Germany - A Country we visit Frequently.

Fantastic Fussen.

04.05.2019

The Lech Fall - Füssen

"Frequent Trips to Fussen"

I have visited Fussen lots and lots of times, as we often go on holiday to Reutte in Tirol and usually come to Fussen for the day. Fussen has a castle, an old town, a museum, lots of churches, a river, a powerful waterfall and many beautiful colourfully painted houses. It also has lots of shops and restaurants.

Fussen and around.

Fussen is close to the castles of mad King Ludvig the second: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. There are many beautiful lakes around Fussen which make it great for swimming: the Alpsee, the Schwannsee, the Alatsee, the Weissensee and the Forggensee. There are also many walking trails and outdoor sporting areas such as a ski slope, tennis courts, crazy golf, fee paying bathing areas etc.

Fussen's Old Town.

Fussen castle dominates the old town. The old town contains a museum, lots of beautifully painted houses, churches, fountains and narrow streets. It is very pretty. Walking across the bridge away from the old town provides a great view point for a photo.

The old town of Fussen. - Füssen

The old town viewed from the bridge. - Füssen

The Lechfall Waterfall.

Water was low on our last visit, so this waterfall was not as scary as usual. When it is in full spate, the viewing bridge shakes from the force of the water. Terrifying!!! We've stood on it many times, debating how you would die if you fell in, crushed by the water, freeze to death, battered on rocks, heart attack from shock or drowning. It's the sort of place that makes you ponder such things. There is a bust of one of the Bavarian Kings - Maximillian - I think - nearby. There are also terrifying high water marks on the cliffs by the falls, obviously dating from some pretty serious floods.

The Lechfall Waterfall

The Alpsee.

The Alpsee is right next to Hohenschwangau. It is a lovely lake and wonderful for a swim. You can also hire boats here or do the round the lake walk. We fed a family of swans and ducks here on our last visit. This visit our swim was uneventful. Last time we swam on a bright, sunny hot day, came out dried off and started walking back to Fussen only to be caught up in a sudden freak hail storm. I've never seen weather change so fast. The storm damaged trees and cars and was pretty painful on the head I can tell you.

Beautiful scenery at the Alpsee. - Fussen

Swans on the Alpsee. - Fussen

My husband swimming in the Alpsee - Fussen

Neuscwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles.

Hohenschwangau was looking good during our visit, but Neuschwanstein which is normally magnificent was being renovated and was covered in scaffolding. Work on Neuschwanstein will continue into 2013. You can walk to the castles from Fussen in around 40 minutes. It is about 3KM. There is also a bus from Fussen Train Station. I've been inside the castles years ago, but not recently. Nowadays I enjoy walking to them and swimming in the lakes near them. Entry fee was 12 Euro for each castle for adults. There is also a museum to visit, too. There are shops and restaurants next to the castles. Souvenir shops that is.

My husband in front of Hohenschwangau. - Fussen

Neuschwanstein in the distance not at its best. - Fussen

The Schwannsee.

The Schwansee or Swan Lake hides itself well. If you approach from the castle side, it is very well hidden in the trees and takes a while to find. There is a good, though very distant view towards both castles from here. Very pleasant for a swim.

Moss covered trees near the lake. - Fussen

Waterlillies near the Schwannsee. - Fussen

The lovely Schwannsee. - Fussen

The Alatsee And Surroundings.

The Alatsee is near the Austrian border. When we swam here a man was practising playing an Alpine horn nearby. The music certainly blended well with the scenery. The area around the Alatsee has hiking trails, cycle ways, a ski slope, paid bathing areas, tennis courts, crazy golf and some restaurants. A very nice area.

The Alatsee

The Alatsee And Surroundings

Explore The Old Town.

I have never researched Fussen, because I have been going there for short visits for years. The old town has a castle, a museum, churches including several painted churches and several churches by the river, colourful old houses, squares, fountains. It is a wonderful place just to wander around.

Explore The Old Town

Posted by irenevt 18:55 Archived in Germany Comments (2)

Fabulous Fürth.

2014.

04.05.2019

Art Nouveau in Furth - Fürth

"Fürth"

Originally we booked a hotel in Nüremberg, a city we have stayed in before, but then my husband found a good offer for a hotel in Fürth. The hotel had a swimming pool and the offer included breakfast. I agreed to the change, but I was not really expecting Fürth to be all that interesting and scarcely even researched it. When we got there, we were very pleasantly surprised. We both really, really liked Fürth. For one thing there was a huge chimney stack in the centre of town, with an enormous nest housing three storks in it. I really liked that. It was like something out of a fairy tale. When we left Fürth, I saw similar chimneys minus the stork’s nest in various towns and it actually made me feel homesick for Fürth. Homesick! and we were only there for three nights.

Storks - Fürth

For another thing, there was a music festival on when we visited which for us meant lots of free street entertainment. To add to the carnival atmosphere, we were there during the World Cup 2014 and were actually there to see Germany win the final. While I am not really into football and my husband is a die hard England fan, I enjoyed watching people with their painted faces, yellow, black and red clothes and flags. I particularly enjoyed the party tractor, which made me laugh a lot. Fürth has some beautiful old houses, a town hall, churches, two rivers, a park and several statues and fountains, but more than all that, it had a great atmosphere and we loved it.

Below is a review of the hotel we stayed in in Furth.

"Great Stay, Great Town" : Fuerther Hotel Mercure Nuernberg West.

We stayed in the Mercure in Fuerth for three nights in July. We did not have a car. We got to the hotel by taking the S-bahn Line 1 from Nuremberg to Fuerth Rathaus Station. We exited the station and walked down to Henri Dunant Strasse. We walked along here, then crossed the Ludwig Bridge over the Pegnitz River and walked along Erlanger Strasse. From station to hotel took about 20 minutes on foot. If you don't want to walk, there is a bus from the centre that stops right outside the hotel.

This hotel is very much a family hotel. It had a small outdoor swimming pool. There were also sandpits, play houses, play trucks and table-tennis for children in its garden area. Check-in was pleasant and efficient. Our room was comfortable. We had a fridge with a free minibar. By that I mean you got a bottle of water, a coke and a beer in the fridge when you arrived. If you drank them, they were replaced free of charge. We also had tea/coffee making facilities in the room. Our bed was nice and comfortable. The room was clean and pleasant. On our deal breakfast was included in the price. Breakfast was very busy, but the food was excellent with delicious fresh bread, cheeses, cold meat, smoked salmon, salad, cereals, fruit, yoghurt and some hot food, too. Coffees or teas were brought to the table. There was a machine for squeezing your own orange juice. The hotel had a restaurant and bar. Check out was efficient and the bill was accurate. We really liked Fuerth as a place. It had lots of lovely old historical buildings and plenty of restaurants. There was a music festival on when we visited. It's also a convenient place from which to visit places like Nuremberg, Bamberg, Lauf, Erlangen. I'd love to stay here again. Address: Laubenweg 6, Furth, Bavaria, 90765, Germany.

Great Stay, Great Town

Below are some of the things to see in Furth.

Jewish Museum.

Near the town hall there is a Jewish Museum. We did not visit, but it is supposed to be interesting. The Jewish Museum was opened in 1999. The house was occupied by Jewish families until the late 19th century.

Jewish Museum

Old Town Near Town Hall.

Near the rathaus around Gustav Strasse there are some lovely old buildings well worth seeing. There are also many restaurants, cafes and bars. This was a busy area during our stay as many of the music festival performances took place here. We ate in this area twice and had a particularly wonderful meal in an Afghani restaurant called the Kabuliya.

Old Town Near Town Hall.

Gruner Markt.

When Fürth was given market rights in the early Middle Ages, residents were able to hold markets in the area now known as Gruner Markt. The Gruner Markt has some strange and interesting statues. This was high up on my list of places to see, but the statues were largely hidden by music festival stages, speakers etc. One of the statues made rather inaccessible by the festival was the 'Jugglers’ Fountain' which was designed in 2004 by Harro Frey. This fountain shows performing acrobats.

Gruner Markt

St Michael’s Church.

St Michael’s Church was closed when we visited and there was a festival stage and a bar outside. I liked the odd children’s artwork behind it, with giant pencils and dragon statues. Strange, but cute. St Michael's Church is the oldest building in Fürth. Its origins date back to 1100.

St Michael’s Church

Centaur Statue.

Near the Haupt Bahnhof there is a centaur statue. It is a beautiful statue despite its rather sad subject matter. It shows a centaur being captured and tied up. It stood near the start of Germany’s first railway line and is supposed to represent man overcoming the forces of nature.The Centaur Fountain was designed by Rudolf Maison in 1890 in commemoration of the German railway which was established in 1835 and to the establishment of the central water supply which occurred in 1877.

Centaur Statue

The Fürther Freiheit.

The Fürther Freiheit was once the site of the first German rail line which was constructed in 1835 and went from Fürth to Nuremberg. It was in operation until 1922. It had a stage and lots of stalls when we visited.

The Fürther Freiheit

The Paradise Fountain.

The Paradise Fountain is a great fountain depicting Adam, Eve, the snake, apples – some with bites out of them, unicorns and much more. It’s a fun fountain and you can walk along a wall into the middle of it. You’ll even find a half-eaten apple on the park bench next to it which is also part of the fountain. I really liked this site. The fountain dates from 1996 and was designed by married couple Barbara and Gernot Rumpf.

The Paradise Fountain

Hornschuchpromenade And Konigswarter Strasse.

Hornschuchpromenade and Konigswarter Strasse are two streets near Jakobinenstrasse Station that have lots of Art Nouveau architecture. I loved the houses with their weird and wonderful male, female and animal faces.

Hornschuchpromenade And Konigswarter Strasse

River Pegnitz and Rednitz.

Fürth lies on both the River Pegnitz and the River Rednitz. These rivers join together in Fürth to form the River Regnitz. We visited the confluence of these two rivers which is located in a pretty park. This is a very pleasant park with lots of greenery and ponds. The park dates back to the mid-nineteenth century when Johann Wilhelm Engelhardt, a local machine factory owner, had trees and plants placed around the edges of the old cemetery.

Rivers

The Stadtpark

Near The Stadthalle Station.

Near the Stadthalle Station there were lots of beautiful buildings. The Jewish Cemetery is also in this area. Unfortunately it was closed when we went. I read somewhere that you can only visit by appointment.

Near The Stadthalle Station

Fürth Town Hall.

There are several train stations in Fürth and one of them is right next to the town hall. I rather liked this building. There were food stalls behind it for the duration of the festival. There was also a stage for some of the festival’s musicians. Fürth Town Hall was built between 1840 and 1850 by Georg Friedrich Christian Bürklein and Eduard Bürklein.

Fürth Town Hall

Here are some other things we noticed about Fürth.

The Clover Leaf.

The clover leaf is the symbol of Fürth. We saw it on street signs, pub signs, restaurant signs and notices all over the place. It kept reminding me of Ireland with its shamrock as it looks very similar.

Symbol of Fürth - Fürth

The Clover Leaf

Football.

Germany won the 2014 World Cup Final while we were there. There was a great atmosphere with people dressed up in the colours of the German flag. They also painted their faces. World Cup souvenirs were everywhere. Windows were decorated with flags. I had a good laugh at the celebration tractor, bedecked in the German colours and laden down with football fans. When the final was over, the sky was shattered with the explosions of victory.

Football

Festival.

We enjoyed the music festival which was on in Fürth in July. There was lots of free interesting street entertainment. However, I was glad our hotel was a little bit out of town as I would not want to have been disturbed by it at night.

Festival

We had a great meal in the restaurant described below.

Kabuliyan Restaurant: Wonderful Meal.

We had a wonderful meal in the Kabuliyan Restaurant in Fuerth. It is an Afghanistani restaurant and I would love to go back and try Afghani food there some time. It also did German food and that is what we ate as getting German food is an enjoyable rarity for us. My husband had the Cordon Bleu and I had the Wiener Schnitzel. Portions were huge. We could hardly move after eating it and the food was delicious. I absolutely loved the way they flavoured my roast potatoes with cumin. The beer here was also great. Service was very efficient and very friendly. We sat outside and enjoyed listening to the live music from the festival. The price was really reasonable. I would definitely eat here again on any future visits to Fuerth. A great find. Directions: To get here from Nuremberg take the S1 line to Fuerth Rathaus Station and then walk to Gustavstrasse. It's at the far end away from the church and Grunermarkt.

Wonderful Meal

Posted by irenevt 18:37 Archived in Germany Comments (1)

Holidaying in Hof.

Visited July 2016 .

04.05.2019

Quirky Hof. - Hof

After spending several days in eastern Germany, we took a train to Hof in Bavaria. Our original plan had been to stay here for two nights, but for some reason hotels in Hof turned out to be very expensive, so we just had a look around the town and headed to the village of Weisseau for overnight accommodation instead. One reason to stay in Hof or Weisseau is that they are both good bases from which to do day trips to the Czech Republic. We both really liked Hof and would have been happy to spend longer here. It has an old town with several lovely churches, a town hall that reminded me of a lighthouse, some interesting statues in its market place, a forest of sign posts and other quirky sites. Hof also has a large park and a lake, but we did not have time to go to the lake and just had a very quick look at the park. Hof is located on the banks of the Saale River in the northeastern corner of Bavaria. Hof is known for two local delicacies: Schnitz, a kind of hotpot, and sausages boiled in a portable, coal fired brass cauldron. These are sold in the streets by the sausage man. I had hoped to see a sausage man, but we didn't.

Quirky Hof. - Hof

Some of the places we visited in Hof are listed below.

The Church of St Lorenz.

This was the first place in Hof we visited. The church itself is an attractive building. There is a garden around it with several benches. When I went in the church, I was given a leaflet with lots of information about Hof by the very helpful man inside. The Church of St Lorenz is believed to date from around 1080, making it the oldest church in Hof. Across from the church is the “Inkurabel” which gave shelter to the sick and dying.

The Church of St Lorenz. - Hof

St Mary's Church.

The beautiful twin towered Saint Mary's Church is located in the centre of Hof's old town. We did not go inside. Saint Mary's is Hof’s main catholic church. It was built in 1864 in neo-Gothic style.

St Mary's Church - Hof

The Church of St. Michael.

The Church of Saint Michael is a lovely old church located near Hof's town hall and its market place. The Church of Saint Michael is the main Protestant church in Hof. Apparently there are cannonballs embedded in its walls near its middle window and in its north tower from a siege in 1553 during which the church came under heavy fire.

St Michael's Church. - Hof

Maxplatz .

Maxplatz is a square near Saint Michael's Church. Hof market is held here on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It was not on during our visit. At the bottom of Maxplatz there is a fountain depicting scenes from a mediaeval market.

Mediaeval fountain. - Hof

The Hofer Fernwehpark.

When I read about this, I thought it just sounded silly, but to my surprise I really liked it. Hofer Fernwehpark is a collection of sign posts from all over the world, displayed in one place. This project was initiated by globetrotting film maker and writer Klaus Beer, who came upon a “Sign Post Forest” while filming at Watson Lake in Canada. Inspired by this, he created his own forest in Hof. Guests from all over the world can donate town signs to help the project grow. As well as place signs, Fernwehpark also has “Signs of Fame”: greeting signs from more than 200 celebrities and stars from show business, sports and politics.

The Hofer Fernwehpark. - Hof

Water Monument.

I really wanted to explore Hof's huge park behind the The Hofer Fernwehpark, but we had run out of time so could only look at the entrance to it. At first I thought someone had been graffitting a structure in the river. Then I looked at the reflection of the structure and realised it was covered in the German word for water which could only be read in the reflection. Yet another quirky monument.

Water Monument. - Hof

Hof's Town Hall.

Hof's Town Hall is located at the junction of Klosterstraße and Ludwigstraße. To me with its tall tower it looked very much like a lighthouse. Hof's original town hall was badly damaged during the siege in 1553, so a new town hall was built according to the plans of Nikolaus Hofmann from Halle.

Hof's Town Hall. - Hof

Posted by irenevt 07:17 Archived in Germany Comments (4)

Wandering Wonderful Wurzburg.

04.05.2019

Wurzburg - Würzburg

I really cannot say we did justice to Wurzburg on our first visit in July 2013. We travelled from Munich to Nurnberg on the train from hell to visit a friend in Nurnberg and have lunch with her. I call it the train from hell as it was late and when it finally came in, there was a rugby style scrum to get on. I ended up in the bicycle racks. The only available space. I was even thrown off my bicycle rack when some more bikes came on. There were people sitting all over the floor and it was difficult to move anywhere. Not a lot of fun.

Well, we overran lunch with our friend as we got talking. Then we caught the train to Wurzburg which was hot and overcrowded, though at least we managed to get a seat. When we arrived in Wurzburg, we were hot, tired and grumpy. We set off in the total wrong direction for our hotel, turning what should have been a peaceful 15 minute walk into an hour long trek through crowds with luggage. By the time we had checked into the hotel and were ready to explore Wurzburg, we had only about 3 hours of daylight remaining and were not in the best of moods. We headed off in the direction of the river to see the cathedral, town hall, the old bridge, fortress and kappelle. We did not climb up to the fortress or kappelle due to limited time. I would have liked to do both. We found Wurzburg to be a beautiful place filled with churches and interesting sculptures and decided there and then we would have to come back. We stayed in the Novotel, which was really comfortable, plus it had a pool. We were intending to set off early next day and spend a few hours in Stuttgart before flying from there to London, but the hotel had a pool and we both love swimming, plus there was so much still to see in Wurzburg, so we ended up visiting the residence with its spectacular gardens instead. A wise decision. Stuttgart just annoyed us (though to be fair we have visited before and loved it) as our train to the airport got stuck behind a broken down train; then we all got thrown off; then our next train got stuck behind the broken down train. Amazingly somehow we made our flight, but we were not impressed by German rail on this trip. It used to be so efficient, what happened?

Our second visit took place in July 2016. We spent two nights here and had more time to see the place properly. We visited the market place and the old crane, revisited the residence and its spectacular gardens, climbed up to the kappelle and the fortress. We also went off to Nurmberg on our second evening to have dinner with our friend. Wurzburg is a beautiful and relaxing place. It was a pleasure to be back. This visit we stayed in the Hotel Regina which is just across the road from the station and very easy to find. Würzburg is a city in Franconia, northern Bavaria. It is located on the Main River. It has a population of around 124,000 people. Würzburg's name comes from the German word Würze meaning herb or spice. It has a beautiful fortress looming over it, vineyards, churches, a lovely old bridge and beautiful gardens.

Below are reviews of the two hotels we have stayed in in Wurzburg.

Novotel Wuerzburg: Very Comfortable Stay.

We made a mess of finding this hotel. We should have exited the train station, walked to the first main road, crossed it, gone left, walked past a sort of roundabout called Berliner Platz and turned right onto Ludwigstrasse. It is around 10 minutes walk from the station. The reception was quite busy both when we checked in and out. Staff were pleasant and friendly. Our room was very clean and comfortable. It had a safe, a minibar that you could use as a fridge and tea/coffee making facilities. The bed was very comfortable. The air con in the room worked well. The room was very quiet at night. The hotel had an indoor swimming pool, which although small was really lovely for a quick, relaxing dip. It also had a sauna, which I did not use. This hotel is conveniently located for sights and for the main train station. I would love to stay here again for longer.

Regina Hotel: Very Convenient Location.

We stayed in the Regina Hotel for three nights in July 2016. First of all, this hotel is extremely easy to find if you arrive in Wurzburg by train. It is on the main road directly opposite the station. My husband spoke German when he checked us in. Check in was relatively quick and efficient. We went upstairs and found our room was still being done, but we only had to wait around 5 minutes, so that was fine. The room was clean and comfortable. There was quite a lot of traffic noise from the busy road during the day. It was not too bad at night. The maid or previous occupant must have reported some broken things in the room as someone came to repair things twice during our stay. As well as being convenient for the station, the hotel was very convenient for sights and food. All the main sights of Wurzburg are an easy walk away. The room did not have a safe, fridge or tea, coffee making facilities. Coffee could be purchased downstairs. We did not eat breakfast here. I was very happy with the location and would stay here again.

Our room. - Würzburg

Some more details of the places we visited in Wurzburg are listed below.

Not too far from the Novotel was the Residenz.

The Residenz.

The Residenz is located on Residenzplatz. It was the palace of the Prince Bishops. They moved here from the Marienberg Fortress. It was built between 1719 and 1744, under the direction of Bathasar Neumann. We only explored the gardens, but apparently the palace has a beautiful staircase hall, the White Hall, the lavish Imperial Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the beautiful Court Church. We explored the wonderful hofgarten behind the residenz. The gardens are filled with flowers, trees and many beautiful statues. I especially loved the statue of two children trying to catch a butterfly in their hat. A really peaceful and beautiful place for a relaxing visit.

The Residenz

Sights in the centre of town on the same side of the river as the residenz, include the ones below.

St. Kilian Cathedral.

This is an impressive building with an interesting chapel built onto one side. The chapel has some gruesome looking skeletons over its outer door. The Cathedral dates from the 11th century. It was destroyed in the Second World War and its reconstruction was completed in 1967. The chapel with the skeletons over the doorway is the Schönborn Chapel which was designed by Bathasar Neumann between 1721 and 1736.

Wurzburg Cathedral - Dom St Kilian

The Market Place.

I don't know how we managed to miss the Market Place on our first visit. It is very central, quite close to the cathedral. In the market place you can visit the beautiful Marienkapelle Church which dates from 1400 and the Falkenhaus which dates from around 1751. It is called the Falkenhaus due to the falcon statues on its roof and was once the home of a wealthy citizen of Wurzburg. Today it is home to theTourist Information Office which is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and from 10:00 to 14:00 at the weekends. This square hosts a lively and colourful market selling all sorts of stuff.

Peter at the market. - Würzburg

The Falkenhaus - Würzburg

The Old Crane - Alter Kranen.

The old crane is located on the edge of the Main River near the departure point of the river cruises. It was built In 1772 by the son of the famous architect Baltasar Neumann. Next to the crane there is a cafe and beer garden with lovely river views.

The old crane. - Würzburg

Peter at the old crane. - Würzburg

Juliusspital.

Juliusspital or Julius Hospital is a beautiful old building in Wurzburg. The hospital together with a winery make up the Stiftung Juliusspital Foundation. The hospital was founded in 1576 by the Prince Bishop of Würzburg, Julius Echter. As well as admitting the sick it originally also accepted pilgrims, epileptics and orphans. It has lovely old courtyards, gardens, a fountain and a church. The gardens were filled with sculptures to make you think, such as its rather unusual blue sheep. Nowadays Juliusspital is still a functioning hospital and retirement home. The Stiftung Juliusspital Foundation has the second largest winery in Germany.

Peter at the Juliusspital. - Würzburg

Juliusspital fountain - Würzburg

Juliusspital courtyard - Würzburg

Juliusspital entrance - Würzburg

To cross the river to the fortress and chapel you will probably use the old bridge.

Alte Marienbrucke - Old Bridge.

Alte Marienbrucke means Old Main Bridge. It is a lovely statue lined bridge rather reminiscent of Prague. From the bridge there are good views towards the cathedral and looking the other way towards the Marienberg Fortress.

Alte Marienbrucke

Marienberg Fortress.

This beautiful fortress dominates the town from its perch on the 266m Marien Mountain. On our first visit we just viewed this from the town. On our second visit we climbed up to it on a road that wound its way through wonderful vineyards. We did not pay to go in the fortress museum. Instead we just wandered its courtyards and enjoyed the views from it. The Marianberg Fortress is built on the site of the first church in Germany. The Prince Bishops began building the fortress around 1200 and lived here till they moved to the Residence in 1719.

The fortress. - Würzburg

Peter at the fortress. - Würzburg

The fortress from the vinyards. - Würzburg

Overlooking the town. - Würzburg

Marienberg Fortress.

Kappele Pilgrimage Church.

Also on the hill is the Kappele, a picturesque chapel built by Bathasar Neumann between 1747 and 1750. The chapel contains frescoes by Matthias Günther. There are beautiful views over the town from here. To get to the Kappele you must climb a steep and shady lane lined with Stations of the Cross from the banks of the Main River. We, sadly, did not have time to go on our first visit, though we did on our second. On our second visit we climbed up to it via its stations of the cross. The Käppele is really called the Wallfahrtskirche Mariä Heimsuchung. It is beautiful inside and there are stunning views from the terrace outside it.

The Marienkapelle - Würzburg

Kappele

The Käppele. - Würzburg

One of the stations of the cross. - Würzburg

View of the Käppele from the town. - Würzburg

View over town from the Käppele - Würzburg

Below I have listed a few other things we liked about Wurzburg.

Sculptures.

The gardens of the Residence had a huge number of statues mainly of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, but there were also lots of modern sculptures dotted around town.

Sculpture, Wurzburg. - Würzburg

Sculptures

More Sculptures.

Historic Doner Kebab Shop.

I did not sample the kebab but this must be the fanciest doner kebab shop I have ever seen. Next to the Alte Marienbrucke on the fortress side. I like to see old buildings still being used rather than being empty or worse still knocked down.

Historic Doner Kebab Shop.

The Röntgen Memorial Site.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a German physicist. He was born in 1845. In 1888, he obtained the physics chair at the University of Würzburg. On the 8th of November 1895, while working in his laboratory in Würzburg, Röntgen produced electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as Xrays. This earned him the first ever Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. The Röntgen Memorial Site occupies the foyer, corridors and two laboratory rooms of the former Physics Institute of the University of Würzburg. It is dedicated to the work of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. It displays an exhibition of historical instruments, machines and documents. Near The Röntgen Memorial Site there is a sculpture dedicated to the discovery of x-rays.

The Röntgen Memorial Site - Würzburg

The sculpture - Würzburg

The Röntgen Memorial Site - Würzburg

On one of our visits we ate in the restaurant below.

China Restaurant Neue Welt:

We ate here because it was right next to our hotel and we were tired and jetlagged having more or less just flown all the way to Germany from Hong Kong. We were quite hungry and were attracted by the fact this restaurant had a buffet. However, although it was advertised, the buffet was not on. My husband wanted to leave and go elsewhere, but I persuaded him to stay as we were so tired. We ordered three dishes and some rice from the menu. All the food was very good and very tasty. We drank bottled beer which was not actually very cold.The warm beer and lack of buffet put me off this place to an extent but the service was pleasant and the food was good. Address: Haugerring 1, Wurzburg, Bavaria.

A pleasant enough meal. - Würzburg

Inside the restaurant. - Würzburg

Beer should have been colder - Würzburg

Posted by irenevt 06:23 Archived in Germany Comments (2)

Peaceful Passau.

Summer 2014.

14.04.2019

View Over Passau - Passau

Passau.

Passau is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Its old town is located on a narrow peninsula with the Inn River on one side and the Danube River on the other. At the head of the peninsula the Danube, Inn and Ilz Rivers meet up in a spectacular three river confluence. At each side of the peninsula there are hills. The hill on the Danube side is home to an upper and lower fortress. The upper fortress is located high up on George’s Mountain; the lower fortress on the banks of both the Danube and Ilz Rivers. On the Inn side of the peninsula high on a hill and reached by 321 steps stands the baroque pilgrim Church of Mariahilf. The old town of Passau has a beautiful cathedral, churches, a town hall, scenic squares and riverside promenades. It is mainly Baroque in style. Most of the old town dates from the seventeenth century when it was rebuilt following terrible fires. As it is on the confluence of three rivers, Passau is also subject to frequent flooding. We stayed overnight in Passau for two nights, but I would like to have had longer there as we did not arrive until around 3pm on one day, went to Regensburg on the next day and left early on the final day. Therefore we only really saw Passau from 3pm on the one day. In that time we saw most of the sights on the peninsula and went to the upper and lower fortresses. We also had an excellent meal in Passau. We stayed in the Hotel in Bahnhof.

Lion carving, Passau - Passau

Hotel in Bahnhof: "Friendly Hotel"

We stayed in this hotel for two nights in July 2014. The hotel is located in the station so is great for those arriving by train. To get to the entrance of the hotel we exited the station and turned left. We walked past the hotel at first as its sign was not that noticeable. It is next to a casino. You can also enter the hotel restaurant from the supermarket in the station. Check in takes place in the hotel restaurant. All the hotel staff were extremely friendly and pleasant. Our room was clean but fairly basic. It was fine for us as it was just a place to sleep and wash. Breakfast was very good at this hotel. It was not a buffet. It was brought to our table each morning. It included plenty of coffee, muesli with fruit and yoghurt, lots of fresh bread rolls, cheeses, eggs and cold meats. The hotel's location is excellent for getting anywhere by train. We visited Regensburg from here and also travelled onwards to Vienna at the end of our stay. It is also very close to a Yorma and a Norma supermarket. It is not far from a Woolworths. It is an easy walk from here into the historical centre of Passau. Passau is an absolutely beautiful place with churches, a cathedral, fortresses, three rivers, excellent scenery, lots of restaurants. This hotels big pluses are its location, its friendly staff and its breakfast. We also slept really well here. It was silent each night. Address: In Passau Station.

Our Room - Passau

The Pilgrimage Church Of Mariahilf

The Pilgrimage Church of Mariahilf is located across the Inn River from the old town. It is high on a hill and I’m sure there would be wonderful views from here. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit. Pilgrims used to get here by climbing up the 321 covered steps that lead up to the church. The church was built in 1627 by Francesco Garbanio. The Pilgrimage staircase was built by Cathedral Dean, Marquardt von Schwendt in 1628. Pilgrims would ascend to the church via its 321 stairs on their knees. On each stair they would stop and pray before continuing their ascent. This church was built to house a copy of a miraculous painting of the Madonna by Lucas Cranach, the Elder. This painting is believed to have helped the German people get through the Thirty Years War and help protect them against invasion by the Turks.

The Pilgrimage Church Of Mariahilf

River Promenades.

There are beautiful walks along the edges of the Danube River and along the edges of the Inn River. These walks are very scenic and enjoyable. The walk along the Inn side had statues and information boards about planets along its route.

River Promenades

Swans on the Ilz - Passau

The Parish Church Of St Paul.

The Parish Church of St Paul is a beautiful pink coloured building which dates from the early Middle Ages. A statue of St Paul stands outside. The church has two entrances one on the Rindermarkt and one on Steinweg. These two are connected by a tunnel. The church is interesting and peaceful inside.

The Parish Church Of St Paul

Passau Town Hall: Stadt Passau, Altes Rathaus.

Passau’s Town Hall is situated near the banks of the Danube River. It faces towards the upper and lower fortresses. The outside of the town hall is covered with paintings. There was also a little courtyard with a statue within the town hall complex. Like much of Passau the old town hall was rebuilt in the 17th century by Italian baroque masters after a devastating town fire.

Passau Town Hall

Emerenz Meier Statue.

On the banks of the River Danube stands a statue of the writer and poet Emerenz Meier. She was born in 1874, and lived and worked in Passau for some time. In 1906 she emigrated to the USA. She died in 1928. Some of her famous lines explain why women are too busy in general to devote time to writing due to all their household tasks. These words appear next to her statue.

"If Goethe had had to prepare supper,
salt the dumplings,
If Schiller had had to wash the dishes,
If Heine had had to mend what he had torn,
to clean the rooms, kill the bugs
Oh, the menfolk,
none of them would have become great poets."

Emerenz Meier Statue

The Veste Oberhaus.

The Veste Oberhaus is a large fortress located high up on St George’s Mountain. It was a fairly steep climb to get there, but the views over Passau and the three rivers confluence from there are spectacular. Part of the fortress is now a museum of History. This was closed when I got there. Part of it is now a youth hostel. The Veste Oberhaus dates from 1219. It was built by by Ulrich II, the first prince bishop of Passau. Several rebuildings were carried out under Leonhard von Laiming, Christoph von Schachner, Urban von Trennbach, and Johann Philipp von Lamberg. Throughout an eventful history the fortress was attacked five times between 1250 and 1482. Two of these attacks were uprisings by the citizens of Passau against their bishop. Between 1535 and 1540 the castle dungeon was used to imprison many Protestant Anabaptists whose beliefs were different from the bishop's beliefs. In 1932 the City of Passau was given control of Veste Oberhaus and decided to open it as a museum. To get there I crossed the Prinz Luitpold Brucke and the main road on the far side of it and went up the steep steps there. These lead to a path which twists and turns on its way up to the fortress and has some lovely viewpoints on its way up.

The Veste Oberhaus

Views From Veste Oberhaus.

There are wonderful views from George Mountain and the Veste Oberhaus. These look out over the lovely old town of Passau and the three rivers that Passau is so well known for. I would recommend climbing up here.

Views From Veste Oberhaus

The Neider Oberhaus.

The Neider Oberhaus is a lovely fortress which is located at the confluence of the Danube and Ilz Rivers. I’m not sure if you can go inside. We walked past in order to walk to the three rivers confluence point.

The Neider Oberhaus

The Cathedral Of St Stephan.

The original cathedral on this site was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1662. The current baroque cathedral dates from 1688 and is dedicated to St Stephen. It is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Passau. The cathedral was designed by Carlo Lurago and its interior decoration was the work of Giovanni Battista Carlone. The cathedral has wonderful frescoes by Carpoforo Tencalla. It also has the biggest cathedral organ in the world with 17,974 pipes. The cathedral has an interesting and pretty courtyard lined with interesting and ornate tombstones.

The Cathedral Of St Stephan

Giant Head.

Outside the cathedral there is a giant head covered in foliage. In German it is called Der Passuer Tölpel which apparently means something like the clumsy person of Passau. Apparently it was part of the cathedral façade. When the cathedral went on fire this piece of masonry fell to the ground and was later saved and made into a monument. I think it is rather cute. It is one of the symbols of Passau.

Giant Head

Passau By Night.

Passau is also beautiful at night. Some of the buildings are lit up, the day visitors have left and the streets are quiet and peaceful. At this time it is lovely to take a stroll through the old town.

Passau By Night

Passau Views.

Some of the houses are joined together by overhanging walls. This makes it quite atmospheric to walk around the narrow streets of the old town. It is an extremely picturesque place with very photogenic views.

Passau Views

Shop Signs.

Passau has some really beautiful shop signs. I always love looking at these. Some are extremely clever and creative, others can be quite humorous. All of them provide great photographic opportunities.

Shop Signs

We had a very pleasant and tasty meal in the restaurant below.

Welcome Restaurant, Passau: "Great Food, Great Service"

We just happened to stumble upon this restaurant when we were hungry after a long day of sightseeing in Passau. It did not look all that inviting from the front, but we went in and found our way to the biergarden at the back. The waiter/barman was very friendly and pleasant. The beer was great. I had Wiener Schnitzel and my husband had Leberkase. The food was excellent and the portions were extremely filling. Prices were excellent, too. If we had had more time in Passau, we would definitely have eaten here again. A great find. Address: Schustergasse 11, 94032 Passau

Enjoying a beer in the Welcome. - Passau