Germany 2022

Crossing the Spree River in Berlin	Visiting the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany	Brandenburg Gate (1788-91) was built on the orders of Prussian King Frederick William II	The 'Quadriga' depicts a statue of the goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses	Relief sculptures inside the Brandenburg Gate
The Victory Column viewed from the Brandenburg Gate	The United States Embassy is next to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin	Lots of Polizei activity in Berlin today	The Hotel Adlon (opened in 1907) is featured in many movies and is where Michael Jackson held his son out of a window	One of 500 'Buddy Bears' in Berlin, Germany
Barricades in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin	Memorial flowers in memory of Queen Elizabeth II in front of the British Embassy in Berlin	The Victory Column in Berlin is at the end of 17th of June Street	Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, is referred to by Berliners as 'Chick on a Stick'	Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe 'represents a radical approach to the traditional concept of a memorial'
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe sits behind the United States Embassy	These colored pipes channel groundwater from construction sites into the Spree River	'Berlin' is a sculpture on the Tauentzienstrasse	Approaching the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on the Tauentzienstrasse in Berlin	The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was originally built in the 1890s
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church damage from a bombing raid in 1943 was retained as a memorial	Bullet holes in Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church	The new Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin (completed 1961)	Inside the new Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin	New & old Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Churches
Preserved section of the Berlin Wall with drab East German buildings in the background	A section of the Berlin Wall	The last remaining section of the Berlin Wall outside of museums is deteriorating	Photo of Russian Soldier looking west from Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin	On the East German side of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin
The 'German Church' (1708) in Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin	Bebelplatz is a public square in the central Mitte district of Berlin	Berlin State Opera (1742)	The Berlin Cathedral was built 1894 - 1905	One of five museums on Museum Island in Berlin
The Bode Museum on Museum Island in Berlin	The Spree River with Berlin Television Tower (built by East Germany) in the distance	The Church of St Peter and Paul (1870) in Potsdam, Germany	Statues on the Church of St Peter and Paul in Potsdam, Germany	Downtown Postsdam, Germany
Triumphal Gate (1851) in Potsdam, Germany	Historic Mill of Sanssouci in Potsdam, Germany	Sanssouci Palace was built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace	Sanssouci Palace was built 1745-1747	View from courtyard of Sanssouci Palace
Trellised Gazebo at Sanssouci Palace	King Frederick the Great is buried here with his 11 beloved greyhounds	Frederick the Great introduced the potato to Germany and they are left on his grave as a tribute	After World War II, the palace became a tourist attraction in East Germany	King Frederick's personal taste was so great that its style is characterised as 'Frederician Rococo'
Bill & Susan at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam	View of Sanssouci Palace from the first level of the garden terrace	Sanssouci Palace Fountain	Statues around Sanssouci Palace Fountain	Bird on the winged Mercury statue
One of the benches near the Sanssouci Fountain	Fountain leaving Sanssouci Palace	Exit gates from Sanssouci Palace	Obelisk erected at the eastern entrance to Sanssouci Park in 1747	Hieroglyphs are purely created using artistic vision of Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff
Statue at the entrance to the Peace Church on the grounds of Sanssouci Park	Statue at the entrance to the Peace Church on the grounds of Sanssouci Park	Statue at the entrance to the Peace Church on the grounds of Sanssouci Park	The Protestant Church of Peace is the Marly Gardens in the palace grounds of Sanssouci Park	The Jagertor is the oldest surviving city gate in Potsdam (1733)
Nauen Gate(1755) is one of the three preserved gates of Potsdam, Germany	The Dutch Quarter in Potsdam, Germany	Architecture in the Dutch Quarter of Potsdam	The Potsdam (former East German) side of the Glienicke Bridge -- also known as 'The Bridge of Spies'	Babelsburg Palace (1836-49) on the Havel River across from Glienicke Bridge
Houseboats on the Havel River viewed from 'The Bridge of Spies'	Steam-powered pump house (1841-1843) on the Havel River was built at the request of Frederick Wilhelm IV	Mid-point of Glienicke Bridge with one foot in former East Germany and one foot in West Berlin	The West Berlin side of the Glienicke Bridge where Gary Powers was exchanged for a captured soviet spy	The Villa Marlier (1915) was the site of the infamous Wannsee Conference
Wannsee Conference was a meeting of 15 Nazi & SS officials to finalize plans for the deportaation and murder of European Jews	Bench on the property of the site of the Wannsee Conference	Charlottenburg Town Hall (1895-1905) is an administrative center for a borough in Berlin	Bellevue Palace, in Berlin's Tiergarten district, has been the official residence of the President of Germany since 1994	The Reichstag (1894) is a historic government building in Berlin which houses the lower house of Germany's parliament
The Berlin TV Tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the East German government as a symbol of Communist power	Dinner on the Spree River in Berlin	Our view of the Spree River at dinner in Berlin	Typical East German concrete construction	Guard Dragoon Barracks (1854) has been used as a tax office since 1923
Block of flats built in 1868 in front of the Church of Saint Boniface in Berlin	Arriving in Dresden, Germany on a rainy day	Tour guide took us into the QF Passage Mall in Dresden, Germany to get out of the rain	Back of statue in QF Passage Mall in Dresden, Germany	Procession of Princes (rulers of Saxony) in Dresden was originally painted between 1871 & 1876
Between 1904 and 1907 the 335 ft wall was covered with 23,000 Meissen porcelain tiles to make it weatherproof	Mural displays the ancestral portraits of the 35 margraves, electors, dukes & kings of the House of Wettin between 1127 and 1904	Only minimal damage to the porcelain tiles resulted from the February 13, 1945 bombing of Dresden	Dresden Cathedral was founded in 1739 and completed in 1751	The Georgentor (1530-35) is the original city exit from Dresden to the Elbe bridge
Stone figures on the Georgentor guard this entrance to the Desden Castle	Stall Courtyard in Dresden Castle built in 1586 and used for tournaments	Stall Courtyard is now used for cultural events like the Medieval Christmas Market	Restoration of Dresden Castle began in 1960 and is still ongoing	Windows in this tower are slanted to match the angle of the spiral staircase
Restored frescoes in Dersden Castle	The clock tower of the Dresden Castle was finished in 1676 and afforded watchmen an unobstructed view of the city	Fountain in the courtyard of Dresden Castle	Small courtyard in Dresden Palace has been covered and is used for ticket sales for museums	Dresden castle currently houses five museum sections
Bronze model of Dresden Castle	Back entrance to Dresden Castle	The Semperoper (178) is an opera house, a concert hall, and a ballet theater	The Zwinger (1728) is a palatial complex with gardens in Dresden	The Zwinger's Carillon pavilion contains Meissen porcelain bells that play every 15 minutes
The Kronentor is an 18th-century Baroque gateway and the main entrance to the Zwinger in Dresden	A statue of King John of Saxony from 1854-73 outside the Zwinger in Dresden	Dresden's Autumn Market is going on	Autumn Market is held on Old Market Square in Dresden	Sign says hot, long, delicious
Umbrellas provided shelter for our beer, brats, and french fry lunch	We enjoyed dessert from this pastry kiosk	Martin Luther is important in Dresden as Dresden was given the honorary title 'Motherland of the Reformation'	Dresden's Church of Our Lady (1743) is a Lutheran church rebuilt using 3,800 orginal stones after its destruction in WWII	Inside Dresden's Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche)
Two thousand pieces of the original altar were cleaned and incorporated into the new structure	This is the original cross from the Frauenkirche’s dome after it was destroyed during WWII	Interesting statue in front of Dresden shop	Interesting Caprese Salad in Dresden	Augustus Bridge (1731) crosses the Elbe River in Dresden, Germany
Driving from Dresden to Weimar, Germany	Building in Weimar, Germany	Original pieces of the Berlin Wall in Weimar, Germany	Burials in St. James's Churchyard is the oldest extant burial ground in Weimar going back to the 12th Century	Lucas Cranach the Elder (an artist associated with the Reformation) is buried here
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's wife is buried in St. Jame's Churchyard in Weimar	Weimar Church of St. Peter and Paul (built in 1500) sits on the foundation of a church from 1249	Inside the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Weimar	The Altar in the Church of St. Peter and Paul	The triptych (1555) in the Church of St. Peter and Paul has been hailed as 'the single most important visual monument of German
Explanation of the triptych started by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1552 and completed by his son after his father's death	Historic Market Square in Weimar, Germany	Neptune Fountain in front of pharmacy operating since 1567 in Weimar, Germany	The city hall of Weimar was built in 1841 and has a Glockenspiel in the tower with Meissen porcelain bells	Meissen porcelain bells in the Glockenspiel at Weimar City Hall
The balcony on Hotel Elephant in Weimar was outside Hitler's apartment where he came out to address cheering crowds	The Red Castle in Weimar was built from 1574 to 1576 and now contains a research library	Karl August was the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar and of Saxe-Eisenach	Weimar Castle has been developed from a 10th Century moated castle over 500 years	Johann Sebastian Bach shaped the Weimar music scene in an exceptional way
German National Theatre in Weimar is one of the oldest theatres in Germany dating to the 18th Century	Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Friedrich Schiller are probably the two most revered figures in German literature	House of the Weimar Republik is the site of the constituent assembly that established Germany’s government from 1919-1935	Entering the gate at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany	Inmates' Canteen and Guard Tower at Buchenwald Concentration Camp
The 3 km Guard Path around Buchenwald was patrolled by SS Guards	Buchenwald Barracks where medical experiments were conducted resulting in hundreds of deaths	The Buchenwald Crematorium	Photo taken by a US Army SergeantI on April23, 1945 of bodies piled outside the Buchenwald Crematorium	Crematory ovens were installed between 1940 and 1942
Ovens were designed so several corpses could be burned simultaneously without interruption between loads	Inmates were told to stand here to be measured and then shot in the back of the head	Guards shot inmates through this slit behind the measuring stick to avoid seeing their faces	A memorial commemorating the more than 27,000 women and girls who died as a result of slave labor in the Buchenwald subcamps	Dinner stop along the Autobahn in Germany
Our view at dinner above the Autobahn	Arriving in Nuremberg, Germany	The Kongresshalle in Nuremberg was to be the centerpiece of the vast Nazi party rally grounds	The Kongresshalle was delayed by WWII and only reached about half its planned height of 70 meters	The main grandstands of Zeppelin Field (1935-36) held spectators for parades staged for Adolf Hitler
The Steintribune of Zeppelin Field was topped with a giant swastica and was where Hitler gave his speeches	Postcard of Zeppelin Field in 1938	Photo of Nazi flags on 34 small building sdividing seating areas around Zeppelin Field	Thirty-four small buildings around the periphery of the Zeppelinfeld were actually toilet facilities	The Weinstadel in Nuremberg was constructed in the 1440s and was used as a hospice and place to feed lepers in the Middle Ages
A medieval Nuremberg merchant's procession is depicted on this building that was originally the Nuremberg Stock Exchange	The Old Nuremberg Stock Market building is now part of the Chamber of Commerce	Nuremberg City Hall (1571–1620) was severely damaged during World War II and had to be largely rebuilt in the 1950s	Historic German coat of arms and sculpture over one entrance to Nuremberg City Hall	Nuremberg city coat of arms over an entrance to the City Hall
The Schreyer-Landauer Epitaph beside St. Sebald in Nuremberg is a sandstone relief completed by Adam Kraft on Easter 1492	The Church of St. Sebald is the oldest parish church in Nuremberg	The Church of St. Sebald was founded in 1225, but the towers were added in the 15th Century	The right panel of the epitaph depicts Jesus carrying a cross among soldiers and onlookers	The middle panel shows the burial of Jesus by women, John, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
The left panel of the epitath depicts the risen Christ with his victory flag	Relief on the side of St. Sebald depicts hell and angels rescuing souls from purgatory	Statue on St. Sebald Church in Nuremberg	Statue of St. Christopher with the Christchild representing the weight of the world on his shoulders	Chorlein (Little Apse) from 1631 at the parsonage of St. Sebaldus Church
Courtyard of St. Sebald's church parsonage which is still lived in by clergy	Fountain in the courtyard of the St. Sebald Parsonage	Schoner Brunnen (beautiful fountain) is a 14th-century fountain located on Nuremberg's main market square	The Nuremberg Fountain was built between 1385 and 1396	Spinning the gold ring 3 times on the Schoner Brunnen is supposed to grant you a wish
Spinning the black ring 3 times on the Schoner Brunnen is supposed to help you get pregnant	The Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) was consecrated in 1358 in Nuremberg, Germany	A vendor at a fall market in Nuremberg	Enjoying deep-fried dough in Market Square in Nuremberg	Beethovan Statue in Nuremberg
Medieval city walls surround the Old City of Nuremberg	Four gate towers were added to Nuremberg's wall in 1400	Old city wall in Nuremberg	A moat (now containing a walking path) was built in 1430, but never filled with water	Medieval passage across the Pegnitz River in Nuremberg
The Nuremberg Palace of Justice (built 1909-1916)	The Nuremberg Trials of Nazi War Criminals were held here beween November 20, 1945 and October 1, 1946	The Nuremberg Trials took place in courtroom number 600 which is still used (especially for murder trials)	German Postman in Nuremberg	The 'Ship of Fools' dry-fountain sculpture sits in the historical center of Nuremberg
Goldsmith fountain in Martin Luther Square, Augsburg, Germany	The Town Hall of Augsburg was built between1615–1624 and renovated in the 1980's	Statue in Augsburg, Germany of city founder and Roman Emperor Augustus (created 1589-1594)	Having lunch at König von Flandern (the oldest restaurant brewery in Augsburg, Germany)	Biggest Caipirinha ever at Konig von Flandern in Augsburg, Germany
Lots of good German food in Augsburg, Germany	Driving in the German state of Bavaria	Sheep on a Bavarian hillside	One big beer at a rest stop in Bavaria	Waterfall in Bavaria
Luftlmalerei is a form of mural art that is native to villages in Bavaria	Snow on the Bavarian Alps	On the road in Bavaria	Interesting mural on Hotel Rheinischer Hof in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	The view from our hotel room in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
No heat in the hotel yet but the room is not too cold	Leaving Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the day	Entering Ettal Abbey (founded on 28 April 1330) in Ettal, Germany	Ettal Abbey doors	Ettal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery
Inside Ettal Abbey Church	Frescoes in Ettal Abbey Church	Dome in Ettal Abbey Church	Statue in the Ettal Abbey Church	With a community of more than 50 monks, Ettal Abbey is one of the largest Benedictine houses
Waterfall in Bavaria is good news for German rivers	Little Red Riding Hood painted house in Oberammergau, Germany	Horses in Oberammergau, Germany	Windowboxes at the Hotel Wolf in Oberammergau, Germany	On the way to the Passion Play in Oberammergaus which was postponed from 2020
Passion Play Theater in Oberammergau, Germany	Part one of the Passion Play runs from 1:30 PM to 4 PM	Passion Play Theater holds 4,720 people	Passion Play has an orchestra of 55 musicians and a choir of 64 vocalists from Oberammergau, Germany	About 2,000 of the permanent residents of Oberammergau participate in the Passion Play
Between each of the 12 acts, Old Testament tableaux vivants are scenes from the Old Testament depicted by motionless actors	From Ash Wednesday, all participants of the Passion Play must grow their hair and beards	Outside the Passion Play Theater waiting for Susan to clear security for the second half of the performance	The second half of the Passion Play runs from 7 PM - 9:30 PM	To be in the Passion Play, you must be born in Oberammgau or married to a local for 10 years or have lived there for 20 years
Photos are not permitted during the performance, so most of these are from the internet	Leaving the Passion Play Theater at 9.45 PM	Low-hanging cloud as we are leaving Garmisch-Partenkirchen	On the road to Munich, Germany	Farewell to the Bavarian Alps
Apartment building in Munich, Germany	Marienplatz (St. Mary, Our Lady's Square) has been Munich's main square since 1158	Hofbrauhaus in Munich has been here since 1897	Inside Munich's Hofbrauhaus	At Munich's Hofbrauhaus
The Hofbrauhaus Oompah Band	Munich, Germany Town Hall	Minimal damage to the Munich Town Hall occurred during the air raids on Munich 1944	Munich's Rathaus-Glockenspiel has 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures that re-enact two stories from the 16th century	In font of Munich Town Hall
Waiting to re-join our tour group in Munich	These were great bavarian creme-filled pastries	That's a lot of cheese in Munich	Touching the statue of Juliet's breast is supposed to bring good luck	Bavarian Maypole in Marienplatz, Munich, Germany
Maypole celebrating the Munich Purity Law that limited the ingredients that could be used in brewing beer	'Church of the Holy Spirit' is one of the oldest churches in Munich (from 1392)	Munich Residence Museum is the former royal palace (1385) of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria	The National Theatre in Munich, Germany, is the home of the Bavarian State Opera, Orchestra & Ballet	The Hauptpost (Main Post Office) in Munich was erected as the Törring Palace in 1747-58
Maximilian street (Maximilianstraße) is one of the main streets of Munich and one of the most expensive streets in German	Olympic Tower and Olympic Stadium in Munich were built for the 1972 Summer Olympics	St. Theresia Church in Munich	Dinner at the 200-year old Gasthof Hinterbrul in Munich	Drinking Wheatbeer at Gasthof Hinterbrul
Dinner with Steve & Cindy at Gasthof Hinterbrul	Bill dancing at Gasthof Hinterbrul	Going to Oktoberfest on a rainy morning	Early, rainy morning at Oktoberfest	Headed to the amusement area of Oktoberfest
Waiting to board the Ferris Wheel at Oktoberfest	Oktoberfest viewed from top of Ferris Wheel	Oktoberfest rides and downtown Munich	Munich, Germany from the top of the Ferris Wheel	Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria sits very close to the grounds of Oktoberfest
Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria was built by King Ludwig I from 1843 to 1853	Our first beer tent at Oktoberfest is the Spaten Beer Festhall and Ox Rotisserie Tent	Appetizers at Spaten Beer Ochsenbrateri Tent	Beer here	Drinking Spaten Beer
Our tour director, Dan, wearing Lebkuchen at Oktoberfest	Lunch being cooked on a spit	First time seeing an Ox being roasted on a spit	Pretzel vendor in beer tent	Jon Brenneman is President of MOAA Vacations
Roast Ox -- it's what's for lunch at Oktoberfest	Lots of beer requires lots of places to pee	Drinking beer at the Spaten Brau Tent	Band at the Spaten Brau Ochsenbrateri Tent	Adding an Alphorn to the band
Notice the 'Chicken Dance Hats' behind Susan	Dessert at Spaten Beer Ochsenbrateri Tent	This is translated as 'Hofbrau Party Tent'	Inside Hofbrau Beer Tent	Hacker Beer Tent
Inside the Hacker-Pschorr Tent	Hacker-Pschorr proclaims itself as 'Heaven of Bavarians'	Kalbraterei is a log cabin venue at Oktoberfest	Schottenhamel (est. 1867) is the oldest beer tent at Oktoberfest	Pulaner Festival Tent
The Pulaner Festival Tower has a rotating beer mug on top	Inside the Pulaner Beer Tent	The Weinzelt tent is the only one that focuses on Wine at Oktoberfest	Lowenbrau Festhalle	The animated Lowenbrau lion roars and drink his beer
The lion atop the Lowenbrau tower rotates	Inside the Lowenbrau Beer Tent	The 'Braurosl' is an artist who yodels in the Pschorr Beer Tent	Inside the Pschorr Beer Tent	Rain stopped and crowds increasing
Bill with Augustiner Brewery horses	Augustiner Brewery Beer Barrels	The Krinoline is a historic ride at Oktoberfest (first opened 1924)	Riding the Krinoline at Oktoberfest	To make the Krinoline more attractive, they added a live band in 1938
At Augustiner Beer Tent	Inside the Augustiner Beer Tent	Augustiner Beer is served from wooden barrels with a capacity of 200 liters	Having fun at Augustiner Beer Tent with new friends from North Carolina