The Grain and Grape

When a visitor comes to town for a week, we like to show them a bit of Germany, and then take them to one of our favorite places around Europe. This time, we chose Normandy, France. And of course, when in Germany, all visitors, regardless of age, must visit at least one Bräuhaus (brewery) or Biergarten. So, we planned an itinerary to see Beaches, Battlefields, and Breweries!

The very first thing we like to do with family when they visit us is have them run for a train. Not really, but these things happen! We met up with our nephew early at Frankfurt airport when he arrived from the US, and we all ran and jumped onto the high-speed train with seconds to spare before the doors closed and the train rolled. And we were off!

Stuttgart, Germany

We started at our home base of Stuttgart, allowing for a few days to get over jet lag. While Stuttgart may not be a common tourist destination, it gave our visitor a look at our life in Germany, from our little apartment, a Saturday farmer’s market, eating schnitzel, and a visit to our favorite Biergarten. Schwabengarten has a lot of space, good food and beer, and a playground for the kids, a nice, fun place to gather with family and friends.

Munich, Germany

Since our nephew is interested in World War 2 history, we headed off to Munich, a 2+ hour train ride from Stuttgart. After arriving, we left our bags at the hotel, and walked into Marienplatz just as the Glockenspiel at the town hall started spinning. Up on the tower, large statues spin around, acting out a variety of scenes to the sounds of loudly ringing bells. This show runs daily at 11.00 and 12.00, and during the summer, a third show is at 17.00.

In the afternoon, we joined a walking tour that focused on the history of the Third Reich. Our tour guide led us around Munich, pointing out historically important buildings and squares used by the Nazi Party, and sharing very interesting stories. It was a unique way to see Munich, and a great way to learn some history.

After the tour, we had time for a visit to the English Garden, created in the late 1700’s. Rolling green hills, gardens, tea houses, a biergarten, and a river running through it, it is a beautiful large green space in the city. Perfect to have a walk through, or have a picnic on the lawn.

The famous brewery and biergarten, the Hofbräuhaus, is a must-visit in Munich. We ate dinner here, sitting in the outdoor biergarten, surrounded by all of our fellow tourists. We can recommend the half-chicken dinner, and of course the beer!

Eagle’s Nest

On our second day in Munich, we set off on a long bus ride to visit Eagle’s Nest, a meeting space created by the Nazis on the top of a mountain in southwest Bavaria. Note – Eagle’s Nest is closer to Salzburg, Austria than Munich.

Visitors must ride shuttle buses up the tricky mountain road, which is only open from late May through early October. We rode the shuttle bus, and then entered the long, dark tunnel that goes 124 meters into the mountain. A high-speed elevator whisked us up 124 meters to the top of the mountain, where the Eagle’s Nest perches on the edge. All of this is an amazing feat of engineering.

Once on top, the views are spectacular. The Eagles Nest is small, not more than a few rooms, and Adolf Hitler only visited here 14 times. It seems that as well as being worried about Allied bombers, he was afraid of heights.

Tours from Munich complete, we headed to the train station for a quick trip back home. As we waited on the train platform, we found out that our train to Stuttgart was cancelled, and our new train was leaving from a different platform in just a few minutes. We ran and boarded, and found seats that were empty, at least until the first stop. Since we merged with another train, our seat reservations were only in the cloud, not actually on the train.

Normandy, France

Back at home, we did laundry and got ready for our road trip to Normandy, France. We traveled the 9 hours through German and French countrysides, with a few stops for petrol and coffee, listening to 80’s music and pub songs. To our nephew’s credit, he didn’t complain about the music, and helped the driver stay awake with good questions and discussions.

Omaha Beach

On our first day in Normandy, we started at the Overlord Museum, which is full of great lifelike exhibits. Very impressive displays depict the D-Day operation and the fighting in the French countryside.

We booked a tour of Omaha Beach in a 1944 GMC Army truck with an entertaining tour guide. Driving the small roads to the German fighting positions, and down to Omaha Beach, gave a real sense of how difficult it must have been to move troops and equipment. All while the other side was trying to stop you.

After the tour, we visited Omaha Beach to walk on the sand and put our feet in the English Channel. It wasn’t hard to imagine the men getting off the troop transports, looking at the ground they had to cross, and the hills they had to climb, all under fire from the German troops defending Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

On the hill overlooking Omaha Beach is the beautiful and tranquil American cemetery, with views of the water. Military cemeteries are a remembrance of all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Back at Port-en-Bessin, we enjoyed the breezes off the sea, along with more seafood, gelato, and a real treat, freshly made and quickly eaten crepes.

Exploring Normandy

Following our list of monuments we wanted to see, we set out early the next day to drive north to Pointe du Hoc, to the US Army Ranger memorial. We walked along the top of the steep cliffs that the US Army Rangers scaled, seeing the bomb craters left over from the bombardment 81 years ago.

Another quick drive brought us to the Fière Bridge to see the memorials for the Paratroopers and the 8th Air Force. Nice and simple memorials, both for the “Mighty Eighth” with lifelike statues, and the Iron Mike statue overlooking the marshes and fields. Capturing the French countryside in this area, on our drive we saw a storks’ nest, built on top of a roadside crucifix.

To round out the day, we stopped in the city of Bayeux for lunch. Bayeux is another great home base in Normandy, a picturesque medieval city with a huge cathedral.

British Memorial

Out of all the beautiful and impressive memorials in Normandy, the British Memorial has an exhibit that really stands out. New as of last year, and only up from late spring through early fall, 1475 silhouettes march with heads down in a field of wild flowers overlooking Gold Beach. It is absolutely stunning to see.

Journey Home

It was time to head back and wrap up our travels. The Ibis in Compiègne makes a great overnight stop on the way back to Stuttgart, and they have air conditioning! We ate an “American meal” at the Buffalo Grill and enjoyed games of darts at the hotel game room. Home in Stuttgart, we brought our nephew to our local Irish pub, The Auld Rogue.

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We all had such a wonderful time traveling together! From the Bavarian Alps, through the French countryside, to putting our feet in the English Channel, using several high-speed trains and one Mini Countryman, we covered a lot of ground in a week. We loved our time visiting the beaches, battlefields, and breweries around Germany and France! And most of all, we loved spending time with our nephew!

Beaches, Battlefields, and Breweries

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