Tag Archives: Thyssenkrupp Testturm

Baden-Württemberg, Sundays

Stuttgart, Germany… it’s as lovely as ever in the springtime… part four

Sunday morning, we woke up to more wind and rain. Naturally, that made me decide it was perfect weather for visiting Hohenzollern Castle. Actually, we took some time to decide where to go. I checked the Ausflugstipps für Baden-Württemberg Facebook page again, and saw a couple of possibilities. But I don’t think we felt like driving too far afield, and Hohenzollern is not that far from Stuttgart. It’s near a town called Hechingen, which is just south of Tübingen, a really cool college town Bill and I know very well.

We had been to Hohenzollern before, back in the spring of 2008. Bill’s coworkers at the time had recommended it, so we went there and were mightily impressed by the castle’s beauty and imposing presence on top of a mountain. I remember on that trip, we stopped at the cheesy tourist restaurant near the castle. It was obviously intended for busses, as there was a large parking lot that could accommodate them. On that 2008 trip, we ate some pretty terrible German style Mexican food, served in virtual “troughs”. Well, it probably wasn’t as bad as I remember it, but it was definitely missing something in the translation.

This time, we skipped the tourist trap and drove up to the large parking lot near the castle. Bill used the free WC, and bought our tickets. As of April 1, summer tickets will be available, which means the museum will be open. But, when we visited on March 26th, it was still considered “winter”, which meant we could only visit the grounds. Our tickets were seven euros each. Summer tickets are 22 euros, but include entry to the museum. I seem to remember that when we visited the first time– also in early spring– we had a choice of getting a ticket for just the grounds or one that included the museum/tour. Since we were financially poorer, and didn’t speak German and/or understood a lot less back then, we got the cheap tickets and stuck to the grounds. Now, we would opt for the museum/tour tickets.

One other thing we did differently this time was choosing NOT to walk up the steep path to the castle. This time, we took the shuttle bus, which was seven euros round trip. I gotta say, after having had the mountain goat like experience of climbing the hill, the shuttle bus is so worth it. Especially when the weather is as crazy as it was on March 26th. Bill and I are probably still capable of walking up the mountain, but I remembered it to be pretty exhausting when I was 35 years old. I’m 50 now, and only have so many spoons. 😉

The weather on top of Hohenzollern can be pretty wild. I remember writing about our visit in 2008 and advising visitors to make sure to bring a jacket, unless it’s just the dead of summer… and even then, it’s not a bad idea to have one. I don’t think I brought a jacket during our first visit, and I got pretty cold. This time, I was better dressed, but we experienced quite an array of weather conditions during our visit– everything from rain to wind to sun… and it was noticeably chillier up there, too.

I’m pretty sure our visit in 2008 must have happened in April, because I distinctly remember having a beer in the Biergarten, which wasn’t open during our most recent visit. We did visit the restaurant in the castle and had a nice lunch. I had very hearty Maultaschen, while Bill had the veggie bowl, which was attractive, but kind of bland. I liked my dish a lot, but I didn’t really need food again for the rest of the day! 😉

The current incarnation of Hohenzollern is the third. The castle as it is now was built in the 19th century, so it’s pretty modern as castles go. However, there’s been a castle on Mount Hohenzollern since the 11th century. It’s currently privately owned by the House of Hohenzollern, “with two-thirds belonging to the Brandenburg-Prussian branch, and the balance to the Swabian branch.” Family members still occasionally stay in the castle, with each branch flying their respective flags whenever either is there.

I would like to go back to Hohenzollern again sometime and visit the museum. I actually like this castle more than the much touted and unfinished Neuschwanstein, built by Mad King Ludwig. Hohenzollern is beautiful, and offers impressive views of the surrounding terrain. I’m not sure, but I think Bill and I could even spot the elevator test tower near Rottweil, which we visited in 2018.

I was surprised to see a number of people bringing their dogs to the castle. It’s totally allowed, as long as the dogs stay on their leashes. I’m guessing they walked up the mountain, too. I know I’m no paragon of fitness, but that walk up the mountain is not for slouches. I seem to remember there was a sign after the first stretch near a bus stop, for those who changed their minds and wanted the bus. But maybe they just walked along the road, which takes longer, but isn’t as steep. I remember we walked down the road when we came back down from the castle in 2008. In 2023, we were happy to take the bus.

Here are some photos…

Maultaschen
Veggie bowl
Hohenzollern

The below photos were taken in 2008. Check out the difference! I kind of wish I’d brought my digital camera. It looks to me like cameras rather than phones produce pictures that look less computer generated.

We went to the gift shop on the way out of the castle, because I saw some souvenirs I thought Bill’s grandchildren might like. We bought a wooden sword and shield for the eldest, a fairy tale princess dress for the middle, and a stuffed hedgehog for the baby. I had to laugh when I noticed the princess dress was made in Canada. It’s now going to be shipped to Utah. I also bought a new jigsaw puzzle for myself.

After our visit to the castle, we decided to drive to Tübingen, as it’s always a good time. However, when we got to our usual parking garage, it was closed! It looked like they were renovating it. So we decided to go to Panzer for. a pee break and to see if the rug guy was there. I wanted to buy a new rug to replace the one Arran repeatedly used as a toilet.

We were in luck! The rug guy was there– but he didn’t have the rug I wanted to replace. We chose a different one. As the guy was folding it up for us, I said “I think we might need the bigger version of that rug.” Bill said he thought I was mistaken… Well, it turned out I was right, so the new rug went in the dining room instead of the living room. But, the rug guy said he was coming to Wiesbaden in three weeks, so maybe we’ll try again then.

We also ran into one of Bill’s old work colleagues from Stuttgart. And… while we were rug shopping, Mother Nature treated us to a nice hail storm! March weather in Germany is absolutely batshit nuts!

Wurmlinger Chapel
Unterjesingen, near our old town.
Entringen

After we bought our new rug, which is currently clashing in the dining room, we went back to the hotel and enjoyed another evening of libations. I ended up having a chicken Caesar salad for dinner. Bill had a cheese course. We tried several local wines, too… Below are some miscellaneous iPad photos I took, starting with breakfast. Our poor waitress forgot to put in our orders for egg dishes! Luckily, they were worth the wait. All in all, I’d say Sunday was a great day.

Poached egg with smoked salmon
Eggs Benedict
Chicken Caesar salad
Cheese course
The bar at Wald Hotel… it’s well stocked.
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Frankfurt, holidays

Easter in Frankfurt!

We were blessed, once again, with incredible weather.  The skies were sunny; the air was warm and breezy; and the Autobahn beckoned us to drive to Frankfurt.  We were considering going to the Dippemess, but Bill wasn’t keen on trying to deal with the train.  The station most convenient for getting to the area of Frankfurt where the Dippemess is going on is in Hofheim am Taunus.

We started off our Easter with Ebelskiver– Swedish filled pancakes!  That’s the closest we got to Easter eggs today.

We decided to visit Frankfurt’s old town, which we missed the last time we went there.  Last time we were in Frankfurt, it was late December and the weather was pretty dismal.  It turns out we weren’t far from the old town that time, but it was cold and yucky outside, so we didn’t explore the way we should have.  Frankfurt was pretty badly damaged by air strikes in World War II, so there aren’t too many really old buildings there.  Instead, there are many skyscrapers.  It’s the land of banks.  Below are some pictures I took today.

Today was the first day since the fall I could drop the top on my Mini.  I caught a little girl smiling at us as we rounded the bend.  My car is ten years old, but it’s still cute when the top is down…  Some people might say that about me, too.

Frankfurt on the horizon.

Near the train station.

Frankfurt is like Stuttgart on steroids.  It’s a very busy place, and it seemed like everyone was there today.

Our first glimpse of the Dom… that tower is 95 meters tall…

It costs three euros for adults to climb the torturous 328 steps to the observation platform.  It’s 1,50 for kids.

These two ladies were among many wandering musicians we heard today.  They played beautifully!  One thing I love about Europe is the preponderance of wonderful musicians who share their gifts on the streets.

On the other side of the fountain, there’s a wine bar.

The old town was happening…

 

More musicians… they were good, too, although they played the classics with a bit more tempo than I’m used to…

Pretzel anyone?

Down by the river.  This was prettier from 66 meters up.

 

Much to my shame, I consented to having lunch at Five Guys.  I really wanted to go somewhere more authentic, but every place was really crowded.  For once, Five Guys wasn’t, so we decided to treat ourselves to a rare American style burger.

 

Bill went in to get the food while I waited outside.  An ambulance pulled up with its lights going…

 

Suddenly, around the corner came an old man wearing a heavy coat and carrying a bottle of beer.  He was yelling at the ambulance attendants.  I didn’t understand what he was saying, mainly because I could barely hear him…  I could tell by his body language that he was agitated about something.  The ambulance attendants seemed amused.  They smiled, but didn’t say anything to the old man.

A Five Guys staffer came out to sweep.  He looked at me; I looked at him, then turned to face the ambulance, since the old guy had come around near the front of Five Guys.  Turning to look at the ambulance guys meant I wasn’t staring at him as he continued to yell in German, looking and sounding very stern.

Finally, after a couple more parting shots, the guy stalked off angrily.  I did notice a lot of homeless people and beggars today.  A woman hit us up for money while we ate lunch.  Bill and I have both had bad experiences with wandering people in other European cities.  His bad experience was in Seville, while mine was in Athens.

I’m sad to say the burgers were kind of disappointing.  They weren’t very hot and the pickles were a touch too sweet.  But they were still better than a lot of burgers I’ve had in Germany.  The fries were great, and the beer was a Brooklyn Lager, a nice change from the usual Weizen.

 

After lunch, we wandered back toward the Dom, passing through the old town again.  We passed one of the homeless people who had been hanging around Five Guys.  The guy was a Spanish speaker and someone was kind enough to slip him a cup of fries.  But just as we were about to pass him, another homeless guy jumped in front of the other guy and appeared to demand his pommes.  I was tempted to see what was about to transpire, but thought better of it.  Gawking isn’t nice.  Still, it’s always interesting to see real life human drama in person.

We had to tip this lady…

She was making this dog out of what appeared to be sand.  

It was incredible.  The dog actually looked real.

We did a little window shopping.  A few stores were even open today, though it’s Easter Sunday.

 

We found ourselves in front of the tower again.  It was right next to our parking garage.  I looked at the sign and asked Bill if he wanted to climb up.  I’m usually cussing at myself when I do these climbs up narrow spiral towers, but then I enjoy the views so much that I forgive myself… until it’s time to climb down again.  The Frankfurter Dom Turm is a very challenging climb indeed.  I think it took about ten very difficult minutes to get to the top, breathless, sweaty, sore, and rewarded with incredible views…

I zoomed in to get a shot of the TV tower.  Seems like every German city has one.  Still, as high up as this cathedral tower is, it’s still not as high as the Thyssenkrupp elevator testing tower in Rottweil.  That’s the highest observation deck in Germany.  You can read about our visit there by clicking here.  And thankfully, when you visit the testing tower, you can take an elevator.

A whole lot of sweating, swearing, panting, and praying went into these photos.  I will probably be nearly paralyzed in the morning.  But we had amazing weather and as long as I’m physically able, I’m going to do these things.  Hey, I probably burned off my Five Guys lunch, at least.

A quick round around the tower and we went back down.  That was tough in a different way.  You have to be careful not to faceplant.

 

The stairs pretty much look like this all the way down.  It makes passing a rather intimate experience.  No wonder they charge more for adults.  Pro-tip: If you make this climb, especially if it’s warm outside, please for the love of all that’s holy, wear DEODORANT.  Trust me.

 

We came; we saw; we conquered.  And we never have to do it again!

 

We went into the church, which is rather plain by cathedral standards.  This cathedral, officially known as the Imperial Cathedral of Bartholomew was completed in 1550.  It was renovated in the 1990s and is also undergoing some work today.

This sign explains in English and German what happened to Frankfurt on March 22, 1944, when World War II was raging.  The British Royal Air Force did a number on the city, sending a lot of old, beautiful buildings into flames.  The cathedral was also badly damaged and was rebuilt in the 1950s.  The inside of the cathedral is pretty workmanlike as a result.  The cathedral was also burned in a fire back in 1867.  

 

But the organ is pretty awesome.

Look carefully. You can see the people.  That’s where we climbed to this afternoon.

It really was worth the effort, even though I can feel my muscles stiffening already.

Before we knew it, it was time to head home to the dogs, who were no doubt wondering where their dinners were.  It’s nice to live close to Frankfurt, although I’m glad we don’t actually live in the city itself.  It’s very busy!  Still, it’s different from Wiesbaden and Mainz and, dare I say it?  Stuttgart…

On the way out of Frankfurt, we got behind a Segway tour.  

 

So long, Frankfurt.  Time for me to have a beer in my backyard, enjoying my new garden furniture and watching the flowers grow.  God bless Spring… and happy Easter to all.

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Baden-Württemberg, Schwarzwald

Our visit to Rottweil, land of towers and Rottweilers!

The mighty Thyssenkrupp Testturm, towering over Rottweil and its environs.

This morning, as we were enjoying breakfast, Bill asked me what I’d like to do today.  I suggested a few things, then mentioned the Thyssenkrupp Testturm.  Bill kind of got a look of dread on his face.  He doesn’t really like heights and wasn’t sure the huge tower near Rottweil would be worth a visit.  I told him it might make for a fun blog post, so he relented.  He likes me to earn my keep, after all.

We could have discovered Rottweil last year, but didn’t.  For Mother’s Day 2017, Bill and I visited the tiny town of Dietingen, where there is a rock museum called Welt der Kristalle.  I remember really enjoying the museum and the lovely countryside that surrounded it.  Off in the distance, I noticed a strange looking tower surrounded by scaffolding.  I wondered what it was, but since rain was threatening, we didn’t venture closer.  Instead, we went to the nearby village, ate Greek food, and went home.  Because of the rain, we didn’t venture into nearby Rottweil, which is destined for a spot on my next top ten cute German towns list.  We discovered today that Rottweil has a lot going for it, and it’s less than an hour’s drive from where we live in Unterjettingen.

We got in the car at about noon and headed south down A81, arriving at the tower at about 1:00pm.  It’s a pleasant drive, with some pretty scenery and, as long as there are no staus, the time passes quickly.  Before long, you’ll see the tower looming over the landscape, looking curiously like a giant cigarette, minus the smoke.

Although the Testturm offers an awesome deck for birdseye views, it does has a practical purpose.  The tower is used to test elevators, some of which even travel horizontally.  But with true German efficiency, the powers that be came up with the idea to also offer the observation deck for paying guests and conference rooms for businesses looking for an inspirational place to conduct business meetings.

Thyssenkrupp’s signage.

 
 

Some information about the tower.  It’s in English and German.

Just one of the views from the tower.  Keep reading for more.

Thyssenkrupp Testturm has intrigued me ever since I first noticed it being built on the horizon as we passed on the way to Switzerland.  I didn’t research what it was until this past May, when Bill and I visited Annecy, France.  On the way back from France, I pulled out my trusty iPhone, took a photo, and looked it up.  I discovered that the tower, which was completed in 2017 and opened in October of last year, soars 807 feet (232 meters) over the landscape.  It currently offers Germany’s highest observation deck.  Yes, it’s higher than the Stuttgart TV tower and the Berlin TV tower.  On a clear day, you can see for miles.

It turns out going to see the tower was a fine idea for today, despite the few clouds in the sky.  We had a great visit, and I don’t think Bill is sorry we went.  The huge tower is really an engineering marvel, and the town of Rottweil is absolutely adorable.  What’s more, while the tower offers awesome panoramic views, it’s very safe.  The deck is surrounded by a very tall glass wall, which kind of sucks if you want to take clear pictures, but does make one feel very secure.

For most of the year, the tower is open to visitors on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.  During the month of August, it’s also open every other day of the week except for Mondays.  Tickets for adults cost 9 euros each.  Kids under age 5 get free entrance.  Kids aged 6 to 16 pay five euros each.  Family tickets are available and cost 26 euros.  The family ticket covers two adults and a maximum of three children.  Our visit to the Thyssenkrupp Testturm took less than an hour.  There’s plenty of parking; Bill says it’s two euros for an hour.  Tickets for the tower can be purchased online, or you can buy them at the box office.

Having now visited the top of the tower, I can vouch for the jawdropping views available from high in the sky.  The ride in the super fast elevator takes about a minute.  If you understand German, the operator will give you the specifics.  The one who was running the elevator today spoke English, so he also filled us in on trivia about the elevator and the huge tower.

Here’s where you check your bulky stuff, if you didn’t leave it in the car.  There’s a list of stuff you can’t bring to the deck.  My guess it’s because bulky purses, musical instruments, dogs, and vuvuzelas (yes, they actually specify “no vuvuzelas”) take up precious space in the elevator.  Self-brought food and beverages are also prohibited.

We happened to arrive at a good time.  It wasn’t crowded at about 1:00pm, so we were able to just walk in, buy tickets, and go.  Before you take the elevator up, be sure to use the restroom if you need to.  There isn’t one at the observation deck.

Below are some photos I got from today’s visit.

The conference area, where you can watch an ad about the tower and the city of Rottweil.  I must admit, it kind of made me decide to go there for lunch instead of eating at the snack bar by the tower. Rottweil is adorable!

 

This is what the deck looks like.  There is no roof, so when the weather is bad, they close it.

Need to pee?  Go before you ride up the shaft.  The toilets are on the ground floor.

We got to the tower at just the right time.  We did not have to wait in line, but when we left, a large group was in the queue.

 

Small snack bar in the parking lot.  There’s also a tiny souvenir hut, where they have everything from sparkling wine to aprons featuring the tower.

My attempt to get the whole tower close up.  It was pretty much impossible.  It really is massive.

 

As you can see, there’s a glare on some of my pictures.  Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid that, as the whole area is glassed in.  I did try hard not to catch my reflection in any of the shots.  That would have spoiled everything!

After we finished at the tower, we headed into lovely, charming Rottweil, the very same town from where the famous dogs hail.  There are tributes to the dogs scattered around the town, along with a couple more museums, some good shopping and an array of restaurants.  Plan better than we did.  We arrived at just about the time most of them closed for their pause and ended up having pizza at a cafe.

We also got snagged by a guy collecting donations for the World Wildlife Fund.  Actually, the guy snagged Bill.  I think I was giving off bitch vibes, because he dragged Bill away while I continued to take photos.  Although I wouldn’t mind giving a cash donation to that cause, this was one of those deals where they want a monthly bankdraft.  I wrote about my run in with another charity, Die Johanniter, last winter.  Apparently, this is a common way to collect donations in Germany and it’s highly annoying.  Fortunately, Bill was not hooked into a monthly contribution.  I got more photos, which I’m sharing below.

As you come into lovely Rottweil.  We managed to find free street parking (after 2:30pm on Saturdays).

These are all around the downtown.

Another Rottweiler!

These fountains were everywhere, too.

 

We walked down an alley looking for a restaurant.  We were unlucky in our search, but I did get some beautiful shots of the valley and the tower in the distance.

There was a wedding going on today, so I didn’t hang around to take too many photos.

 

We had lunch at Onkel Rudi’s, which is a bar/cafe on the main drag.  It had a nice outdoor area and was offering small pizzas and flammkuechen.  It wasn’t much, but it did the trick of chasing away my resting bitch face.

Prost!

Bill had the Pizza Diablo, which came with salami, red peppers, and green peppers.  I liked his better than mine…  

Pizza Mozzarella…  it’s cheese, sauce, and red peppers.  

 

Service at Onkel Rudi’s was good and the price was right.  Each pizza was 5,50 euros and our total bill was about 18 euros.  They only had three types of pizza and one type of flammkuechen, but I liked that the pizzas really were single sized.  And they were fine for lunch.  Next time we visit Rottweil, we’ll get there earlier.  There is more to see there, including several beautiful churches and another tower.

I would absolutely recommend Rottweil for a day trip.  It’s probably about a 90 minute drive from Stuttgart, less if you’re further south, like we are.  It’s basically a straight shot down A81 and really has a different feel than some of the other local towns.  You could probably fill up most of the day here if you plan right.  Visit the Welt der Kristalle in Dietingen, visit the Testturm, have lunch, hit a couple of the museums in the town– there’s a city museum and a toy and puppet museum that I noticed.  By that point, you might be ready to brave the traffic back toward Stuttgart.  I say give it a shot!

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