Deadly serious

On the train we watch the sun very slowly set as Europe disappears behind us. We're exhausted. If anything our long trip was a tribute to 47 years of the EU. We've visited all three EU administrative capitals, Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, and somehow this is a fitting end not just to our holiday but to Britain's journey inside the European Union. We made this trip just in time before they put back the barriers and pretend the union never happened. Goodbye Europe, goodbye EU. And say hello to my Italian passport (eventually). 

And so this photo says it all. We drive back to the station and drop off the car. It's the end of more than 3000km of European motorways across 10 countries in 12 days of driving. Wow. When the idea for this trip first began it didn't quite look achievable but somehow it did work. Zuzana completed the extraordinary task of driving every night after hours of exhausting city walks and I'm grateful for that. Maybe we went too far but summers are always like this. Personally I don't like to be still and this holiday is the epitome of that. Our car, not exactly what we'd hoped for originally, did us well with all the space and overall the petrol costs were quite reasonable. Just don't ever tell Gretha Thurnburg how much fossil fuel we'd burnt up. I must go plant some trees. Or maybe let the weeds grow extra tall this year. 

I'd visited Belgium only once before when we were snowed in on a two-leg flight back from Vienna almost 25 years ago. We'd stayed in a hotel one night before we could leave. This time I saw a little more but not much. Driving in Brussels was a nightmare. Horrific, in fact. The worst traffic system I'd ever seen. Even the satellite navigation ended up sending us in circles and our attempt to find parking was a disaster so this view from our car was the closest we came to any monuments. I know Brussels has some wonderful sights but sadly it was a step too far on this already overloaded itinerary. But still we saw something, including a 10-second visit to the most quintessential French-speaking patisserie you could imagine as I asked for directions. The smell of flour and sugar, the displays of pastries and even the friendly petite assistant seemed like something from a Hollywoodised version of Europe. Maybe I should return one day on foot. As we drive out from the centre down...

The Netherlands is one of the few countries in Europe I've not yet visited. And this is what I saw as we drove from Germany, through the Netherlands and on to Belgium. Hardly a memorable experience but what else could I expect from a motorway in a famously flat country. The signs flipped languages as we made our way through the three countries on our last drive. It was sad to say goodbye to an epic trip like this around the whole of Germanic Europe. But it had to come to an end eventually as our lives return to normal. 

We only had minutes left in the city so walked the short distance to the river and got a few better views of the city once we were able to hide the ugly 60s office buildings behind trees. Köln has not fared well the decades of urban growth and the centre could not be more removed from the clean monumental streets of Dresden. However, like Dresden this cathedral also suffered in the war and was also rebuilt. But any similarities stop there. If there was no cathedral here it would be an easy place to miss architecturally. We finished our brief visit with a coffee in Mcdonalds of all places. I'm not proud of that but the city didn't seem to offer much more in a Monday morning. It was certainly a surprising end to our journey but actually we did have a few more miles to drive so back in the car it was through two more countries. 

And so we begin the final day of our trip before yet another drive over to Brussels to return our car and take the train home. This is our first city hotel and I picked it deliberately to make the most of the two hours we had. It was a 5 minute walk to the cathedral where it became obvious why last night was such a negative experience. The main train station literally spills out on to the steps of the cathedral. Central trains stations are always the most chaotic places in a city and last night was no exception. This morning it looked a little better but still hardly the best showcase for one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. Outside it could not have been more Gothic and once inside it was as stunning as any I'd seen across Europe. Despite the crowds it was actually a wonderfully peaceful place and I could have spent hours just looking up at the ceiling. Begun in the 13th century, work was halted after 200 years and a medieval crane left in place for centuries. The sp...

So we survived the long drive and arrived in Köln exhausted. We checked in our hotel in the centre very close to the cathedral that was the focus of my attention. We had a little time in the morning but did still briefly visit the centre before heading to bed. That was probably a mistake. It was Sunday night after all the revelry had subsided and the city was a dump. We felt unsafe walking the streets of broken glass and the odd shady drunk. After walking far longer than planned in search of an eatery we settled on some noodles in the station. Most other places were shut or something to avoid. It was an odd experience and unlike most other places we've visited around Europe. As a tourist you often miss poverty and homelessness or at least it's carefully managed by authorities so as to hide it away. Köln has clearly found itself overwhelmed. It certainly wasn't a place you wanted to take your phone out for a photograph. It was probably perfectly safe but as a tourist you fee...

I spent a while looking over the maps to see if there was anything interesting on the long dull drive across the huge flat plains of central Germany, and then I stumbled across this gem. Weimar came up many times in my search along our route and then I discovered it was home to one of the most famous European design movements, Bauhaus. Once again an amazing piece of luck. We spent a while in the huge museum and then visited an original house still standing from the 20s. Little else remained given fascism pretty much wiped out the movement. A nice break from what would have been a singularly dull day. 

It was our first night since leaving Czech and amazing how far we came in one day. But we have another day ahead of us of even more miles and just a long straight motorway across the whole width of Germany. We're crazy. But at least we had a good night and wake to a lovely room a and another great breakfast. 

Of all the buildings restored in Dresden, none were more impressive than their cathedral. It was completely demolished in the bombing and this huge stone found many years later a long distance from the cathedral gives an indication of the destruction power of the assault. Like many other buildings it was rebuilt with a mix of new stone and original blocks that were returned, in their still blackened state, to the same physical location. Whatever your thoughts on the complex history of the German people in WWII, you have to admire their achievements here. I do wonder how many synagogues were restored from Kristallnacht.

We found a street full of restaurants so looked through each one for something suitable. We finally settled on the lounge of the Hilton Hotel for a drink and something sweet. It was a perfect spot with a live piano performance and classy service. We felt like rich travellers, which made a change from so many hours on the motorway. 

We had little time in Dresden except wonder around the centre briefly as the sun finally set. We were lucky to be here at this time and it made for a pleasant surprise. 

We arrived in Dresden just before sunset and decided to see some of the town before heading to the hotel. I wasn't sure we'd have any time at all here and had expected it to be dark but it was still light, just, and after a short struggle to work out the local parking fees (it was about a single euro) we walked into the centre and were blown away. It was stunning. One of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. There's little doubt the golden hour of sunset helped a lot but still the place was immaculate. I'd naively half expected to see half demolished buildings, or poorly presented industrial office blocks, but that couldn't be more wrong. It was apparent that the city was completely rebuilt and to astonishing detail. They even recovered stones from the decimated buildings and built these back into new stone structures. Everywhere you can make out the blackened stone that survived the bombing from the new stone built around. This city is a monument to surv...

As we neared the German border, after a long drive across the Czech Republic, I noticed we were near the town of Terezin, home to what was the Nazi concentration camp and ghetto of Theresienstadt. I'm not a great fan of Holocaust tourism but it was something we had to do. We have no photos because it was hardly a place for selfies. In fact it was barely a place at all. Terezin is a town in its own right but while it was for a long time a garrison town, it lost this some years ago and the local economy collapsed. As a result the town is as empty as it is an open museum to the former ghetto. It was a slightly surreal experience because clearly there were some locals but very few and the only groups we saw were outside the main ghetto museum. Inside we walked through room after room of exhibitions showing much of the artwork of the former inmates. We saw little of the former structures except some well-created replica barracks. It was a numb experience throughout, in almost total sile...

And so after five days rest with family in the Czech Republic we have the long long drive over two days back to Brussels to return our hire car and get the train back home. We only hope we haven't pushed this too far. Our first leg is a drive across the whole Czech Republic from East to West, past Prague, which we see briefly below us as we pass and eventually to the northern border with Germany. We stop briefly for lunch but otherwise it's counting miles the whole way. 

With the architecture done we not so sensibly left ourselves with the walk back up the centre to the car. We fuelled ourselves with some strudel and huge smoky Bratwurst hotdogs, something I was determined to get before we left. With Vienna done the main itinerary of our holiday was over and we had the not so long drive up north and east to visit family in The Czech Republic and give our feet some well deserved rest. 

Following the ring road, the Ringstrasse, around the centre of Vienna is a long series of grand monumental buildings. Three miles of them in fact. It's described as the grandest boulevard in the world. It doesn't fail to impress. Except, that is, for the parliament building that I was hoping to see but was surrounded by building works. What a shame. By now our feet are angry this half day in Vienna wasn't more relaxed. 

As if we haven't done enough walking already we walk some more seeking out the best architecture Vienna has to offer around the centre, which is all conveniently located within a ring road. Eventually we have to give in and stop for a coffee at a vegan cafe. I get myself some local blonde beer. 

We make it to the centre and to St Stephen's Cathedral, where as in other cities, crowds fill the square outside taking photos. We do love our cathedrals. I certainly do. Inside there's a Sunday service in process so we are confined to the entrance area and can only look down the nave towards the transept, that part that crosses the length of the church and the choir, that bit at the back that contains, well, the choir. But while the cathedral is as stunning as any inside, it's splendour is the 230,000 glazed tiles that adorn its roof. Who wants that maintenance headache?

It's the third time I've been to Vienna. The most I've visited any European city outside Italy or Czech. So I try to retrace some steps from previous visits and draw a path from our parking spot to the centre. We pass by this 8th century church of St Rupert, stunning for its age and unusual proximity to surrounding buildings. A piece of history immaculately preserved in the middle of the city. And then the Anker clock that strikes every day at midday and which we miss by minutes. At just over 100 years though it no ancient relic. 

It's been our usual routine. At night we drive 100km+ to our next stop and the morning is usually a hunt for parking, with a little help from satellite navigation. Today is a little different as we only have a few hours in Vienna. Fortunately, Vienna was probably the first city to have plentiful free parking. But it is Sunday so maybe that's it. Certainly good timing given our short stay. 

Well actually we're still have 30km outside Vienna but it was a practical place to stay with a car. Our hotel was very similar to the one in Salzburg and I even said this to the owner I briefly spoke to about a broken blind in our room - she seemed to be unaware and said the hotel was all her and her son's idea. She almost looked offended. Anyway breakfast was the usual indulgence of unlimited carbohydrate. Sometimes I think this is the only reason I travel. Seeing places is secondary to the guilt-free excessive breakfasts. The view from our table outdoors was so refreshing. It was almost a shame to get up. 

And so we're back on the road again and watch the last of the range of mountains that extends from the Alps gradually drop away into the plains that surrounds Austria's capital. Once again we arrive in the dark after a long drive and once again it's a modern self service hotel shaped like a huge warehouse, but with a quality minimalist decor. The main leg of our road trip is hearing it's end. 

This is the stretch of the river just beside our hotel. It's one of 12 hydroelectric power plants on the river Salzach. Not bad. I'd normally expect upturned shopping trolleys and soggy mattresses to be strewn along the banks of a place like this. Not in Salzburg. 

Somehow I love this view as much as I do any other in Salzburg. There's as much beauty in the industrial as their is the monumental, especially when you get this symmetry and that Austrian cleanliness. With our tired feet we take the bus back and a helpful elderly woman on board who spoke no English whatsoever somehow seemed to work out where we were going and we found the best stop, even if it was still a 15 minute walk from the hotel. 

And so our day in Salzburg draws to an end and maybe we've walked far too much given we were supposed to take it easier. My bad. But it's a beautiful city and so much more than one would expect from what isn't a capital city. Definitely a worthwhile destination. But we at least leave before sunset to give us time to reach our next city, the capital. 

With the Salzburg Cathedral crypt you get two for the price of one because connected to the main crypt is this space which was found during excavations in that late 50s. It's the crypt of the previous Romanesque cathedral that was demolished in 1598. Following the theme of a crypt are these tiny skeleton shadow puppets that are projected in constant rotation across the back wall where they become huge drifting ghostly figures. The church has been known to use such gimmicks for centuries to make their point. 

I've never been much of a fan of the great flat front facade of your typical Catholic Church. They always strike me as severely lacking in perspective. But they never fail to amaze once you get inside and this interior is a stunning example of early 17th Century Baroque. The site has a typically dramatic history of fires, disasters and incompetence that preceded this construction by many centuries (and then includes a bomb in WWII that destroyed the central dome). Today when you look up at the bible frescoes any hint of that history is blissfully absent. You risk a stiff neck. 

If there's one commonality when visiting any city nowadays it's sculpture, preferably with some level of abstraction. No public space is complete without something to draw in the eye and raise an eyebrow. This huge golden ball with a figure on top (apparently with a neutral expression) seems to do it in a very Salzburgian way, with gold. This great regal Baroque city chooses gold as it's medium of abstract expression. What else, eh? It does look cool. 

We were well overdue a rest so picked the first placed that looked a decent price, which was this cafe as we reentered the city streets. Some junk food did the job perfectly. We asked for the WiFi password and the owner replied in a strong German accent "No WiFi. Here we have something called communication". It may have been the best line I've ever had on holiday from restaurant staff. Damn right. We have to talk with each other. Still we missed our phones. 

It was a winding path back down to street level from the fortress and we came upon these beautiful cobbled streets that provided the perfect backdrop for a quick snapshot. I love the perspective.