Würzburg

After our stop at Ikea, we decided to check out some attractions in Würzburg, which is about 45 minutes from us.

First we went to the Würzburg Residenz, which is a palace built in the 1700s. It is one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe, and was the former residence of Würzburg prince-bishops. The palace had a handful of decorated rooms to view, and nice gardens to tour. Guided tours were available, and we would probably have been able to see more rooms, but we were too late.

If the day had been nicer, we would have checked out the Marienberg Fortress which is close by, but it was too rainy. Can't wait to head back on a nicer day. We did walk around town for a bit though.

Freilandmuseum

This Friday we visited the Freilandmuseum right in our town, Bad Windsheim. It's an open air museum   that features houses and mini villages ranging from over 700 years of Frankish history. Our visit was part of an FRG (family readiness group) meeting. We were given time to roam the grounds, then sat down for the meeting, and then had dinner in the restaurant on the museum grounds. It was a nice day out, and very enjoyable, but a bit hard to get the full effect of the museum because there was no information in English. It was neat to see the animals and some of the houses, but we really had no clue what we were looking at as far as history goes.

Dachau und München

Ich dachte, dass ich diesen ganzen Posten auf Deutsch schreiben würde.






Just kidding.

This weekend we drove down to Munich with a stop at Dachau first. Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp in Germany. The Dachau memorial site had a large museum held within the former Maintenance building. There was a prison, and two reconstructed Barracks. The original foundations to the barracks were still in place. The camp also had a Crematorium area. The site was chilling, and oddly surrounded by homes that people still live in. Can't imagine having a Nazi concentration camp as my 'backyard'. The idea of just living in the town of Dachau is strange enough. The museum laid out the events in order, and the sheer numbers of those affected and the facts about the camp were sobering.    After thoroughly checking out the site, we were ready to lift our spirits and head into Munich.

Our first stop in Munich was the BMW Welt (BMW World) and museum. It was similar to a car show, only with just BMW and the few brands they own. The building was modern and impressive. There was much freedom, and you could sit in almost any (very expensive) car you wanted. We headed over to the museum which chronicled the history of BMW, and was featuring a special exhibit on Rolls Royce. I would recommend this to any car fanatic. Many vintage or antique cars, and many fancy, impressive and ultra modern cars. 

After the BMW Welt we decided to check out the city center of Munich. Little did we know there was a protest going on, and it was quite hectic. We checked out the area (which would probably be manageable on a weekday) and grabbed a bite to eat, and then we were out of there.

Just had to share this. Came and went already but quite fantastic. The only benefit to an afternoon pour?

My new plant!

I don't usually get plants because, well, I kill them. Not on purpose, but I am just terrible at keeping them alive. I saw this one in the 'home depot-like' store, and had to have it. It's just so funky, and I've never seen anything like it. I hope I can keep it alive! Anyway, it's called Calynopsis and most of my search results have come up in German. I finally found a link about it, but I am still looking for care instructions. 

Here is the link: Calynopsis . It was apparently bred, and there seems to be nothing much else like it. I will have to dig a little deeper for care instructions. 

In the meantime, I'm a teensy bit inspired to try and grow some of my own herbs on the patio. I don't know if this is easy or not, but I use Basil a lot. Would be nice to have some fresh. Might have to wait till it's a little bit warmer. 

Anyway, here are a couple of photos I snapped of the plant this afternoon. 

Nürnberg! Again...and more!

Well we were off to Nürnberg for the afternoon again this weekend. I really do wish the train tickets were a bit cheaper. So much to see and do, and places to shop at!...well anyway, we had lunch at an American style place-which was a bit of a relief, after all of the traditional German restaurants. It was nice to be in a big, face-paced, burger place. We walked through the Easter market again, and up to the Stadtmuseum Fembohaus (City Museum Fembohaus). The museum focuses on the history of the city, as well as the history of the house itself, and its owners. 
After the museum, we headed back to the main train station to the take the S-Bahn to the Frühlingsfest (Spring festival), which was being held towards the outskirts of the city. After a couple stops on the train, we were there...and a little lost. We followed some people, and after all found the festival. The festival was similar to a state fair in the states. Rides, food, games, but with the addition of biergartens. It was definitely odd to see familiar rides and food stands with German decorations and names. We walked around, gawked at the rides we were too chicken to go on, and had some beer, and then we were on our way. Spring fest would be great if we had kids. It was good to see and check it out though. 

yes it was the crooked :)

The synagogue in Nürnberg that was, of course, destroyed. :(

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 From town at a Flea Market