has ever faced.  He was a born leader, rousing public speaker, had fought for Germany in the World War 1 and had been awarded the Iron Cross for Bravery. He was not scared of war, guns or violence. Once before he had been arrested for stirring up trouble and his plight did not look good for him or his party of followers. He was a Germany nationalist and believed in the purity of the original German race.

The other side of the street. The confrontation point.

Of course, I am talking about Adolf Hitler, one of the great monsters of the 20th Century, and the rebellion that he tried to lead that day became known at the Munich or Beer Hall Putsch. And being responsible for the death of 4 policemen, leader of a rebellion against the state, and charged with high treason, that should have been the end of Adolf Hitler and his very small NAZI party.

However, this debacle of a fight would turn out to be one of the luckiest days of Hitler’s young life. And all because of one man who you have probably never heard of.

Hitler’s Trial

The senior judge of the council of three judges that would hear the treason case was himself a NAZI sympathizer. He also selected two other judges who shared the same beliefs in Hitler and his ideas. In a wild 24 day trial, the three judges gave Hitler full rein to expound his anti-government and anti-Semitic beliefs, and the national papers printed almost every word. Hitler even admitted in open court that he was solely to blame for the uprising. Yet at the end of the trial instead of being shot for treason or put in prison for life, Hitler got 5 years in jail and was out in nine months for good behavior. But the long-term effect of the trial was that Hitler now became a nationally known person, and his thoughts and party took on a larger presence in German politics.

Hitler and associates serving out time in prison. Looks like really hard labor.

It was during that time in jail, that his philosophy on how to accomplish his goal changed from armed conflict to winning at the ballot box. He wrote his book, Mein Kompf and began to reorganize his party from street fighters to politicians.

And who was this upstanding judge who followed his feelings of national fervor, and not the laws of Germany at the time was George Neithardt. Mr. Neithardt did not become a favorite of Hitler from his soft touch, but the judge did go on to have a very successful judicial career.

George Neithardt, Judge

You could make a really good case that if the judgement had been by the letter of the law instead of in spite of it, that the Honorable George Neithardt made World War II possible.

 

Beer Gardens and German Hospitality – Munich

There is a term in German that I cannot even pronounce – Deutsche Gastfreundlichkeit – which means in its simplest form – German hospitality. Or to be more precise – I will provide you with wonderful hospitality now which hopefully will be paid back at a later date to the same level. Or at least that is how I understood it.

My good friends and hosts for 5 days in Munich, Germany, Tina and Uli showed me that kind of German hospitality. Room to stay in, guided walking tours around Munich (Uli should go into that type of business because he knew everything about the city – dates, kings, famous events, on and on), dinners, suggestions on where to go and what to see and time on the computer helping me local the best and most economical tours. And they also showed me and explained to me that most Munich of all traditions – the Beer Hall.

I arrived in Munich after 9 days of semi-cold and rain in Reykjavik to bright sunshine and warm temperatures. After they met my train from the airport and took me to their home in bright leafy section of Munich, it was off to my first experience in their city – a beer garden. And not the giant, tourist one in the middle of Munich, the Hofbrauhaus, but a local small neighborhood one run by Augustine, one of the oldest breweries in Munich. And according to Uli, the best one. Here with a large mug of locally brewed beer (a liter or for the faint of heart, a half liter) , a large German pretzel, sweet kraut, and large sausage with brown German mustard, Uli told me the history of Biergartens and why they play such an important part of Munich history and social life.

Munich has been a trading city since the early 1200 as a stop on the salt-trade crossroads. It started as a trading post near a monastery of monks – Munchen in German (Munich in English). By the 1400’s Munich was a booming trading city because of the salt and had also developed a reputation for its beer. By the 1500’s, more than 30 breweries run by holy (drunk) monks were pumping out their magic beverage. The monks had a special license from the local Duke of Munich (who would in 300 years would become a king of Bavaria). The monks stored their beer in underground storage cellars and then grew Chestnut trees over the storage rooms to keep the beer cool in the summer. This is a tradition to this day that beer gardens are all in the shade of Chestnut trees. In the shade of the trees, the monks put up tables to sell their beers in the summer and the beer garden was born. A place where all the people of Munich no matter how rich or poor, common or important would all gather together and drink and socialize. A true democratic touch in a time of royalty and serfs, and a beginning middle class.

Beer gardens were also responsible for the oldest food law in the world. In 1487, Bavaria passed the German Beer Purity Law. It establishes that all beer must consist of only 3 elements, Barley, Hops and water. That law still exists today although brewers are trying to add new things to find new favors for possible new customers, but why was this such a big in the 1400’s? Because beer in those days was considered food. If you were a poor worker in the fields harvesting at lunch you wouldn’t have a burger and fries – you really had nothing so no big lunch for you at Micky D’s. But you might have a glass of thick dark beer which would have all the nutrients that you need to keep working. If you needed to think and use your head, lighter beers were developed or you cut your beer with water or possibly a fruit juice like lemonade.

All the things that you see in a Budweiser commercial – large horses pulling a heavy wagon of wooden barrels of beer – all of those are traditions that were developed in Munich over five hundred years ago. Large horses were specially bred to pull the heavy wagons, the barrels were made by the monks and later by other crafts persons to store the beer and so on.

The next day, Tina and Uli took me into the city center for a personal walking tour of Munich’s extremely long and interesting history and of course, we stopped at the world famous Hofbrauhaus. It was starting to cloud up and it was the afternoon, so the place was not as rowdy as advertised. We had the surliest waiter ever but we did get the large liters of beer calls a “mahs”. Uli got the light beer (not really light in calories just in color) called a “helles” and I got an amazing dark beer which is called a “dunkles”. We had a light lunch, but nothing there is really light, all German sausages and traditional German dishes like roasted Pig Knuckle. This time I got real sour kraut, and I must say the sweet kraut was my favorite.

And now dear reader, your very logical question is why is this the most famous beer garden in the world? Because this was the personal brewery of the ruling family of Munich, the Wittelsbachs. You will notice the crown over the front door as you enter the Hofbrauhaus. Built by the royal family in 1583 to brew the court beer (hof brau). When the brewery moved to a new location in 1880, a 5000 seat beer garden was built here and it has been packed every since.

Check out the really quirky gift shop for some amazing weird gifts, and the slogan on the ceiling over the oompah bandstand which reads, “Durst ist schlimmer als Heimweh” or “Thirst is worst than homesickness”. That says it all!

Thanks to Tina and Uli for the Deutsche Gastfreundlichkeit, and Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Seven Final Thoughts on Iceland

  1. It is expensive! Remember it is expensive. As a young hostel guest I heard say, “Is nothing in this county cheap?” The answer of course is no. Not sure but by vote of every one in my hostel, Reykjavik seemed the most expensive city in Europe to them. More than Stockholm or London or Oslo. Buyer beware because you are going to spend some dough. Icelandic Kroner is about 106 to a US Dollar. So if you divide everything by 100 you will get a pretty accurate price.

Example – 1500 ISK for a beer (very usual) is in reality to a US citizen – 15 US Dollars almost. That is an expensive beer.

It is cheap to get to Iceland because the government heavily subsidizes the airlines to Reykjavik, but once they have you – look out. They are after the tourist dollar to correct the horrible financial crash that they went through in 2008 and 09 and are still feeling. So there are no deals in Reykjavik.

  1. It is wet! Bring rain gear, and I mean rain slickers, rain pants, boots. You will not need it all the time, but there are days and places that you are going to need it big time and you will not know when. Also all the weather clothes in Reykjavik for this type of weather – (lets say it together) are EXPENSIVE!

On the day that I went to Black Sand Beach outside of Vik, and the waterfall that you can walk behind – I was drenched to the bone. I had a rain poncho but with the strong wind that day, it made no difference. I wanted a rain suit or at least water proof pants.

3. It is beautiful. Amazingly so. A new vista, a new waterfall, a new cove, a new glacier, and new volcano just around every corner. Get out of Reykjavik. By car, by bus or tour bus, by boat, just get out and see this amazing place.

4. Rent a car if you can. The tour buses are great tours make no mistake – but they are on a time table. Slow down and enjoy this beautiful island. The Golden Circle tour is 8 hours and 69 dollars and while the day was great, most of it was on the bus. The Southern Coast tour was wet, wild and fun, but we were gone of 11 hours and most was riding from point A to point B. The cost for both trips was 170 US over two days and 17 hours of riding and getting out and running around because we usually had about 45 minutes to see everything. The day I rented a car with Canadian lawyer, Andrew Guerra the car cost us about 140 US with gas and we saw a lot of things that were not on a tour, but also things that were. Cost wise, it is better to share with someone if you can. Even a stranger that you meet at your hotel or hostel. Everyone wants to see the same things, and this way is cheaper and you move at your own pace.

5. No need to do the Blue Lagoon. It is a thermal with blue water for about 120 US. Pretty and it has a bar! A 30 minute bus ride out of town.

For a 20 minute walk through lovely Reykjavik and 1200 Kroner (12 dollars US), I had a great afternoon at one of the two local bathing houses/thermal pools in Reykjavik itself. Cheaper, not touristy, locals all around and you can meet some very interesting people.

Word to the wise, Reykjaviks are not hung up by nudity. Not in public so much, but in the locker rooms. In the pool areas, everyone has proper bathing suits on, but in the locker room flesh everywhere. Only speaking for the male side here, but young boys, old men, all colors, every male I saw walking around in the locker not covering with a towel at all. For people from some cultures, it can be a little shocking at first. But since they already have what you have and have seen their own, they do not care about yours. So relax and enjoy yourself. The heated water by volcano is wonderful.

6. If you came to Reykjavik to party and drink. Please be responsible. But save some money and get a local app called “Appyhour”. It is an app that you can load on your phone that tells you when every happy hour in every bar in Reykjavik is. Since they all have different or rolling happy hours, some starting as early as 2 PM, you and your friends can move from bar to bar and save money. Sometimes a lot. Remember a beer at regular price is 12 to 15 dollars, this app will let you drink for about 7 to 8 dollars per beer. Depending on your intake that could be a lot of money.

It is very easy to get around in the party area of Reykjavik. You walk everywhere. Cabs are EXPENSIVE. They are not many police, but the bouncers at these bars do not take any crap. They are nice and professional, the ones I saw and talked too. But if you bring trouble, you are gone and in a not so gentle hurry. So behave!

  1. Please do not throw your trash around. Seriously. Every Icelander I spoke with told me how upset at how their country is filling up with trash at all the natural sites. They take amazing pride in the country and treat it as a sacred place. Tourists do not. Especially the Americans and Chinese seem to be the worst to them. So pick up after yourself, throw your stuff away – plenty of garbage cans everywhere and do not treat Iceland like your trash can please.

Enjoy!

Last Day in Iceland

On my last full day in Reykjavik, I rented a car with my new Canadian friend, Andrew. He had not been to Thingvillier National Park yet, and I felt like I had not had enough time when I went there on the first bus tour that I took so that is where we headed first.

Photo Credit Andrew Guerra

Located about forty kilometers from Reykjavik, Thingvillier holds a very special place in Icelandic history. It is where they established the parliament or the Althing when the Vikings first arrived in the mid-900’s. They came to Iceland to escape a Norwegian chieftain who was uniting all the different factions in a bid to be the first king of Norway. It would work, he became Harald Fairhair. Plus they wanted more farmland they felt that Norway was overcrowded in 940 AD.

Interesting fact is that while Iceland (known as Islandia) had been known for hundreds of years. A Greek scholar referred to it in 4 BC, it was totally uninhabited when the Vikings arrived. They brought cows, sheep, horses, seeds, wives and slaves. The slaves were mostly from Ireland which the Vikings had been raiding for some time by the mid-900’s. As a matter of fact, the city of Dublin was first a Viking outpost. Rumors about that time has that the original city wall around Dublin built by the Vikings (called the Pale) was built not to keep Irish hordes out, but to keep Viking men inside because they desired Irish women so much. This is also rumored to be where the term “beyond the Pale” comes from. When the men left and did not come back, they had gone “beyond the Pale”. I do no have factual back up for this theory as it is just an age old rumor in Dublin, but current DNA studies done by the Icelandic government have proved while 80% of the original men that came to the island were Viking and 20% were Irish (most likely slaves), the original women who came were 60% Irish and 40% Viking. Most of those women were wives and not slaves. Thus the island while claiming to be Viking the actual original population was 60% Viking and 40% Irish.

Iceland was the only part of Europe that was not directly ruled by a King so a ruling council was set up that met once a year at Thingvillier for two weeks or more that made laws and rulings on how the land would be ruled. The council was only run by the ruling chieftains, but in it way it was the first democracy in Europe since Athens in Greece in 500 BC.

Chieftains decided on a “law giver” or a judge whose word was final. The Law Giver had to learn by heart all the rules and laws of the new land in order to offer fair judgement. So for the first three days of each Althing every year, the Law Giver would recite in public all the laws. It could take him up to three days to do this, and after this the trials and meetings of the council would begin.

Thingvillier was where this took place, but it was also a social and economic gathering as well. Merchants, traders, and slavers would all bring their offerings to buy and trade. In some cases, people would travel for up to two weeks in order to attend this gathering.

Executions and judgements were also handed down and performed at this annual meeting of the island’s people. The executions could be anything from hanging from the rocks, or drowning in one of the ice-cold lakes, or beheading. All in public view, so people saw the laws and punishment carried out.  And the gathering or Althing would go meeting for several hundred years in one form or another.

The current Thingvillier is a park where people come from all over the world to see another very important gathering that takes place every day. This is the only place above ground where the North American and European tectonic plates can be seen. The plates are currently moving away from each other at a rate of 4 meters a year making Thingvillier an ever-changing place of incredible rock formations and water falls and lakes and streams. The water is crystal clear here as it runs off the nearby glacier Langjokull and you can go diving (only in a wet suit because the water is so cold) and actually go inside the rift between the plates.

Andrew Guerra leaving 1st Icelandic Church

Thingvillier is also where it was decided by the Law Giver to move from Paganism to Christianity. This was done in 1000 AD at the Althing. Both sides presented their cases to why one religion should lead to the Law Giver, and he decided which one would be the official choice of the people. Christianity won, but the decision was very wise. You would be Christian in public and by law, but if you wished to continue to be Pagan and worship the Norse Gods of Odin and Thor and Loki in private that was totally accepted. This way Iceland avoided the bloodshed that most of Europe was swept up in during this long epic transition.

Prime Minister Summer Residence

For that reason, the first church built in Iceland was constructed here in 1000 AD, and the church is still standing. It has been rebuilt and moved around the park because of the tectonic plate shifts, but the symbol is very strong. And the history and place of Thingvillier in the minds of Icelanders is so strong that the ceremonial summer home of the Prime Minister is also located here. IT is only used for official occasions and ceremonies, but this place seems to be the symbolic center of the country.

Kerio Volcanic Crater

After an hour, we went to see a nearby volcanic crater, Kerio which was created about 6500 years ago, but now looks like a giant swimming pool (but really, really deep one).

James Carey at Kerio

Then we had a very expensive lunch (no surprise) of lamb soup and pizza (surprisingly excellent) at a small hotel restaurant outside of Silfoss . Then we drove along the southern coast back toward Reykjavik through an ancient lava debris field that looked like you on some other world. Movies like Ridley Scott’s movie, Prometheus, and Thor, Dark World and Game of Thrones have used the strange magical environment of Iceland to create their other worlds. It was a very pleasant last day in Iceland and we had beautiful sunshine until the drive back when rain and dark clouds made the lava field even more ghostly.

Note is you are renting a car here in Iceland like everything else here it is expensive, but there are plenty of firms to choose from. Gas or petrol at the moment costs almost 7 dollars US a gallon. However, here they use liters and not gallons.

Enjoy Iceland if you get a chance.

 

 

Tiny Horses and an Icelandic Penis Museum

This is an odd combination with no apparent connection except one definitely needs the other, and both are simply just Icelandic.

Tiny Horses

The Icelandic horse is a very rare breed found no where else on the Earth. They are not native to Iceland. They are very small, most the size of a pony in other breeds. They were brought with the first Norse settlers between the 9th and 10th century, and have blood lines that are traced by DNA all the way back to Mongolian horses. The Mongolian bloodline can be traced to Swedish traders who brought that horse back to Scandinavia in earlier centuries. The imported Mongol horse  bloodlines have contributed to the Fjord, Shetland and Connemara breeds, all of which have been found to be genetically linked to the Icelandic horse.

The bloodlines in Iceland have been kept pure for over 1000 years.  Natural selection possibly played a major role in the development of the breed, as large numbers of other imported breeds through the centuries died from lack of food and exposure to the harsh Icelandic elements.

As a result of their isolation from other horses, disease in the breed within Iceland is mostly unknown.  The low prevalence of disease in Iceland is maintained by laws preventing horses exported from the country being returned, and by requiring that all equine equipment taken into the country be either new and unused or fully disinfected. Plus no other horse breeds can be imported into Iceland thus keeping the Icelandic breed free of outside diseases that they have no immunity too.

The Icelandic Penis Museum

Located right in the heart of Reykjavik, is the only known museum of its kind in the world. And to use a catch phrase of the museum’s marketing department “Seeing is believing”.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum possesses a unique collection of penis samples from every type of mammal found in the country. The collection contains more than 200 penises belonging to all the land and sea mammals that can be found in and around Iceland including over 60 specimens belonging to 17 different types of whales. There are penises from a polar bear, seals, walrus and the most interesting ones belonging to 3 Homo Sapiens.

Penis salt and pepper shakers

The museum proudly displays these three legally-certified gifts from humans to the museum including one that was named by its former owner as “Elmo”.

In addition to the biological elements, the museum also has a collection of over 300 artistic oddities and other practical utensils related to the chosen theme of the museum.

The museum is very popular for the very reason that you are reading this – it is odd and unusual. While the main thrust (pardon the pun) is a real scientific one, the museum certainly plays to the public perception of a building full of human penises and the images that brings to mind. It is fun, odd. weird, and certainly worth about an hour of your time because you will never see anything like it anywhere else. The museum is open every day of the week. The address is:

The Icelandic Phallological Museum, Laugavegi 116, 105 Reykjavik.

Phone number: +354-561-6663

Web address: phallus@phallus.is, www.phallus.is.

Entry fee is 1500 ISK which breaks down to about 15 US dollars. Children under 13 are free, and 13 to 18 are half price.

Enjoy!

 

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