German Gems

Bad Towns

in Germany aren't really what you think.  Some people actually search for them, spend a week or so in them or just go to them for the day to relax.

"Bad" means "bath" or "tub" in German and any town with "bad" in its name has been approved by the German government as a spa town.  Many of these towns have thermal springs and people have been "taking the waters" either internally or externally to help cure an illness or aliment for decades or in some cases, centuries.

Some famous "bad" towns in Germany include Baden Baden, Wiesbaden, Bad Cannstatt (also home of a famous beer fest), Bad Dürkheim (home of the wurstfest), Bad Reichenhall (near Eagle's Nest).

The smaller towns that depend on the spa trade, have lots of medical-related facilities, hotels, restaurants and more often than not, very good cake shops.  In addition, there are often very nice shops and a big park with lots of walking paths.  Sometimes, there's a casino and high quality music and theatrical productions.

Here in Hessen there are a number of smaller and less well known towns including:

Bad Camberg

Bad Wildungen

Bad Ems

Bad Homburg

All are towns worth at least a day trip.  One day soon I'll do a post about each. 

King Tut

has taken up residence in Frankfurt, at least temporarily.

"Tutankhamun - His Tomb and His Treasure"  is one of three museum quality replicas of the tomb and its treasures currently on tour. 

It's a comprehensive exhibition, includings lots of information about Howard Carter, the man who discovered the tomb. 

I now feel like I've been to Egypt.

  

Ampelmann

is a famous guy from Eastern Germany.  Often associated with Berlin, but found in other cities in Eastern Germany, he and his female associate (the Ampelfrau) keep pedestrians from getting run over by cars.  You can read more about him here.

The two of them are symbols often associated with the times before the wall came down and they have made their way on to all kinds of products.

Of all the products Ampelmann adorns, I never expected him to show up in one of our hotel rooms.

                                                     

 If you're an English-speaking expat blogger and you've never seen an Ampelmann, your opportunity is coming.  Our next WEBMU will be this Fall in Berlin.  Visit the expat forum to find out more.

Pealing of the Bells

is an event that happens on four special days per year in the city of Frankfurt.  On the Saturday before Easter, the Saturday before Pentecost, the first Saturday in Advent, and Christmas Eve, ten churches in Frankfurt simultaneously ring their bells for thirty minutes.  That's 50 total bells, spread over 1 square kilometer, ringing in harmony!   You can read more about the history of the event and the bells of Frankfurt here.

Frankfurt churches photo from here

Bells, to me are one of the great things about living in Germany.  Since this is an event said to be unique in the world, we made a special effort to be in Frankfurt this past weekend.  Thankfully the weather cooperated and we were able to walk through the city without an umbrella for the entire 30 minutes.  We weren't the only ones there just to hear the bells.  We had lots of company.

So what does it sound like?  Believe it or not, it isn't just noise.  I could actually hear the sound of different bells.  The sounds are also different depending on where you are standing.  Just a few meters can completely change what bells you hear.

Here's an idea of what we experienced, from Pentecost 2011.

 
 

Thanks to Frankfurt on Foot for the great tip.

 

Bingen

is a small town along the Rhine that often shows up on tourist itineraries. I am not really sure why.  Yes, not too far from the town center you can stand along the river and get a great view of the ruins of the Ehrenfels Castle

 

and get a close up of the Mäuseturm perched in the middle of the river.

 It is also a stop for Rhine River cruises. I don't find the town itself very attractive. We only went back to visit the local museum so I could learn a little bit more about their most famous resident, Hildegard. More about her in my next post.

 

 

Brussels

or Bruxelles as it is also known, is the capital of Belgium.  My posts about speculoos reminded me of our recent trip to Brussels.  I didn't post about it because I was so disappointed with the city.  It was dirty and smelly. It looked like everything needed a coat of paint.  When we checked into our hotel, guests were asking how to report a theft. And it seemed so much more commercial than our previous visits. Maybe because everywhere we looked it seemed all we saw were fries, waffles or little chocolate boys.

 

Don't get me wrong, we had a great visit.  It's tough to beat Belgian beer, Belgian chocolate or Belgian cuisine.  But, next time we're craving Belgian food, we'll go somewhere other than Brussels.

Madrid Magic

put us under a spell.  We wanted a winter break with some sunshine; somewhere we had never explored.   Madrid was our choice and it exceeded expectations.  Although overnight temperatures dipped below freezing, we enjoyed our mid-day meals in outdoor cafes under clear blue skies.  The food, the wine, the people, and the sights were all wonderful. 

I loved the wrought iron balconies and gorgeous ceramic tiles that seemed to be everywhere.

Forget Fasching

That's what we did this year.  Instead of celebrating the "fifth season" in Germany, we decided to take advantage of discount fares on Lufthansa and see how Carnaval is celebrated in Madrid.  The concept is the same, the execution is, as you would expect, somewhat different.  Since drinking alcohol in public is illegal, we didn't encounter any of the associated problems, which sometimes can make Fasching in Germany no fun.

Friday night the events kicked off with the typical speeches by local officials, dancing and a small parade of elaborate human-animal creatures.  It was followed by a very bad Cirque de Soleil knock-off show.

 

  Saturday night was the main parade.  It was a combination of ethnic dance groups, small floats and lots of mythological creatures that were more creepy than fanciful.  I was surprised by the number of people that showed up; five or six people deep along some parts of the route.  It seemed like the whole city was there; everyone from babies in carriages to senior citizens.  It was difficult to take photos, so I found these to give you taste of what it was like.  The first one is a quick look; watch the second one if you want to see more.

 

  

After the parade we watched the rich and famous walk along the red carpet of the historic Madrid Casino on their way to the masquerade ball.

Piran

Sits on a tiny piece of Slovenia on the Bay of Trieste along the Adriatic coast.   It was a part of the Venetian empire from the 13^th – 18^th century.  Today, you still see and feel both the medieval and Venetian history.  It’s the perfect setting for a mystery novel.

Piran supposedly resembles the famous Adriatic jewel further south, Dubrovnik.  I don’t know, I have never been to Dubrovnik, but thanks to Piran, it’s now on my “to visit” list.

 

Ljubljana

is the capital of Slovenia, mostly by default.  Having been at a cultural crossroads for centuries, situated in the center of the country and the only town with more than 100,000 inhabitants, there really wasn’t any other contender when the country was formed in 1991.

The city is very walk able and its architectural gems cover many periods including Baroque and Art Nouveau. Café culture abounds with an opportunity to stop for a break on seemingly every corner.  Cold weather was no deterrent; outdoor tables were filled day and night. 

Our favorite place was the outdoor market Mestni trg.  Here, mostly recognizable fresh fruits and vegetables are sold alongside traditional handicrafts and interesting local foods we had a hard time identifying.  Vendors always let us sample and were eager to explain what they were selling and how it was made. And, no photos since I was too busy tasting!