One last outing in Germany.
 

Well, my year in Germany is almost up, a little more than a week left. I've still got a lot to do, but in between closing all my accounts up, finishing up classes, packing and selling off my cell phone, I'd like to fit in one last daytrip. So, I'd appreciate all your suggestions on what I really ought to see.

I'm based in Karlsruhe, in the southwest part of Germany. I can't manage the time for an overnight, so it has to be daytrippable. I'd prefer it being only an hour or perhaps two by public transportation. And it does need to be doable by public transportation, as I do not have access to any other sort of vehicle. Also, back home in Oregon has rather lovely scenery, but is lacking in the history, so that's where my interests primarily lie. It's not that I don't like hiking and rivers and hills, but I can get that at home. Cities, castles or historical type locations are more interesting.

A few places I've already been to see in the not-that-far-away: Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Tuebingen, Baden-Baden, Hohenzollern Castle, a few villages in the Black Forest.

Thankya for any suggestions!

Get down to BAVARIA! You have not seen Germany until you see Bavaria. Garmisch by hook or crook. If too far, go to ROTHENBURG and just walk around.

Sorry, I have indeed been to Bavaria! I just didn't think I would mention them, as they don't really fit into the close factor I was hoping for anyways. Didn't make it to Garmisch, but did get to Munich, Rothenburg, Nuremburg and Neuschwanstein. Didn't mean to be misleading on that!

Hmmm. Verstehst du Deutsch? Wie steht es mit, zum B. Duesseldorf oder Koeln? Koeln hat viele Sehenswurdigkeiten. (not trying to show off, I just like speaking a bit of German every once and awhile-and you were most likely studying the language, no?)

Ja, ich muss Deutsch verstehen koennen, da alle meine Kurse auf Deutsch sind! Not studying the language per se, but improving my skills at it was certainly one of my goals. And been to Koeln. I'll look at Duesseldorf. Gee, you see a lot in a year.

Topping for more suggestions.

cochem...on the Moselle

Well, if you're willing to go to Dusseldorf, stretch it a little farther and try Hattingen. A very pretty medieval small town, a gem not found in any of the usual tourist guidebooks. Many buildings date back to the 16th century (one of them, the old Latin school is now a cafe). Easy to reach by mass transit (train to Dusseldorf then S-bahn or bus as I recall). Very walkable and no need for a car.
Hattingen tourist info can be found at:
http://www.hattingen.de/touristik_freizeit/index.htm
Dusseldorf has an interesting old town; you would have fun at the Schlosser brewery/restaurant.
We spent 6 months in central Germany and found it had a lot more going for it than we had expected.

I'd suggest a daytrip to Trier, Germany's oldest city, with its attractive Altstadt/Markplatz, some nifty Roman ruins and a couple of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You could pack in a bit of scenery as well by returning via Koblenz for a look at the Mosel and Rhine Valleys.

Closer to you are Schwaebisch Hall (great church square), Bad Wimpfen & Mostar if you are into fachwerk towns. I assume that you've been to Heidelberg which is a favorite among Americans.

On the other hand,I'd like to hear how you like Karlsruhe. Any fun places to go(cafes/ restaurants / german theatre)? I have a meeting in Stuttgart coming up and want to consider staying in Karlsruhe for variety since I've stayed in Stuttgart twice. I realize it's not as old as other cities but is it comfortable or fun to stay for a couple of nights? Sounds like you're on a university exchange program.

Hrm. Some lovely ideas, and I want to go see all these places now, though I really was hoping to see somewhere closer. The train shows them to be 2 and a half to 4 hours away, which makes it a bit tricky for a daytrip. Anyone know if Phorzheim, Rastatt or Maulbronn are particularly worth seeing? I've heard them mentioned in passing as being nearby.

Also gut, Vickitty! Ich gratuliere dir! Du solltest allerdings sehr gutes Deutsch sprechen, nach ein Jahr Studium in Deutschland!

Also, how about Mainz? In the Rheinland-Pfalz, it's a 2,000 year old city with a 1,000 year old Mainzer Dom, along with other beautiful old churches in the alte Stadt. It's on the Rhine, you could do a short cruise, if you were so inclined, and there may well be a festival going on there, as there are dozens throughout the year.

Vickitty,

A couple daytrip destinations - one close by; one not so - immediately come to mind.

Kloster Maulbronn, a short drive northeast of Pforzheim, is reported by Fodor's as "the best preserved medieval monastery north of the Alps." In addition, it's noted on UNESCO's World Heritage List. You can learn more at www.schloesser-magazin.de

Another consideration is to take the not-too-long ride southwest over the border of France and on to the city of Strasbourg. Here you can marvel at and tour that city's wonderful gothic cathedral. Close by is the fine Museum of Works from Notre Dame Cathedral. Lastly, do make a point of exploring the very atmospheric neighborhood known as Petite France. It's perfect for a leisurely stroll, picture-taking, and a bite of that Alsatian cuisine.

Best of luck.

Ah, DAX, your post snuck in while I was typing up mine. I've heard of Schwaebisch Hall, but not been there, and not heard of the other too. I'll see if I can't find any information on them.

As for Karlsruhe, it's been a great city to live, very convenient and I think it's a pretty city. It's not very touristy, but the Schloss has a lovely history museum inside, including on the history of the area. I also spent a pleasant afternoon at the zoo/city gardens, if you're interested in that sort of thing. There's the capital buildings, from when Karlsruhe was the capital of Baden, and the Staatstheater. There's always a number of productions going on. I haven't been to any at the Staatstheater, but enjoyed the open air presentations at the Schlossplatz and Marktplatz. A couple of other nice museums, and the local majolika factory (they don't normally do factory tours, though I went through one on a "day of the open door" and it was quite interesting, but they also have a shop and majolika museum on the premises), and the walk behind the Schloss along the trails is quite pleasant. The city is aiming at being Europe's cultural capital by 2010, so there's nearly always things going on.

Hrm. DavidD, you say Kloster Maulbronn is a short drive, do you know if it's possible to get to with public transportation? It does look interesting though.

Mainz, Schwaebisch Hall and Bad Wimpfen all look doable. Any idea which of these would be the most interesting? Easy to get around?

Oh, and one restaurant suggestion in Karlsruhe, since I forgot to give you any in my last post: Boeckeler on the Marktplatz. It's main draw is as a confectionary (and a very good one at that), but it also has a very nice, not too expensive restaurant, with tables that sprawl out into the Marktplatz. The big drawback about this place is it's hard to get a table, since they're all full of locals.

Thanks Vickitty. Karlsruhe sound's nice & relaxing just like its name! Is there any comedy club or jazz club? Sorry to ride on your posting, but I just had to ask since you've been living there. You're lucky to have a year of study. I only had a summer in Basel.

I know there's a number of nightclubs, though that's not really my scene. www.ka-news.de lists that there's the "Jazzclub Karlsruhe" on the Kronenplatz, which is in the city center, near the University.

Vickitty,

I have to believe there's public transport from Karlruhe to Pforzheim (about 15 miles). The most direct route between those two towns appears to be via route 10. Kloster Maulbronn is situated about 10 miles NE of Pforzheim.

Should you see the monastery, by all means tell us about your experience.

Best of luck.

Well, Vickitty, not knowing Schwabiesch Hall and Bad Wimpfen (just watch out for that Schwaebish-I've always had a difficult time understanding their dialect!) I'd have to vote for Mainz-because there is a lot to see and do there, it's on the Rhine, and it's relatively close.

There is indeed public transport to Pforzheim. In fact, I can take the local Strassenbahn and it's included in my semester transport pass. I was more worried about getting to it from there. It looks like there's a bus that goes in that direction, but I can't tell how close it gets.

Maybe I'll be able to fit more than one trip... I don't want to have to pick. I think maybe I'll put Mainz first (it looks the least steep and my legs are still complaining about the Koelner Dom tower) and then perhaps the other two. And maybe if I can figure out how to get to the Kloster... it looks like it would only be a couple hours total, so less time I would have to plan for it.

Gosh, this is getting to be a lot to fit into a week where I'm supposed to be packing and wrapping things up.