I’ve avoided dark underground spaces like caves and mines for most of my life. (The walls feel like they close in… brrrr) So why was I suiting up in a slicker and a hard hat to tour a mine? Because THIS special mine is in the Erzgebirge. In previous posts, I’ve written about Christmas decorations and toys, such as pyramids,…
Category: Travel to Germany
The Nebra Sky Disc & the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle
The Nebra Sky disc captivated me the first time I saw a photo of it. While it looks like a simple blue disk with golden circles and crescents, the bronze disc reflects the heavens in a very specific way. I had the opportunity to see it in person at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany. Fabulous. The breathtaking…
Wartburg Castle Tour- Wartburg Castle in Eisenach Germany
The Venn Diagram of reader recommendations and travel plans overlapped neatly this year, allowing me to include Wartburg Castle in Eisenach on the itinerary. And I’m so glad. The Wartburg Castle Tour takes you on a journey through history from the 11th century to the end of the 19th century. There are rough and ready rooms for knights, as well…
Spreewald Kahnfahrt and a Visit to the Open-Air Museum in Lehde
South and slightly east of Berlin, you’ll find one of Germany’s more unusual UNESCO sites, the Spreewald Biosphere Reserve. Formed during the last Ice Age, this inland delta of the Spree River, crisscrossed by 200 water channels and streams through bogland, forest, and meadows, is home to a group of traditional Sorbs, or Wends, whose families have been making a…
Weltenburg Abbey- Come for the Beer, Stay for the History
Sitting somewhat precariously on the shores of the Danube not too far from Regensburg, you’ll find Weltenburg Abbey. I visited on a warm July day. The plan was to tour the Brewery, but I was delighted to learn that there is much more to see at the Benedictine Abbey than just big vats of beer (not that big vats of…
What is the Difference Between a Burg and a Schloss?
It sounds like a fun game, doesn’t it? Burg or Schloss? (Almost like a version of Stadt, Land, Fluß). Those grand and not-so-grand castles in Germany get very specific names. But is it a Castle? Is it a Palace? What is the difference between a Burg and a Schloss? (To make things even more confusing, there is an actual place…
The Gäubodenmuseum- 7000 years of History in Straubing, Germany
The Gäubodenmuseum is an absolute treasure trove of early German, Celtic, Roman, and Bavarian artifacts. You’ll find the museum in a rebuilt patrician’s house on Frauenhoferstraße, off the main pedestrian zone in Straubing. The museum was recommended to me by our tour bus driver, Bene. (And here’s a travel tip- when the bus driver recommends something, GO!). Now, I’ve always…
The Speicherstadt Hamburg- More than just Warehouses…
How did a warehouse district manage to get UNESCO Status? Well, the Speicherstadt Hamburg is incredibly photogenic. Rows of neo-Gothic brick warehouses tower over the water and are connected by bridges (fun fact: Hamburg has more bridges than Venice). But it’s more than just how it looks. Think of the Speicherstadt Hamburg as a city within a city. A customs-free…
Titan-RT! Crossing the Longest Suspension Bridge in Germany
After spending time touring old buildings in Quedlinburg, it was time for adventure. Time for the Titan RT! Now, I don’t do well with heights. All the symptoms, shakes, sweats, nausea, wash over me in a wave. So, what was I doing on the longest suspension bridge in Germany? My fearless partner convinced me it “would be fun”. (Keep in…
Surfing in Munich -Landlocked Munich becomes a Surfing Mecca!
Things you expect to see in Munich- Beer, Lederhosen, churches, Biergarten. But, unless you’ve been clued in, you don’t expect to see surfing in Munich. Munich might be 300 miles from the nearest Ocean, but that doesn’t stop expert surfers from carving through the waves. It turns out, a manmade wave in an arm of the Isar on the edge…