Monday, March 5, 2007

Hitler's Playground

After the Berlin fiasco, we went on to Nuremberg. I dread off-days, as the crew come up to me at least two days before demanding to know where the hotel is and what time we can check in. They are invariably dissatisfied. That coupled with my fragile state and near-sacking had been weighing heavily on my mind so I wasnt too happy when I rolled out of the bus to see it was 7.22 am and the check-in for 9 was not guaranteed. But it was already looking like a sunny day and I spotted my hotel-key in the bus lounge. Miracles do happen, kinder.
I skipped breakfast in favour of more sleep and forced myself up at 11 after a bit of TV. There's nothing like Al Jazeera to get you up and about.
Armed with my camera and PLO scarf I headed into the old town. It is such a joy just to be out in the sunshine after spending 16hours a day in ice-hockey arenas almost every day since Christmas. The old-town is a walled mini-city with a river running through it and a bank leading up to a castle dating from the 1200s or so. A bit like Durham but every other person isn't wearing a pashmeena and Ugg boots.

Hitler's Collosseum effort is clearly visible from the castle and so I headed back into town to get the tram there.

I spent the next two hours with what looked like a giant lollipop stuck to the side of my head, basically rehashing GCSE history, but with crowd effects and bigger photos. A lot of the plans were abandoned when it occurred to old Adolf that the rest of the world was getting a bit ratty about his persecution/slave labour/invasion of neighbouring countries. It's not like a museum in France or Holland where they stil have relics, as virtually all evidence was obviously cleared away, or hidden behind new brick-work on old SS-men's chimney-stacks. The comparisons between Hitler's Germany and Bush's America are a little disconcerting. The Reichstag fire, anyone?

Speer's architecture was pretty impressive. We went to the Zeppelin Field where they famously opened the Olympics and held the drive-past rallies. We marked the occasion with beers and cheesy photos.

The weird thing is, the US Army held their victory parade on the same ground, and as the closer, exploded the swastika on top of the building. I could picture the music - dan dah-dah-dah-dun-dah, KABOOM!!

3 comments:

Sunny Walks said...

OK when you're here in April you have to engage Caroline in a conversation about Hitler...she has a whole Hitler theory/argument thing.

It's genius, she's not into wiping out Jews or anything but trust me...it's comedy gold.

Just don't tell her I told you about it.

Monsterwork said...

What music is the "dan dan..." bit meant to be? I'm hearing those brassy punches just after Grand Moff Tarkin says "You may fire when ready" and the Imperial gunner pulls that lever that goes "BOOOOooooo..." then the Death Star explodes.

Daniel said...

actually it was more a loony-tunes kind-of vibe but i can see where you're going with it. "Adieu, Meine Kleine Garde Offizier" could also work, played with a bugle.