Prose when I am old

Notes on the trip to Europe: a scenic trip between China and Europe (1)

When the coach was driving on the expressway on the outskirts of Munich, I watched Mercedes-Benz and BMW fly by, and the scenery in front of me gradually became familiar. Although I have been to Europe many times, I am not as excited and curious as my companions when I first arrived. When I think of this carefully selected tour route, I still feel a little yearning. I hope this trip will bring some surprises. After all, this route brings together many places of interest in Europe and has beautiful scenery.

Arrival-Night outside Munich

It was getting dark, and our big station wagon drove past the edge of the city, headed for the suburbs, and finally stopped in front of a simple two-story building. It seems that this is a small village with dozens of Donde-style houses, one family and one hospital. The whole block is very quiet and clean. The country hotel we stayed in was very new and comfortable. I cleaned up briefly. Because of the time difference, I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk with my companions.

Walking on the silent street, the air is filled with an unknown fragrance of flowers, and all kinds of flowers blooming on the roadside are vaguely recognized in the night. It was spring in Europe, and I came to a beautiful city in a beautiful season. I couldn't help but stretch comfortably. I looked up and saw the Big Dipper hanging above my head, blinking.

I woke up early the next day. Even if my companion went abroad, I couldn't forget "morning exercise", so I put on loose clothes and ran out. The edge of this village is a piece of green farmland. We jogged on the ridge between the ridges, thinking and teasing. We don't do morning exercises at home, but run in the German countryside. However, the air here is really good in the morning. The houses and courtyards that were faintly visible last night are now clearly displayed in front of us. Tulips, roses and daffodils of various colors, with early morning dew, bloom quietly in every courtyard. I couldn't help taking out my camera and taking these beautiful flowers into the lens.

Southern Germany

A glimpse of the automobile capital

After bidding farewell to this beautiful small village, we came to the first stop of this trip-Stuttgart, an important town in southwestern Germany and the capital of Bavaria, also known as the "automobile capital". It is the hometown of the famous Mercedes-Benz automobile company and the headquarters of Porsche sports cars. The name Stuttgart comes from the German word "Stuttgart", which was once the horse farm of princes and nobles in ancient times. However, this once racetrack has developed into one of the largest cities in Europe with the most developed economy and the highest per capita output value. Because many world-famous big companies (such as IBM) have their German headquarters here, Stuttgart has become one of the cities with the highest per capita income and the lowest unemployment rate in Germany. It is said that many college students come here to work during school holidays.

Unfortunately, because it was Labor Day, the Mercedes-Benz Museum didn't open. We just looked at the appearance from a distance and went to the center of the old city. The old palace in the city center is the representative of the ancient buildings in Stuttgart, but it became a ruin in World War II. Now it was rebuilt after the war and is now the Bavarian Museum. Entering the Renaissance inner court of the Old Palace, a tall bronze knight statue stands quietly. Not far from the Old Palace is Schiller Square, which is said to be the racecourse of that year. In the center of the square is a statue of Schiller, a great German writer. /kloc-At the beginning of the 6th century, Duke Friedrich of Wü rttemberg entrusted Heinrich Schickhardt, a famous architect at that time, to complete the design and construction of Schiller Square. Now this square is the only one rebuilt in Stuttgart after the war.

Next to Schiller Square is the Palace Square, opposite to the new palace with strong colors in France, which is now the seat of the state government office. The Jubilee Monument stands in the Palace Square to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Emperor William I. This is a good place for local residents to get together and relax. Because of Labor Day, we just happened to catch the German Left Party holding an open-air rally on one side of the square. We only heard impassioned speech from the loudspeaker and didn't know what to say. But this does not affect the citizens who are resting and playing in the square at all. The old man walks the dog in the sun, and the mother takes the children and chases the frolicking children, which is in stark contrast to the passionate party.

Medieval towns were unwilling to return.

Traveling in Germany, you can not only enjoy its scenery, but also visit ancient castles, and an important stop in the journey is rothenburg, where the classic German tourism "Romantic Road" and "Castle Road" pass by and meet. The beautiful Taubel River surrounds this small town, and it is also the region with the most intact medieval style among all German cities.

The sunshine in Europe in early May is already very hot. When I bypassed the ancient city wall and walked on the cobblestone streets of the city, the strong sunshine blinded me. There are no trees by the roadside, so we try to walk in the shadow of the house. On both sides of the street are intact Gothic and Renaissance buildings: brown roofs and goose yellow exterior walls, all of which show bright colors because of reconstruction, just like the world in fairy tales under the cover of various flowers and plants. Every church, promenade, fountain and statue here has a history of at least seven or eight hundred years. The distinctive shop signs and windows on both sides of the street attracted me to stop. Of course, my camera is also very busy. The city hall in the center of the city is a Renaissance-style building in 13 century, but I prefer the teddy bear shop next to it, but the price is really amazing. Let's take a photo with the sign bear at the door. So cute!

Because Rottenberg is built on a mountain, the road is uphill, and with the high temperature of 30 degrees, it is a little breathless after walking for a while. It's a pity to visit an ancient city with a history of thousands of years in such a hurry. It is suitable to stay here for a few more days, carefully search for the glorious imprint of the past and taste the ancient rhyme of history. On my way back, I noticed a map showing the whole of Rotenberg. Although we only visited a small part of it, I was deeply impressed by the prosperity and classical style of this "Pearl on the Taubel River".

The station wagon started, and the medieval ancient city wall gradually disappeared from sight, but the most romantic German city, Rotenberg, became clear in my memory: the old streets, the snow milk balls in the window, the chocolate exterior wall patterns ...

A cursory visit to the financial center

After leaving the medieval town of rothenburg, we went to Frankfurt, the fifth largest German city. Although we changed planes here many times during our previous trip to Europe, we have also heard a lot about seeing is believing, a European financial center. Our trip naturally started from the old city. The guide first took us to Rome Square, which is the only square in Frankfurt that still retains the appearance of medieval streets. The buildings next to the square include City Hall, Cathedral, Romer Hall and St Nicholas's Old Church. In the center of the square, there is a statue of the goddess of justice with a portable balance. Imperial Cathedral, built in13rd century, has a 95m-high Gothic tower, where the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was elected and crowned.

Not far from the old square is Goethe's former residence, the former residence of the great German writer Goethe. This orange five-story building, the birthplace of Goethe, was destroyed by the war of World War II and rebuilt as a museum. It is said that Goethe finished the first drafts of Faust, The Trouble of Youth Maintenance and other famous works here.

Not far from the city center is a major river. Standing on the Eisnesteiger Bridge across the river and watching the river flow slowly, Frankfurt am Main has become an important financial and industrial center in Europe, with 8 skyscrapers in Germany 10.

Our hotel is close to Frankfurt Railway Station and less than ten minutes away from the Main River. In the evening, we strolled to a riverside restaurant. Several of us ordered the special cider and beer here, and enjoyed the night view on the other side while drinking. To tell the truth, the wine tastes good, and the waiter's attitude is more polite and patient. So when we are happy, we leave with more tips than usual. But I am not so happy when I go back to the hotel, because the hotel is on the roadside, close to the light rail and bus stop, and the rumble of cars passing by all night. Everyone is complaining about not sleeping well in the morning.

Swim the Rhine.

Although we didn't have a good rest the night before, the next morning when we approached St. Gauillard, a beautiful town on the Rhine, everyone was excited, because the romantic trip to the Rhine would start here. The cruise ship hasn't arrived yet, so we took a stroll in the town first. This is a very typical German town built on a hillside. There are many shops selling tourist souvenirs in the street. I was attracted by one of them, because there was a brown bear standing at the door, which was also a store selling teddy bears. Speaking of teddy bears, Germany is the authentic "hometown of bears". The logo of this store shows that they sell the most famous teddy bear manufacturing company in Germany (Stafford).

We finally set sail. It's good to come early. There was only a group of tourists on the whole ship, and everyone went to the top of the ship to grab the best position to enjoy the scenery. The journey from Saint Goa to Boppard is the essence of the trip to the Rhine. In spring, the trees on both sides of the river are lush, and elegant small buildings with red roofs and white walls are dotted among them. The breeze blew and the Rhine was sparkling. While enjoying the natural beauty, I included the beautiful images of several famous castles on the top of the river: Rhine Castle, Katz, Mao Sturm and so on. The boat walked slowly. I close my eyes from time to time and feel the breeze on the river, so time passes unconsciously. Finally, the ship stopped at the Bopard pier at the U-bend of the Rhine River, which is said to have the best riverside promenade along the Rhine River.

Stroll through the university town

On the way to Heidelberg, the tour guide said that the city survived the air raid in World War II because many senior generals of the US Air Force graduated from here, so she was deliberately erased from the air raid map. Fortunately, Heidelberg University was founded in 1386, but it is one of the oldest universities in Germany. Since16th century, Heidelberg has become the center of German art, culture and religious reform, and many world-renowned scholars and philosophers have graduated from it.

The center of the old city of Heidelberg consists of Heiliggeist Kirche, the city square and a "Knight Hotel" with a history of thousands of years, which is mainly a place where tourists gather. There are some outdoor cafes on both sides of the street leading to the old city, and many young people like students drink coffee and chat in twos and threes. Crossing the old city along the river, you can reach the famous Alte Bridge. This bridge over the Neckar River has two minarets, which are solemn, simple and beautiful. Looking into the distant mountains from the bridge, you can see Heidelberg, which was built in the 3rd century A.D./KLOC-0, and stands on the Grape Field Mountain with a height of 200 meters. It is said that it took 400 years to complete. At that time, it was the residence city of the Rhine Federation of the Holy Roman Empire. Looking north of the Rika River, a path twists and turns. This is the famous "philosopher's road", named after many great thinkers and philosophers often walk on this road and talk about profound problems. It is said that this place is a good place to watch the sunset.

Visit "Schwarzwald" in the rain.

As the name implies, the "black forest" should be "black", but it is not black as imagined, but a dark green mountain forest. This season is a season of changeable weather in Europe. The drizzle made the whole mountain and lake area look gloomy. Due to the weather, there are few tourists. We got off the bus, walked for nearly ten minutes to DIDISEE, the largest artificial lake in Germany, and boarded a cruise ship. The whole lake is about two square kilometers. Only our boat is driving alone in the windy and drizzling rain, and the surrounding forest is silent, and some can be seen occasionally by the lake.

Back to the shore, we went to visit the local specialty "cuckoo clock" manual workshop. This is the origin of the clock, where the cuckoo will jump out to tell the time. After watching the production process, it is quite complicated, but I am not interested in this "noisy" clock. I call every hour. How noisy! However, another local specialty caught my attention, that is "hat". This hat has many meanings here. For example, the kind worn by unmarried girls is covered with many pompoms, while married women don't have this kind of decoration. So I chose a doll wearing a big red fluffy ball hat and local traditional costumes, adding a lovely collection to my "doll" family.

Because the temperature in the mountainous area is lower than that in the city, coupled with the rain and the chill, everyone shivers with cold and wraps their collars tightly. Fortunately, our lunch was arranged in a restaurant by the lake. As soon as we entered the door, the warm candlelight immediately drove away all the chill. We sat at a table with thick benzene and solid oak, listening to elegant music, drinking mellow coffee and eating the special roast pork chops here, and then our mood gradually improved.

the rhine falls

Rhine Waterfall, known as the largest waterfall in Europe, is just a "dam" with a drop of only 23 meters and a width of 150 meters. Compared with other waterfalls I saw in China, it is much less imposing, but it is still a masterpiece of nature for a small and beautiful Europe. We stayed here for 20 minutes, and I took many photos of this "dam" from all angles, but when I went back and rushed out, it felt really ordinary.

Go to Switzerland

After leaving Rhine Falls, we headed for Switzerland, which is the junction of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It took about an hour to get to Delhi checkpoint. While waiting for customs clearance, I noticed that there was a tall, blonde "beautiful" policeman in Germany. He proudly instructed a car to pull over and then went up for questioning. I think the searched young man must feel "lucky" to be questioned by such a beautiful policewoman. Anyway, we must be "lucky". However, our driver seems to have some trouble and stayed at the checkpoint for almost half an hour before coming out. When he got back to the car, he looked very unlucky. Only after asking did I know that he was found to have violated the rules in Switzerland last year, but he didn't pay the fine. So he doubled the punishment when he checked the records this time. The laws of these European countries are really strict, which can be seen.

The car has entered Switzerland, and the scenery on both sides has begun to show a different scene from that in Germany: the roads here are not as wide as those in Germany, and there are rolling mountains on both sides of the roads (Switzerland is at the foot of the Alps). In this season, golden rape blossoms are everywhere on the green hillside, and occasionally a few black and white cows can be seen grazing leisurely. A small house with white walls and a gray triangular roof stands at the foot of the mountain. If it weren't for the smoke curling up in the room, I really thought I was in Xanadu.

The picturesque Lucerne.

Lucerne is a small town, and you can visit the main attractions in the city on foot. Let's visit the "Lion Monument" here first, which is actually a small park. A dying lion was carved on a boulder under the shade of green trees, facing a green lake. It is said that it was built to commemorate more than 700 Swiss mercenaries who died in the 1792 Paris Revolution to protect King Louis XVI. Having said that, it is necessary to mention the history of Switzerland. In the past, Switzerland was very poor and lacked resources. In order to make a living, Swiss men have to go out as mercenaries. After the Paris Revolution, the Swiss realized that the country must be strong to get rid of the fate of being a mercenary. Therefore, the industrious Swiss have developed precision industry (watchmaking), finance and tourism, which have low demand for energy and are not labor-intensive. After several generations of efforts, Switzerland has become one of the richest countries in the world. I studied this lifelike sculpture, thinking that the beautiful and rich countryside people saw today had such a tragic past, and I not only lamented the Swiss people's efforts to change their destiny.

The landmark of Lucerne is the capel wooden bridge with eaves. This covered bridge is exquisite and unique, with a water tower in the middle. It is said that there used to be prisoners in the tower, which is quite interesting. There is a triangle painting on the beam of the bridge eaves. When I come to the other side of the bridge, I intend to take a panoramic picture of the bridge. At this moment, a ray of sunshine suddenly appeared in the cloudy sky, and the clouds on the mountain gradually faded away, and a white mountain peak appeared in front of me, as if it were close at hand. I didn't know it was the famous Pilatus 2120m snow mountain in the Alps until the clouds came again. The spectacular scenery is unforgettable for life. I looked at the snow-capped mountains in front of me for a long time.

Lucerne is also the hiding place of my favorite actress Audrey Hepburn. Her nobility, purity and natural beauty are unique. Now I can finally understand why Audrey settled here. On the one hand, it is a quiet and pure town, on the other hand, it is a towering snow-capped mountain, clear lakes (four forest lakes), and several snow-white swans swim on the lake, just like a fairyland in the picture. Audrey's arrival must have added a little aura to the city.

Another famous feature of this city is that it is the Swiss watch center and the headquarters of Rolex and Omega. The clock shop in the city center is crowded with Asians, especially tourists from China. In recent years, the European economy has been depressed, and Asian tourists are basically supporting the survival of these expensive luxury goods industries, so the watch shop has specially arranged waiters who can speak Chinese. But I am an exception, because I want to enjoy the lakes and mountains here in a limited time. Shopping is only an accessory to travel, not to mention a famous watch that I can't afford.

After passing a Hofkirche with a beautiful steeple, I strolled along the old block and sometimes stopped at some small shops selling local handicrafts to choose one or two interesting souvenirs (I found a lovely cowbell), so I spent a wonderful afternoon in this town.

Quiet country night

In the evening, we came to a quiet village at the foot of the mountain and experienced family hotel accommodation in Switzerland. The hotel is a two-story building. The facilities in the house are simple, but neat. Although the night in the mountains is a little cold, the excitement of the newcomers is still not over. Everyone came out in twos and threes, and the small village at night suddenly became lively.

In the dim moonlight, we headed for the White Church, the highest point in the village. I don't know how many towns and villages I passed during this trip, and I found one thing in common: the tallest building, big or small, must be the church, and the sharp bell tower spire is like a road sign, telling us that we have arrived at another town/village. I walked around the chapel, and it was getting dark. On my way back, I passed a cemetery. Although I felt a little "dark and windy", I couldn't help but be curious and get up the courage to go in. It should be the residents of this village who sleep here. I noticed that most of the dates of birth and death on the tombstones are over 90 years old, and some people have lived for 100 years. I think the fresh air in the Alps and the simple lifestyle in the mountains should be the mystery of Swiss longevity.

A trip to the high mountains and snowy mountains

One fifth of the majestic Alps is in Switzerland. If you travel to Switzerland, you can't call it Switzerland without snow-capped mountains, and this trip we are going to the famous Tierlish Mountain in central Switzerland. It was raining lightly in the morning, and I put on all the clothes I could wear, but at the foot of the snowy mountain, a chill came, and I immediately felt the breath of winter, so cold!

The Tielix Snow Mountain is 3020 meters above sea level, and there are three cable cars leading to the top of the mountain along the way, especially the third 360-degree rotating cable car with unique design. As the cable car slowly rises, all the scenery on the ground is shrinking, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance are becoming more and more clear. When riding the "revolving cable car", this circular crane, which can accommodate more than 20 people, starts. At this time, the scenery outside my window seems to be moving. A closer look reveals that the "floor" under your feet can be rotated. Ironically, there is a thick fog on the cable car glass. In order to enjoy the beautiful scenery outside the window, tourists clean their own glass as soon as they enter the cable car. Because it is cloudy, the fog on the mountain is big and thick, and there is nothing outside the window, which is a pity.

Finally I reached the top of the mountain, and I couldn't wait to rush to the observation deck. Unexpectedly, a cold wind rolled snowflakes, surrounded by snow, and people and things within 10 meters could only be vaguely recognized in the dense fog, and my heart suddenly cooled down. The famous snow mountain turned out to be like this. I can't see anything. The sub-zero temperature outside forced me to stay for less than ten minutes and ran in. But soon I found a very interesting place, that is, the ice cave in the Glacier Grottoes and the eternal ice cave in Tieli Snow Mountain. It's like a maze here Lighting devices installed on both sides of the channel hit the ice with various colors of light. The whole hole is like a colorful world. I just looked around curiously like Alice in Wonderland. Suddenly, there was a huge thunder, lightning and thunder, and the surrounding lights dimmed. These sound effects truly reproduce the environment of glacier explorers in those days, but there was no one around, which was quite creepy and scared me to escape.

You'll be hungry if you turn enough. When I came to the cafe here, I ordered a cup of Tex coffee (that is, a cluster of cream floated on the coffee, symbolizing the peak of the snow-capped mountains), sat down by the window, generally enjoying the beautiful scenery of the snow-capped mountains outside the window and sipping strong coffee. Really comfortable!

Tallis Snow Mountain is also a famous Swiss ski resort. Although it is not skiing season now, I saw one or two skiers jumping lightly under our feet on the downhill cable car. There is no extra charge for skiing here, just buy a lift ticket like us. (continued)