Discover Nuremburg, Germany by Deutsche Welle

Wagner on a Wednesday - Lohengrin Prelude

Inside the Opera House in Bayreuth, Germany

Bratwursts in Bayreuth, Germany

Watch "The MasterSingers of Nuremburg" live online from Bayreuth, Germany

Germany's annual opera festival devoted to the works of Richard Wagner has set a price and it's a high one — $77.

The festival will show opera live online for the first time during the performance of Die Meistersinger (The MasterSingers of Nuremberg) that opens the event July 27.

Only 10,000 will be able to sign up for the online video. There will also be a free viewing in the Bayreuth public square.

The concept is a new twist for the opera world, where companies are looking for ways to develop young audiences.

Read the entire story at CBCnews.

Riding the train in Germany with chocolate and sausages

Visiting Eremitage in Bayreuth, Germany

Riding the train in Germany

A Cathedral in Bayreuth, Germany

All in All

You're just another link in the chain...

A nice place to enjoy some wine

On the streets in Bayreuth, Germany

More New Year's Firework in Germany

Wahnfriend: the home of German composer Richard Wagner

The front of the home


The rear of the home

Learn more about Richard Wagner's home at Wahnfried.de.

Webbspun Ideas will be closed for Christmas and New Years.

We fly out tomorrow afternoon to Germany and so Webbspun Ideas will be closed for Christmas. We look forward to starting the new year with you all and hope Santa brings you all the gifts you wanted.

During this time of giving and receiving presents, remember to help the less fortunate and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

We'll be in the air most of the night so I wouldn't be surprised to find Santa flying past us as he delivers toys to all the girls and boys around the world. I look forward to bringing back pictures and video of our trip to share with you all.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night,
C. S. Webbspun

Pedestrian Pleasures: A Land of Fairy Tales and Nightmares

Jack Smith

Robb Report

The simple pleasures of Bavarian folk revels are a world apart from the elaborate displays that greet the hiker farther along Maximilian’s trail. As it continues eastward from Ruhpolding, the purple route winds past Chiemsee Lake (the largest lake in Bavaria) and the Herreninsel, where Maximilian’s son, Ludwig II, built his spectacular, though never completed, homage to Versailles. Farther along stands Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig’s grandfather, Ludwig I, built Bavaria’s first fairy-tale castle, and finally to the best-known of Ludwig II’s creations, Neuschwanstein (www.neuschwanstein.com). Ironically, the castle that has become the epitome of fairy-tale glitz was designed to blend in with its surroundings.

So, too, was another tourist attraction, the Kehlsteinhaus (www.kehlsteinhaus.de), in nearby Obersalzburg, though nothing about the place is inviting. The architecture is crude, the decor cold, and its history horrifying, for this, better known to Americans as the Eagle’s Nest, was Adolf Hitler’s hideaway, a mountaintop retreat blasted out of sheer rock that is more than 6,000 feet above sea level. The Eagle’s Nest was designed by Hitler lieutenant Martin Bormann, who presented it to Hitler in 1939 on the occasion of the führer’s 50th birthday. It was considered an engineering marvel of its day. Into the mountainside was carved a four-mile-long road that leads to a tunnel running several hundred feet into the mountain. At the end of the tunnel is a large brass elevator that rises 407 feet to the building. Every day now, thousands of tourists ride the elevator up to the house where Hitler entertained Mussolini and the Nazi elite. The main reception area, which looks out over the town of Berchtesgaden, now serves as a restaurant, and if—despite the view of Berchtesgaden below—the ambience is uniquely banal, it is also fitting.



It is not known whether Bormann’s creation scored points with Hitler, who rarely came to his mountain retreat except on official business, even after an elaborate bunker system with underground barracks and concealed machine gun and antiaircraft emplacements were added in 1942. No matter how impressive the engineering of the Eagle’s Nest, and regardless of the praise it evoked from his guests and the omnipotence his followers ascribed to him, Hitler routinely avoided mountaintops, for he had a fear of heights.


Read more in the Robb Report.

Enjoy Oktoberfest like a local

Karen Wolfe for The Associated Press

If you think your travel guidebook's phonetic tips for ordering a liter of beer are enough to get you through Oktoberfest without being labeled a Saupreusse (for genteel readers, a dumb tourist), maybe you should stay home.

That's because mastering a little Oktoberfest etiquette — such as learning where, when and how to eat and drink what — is key to experiencing Munich's two-week celebration of beer and Bavarian culture.

Consider wheat beers, for example. Clink the wrong end of the tall, fluted half-liter glasses they are served in and you may end up with a lap full of glass shards and beer. (Hint — toast with the bottom of the glass, which is thicker.)

Or the beer halls (Festhallen) themselves, each of which has its own vibe. If it's omp-pah you're after, you may want to skip the youthful crowd at the Schottenhamel tent (remember, beer is on tap at age 16 in Germany).

As a Munich native and veteran of numerous Oktoberfests, I've had plenty of opportunities to witness Americans' cultural stumblings (and plenty of them just stumbling drunk). So here's my survival guide to keep you from looking like a tourist.

The history
Despite its name, Oktoberfest begins in late September. This year — which marks the 174th anniversary of the annual festival — it runs from Sept. 22 to Oct. 7.

The event began in the early 1800s as a celebration to honor Bavaria and its royal family. Booths selling beer eventually were added, and by 1896 they had morphed into the now iconic beer tents.

Today, Oktoberfest is the largest folk festival in the world, and according to the Munich Tourist Office last year it saw more than 6.5 million visitors and served up nearly 7 million Mass, or liters, of beer.

The beer
The only beer on tap is that produced by Munich's six breweries — Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbraeu Muenchen, Loewenbraeu, Paulaner and Spaten-Franziskaner — each of which offers regular and special festival brews.

Everything is on draft, of course. The Oktoberfest brews, which are pale ales, tend to be light and sweet with low carbonation. But beware, these special brews also are about 6% alcohol, which is a higher alcohol content than the typical beer you buy in a bottle in the U.S.

And be prepared to drink up. With the exception of wheat beers, the beer is served just one way — in 1-liter steins costing about $11. But don't ask for a liter. Ask for a Mass, German for measure.

Other brews include traditional pale ales (Helles), dark ales or stouts (Dunkles) and wheat beers (Weissbier). For those who prefer their beer adulterated, there also are mixed drinks, such as a Radler, a mix of pale ale and lemon-lime soda.

Don't be surprised if you are asked to pay more than the menu price. To discourage people from taking off with the steins, you'll pay a deposit that will be refunded when you return the glass.

Speaking of steins, don't call them that. In Germany, it is a Krug.

As a rule, everyone at the table drinks together, and all glasses are "clinked" before drinking. Not making eye contact during this exchange is considered rude. The word for cheers is "Prost!"
The tents
Where to get the beer is all a matter of your scene. Beer tents are scattered throughout the Wies'n, or fairgrounds, and can accommodate thousands of people. They nevertheless fill up fast.
To get a table, arrive before noon, or make a reservation months in advance. Otherwise, it may be standing room only. Indoor and outdoor tables have wait staff, but anyone standing can order directly from the windows for beer and food.

Assuming you get a table, they are shared. If you find an empty seat, always ask before taking it — Ist hier noch frei? (Pronounced — East har nock fry?) If you're in luck, be sure to greet the others at the table — Gruss' Gott! (Grose Gott!)

Strangers often strike up conversations, so be prepared to tell people where you are from and answer questions about the U.S. Bavarians even have a word to describe someone met at Oktoberfest, a Wiesenbekanntschaft (don't bother trying).

The food
And, of course, beer cannot be enjoyed without the proper accompaniments, preferably in the form of hearty meats.

Start the day with a traditional Oktoberfest breakfast of Weisswurst (veal sausages with herbs), sweet mustard and Weissbier (no, it's not too early), all of which can be purchased at the beer tents.

Beer's most common sidekick — the large, doughy pretzels calls Brez'n — are sold from stands everywhere. Note that the heavy use of salt is no accident; after a few bites you'll want to drink more beer. The same is true of Steckerlfisch, whole freshwater fish smoked on a spit.

Rotisserie chickens — alternately referred to as Brathuhn, Brathendl, Hendl and Gickerl depending on the dialect — are served either as a whole or a half. Vinegar-based potato salad, cooked red cabbage (Blaukraut) and dumplings (Knoedel) made from stale rolls (Semmel) or pretzels are popular side dishes.

The afternoon snack (Brotzeit) is served on its own cutting board (Brotzeitbrettl) and generally consists of bread and cheese or cold cuts with radishes (Radi). A favorite is Obatzda, a cheese spread made from Camembert, butter, double cream, salt, paprika and white pepper.

For those with a sweet tooth, traditional Oktoberfest treats include candied almonds (gebrannte Mandeln) and gingerbread hearts (Lebkuchenherzen).


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Tearing Up the Stage at the Hofbrauhaus Munich