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Germany, November 2023

  Neuschwanstein   Munich   Nuremberg   Berlin

Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein looms romantially over Schwangau

View to the Bavarian Alps from Schwangau

Neuschwanstein

The Approach to the Main Gate

Main Gate

Courtyard (never completed)

Courtyard + Tower

Hohenschwangau Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle

View to Hohenschwangau Castle

Munich

Entry to Munich's Old Town

Giant Frauenkirche "The Everest of Munich churches"

Frauenkirche interior

View from Frauenkirche Tower to Marienplatz Neues Rathaus on left, St Peter's on right

View to the other tower

Marienplatz: Mariensäule Column

Neues Rathaus

Rebuilt Altes Rathaus

Old St Peter

View from St Peter's tower

Neues Rathaus, from St Peter

Frauenkirche from St Peter

Covered up statue of Neptune At the Old Botanical Gardens

Neptune, looking oddly like Hercules But that's actually a trident on his shoulder

Konigplatz complex

Konigplatz

Munich Residenz: Palace of the Dukes and Kings of Bavaria

Residenz entry

Neptune Statue (replica)

Hall of Antiquities Designed to impress. And it does!

One of many Roman Imperial busts Some classicial, some renaissance.

Highly ornate Bureau

Emperor's Hall

Neptune Statue (original, 17th c)

Perseus holding Medusa head (~17th c)

Court Chapel (An interior space.)

Small chapel

Ornate room. With mirrored Scotsman

Rsidenz: Cuvillie Theater

Munich Residenz Treasury

Bavarian Crown Jewels (1806)

Ceremonial Swords (1460, 1480, 1653)

Queen Therese's Ruby Jewelry (1830)

Assorted Noble Order Insignia

Ostentatious Table

Model of Trajan's Column

Nuremberg

Nuremberg: Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Documentation Center Museum

Hitler & Julius Streicher Streicher was based in Nuremberg

Giant Nazi Congress Hall

Congress Hall

Zeppelin Field: The site of the Nuremberg Party Rallies

The original podium (With Nazi emblems removed)

The podium

The speaker's platform on the podium You can just walk down and stand on it

View over Zeppelin Field, from speaker's podium (Most of the space has been repurposed now.)

Entry steps, etc, at edge of Zeppelin Field

Nuremberg Trials Museum

"Law, History, Remembrance, Future"

Nuremberg Trials Courtroom

Nuremberg Trials Courtroom

Two of the defendent benches The front bench was used by Goring, Hess, von Ribbentrop, Keitel.

Nuremberg Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle)

Nuremberg Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle)

Castle Chapel

Castle Courtyard

Sinwell Tower

Castle from Sinwell Tower

Old Nuremberg from Sinwell Tower

North view to Castle

Nuremberg Old Town

Rather dull Altes Rathaus

St Sebald Church

Schöner Brunnen fountain (14th c, replica) An extremely ornate medieval fountain

Giant Frauenkirche Church

Rear view of Frauenkirche

St Lawrence Church

Weißer Turm

Nuremberg: German National Museum

Behaim Globe (~1492) Oldest surviving terrestial globe. Note how the continents are shown too large.

Erdglobus Globe (1520). Western hemisphere.

Durer. Portrait of his Mother (1490)

Durer. Emperors Charlemagne & Sigismund. 1511/13

Astrolabe. Syrian, 1180-1280

Bronze Age Gold Hat (11th-9th c BC) Made from a single 310 g (11 oz) piece of gold

Gold Hat: Detail

Bronze caludron. Capua, 5th c BC

Ostrogothic Jewelry, San Marino ~500 AD Brooch in the shape of a Roman Eagle with a Christian Cross

Giant cover for Codex Aureus, ~985

Imperial Treasure Reliquary ~1440 Kept suspended in Nuremberg Church of the Holy Spirit

Reliquary + reflection of painted base

Berlin

Berlin: Reichstag

Reichstag

"Dem Deutschen Volke"

Reichstag Dome

Base of Dome

View down into Dome Interior The legislative chamber is below

Top of Dome & Oculus

Drizzly view from Reichstag Dome

Historic note & beer drinking Bismark

Berlin: Ritter Sport's "Colorful Chocolate World"

Ritter Sports Ground Floor

Ritter Sports First Floor

All-you-can-eat tasting fountain

It's not bad at all!

You can request Special Blends

Around Berlin

Brandenburg Gate (from West)

Brandenburg Gate (from East)

Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall)

St. Marienkirche, with start of Xmas Market Blocking access to Neptune Statue! It's an Outrage!

Very distant view of Neptune Statue

View to Museum Island

Berlin: Pergamon Panorama

Pergamon Panorama

The Pergamon Altar

Poseidon and Two Tritons

Poseidon ~160 BC

(Heavily Restored) mosaic parrot

Well preserved Weapon Relief

Athena (with replacement head) ~180 BC

King Attalos himelf (?) ~180 BC

Berlin: Neues Museum

Dragon of Marduk, Ishtar gate, 6th c BC

"Berlin Green Head", Egyptian, 10-50 BC

3rd c AD Roman Tools, etc. Looted by Germans, discovered in a gravel pit

3rd c AD Roman padlocks, keys, etc

Colossal statue of Helios ~150 AD

"Berlin Gold Hat" ~1000 BC

Berlin: Stasi HQ Museum

Former Stasi HQ

A guest lurks in the lobby Felix Dzerzhinsky himself

Felix + Nervous Visitor

Stasi employeer disguised as a tourist ~1985) From a Stasi traning manual

Inspirational DDR+USSR poster "To learn from the Soviet people means to learn victory"

Stasi Emblem (echoes KGB)

Felix again. With an inspirational quote. "Be a Chekist. Only a person with a cool head, a warm heart and clean hands can do it. A Checkist must be cleaner and more honest that anyone else - he must be clear as crystal"

Erich Mielke's grand formal office Used for meetings and official guests

Erich Mielke's private working office

Felix, yet again

Photo of telephone recording room

Camera for filming through wall Using only a 1 mm hole on the far side

Tie Camera (Soviet design 1960s)

Button Camera (Soviet design 1950s)

Wallet with camera

Stasi break-in tools: five lock picks

Table steam generator, for opening letters

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