marisylvia

My flight arrives in Frankfurt around 11 AM on Friday 2/27. I am scheduled for treatment at the Krupp hospital in Essen from 3/2 through 3/7. I am booked to leave Frankfurt on 3/18 in the early afternoon.
I am traveling alone, as my DH cannot get away from work. I am able-bodied despite the need for medical treatment, and I am looking forward to seeing this historic and beautiful part of Germany. I'm even working on learning the language, using an online tutor. I am interested in art and architecture, and plan to get around by train rather than drive, although I could rent a car if it seems worthwhile.
I will probably book a Rhine cruise, and make a stop in Koln/Cologne and Dusseldorf, and a friend suggested Wuerzburg. I wonder whether I could also visit Berlin?
I would prefer to stay in B&Bs or small inns, as I want to have contact with other people.
Any suggestions and help planning the last minute trip would be greatly appreciated.

tower

marisylvia


Most mportantly, of course, best wishes for a completely succesful treatment. I've heard nothing but good things about the Krupp.

Don't overly concern yourself with the language...I find that Germany seems to have an abundance of English speakers and "understanders"...
I can't help much with your requests, other than to suggest that if possible, visit Berlin, truly a world class city which we have throughly enjoyed. I don't have any personal experience wth B and B's in Berlin, but I'm sure you'll find many on the internet
For example:

http://tiny.cc/byMMG
Stu T.

marisylvia

Thanks, Stu. It's probably a good chance to visit Berlin. I've read about the new Jewish Museum there, and of course it is a great city, full of art, history and music.
I am also interested in the scenic Rhine area I'll already be close to, and wonder about visiting Koln/Cologne. I've been watching a great police drama set there on my local PBS station, and of course, I know the cathedral is spectacular.
Thanks for the feedback on the Krupp hospital. I'm getting treatment there for a condition which is too rare to bother with here, i.e., can't make money from it with a pill or surgery. But I feel this is a chance to make lemonade out of my "lemon" situation. I just wish my husband could get away, too...
If anyone at Fodors will be in the area, want to meet for a glass of wine?

marisylvia

Also, if I want to explore the Rhine area, it looks as if I'll need to rent a car. Any suggestions?

lindy27

I've been looking into a stop to stay on the Rhine river when I go there in June. The most common cities seem to be Bacharach or St. Goar on the Rhine and Cochem on the Mosel. All three seem to have good choises on B&B's. I don't plan on using a car, all the smaller cities on the Rhine are connected by trains that seem to leave on the hour. Maybe 4 days along the Rhine.

Then maybe head to Bamberg, Wurzburg, or Nuremberg all seem like neat cities all close enough to eachother where you could take daytrips by train. They are maybe 2-3 hours east of Frankfurt.

Then head to Berlin(4-5 days?), then somewhere between Frankfurt and Berlin. Possibly Hamburg, Cologne, or somehwere smaller.

annhig

hi marisylvia,

first of all, good luck with the surgery; it's a good idea not to over-estimate your convalescent abilities for the time jsut afterwards, so the cruise sounds a good idea - nothing to do all day but sail along, unless you want to.

4-5 days in Berlin also sounds great - you will find loads to do. I would stay as centrally as possible, so that you can pop back to your hotel/B & B if you need a nap.

talking of the jewish museum, we went to the deutsches historisches museum right opposite the opera house which had a most interesting exhibition of the financial exploitation of the jews throughout time. very thought-provoking. I don;t know if it's still on.

we also went to the opera, which made a great, if not cheap, night out.

good luck,

regards, ann

tower

mari:


The New Jewish Museum is amazing and very emotional..also a decent cafetria so you can break the day up.

The Pergamon Museum on so-called "Museum Island" is also a great take-in...in a way mind-blowing..you'll see what I mean when you first walk in... you'll think you've been mysteriously transported to Ancient 2nd century B.C.E. Greece (today's Turkey) as you stand speechless in front of the Pergamon Altar.

In three or four days you'll get to see many of the city's highlights...the remaining section of the wall, the museums mentioned above, The Reichstag dome, Charlottenburg Palace, perhaps a quick rail visit to Potsdam to see the Sancoucci Palace of Frederick The Great...lovely grounds...only a 20 minute train ride.

Also, I can recommend a few restaurants that we enjoyed if you wish...once you've buttoned down some lodgings.


[email protected]

stu t.

traveller1959

I hope that your illness is not too serious. At least, you will be treated in an excellent hospital.

I am not sure if it is good advise to send you from Essen to Würzburg, Nürnberg or Bamberg. It is as if you are in California and somebody tells you go to Boston.

I rather recommend to start with exploring the area.

- In Essen, you must visit Villa Hügel - the former mansion of the Krupp family and seat of the Krupp foundation. It is a gorgeous mansion within a gorgeous park.

http://www.villahuegel.de/english/index.htm

- In Essen, visit also the Margarethenhöhe. It is a model neighborhood, built for the Krupp workers in 1909 in art nouveau style. Have lunch or at least a cup of coffee in the Hotel Margarethenhöhe.

http://www.essen-margarethenhoehe.de...ansichten.html

- In Essen, visit the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage. It is a former mine and currently a very cool place with museums and a breathtaking restaurant, the Casino.

http://www.zollverein.de/english/ind...f_categoryId=3

- In Essen, visit Schloss Hugenpoet, a renaissance castle that has been turned into a luxury hotel. The Hugenpöttchen is a very recommendable restaurant.

http://www.hugenpoet.de/eng

- If you want to see a traditional historic town with half-timbered houses, go to Hattingen (access by public transport, 19 min from Essen).

http://www.international.hattingen.de/uk/index.htm

- Essen has several parks, the Gruga and Lake Baldeney. Essen-Werden is a nice historical town with a remarkable romanesque abbey8 from 799 A.D.).

- Essen has an excellent opera and philharmonic orchestra which is located in the Aalto-Theater, built by the famous Finnish architect.

http://www.aalto-theater.de

For daytrips from Essen, here my recommendations:

- By train, Münster is a worthy destination (54 min from Essen): A historical city with a cathedral (with an impressive astronomical clock, be sure to be there a few minutes before noon), a church with the original cages of the anabaptists, a medieval City Hall where the Westphalian Peace Treaty was negotiated and the Mühlenhof historical open-air museum.

http://www.muenster.de/

- Also by train, Düsseldorf is another destination (25 min from Essen). Düsseldorf is vibrant city with a beautiful riverbank, a cozy old town, an elegant shopping street and lots of first-rank museums, especially for modern art and contemporary art.

www.duesseldorf.de

- Either by train or by car, I recommend visiting the Neanderthal Museum which is actually a state-of-the-art museum of mankind (by train 59 min from Essen, by car 20 min). A short walk from the museum you will find the place where the famous bones were actually found.

www.neanderthal.de

- By rental car, the Münsterland is a region which boasts dozens of castles. My favourites are Nordkirchen, the "Westphalian Versailles", and Burg Vischering, a sturdy medieval castle (by car, about one hour from Essen).

http://www.kreis-coesfeld.de/511nord.htm

http://www.burgvischering.de/0327299...101/index.html

- By train, make sure to visit Aachen - the City of Charlemagne with the Cathedral from 800 A.D., another UNESCO World Heritage Site (2 hours from Essen). The medieval City Hall is also beautiful. Have lunch in the Postwagen at the left side of the City Hall.

http://www.aachen.de/EN/ts/170_sehen...ten/index.html

- By train, visit Köln (49 min from Essen). The Cathedral, twelve (!) romanesque churches, rich Roman heritage, lots of excellent museums (Roman-Germanic history, medieval art, modern art, chocolate..)

www.koeln.de

- Of course, you have to go to Berlin: 3:45 by train from Essen.

- Why not going to Amsterdam? By train, 2:19 from Essen.

- Another beautiful city is Bremen. 2:15 by train from Essen.

http://www.bremen.de

There are many, many more options. No need to go to Bavaria which is in the opposite direction from Frankfurt.

Cleophile

Oh my, what a wonderful site this is! Thanks for all these helpful posts.
Thanks, lindy 27. I have looked up Bacharach and St. Goar, and it's good to know I won't need a car to visit them.
Thanks for wishing me luck, Ann; fortunately my treatment is radiation, not surgery, and the side effects are nil. I realize I must visit Berlin...
Stu, thank you, too, for the Berlin recommendations. The museums sound fascinating.
I have wanted to visit Berlin for ages, but somehow when my husband and I planned European trips we chose Barcelona, Paris and Venice. We are booked for an apartment in Venice for a month this April, which is why he can't go to Germany with me (work, of course). Every European city has its distinct flavor, and now I will get to taste Berlin.
And traveller1959, thanks for pointing out sights to see in Essen. In my preliminary searches, the advice had been don't bother with the Ruhr, it is just industrial, not touristic. I will have short treatments for five days and want to explore the area the rest of the time. Your suggestions are marvelous.
I have booked my stay in Essen at the Hotel An der Gruga, which looks like an excellent hotel and was recommended by my contacts at the Krupp hospital.
I am so pleased to go to a country with such excellent rail travel. It gives me so many options to explore.

gradyghost

Hello M:

Last year we did a swing around some northern cities of Germany starting in Koln and I did a restaurant report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35089614

I hope this might help depending on your eventual itinerary. Good luck to you. Gradyghost

traveller1959

Hotel An der Gruga looks like a decent hotel. It is located in a side street. In walking distance you find the Grugapark and Rüttenscheid which is a nice, lively, upper-class neighborhood with many restaurants and bars. Close to your hotel is an underground station which means you reach the main station (and other places of interest in Essen) quickly.

Make yourself familiar with the train system:

www.bahn.de

And with the regional transport system:

www.vrr.de

(both sites available in English)

Look up "Eduard-Lucas-Strasse 17, Essen" with Google Earth and click on the pictures.

BTW, the Ruhr area is an old industrialized area - but it is also a destination for tourists with many attractions and surprisingly beautiful landscape (especially in the Ruhr valley).

Hans

traveller made excellent points. The only thing I have to add is Bonn which is about 20 minutes from Cologne. It has some very interesting museums, including one for the post-war German history.

Mainhattengirl

I do hope you will leave a bit of sightseeing time for Frankfurt. So many people write it off as thought there is nothing here to see.

We do have 2 Jewish museums here and one of them, the Judengasse, is next to the Holocaust Memorial Wall which surrounds the large medieval Jewish cemetary. With the names of over 11,000 Frankfurt Jewish citizens on it who lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis, this is an extremely moving memorial.

There are many other historical sights here too, as Frankfurt is a very old city and has played an important role in the history of Germany.

I also would recommend a visit to Mainz, as they have a fabulous cathedral along with a great restored area for shopping.

I wish you all the best with your treatment and recovery.

marisylvia

I see one of my posts identifies me as Cleophile, my alter ego/alias.
Thanks for more suggestions Gradyhost, Hans, Traveller and Manhattangirl. I appreciate contrarian opinions, as I like to do the unexpected when I travel.