Three times in recent years, we have visited the Christmas Markets in Germany. It is a wonderful time to see the country; but, I was getting a little tired of cold weather. I planned a trip in March/April. My wife was less enthused. She wanted to hold out for another Christmas Market trip. We compromised: I would go in the spring and we would go again in December. Not a bad deal from my standpoint.

I flew from Salt Lake City to Frankfurt am Main via Chicago arriving in the early morning. I took a direct Regional Express train from the airport to Würzburg. Frankfurt airport has a variety of train ticket machines. I got one that you toggle between local network trips and Die Bahn trains. It took me a couple tries to get it right: sleep deprivation and old age at work.

It is a modest walk from the Würzburg train station to the Hotel St. Josef where I was staying. Once there I had one of my few disappointing moments of the trip. The St. Josef had closed its restaurant. It was a plain fare place whose food I had enjoyed many times before. The owner/chef checked me in. He assured me that I would find other places to eat (true). I assured him that I would nevertheless miss his cooking. The conversation was in a mix of German and English that was common through out the trip.

I was stationed in Würzburg in the 1970's. One of my goals this trip was to spend more time in walking the green belt park that was put in place of the former town wall. I was in luck for my two day stay. The weather was beautiful. Birds were singing: Amsels (Black bird most like the American Robin), Kohlmeisen (Chickadees), etc. Wild flowers decked many of the park's small meadows. Some trees, including the Japanese Cherry Trees, were in bloom. My pictures:

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Germany...2326493_vmxSxR

On to Rothenburg next.

Looking forward to reading more Gary, as I'm planning my first trip to Germany this summer!

Before leaving Würzburg I will mention that I had a good meal at the Fränkische Stuben near the Marienkapelle and an even better one at the Marktbärbl on Blasiusgasse not far from the Dom (cathedral). My companion at meal times and otherwise was my ebook reader. My Kindle often got more attention than I did.

A half-dozen years ago I decided to dust off my decades old German and begin to read fictional books in the language. It has not helped my spoken German but it gives my brain a bit of a challenge. The Kindle makes this somewhat easier as I can just tap an unknown word (too many) to look it up in a German-English dictionary. I was reading "Sturmzeit" by Charlotte Link this trip on the recommendation of Treplow who posts here. Reading a foreign language tires an old brain, so I also concurrently read an American mystery book. It is great to be able to carry several books and a couple dictionaries in one small package. I am sure other ebook readers would work as well.

I was able to download my local paper onto the Kindle. I did little of this as American political news can spoil the appetite. I usually have the comics to soften the news but those are not available on the ebook reader.

The train trip to Rothenburg is only about an hour long with an easy connection at Steinach. As I was waiting at the platform there was a group of students not too far away. The train pulled in and I happened to get on the last car. The adults directed the students into the car where I was riding. I was surrounded.

They were speaking Italian. I understood not a word but it was so pleasant to hear. The boys looked and acted like goofy kids. The girls looked at acted much older, some looking like young movie starlets. Having been a goofy kid once myself, I am always amused that this difference in the maturation rate.

They connected with me onto Rothenburg and I saw the group a couple times later in the day.

One advantage of traveling by train is the chance encounters that you can have. Once, on this same route, my wife and I rode with a group of nuns on an outing. There was the stern leader and several others who were almost as lively as the school kids of this trip.

Another interesting sight on this trip was fields of solar collectors along the way. Germany has less sunlight than here in Salt Lake City, but they must be making the best of it.

Thanks for posting Gary..great pics.
I will be returning to Germany in 6 weeks for vacation, last trip there in 2004. We have a FeWo in Bamberg, but will be daytripping to Wuerzburg as well as Coburg, Ingolstadt and a few others, so this is a nice preview.

My reservations in Rothenburg were at the Gasthof Greifen, a favorite from past visits. It was almost empty for this visit.

I lived not far from Rothenburg ob der Tauber twice in my Army career. It is a tourist trap but a very pleasant one in the off season.

I was familiar with most of the sights in town and decided to visit Detwang (small village) in the Tauber Valley below to see the Riemenschneider Altar at the Peter and Paul church. The weather was perfect for the walk down. Unfortunately, I arrived at the church just as it was closing for lunch. A German couple was just exiting the church and assured me that I should wait to see the altarpiece. It was wunderschön (very beautiful). I did not want to stand around for two hours, so I chose to return the next day. The valley was beautiful and peaceful. The Tauber river was alive with trout. The trees were mostly bare but with some flowers. Birds were well into the spring spirit. I saw a Rotkehlchen as well as more Amseln and Kohlmeisen. I also saw a woodpecker, probably a Buntspecht. I do not know the English names. Pictures from Detwang:

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Germany...2338667_w86f4w

After both walking day trips I returned to a bakery where they serve my favorite pastry, a Mandelhörnchen, a u-shaped concoction of almond paste covered with apricot glazed and roasted almond slices, with the tips dipped in dark chocolate. A pastry and a cup of tea, along with my Kindle, is a good way to recover for a couple hours from a steep walk up Tauber Valley floor.

On my second and final morning in the Gasthof Greifen, I met an English couple at breakfast. He was a retired computer ?? that wrote travel books. They lived part of the time in Greece and part in England. It made for a interesting conversation. There might be some advantages to traveling alone. The conversation starter was the Kindle.

I am enjoying your report and pictures. I have also been going in Dec. but last May went for the good weather. It is nice to be able to be outside and be warm. Carry on. I'm right there with you.

The next leg of my trip was to Nürnberg (Nuremberg). It was 1.5 hours by train with connections in Steinach and Ansbach. Everything went smoothly. Along the final leg from Ansbach to Nürnberg lies the small town of Markt Roßtal, where we lived in the mid 1980's. I have ridden this route to work in Nürnberg a couple times.

The train from Ansbach to Nürnberg was mildly crowded. I sat on the aisle from which my best view was into the next car. It was an open car with jump seats designed to allow the transport of bikes. Just before the train left the station, a young woman dashed on the train, breathing hard from running. She was quickly threw off her jacket to cool off. Then she appear to be getting ready to remove her blouse. My looking was about to graduate to leering. She pulled back and just uncovered her stomach. That was not the end of the drama. In her rush, she had failed to procure a ticket. The conductor was soon on the spot. She got a lecture and perhaps had to pay the fine. Lesson to us all about riding without a ticket. I was to apply that lesson a few days later.

nice pics, Gary. I too love Germany so i am enjoying this. I agree about travelling alone - somehow encounters with other people happen more often.

I only stayed one day in Nürnberg at the Marienbad, less than a block from train station.

After 4 very active days, my arthritic knees demanded a lighter effort. I walked through the train station underpassage into the city center. I first visited the Frauenkirche, whose interior I had not remembered seeing before. It was just okay for me. I went on to St. Sebald's church. They have a series of photos there where you can compare the damage from WWII bombing to the restored work. It is inspiring for me. I took a pew near the center of the church and sat for a long time admiring this rebuilt, dark medieval church.

After leaving Sebalduskirche, I walked across Sebalder Platz to have a late lunch at the Goldenes Posthorn. It was just clearing out from lunch and I got a window seat, looking out on a bit of light rain. I ordered a cold wurst with dark bread and a side salad that was almost a meal in itself. A glass of white wine completed the order. Out came the Kindle. I slowly worked my way through the meal and then a cup of coffee. The wait staff at German restaurants do not rush you or push to order more. These downtimes can be the best of traveling in German. Everything was good and the atmosphere was perfect to my taste.

First, let me take a moment to thank everyone for your encouraging comments.

My next destination was Regensburg. I woke early in the morning and did not feel like lying in bed. I had an early, good breakfast at the Marienbad and headed to the train station. Later in the morning there are direct trains to Regensburg but at an early hour I had to settle for a Sbahn to Neustadt and a connection Regensburg. It still worked well.

I stayed at the Weidenhof in Regensburg, 3-4 blocks from the train station in the pedestrian zone. It was a good stay but the coffee seemed "off" to me.

Regensburg impresses me more every time I visit it. Like other locations I spent more time in the park there than I formerly have. I looked for and found the Kunstform Ostdeutsch museum.

http://www.kunstforum.net/home.php

I was looking for works by Käthe Kollwitz and got much more. Many styles and years are represented. I really enjoyed myself.

When I visited St. Emmeram's church there were having a concert practice. I stayed for about an hour. I am ignorant of classical music but it was a pleasure for me. There is a picture of the event among my photos:

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Germany...2324724_Jmq3LT

I had roast suckling pig and a wonderful beer at the Regensburg Weissbräuhaus on the my first night. The second night I chanced on Pam Pam Pizzeria. As I walked in the waitress sized me as an American. She said to me, "no pizza". I questioned her with a look. She giggled and corrected herself, "only pizza". It was a good start. The pizza was just what I wanted along with a glass of wine. After my meal she came over to query me about my Kindle. She wanted an ebook reader. She read all the time.

My last stop was Freising near the München (Munich) airport. While walking to the Regensburg train station, my mind wandered to a stop we once made in Landshut. The wires in my brain crossed and I bought a train ticket to Landshut, two stops short of my destination. I realized my error only after the train was underway. I considered just staying on the train and taking my chances for two stops. Then I remembered the young woman earlier in the trip. I got off in Landshut, bought another ticket and boarded a later train.

I stayed at the Bayerischer Hof in Freising, right in the town center. It was a good choice. Freising is bitter-sweet for me. I like the small town but it always means the end of the trip. I visited the Domberg (cathedral on the hill) and had a strawberry sundae at a favorite cafe. The waiter told me that my Kindle was very "praktisch" and gave me a big thumbs up as I left the cafe.

I took Bus 635 (2.50€) from the train station to the airport the next morning. They scanned my bags twice, once just after the check-in and again at the controlled gate area. At the second point they also goosed me with the wand. It was equal treatment for everyone.

The flight back seemed twice as long as the one there.

"The flight back seemed twice as long as the one there."--------Seems like that often!

Enjoyed your trip and the photos. Will you encourage your DW to go in the spring as well now?

Gary,
Thanks for your lively report and those lovely pics of early spring in Germany. And kudos for striking out on your own during a season which suits you best.

“A half-dozen years ago I decided to dust off my decades old German and begin to read fictional books in the language. It has not helped my spoken German but it gives my brain a bit of a challenge. The Kindle makes this somewhat easier as I can just tap an unknown word (too many) to look it up in a German-English dictionary.”

I hear you! I am also brushing up on my French for an upcoming trip to Paris and Normandy in late Spring. I bought an Oxford- Hatchette French dictionary which I downloaded and use as I trudge through sites like Le Monde and La Figaro. It’s a challenge! Whether I try to converse is another matter, however.


I am also thinking of bringing a Kindle on this excursion. What about charging yours? Do you have an adaptor? I don’t actually own a Kindle yet, but I have a friend who insists that I bring hers on this trip. No doubt, it is a conversation starter.

Also enjoyed your description of that hearty German food. Thanks again for sharing…

Patti, Good luck with your trip. We love travel in Germany and hope you will too.

Mokka4, Have a nice trip in Bamberg. It was beautiful stop for us a few years ago. I still hope to get to Coburg some day.

CarolJean, Yes the warmth was nice. I do not mind going back in Dec. either.

Annhig, Being alone might make one look more approachable. It might also be the Kindle. They are perhaps still novel enough.

TDudette, I encouraged the DW to go this time!

Latedaytraveler, I only needed an adapter plug to charge the Kindle. It handled the voltage differences automatically. I will add that the 3G (limited to Amazon) worked as well. I bought and downloaded copies of individual newspapers easily. I think that would extend to books as well. My wife has taken a Kindle several times to Germany and had no difficulty.

Thanks for the report and links, Gary. Great read!