Nuernberg

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Because of the darn save-the-daylight thing, where they brought forward the time by 1 hour, I slept only for 4 hours and woke up to cold Sunday morning. Thankfully, the weather changed for the better into a sunny, balmy kind that raises one's spirit. Just perfect for a day of sightseeing :P

Nuernberg is a city in Bayern region as well (same region as Munich). It is a city that modernised but yet retain its authenticity in traditional German in terms of architecture and food. Also it is the city where a lot of the Nazi movements and the Nuernberg Trial of the Hitler's cabinet took place. So unlike Regensburg, this is not a peaceful little town, but a bustling city.

Surprisingly on a Sunday, the Hauptmarkt (meaning 'main market') was crowded in the afternoon, and some of the shops were actually open. In actuality, today is a special Sunday because there is celebration of Easter by the Easter Market, which is basically (almost EXACTLY) like our 'Pasar malam', with all the food and cheap utensils and porcelains and ornaments and what-have-yous. The smell of Nuernbergers and Wursts and basically food is usually what send me reeling with exhilaration. Haha, so I ate 3 Nuernbergers, a huge Bockwurst with bread and ketchup. This is REALLY fingers licking good! And they sure smell superb...

In addition to the Easter celebration, we have the birthday of the European Union (EU). Not that I care very much but oh well, it's worth mentioning.

Then we went to the Dokumentationszentrum, which showcases the Nazi movement particularly in Nuernberg before, during and after WWII. This is exceptionally interesting, like the Jewish museum (last picture) we went to the other time at Berlin, because not only is it educational, it is intriguing some of things revolving around the legendary Hitler. The museum itself is actually the site where the Nazi rallies took place. The entire place there was supposed to be a Nazi compound, adorned with the German stadium, barracks, administrative building, rally house etc, to cater to the architectural fancy of Hitler in his exhibition of power. The entire mammoth construction, at the expense of prisoners and victims (Jews and gypsies and the likes) was never totally completed. Thank God it didn't complete, else more people would have died in the process. 'Annihilation through labour' was something the Nazi came up with and that definitely was inhumane; not that alot of other concepts that arose from them was ever humane enough - euthanasia of 'alien individuals', the Holocaust, persecution of impure Germans: Jews, Sikhs, gypsies... Hitler's homogenization campaign was so insane but yet so palpable, the whole exhibition could send a cold shiver down your spine. But seriously it is a must-catch in Nuernberg. Check out a small writeup of the museum here.

Overall Nuernberg is a nice city to explore, one I haven't got the chance to finish discovering and a nice chill-out spot as well, only if the weather is as fine as today.