Tuesday
Aug112009
Emeril Made Us Do It.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 10:08AM
We're in Poland now, but in three weeks we go to Bamberg, Germany. I've never been to Bamberg, and don't know anything about it, other than this: in 1628 they tried a guy for witchcraft. Why do I know this?
The reason we picked Bamberg, if you MUST know, is that Bob heard me say the name among a list of cities in Germany and went on a big Emeril Lagasse roll, going on and on about BAMberg BAMberg. So I found a place to rent there, just to make him laugh.
If YOU know anything about Bamberg, or if you know anyone who does, tell us all about it. Soon please. That witchcraft tidbit only goes so far...
Brenna Gibson Redpath | 10 Comments | Email Article | Stumble, Digg, etc. | in germany, travel | tagged Emeril, Germany
Reader Comments (10)
I don't know anything about Germany but I'm wondering do you have an itinerary for the rest of your journey? What other countries do you plan to visit? I spent 10 days in France recently and would highly recommend going there if you can...we visited Provence in June and the small villages were full of wonder, beauty, lavender, art, Roman ruins...I was amazed at the pace of life and how different it is from the US and how peaceful and lovely the people were...thanks for a great BLOG of your journey....
You guys KILL me!
How cool is it to plan a vacation 'cuz it's FUNNY!
YOU RULE!
Kim - We are looking forward to France, as well as Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc. They are SO on our list. 2 months in France would be quite nice, thank you. Of course I'll have to hire myself out picking grapes for food by that time. But the kids hands are small... they'll pick fast - don't you think?
We do, however, have our hands tied a bit by the Schengen Treaty (insert sudden ominous music here). In short, we don't get to stay for as long as we'd like within the Schengen Zone, which in a lot of the EU. so France will not follow Germany, and Spain will not follow Fance. Enough of this! It is boring to you readers, and we spend more than enough time mulling it over by ourselves.
Brenna
Yo Lama - Dude! I Know! We're idiots sometimes!
Brenna
BAMberg - That is classic Redpath humor & one that i can only attempt to mimic so that my family too can live each day with humor in their lives. Travis
Oh my gosh, you are in beautiful country in Bamberg and there are SO many other great places around there to visit. I don't know too much about Franken (the area Bamberg is in), but they have good wine! Although Bamberg specifically seems to be known for its breweries, so try the beer, too ;-) It's what I miss most every summer here in LA: the beergardens!
There is a Jazz and Blues Festival going on right now (until August 16th), it seems, and it is one of the World Heritage Cities of Unesco.
How long are you staying in Germany and how far will you be able to travel? Are you stationed there to see all of Germany or will you go elsewhere, too? And will you have a car or do it all by train? There is the "Romantic Road" to check out
"But what is the Romantic Road? If a straight line is the shortest connection between two points, the Romantic Road is undoubtedly the most attractive connection between more than two dozen South German towns, all of which hold staring places in travel guides on the region. The best known of them are Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the wine, cathedral and Baroque city of Würzburg, Füssen, Augsburg, the city of the Fugger family and silver, and the small but delightful town of Dinkelsbühl. Visitors who have already travelled the length of the Romantic Road will be able to add to these names. Landsberg, perhaps, or Nördlingen. Bad Mergentheim with its Castle of the Teutonic Order and Feuchtwangen. It is the towns that exercise the real power of attraction along the Romantic Road."
Fuessen/Hohenschwangau is, of course, home to Neuschwanstein Castle, although that's quite a way south from where you are.
Other nearby cities worth seeing are Erlangen, Nuernberg, and Bayreuth (where the famous Wagner Festival takes place every year).
Munich is not far and if you can make it there, I'd absolutely URGE you to take the kids to the Deutsche Museum there. It is a museum of technology: they have a huge hall full of all kinds of types of airplanes, even a piece of a jumbo, so you can see inside of it. A ship cut lengthwise, so you can see everything inside and about it, even musical instruments, all somehow cut open, so you can see the inner workings of everything. It's a museum worth visiting for a full day (morning to night) and then some. I assure you, the kids won't tire of all the fascinating things to be seen there! And so much to learn from it.
Here's their website (in English): http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/information/
And you should absolutely make a trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I believe it's one of the few, if not the only, medieval cities in Germany with its medieval wall still fully in tact! And you can walk on it.
Here's some info: http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/rothenburg-ob-der-tauber.html
You are in medieval heaven right where you are. Castles galore to visit as well!
If you can travel further from there, I'd highly recommend a trip to the Black Forest as well. The area between Freiburg i.Br. and the Bodensee is beautiful just to travel through by car (or by train, just takes longer) and stop wherever you feel like. So many quaint little towns, such beautiful, breathtaking landscapes. Titisee is worth visiting, although very touristy. Glottertal, Schluchsee, Wutach, St. Maergen, St. Blasien (beautiful churches in both places)... it goes on.
Another place you absolutely must visit (very near Freiburg) is the "Vogtsbauernhoefe" in Gutach. It's an open air museum with a collection of old farmhouses, representing 400 years of farming in the Blackforest. When I took my husband there before we had Max, he was impressed and considered it one of the highlights of our trip that year. And we learned a lot of interesting things. Here's the official website (in English): http://vogtsen.land-in-sicht.com/index.php
"Experience the Black Forest with all your senses! Culture and history come to life in our open air museum. Find out how people have lived and worked in Black Forest farmhouses over the last 400 years. As well as six fully-furnished farmhouses, where living quarters and the working farm are housed under one roof, you will visit a labourer’s cottage and around 15 outbuildings, such as mills, sawmills, chapels and storehouses, seven kitchen gardens and a herb garden, and you will see traditional breeds of domestic animals. Together they present the many different faces of life in the Black Forest: its architecture, traditions, customs and trades, and the way people have lived and farmed throughout the ages.
Whether making butter or milking the cows, or discovering the secrets of traditional Black Forest trades and cottage industries, guided tours through the Black Forest Open Air Museum Vogtsbauernhof, numerous interactive activities and special exhibitions will tell and show you all you want to know."
Anyway, these are just a few quick tips I can give. You should be rewarded with beautiful countryside and plenty of sightseeing wherever you go in and near Bamberg, a city I have not yet been to, unfortunately. I went to college in Freiburg and can tell you all about that area. And I know that the above mentioned cities are all well worth a trip.
Once you go to France, you should consider visiting the Alsace region. It's just across the border not far from Freiburg and is another place where you'll have one quaint little old town after another and you are in beautiful wine country. But leave that for your France trip! The cathedral in Strassbourg was built by the same person who built the church in Freiburg - just fyi. Ah, I get homesick, just thinking about all these wonderful things to do there!!!
Hope this was helpful if a little discombobulated! It's been great witnessing your travels so far!
All the best to you and enjoy your stay in Germany!!! And enjoy the regional wines and beers wherever you can! Good food down there, too! The German thing to do in the morning is to go to the local bakery and get fresh rolls for breakfast. :-)
And there are wonderful farmer's markets and ... I could go on... Let me know how long you've got and if you'd like any more specific tips. And consider doing some of your exploring by bike (everyone rides bikes in Germany). And I have friends in Freiburg and Munich if you feel like having some human contact ;-)
Babette
oops, wrote it like you're already there and just noticed that you won't be there until another 3 weeks from now. Oh well...
Thanks Babette!!! Thanks so much for the info!!!
A witch prision was built in Banberg but it is no longer standing..........that is very good news, I can go to Bamberg now.
The smoked beer "Rauchbier" is supposed to be good. (How do you smoke beer?)
MOM
Brenna - it is because you feed Bob's humor, that it goes beyond control, and it is why you will be together always. I should know - Travis' entry says it all! : )
Cynthia