Pretty sunny morning, as we headed down the road to Nürnberg (Nuremberg). Lots of hawks and windmills, and no trucks! Semis are not allowed on the road on Sunday. Our first stop was Mödlareuth, also known as Little Berlin. This tiny village has a tiny stream through the middle. The stream formed a state boundary and, after the war, the boundary between East and West Germany. A wall was built along the stream. We went to the museum and viewed a film about the village and wall. Then toured the outdoor museum which included a preserved section of the wall along with guard towers. We then had a nutty coffeecake at the village café. Next we stopped briefly at Bayreuth, home of Richard Wagner and the Wagner Festival Theatre. It is located in a pretty park. We saw a large number of media folks preparing for a press conference from performers emerging from dress rehearsal of upcoming Wagner performance.
We arrived in Nuremberg shortly after. We stopped by Hitler's stadium and parade grounds then drove into the city center. We took a short walking tour with the group up past the Dürer statue to the Kaiserburg castle, built of local red sandstone, which overlooks the city. Nuremberg was 40% destroyed in the war. After walking around the castle and back down to the square, we stopped in a café for Nuremberg bratwurst (like breakfast sausages) served with sauerkraut and some beer. Pete and Andy went to the Toy Museum, several floors filled with toys of all types up to 200 years old. Including a 20 by 40 feet model railroad. Meanwhile, Nancy and Bob shopped. After boarding the bus, we briefly visited the Halls of Justice where the Nuremberg trials were held following the war. Our hotel was located on the edge of a large wooded park and lake near Hitler's stadium. We walked through the woods and around the lakes, seeing hundreds if not thousands of Turkish families enjoying their Sunday afternoon picnics. They had tables, chairs, grills, coffee pots and the occasional hookah. The smells were wonderful. There were many soccer games in progress. Great escape from the small apartments most live in. During our chicken dinner at the hotel, a heavy thunderstorm hit, cooling the area and no doubt breaking up most of the picnics! It soon subsided and we spend time in the cool evening air talking to the two Australian couples on our tour.