Category Archives: Bavaria

Bavaria, holidays

A few days in Bavaria… part one

Over the past week, Bill, his mother, Parker, and I have been hanging out in Würzburg, a beautiful town in the Franconia region of Bavaria. When Parker comes to visit us from Texas, we typically spend a few nights at home, then go somewhere for a few days. It gives Parker a chance to see more of Europe, and me a chance to write some content for my travel blog. Since we moved back to Germany in 2014, Parker has visited three times. The first time was in 2017, and we took a “blind booking” flight to Berlin from Stuttgart. The second time was in January 2020, and we went to Alsace, France. This time, it was Würzburg.

I had originally meant for us to go to Bamberg, another beautiful town in Franconia, known for its architecture and Rauchbier. It took a long time to come to that decision, only to change my mind, because I couldn’t find the right accommodations. I could have booked two hotel rooms at one of Bamberg’s hotels, or I could have booked an apartment. But most of what I found during my searches had some major drawbacks, such as a lack of parking or lots of stairs. Parker has had both hips replaced, so it’s not ideal for her to have to climb a lot of stairs.

I thought maybe we’d do better in Nuremberg, a city I’ve never seen, but Bill and Parker had both visited in the 80s. But then I realized that I’d get bogged down in Nuremberg, as there are a lot of museums there that I thought we’d want to visit. I really wanted to visit Bamberg, even if it was just for a day. 

Then, I noticed Würzburg mentioned on a travel Web site. Located roughly halfway between Nuremberg and Frankfurt, it, too, has a lot to offer. The city, which is the third largest in Franconia, is also located relatively close to our home of Wiesbaden. It only takes about 90 minutes to get there from Wiesbaden by car, if traffic isn’t too heavy. There’s also an easy train connection from Frankfurt. 

When I saw the winery, Weingut am Stein, offering a rental house on the edge of a vineyard, I decided to book it. For about what I would have paid for four nights of two hotel rooms, breakfast, and parking, I got a 1100 square foot house with a fireplace, kitchen, parking, and a beautiful view of the city. Adding to the appeal was the included wine tasting in the winery’s degustation room. With Bill’s approval, I booked the house through Expedia.com, and was delighted when the transaction went through smoothly. As I’ve discovered over the years, booking lodging sometimes results in fraud alerts on my credit cards.

I would have probably chosen to go further afield, but again– I needed a special place to stay. I also would have preferred to visit during a different month, but February was when Parker could visit us. I’m sure Würzburg is even better during the other seasons, when the weather is much more agreeable than it was during our visit. 

Bill, Parker, and I set off for Würzburg on the afternoon of February 5th. It was sunny and mild, and Bill had already taken Noyzi to the Birkenhof Tierpension, which is one of his favorite places to visit. It would have been nice to bring Noyzi with us, but he takes up the whole back end of our Volvo, and the rental house didn’t allow pets. We stopped at a rest area to have lunch at Nordsee, and arrived in Würzburg at about 3:30 PM, right in line with the 3 PM check in time at the house. 

Seen in the ladies room at the Rastplatz… if your pee burns, there’s a medication that can help. I’ll keep this in mind… along with the word “Pippipausen”.  

A strikingly pretty young woman greeted us and showed us the house, then booked our wine tasting, which was included in the rental fee. Then she invited us to come back to the tasting room for a welcome glass of wine. Weingut am Stein’s tasting room is very impressive, and the winery itself is on a hillside, which offers arresting views of Würzburg’s many landmarks. Bill and Parker tried Sylvaner wines, while I enjoyed a Riesling. We later found out at our wine tasting that Weingut am Stein specializes in Sylvaners, which is a somewhat less popular style in these parts. Bill and I had tried them before at wine tastings when we lived near Stuttgart. But those Sylvaners had come from France, not Germany.

Below are some photos I took after our arrival. Unfortunately, the weather was not nearly as nice during the rest of our stay in Würzburg, but we made the best of it…

The outside of the rental house.
This was a restaurant, but they had to close it due to a lack of help.
Outside of the tasting room.
Living room, complete with freshly cut tulips.
Fully equipped kitchen area, except there is no microwave.
Another side of the living room. The chairs can fold out, and there is a large, comfortable couch.
Parker’s bedroom.
Office… this also has a fold out couch for more sleeping options.
The second bedroom. It overlooks the vineyard.
A fancy gate…
A view of a vineyard from the tasting room.
Another view from the tasting area.
Inside the tasting room where we had a welcome glass of wine.
Another shot of the tasting room. I was trying to avoid taking pictures of anyone not involved with our trip.
View from the bedroom.
Zoomed in shot of one of Würzburg’s many beautiful churches.
And another…

I forgot to take photos of the two bathrooms in the house. Both are located upstairs. Only one of the bathrooms has a shower. The house also has a basement, but there was nothing in it but firewood for the small fireplace, which we never got around to trying. The fridges were stocked with Gerolsteiner water and a variety of wines from the winery. There were a couple of reds, several whites, and a couple of sparkling wines, all of which could be purchased and paid for at checkout. I think the water was complimentary.

Located nearby is a bakery, that Bill said also offered some basic incidentals like eggs, jam, and milk. He had to walk up and down stairs to get to the bakery. The train station is very close, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to walk there from the house, as it’s near a rather busy roadway without sidewalks. I would recommend having a car if you wish to book this house. The winery is very close to downtown Würzburg, but it’s not very safe or convenient to walk there from Weingut am Stein. 

I spent about $1700 four comfortable nights at Weingut am Stein’s guest house. We did not have to pay a deposit or any other fees, other than for the many bottles of wine we consumed over our four night stay. The house was also fully equipped with sheets, towels, and other basic essentials.  

After we got settled at the guest house, Bill, Parker, and I went into Würzburg for dinner. Bill found a restaurant called Wirtshaus am Dom, which is located right next to the cathedral. Although the restaurant is listed on OpenTable.de, Bill decided to just walk in, after we parked at Würzburg’s impressive Residenz. 

As you might have guessed, Wirtshaus am Dom specializes in hearty Bavarian fare and beer. Right next door is L’Ostreria, an Italian chain restaurant, for those who would rather have pizza or pasta. Or, you could just keep walking, where you’ll encounter lots of other restaurants. There are lots of choices in Würzburg, and plenty of young people, as Würzburg is a college town.

We sat down at a comfortable table and enjoyed a delicious dinner, consisting mostly of pork… and excellent Bavarian draft beers. Below are a few photos. We all agreed the highlight of dinner was the dessert, which we all shared with Parker, as we were too stuffed to each order desserts for ourselves. I think Bill spent about 90 euros for the three of us. The entrees each ran around 20 euros, give or take a euro, plus we had four beers, two espressos, and dessert.

I had pork with a crispy crust, dark beer gravy, and potato dumplings
Bill had veal meatballs with asparagus and smoked mashed potatoes.
Parker had a veal schnitzel with a salad.
And the best part– dessert! These were hot, battered, fried apple slices with powdered sugar and a side of vanilla ice cream. They were absolutely delicious!

After dinner, we walked back to our parking spot at the Residenz. I was struck by how majestic the building is, and how much went into building it. This city is impressive, day or night… 

The Residenz at night…
Taken from the guest house…
Zoomed in of the Marienburg Fortress…

Not only is the Residenz incredibly beautiful, but it also offers convenient parking near the downtown area. I wish I could tell you we toured it, but we never got around to visiting the Residenz, partly because we were preoccupied by other major life events, which I’ll explain in a forthcoming post. Anyway, Bill and I live somewhat close to Würzburg, and I think we’ll visit the region again. I hope we’ll have a chance to tour the Residenz then.  

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Bavaria, blog news

Yes, I spell like an American… Have you got a problem with that?

Today, Bill’s mom is coming to visit us for a week. Bill is about to leave the house to go pick her up from the airport, as her flight will arrive in about an hour. Her last visit was in 2020, so it’s been awhile. I genuinely like Bill’s mom, so this should be a good time. 

Monday, we’re going to be heading out of town for the work week, but we’re not going far. I’ve booked us a rental house at a winery in Würzburg, which is only about a 90 minute drive from Wiesbaden. But we will be in Bavaria (Bayern), rather than Hesse.

I don’t have a lot to report about this trip right now, except to say that we’re probably also going to take a day trip to Bamberg, which is an hour away by train. Or, maybe we’ll drive there. I would have liked to stay there, but the lodging in Würzburg is better suited to bringing along a guest. We could have gotten two hotel rooms for the same cost of renting a small house. Both cities are noted for their beautiful architecture. I expect we’ll enjoy some Rauchbier (smoked beer), too. 

Today, I want to very briefly address something I noticed when I was dumping the (very full) spam folder this morning. Someone with a British Web (spam) address left a spam comment that they “enjoyed my content”, but it’s “rife with spelling errors” that makes it hard for them to read. My guess is that this person didn’t read much more than the title of the blog, which is indeed, spelled correctly with just one “l” in “traveling”. Why? Because I am an AMERICAN, and I spell like an AMERICAN. Or maybe this person just wants to be an asshole. 

Do not criticize my spelling. There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m just not a British subject. You cringe when you see me leave out letters and use a z instead of an s. I cringe when you use an s instead of a z and use more letters than you really need. It is what it is. If you don’t like my American spelling, you’re free to read or SPAM a British person’s blog. I don’t mind criticism where criticism is warranted. But there is nothing wrong with an American person using American spelling on a personal blog. In fact, if my American spelling really makes it harder for spammers to leave annoying trash comments, so much the better. ;)

And please don’t spam my blog, either… because it’s a complete waste of time. :D

That’s all.

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Bavaria, booze tourism

With a mere flip of a coin…

Yesterday, Bill and I decided where we will be visiting next. Bill’s mom, Parker, is coming to visit us during the first full week of February. As is our habit, we are taking her on a short trip. Last time she visited, we went to Alsace, in France. The time before that, we were in Berlin. When she visited during our first Germany tour, we went to Oberstaufen, near the Austrian border…

This time, we decided we wanted to go to Bamberg, a Franconian city in Bavaria known for its smoked beer and fabulous architecture that wasn’t ruined in World War II. I had heard a lot about the town over the years, but never got the opportunity to plan a visit. But, we have four nights… and Bamberg isn’t a big town. A lot of people spend a weekend there and are good with it. So I thought maybe it would be better to go to Nuremberg, which is about a 40 minute train ride away from Bamberg… I started looking for properties that would accommodate us.

Then I realized that Nuremberg might be overwhelming. It has a lot of fabulous museums, and a beautiful downtown area. But a lot of its original buildings were destroyed in World War II. I also figured that if we went to Nuremberg, we might never get around to Bamberg.

So then I thought maybe we should visit Würzburg, which is also a well-known Franconian town in Bavaria, with lots of history, beautiful buildings, and wine! Würzburg is about an hour train ride from Bamberg. At that point, we decided to take Nuremberg off the table for this trip and focus on Bamberg and Würzburg, which is only about a 90 minute drive from where we live.

I spent several days agonizing… because I really wanted to see Bamberg, but the more I read about Würzburg, the more I figured it was worthy of a visit, too. And then I saw a very attractive rental property, which I thought would be great for us. Weingut Am Stein is a functioning winery that has a guest house next to the vineyard. It’s very close to the train station, offers parking, and we’d have separate bedrooms. I went looking for something similar in Bamberg and, although I found a couple of appealing hotels, I found that booking two hotel rooms in a nice place would cost about as much as the house would.

Still… I wanted to be fair, so Bill and I flipped a two euro coin. Heads for Bamberg– tails for Würzburg. Bill flipped, and we got tails. So I booked the guest house for four nights. Truth be told, I’m not surprised it worked out this way. The minute I saw that property on Expedia, I had a feeling I’d end up booking it. Although the idea of staying in a cozy hotel with a nice restaurant is very appealing, it’s not so practical. I also heard that Bamberg is best when you just want to relax and take in the atmosphere. February isn’t exactly Biergarten weather, but I could totally see us holing up in a wine bar. The guest house is right next to the Weingut, which has a wine bar and a restaurant (which I hope will be open). 

We will visit Bamberg on this trip, and if it’s as enchanting as everyone says, Bill and I will plan to visit it properly at a later date. I do like the smoked beer… have had it before, but it would be nice to try it fresh from the brewery. We can do that on this visit. We’ve already been to Rothenburg, which is another Franconian town that is very tourist friendly. But my German friend, Susanne, says that we should visit Bayreuth, too. Sigh… yet another town to add to the list of places to go!

I did watch some videos to help inform me. And I look forward to writing up this trip and collecting a lot of photos. Both towns are notably beautiful, and not actually that far from Wiesbaden. So stay tuned!

I like this guy’s channel. He’s done some great videos about German towns!

And one or two about Würzburg…

It sure is nice to have this problem. We’re definitely spoiled for choices as to where to go on short breaks. I wish we had another day or two, so we could properly do both towns. I did consider booking hotels for two nights each in both towns, but the house at the vineyard just seemed too appropriate. I don’t like booking a house for two nights, either. Anyway… it’s bound to be a blast! I think it will go down as a great trip… but then, most of our trips are awesome. I may not be the world’s most successful person, but I have managed to have a lot of fun in Europe with the best travel companion, ever!

Special thanks to Christian Horvant on Wikipedia for allowing public domain use of his photo of the Marienberg Castle in Würzburg. I look forward to taking some of my own photos when I visit, but I doubt we’ll have such pretty weather!

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Bavaria, short breaks

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Part six– Ten things I learned!

Whenever I visit a new place, I like to make a list of ten things I learned to sum everything up.  We only got a few short days in Rothenburg, but I feel like I know more now than I did on Friday.  So here’s a list of ten things I know now that I didn’t know a week ago.

Damn right.

10.  Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a must see if you are posted/based in Germany!

Seriously… it’s tragic that we never got to this town when we were here the first time.  It’s also tragic that it’s taken over three years this time to make it there.  It’s absolutely a gorgeous town… probably one of the coolest places I’ve found in Germany yet.  And I am developing quite a list of “cool German towns”, too.  Yes, it’s a tourist destination, but if you go during the low season, you can enjoy low prices and smaller crowds.  It’s also at the top of the Romantic Road, which makes it a prime spot to start a German themed road trip.  Summer vacation anyone?

9.  You didn’t want to break the law during medieval times!

The folks who lived in Rothenburg were God fearing, churchgoing people and if you were immoral, they would take it out of your ass… possibly literally!  A visit to the Criminal Museum is a must if you want to know more.  It’s very extensive and well done and all of the explanations include English translations.  Afterwards, you can visit the cafeteria for coffee and a Schneeball.

8.  Huge Asian tour groups like to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course… it just might help to be prepared because even in January, there were a lot of them visiting and they tend to travel in large groups.

7.  Being inside of Rothenburg’s walls can make you feel like you’re in a different time and place.

As we were leaving Rothenburg this morning, I remarked to Bill that once we drove out of the walled area, it was back to normal life in Germany.  There’s nothing wrong with that, either, but it is a bit strange after you’ve been surrounded by medieval charm for a few days.  Rothenburg is a super cute town and it will make you forget what century you’re in.

6.  Rothenburg is great for families and besties, as well as romantic couples.

If I had girlfriends to go on trips with, I would put Rothenburg on the list of places to see.  It’s really got a lot of appeal, especially if you like shopping and eating in restaurants.  A girl could have a field day finding cute stuff to feather the ‘ol nest with.  Fortunately, Bill is a good sport.  If you want to, you can take an English tour of the city.  It starts at eight o’clock every night and costs eight euros.  We didn’t do it this time, but if we have a chance to go back, we will definitely take the tour and learn more about the city and its fascinating history.

5.  Rothenburg is not far away from Stuttgart.

If you really wanted to, you could simply spend a day there.  It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to get there from the Stuttgart area, depending on traffic and what part you’re coming from.  The ride is almost all on the Autobahn.  It would make a great day trip for those so inclined, although frankly I would rather spend the night, or really, the whole weekend.

4.  Anno 1499 is a great place to stay, especially if you have dogs.  

I may end up kicking myself for telling everyone about it.  I have a feeling it’s going to be booked a lot in the coming weeks.  I am adding it to my list of places I can go when I have to get out of Stuttgart.

3.  You can buy Scottish goods in Rothenburg.  You can also buy “Schneeballen”.

I know the Germans love Scotland and so do I.  It’s nice to know I don’t have to go there if I need a retail fix, although I always love having a reason to go to one of my ancestral homelands.  After shopping for Scottish duds, it’s fun to eat one of the locally made “Schneeballen”, a ball shaped pastry known and produced in the area.

2.  There is a fantastic sushi restaurant in Rothenburg.

And if you want to eat at Louvre Japanese Restaurant, particularly during the busy months or on Friday or Saturday nights, you should make a reservation.  It’s a popular place with limited seating and absolutely delicious, fresh food.  There are apparently other great restaurants we missed this time.  I will have to rectify that next time we have a chance to visit.

1.  It costs 1.200 euros to get your name on the wall of the city…  

Or so my German friend, Susanne, says…  I trust her, because she’s proven time and again that she’s a quick, diligent, and accurate researcher.

 
I wish we’d had a chance to visit “Hell”…  Yesterday was their Ruhetag, though.  Despite the devilish theme, they get great ratings.  Next time we visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we will make a point to stop in.  It’s very close to the Criminal Museum, which you can’t miss.
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Bavaria, short breaks

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Part five– Sadistic punishments and one last dinner!

We were finished with lunch at the Louvre Japanese Restaurant just around the time the Criminal Museum opened for the afternoon.  During the low season, it’s only open for a few hours in the afternoon.  However, if you have any interest in crime and punishment, especially during the medieval era, I would highly recommend visiting the Criminal Museum.  It’s very large and extensive.  We spent over an hour in there and we didn’t read everything.  If you take your time and read all there is, you can easily spend a couple of hours looking at exhibits and learning about the ways people of a bygone era dealt with those who committed offenses.

Below are some pictures I took of some of the more interesting exhibits.  Suffice to say, you had to stay on a straight and narrow path to avoid being publicly humiliated, tortured, or executed.

The outside of the museum.  It’s connected to a church and we heard the organ playing as we passed it before the museum opened.

Pillories, where many people were forced to endure public shaming.
“Paddy wagons” with bars on them.
This is a spiked chair– obviously a torture device for people who needed correction.

Throughout the museum, there were cool little exhibits that reminded me of dollhouses.  They showed how people were punished.  Another showed how kids in school were disciplined.

The two above pictures were taken in the very extensive exhibit about the original Martin Luther and the many witch hunts that took place in medieval times.

An executioner’s cloak.

A drunk tank.  Men who drank too much were forced to wear this barrel, sometimes weighted down for extra punishment.

One of many masks worn by people who needed to be shamed.  This one was an especially nasty one.

The above photos depict an exhibit showing how children in school were punished.

 

An iron maiden.

As a musician, I got a kick out of this device, meant to shame bad musicians.

Admission to the museum is 7,50 euros per adult.  I thought it was well worth the price because it’s so extensive and everything is translated into several languages.  It looked like a number of young kids were also enjoying the exhibits.  We ran into one couple who were telling their sons about the double “violins” people wore that basically yoked two people together who couldn’t get along.  They were forced to wear the device until they stopped fighting.

Another exhibit explained how couples who fought could be shamed.  If a man let his wife beat him, the roof of his house could be torn off.  He and his wife would be publicly punished and they were forced to give their neighbors a tankard of wine.  Premarital sex was also a no no and violators were publicly shamed.  They weren’t allowed to marry in a church.  Instead, they had to marry in an inn.  Later, the husband would go to jail while the wife spent some time in a pillory.

After the Criminal Museum, we went back to Anno 1499 and enjoyed a little CNN and a brief rest.  Bill got some love from our dogs, who were enjoying getting to vacation with us.

Zane isn’t much of a kisser, but when he does kiss you, he does it on the nose.

We decided to have dinner in town, even though I was kind of full from lunch.  Originally, we were going to try an Italian place we saw on Saturday.  I kind of wish we’d done that, since it was rated #1 on Trip Advisor.  Instead, we went to a German restaurant at Hotel Reichskuechenmeister, a place about a block from the Marktplatz.  On the way there, I took more pictures…

More Schneeballen and other baked goodies.

This time of year is nice, if only because it’s dead on a Sunday night and I can get some good night pictures.

Stop right here!  Your dream job (at a bank) awaits!

We decided to eat at the Hotel Reichskuechenmeister because it smelled good.  When we walked inside, I could see the place was pretty full, which is always a good sign.  A waiter opened a small dining room on the side for us.  Although I was tempted by a pasta dish with scallops and shrimps, I decided to have fried carp.  Bill went with goulash made with venison.

Substantial salad I shared with Bill.  It came with my fish.

Bill listens intently as I flap my gums at him.  He’s a good sport.  I had to use the ladies room, which involved taking the elevator to where the guest rooms are.  I guess their public restrooms are being renovated or something because they had what looked like a tiny single hotel room set up as a WC.  They placed a Schrank so that you couldn’t access the room, but I could see it was very small and had a traditional Bavarian twin sized bed in it.

I enjoyed the presentation of my fried carp.  It was position to look like it was jumping out of water.  It tasted good, too… very fresh.  However, there were a lot of bones.

Bill liked his hearty goulash, which included cranberry sauce and spatzle, as well as the dreaded mushrooms I hate.  He had a dark beer with his dinner while I had a glass of locally produced Sylvaner, a crisp white Riesling.

Outside by the front door…  I think we spent about fifty euros on dinner.  It was a pleasant experience.  Next time, we will have to visit the Italian place where we were originally headed.

And a few more window displays…

My last post in this series will be my traditional “what I learned” post…  Stay tuned!

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Bavaria

Rothenburg ob den Tauber: Part four– Sushi, Sunday services, and sunshine!

Sunday morning, we woke up feeling great.  Because we took it easy Saturday night, we were well-rested.  My little dietary indiscretion at Roter Hahn successfully ran its course (literally) and as a bonus, we had sunshine!  One of Bill’s co-workers told him about a great sushi restaurant called Louvre, located in Rothenburg.  It’s been ages since we last had sushi and even longer since we got to enjoy it while sitting in a restaurant.  I knew I didn’t want anything heavy for lunch, so Louvre seemed like the perfect choice for Sunday’s midday meal.

A sunny picture of the brewery.

But first, we took another stroll around the city and visited areas we missed on Saturday.  The weather was delightful.  I’m told it was grey and cloudy in Stuttgart on Sunday, so I am equally grateful we got such pleasant weather.  Rothenburg is pretty when it’s cloudy, but it’s even more gorgeous when the sun lights up all the gold hardware on the signs and rooftops.  It looks like a showplace.  Below are some pictures I took on our lengthy walk around town.

Although Rothenburg is a tourist friendly city, like everywhere else in Germany, things close on Sundays… at least during the low season.  I did notice Der Schottenladen had Sunday hours posted on its Web site, but they were not open yesterday.  Still, one can window shop all day…

This tower is close to Louvre, a lovely Japanese restaurant…

This is Louvre.  It wasn’t quite ready to open when I took this photo.  Japanese cuisine is served, but there’s art on the walls.  I guess that’s why they call it Louvre!

I’m so glad the sun came out so I could get these pictures of the beautiful countryside.  It reminded me a little of Asheville, NC.

At about 11:30am, we arrived back at Louvre.  We were the first customers of the day.  We quickly learned that it’s a good idea to make a reservation if you want to eat at this place.  Not only is it popular, it’s also very small.  The dining area only accommodates a small group of people at a time.  We noticed there were a couple of reserved tables, though fortunately, there were a few tables left open.

An adorably tiny Japanese lady took our order, bowing and smiling the whole time and very courteously correcting us when we murdered the Japanese pronunciations of the dishes we ordered.  Although we had sushi, we noticed they had several options available that weren’t sushi.  One of the groups who came in after us were having ramen, soup, and other cooked delights.  We were very happy to eat sushi, though.  It was fresh and delicious and very inexpensive!

Bill checks out the menu.  It was hard to make a decision!

I liked Bill’s “Kin” dish better than my “Dai” dish…  His sushi came with fried shrimp!

That salmon sashimi was so fresh… and the tuna and avocado rolls were a bit spicy.  I really enjoyed this lunch, even if I did overload on protein a bit.  

I liked the tables at the restaurant.  I didn’t get a picture of our booth, but it was set in cement blocks like the one pictured above.

This was the painting hanging by our table.  There is artwork all over the dining room to go with the beautifully prepared sushi rolls.

We enjoyed Japanese beer, too.  Nice change of pace!

 

All told, I think our lunch came to about twenty-five euros.  It was probably the cheapest of the meals we had in Rothenburg and definitely the most enjoyable!  Next time we visit Rothenburg, we will have to go back to Louvre.

Just beyond the arches is a lovely park.

We also visited St. Jakob’s Church, a Lutheran place of worship.  Their services were to start at 2:30pm, so we were able to tour the church.  We paid five euros to go in, but were allowed to take pictures and take an informative leaflet that was printed in several languages.  There was also a guide there who was telling visitors about the church, but he was speaking German.

Oh, how I love the sound of a pipe organ…  My mom was a church organist for over fifty years and every time I hear an organ, I think of her.  She is still living, but stopped playing organ about ten years ago.

Pull my finger…  obviously, a lot of people have judging by how shiny it is.

After lunch, we decided to check out the Criminal Museum.  More on that in the next part.

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Bavaria, short breaks

Rothenburg ob den Tauber: Part three– Shopping, sausages, Schweinshaxe, Schneeballen, and strolling the wall…

Saturday morning, I woke up with a red wine headache.  After taking some Advil, drinking some fluids, and eating a little breakfast scored at the very closeby Edeka, I was ready to go see this famous town I’d heard and read so much about over the years.  Since my purse strap broke, I decided to simply bring along a few bare necessities.  I have to admit, it was weirdly liberating not to carry my big purse with me.  I tend to overload it with all kinds of junk and it rarely gets cleaned out.  That’s probably why the strap broke.

This tower is located very close to Anno 1499.  You can climb the stairs and walk along the wall, which will pass the back of the house.  You get a bird’s eye view of the little courtyard.

 

This archway is to the senior assisted living center where Anno 1499’s hostess works as a nurse.  It’s just across the street from the rental house.

We walked just a short way down Spitalgasse when I spotted a shop that had a few nice looking men’s sportsjackets on display.  Upon closer inspection, I recognized the jackets as being from Scotland.  Since I am a sucker for all things Celtic, Bill and I decided to go inside the shop, where we were helped by its proprietor.  I don’t know for certain, but I think he might have been a fellow American who now lives here in Germany with his wife and their kids.  He certainly spoke like an American.  The name of his shop, which he said he and his wife took over a couple of years ago, is Der Schottenladen.

Der Schottenladen… great Scottish goods in Germany!

It’s not so often that I go crazy shopping in retail stores anymore.  Like so many other people, I tend to buy a lot of stuff online.  But it wasn’t long at all before I found myself fingering a beautiful wool sweater.  I didn’t actually need a new sweater, but I am a sucker for certain shades of blue.  I also picked up a handmade purse made by an artisan in Aberdeen, and a pair of earrings (again, not something I needed, but simply couldn’t resist).  The proprietor turned out to be interesting to talk to. He said he goes to Scotland at least once a year.  His small shop was crammed with authentic fashions, bottles of whisky, kilts, and lovely gifts.  Almost everything was on sale, too!  Although it was a little weird to be buying Scottish stuff in Germany, I have to say I enjoyed that shop very much.  Bill also tried on a few jackets, but unfortunately, they didn’t have any in his size.  Maybe next time.

Scottish loot from Der Schottenladen in Rothenburg.

We decided to take my new duds back to Anno 1499, even though the proprietor kindly offered to hold them for us.  Afterwards, we walked back toward the Marktplatz.  I happened to notice something that looked promising– a view of some sort.  We turned down an alleyway and within seconds of encountered a lovely pastoral view, we were joined by a huge group of Chinese tourists who seemed to have a distinct herd mentality.  They all kind of crowded in and didn’t seem to want to yield so Bill and I could get out of the group.

Once we got to the Marktplatz, we hung a right and walked down another busy street full of cute shops.  We walked until we encountered what was probably the eastern edge of the impressive wall that surrounds Rothenburg.  You are allowed to climb the steps and walk the wall.  It costs nothing and offers some great views of the city, as well as the names of people who donated to the cause.

Every time I see this town advertised, I see the famous building to the right.  It’s now a brewery.  We didn’t have a chance to stop in.  Maybe next time.

I managed to take a few pictures before we were enveloped by a large tour group…

Bill looks amused…

As I sneak a shot of the big group of tourists who overwhelmed us…

 

Here are a few more scenes from Rothenburg on Saturday.  I could have spent a couple of days just checking out the cute businesses everywhere.

A view from on the wall.  It’s covered and protected from winds coming from outside of the town.

I imagine these people donated money to repair or restore the wall…

This is the courtyard in the house we rented.  Too bad the weather didn’t lend itself to sitting out there with a beer.

We followed the wall all the way to the tower that appears first in this post.  That was the one located just outside of our rental house, Anno 1499.

You can’t come to Rothenburg and not notice a local specialty pastry called “Schneeballen”.  There are a number of Konditoreis that make these.  We picked up a couple of mini versions of them so we could try them.

Schneeballen (snowballs).  Speciality in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

 

After we walked the wall, it was time for lunch.  I was wanting German food for some reason, so we decided to stop in at Roter Hahn, which is also a hotel.  The restaurant is kind of quaint, with stereotypically charming Bavarian decor.  As soon as we sat down, it became obvious that we were not the only Americans in the place.  A couple of American ladies, also evidently living here in Germany, were at the next booth having lunch.  One of them apparently never learned about using her indoor voice.

In the course of an hour, I learned all about the house she owns in San Antonio, her decorative preferences, how much the house cost, her favorite San Antonio communities, her husband’s nursing job at Ramstein, her many travels in Europe, and her request to split the check, which was apparently denied.  Seriously, people, I don’t mean to be bitchy, but please have a little situational awareness when you go out to eat.  Voices can carry.  Besides being rude, that kind of inconsideration for other people can put you at risk by making you conspicuous to those who are up to no good (like obnoxious bloggers, America haters, or petty thieves).  On the other hand, we did move here from San Antonio, so in a way, hearing about that town was kind of nostalgic.

Bill listens to the American ladies who lunch talking about their design choices…

I decided to have my pork knuckle.  It tasted okay, but I paid for it later…

And a little potato salad on the side… more than I could eat.

Bill went with the Frankish sausages.  They were very good and came with fresh bread and sauerkraut.  I think I liked his sausages better than my Schweinshaxe, which was a bit overdone and tough.

We split a “Schneeball” for dessert.  Unlike the local pastry, this was simply vanilla ice cream with a cookie topping, forest fruits, and a little whipped cream.

 

I had an okay impression of Roter Hahn until I got up to use the restroom.  The ladies room reeked of stale urine, which I found very off putting.  I had to go into the hotel lobby to get to the bathroom and it smelled of stale cigarette smoke.  Also, when we asked for a box for my inevitable leftovers, the waitress acted like it was an imposition.  When she brought it to us, she said it was the last one they had (and this is my problem?).  I don’t think I’d eat at Roter Hahn again, especially since we apparently missed the best restaurants in the city.

The outside of Roter Hahn.  Directly across the street is the Criminal Museum, which we visited on Sunday.


We thought about visiting the Criminal Museum, which is across the street and is open daily from 1:00pm until 4:00pm during the off season.  Unfortunately, lunch was sitting kind of heavy on my stomach.  It was also kind of cloudy outside, which makes me feel like hibernating.  So we made our way back to the house, with a few stops on the way… 

First, we went inside this sign shop because I had to have the sign directly over the Corn Flakes sign. It says in German, “In Heaven, there is no beer.  That’s why we drink it here.”  

Next, we stopped at a bakery to get some Schneeballen and a piece of cake, which I still need to eat.

 

After we bought our pastries, we stopped at a wine shop and bought some locally produced wines as well as a pretty stoneware wine pitcher.  Right after we bought the wine, we were treated to a surprise performance by a group of Cuban drummers.  I took a video.

They have the beats down…

Finally, we stopped to pick up some local beer.  I am drinking one right now.  Not bad!

That about did it for Saturday’s adventures.  Unfortunately, the heavy lunch made me feel kind of bloated and icky and I didn’t eat or really drink anything for the rest of the day.  Fortunately, I was much better on Sunday and we had a great sunny day.  More on that in my next post.

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Bavaria, short breaks

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Part two– Eating Greek food and wearing Greek wine…

Friday night, after we checked into the amazing Anno 1499, Bill and I ventured out for dinner.  It was bitter cold and just a little ways into our stroll, the strap on my purse broke.  Oh well… as we passed the beautiful window displays in the stores on the main drag, I knew I’d be able to shop for a new one.  There were quite a few tour buses with many Asians aboard.  One was loading up as we strolled through the town, looking for a place to eat.  Just like Hallstatt in Austria, Rothenburg is obviously popular with Chinese and Japanese tour groups.  We ran into quite a lot of them over the weekend.

Christmas is big in Rothenburg… lots of Christmas shops are there.

Nighttime near the Markplatz.

Alice in Wonderland quote on a hotel door.

Another lovely window display…  this is a great town for anyone who likes window shopping!

We passed a Greek restaurant on our way toward the Marktplatz.  I had originally been wanting German food, but suddenly Greek food seemed more appealing.  Since I was freezing and annoyed by having to carry my purse rather than slinging it over my shoulder, we decided to turn around and try the Greek place.  It was called Kreta and located on Spitalgasse, the same street our rental house was located.  We arrived rather early, so there was only one other couple in the place when we sat down.

I ordered gyros with calamari and Bill had plain gyros, both of which came with salads.  As usual, we also ordered red wine and sparkling water.  This is where things went a bit awry.  Because Bill wanted two glasses of the same wine, the waiter suggested that we get a half liter, which came in a small pitcher.  Instead of putting the glasses down on the table and pouring the wine, our waiter chose to try to pour it while balancing the glasses on his tray.  Having waited tables before myself, I couldn’t help but think he was courting disaster. Sadly, I was right.

As the waiter poured the wine, the glasses pitched forward and fell onto the table, where one shattered, splashing red wine all over the place and spraying shards onto the table and carpet.  Fortunately the wine didn’t actually get on Bill or me– except maybe a few spare drops.  The waiter and the bartender cleaned up the mess with minimal help from Bill and me.  Meanwhile, our salads came out while the bartender went to get us more wine and new glasses.

A well deserved shot of ouzo after a disastrous first wine service attempt.

Nice salad, although I didn’t have much time to try it before our main courses were served.

My gyros and calamari with fries.  I could have had rice instead if I had wanted that.

Bill’s gyros.

The sign outside.

Greek pop music played and the waiter, who had a surprisingly decent voice, sang along.  We enjoyed the food, although no one else came in while we were eating.  It’s definitely low season in Rothenburg right now, though it wasn’t totally dead there.  A number of businesses had signs up indicating that they are going to be closed until mid March.  I wasn’t surprised because Ribeauville, France was the same way last year during MLK weekend.  This is when the hard working folks in touristy areas take a break.

We had a little more wine after dinner, then went back to the house and watched German TV before going to bed.  Since we don’t get German cable at our house, I always enjoy watching it when we travel, if only so I can note the differences (and inevitable similarities) in programming and advertising.  I slept very well Friday night!

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Bavaria, short breaks

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Part one– amazing digs!

It’s Martin Luther King Day and Bill and I have just come back from visiting a place that has been on my bucket list for years.  A few years ago, I even drew the name of this place out of my champagne bucket; we were actually “supposed” to visit in 2014, but for some reason, our plans to get there got put on the back burner.  I’m writing of the beautifully preserved walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, Germany.

My very first view of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rothenburg is located not far from Ansbach, which is a town that has the distinction of being one of the places where Bill served his very first assignment in Germany (the other was Vilseck).  He has often spoken of Rothenburg during our fifteen years of marriage, making me want to see it.  Now that he’s been there and seen how beautiful it is, he says he’s not sure if he actually ever did go there before this past weekend.  Rothenburg is the kind of place that won’t slip your memory and he was surprised by how cool a place it is.

Because we find ourselves having to bring our dogs with us on a lot of our trips, I have to look for pet friendly accommodations.  Because we have beagle mixes and they can be loud, I have to find places where it won’t be a problem if they make noise.  I managed to book a fantastic place in Rothenburg.  As usual, I consulted Booking.com and it was there that I found a house called Anno 1499.

Folks, it’s not often that I gush about a property, but I feel like I have to about this house, which is located just inside the medieval walls of Rothenburg and dates back to the year 1499.  It truly had every comfort we could have ever wanted.  I was a little unsure about how successful this rental would be, since I could see that the house was in a row that shared walls with the next property.  I can now say that wasn’t a problem.  In fact, I think this might have been our most carefree pet friendly rental yet.

We arrived in Rothenburg at about 4:00pm.  Our hostess, who spoke a little English, told Bill where to find the keys to the house.  They are kept in a code activated safe outside, making it easy for renters to access the house.  Unfortunately, Bill still had some trouble finding the keys, so he had to call her.  She works as a nurse at the senior living facility right across the street, so she met us within about two minutes and let us into the house.  I am always nervous when I meet the landlord/landlady and I have my dogs.  I did not have to worry this time.  Our hostess warmly welcomed Zane and Arran!  Then she showed Bill a nearby spot where he could park all weekend for free!  Paid parking is also available at five euros a day.

Below are some pictures of this fabulous house…

The front door…  excuse the shadow!

Living room.  It has a couch, a television with German TV and CNN, a table and chairs, and a sliding door that opens to a small courtyard.  We didn’t use the courtyard, but it would be very nice in better weather.

A view into the kitchen.  It was fully equipped with a fridge, microwave, coffee maker, dishwasher, stove, and oven.  There’s another table and chairs.

Washer and dryer.

A shot of the little courtyard.  I wished we’d had weather that would have facilitated using this charming space, which you can see from the medieval wall located right behind the house.

One bedroom on the second floor.  It had a small double bed.

And a huge TV!

Behind the bedroom is an office with a daybed, a crib, and a desk.

Yes, the WiFi works well, except on the top floor.

Huge bathroom.  The tub was amazing… nice and big and even had lighting controlled with a dimmer switch.  The hostess also provides his and hers rubber duckies!

 

Top floor.  Another sitting area with a couch and a small TV, as well as a CD “boombox”.

And another bedroom with a larger double bed…

TV number four.

Baby gate on the top floor.

The pretty door from the inside.  To the right (not pictured) is another bathroom that has a shower.

Adorable Bavarian touches…

 

The front of Anno 1499…  At one point, someone’s cat got stuck on the roof.  I’m not sure how it got up there or eventually got down, but evidently it did.  Its owner knocked on our door and unsuccessfully tried to rescue it.

You would think this house would cost a bundle to rent.  Well, I’m here to tell you that at least in January, this house is a steal.  For three nights, we paid just 285 euros.  And 60 euros of that went to taxes.  We did not have to pay a security deposit or extra pet fees, either.  I spent all weekend marveling at how reasonably priced this place was, yet how awesome it is to stay there.  We paid our hostess in cash, as was required, and this morning when we left, we simply put the key on the kitchen table.

We could not have asked for a better place to stay and if we ever make it back to Rothenburg, I hope we can stay again.  It truly was first rate.  Adding to the house’s appeal is the fact that it’s only a five minute walk from the nearest Edeka.  You walk out the gates, cross the street, and rejoin us in 2018…  Or you walk the other way and stay in medieval bliss.  I actually experienced a little culture shock this morning as we emerged from the town and I remembered what Germany looks like outside of the walls.

Regarding Rothenburg itself… well, I will be adding it to my list of places to go when I need to get out of Stuttgart and have to take the dogs with me.  It really is a very cool town.  I hope you’ll come along with me as I write up the rest of our trip in the posts to follow this one.

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Bavaria

President’s Day Weekend in Regensburg… Part 7

Bill and I were not that hungry on Sunday night.  That huge lunch we had at Fürstlichen Brauhaus was sticking with us pretty well.  Still, we wanted to try one last brauhaus before we left on Monday, so we visited Regensburger Weissnbrauhaus.  When we entered that place, it looked a bit familiar to me.  The reason it looked familiar was because it used to be part of the Johann Albrecht chain.  Bill and I enjoyed some brews at the Hamburg location of Johann Albrecht just last month.  The Weissbrauhaus had very similar tables and a bar that looked a lot like the one at the chain restaurant.  However, it is evidently now an independent restaurant.

A very handsome and friendly bartender came on duty at just about the time we sat down.  Bill and I spent a very enjoyable evening chatting with this fellow, who said he was from the East and had come to Regensburg with his wife to study at the university.  He told us that the restaurant had been operating as a brauhaus since 1620.  We told him that was the year when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.  Of course, he probably already knew that!

Over the course of a couple of hours, Bill and I tried all four beers they had on draft, as well as a couple of shots of schnapps.  Toward the end of the evening, we decided to share a wurst plate.  It was actually pretty perfect.  There were just enough sausages for both of us.

The bartender seemed surprised by my ability to put away so much beer.  What can I say?  It’s in the genes.

Beer…

Beer…

Sausages, pickles, and kraut!

 

As I was eating the pickles, I remembered the Duggar family and how much they like to eat pickles.  I asked the bartender if he’d ever heard of JimBob and Michelle Duggar and their brood of 19 children.  He said he hadn’t.  So I proceeded to tell him about the Duggars and watched his eyebrows raise as he considered how two parents could possibly raise 19 children.

I’m sure that guy listened to us speak about a lot of nonsense, but he was a very good sport.  The food was good and the beer was fine.  We rewarded him for his attentiveness, then went back to the hotel for our last night.  I slept fine until about 2:00am.  Bill woke up and had a coughing fit that was loud enough to totally activate my brain.  I wasn’t able to go back to sleep after his fit was over, so I stayed up and read news articles on CNN and played with Facebook.

When Bill woke up at his usual time, he apologized for keeping me awake.  Later, we got up and went to the konditorei across the street and sat at the same table we were at on Saturday.  We enjoyed a very nice and inexpensive breakfast as we enjoyed our last look at lovely Regensburg.  Then we went back to the hotel and Bill repacked my bag Army style.

He rolls up everything neatly so it fits better.  I have no patience for such things.

We checked out of the ACHAT near the cathedral and made our way toward the train station.  We got there early, so we had enough time to visit the mall adjacent to the station.  We stopped at a little cafe and enjoyed a couple of Viennese cappuccinos.  Vienna is definitely on the list of where we want to visit while we’re living here again.  Maybe this was a sign of what’s next in our travel adventures.

Mmmm….  

Our train ride back to Stuttgart was totally uneventful.  We didn’t share space with anyone and a kindly train conductor even said we could switch compartments if we wanted to because the one we were in was a bit cold.  It was alright, though… aside from a couple of cute kids burning off energy in the corridor, we were completely unmolested on the ride home.  After a quick lunch at a Thai place in the Stuttgart train station, we were on our way to pick up our dogs at the Hunde Hotel Haase.

Actually, getting to the Hunde Hotel turned out to be a bit of a challenge.  We ran into a parade in honor of Karneval, which caused us to have to detour.  It was fun to see everyone in their costumes, though.  I was reminded that our landlady had told me about how Fasching differs between Bavaria (where she is from) and Baden-Wurttemburg.  In Bavaria, it’s supposedly fun with lots of cute costumes.  Here, it’s a lot of people dressed like witches.  I don’t even pretend to know much about Fasching, though I do remember the parades and costumes from the last time we were here.

The dogs were delighted to see us.  After we paid for their stay, we went home where everything was normal except for the huge estimate I got from the dentist for fixing my baby tooth issue.  Hopefully, that won’t cause us to have to quit traveling for the time being!

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