I don't really know what I expected Germany would be like, but I've been surprised by a lot of things. Pleasantly surprised by most, like how much better the food is than I ever imagined! I've always loved German food, but German food in Germany - ummmmm, it's better :) Bratwurst will never be the same after we move back to the states - it just doesn't even compare. Flammlachs, and Schupfnudeln, and Sauerkraut, and Schnitzel, and Curry Ketchup, and THE BREAD, and.....well, I could do a whole post on the food alone.
Speaking of food, two things I didn't expect to find on almost every street corner here are Gelato and Doner Kebabs. Neither German, but both delicious, and both cheap.
There are castle ruins EVERYWHERE. You can't drive far without running into one. I looked it up, and there are over 20,000 castles and castle ruins in Germany. There are not quite 138,000 square miles in Germany, so that's 1 castle about every 7 miles. That's crazy.
Radio stations in Germany often don't play the whole song, and even when they do, a lot of times the DJ will sing over the last of the song. Plus you can hear David Hasselhoff - ON THE RADIO! Cracks me up.
I used to think the autobahn was one specific, long road that ran through Germany, on which you could drive really, really fast. Not exactly. Autobahn just means highway, and of course there are many of them. Yes, there are parts of the autobahn that have no speed limit, but that is interspersed with areas that drop down to 100 km/hr (about 60 mph). You've got to keep your eyes open for those speed limits, and sometimes you are constantly going up, down, up, down.
Joe and I have both driven as fast as maybe 105 mph on the autobahn here, but we usually don't go faster than 130 km/hr (81 mph), because if you get in a wreck and you are going faster than 130, even if it's totally not your fault, you will be responsible for 1/2 the damage.
No matter how fast you drive here, though, there will always be the car or two that passes by you so fast that you feel like you're driving like a grandma!
Driving IS great here though, and it's mostly because Germans love following the rules :) You can't imagine how much smoother traffic flows when everyone stays left except to pass. No slow drivers in the fast lane here. Oh, and I love what they do when an emergency vehicle is coming - they pull off to BOTH sides of the road instead of just to the right. So much better.
The most common car here is the VW Golf. It outsells the second most popular model by almost 200,000. That. Is. Crazy. Besides VW's, Mercedes, BMW's, and Audis are also a dime a dozen over here.
I'd always heard about the cheap and great public transportation in Europe, so I just assumed that Wiesbaden would be similar to what we had in Korea. Not so. It really depends on the city you live in. For example, Heidelberg seemed pretty good, but it's a bummer here.
Toilet paper here is really thick and stiff. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, it's just the little things I notice. And public restrooms usually cost money to use, like 50 cents or something.
Germans love dogs, and their dogs are VERY WELL TRAINED. Well, most of them anyway. You can take dogs to most public places here, even some restaurants, and I've seen them in churches. Even though I COULD take my dog everywhere, I don't, because she is such a spaz compared to the other dogs and it's just embarrassing.
Germany does Christmas right!, and it's a great time of year to visit if you're going to come. It's hard to describe the feeling of it all, but it really is magical, and conducive to the true spirit of Christmas.
I'm sure I will continue to discover new and interesting things. We're not quite half-way done yet. The end will come all too soon for me.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Cologne or Köln
While John was here we also hit up the Christmas market in Cologne.
Well, one of them anyway. There are actually 7 Christmas markets there, spread throughout the city. We went on a Monday, so the kids were in school instead of with us. After visiting there, we really want to take the kids back to see it.
The major attraction in Cologne is the Cathedral.
Construction was started in 1248, but was stopped in 1473, and wasn't finished until the 1800's. It seems crazy that a cathedral would take that long to built, until you realize that Cologne Cathedral is the 3rd tallest in the world at 516 ft., and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It truly is awe-inspiring when you're standing right in front of it. It didn't even seem real! We kept joking that it was just bad CGI. But it was real. I touched it. I went inside.
There were a LOT of people there. We've never seen such an international presence in any other German city that we've visited, not even Frankfurt. They say that 20,000 people visit the cathedral on average each day, and I don't doubt it.
There are a lot of people entombed in this cathedral - many archbishops and others - but I don't know an exact number. Each one has a.....I don't know what to call it.....a mini-chapel? Shrine? Whatever, they were interesting.
The most important treasure inside the cathedral is the Sarcophagus of the Magi, a large golden reliquary (dating to around 1200) containing 3 gold-crowned skulls said to be the remains of the 3 wisemen (hey, I don't make this stuff up). The magnificence of the cathedral is due, in part, to the fact that they wanted a cathedral worthy of housing this treasure.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the second highlight of Cologne for me was food :) Our noses stumbled upon this.
Schupfnudeln, or potato noodles served with sourkraut, crème fraiche, and fresh herbs. My tastes buds were dancing! Seriously, I can't even describe how good this was, but this was basically what we sounded like when we were eating it.
The major attraction in Cologne is the Cathedral.
Construction was started in 1248, but was stopped in 1473, and wasn't finished until the 1800's. It seems crazy that a cathedral would take that long to built, until you realize that Cologne Cathedral is the 3rd tallest in the world at 516 ft., and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It truly is awe-inspiring when you're standing right in front of it. It didn't even seem real! We kept joking that it was just bad CGI. But it was real. I touched it. I went inside.
There were a LOT of people there. We've never seen such an international presence in any other German city that we've visited, not even Frankfurt. They say that 20,000 people visit the cathedral on average each day, and I don't doubt it.
There are a lot of people entombed in this cathedral - many archbishops and others - but I don't know an exact number. Each one has a.....I don't know what to call it.....a mini-chapel? Shrine? Whatever, they were interesting.
The most important treasure inside the cathedral is the Sarcophagus of the Magi, a large golden reliquary (dating to around 1200) containing 3 gold-crowned skulls said to be the remains of the 3 wisemen (hey, I don't make this stuff up). The magnificence of the cathedral is due, in part, to the fact that they wanted a cathedral worthy of housing this treasure.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Joe's brother John came to visit us again, and this time he brought his daughter Hannah. I told him that with this second trip, he has officially made it an annual event to come visit us at Christmas, and he is practically contractually obligated to come again next year. I am not afraid to sue if he doesn't fulfill his commitments ;)
Anyway, the first Christmas market we hit up this year was in Rothenburg. We've been wanting to go there for a while, so it was a treat for us. It wasn't a huge market, but it was really the town we wanted to see anyway.....and to get a mug to add to our collection ;) Some interesting facts about Rothenburg. It is probably the best preserved Medieval town in German, and was hailed by the Nazis as the quintessential German town. Filming was done here for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Harry Potter (the last two movies).
Climbing up onto the town walls (built in the 13th century). One of the few places in Germany that still has its city walls.
The perfectly intact walls (well, perfectly intact after repairs were made after WWII) have a covered walk way and circle the entire city. You can walk the entire perimeter, and it's about 3 kilometers, but we just went up for a quick look.
Then we headed into the city center
The real highlight for me was that when I was doing my research (as I always do before we visit a new town), I found out that during the Christmas season they open up the bell tower of the Rathaus (Town Hall - 1250) to visitors.
It was a bit of a climb, and the higher up the stairs you go, the narrower and steeper they get, until the very end is more like a ladder, and my shoulders were touching the walls on both sides. The top of the tower is very small, and only 20 people are allowed up there, although, I was thinking I was sure glad that there was only 6 people when we went up ;)
The view. Oh my goodness, I loved it!
As soon as Madelyn reached the top and looked out, she freaked (totally scared of heights), and Joe had to take her back down. But Alex kept saying over and over again, "It's so beautiful!"
I read that the artists that worked on Disney's "Pinocchio" were inspired by this city. It really was quite fairytale-like. What do you think?
We also visited St. Jakob's Church (1311)
The most interesting thing inside the church was the Holy Blood Altarpiece, which was beautifully carved (and these pictures really don't do it justice) between 1499-1505. At the top of the altar, there is a rock crystal capsule which is said to hold a small sample of Christ's blood.....not sure how they got that ;)
Once again, I've visited a beautiful city, and all I can think is, "I've got to go back!" There were definitely some city highlights that we missed seeing.
Last but not least, my favorite street performers here are always the ones who play the accordion - when I hear that, I have to stop for a listen. These particular musicians were Russian. Enjoy.
Anyway, the first Christmas market we hit up this year was in Rothenburg. We've been wanting to go there for a while, so it was a treat for us. It wasn't a huge market, but it was really the town we wanted to see anyway.....and to get a mug to add to our collection ;) Some interesting facts about Rothenburg. It is probably the best preserved Medieval town in German, and was hailed by the Nazis as the quintessential German town. Filming was done here for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Harry Potter (the last two movies).
Galgentor (Gallows Gate) - I think there are like 42 towers around the city. Public executions took place outside this tower, hence the name.
The real highlight for me was that when I was doing my research (as I always do before we visit a new town), I found out that during the Christmas season they open up the bell tower of the Rathaus (Town Hall - 1250) to visitors.
From Pinocchio
We also visited St. Jakob's Church (1311)
The most interesting thing inside the church was the Holy Blood Altarpiece, which was beautifully carved (and these pictures really don't do it justice) between 1499-1505. At the top of the altar, there is a rock crystal capsule which is said to hold a small sample of Christ's blood.....not sure how they got that ;)
Once again, I've visited a beautiful city, and all I can think is, "I've got to go back!" There were definitely some city highlights that we missed seeing.
Last but not least, my favorite street performers here are always the ones who play the accordion - when I hear that, I have to stop for a listen. These particular musicians were Russian. Enjoy.
I almost forgot! We all got crepes, and Hannah got an Amaretto one. She didn't realize that Amaretto was alcohol, she just knew she liked Amaretto ice cream, hahaha. One bite, and her lips were totally tingly. She threw the rest away, but we teased her the rest of the time about crepes being the gate-way drug ;)
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