Lessons in German

Whew!  Traveling is fun, but exhausting!  Starting in October until the beginning of December, my dear husband and I had not been in the same state for more than a week! We started out traveling to Germany (which I am going to highlight here), I took a cruise with my Mom in November and THEN my husband had to travel for work.....twice!!  Things have finally settled down so I can focus on this entry!

My husband works for a German company and will occasionally need to travel "across the pond".  I have never been able to go with him......until THIS time!  Thanks to my Mom, the kids were taken care of and off we went!

We left 6 days prior to Ronnie having to report for work so we could enjoy a vacation together. The flight to Frankfurt was long.  I did everything I could think of in order to sleep on the way over, to no avail. I think I dozed for a little while, but as someone who is a light sleeper, the crying babies and man laughing behind me were no help.  I had the ear plugs. I had the eye mask. I had the neck pillow and blanket. I took Melatonin and used relaxing Essential Oils. Needless to say, when we arrived (1 hour early!), I was a wee bit tired.  Did I mention that the flight was long??  

After finding our Rental Car, we were off to our first destination: Heidelberg. Thank goodness for our English Speaking GPS!  We named her "Helpful Hattie".  She was extremely helpful and spoke with a soothing British accent. I don't remember how long it took us to get there, but we were too early for check in.  We found our Hotel, The Boarding Hotel, outside of Heidelberg and decided to hunt for some breakfast.  Well, there was a Subway right next door!  How lovely!  They have breakfast sandwiches right? WRONG!  Not in Germany!  I had Turkey for breakfast! After filling our bellies and fueling my brain with a SPARK, we were off to the alte Stadt of Heidelberg. Below are some pictures of the hotel.  It was a studio with some kitchen basics we did not use. The bed was a bit hard and they do not use sheets. Weird!  The detergent they used had an overwhelming perfume scent and made it difficult for me to sleep. Other than that, it was a great little place!

 We had a balcony but did not use it.

 The Kitchenette and bathroom to the left. Did you know that there are 2 buttons for the toilet flush?  One for a "small" flush and one for a "big" flush. Makes me giggle!

The outside of the Boarding Hotel.

 Ronnie had been to Heidelberg before on a previous trip so he knew what to expect.  I had a vision in my head of what an old German town should look like.  Heidelberg lived up to that vision.  The streets were narrow and cobblestone.  The churches were ancient and ornate.  The town in on the Neckar River and is beautiful.  The view from above at the Schloss (castle) was breathtaking.  

 A narrow side street.

 The view of the Castle from the old bridge.

 The view from the Castle on the hill.

 The Neckar River with the bridge behind me.

 The entrance to the bridge.

 The oldest church in Heidelberg.  (I paid 0.50 Euros to use the potty here!)

By the time we saw the whole city and enjoyed a fresh hot pretzel, we were dead on our feet.  We made our way back to out hotel to freshen up for dinner.  Well, there were no restaurants near us, so we had to travel back to the Old City. Parking is a nightmare if you do not know what you are doing. AND we didn't! We had dinner at the Schnitzel House.  Yes, they serve Schnitzel.  94 varieties of it to be exact!  It was delicious.  Did you know that Germans serve fries with just about everything?? Weird!

The next day, we traveled to the city of Mannheim. This is another historic city along the Rhine River.  There is a large University there, so the population is quite young. Our first stop was the Mannheim Water Tower and Park.

This was a great big and very old water tower surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains.  Because we were there in October, the fountains had been drained but it was still a very beautiful and peaceful place. After some time here, we decided to walk down to the Rhine River.  The problem was that we had NO idea how to get there!  We finally found the Tourist Center and the wonderful ladies there gave us directions.  We had to go through the VERY busy train station to get there.  On the way, we found a cute Chocolate shop and picked up some yummy truffles!

This was a really neat contraption:  you pressed a button and the top lifted up!  You chose what you wanted and pushed the button again for the lid to close.  (It's the little things!)  Once safely through the station, we finally made our way to the river. 

Yes, I touched the Rhine River!  Are you jealous?  It was VERY cold....and wet.  So with that bit of business taken care of, we made our way back into the city area to visit the Schloss Mannheim.  This is a Baroque Castle that is part of the University. 

We did take a tour of the main area you see behind us but were not allowed to take pictures.  It was amazingly beautiful, opulent and huge!!  They had hand held recorders with tour information.......in ENGLISH! YAY!!

By this time, we were exhausted and the time change had caught up to us. The kind ladies at the Tourist Center also told us of a small festival going on in the shopping district.  We were hungry so we decided to check it out. There were some vendors selling crafts and there were some food vendors as well. We settled on one that was making Traditional German Pizza. OH. MY. WORD! Can you say DELICIOUS?!?!

Mine was Cheese and Potato. I have forgotten what the husband had...something with meat on it I think!

The next day brought us checking out of our hotel to make our way to Lohr where Ronnie needed to be for work.  We visited a local grocery store for some pastries and headed out to Rothenburg. This completely walled city dates back to the 1100's!!  No, that is NOT a typo!  There is a tall wall completely surrounding the city. There are very steep stairs that  you can climb and you can walk around the entire city up there! It was a little nerve racking!  

Do you see me way up there??

This city was by far my favorite of the entire trip.  The history was staggering and the architecture was mind blowing. When you think of a quintessential German town, this is it!  Check out these pictures!

This church is the oldest in the city. How old you ask? OLD!  I have no idea what it was about this church, but when I stepped inside, I had an overwhelming urge to cry.  Which I promptly did. These old German churches are so ornate that a picture does not do them justice:

This is just the front alter area.  

 See what I mean about the architecture??

And here?  This is real!  It is not a movie set!!

This is the Town Square.  The white building to the right has a really neat clock on it. On the hour, the windows open and there are little guys inside playing music!

This is a view of the surrounding country side and more of the city behind us. Yes, I had to buy a hat and gloves because I did not pack them. No, I was apparently not prepared for German weather in October!

After another beautiful car ride through the German countryside, we arrived at our final destination for the week: Lohr Am Main.  This little, but adorable town is located along the Main (pronounced "Mine")  The name of the Hotel we lodged at was Hotel Bundschuh. In German, Bundschuh apparently means "colored shoe".

It was in a good location for walking to the town. Breakfast was very nice each morning in a sun room area. The staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome and help us in anyway needed. Ronnie had to stay another 10 days after I left so they got to know him pretty well!

The Town of Lohr lies on the Main river in the Spessart mountain area.  The locals call this area the Dark Forest. Creepy. There is local lore that one resident of Lohr Castle was the inspiration for the well known tale of Snow White. 

 

Here is an excerpt from an article that I found"

"Locals of the German town of Lohr am Main like to believe that this mirror really exists. In fact, it is on display at the local Spessart Museum. That is because, according to some sources, the girl who inspired the fairytale lived in Lohr am Main.
However, the true Snow White - Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina von Erthal - was a bit different from the princess in the story. She was of noble heritage and was born in 1729 in Lohr's castle, which today houses the Spessart Museum. She also had a domineering stepmother: Claudia Elisabeth Maria von Venningen.
Tracing Snow White's steps

The evil stepmother's mirror is on display at the Spessart Museum

The rest of the story can also be followed in the museum, including the murder plot and Snow White's escape through the mountains to the cottage of the Seven Dwarves. In reality, the dwarves were most likely miners - small and hunchbacked due to the terrible working conditions in the mine's low tunnels - or children who were used as laborers.
It is believed that Snow White's escape route was the 35-kilometer (22-mile) hiking path through the Spessart mountain range, one of the largest deciduous forest areas in Germany. Signs along the route now give visitors the chance to learn more about the forest's connection to fairytales.
Of course, the other must-see is the Lohr castle and the Spessart Museum, which houses a collection of mirrors from local glass manufacturers. Once upon a time, one of these mirrors may have spoken to Snow White's stepmother."
Author: Wim Abbink / ew
Editor: Kate Bowen

There is a mirror on a building that reflects the castle.

This is the infamous mirror!

The Museum has Story Time for the kids where Snow White reads the story.  We caught up with her and snapped a pic!

An example of Lohr architecture.

Lohr is so small that you need to make reservations each night if you want to eat! 

Our second night there, I had Potato Pancakes with Applesauce and Spetzle. I was in heaven and it made me think of my Grandmother! We also met a wonderful couple who taught us much more about the area. The church bells were tolling and tolling and tolling at 8PM. Our table mates explained that the King had become lost in the Dark Forest one night and had to spend the night there. When he returned the next day, he wrote a decree that the bells will toll each night at 8PM so that everyone can find their way home to Lohr. Creepy and cool at the same time!

As with all good things, they must come to an end.  The following day, Ronnie was to drive me to Frankfurt for I had a flight home the next day.  On our way, we stopped at one more castle. We had to drive through the creepy Dark Forest, but at least it was day time!  This castle was different for it was completely surrounded by water. Thus the name "Wasser Schloss" (Water Castle) Have a look:

 

The setting was so serene and quiet. It was not very big as castles go, but it was still beautiful and full of history.

 Inside the courtyard.

Going upstairs. 

At the end of this visit, we gave our Frankfurt address to Helpful Hattie and we were on our way. Once I was checked in at my Hotel, we went in search of some food. Because we were a little tired of Schnitzel and heavy German food, we opted for some Italian pizza! 

At last the time came for me to say goodbye to my sweet husband.  He had to drive back to Lohr, through the Dark Forest......at night. Creepy. I have to admit that I cried when he left.  I had a looooonnnnnggggg, lonely flight the next day and I knew I would miss him for the next 10 days. 

Lessons learned from our German Advenure:

                           * Take a hat and gloves to Germany in October!

                           * Be prepared for some heavy food and to gain a few pounds.

                           * Rent a car with an English speaking GPS.

                           *Learn some basic German so as not to seem like a self absorbed and spoiled American!

                          *Enjoy every moment for it will be over all too soon!

 

Were our travels to Germany Happy? You bet!!  And you can guarantee that we will go back!