Our Silver Lining Tour: A German Journey & Queen's Day Too
Mar 20th, 2014, 08:46 AM
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Really enjoying your trip report, Robyn. We loved Tuebingen and Burg Hohenzollern. We also visited nearby Hechingen and Herrenberg and found them both to be delightful. Funny how there are so many charming little towns in Germany!
Mar 25th, 2014, 03:59 AM
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<b>DAY EIGHT (Wed 24 April) TÜBINGEN, LICHTENSTEIN, GROSSE LAUTER, SIGMARINGEN, MEERSBURG</b>
Happy Birthday to me... Today is my birthday, and we're going to spend it exploring castles. It's also Market Day in <b>Tübingen</b>, which is where we started our morning. By 8:00 we were on the <b>Marktplatz</b>, checking out the vendor stalls which filled the square and adjoining medieval rolling streets. We made our way down to the <b>Neckar River</b>, where the punts were docked beneath a wispy weeping willow. We walked along the narrow path, the <b>Zwingel</b>, towards the <b>Hölderlinturm</b>, the yellow tower which hugs the bank of the river. The morning sun was shining, the skies were blue, and we had the riverfront all to ourselves. It was a perfect birthday morning.
We made our way back up to the town, checking out different buildings along the way, including the ornately painted house at <b>Neckargasse 2</b>, <b>St. George's Collegiate Church</b>, the <b>Cotta Publishing Haus</b>, the <b>Alte Aula</b> (old University Assembly Hall), the <b>University Prison</b>, the <b>Burse</b> and the <b>Protestant Seminary</b>. We ended back on the Marktplatz, where the sun was shining bright against the magnificent <b>Rathaus</b>, which dates from 1435. The elaborate neo-renaissance style paintings adorning the facade, the astronomical clock from 1511, and the oriel-style covered balcony puts this Rathaus right up there with Bamberg's Rathaus. In front of the Rathaus, the <b>fountain</b> featuring Neptune with his trident (1617) was surrounded by vendors, as it probably has been on a regular basis for the last 400 years.
We walked down the historic <b>Judengasse</b> to the Ammergasse, where the Ammer canal flows through the town and under the <b>Krumme Brücke</b> or Crooked Bridge. A flower market was set up on the bridge, adding to the charming beauty. We finally made our way back to the center of town, and took the narrow Burgsteige, which runs next to our hotel, up to <b>Schloss Hohentübingen</b> (c.16th century), which is now part of the University. From the outer fortification wall, we had an excellent view over the Neckar and Ammer valleys. We crossed through the portal, and wandered around the square courtyard. We discovered a plaque honoring Friedrich Miescher from Basel, who, in 1869, in the former kitchen of the castle, isolated Nuklein, an acidic substance from the nuclei of human cells which contains DNA. Pretty cool! And so long ago.
We walked back down the Burgsteige to our hotel, and had another sumptuous breakfast before checking out. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the <b>Hotel Hospiz</b> and would recommend it to anyone spending time in Tübingen. The room and hotel were clean and modern, the staff was friendly and helpful, breakfast was sumptuous, and they had a lift if you didn't want to climb the stairs. (€115,00/night w/ breakfast + €9,00/night parking. Laundry €32.40 and worth it).
By 10:15 we were on our way to <b>Schloss Lichtenstein</b>, a 40 minute drive to the southeast. We arrived in Honau, a sliver of a valley which lays at an elevation of 1800 feet at the base of the castle. We ascended the mountain on a series of switchbacks, to an elevation of 2700 ft., and we were now on the <b>Swabian Jura</b>. Within minutes we arrived at the parking lot for the castle (€2,00), and paid the entrance fee (€6,00 each) which included a guided tour in German (with an English cheat sheet). We wandered around the castle grounds, waiting for the next tour, while taking lots of pictures of the castle perched precariously on its limestone outcrop, with the Lilliputian-sized valley below.
Finally, the tour begins, and we cross the drawbridge into the castle, which dates from 1388, but was refurbished to its current state in 1842 as a man-cave for one of the Dukes of Württemberg. We tour through the usual castle rooms - the Armory, the Chapel, the Knight's Hall, the King's Room, and the most important room, the Drinking Room, complete with a huge champagne glass, nearly two meters long!
As we were walking back to the parking lot, we discovered a really cool high-ropes Adventure Park tucked into the woods surrounding the castle. We're both way past the age to start climbing around on ropes in the trees, but we thought it would have been cool to grow up as kids, playing in the forest around the castle.
We drove south on a series of roads through the Swabian Alb, towards the <b>Große Lauter River Valley</b>, which is said to have one of the highest concentration of castles and ruins in Germany (a shout out and thank you to "bigtyke" for supplying this information) . Along the way we passed by <b>Offenhausen</b>, where the Große Lauter River begins, and from there we continued to follow the river as it snakes through the countryside. We passed by <b>Marbach</b>, where they have been breeding horses for 500 years. BJ dropped me off at the stable, then circled around while I quickly cruised the grounds, taking some pictures and looking for the horses. I didn't see any. Not in the stables, not in the corral, not in the fields. I did see two very large bags of carrots, so they must have the studs hidden somewhere.
Back in the car, we proceeded on to Route K6769 at Buttenhausen, and began the 20 km section of the river valley road with a castle around each bend...literally. The first castle we spotted was <b>Hohenhundersingen</b>, a ruin of its former self. Three towers and a few foundations are all that remain. Around the next mountainous hill we came to the town of <b>Bichishausen</b> and its Burg Ruin, which at least had several walls remaining. Sitting below the castle is the onion domed <b>St. Gallus Kirche</b>. We stopped for a beer/coffee at the outdoor cafe along the river, where you can rent canoes or kayaks to float on the idyllic water.
A short drive down the road and around another mountainous hill and we're in <b>Gundelfingen</b>, where they have 2 castles; </b>Niedergundelfingen</b>, nestled in the valley on a small hill next to <b>Burg Kapelle St. Michael</b>, and <b>Burg Hohengundelfingen</b>, perched 300 feet above the town. We found the narrow road which leads up to the parking area, and then took off by foot on the forest trail to the castle ruins. BTW, almost all of the castle ruins along the Große Lauter Valley can be visited, and are free of charge. Within ten minutes we were climbing around and exploring the well preserved and maintained remains of this 13th century castle. We were excited to discover mason's marks carved in the stone, including a compass and a yin & yang symbol. The views below of the lush green valley with the river twisting and winding through it were exceptional.
Back on the valley floor, we continued south to Junction K6750 and <b>Burg Derneck</b>. The parking lot has a hikers hut (all of the castles are accessible through a series of hiking trails) and a playground, including a small zip line which we took turns playing on. After a 10-15 minute hike up a dirt road, we reached this exquisite 14th century castle which has been extensively renovated to include a little cafe and hikers hostel, part of the <b>Schwabisch Alb Wanderheim</b>. The four outbuildings, white-washed with red tile roofs, join with the stone defensive wall and tower to form a circle with a central courtyard. After climbing the tower and spotting Hohengundelfingen across the valley, we enjoyed a snack from the cafe, then stopped at the little hikers chapel outside the castle wall on the way back to the car. Of course, we had to play on the zip line a few more times before heading off on our next adventure.
Continuing south on K6769, we paused briefly in Weiler at the <b>Otmarskapelle</b> for a photo op, then turned on to Route L249, where we stopped to check out the <b>Wimsener Hohle and Wasserfalls</b>. The Hohle, or cave, is the only water cave in Germany, accessible only by boat. We live near Penn's Cave in Pennsylvania, America's only water cave, so we've already done that. But the waterfalls, now they were different and interesting. At Wimsener, the water erupts from many springs out of the ground, pushing up from the water cave, and flows across the land into a pool of water, which creates a creek. Downstream, the creek was dammed in the 12th century for a mill.
Our next stop was at the Baroque <b>Zwiefalten Abbey</b> (1739-53), which dominates this small town on the edge of the Swabian Jura. We arrived too late for entrance to the church, which was covered in scaffolding (just the entrance), so we spent our time just walking around the Abbey and surrounding Klosterpark.
It was another 40 minute ride through the countryside, passing the <b>Eulogiuskappelle</b> along the way, and then we arrived in <b>Sigmaringen</b>, which is dwarfed by the sprawling castle. We walked through the Alt Stadt and around the outside of the castle before we continued on to our final destination for the day, <b>Meersburg</b>, with its two-tiered town overlooking <b>Lake Constance</b>.
Within an hour we were checking into the historical <b>Hotel Zum Bären</b>, Room 23, with the famous turret (it was featured on German currency). The room was tastefully decorated, with lots of room for BJ to pace. The turret had a round table and two cushioned chairs, for relaxing or watching the TV, which could be spun around so you could also watch from bed. The bathroom has a separate shower and bathtub, and up in the corner is a cornerstone dating from 1605, depicting a sun with a face.
By 20:00 we were downstairs having dinner in one of their two dining rooms. I had Pork Medallions with Mushroom Sauce which melted in my mouth, and BJ had the Rump Steak, or what he claims to be "the best meal on the whole trip". He still gets excited when he reminisces about our dinner. Our beer for the evening was Farny Hefeweizen (€47,00).
Having done enough hiking for one day, we decided to retire to the turret for the rest of the evening.
http://www.schloss-lichtenstein.de/english/
http://www.gestuet-marbach.de/pb/,Ld...e/English+Site
http://www.hohen-hundersingen.de/
http://www.burgenwelt.de/bichishausen/bichis.htm
http://www.hohengundelfingen.de/
http://tuerme-wanderheime.albverein....-burg-derneck/
http://www.alb-tourismus.de/2013/09/...asserfall.html
http://www.zwiefalten.de/servlet/PB/..._l1/index.html
http://www.schloss-sigmaringen.de/
http://www.baeren-meersburg.de/neu/
Robyn
Happy Birthday to me... Today is my birthday, and we're going to spend it exploring castles. It's also Market Day in <b>Tübingen</b>, which is where we started our morning. By 8:00 we were on the <b>Marktplatz</b>, checking out the vendor stalls which filled the square and adjoining medieval rolling streets. We made our way down to the <b>Neckar River</b>, where the punts were docked beneath a wispy weeping willow. We walked along the narrow path, the <b>Zwingel</b>, towards the <b>Hölderlinturm</b>, the yellow tower which hugs the bank of the river. The morning sun was shining, the skies were blue, and we had the riverfront all to ourselves. It was a perfect birthday morning.
We made our way back up to the town, checking out different buildings along the way, including the ornately painted house at <b>Neckargasse 2</b>, <b>St. George's Collegiate Church</b>, the <b>Cotta Publishing Haus</b>, the <b>Alte Aula</b> (old University Assembly Hall), the <b>University Prison</b>, the <b>Burse</b> and the <b>Protestant Seminary</b>. We ended back on the Marktplatz, where the sun was shining bright against the magnificent <b>Rathaus</b>, which dates from 1435. The elaborate neo-renaissance style paintings adorning the facade, the astronomical clock from 1511, and the oriel-style covered balcony puts this Rathaus right up there with Bamberg's Rathaus. In front of the Rathaus, the <b>fountain</b> featuring Neptune with his trident (1617) was surrounded by vendors, as it probably has been on a regular basis for the last 400 years.
We walked down the historic <b>Judengasse</b> to the Ammergasse, where the Ammer canal flows through the town and under the <b>Krumme Brücke</b> or Crooked Bridge. A flower market was set up on the bridge, adding to the charming beauty. We finally made our way back to the center of town, and took the narrow Burgsteige, which runs next to our hotel, up to <b>Schloss Hohentübingen</b> (c.16th century), which is now part of the University. From the outer fortification wall, we had an excellent view over the Neckar and Ammer valleys. We crossed through the portal, and wandered around the square courtyard. We discovered a plaque honoring Friedrich Miescher from Basel, who, in 1869, in the former kitchen of the castle, isolated Nuklein, an acidic substance from the nuclei of human cells which contains DNA. Pretty cool! And so long ago.
We walked back down the Burgsteige to our hotel, and had another sumptuous breakfast before checking out. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the <b>Hotel Hospiz</b> and would recommend it to anyone spending time in Tübingen. The room and hotel were clean and modern, the staff was friendly and helpful, breakfast was sumptuous, and they had a lift if you didn't want to climb the stairs. (€115,00/night w/ breakfast + €9,00/night parking. Laundry €32.40 and worth it).
By 10:15 we were on our way to <b>Schloss Lichtenstein</b>, a 40 minute drive to the southeast. We arrived in Honau, a sliver of a valley which lays at an elevation of 1800 feet at the base of the castle. We ascended the mountain on a series of switchbacks, to an elevation of 2700 ft., and we were now on the <b>Swabian Jura</b>. Within minutes we arrived at the parking lot for the castle (€2,00), and paid the entrance fee (€6,00 each) which included a guided tour in German (with an English cheat sheet). We wandered around the castle grounds, waiting for the next tour, while taking lots of pictures of the castle perched precariously on its limestone outcrop, with the Lilliputian-sized valley below.
Finally, the tour begins, and we cross the drawbridge into the castle, which dates from 1388, but was refurbished to its current state in 1842 as a man-cave for one of the Dukes of Württemberg. We tour through the usual castle rooms - the Armory, the Chapel, the Knight's Hall, the King's Room, and the most important room, the Drinking Room, complete with a huge champagne glass, nearly two meters long!
As we were walking back to the parking lot, we discovered a really cool high-ropes Adventure Park tucked into the woods surrounding the castle. We're both way past the age to start climbing around on ropes in the trees, but we thought it would have been cool to grow up as kids, playing in the forest around the castle.
We drove south on a series of roads through the Swabian Alb, towards the <b>Große Lauter River Valley</b>, which is said to have one of the highest concentration of castles and ruins in Germany (a shout out and thank you to "bigtyke" for supplying this information) . Along the way we passed by <b>Offenhausen</b>, where the Große Lauter River begins, and from there we continued to follow the river as it snakes through the countryside. We passed by <b>Marbach</b>, where they have been breeding horses for 500 years. BJ dropped me off at the stable, then circled around while I quickly cruised the grounds, taking some pictures and looking for the horses. I didn't see any. Not in the stables, not in the corral, not in the fields. I did see two very large bags of carrots, so they must have the studs hidden somewhere.
Back in the car, we proceeded on to Route K6769 at Buttenhausen, and began the 20 km section of the river valley road with a castle around each bend...literally. The first castle we spotted was <b>Hohenhundersingen</b>, a ruin of its former self. Three towers and a few foundations are all that remain. Around the next mountainous hill we came to the town of <b>Bichishausen</b> and its Burg Ruin, which at least had several walls remaining. Sitting below the castle is the onion domed <b>St. Gallus Kirche</b>. We stopped for a beer/coffee at the outdoor cafe along the river, where you can rent canoes or kayaks to float on the idyllic water.
A short drive down the road and around another mountainous hill and we're in <b>Gundelfingen</b>, where they have 2 castles; </b>Niedergundelfingen</b>, nestled in the valley on a small hill next to <b>Burg Kapelle St. Michael</b>, and <b>Burg Hohengundelfingen</b>, perched 300 feet above the town. We found the narrow road which leads up to the parking area, and then took off by foot on the forest trail to the castle ruins. BTW, almost all of the castle ruins along the Große Lauter Valley can be visited, and are free of charge. Within ten minutes we were climbing around and exploring the well preserved and maintained remains of this 13th century castle. We were excited to discover mason's marks carved in the stone, including a compass and a yin & yang symbol. The views below of the lush green valley with the river twisting and winding through it were exceptional.
Back on the valley floor, we continued south to Junction K6750 and <b>Burg Derneck</b>. The parking lot has a hikers hut (all of the castles are accessible through a series of hiking trails) and a playground, including a small zip line which we took turns playing on. After a 10-15 minute hike up a dirt road, we reached this exquisite 14th century castle which has been extensively renovated to include a little cafe and hikers hostel, part of the <b>Schwabisch Alb Wanderheim</b>. The four outbuildings, white-washed with red tile roofs, join with the stone defensive wall and tower to form a circle with a central courtyard. After climbing the tower and spotting Hohengundelfingen across the valley, we enjoyed a snack from the cafe, then stopped at the little hikers chapel outside the castle wall on the way back to the car. Of course, we had to play on the zip line a few more times before heading off on our next adventure.
Continuing south on K6769, we paused briefly in Weiler at the <b>Otmarskapelle</b> for a photo op, then turned on to Route L249, where we stopped to check out the <b>Wimsener Hohle and Wasserfalls</b>. The Hohle, or cave, is the only water cave in Germany, accessible only by boat. We live near Penn's Cave in Pennsylvania, America's only water cave, so we've already done that. But the waterfalls, now they were different and interesting. At Wimsener, the water erupts from many springs out of the ground, pushing up from the water cave, and flows across the land into a pool of water, which creates a creek. Downstream, the creek was dammed in the 12th century for a mill.
Our next stop was at the Baroque <b>Zwiefalten Abbey</b> (1739-53), which dominates this small town on the edge of the Swabian Jura. We arrived too late for entrance to the church, which was covered in scaffolding (just the entrance), so we spent our time just walking around the Abbey and surrounding Klosterpark.
It was another 40 minute ride through the countryside, passing the <b>Eulogiuskappelle</b> along the way, and then we arrived in <b>Sigmaringen</b>, which is dwarfed by the sprawling castle. We walked through the Alt Stadt and around the outside of the castle before we continued on to our final destination for the day, <b>Meersburg</b>, with its two-tiered town overlooking <b>Lake Constance</b>.
Within an hour we were checking into the historical <b>Hotel Zum Bären</b>, Room 23, with the famous turret (it was featured on German currency). The room was tastefully decorated, with lots of room for BJ to pace. The turret had a round table and two cushioned chairs, for relaxing or watching the TV, which could be spun around so you could also watch from bed. The bathroom has a separate shower and bathtub, and up in the corner is a cornerstone dating from 1605, depicting a sun with a face.
By 20:00 we were downstairs having dinner in one of their two dining rooms. I had Pork Medallions with Mushroom Sauce which melted in my mouth, and BJ had the Rump Steak, or what he claims to be "the best meal on the whole trip". He still gets excited when he reminisces about our dinner. Our beer for the evening was Farny Hefeweizen (€47,00).
Having done enough hiking for one day, we decided to retire to the turret for the rest of the evening.
http://www.schloss-lichtenstein.de/english/
http://www.gestuet-marbach.de/pb/,Ld...e/English+Site
http://www.hohen-hundersingen.de/
http://www.burgenwelt.de/bichishausen/bichis.htm
http://www.hohengundelfingen.de/
http://tuerme-wanderheime.albverein....-burg-derneck/
http://www.alb-tourismus.de/2013/09/...asserfall.html
http://www.zwiefalten.de/servlet/PB/..._l1/index.html
http://www.schloss-sigmaringen.de/
http://www.baeren-meersburg.de/neu/
Robyn
Mar 25th, 2014, 05:13 PM
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<b>DAY NINE (Thurs 25 April) MEERSBURG</b>
This was a free day in <b>Meersburg</b>, with no particular agenda except to sleep in, so I was annoyed when I was awaken at 6:30 to the sound of cars and trucks outside our windowed turret. Adjusting to the sound, I was able to doze off again, until 8:00, when the church bells began to ring for several minutes, like it was the towns alarm clock... get up and start your day. Which we did.
The <b>Hotel Zum Bären</b> offered a nice German breakfast buffet, with various meats and cheeses, breads, rolls, yogurt, cereal, juices and boiled eggs. After breakfast we wandered around the inside of the hotel, just admiring the old architecture, furniture and art. Between the first and second floors runs a fantastic support post which is ornately carved with scenes of a vineyard.
It was 10:30 by the time we hit the streets and hills of Meersburg, which is divided into the upper Oberstadt, where the Hotel Zum Bären is located, and the lower Seaside. We walked down the <b>Steigstraße</b>, which is the main pedestrian walkway that connects the Ober and Unter stadts, passing medieval charm everywhere we looked; the timbered houses lining the street, the Alte Schloss perched on a hill, cornerstones dating from the 1500's, weathervanes, fountains, sculptures, trompe l'oeil, and finally the <b>Bodensee</b> (or Lake Constance) right in front of us. Today was the first really warm day on our trip, and probably the first for the spring season. The sky was as blue as the lake, with the horizontal swath of Switzerland serving as the dividing line. To the east were the Alps, although we couldn't see them through the morning haze.
We promenaded along the <b>Seepromenade</b> (in our own silly way), and out onto the jetty with the most bizarre statue depicting demons flying out of some dude's ass and a naked woman sitting with legs splayed on a cluster of grapes, among other thought provoking figures. It's certainly a statue you would never see in the Puritanical States of America.
We walked back up the Steigstraße with a bit more effort than it took to walk down (100 ft elevation over .20 mile), to the 16th century <b>Altes Schloss</b>, Germany's oldest inhabited castle (€15.30 w/ disc for 2). Outside of the castle, nestled between the wall of the castle mill and the rock which the castle sits on, is a very large ancient waterwheel, which is still turning after all these years, fed by just a trickle of water. We crossed the drawbridge, which sits on a trestle 40 feet off the ground, and spent the next hour and a half exploring this magnificent castle steeped in history. They offered a tour in German, but we preferred to just wander through the castle on our own self-guided tour.
Afterwards we meandered around the Oberstadt, past the <b>Neues Schloss</b> and the <b>Rathaus</b>, then back to the <b>Marktplatz</b> where our hotel is located. We eventually made our way back down to the Seepromenade, checked the departure times for Mainau - a boat just left - and made the decision to not visit the island. This was a hard one to make, since we both enjoy gardens, but it had been such a cold spring this year, and there was literally nothing in bloom... anywhere. No flowers, no leaves on the trees, nothing. In fact, it was so cold this spring, the Dutch had to import tulip bulbs from Spain for their annual Flower Parade! Plus, the timing for the boat launch just wasn't working out.
Instead, we ended up at <b>Zum Alten Fass</b>, a little Seaside cafe, where we enjoyed a couple of Meckatzer Hefeweizens while we watched the boat traffic on the lake. By now, the sun was shining bright in the sky, the Alps with their snowcaps were visible, and there were tourists everywhere, which meant lots of people watching.
Needing to shed our jackets, we hiked up to our hotel for a little respite. Before I knew it, BJ was telling me to grab my camera and follow him. It turns out he got into a conversation with Michael Gilowsky, the owner of the hotel, about the heating system in this wonderful 400 year old structure. The next thing I know we were in parts of the building that most visitors never see, including the kitchen, which was impressively spotless clean. Returning to the lobby after our unique tour, Michael was greeted by an older woman carrying a very large bear skin. It seems she shot it in Romania on a hunting trip many years ago, and now she is downsizing and donating it to the Hotel Zum Bären - The Bear.
One of the built in fees/perks of your hotel cost in Meersburg is a card which gets you a discount on admission fees plus free bus transportation. The closest bus stop from our hotel was an easy walk through the gate in the <b>Obertor</b>, to outside the city wall. So off we went on our bus ride, which took us through the residential area of Meersburg, then down the hill to the lake side.
We went back to Zum Alten Fass, for more beer and Flammkuchen, which we watched everyone else eat when we were there earlier. Unfortunately, our waitress was a bit daft, and forgot to put our order in. After a half hour, and watching others get served who came in after us, we finally said something. Totally unapologetic, it took another half hour to get our Flammkuchen, which wasn't worth the wait.
Still a bit hungry, we walked down the street to <b>Hotel Zum Schiff</b> and found a table right next to the lake. I ordered a bowl of Bouillon mit Hausgemachten (beef broth with herbed pancake slices) which I had on a trip to Germany in 2007, and had been yearning for since. BJ couldn't wait to get to the Black Forest, and ordered a huge slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. We both enjoyed sharing each other's selections.
It was 18:30 when we caught the bus back up to our hotel, where BJ took a nap and I sat in my Rapunzel tower (I do have waist length hair), glued "stuff" into my travel journal, and watched Star Trek: Deep Space 9 in German.
By 20:20 we were back down on the Seepromenade, and watched as the sun set over Switzerland, in a glorious array of red, yellow and orange hues. It was a spectacular end to an absolutely awesome day. This time we decided to climb the stairway to the oberstadt, which switchbacks through the vineyard. Part way up, we paused to rest on a bench, and watch the full moon rise in the east.
As we wandered around the oberstadt, we heard music coming from the church, so we decided to investigate. We slipped in the side door and discovered the community orchestra and choir rehearsing. It was such a thrill to be able to hear the church filled with such beautiful music. What a perfect way to end the evening.
http://www.burg-meersburg.de/
Robyn
This was a free day in <b>Meersburg</b>, with no particular agenda except to sleep in, so I was annoyed when I was awaken at 6:30 to the sound of cars and trucks outside our windowed turret. Adjusting to the sound, I was able to doze off again, until 8:00, when the church bells began to ring for several minutes, like it was the towns alarm clock... get up and start your day. Which we did.
The <b>Hotel Zum Bären</b> offered a nice German breakfast buffet, with various meats and cheeses, breads, rolls, yogurt, cereal, juices and boiled eggs. After breakfast we wandered around the inside of the hotel, just admiring the old architecture, furniture and art. Between the first and second floors runs a fantastic support post which is ornately carved with scenes of a vineyard.
It was 10:30 by the time we hit the streets and hills of Meersburg, which is divided into the upper Oberstadt, where the Hotel Zum Bären is located, and the lower Seaside. We walked down the <b>Steigstraße</b>, which is the main pedestrian walkway that connects the Ober and Unter stadts, passing medieval charm everywhere we looked; the timbered houses lining the street, the Alte Schloss perched on a hill, cornerstones dating from the 1500's, weathervanes, fountains, sculptures, trompe l'oeil, and finally the <b>Bodensee</b> (or Lake Constance) right in front of us. Today was the first really warm day on our trip, and probably the first for the spring season. The sky was as blue as the lake, with the horizontal swath of Switzerland serving as the dividing line. To the east were the Alps, although we couldn't see them through the morning haze.
We promenaded along the <b>Seepromenade</b> (in our own silly way), and out onto the jetty with the most bizarre statue depicting demons flying out of some dude's ass and a naked woman sitting with legs splayed on a cluster of grapes, among other thought provoking figures. It's certainly a statue you would never see in the Puritanical States of America.
We walked back up the Steigstraße with a bit more effort than it took to walk down (100 ft elevation over .20 mile), to the 16th century <b>Altes Schloss</b>, Germany's oldest inhabited castle (€15.30 w/ disc for 2). Outside of the castle, nestled between the wall of the castle mill and the rock which the castle sits on, is a very large ancient waterwheel, which is still turning after all these years, fed by just a trickle of water. We crossed the drawbridge, which sits on a trestle 40 feet off the ground, and spent the next hour and a half exploring this magnificent castle steeped in history. They offered a tour in German, but we preferred to just wander through the castle on our own self-guided tour.
Afterwards we meandered around the Oberstadt, past the <b>Neues Schloss</b> and the <b>Rathaus</b>, then back to the <b>Marktplatz</b> where our hotel is located. We eventually made our way back down to the Seepromenade, checked the departure times for Mainau - a boat just left - and made the decision to not visit the island. This was a hard one to make, since we both enjoy gardens, but it had been such a cold spring this year, and there was literally nothing in bloom... anywhere. No flowers, no leaves on the trees, nothing. In fact, it was so cold this spring, the Dutch had to import tulip bulbs from Spain for their annual Flower Parade! Plus, the timing for the boat launch just wasn't working out.
Instead, we ended up at <b>Zum Alten Fass</b>, a little Seaside cafe, where we enjoyed a couple of Meckatzer Hefeweizens
while we watched the boat traffic on the lake. By now, the sun was shining bright in the sky, the Alps with their snowcaps were visible, and there were tourists everywhere, which meant lots of people watching. Needing to shed our jackets, we hiked up to our hotel for a little respite. Before I knew it, BJ was telling me to grab my camera and follow him. It turns out he got into a conversation with Michael Gilowsky, the owner of the hotel, about the heating system in this wonderful 400 year old structure. The next thing I know we were in parts of the building that most visitors never see, including the kitchen, which was impressively spotless clean. Returning to the lobby after our unique tour, Michael was greeted by an older woman carrying a very large bear skin. It seems she shot it in Romania on a hunting trip many years ago, and now she is downsizing and donating it to the Hotel Zum Bären - The Bear.
One of the built in fees/perks of your hotel cost in Meersburg is a card which gets you a discount on admission fees plus free bus transportation. The closest bus stop from our hotel was an easy walk through the gate in the <b>Obertor</b>, to outside the city wall. So off we went on our bus ride, which took us through the residential area of Meersburg, then down the hill to the lake side.
We went back to Zum Alten Fass, for more beer
and Flammkuchen, which we watched everyone else eat when we were there earlier. Unfortunately, our waitress was a bit daft, and forgot to put our order in. After a half hour, and watching others get served who came in after us, we finally said something. Totally unapologetic, it took another half hour to get our Flammkuchen, which wasn't worth the wait. Still a bit hungry, we walked down the street to <b>Hotel Zum Schiff</b> and found a table right next to the lake. I ordered a bowl of Bouillon mit Hausgemachten (beef broth with herbed pancake slices) which I had on a trip to Germany in 2007, and had been yearning for since. BJ couldn't wait to get to the Black Forest, and ordered a huge slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. We both enjoyed sharing each other's selections.
It was 18:30 when we caught the bus back up to our hotel, where BJ took a nap and I sat in my Rapunzel tower (I do have waist length hair), glued "stuff" into my travel journal, and watched Star Trek: Deep Space 9 in German.
By 20:20 we were back down on the Seepromenade, and watched as the sun set over Switzerland, in a glorious array of red, yellow and orange hues. It was a spectacular end to an absolutely awesome day. This time we decided to climb the stairway to the oberstadt, which switchbacks through the vineyard. Part way up, we paused to rest on a bench, and watch the full moon rise in the east.
As we wandered around the oberstadt, we heard music coming from the church, so we decided to investigate. We slipped in the side door and discovered the community orchestra and choir rehearsing. It was such a thrill to be able to hear the church filled with such beautiful music. What a perfect way to end the evening.
http://www.burg-meersburg.de/
Robyn
Mar 26th, 2014, 03:52 AM
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<b>DAY TEN (Fri 26 April) BIRNAU, HOHENTWIEL, STEIN AM RHEIN, WISEN</b>
It was Market Day in <b>Meersburg</b>, so we did a final quick walkabout of the oberstadt, including past the <b>Schnabelgierebrunnen</b>, which spit water at us. Back at the <b>Hotel Zum Bären</b>, we had another sumptuous breakfast then checked out, but not before Michael shuffled us down the block to another building, to show off his heating system there. BJ was just thrilled. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Zum Bären, and would encourage anyone who visits Meersburg to experience this wonderful hotel and restaurant. The building and its furnishings are like a museum, and the food was excellent. Michael and his staff were both friendly and professional. In fact, when we were planning our trip, we contacted them about laundry service. They informed us that the hotel did not have a laundry service, but they would be happy to take a load home overnight and wash it for us! Such nice people! (€114/night + €6.50/night parking)
We left Meersburg via the Bodensee shore road, and stopped 15 minutes later in <b>Birnau</b> at the humongous salmon-colored <b>Bascillica</b>. No photos allowed inside. We discovered a local artist, <b>Norbert Sand</b>, selling his artwork from his motor home in the parking lot. We purchased a matted and framed watercolor of Meersburg's Altes Schloss, and learned that he spent 3 months touring through North America in his motor home - he had it shipped over to the States and back.
We continued west for 35 minutes to <b>Festung Hohentwiel</b>, the ruins of a mighty 10th century fortress built on top of an 800 foot high volcanic rock, which makes for an imposing location. We drove partway up the mountain to the car park, then proceeded on the path to the entrance, a 275' upward ascent, passing by the castle's farm, which is still in operation. We quickly became dismayed when we discovered that we should have purchased an entrance ticket at the car park. There was a ticket kiosk at the castle entrance, but it wasn't opened. I informed BJ that if I hiked down the hill, I wasn't going to hike back up again. Noticing our disappointment, a nice German couple told us to wait about 15 minutes, and the kiosk should open (thank you, thank you!). Within 10, we had our tickets (€3.50 each) and were inside the castle grounds, which covers 22 acres and an additional 225' elevation. The ruins are divided into the lower and upper fortresses, with a long sloping cobblestoned ramp connecting the two. We had a glorious time exploring the buildings, ramparts, casemates, and towers, finding the Mason's marks, and fantasizing about life on the hill during the last 1000 years. The ruins are well posted with signs, depicting the layout of the fortress during its heyday. BTW, a special shout-out to quokka for suggesting Hohentwiel. It has become one of our favorite ruins.
While walking around the ruins, we came upon a Golden Retriever puppy, resting on the ground with his owner. When the pup saw BJ, he promptly got up with his leash in his mouth, and approached BJ, looking for attention. We were both thrilled to be able to get some quality puppy time, having left behind our own furry creatures; a dog who is the Center of the Universe, and two tom-cat brothers who love each other one moment, and fight like enemies the next. We also met a guy from Newtown, Pennsylvania, close to where we both grew up, who is now living in Tübingen with his German wife. He also loves to explore castles, so we told him all about the Grosse Lauter Valley, of which he never heard about before. I love sharing travel tips.
Back at the car park, we walked through the foliage covered little cemetery, which had many old tombstones - a rarity in Germany. We also checked out the stone bank-barn, which serves as the official ticket office/gift shop/museum for Hohentwiel, and then crossed the road to the <b>Hotel Restaurant Hohentwiel</b> for cheesecake, and coffee for BJ and a Sanwald Hefeweizen for me.
Continuing south for 15 minutes, we crossed the border into <b>Switzerland</b> and arrived in <b>Stein am Rhein</b>, where the Rhein River flows out of Lake Constance. We easily found the car park just outside the town's walls, and had to laugh when we saw two nicely dressed women pushing a guy in a Mercedes Benz through the lot, trying to get the car started.
We picked up a City Map listing the many points of interest, and proceeded to do a self-guided walkabout of this charming medieval town with its abundance of oriel windows, timbered buildings and trompe l'oeil facades. Of special note is the <b>Rathaus</b> and the many buildings lining the <b>Rathausplatz</b>. We also visited the 12th century <b>Stadtkirche</b>, and walked about the 1000 year old <b>Kloster St. Georgen</b>.
It was 15:00 when we left Stein am Rhein and Switzerland, heading west through <b>Schaffhausen</b>. We had planned to stop in the town known for its oriel windows, but it was drizzling, the traffic was too crazy, and we couldn't find an above ground car park (didn't want to get stuck again in a garage without the right credit card). So onward we continued to <b>Bad Säckingen</b>, known for its wooden bridge spanning the Rhein. By now it was pouring rain, and neither of us relished the idea of getting wet just to see a bridge, so we crossed the Rhein River, re-entering Switzerland, and then drove the back roads to Sissach and on to <b>Wisen</b>, a small (pop. 400+) farming village set among rolling pastures dotted with sheep and fruit trees, our final destination for the evening.
As we've been driving through the countryside these last couple of days we have noticed many patches of blooming tulips by the side of the road. Apparently, you can just pull over and cut your own tulips, and I suppose, pay for them on the honor system. What a cool idea! If we were staying in one place for more than a night or two, I would definitely cut some tulips for my travel vases. My friend gave me a set of these flat, plastic vases; you run the vase under hot water, and then shape it and add cold water. We've used them several times; they work pretty well.
It was 19:00 when we checked into the <b>Gasthof Lowen</b>, Room #3. The gasthof was recently renovated, so the room was modern and clean. Our room in the front of the hotel had a view of the town church and rolling hills, although we mostly saw grey rain clouds hanging low in the sky.
After a short respite, and catching up on the BBC news, we went downstairs to their restaurant and dined; steak with spargle for BJ and schweinschnitzel for me. Our beer for the evening was Appenzeller Weizenbier.
By 21:30 we were in bed, passed out, although we awoke in the middle of the night to a pounding rain storm.
http://www.birnau.de/
http://www.sand-bilder.de/
http://www.festungsruine-hohentwiel.de/en/
http://www.gasthof-loewen-wisen.ch/
Robyn
It was Market Day in <b>Meersburg</b>, so we did a final quick walkabout of the oberstadt, including past the <b>Schnabelgierebrunnen</b>, which spit water at us. Back at the <b>Hotel Zum Bären</b>, we had another sumptuous breakfast then checked out, but not before Michael shuffled us down the block to another building, to show off his heating system there. BJ was just thrilled. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Zum Bären, and would encourage anyone who visits Meersburg to experience this wonderful hotel and restaurant. The building and its furnishings are like a museum, and the food was excellent. Michael and his staff were both friendly and professional. In fact, when we were planning our trip, we contacted them about laundry service. They informed us that the hotel did not have a laundry service, but they would be happy to take a load home overnight and wash it for us! Such nice people! (€114/night + €6.50/night parking)
We left Meersburg via the Bodensee shore road, and stopped 15 minutes later in <b>Birnau</b> at the humongous salmon-colored <b>Bascillica</b>. No photos allowed inside. We discovered a local artist, <b>Norbert Sand</b>, selling his artwork from his motor home in the parking lot. We purchased a matted and framed watercolor of Meersburg's Altes Schloss, and learned that he spent 3 months touring through North America in his motor home - he had it shipped over to the States and back.
We continued west for 35 minutes to <b>Festung Hohentwiel</b>, the ruins of a mighty 10th century fortress built on top of an 800 foot high volcanic rock, which makes for an imposing location. We drove partway up the mountain to the car park, then proceeded on the path to the entrance, a 275' upward ascent, passing by the castle's farm, which is still in operation. We quickly became dismayed when we discovered that we should have purchased an entrance ticket at the car park. There was a ticket kiosk at the castle entrance, but it wasn't opened. I informed BJ that if I hiked down the hill, I wasn't going to hike back up again. Noticing our disappointment, a nice German couple told us to wait about 15 minutes, and the kiosk should open (thank you, thank you!). Within 10, we had our tickets (€3.50 each) and were inside the castle grounds, which covers 22 acres and an additional 225' elevation. The ruins are divided into the lower and upper fortresses, with a long sloping cobblestoned ramp connecting the two. We had a glorious time exploring the buildings, ramparts, casemates, and towers, finding the Mason's marks, and fantasizing about life on the hill during the last 1000 years. The ruins are well posted with signs, depicting the layout of the fortress during its heyday. BTW, a special shout-out to quokka for suggesting Hohentwiel. It has become one of our favorite ruins.
While walking around the ruins, we came upon a Golden Retriever puppy, resting on the ground with his owner. When the pup saw BJ, he promptly got up with his leash in his mouth, and approached BJ, looking for attention. We were both thrilled to be able to get some quality puppy time, having left behind our own furry creatures; a dog who is the Center of the Universe, and two tom-cat brothers who love each other one moment, and fight like enemies the next. We also met a guy from Newtown, Pennsylvania, close to where we both grew up, who is now living in Tübingen with his German wife. He also loves to explore castles, so we told him all about the Grosse Lauter Valley, of which he never heard about before. I love sharing travel tips.
Back at the car park, we walked through the foliage covered little cemetery, which had many old tombstones - a rarity in Germany. We also checked out the stone bank-barn, which serves as the official ticket office/gift shop/museum for Hohentwiel, and then crossed the road to the <b>Hotel Restaurant Hohentwiel</b> for cheesecake, and coffee for BJ and a Sanwald Hefeweizen for me.
Continuing south for 15 minutes, we crossed the border into <b>Switzerland</b> and arrived in <b>Stein am Rhein</b>, where the Rhein River flows out of Lake Constance. We easily found the car park just outside the town's walls, and had to laugh when we saw two nicely dressed women pushing a guy in a Mercedes Benz through the lot, trying to get the car started.
We picked up a City Map listing the many points of interest, and proceeded to do a self-guided walkabout of this charming medieval town with its abundance of oriel windows, timbered buildings and trompe l'oeil facades. Of special note is the <b>Rathaus</b> and the many buildings lining the <b>Rathausplatz</b>. We also visited the 12th century <b>Stadtkirche</b>, and walked about the 1000 year old <b>Kloster St. Georgen</b>.
It was 15:00 when we left Stein am Rhein and Switzerland, heading west through <b>Schaffhausen</b>. We had planned to stop in the town known for its oriel windows, but it was drizzling, the traffic was too crazy, and we couldn't find an above ground car park (didn't want to get stuck again in a garage without the right credit card). So onward we continued to <b>Bad Säckingen</b>, known for its wooden bridge spanning the Rhein. By now it was pouring rain, and neither of us relished the idea of getting wet just to see a bridge, so we crossed the Rhein River, re-entering Switzerland, and then drove the back roads to Sissach and on to <b>Wisen</b>, a small (pop. 400+) farming village set among rolling pastures dotted with sheep and fruit trees, our final destination for the evening.
As we've been driving through the countryside these last couple of days we have noticed many patches of blooming tulips by the side of the road. Apparently, you can just pull over and cut your own tulips, and I suppose, pay for them on the honor system. What a cool idea! If we were staying in one place for more than a night or two, I would definitely cut some tulips for my travel vases. My friend gave me a set of these flat, plastic vases; you run the vase under hot water, and then shape it and add cold water. We've used them several times; they work pretty well.
It was 19:00 when we checked into the <b>Gasthof Lowen</b>, Room #3. The gasthof was recently renovated, so the room was modern and clean. Our room in the front of the hotel had a view of the town church and rolling hills, although we mostly saw grey rain clouds hanging low in the sky.
After a short respite, and catching up on the BBC news, we went downstairs to their restaurant and dined; steak with spargle for BJ and schweinschnitzel for me. Our beer for the evening was Appenzeller Weizenbier.
By 21:30 we were in bed, passed out, although we awoke in the middle of the night to a pounding rain storm.
http://www.birnau.de/
http://www.sand-bilder.de/
http://www.festungsruine-hohentwiel.de/en/
http://www.gasthof-loewen-wisen.ch/
Robyn
Mar 26th, 2014, 08:02 AM
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Hi Robyn -
I'm really enjoying your report. My husband is half German and his mother lived in Switzerland for many years as well, so it's nice to read about your travels. We've been to both countries many times, but not the places you mention here.
I also see you have the same fondness for hefeweizen as my husband! I think he would move there again just for the beer.
I'm really enjoying your report. My husband is half German and his mother lived in Switzerland for many years as well, so it's nice to read about your travels. We've been to both countries many times, but not the places you mention here.
I also see you have the same fondness for hefeweizen as my husband! I think he would move there again just for the beer.
Mar 26th, 2014, 01:56 PM
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Robyn, I'm so enjoying your trip report and reading about many of the things that we also did on our trips to that part of Germany and Switzerland.
We loved Tuebingen and Meersburg and especially the Gasthof zum Baeren. Michael is such a nice man and proudly told us about his family's history with this hotel. Did you know he is also the Chef? And a very good one as you can attest!
It was interesting that you mentioned the golden retriever puppy as we have had goldens the last 20 yrs and always see quite a few when we travel in Germany. We have a darling photo of one in Gengenbach on market day, standing in front of the cheese seller waiting for a sample!!
We spent 2 nights in Stein am Rhein and while we planned to drive over to Schaffhausen, enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of SaR too much to leave.
We loved Tuebingen and Meersburg and especially the Gasthof zum Baeren. Michael is such a nice man and proudly told us about his family's history with this hotel. Did you know he is also the Chef? And a very good one as you can attest!
It was interesting that you mentioned the golden retriever puppy as we have had goldens the last 20 yrs and always see quite a few when we travel in Germany. We have a darling photo of one in Gengenbach on market day, standing in front of the cheese seller waiting for a sample!!
We spent 2 nights in Stein am Rhein and while we planned to drive over to Schaffhausen, enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of SaR too much to leave.
Mar 26th, 2014, 06:59 PM
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Thank you, nicksgirl and bettyk, for reading along and the positive comments.
nicksgirl - I used to be a wine drinker until our first trip to Germany in 2007. I enjoyed drinking wine when we were along the Rhine, but when we got to Bavaria I decided to try a hefeweizen, and I was hooked. It's now my choice of libation (don't forget to swirl).
bettyk - We both thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gasthof Zum Bären, and would go back in a heartbeat. It's on our top 5 favorite hotels. Just curious, which room did you stay in? They have so many nicely decorated rooms, it was hard to choose one.
Robyn
nicksgirl - I used to be a wine drinker until our first trip to Germany in 2007. I enjoyed drinking wine when we were along the Rhine, but when we got to Bavaria I decided to try a hefeweizen, and I was hooked. It's now my choice of libation (don't forget to swirl).
bettyk - We both thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gasthof Zum Bären, and would go back in a heartbeat. It's on our top 5 favorite hotels. Just curious, which room did you stay in? They have so many nicely decorated rooms, it was hard to choose one.
Robyn
Mar 27th, 2014, 04:56 AM
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<b>DAY ELEVEN (Sat 27 April) HERITAGE TOUR, MUNSTERTAL, STAUFEN, TRIBERG, GENGENBACH</b>
We were awoken again at 6:00 am to the tolling of the church bells across the street - apparently Wisen's alarm clock goes off much earlier than Meersburg's. After a standard European breakfast, we did a quick walk-about <b>Wisen</b>, which pretty much consisted of the church, cemetery, gasthof and crossroads (with a sign pointing to Moskau - Peking). The rain had paused and we could see the many sheep dotting the hills surrounding the town. It was truly an idyllic country setting.
I have been able to trace my father's ancestral roots back to the 1400's, from the Sissach region of Switzerland, which is what brought us to this area. So after checking out of the hotel (150.00CH, which was the most expensive on our trip, but then... we're in Switzerland) we spent the next three hours driving to, and walking through the towns of <b>Känerkinden, Zunzgen, Sissach, Ramlinsburg</b> and <b>Itingen</b>, embracing the ghosts of my father's ancestors.
By noon we were crossing back in to Germany and heading north through the lower <b>Black Forest</b>. It was raining on and off, and the heavy grey clouds obscured many of the normally breathtaking views of the valleys below. Hidden in one of the valleys in <b>Munsterhalden</b> we discovered the <b>Schnitzerstube</b>, a multi-generational wood carving obsession. For a small fee, the current owner will let you wander through the house and grounds, where everything made of wood is exquisitely hand carved. The inside and outside of the house are covered with wood carvings, and the grounds are scattered with wood carved sculptures, benches, birdhouses, and the cutest little guinea pig huts I've ever seen. Definitely worth the stop.
Continuing north a short distance, we stopped in <b>Munstertal</b> at <b>St. Trudbert Monastery</b>, primarily for the reliquary of St. Trudbert. My husband and I are hooked on reliquaries so we were looking forward to this church. But we got a second treat. Just as we arrived rehearsal began for their choir and band. It was such a thrill to sit, and listen to, and feel the voices and instruments reverberating off the walls of the church, while Trudbert stared at us through his jewel encrusted eyes.
A short drive down the road and we arrived in the medieval and broken town of <b>Staufen</b>. I say broken because many of the buildings in town are literally..."broken". In the quest to heat the town hall with a geothermal system, developers unknowingly drilled and injected water into a layer of anhydrite, which converted to gypsum, swelled, and caused the town to rise up to 30 cm in places. As a result, over 260 buildings in town now have cracks running through them, with damage estimates at €50 million. It was sad to see the damage. But Staufen is a resilient town, as we soon discovered walking through the altstadt. There are several pictorial displays showing the area pre 1945 beside a picture of the same area after the bombing of February 8, 1945. The cracks in the buildings are nothing compared to the devastation suffered during WWII. Since then, most buildings have been restored back to their pre war state.
Just about everywhere you walk in the center of town you can view the castle which rises from the hill above the terraced vineyards. And be careful where you walk - don't trip into a <b>bächle</b>, one of those little medieval drainage canals. Of course, a visit to Staufen wouldn't be complete without stopping by the <b>Gasthaus zum Löwen</b>, where Dr. Faustus is rumored to have sold his soul to the devil. Before leaving town we stopped by the <b>Bäckerei Cafe Heitzmann</b> for some sandwiches and Schwarzwalderkirschetorte. My beer for the afternoon was Rothaus Hochschwarzwald Hefewiezen.
As a side oddity, it was in Staufen that we first started to notice these strange chalk markings above the entrance door to many homes, which read <b>20*C+M+B*13</b>. We had no idea what they meant, but we continued to see them on many door lintels during the rest of our German Journey. Thanks to fellow Fodorite, Aramis, we have since learned that they are " a gentle reminder of God’s blessing, and a sign to all of a Christian home." The numbers represent the year, and the letters represent the names of the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, or they can also stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, the Latin words meaning, May Christ bless this home.
We left Staufen and skirted around Freiburg, and drove B-31 through the <b>Höllental</b> (Hell's Valley), a 9 km stretch of road that snakes through the glacial gorge. We passed through the <b>Hirschsprung</b> (deer jump), which is the narrowest part of the gorge, at one time just 9 meters wide, now marked with a deer statue on a high, rocky outcrop. There was really nothing hellish about the valley, although I imagine before they built the 4 lane highway it would have been difficult to traverse.
We soon turned north onto route 500, continuing our climb into the <b>Black Forest</b>. Unfortunately, the rain had returned, and it was too foggy to see any views. At times we were just happy that we could see the road. We knew we were up there, elevation wise, because of the piles of snow on the side of the road.
We eventually arrived in <b>Triberg</b>, home to cuckoo clocks and a waterfall. We wanted to visit the House of 1000 Clocks, but quickly learned that it was actually located outside of town and had already closed for the day. Instead, we walked up and down the hilly street, and found a little cafe where we had coffee and orange juice. On the way out of town we did stop at the <b>House of 1000 Clocks</b> for a few photos of the outside of the store and the oversized clocks. We both felt Triberg was just a big tourist trap - kind of like Bushkill Falls in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, home to candles and waterfalls.
By 19:00 we were rolling into our final destination for the day, <b>Gengenbach</b>, and the <b>Hotel Sonne</b>. We checked into Room #6, on the second floor, which was a large, very comfortably decorated room. From our window we had a view of the <b>Town Square</b>, the <b>Berglekapelle</b> perched on top of the hill surrounding the town, and the <b>storks nest</b> featured on the town's web cam. We did the estimate and decided we could get 3 Amsterdam hotel rooms into this one room in Gengenbach.
After a much needed respite, and taking advantage of a little break in the rain, we set out on a quick walk about town, beginning with the town square and its salmon colored, Rococo <b>Town Hall</b>, which seemed a bit out of place among the medieval half-timbered buildings and fortification gates. We walked up to the <b>Oberturm</b> and climbed the stairs to the lower landing lookout, then followed the cobblestoned path which led us to the <b>Färberhaus</b> and the <b>Schwedenturm</b>. The gate was closed to the tower, so we kept moving on, and soon discovered <b>Engelgasse</b> (Angel's Alley), named for the charming half-timbered houses with their overhanging upper floors that line the street. Since winemaking was popular back in its day, most houses have an outside entrance to their wine cellars (how nice!). Along our walk we had noticed several buildings with very clever plaques or paintings depicting its history, many consumed by fire at one point in time. And, we also kept noticing the odd 20*C+M+B*13 symbols above many of the doors in town.
It started raining, and the sun was setting, so we decided we would finish our walking tour in the morning, hopefully with better weather. We made our way back to the hotel for dinner, only to discover that the restaurant was very busy and all the tables were occupied. However, the hostess arranged for us to share a table with a lovely couple, Tom and Rita, from Great Britain, near Buckinghamnshire (where William Penn is buried), who had just finished ordering desert. BJ and I ordered the Sauerbraten (which delightfully melted in our mouths - €37.40), and then started talking about travel with Tom and Rita, waiting for our dinner to be served. Well Tom and Rita never left the table. We ended up spending the rest of the evening, right through our dinner and desert, engaged in delightful conversation with our hospitable dining partners.
http://www.schnitzerstube.de/
http://www.kloster-st-trudpert.de/
http://www.dw.de/green-good-intentio...owns/a-4473382
http://www.blackforestinfo.com/regions/hoellental.htm
http://sonne-gengenbach.de/
http://www.stadt-gengenbach.de/de/Wetter_Webcam/
Robyn
We were awoken again at 6:00 am to the tolling of the church bells across the street - apparently Wisen's alarm clock goes off much earlier than Meersburg's. After a standard European breakfast, we did a quick walk-about <b>Wisen</b>, which pretty much consisted of the church, cemetery, gasthof and crossroads (with a sign pointing to Moskau - Peking). The rain had paused and we could see the many sheep dotting the hills surrounding the town. It was truly an idyllic country setting.
I have been able to trace my father's ancestral roots back to the 1400's, from the Sissach region of Switzerland, which is what brought us to this area. So after checking out of the hotel (150.00CH, which was the most expensive on our trip, but then... we're in Switzerland) we spent the next three hours driving to, and walking through the towns of <b>Känerkinden, Zunzgen, Sissach, Ramlinsburg</b> and <b>Itingen</b>, embracing the ghosts of my father's ancestors.
By noon we were crossing back in to Germany and heading north through the lower <b>Black Forest</b>. It was raining on and off, and the heavy grey clouds obscured many of the normally breathtaking views of the valleys below. Hidden in one of the valleys in <b>Munsterhalden</b> we discovered the <b>Schnitzerstube</b>, a multi-generational wood carving obsession. For a small fee, the current owner will let you wander through the house and grounds, where everything made of wood is exquisitely hand carved. The inside and outside of the house are covered with wood carvings, and the grounds are scattered with wood carved sculptures, benches, birdhouses, and the cutest little guinea pig huts I've ever seen. Definitely worth the stop.
Continuing north a short distance, we stopped in <b>Munstertal</b> at <b>St. Trudbert Monastery</b>, primarily for the reliquary of St. Trudbert. My husband and I are hooked on reliquaries so we were looking forward to this church. But we got a second treat. Just as we arrived rehearsal began for their choir and band. It was such a thrill to sit, and listen to, and feel the voices and instruments reverberating off the walls of the church, while Trudbert stared at us through his jewel encrusted eyes.
A short drive down the road and we arrived in the medieval and broken town of <b>Staufen</b>. I say broken because many of the buildings in town are literally..."broken". In the quest to heat the town hall with a geothermal system, developers unknowingly drilled and injected water into a layer of anhydrite, which converted to gypsum, swelled, and caused the town to rise up to 30 cm in places. As a result, over 260 buildings in town now have cracks running through them, with damage estimates at €50 million. It was sad to see the damage. But Staufen is a resilient town, as we soon discovered walking through the altstadt. There are several pictorial displays showing the area pre 1945 beside a picture of the same area after the bombing of February 8, 1945. The cracks in the buildings are nothing compared to the devastation suffered during WWII. Since then, most buildings have been restored back to their pre war state.
Just about everywhere you walk in the center of town you can view the castle which rises from the hill above the terraced vineyards. And be careful where you walk - don't trip into a <b>bächle</b>, one of those little medieval drainage canals. Of course, a visit to Staufen wouldn't be complete without stopping by the <b>Gasthaus zum Löwen</b>, where Dr. Faustus is rumored to have sold his soul to the devil. Before leaving town we stopped by the <b>Bäckerei Cafe Heitzmann</b> for some sandwiches and Schwarzwalderkirschetorte. My beer for the afternoon was Rothaus Hochschwarzwald Hefewiezen.
As a side oddity, it was in Staufen that we first started to notice these strange chalk markings above the entrance door to many homes, which read <b>20*C+M+B*13</b>. We had no idea what they meant, but we continued to see them on many door lintels during the rest of our German Journey. Thanks to fellow Fodorite, Aramis, we have since learned that they are " a gentle reminder of God’s blessing, and a sign to all of a Christian home." The numbers represent the year, and the letters represent the names of the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, or they can also stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, the Latin words meaning, May Christ bless this home.
We left Staufen and skirted around Freiburg, and drove B-31 through the <b>Höllental</b> (Hell's Valley), a 9 km stretch of road that snakes through the glacial gorge. We passed through the <b>Hirschsprung</b> (deer jump), which is the narrowest part of the gorge, at one time just 9 meters wide, now marked with a deer statue on a high, rocky outcrop. There was really nothing hellish about the valley, although I imagine before they built the 4 lane highway it would have been difficult to traverse.
We soon turned north onto route 500, continuing our climb into the <b>Black Forest</b>. Unfortunately, the rain had returned, and it was too foggy to see any views. At times we were just happy that we could see the road. We knew we were up there, elevation wise, because of the piles of snow on the side of the road.
We eventually arrived in <b>Triberg</b>, home to cuckoo clocks and a waterfall. We wanted to visit the House of 1000 Clocks, but quickly learned that it was actually located outside of town and had already closed for the day. Instead, we walked up and down the hilly street, and found a little cafe where we had coffee and orange juice. On the way out of town we did stop at the <b>House of 1000 Clocks</b> for a few photos of the outside of the store and the oversized clocks. We both felt Triberg was just a big tourist trap - kind of like Bushkill Falls in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, home to candles and waterfalls.
By 19:00 we were rolling into our final destination for the day, <b>Gengenbach</b>, and the <b>Hotel Sonne</b>. We checked into Room #6, on the second floor, which was a large, very comfortably decorated room. From our window we had a view of the <b>Town Square</b>, the <b>Berglekapelle</b> perched on top of the hill surrounding the town, and the <b>storks nest</b> featured on the town's web cam. We did the estimate and decided we could get 3 Amsterdam hotel rooms into this one room in Gengenbach.
After a much needed respite, and taking advantage of a little break in the rain, we set out on a quick walk about town, beginning with the town square and its salmon colored, Rococo <b>Town Hall</b>, which seemed a bit out of place among the medieval half-timbered buildings and fortification gates. We walked up to the <b>Oberturm</b> and climbed the stairs to the lower landing lookout, then followed the cobblestoned path which led us to the <b>Färberhaus</b> and the <b>Schwedenturm</b>. The gate was closed to the tower, so we kept moving on, and soon discovered <b>Engelgasse</b> (Angel's Alley), named for the charming half-timbered houses with their overhanging upper floors that line the street. Since winemaking was popular back in its day, most houses have an outside entrance to their wine cellars (how nice!). Along our walk we had noticed several buildings with very clever plaques or paintings depicting its history, many consumed by fire at one point in time. And, we also kept noticing the odd 20*C+M+B*13 symbols above many of the doors in town.
It started raining, and the sun was setting, so we decided we would finish our walking tour in the morning, hopefully with better weather. We made our way back to the hotel for dinner, only to discover that the restaurant was very busy and all the tables were occupied. However, the hostess arranged for us to share a table with a lovely couple, Tom and Rita, from Great Britain, near Buckinghamnshire (where William Penn is buried), who had just finished ordering desert. BJ and I ordered the Sauerbraten (which delightfully melted in our mouths - €37.40), and then started talking about travel with Tom and Rita, waiting for our dinner to be served. Well Tom and Rita never left the table. We ended up spending the rest of the evening, right through our dinner and desert, engaged in delightful conversation with our hospitable dining partners.
http://www.schnitzerstube.de/
http://www.kloster-st-trudpert.de/
http://www.dw.de/green-good-intentio...owns/a-4473382
http://www.blackforestinfo.com/regions/hoellental.htm
http://sonne-gengenbach.de/
http://www.stadt-gengenbach.de/de/Wetter_Webcam/
Robyn
Mar 27th, 2014, 10:26 AM
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Robyn, I checked back in my trip reports to find the rooms we stayed in at the zum Baeren:
From my 2010 trip report when our friend, Jeanette, accompanied us: We got to the Gasthof zum Bären around lunch time, unloaded our luggage, parked the car and checked in. The nice owner, Michael Gilowsky, upgraded Jeanette to a lovely double room (#12) on the 2nd floor for the same price as a single on the 3rd floor. We had room #11 on the 2nd floor.
From our first stay in 2007: We were warmly greeted by Michael Gilowsky, the current owner whose family has owned and operated the hotel since 1805. We were shown to Room #10, a lovely room on the 1st floor (2nd floor to those in the US) overlooking the street below.
Hope your weather improved in Gengenbach. It rained almost the entire time we were there but we still thought it was a most lovely little town.
From my 2010 trip report when our friend, Jeanette, accompanied us: We got to the Gasthof zum Bären around lunch time, unloaded our luggage, parked the car and checked in. The nice owner, Michael Gilowsky, upgraded Jeanette to a lovely double room (#12) on the 2nd floor for the same price as a single on the 3rd floor. We had room #11 on the 2nd floor.
From our first stay in 2007: We were warmly greeted by Michael Gilowsky, the current owner whose family has owned and operated the hotel since 1805. We were shown to Room #10, a lovely room on the 1st floor (2nd floor to those in the US) overlooking the street below.
Hope your weather improved in Gengenbach. It rained almost the entire time we were there but we still thought it was a most lovely little town.
Mar 27th, 2014, 02:00 PM
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My husband wanted to stay in Room #27, with the dark wood ceiling. I wanted to stay in Room #23, with the turret. I won because it was my birthday. But if we ever go back we'll probably request #27.
Robyn
Robyn
Mar 30th, 2014, 06:58 AM
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<b>DAY TWELVE (Sun 28 April) SCHWARZWALDBAHN, TITISEE, FREIBURG, GENGENBACH</b>
We awoke to a rain free day in <b>Gengenbach</b> - woo hoo! The <b>Hotel Sonne</b> offered a very hearty European breakfast, with multiple choices of meats, cheeses, yogurt, cereals, eggs, breads, etc... including a fantastic fresh fruit salad and awesome pretzel rolls.
By 9:15 we hit the streets of Gengenbach, this time exploring the area around the <b>Benedictine Abbey</b> and the <b>Stadtkirche St. Marien</b>. The church bells were ringing, and area residents were showing up for mass, so we only explored the grounds surrounding the <b>cloister</b>, where we discovered a lovely herb garden, which was just beginning to bloom, that stretched to the fortification walls and the <b>Prälatenturm</b>. There was also a replica of a section of the original <b>fortification walls</b> that use to surround the town that visitors can walk on.
Being the consummate plumber, BJ was intrigued by the medieval mini aqueduct system which was used to power the water wheel for the <b>Holzofenbäckerei</b> and <b>Klostermühle</b> (bakery and mill). And we were both puzzled by a 50 foot pine tree, which was fallen and stripped of its bark, all except for the top 10 feet of branches, and which lay on the steps of the abbey. Hhmmm?
We walked around the outside of the <b>Kinzigtorturm</b>, the main entrance into town, with its impaling type gate, then headed off to the Gengenbach train station. As part of the hotel fee, visitors are given a <b>Konus Card</b>, a pass for the public trains in the <b>Black Forest</b>, which includes the <b>Schwarzwaldbahn</b>, an engineering marvel including 39 tunnels and 2 viaduct crossings. We were happy to see Rita and Tom on the train platform, waiting for the 11:06 train to Donaueschingen (until our conversation last night at dinner, they were unaware of the train pass).
We had an enjoyable 70 minute train ride through the Black Forest, at times paralleling the roads that we travelled yesterday. BJ enjoyed being a passenger for a change, and not the driver. Although it wasn't raining, the skies were still gray and cloudy, which obscured the scenery. Yeah, that, and the many tunnels. We had a 30 minute layover in <b>Donaueschingen</b>, where BJ and I shared a Fürstenberg Heffeweizen (since 1283). By 12:48 we were all back on the train and heading for <b>Titisee</b>.
Fifty minutes later our train was pulling into the tourist town along the See. The setting for the town and lake is lovely, nestled in between the mountains. It was a little too early in the season, and a bit too cold and windy, for anyone to take the boats out on to the lake, but that didn't stop the tourists from coming by the train and busloads to the town. Of course, we were one of those tourists, and we had <b>Schwartzwalderkirchetort</b> on our agenda.
We parted ways with Rita and Tom (they were going to a cafe for a sandwich), and we headed to the <b>Restaurant Seeblick</b>, where we both had the most delicious trout, caught from the Titisee that morning, washed down with a couple of Rothaus Hefeweizens. After scoping out the size of the slices of cake, we chose to share an order of Schwartzwalerkirchetort, which was light and rich at the same time.
By 15:38 BJ and I were back on the train, heading for <b>Freiburg</b>, by way of the <b>Höllental</b>. We arrived at the bahnhof at 16:08, and then made our way across town via the Rathausgasse, passing the <b>Neues Rathaus</b> along the way, and a statue of Berthold Schwarz, who invented gunpowder back in 1350. We were careful to mind the <b>Bächle</b> along the streets as we continued on to the <b>Münsterplatz</b> and the impressive <b>Münster</b>, which dates from 1200. Standing out from the other buildings which line the Münsterplatz is the striking red <b>Kaufhaus</b> (buying house) and its twin turrets capped with multi-colored tiles.
We walked down to the <b>Martinstor</b>, part of the 13th century fortification, which is now raped with the word "McDonald's" plastered above one of the red arches of the city gates. I'm surprised McDonald's hasn't paid to turn that arch golden. On Franziskanergasse (which is the name of our favorite beer) we found the ornately decorated bay window of the <b>Haus zum Walfisch</b> (Whale House), but we couldn't find a bar/cafe to sit and have a "Franzi".
We were back at the bahnhof in time to catch the 18:03 to <b>Offenburg</b>, for a quick change of trains to <b>Gengenbach</b>. By 19:05 we were walking back to our hotel. As we approached the town square we found the tall pine tree we discovered this morning erected and decorated with May Day ribbons.
We spent the rest of the evening packing for train travel tomorrow, which meant finishing partially eaten bags of food and a bottle of wine we had accumulated during our road trip.
http://www.schwarzwald.de/en/information/tips/
http://www.black-forest-travel.com/p...t-railway.html
http://www.seeblicktitisee.de/
Robyn
We awoke to a rain free day in <b>Gengenbach</b> - woo hoo! The <b>Hotel Sonne</b> offered a very hearty European breakfast, with multiple choices of meats, cheeses, yogurt, cereals, eggs, breads, etc... including a fantastic fresh fruit salad and awesome pretzel rolls.
By 9:15 we hit the streets of Gengenbach, this time exploring the area around the <b>Benedictine Abbey</b> and the <b>Stadtkirche St. Marien</b>. The church bells were ringing, and area residents were showing up for mass, so we only explored the grounds surrounding the <b>cloister</b>, where we discovered a lovely herb garden, which was just beginning to bloom, that stretched to the fortification walls and the <b>Prälatenturm</b>. There was also a replica of a section of the original <b>fortification walls</b> that use to surround the town that visitors can walk on.
Being the consummate plumber, BJ was intrigued by the medieval mini aqueduct system which was used to power the water wheel for the <b>Holzofenbäckerei</b> and <b>Klostermühle</b> (bakery and mill). And we were both puzzled by a 50 foot pine tree, which was fallen and stripped of its bark, all except for the top 10 feet of branches, and which lay on the steps of the abbey. Hhmmm?
We walked around the outside of the <b>Kinzigtorturm</b>, the main entrance into town, with its impaling type gate, then headed off to the Gengenbach train station. As part of the hotel fee, visitors are given a <b>Konus Card</b>, a pass for the public trains in the <b>Black Forest</b>, which includes the <b>Schwarzwaldbahn</b>, an engineering marvel including 39 tunnels and 2 viaduct crossings. We were happy to see Rita and Tom on the train platform, waiting for the 11:06 train to Donaueschingen (until our conversation last night at dinner, they were unaware of the train pass).
We had an enjoyable 70 minute train ride through the Black Forest, at times paralleling the roads that we travelled yesterday. BJ enjoyed being a passenger for a change, and not the driver. Although it wasn't raining, the skies were still gray and cloudy, which obscured the scenery. Yeah, that, and the many tunnels. We had a 30 minute layover in <b>Donaueschingen</b>, where BJ and I shared a Fürstenberg Heffeweizen (since 1283).
By 12:48 we were all back on the train and heading for <b>Titisee</b>.Fifty minutes later our train was pulling into the tourist town along the See. The setting for the town and lake is lovely, nestled in between the mountains. It was a little too early in the season, and a bit too cold and windy, for anyone to take the boats out on to the lake, but that didn't stop the tourists from coming by the train and busloads to the town. Of course, we were one of those tourists, and we had <b>Schwartzwalderkirchetort</b> on our agenda.
We parted ways with Rita and Tom (they were going to a cafe for a sandwich), and we headed to the <b>Restaurant Seeblick</b>, where we both had the most delicious trout, caught from the Titisee that morning, washed down with a couple of Rothaus Hefeweizens.
After scoping out the size of the slices of cake, we chose to share an order of Schwartzwalerkirchetort, which was light and rich at the same time. By 15:38 BJ and I were back on the train, heading for <b>Freiburg</b>, by way of the <b>Höllental</b>. We arrived at the bahnhof at 16:08, and then made our way across town via the Rathausgasse, passing the <b>Neues Rathaus</b> along the way, and a statue of Berthold Schwarz, who invented gunpowder back in 1350. We were careful to mind the <b>Bächle</b> along the streets as we continued on to the <b>Münsterplatz</b> and the impressive <b>Münster</b>, which dates from 1200. Standing out from the other buildings which line the Münsterplatz is the striking red <b>Kaufhaus</b> (buying house) and its twin turrets capped with multi-colored tiles.
We walked down to the <b>Martinstor</b>, part of the 13th century fortification, which is now raped with the word "McDonald's" plastered above one of the red arches of the city gates. I'm surprised McDonald's hasn't paid to turn that arch golden. On Franziskanergasse (which is the name of our favorite beer) we found the ornately decorated bay window of the <b>Haus zum Walfisch</b> (Whale House), but we couldn't find a bar/cafe to sit and have a "Franzi".
We were back at the bahnhof in time to catch the 18:03 to <b>Offenburg</b>, for a quick change of trains to <b>Gengenbach</b>. By 19:05 we were walking back to our hotel. As we approached the town square we found the tall pine tree we discovered this morning erected and decorated with May Day ribbons.
We spent the rest of the evening packing for train travel tomorrow, which meant finishing partially eaten bags of food and a bottle of wine we had accumulated during our road trip.
http://www.schwarzwald.de/en/information/tips/
http://www.black-forest-travel.com/p...t-railway.html
http://www.seeblicktitisee.de/
Robyn
Apr 6th, 2014, 04:59 AM
#33
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Sorry for the delay in posting. I got hit with the flu bug and ended up in the Emergency Room. Feeling much better now. On with the travel....
<b>DAY THIRTEEN (Mon 29 April) COLOGNE, AMSTERDAM</b>
We had a chance to say good-bye to Tom & Rita this morning at breakfast before checking out of the <b>Hotel Sonne</b> (€75,00/night w/ breakfast). We were VERY pleased with our choice of hotels for <b>Gengenbach</b> and would recommend the Sonne to anyone visiting the Black Forest. It's a multigenerational family run hotel where they take pride in everything they do, which was evident in the food, service and decor which they offered. And the location - near the town square, inside the city walls, in the middle of the Black Forest - was perfect. When you add in the <b>Konus Card</b> with the free public transportation, and the very affordable price, the Hotel Sonne makes an excellent base for exploring the Black Forest.
We returned our rental car at the <b>Sixt</b> office in <b>Offenburg</b>, where we would start our rail journey for the day. Overall, we drove a total of 3381 km during our week-long road trip! We covered a lot of territory; saw a lot of old castles, churches, and towns; stayed in some great hotels; ate a lot of delicious food; drank a lot of good beer; and met a lot of nice people along the way. This was our first experience <b>driving in Germany</b>, and we found the road system to be well maintained and marked, and easy to follow. (We only got lost once, and that was coming into Offenburg to drop off the car.) We were very impressed with their system of tunnels and switchbacks for dealing with some mountainous regions. We live in the Pennsylvania Poconos and usually have to go 'round the mountains, but in Germany they just tunnel right through them.
By 11:30 we were boarding the train to Mannheim, and then connecting to <b>Cologne</b> after an unexpected half hour delay. By 14:30 we were stashing our luggage in the lockers (€12,00), and stepping out onto the <b>Domplatz</b>. The <b>cathedral</b> is enormous, and very dirty from hundreds of years of pollution. We spent some time touring the inside, then walked over to the <b>Ursulaplatz</b> and visited <b>St. Ursulakirche</b>, and the room with the bones and sculls.
Afterwards we walked halfway across the <b>Hollenbrucke</b>, over the Rhine, where lovers place a lock inscribed with their names on the bridge, then throw the key in the river. We had a little plaque made up with today's date, our first names, our wedding date, and "12,995 days and counting", and locked the plaque on to the bottom right-hand side of one of the panels, kissed each other, and then threw the key into the river.
Since we had a train to catch, we decided to have dinner in the train station, and settled for the <b>Schweinske</b> (€30,60). BJ ordered a steak, which was okay. I had the Jagerschnitzel, which was tough; and I found a hair in it, which I'll pretend was mine. I enjoyed a couple Franziskaners with dinner, and BJ had to try the Gilden Kölsch, since we were in Köln.
By 19:17 we had claimed our luggage and were on the train back to <b>Amsterdam</b>, arriving in time to celebrate <b>Queen's Day</b> tomorrow. Shortly after crossing the Germany/Netherlands border, the conductor announced that during the Queen's Holiday it is illegal to have any alcoholic beverage at the Amsterdam train station, so if you got it, you better drink it now. You could hear bottles and cans being opened throughout the train. Having just drank our way through dinner, we were glad we polished off that bottle of wine last night instead of trying to bring it back with us.
The train arrived at 21:56, and the stationplatz and tram platforms were crowded with people dressed in various levels of orange. We decided a taxi would be the easiest way to get to the hotel, which was a good decision since, we learned later, only a few tram lines were running and ours wasn't one of them. We were returning to the <b>Hotel Nadia</b>, mostly because of the covered balcony overlooking the Kaizergracht and the Raadhuisstraat; great for people watching on Queen's Day.
We were greeted at the front door by one of the assistant managers, who was busy duct-taping the sidewalk in front of the hotel entrance, marking off a space to keep the entrance free from people setting up shop along the road. Settled back into Room #412, we could easily see the stage, and hear the thumping techno music, set up on the <b>Westerkerkplein</b> from our balcony. People in orange were wandering everywhere. Already dressed in orange from this morning, we decided to go out and be part of the throng.
We made our way down to the back of the <b>Palace</b>, which was completely surrounded by barricades. We had to walk several blocks out of our way just to get to the <b>Dam</b>. <b>De Bienkorf</b> had a huge crown erected on the top of their store, and flags and banners hung from many of the buildings in the square. The palace was glowing gold, and clusters of police officers on horseback guarded the massive barricade system. And there were people everywhere; decked out with orange hair, orange crowns, orange clothes.
We ended up on the <b>Nieuwmarkt</b>, at the <b>Green Place</b>, to enjoy again "what Amsterdam has to offer". It was fun just to sit and watch the city go by, with splashes of orange everywhere. After a Looza for me, and an espresso for BJ, we decided to walk down the <b>Zeedijk</b>, which turned into a crazy mass of orange and leather, particularly around <b>Cafe 't Mandje Bet van Beeren</b>, which, I believe, is billed as the first gay friendly bar in the world. BJ doesn't do well in crowds to begin with, and I think he was getting a little freaked out from the mass of people, particularly the ones who were bumping and grinding in their leather thongs. Luckily, I found myself behind a tall, imposing dude, who, unbeknownst to him, happened to clear a path for both of us right down the street.
Normally, it would have been easy to walk across town, back to our hotel, but tonight we got caught up in all the scaffolding erected, not just around the palace and Nieuwkerk, but down the NZ Voorburgwal, where generators and press were set up. We felt like mice in a maze who couldn't find their way out. The Raadhuisstraat, where our hotel is located, was lined with vans, filled with vendors, ready to open shop and sell their wares. It was well after 2:00 am before the music stopped and we were finally able to crash for the night.
http://www.koelner-dom.de/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilic...rsula,_Cologne
http://www.schweinske.info/index.php?id=36
https://www.nadia.nl/
http://cafetmandje.nl/index.html
Robyn
<b>DAY THIRTEEN (Mon 29 April) COLOGNE, AMSTERDAM</b>
We had a chance to say good-bye to Tom & Rita this morning at breakfast before checking out of the <b>Hotel Sonne</b> (€75,00/night w/ breakfast). We were VERY pleased with our choice of hotels for <b>Gengenbach</b> and would recommend the Sonne to anyone visiting the Black Forest. It's a multigenerational family run hotel where they take pride in everything they do, which was evident in the food, service and decor which they offered. And the location - near the town square, inside the city walls, in the middle of the Black Forest - was perfect. When you add in the <b>Konus Card</b> with the free public transportation, and the very affordable price, the Hotel Sonne makes an excellent base for exploring the Black Forest.
We returned our rental car at the <b>Sixt</b> office in <b>Offenburg</b>, where we would start our rail journey for the day. Overall, we drove a total of 3381 km during our week-long road trip! We covered a lot of territory; saw a lot of old castles, churches, and towns; stayed in some great hotels; ate a lot of delicious food; drank a lot of good beer; and met a lot of nice people along the way. This was our first experience <b>driving in Germany</b>, and we found the road system to be well maintained and marked, and easy to follow. (We only got lost once, and that was coming into Offenburg to drop off the car.) We were very impressed with their system of tunnels and switchbacks for dealing with some mountainous regions. We live in the Pennsylvania Poconos and usually have to go 'round the mountains, but in Germany they just tunnel right through them.
By 11:30 we were boarding the train to Mannheim, and then connecting to <b>Cologne</b> after an unexpected half hour delay. By 14:30 we were stashing our luggage in the lockers (€12,00), and stepping out onto the <b>Domplatz</b>. The <b>cathedral</b> is enormous, and very dirty from hundreds of years of pollution. We spent some time touring the inside, then walked over to the <b>Ursulaplatz</b> and visited <b>St. Ursulakirche</b>, and the room with the bones and sculls.
Afterwards we walked halfway across the <b>Hollenbrucke</b>, over the Rhine, where lovers place a lock inscribed with their names on the bridge, then throw the key in the river. We had a little plaque made up with today's date, our first names, our wedding date, and "12,995 days and counting", and locked the plaque on to the bottom right-hand side of one of the panels, kissed each other, and then threw the key into the river.
Since we had a train to catch, we decided to have dinner in the train station, and settled for the <b>Schweinske</b> (€30,60). BJ ordered a steak, which was okay. I had the Jagerschnitzel, which was tough; and I found a hair in it, which I'll pretend was mine. I enjoyed a couple Franziskaners with dinner, and BJ had to try the Gilden Kölsch, since we were in Köln.
By 19:17 we had claimed our luggage and were on the train back to <b>Amsterdam</b>, arriving in time to celebrate <b>Queen's Day</b> tomorrow. Shortly after crossing the Germany/Netherlands border, the conductor announced that during the Queen's Holiday it is illegal to have any alcoholic beverage at the Amsterdam train station, so if you got it, you better drink it now. You could hear bottles and cans being opened throughout the train. Having just drank our way through dinner, we were glad we polished off that bottle of wine last night instead of trying to bring it back with us.
The train arrived at 21:56, and the stationplatz and tram platforms were crowded with people dressed in various levels of orange. We decided a taxi would be the easiest way to get to the hotel, which was a good decision since, we learned later, only a few tram lines were running and ours wasn't one of them. We were returning to the <b>Hotel Nadia</b>, mostly because of the covered balcony overlooking the Kaizergracht and the Raadhuisstraat; great for people watching on Queen's Day.
We were greeted at the front door by one of the assistant managers, who was busy duct-taping the sidewalk in front of the hotel entrance, marking off a space to keep the entrance free from people setting up shop along the road. Settled back into Room #412, we could easily see the stage, and hear the thumping techno music, set up on the <b>Westerkerkplein</b> from our balcony. People in orange were wandering everywhere. Already dressed in orange from this morning, we decided to go out and be part of the throng.
We made our way down to the back of the <b>Palace</b>, which was completely surrounded by barricades. We had to walk several blocks out of our way just to get to the <b>Dam</b>. <b>De Bienkorf</b> had a huge crown erected on the top of their store, and flags and banners hung from many of the buildings in the square. The palace was glowing gold, and clusters of police officers on horseback guarded the massive barricade system. And there were people everywhere; decked out with orange hair, orange crowns, orange clothes.
We ended up on the <b>Nieuwmarkt</b>, at the <b>Green Place</b>, to enjoy again "what Amsterdam has to offer". It was fun just to sit and watch the city go by, with splashes of orange everywhere. After a Looza for me, and an espresso for BJ, we decided to walk down the <b>Zeedijk</b>, which turned into a crazy mass of orange and leather, particularly around <b>Cafe 't Mandje Bet van Beeren</b>, which, I believe, is billed as the first gay friendly bar in the world. BJ doesn't do well in crowds to begin with, and I think he was getting a little freaked out from the mass of people, particularly the ones who were bumping and grinding in their leather thongs. Luckily, I found myself behind a tall, imposing dude, who, unbeknownst to him, happened to clear a path for both of us right down the street.
Normally, it would have been easy to walk across town, back to our hotel, but tonight we got caught up in all the scaffolding erected, not just around the palace and Nieuwkerk, but down the NZ Voorburgwal, where generators and press were set up. We felt like mice in a maze who couldn't find their way out. The Raadhuisstraat, where our hotel is located, was lined with vans, filled with vendors, ready to open shop and sell their wares. It was well after 2:00 am before the music stopped and we were finally able to crash for the night.
http://www.koelner-dom.de/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilic...rsula,_Cologne
http://www.schweinske.info/index.php?id=36
https://www.nadia.nl/
http://cafetmandje.nl/index.html
Robyn
Apr 7th, 2014, 03:17 AM
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<b>DAY FOURTEEN (Tues 30 April) AMSTERDAM - QUEEN'S DAY!!!</b>
Today is <b>Queen's Day</b>. And not just any ordinary Queen's Day; this would be the last Queen's Day for many years. Today Queen Beatrix will abdicate the throne to her son, King Willem. Considering how late it was until we went to bed last night, we were up early, showered, dressed in orange and ready to go by 10:00 am. We were expecting to see the street in front of the hotel lined with vendors, but it was empty, except for the steady stream of people walking towards the <b>Dam</b>. We quickly became part of the crowd, making our way around the scaffolding, and taking up position on the Dam, just off the Rokin, at the eastern corner of the wax museum.
The Dutch were way too tall for us to see over their heads, so we were glad we had a view of one of the many large screens erected around the Dam, which was filled to capacity in an explosion of orange. After some experimentation, I found if I held my hands in the air at the right position I could get a pretty good shot of the palace balcony for the <b>Royal Appearance</b>. Finally, at 10:30, the doors swung open, and the crowd began to roar as Queen Beatrix and the soon-to-be King Willem stepped on to the balcony. Speeches were made, and then the future King's wife and their 3 daughters joined them for some hand-waving. The energy of the crowd became subdued when they started singing the national anthem. You could feel the pride swelling among the people, and see it in the tears streaking down their faces while they sang. A loud roar accompanied the end of the song, the royals disappeared back into their palace, and the crowd began to disperse.
We immediately made our way over to the Blomenmarkt, to <b>'t Singeltje</b>, for breakfast; banana pannekoeken for me, and chocolade poffertjes for BJ. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived, but by the time we were served they were turning people away. We wandered back to the hotel by way of the <b>Kaizergracht</b>. The party was just getting started; sound systems being set up in the street, food vendors preparing their food stalls, piles of stuff for sale on blankets drug to the curbside, and kid buskers on most street corners. And let's not forget the people dressed in orange.
After a short respite at the hotel, and some people watching from our balcony, we decided to walk around the <b>Jordaan</b>. By now the streets and bridges were lined with people selling just about everything and anything. We ended up at the <b>Paradox</b>, where we found a seat in their front window. The sun was shining on the glass in just a way that the people on the street could not see us behind the window. We had the greatest time people watching the crowds as they paraded by, many dressed in costumes accentuated in orange. It was particularly fun watching all the people primping to their reflection, not realizing we were voyeuristically peering at them from inside. It was like a two-way mirror.
Feeling brave, we walked down the <b>Prinsengracht</b>, which I can only describe as a human tsunami of orange; a sort of controlled chaos. The canals were four-deep with boats filled to standing-room only; music was blaring in all directions from the dozens of sound systems; every couple of steps brought a different smell wafting from the many food vendors; and the kid buskers were great - children playing all kinds of musical instruments, dancing, or selling their artwork or old toys. Perhaps my favorite busker was the 10 year old selling cans of beer for €2,00. (On Queen's Day you can only buy one can of beer at a time, but apparently anyone can sell them, as long as they were smart enough to buy a supply ahead of time.)
We had hoped to go up to Vondelpark, but BJ wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't want to wander too far. We eventually made our way back to the hotel by 14:30, and I watched the investiture of King Willem on the TV while BJ took a nap.
We had noticed that the Kaisergracht didn't have near the boat traffic as the Prinsengracht, and the Herengracht didn't have any traffic at all. And what about all those vendor vans lining the street in front of the hotel last night? What happened to them? And the hotel worker-bee had duct-taped off the sidewalk, but there weren't any vendors out there. What was going on? It turned out that the area 3-4 blocks around the palace, where our hotel is located, was a high security zone this year, because of all the dignitaries coming and going for the investiture.
Back out into the human orange tsunami, we went looking for a food stand we had seen earlier. BJ was convinced it was in the Jordaan, but I remembered it on the Prinsengracht. After an hour of endless wandering, we found it where I thought it was, only by then it didn't seem as appetizing anymore. We ended up buying the most delicious hot ham sandwiches from the vendor next door.
We spent the rest of the day wandering up and down the streets and canals, stopping at <b>Dolphins Coffeeshop</b> for a break. The "Table Gods" were with us as we scored a seat by the window where we could watch the crowd on the street dance the night away. I think it's great that the Dutch government gives its citizens this one day of free enterprise and partying.
We ended our evening back on Dam square, where they were beginning to dismantle all the equipment and scaffolding that had been put in place for Queen's Day.... the last Queen's Day until Willem's oldest daughter assumes the throne. I guess we'll have to come back to Amsterdam again, for King's Day next time. We bought a bag full of <b>Wok-2-Go</b> for dinner, and four different pastries from <b>Rene's</b> next door, and strolled through the now familiar barricades back to the hotel.
http://www.renescroissanterie.nl/
Robyn
Today is <b>Queen's Day</b>. And not just any ordinary Queen's Day; this would be the last Queen's Day for many years. Today Queen Beatrix will abdicate the throne to her son, King Willem. Considering how late it was until we went to bed last night, we were up early, showered, dressed in orange and ready to go by 10:00 am. We were expecting to see the street in front of the hotel lined with vendors, but it was empty, except for the steady stream of people walking towards the <b>Dam</b>. We quickly became part of the crowd, making our way around the scaffolding, and taking up position on the Dam, just off the Rokin, at the eastern corner of the wax museum.
The Dutch were way too tall for us to see over their heads, so we were glad we had a view of one of the many large screens erected around the Dam, which was filled to capacity in an explosion of orange. After some experimentation, I found if I held my hands in the air at the right position I could get a pretty good shot of the palace balcony for the <b>Royal Appearance</b>. Finally, at 10:30, the doors swung open, and the crowd began to roar as Queen Beatrix and the soon-to-be King Willem stepped on to the balcony. Speeches were made, and then the future King's wife and their 3 daughters joined them for some hand-waving. The energy of the crowd became subdued when they started singing the national anthem. You could feel the pride swelling among the people, and see it in the tears streaking down their faces while they sang. A loud roar accompanied the end of the song, the royals disappeared back into their palace, and the crowd began to disperse.
We immediately made our way over to the Blomenmarkt, to <b>'t Singeltje</b>, for breakfast; banana pannekoeken for me, and chocolade poffertjes for BJ. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived, but by the time we were served they were turning people away. We wandered back to the hotel by way of the <b>Kaizergracht</b>. The party was just getting started; sound systems being set up in the street, food vendors preparing their food stalls, piles of stuff for sale on blankets drug to the curbside, and kid buskers on most street corners. And let's not forget the people dressed in orange.
After a short respite at the hotel, and some people watching from our balcony, we decided to walk around the <b>Jordaan</b>. By now the streets and bridges were lined with people selling just about everything and anything. We ended up at the <b>Paradox</b>, where we found a seat in their front window. The sun was shining on the glass in just a way that the people on the street could not see us behind the window. We had the greatest time people watching the crowds as they paraded by, many dressed in costumes accentuated in orange. It was particularly fun watching all the people primping to their reflection, not realizing we were voyeuristically peering at them from inside. It was like a two-way mirror.
Feeling brave, we walked down the <b>Prinsengracht</b>, which I can only describe as a human tsunami of orange; a sort of controlled chaos. The canals were four-deep with boats filled to standing-room only; music was blaring in all directions from the dozens of sound systems; every couple of steps brought a different smell wafting from the many food vendors; and the kid buskers were great - children playing all kinds of musical instruments, dancing, or selling their artwork or old toys. Perhaps my favorite busker was the 10 year old selling cans of beer for €2,00. (On Queen's Day you can only buy one can of beer at a time, but apparently anyone can sell them, as long as they were smart enough to buy a supply ahead of time.)
We had hoped to go up to Vondelpark, but BJ wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't want to wander too far. We eventually made our way back to the hotel by 14:30, and I watched the investiture of King Willem on the TV while BJ took a nap.
We had noticed that the Kaisergracht didn't have near the boat traffic as the Prinsengracht, and the Herengracht didn't have any traffic at all. And what about all those vendor vans lining the street in front of the hotel last night? What happened to them? And the hotel worker-bee had duct-taped off the sidewalk, but there weren't any vendors out there. What was going on? It turned out that the area 3-4 blocks around the palace, where our hotel is located, was a high security zone this year, because of all the dignitaries coming and going for the investiture.
Back out into the human orange tsunami, we went looking for a food stand we had seen earlier. BJ was convinced it was in the Jordaan, but I remembered it on the Prinsengracht. After an hour of endless wandering, we found it where I thought it was, only by then it didn't seem as appetizing anymore. We ended up buying the most delicious hot ham sandwiches from the vendor next door.
We spent the rest of the day wandering up and down the streets and canals, stopping at <b>Dolphins Coffeeshop</b> for a break. The "Table Gods" were with us as we scored a seat by the window where we could watch the crowd on the street dance the night away. I think it's great that the Dutch government gives its citizens this one day of free enterprise and partying.
We ended our evening back on Dam square, where they were beginning to dismantle all the equipment and scaffolding that had been put in place for Queen's Day.... the last Queen's Day until Willem's oldest daughter assumes the throne. I guess we'll have to come back to Amsterdam again, for King's Day next time. We bought a bag full of <b>Wok-2-Go</b> for dinner, and four different pastries from <b>Rene's</b> next door, and strolled through the now familiar barricades back to the hotel.
http://www.renescroissanterie.nl/
Robyn
Apr 9th, 2014, 03:34 AM
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<b>DAY FIFTEEN (Wed 1 May) AMSTERDAM, ZAANSE SCHANS</b>
After a simple breakfast at the hotel, and some pastry from Rene's, we walked a block up to the <b>Albert Hein</b>, and stocked up on some groceries for our mini fridge. Amsterdam was returning to normal after yesterday's party; the litter was gone, the stages have been taken down, roads are open and traffic is flowing again. It was a beautiful, blue-skied day for the First of May. A perfect day for visiting <b>Zaanse Schans</b>.
Using our 72-hour tram passes that we bought when we were in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, we trammed down to <b>Centraal Station</b>, and found the bus terminal on the east side. We easily located Section C, and waited for <b>Connexxion Bus 391</b> to Zaanse Schans. We bought our tickets from the driver (€14,00 for 2), and by 11:40 we were on our way, entering the tunnel that runs under the Ij by way of the NEMO building. Within 45 minutes the bus was dropping us off at the parking lot, which was filled with cars and tourist busses.
There is no admission for walking around the outside of the windmills and buildings, but they will charge you a few Euros each to go inside, unless it's a gift shop. There are several museums that are covered by the National Museumkaart, including the <b>Zaanse Museum</b> about the history of the area, the <b>Verkade Pavillion</b> which covers Dutch manufacturing, and the <b>Clock Museum</b>, which had the most incredible clock docent extraordinaire. This woman lived and breathed clocks, spouting off facts, figures and history.
By 15:00 we were heading back to <b>Amsterdam</b> and Centraal Station. Since we were in the area, we walked over to the <b>Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam</b> for a bite to eat at <b>La Place</b>. BJ had a ham and cheese sandwich with fries and a beer, and I had a salad with mushrooms and a fruit smoothie (€20,00).
BJ's friend Cisco was in town and he chose <b>Voyagers Coffeeshop</b> as a meet up place, so we spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening chatting it up with him. We trammed back to the hotel, past the Nieuwe Kerk which had l-o-n-g lines stretching in both directions, just for a chance to get in and see the church decorated for the new king's investiture.
We were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel, so we spent the rest of the evening on our balcony, enjoying the warm spring weather while we watched Amsterdam pass by.
http://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/
Robyn
After a simple breakfast at the hotel, and some pastry from Rene's, we walked a block up to the <b>Albert Hein</b>, and stocked up on some groceries for our mini fridge. Amsterdam was returning to normal after yesterday's party; the litter was gone, the stages have been taken down, roads are open and traffic is flowing again. It was a beautiful, blue-skied day for the First of May. A perfect day for visiting <b>Zaanse Schans</b>.
Using our 72-hour tram passes that we bought when we were in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, we trammed down to <b>Centraal Station</b>, and found the bus terminal on the east side. We easily located Section C, and waited for <b>Connexxion Bus 391</b> to Zaanse Schans. We bought our tickets from the driver (€14,00 for 2), and by 11:40 we were on our way, entering the tunnel that runs under the Ij by way of the NEMO building. Within 45 minutes the bus was dropping us off at the parking lot, which was filled with cars and tourist busses.
There is no admission for walking around the outside of the windmills and buildings, but they will charge you a few Euros each to go inside, unless it's a gift shop. There are several museums that are covered by the National Museumkaart, including the <b>Zaanse Museum</b> about the history of the area, the <b>Verkade Pavillion</b> which covers Dutch manufacturing, and the <b>Clock Museum</b>, which had the most incredible clock docent extraordinaire. This woman lived and breathed clocks, spouting off facts, figures and history.
By 15:00 we were heading back to <b>Amsterdam</b> and Centraal Station. Since we were in the area, we walked over to the <b>Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam</b> for a bite to eat at <b>La Place</b>. BJ had a ham and cheese sandwich with fries and a beer,
and I had a salad with mushrooms and a fruit smoothie (€20,00). BJ's friend Cisco was in town and he chose <b>Voyagers Coffeeshop</b> as a meet up place, so we spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening chatting it up with him. We trammed back to the hotel, past the Nieuwe Kerk which had l-o-n-g lines stretching in both directions, just for a chance to get in and see the church decorated for the new king's investiture.
We were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel, so we spent the rest of the evening on our balcony, enjoying the warm spring weather while we watched Amsterdam pass by.
http://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/
Robyn
Apr 9th, 2014, 04:00 PM
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So enjoyed your wonderful trip report, Robyn. It brought back so many great memories.
We have always found driving in Germany to be so easy but there are traffic issues on some of the Autobahns that you have to deal with from time to time. But, having driven in Houston for so many years, traffic is something I'm accustom to!
We have always found driving in Germany to be so easy but there are traffic issues on some of the Autobahns that you have to deal with from time to time. But, having driven in Houston for so many years, traffic is something I'm accustom to!
Apr 18th, 2014, 04:58 AM
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Hello Betty - Thanks for reading along. We really enjoyed our road trip through Baden Württemberg and would love to do another road trip in the future. The state is very much like Pennsylvania, so we were constantly making comparisons.
The German roads are far superior in design and maintenance than our poor pot-holed Pennsylvania roads. We liked their use of switchbacks and tunnels for traveling over/through mountains, and traffic circles in the rural areas (slow down but don't stop). We also found that the roads were well signed and easy to navigate. We grew up driving on the Schuylkill Expressway around Philadelphia, which at times can be a parking lot, so my husband was thrilled that he got over 100 mph on the Autobahn around Stuttgart.
Both PA and BW have a lot of farm land in between the towns/villages; in PA the farmers live on their "homesteads" and farm their land; however, in Germany the farmers live in town and commute to their farms, so there was a lot of open land with no one around. It was very quiet and serene. There were many equipment sheds dotting the farm fields, like a van Gogh painting, but we hardly saw any houses or people.
We also noticed an abundance of hunting stands but NO wildlife. We drove from the south end of the Black Forest to the north and didn't see ANY wildlife, short of a few squirrels. I'm not sure what they're hunting for in Germany - seems like they already killed off everything. The only deer we saw were some Bambi's caged in at a farm.
Overall the experience was very enjoyable, and I would encourage anyone visiting Germany to rent a car for a few days, and get out and explore the open road.
Robyn
The German roads are far superior in design and maintenance than our poor pot-holed Pennsylvania roads. We liked their use of switchbacks and tunnels for traveling over/through mountains, and traffic circles in the rural areas (slow down but don't stop). We also found that the roads were well signed and easy to navigate. We grew up driving on the Schuylkill Expressway around Philadelphia, which at times can be a parking lot, so my husband was thrilled that he got over 100 mph on the Autobahn around Stuttgart.
Both PA and BW have a lot of farm land in between the towns/villages; in PA the farmers live on their "homesteads" and farm their land; however, in Germany the farmers live in town and commute to their farms, so there was a lot of open land with no one around. It was very quiet and serene. There were many equipment sheds dotting the farm fields, like a van Gogh painting, but we hardly saw any houses or people.
We also noticed an abundance of hunting stands but NO wildlife. We drove from the south end of the Black Forest to the north and didn't see ANY wildlife, short of a few squirrels. I'm not sure what they're hunting for in Germany - seems like they already killed off everything. The only deer we saw were some Bambi's caged in at a farm.
Overall the experience was very enjoyable, and I would encourage anyone visiting Germany to rent a car for a few days, and get out and explore the open road.
Robyn
Apr 18th, 2014, 07:56 AM
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Thanks for providing so many details. I'm visiting many of the same locations in BW and I'd never heard of the Grosse Launder river valley but it's now on my to-do list, along with many more locations/sites you've listed. You've definitely made my research much easier so thank you!
Apr 19th, 2014, 03:37 AM
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Your welcome, Mars123. I'm happy to assist in your travels. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. My husband and I really enjoyed the Grosse Lauter valley and its many castles and ruins. While we like looking at pretty, decorated castles, we prefer exploring ruins - a lot less people, no waiting for a guided tour, and you can explore on your own. Don't forget to bring a mini flashlight and your imagination.
Robyn
Robyn
Apr 19th, 2014, 03:50 AM
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<b>DAY SIXTEEN (Thurs 2 May) AMSTERDAM</b>
Today was market day for us. After breakfast we picked up the #14 tram and ran it out to the <b>Dappermarkt</b>, which is a daily market stretching for several blocks, featuring meats, cheeses, nuts & fruits, fish, bread, vegetables, etc. Everything fresh that you need to make tonight's dinner. Of course, the market also had the usual fare of socks, bras, pashminas, and plumbing supplies. When we got to the end of the street we spotted a familiar windmill across the way. It was <b>Brouwerij 't Ij</b>, which we visited on a different trip. We had no idea the Dappermarkt was so close. Unfortunately, today we are an hour too early; the brewery doesn't open until 14:00.
We trammed and walked our way over to the Albert Cuypstraat, and did a walk up and down the <b>Albert Cuypmarkt</b>. If you like to cook with spices, check out the excellent spice store which can be found here. We ended up around the corner at the <b>Katsu Coffeeshop</b>; a Strawberry Looza for me and coffee for BJ.
After dropping off our market purchases back at the hotel, we made our way down to <b>Centraal Station</b> and took the <b>free ferry</b> from Platform 1 to the <b>NDSM Werf</b>, which is a formerly abandoned ship yard turned into a cultural arts community. We spent about an hour wandering around the area, checking out the funky housing and the many boats docked there, including one of Greenpeace's ships, a partially submerged submarine, and the famous Boatel. Unfortunately, it was too cold, windy and wet today to try to wander further inland, into the community, but the area definitely deserves exploring. I would recommend the ferry to everyone who visits Amsterdam. Besides the fact that it is free, it provides a different view of the city. The architecture along the river is amazing and inspiring; many buildings reclaimed from abandoned warehouses and factories, mixed in with modern structures.
Returning to Centraal Station, we trammed up to Dam Square, and spent an hour walking through all six floors of <b>de Bijenkorf</b>, Amsterdam's equivalent of NYC's Macy's. We're not shoppers, but we did enjoy checking out the Housewares Department.
Our next stop was <b>In De Wildeman</b> for a long overdue cold beer; Weihenstephans for both of us. De Wildeman has an excellent selection of 18 beers on draft and over 200 bottles, so it has become a regular stop for us when in Amsterdam.
We were tired of walking, so we decided to get on <b>Tram #10</b> at the Rozengracht and ride it to the end, to see what was there. Turned out to be the <b>Eastern Docklands</b> overlooking <b>KNSM</b> and <b>Java Islands</b>. This whole area is relatively new, having been reclaimed from industrial wasteland and the sea in the last decade. Unfortunately, it was too late in the afternoon for any stores to be open (including a huge <b>Sissy-Boy Homeland</b
, and too early in the evening for the night life.
Back on Tram #10, we returned to the center of Amsterdam, eventually ending up in the <b>Chinatown</b> section along the Zeedijk, at <b>Wing Kee</b>, our favorite Cantonese restaurant. Their wonton is to die for; the noodles are so thin, and the stuffing so tenderly delicious. Feeling perfectly sated, we ended our evening with desert at <b>The Green Place</b>.
http://www.dappermarkt.nl/
http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/splash-page-nl/
http://www.albertcuypmarkt.nl/
http://www.ndsm.nl/en/
http://www.debijenkorf.nl/amsterdam
http://www.indewildeman.nl/index.php?lang=en
Robyn
Today was market day for us. After breakfast we picked up the #14 tram and ran it out to the <b>Dappermarkt</b>, which is a daily market stretching for several blocks, featuring meats, cheeses, nuts & fruits, fish, bread, vegetables, etc. Everything fresh that you need to make tonight's dinner. Of course, the market also had the usual fare of socks, bras, pashminas, and plumbing supplies. When we got to the end of the street we spotted a familiar windmill across the way. It was <b>Brouwerij 't Ij</b>, which we visited on a different trip. We had no idea the Dappermarkt was so close. Unfortunately, today we are an hour too early; the brewery doesn't open until 14:00.
We trammed and walked our way over to the Albert Cuypstraat, and did a walk up and down the <b>Albert Cuypmarkt</b>. If you like to cook with spices, check out the excellent spice store which can be found here. We ended up around the corner at the <b>Katsu Coffeeshop</b>; a Strawberry Looza for me and coffee for BJ.
After dropping off our market purchases back at the hotel, we made our way down to <b>Centraal Station</b> and took the <b>free ferry</b> from Platform 1 to the <b>NDSM Werf</b>, which is a formerly abandoned ship yard turned into a cultural arts community. We spent about an hour wandering around the area, checking out the funky housing and the many boats docked there, including one of Greenpeace's ships, a partially submerged submarine, and the famous Boatel. Unfortunately, it was too cold, windy and wet today to try to wander further inland, into the community, but the area definitely deserves exploring. I would recommend the ferry to everyone who visits Amsterdam. Besides the fact that it is free, it provides a different view of the city. The architecture along the river is amazing and inspiring; many buildings reclaimed from abandoned warehouses and factories, mixed in with modern structures.
Returning to Centraal Station, we trammed up to Dam Square, and spent an hour walking through all six floors of <b>de Bijenkorf</b>, Amsterdam's equivalent of NYC's Macy's. We're not shoppers, but we did enjoy checking out the Housewares Department.
Our next stop was <b>In De Wildeman</b> for a long overdue cold beer; Weihenstephans for both of us.
De Wildeman has an excellent selection of 18 beers on draft and over 200 bottles, so it has become a regular stop for us when in Amsterdam.We were tired of walking, so we decided to get on <b>Tram #10</b> at the Rozengracht and ride it to the end, to see what was there. Turned out to be the <b>Eastern Docklands</b> overlooking <b>KNSM</b> and <b>Java Islands</b>. This whole area is relatively new, having been reclaimed from industrial wasteland and the sea in the last decade. Unfortunately, it was too late in the afternoon for any stores to be open (including a huge <b>Sissy-Boy Homeland</b
, and too early in the evening for the night life.Back on Tram #10, we returned to the center of Amsterdam, eventually ending up in the <b>Chinatown</b> section along the Zeedijk, at <b>Wing Kee</b>, our favorite Cantonese restaurant. Their wonton is to die for; the noodles are so thin, and the stuffing so tenderly delicious. Feeling perfectly sated, we ended our evening with desert at <b>The Green Place</b>.
http://www.dappermarkt.nl/
http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/splash-page-nl/
http://www.albertcuypmarkt.nl/
http://www.ndsm.nl/en/
http://www.debijenkorf.nl/amsterdam
http://www.indewildeman.nl/index.php?lang=en
Robyn
