Russ called them 20th Century ruins...

And it felt just like it...  So, great name for what we experienced.

Still in Nuremberg, we visited the area that Hitler had designed and planned to be the center of his empire, with a coliseum bigger than Rome, space for parades, etc.  If you have seen these images, you know what I am talking about.

 

So, there we were. Standing where Hitler once was, looking at what is left of his crazy empire.

Odd, particularly for the grand-daughter of German Jews who had to leave in a hurry and the son of a WWII vet...

Here is the other structure Hitler was building. He had envisioned it to be 70 meters tall--they ran out of time when it was at 39 meters...

Well, what I can say is that, at the end, love prevails, right?

Visiting Nuremberg

We spent the day visiting Nuremberg--really pretty town.  Churches, a beautiful castle, and lot's of Bavarian looking sited.

 


This is inside the castle walls.






A cover bridge similar to the one in Lucern.

It is always good to wish for good luck, so, we turned the ring three times at the Nuremberg fountain.

Yes, some of us are shorter than others!

 

As always, we had plenty of time to have fun, eat well, and enjoy each others' company.

Ok, just have to add these two more--because they are gorgeous, right?

For those who understand, Joe is touching a crane!!!!!  Magical moment.

Ice cream anyone?

In Germany like in the us, the ice cream truck comes with some music, letting everyone know that summer relief is here!  See Joe?

At home at Tati's

(Mesa digna da Dona Eva!  So pra dizer)

There is nothing like family!

Yes, traveling is great and seeing places is fun.  But arriving somewhere where you have a personal connection and family is a great feeling!  So, we visited our cousins Tatiana and Chris in Erlangen, outside of Nuremberg, Germany.  We went to a festival in the streets at the center of the town on the first night, and swimming at a lake the next day.  The lake, from what we understood, is more like a quarry--but with all the heat here, being in the water was perfect, and the cold water felt great.

Looking awesome, right?

Lubeck

This was really a great, unexpected surprise.  Alex and Sandra were the first ones who suggested we go visit Lubek.  And then, at the conference, there was a tour there--which we did not go.  But on the day I was done with meetings early, we took the train there.  About 1 hr south of Kiel. All we knew was that it was old and there was some Marzipan factory?

Anyway, Lubek is a medieval town, and the old part is surrounded by a river, like a mote, with gates to get into the city.  Look at the map!

So, here are the gates--the entrance to Lubeck.  Awesome, right?

 In the old part of town, many old churches.  But the cathedral was really impressive, and so different from everything we saw in Italy.

And many more sights throughout the town...

Oh, yeah, and the Marzipan...  delicious!