Trip #5 Bremen

For my final trip in Germany, I decided to head to Bremen. Its only about a two hour train ride from Lüneburg. So that's not too bad. It was in the 50*F for weather which was pretty good for the time of the year.



The city of Bremen has a long and complex history. The area around Bremen has been settled since 12,000 BC but it was closer to a full town by 787. In 1260, Bremen joined the Hanseatic League and by 1350 there were 20,000 people living in the town. It was also known for its Hansekogge or cog ship. In 1666, Bremen was laid attacked by Sweden but after a treaty was signed and there was no other attacks. Bremen was bombed during WWII. Bremen is now the 13th largest city in Germany. So after that long and complex history, that my brief summary does by no means do justice to all the history but is some facts I found interesting.



My first stop was the Rathaus which is one of the oldest and finest in Europe. Construction was started in 1410 and then it was remodeled in the 17th century. You can take tours of it till this day of this historic building! It is also the only European town hall built in the late middle ages that hasn't been destroyed or altered. The guided tour costs 5 Euros and it is about a hour. Its a really cool tour and allows you to really get a sense of the history of this town.



My second stop was the Focke Museum, which covers all of Bremen's history throughout the years, all 1,200 years of it. It has a main building and then additional 4 historical homes that are all in the park for the property. It has temporary exhibits that come through but it really covers all history. It has everything from cars to statues to weapons from the original inhabitants of the area. The fee is 6 Euros for adults and 3.50 for children. It just has a little bit of everything! And with my passion for history it gives me a chance to nerd out.



The next stop was something to eat and i decided to eat at Bremen Ratskeller Restaurant which is a restaurant in the cellar of the Rathaus where is/used to be a wine cellar. They even have dinner musicals or Pasta Opera and das Krimdinner, It all sounds super exciting! There are two different types of Krimidinner and they are: Der Spuk von Darkwood Castle, Die Nacht des Schreckens. They are a little costly and are 89-98 Euros for tickets but it seemed worth it because how often do you get to see someone shot by a arrow over dinner? That price also includes wine and 4 course dinner so not bad at all!



Of course I had to see the Die Bremer Stadtmuskikanten or the town musicians of Bremen who are known from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. It it what the town is know for and is something you have to see!



Overall my trip to Bremen was really great with all the history and just the great people in the town! I headed back to Lüneburg after a wonderful day walking around this historic city!

Sources for more information:
http://www.ratskeller-bremen.de/epages/61918905.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61918905/Categories
http://www.bremen-tourism.de
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen

Trip #4 Kassel

For my fourth trip in Germany, I decided to go to Kassel. I remembered our book in German 102 and thought why not go see the sights that we read about while I'm here? Plus its only a 2 hours on the ICE train to get there from Lüneburg or 5 hours on a slower train. I just took the slower train because why not admire the view (and it was cheaper, thanks to my school)!

Kassel is a really old town that has been passed around to many different countries. The name is actually from a tribe of German that used to live there since Roman times! It was first mentioned in 913 AD so there is plenty of history in the area. If you want to learn more I'll put a couple links at the bottom otherwise I will be talking about the history forever!

Löwenburg ^

Kassel has tons and tons of museums and thanks to the Documenta the whole town is like a art museum. The Documenta is a international exhibition of modern and contemporary art that happens every 5 years. The last one was in 2012 so 2017 is the next time. The art that is placed around the city for the Documenta is not normally taken down so especially outdoor pieces can still be seen as you walk around the city. This is a huge event and is very popoular when it happens. People from all around the world come and they even brag about having Brad Pitt there on their website! Here is some past fixtures.




There are some interesting ones and some are now permanent parts of the city which is really cool. So its almost like a Easter egg hunt around the city to see all of these art pieces everywhere.

Of course I had to go to the Grimm Brothers Museum. The entrance fee is 3 euros and if you want to go make sure to not plan it for Mondays because they are closed! They have exhibits on the brother's travels and lives but also some exhibits on their other brothers art which is cool to see. The link for the site is below and they have pictures of a lot of the exhibits online to look at which is awesome.

Besides having tons of stuff to do the town is just simply gorgeous. Honestly most of my trip was just walking around admiring the view of this historic city. Kassel during WWII was bombed pretty badly and after the war they elected to not rebuild a lot of historic towns so it has a lot of new buildings for such a old city site. I walked through the two big parks in the city, Karlsaue Park and Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. I know we looked at Google earth and images of these parks in class but nothing can compare to them in real life. I also visited Löwenburg which is a really cool late 18th century castle that's also called Lion Castle and the picture from that is up above. I picked the perfect time because it was 50-60* F which is 11-20*C. That's pretty nice for this time of year!


Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe ^


Karlsaue Park ^

Check the museum-kassel site for times for the tours of all the castles, parks and scenic places in the area. They have the prices for all the tours and entry to museums which is nice to have in one place and ranges from 2-6 euros.
After wandering around for a while and visiting the Grimm Brothers Museum, I decided it was time for a meal. And I decided to try out a restaurant called Duck Dich for dinner.

 Not gonna lie I totally chose it for the name but then when you look on the menu and you can get crocodile filet in the middle of Germany you know you are in for a experience. It was pretty expensive at 37.50 but sometimes you just gotta splurge a little bit. A lot of the meat is only cooked on hot stones at your table which is also really cool. You just get a plate full of veggies, meat and potatoes and a hot stone to cook it on, so it was worth the price for a fun experience. The link to the website is down below. I would definitely check it out because they have a video of how you make your dinner if you are curious.



After a day of walking and a delicious meal, it was time for me to head home so I hopped on the train and headed back to Lüneburg.  Thanks Kassel for the wonderful day!

Next up I'm thinking its time to visit Bremen!

Links so you can learn more if interested: (my computer isn't wanting to add links for some reason but here are the websites)
http://www.museum-kassel.de/en/index_navi.php?parent=8603
http://www.kassel.de/englisch/
http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/towns-cities/kassel.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassel
http://duckdich-kassel.de/
http://www.grimms.de/index.php

Trip #3 Lauenburg

For my third trip in northern Germany, I decided to go to the city of Lauenburg. It is a town east of Hamburg and in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is also known as Lauenburg an der Elbe due to its location on the northern bank of the Elbe. It has a population of 11,436 as of 2008. The weather was a little chilly with 42*F but it looks like later in the week it is supposed to be a high of 61*F. Whoa so crazy that it is going to be over 40*F!

This town was founded in 1182. Most of the historic buildings are from the 17^th century and sometimes earlier but they have mostly been destroyed and new modern buildings put up in their place.

For my trip I took the train from Lüneburg to Lauenburg which was only a 15 minute trip. That has been the shortest train trip out of my adventures.
 

I decided to go get some lunch at Lauenburger Mühle restaurant which also has an awesome museum for the mill that is on the property. The mill was built in 1871 and it is a landmark for the area. The restaurant focuses on regional and rustic foods to match the barn and mill room that they serve dinner in. They bake their cakes and bread in an oven that matches the buildings that they serve in. Lauenburger Mühle also can provide a whole suckling pig for all of your party needs. It’s nice to find a place where I can get a whole pig because that was something that was really missing from my parties.

My activities for the day were pretty much just walking around and admiring the Elbe and all the beautiful buildings. Some of the things I saw when I was walking around was: the boat Kaiser Wilhelm which is only in the city from May to September.

I saw Maria-Magdalenen-Kirche which is the old church that you can see in any picture of Lauenburg. The foundation was built in 1227 but it was not finished until 1300 and then the point was added in 1598 by Duke Francis II but it expanded in height in 1902.  It is really a beautiful building with a long history.

If you go to Lauenburg, you have to walk down Elbstraße! It’s really the center of the town as is where you will see all of the historic buildings from 16^th and 19^th century. On the street you can visit the Elbschiffahrtmuseum which is focused on river travel. It’s not really my cup of tea but is something to do in Lauenburg.

And here is a different view of the street when they had flooding problems related to the Elbe in 2013. I guess there are prices to pay for living so close to a river!

My trip to Lauenburg was beautiful and really allowed me to experience the beauty of being on the Elbe river and seeing all these historic buildings. I would really recommend visiting just so you can say you have seen and been that close to an important river in Europe.  After my day I hopped back on the train and headed home to Lüneburg!

If you want more info here are some websites:

http://www.hotel-lauenburger-muehle.de/englisch/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauenburg_(Elbe)

http://www.lauenburg.de/tourismus/sehen_und_erleben/stadtrundgang.php

Trip #2 Lübeck

For my second trip in Germany, I went to the city of Lübeck. It is the second largest city in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and it was listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987because of its beautiful architecture. It was a 7 degrees Celsius and it was a little rainy off and on all day. That sucked a little when I was walking around but it wasn't all day so there was some good times outside.

The modern town was founded in 1143 after the old one was burned down in 1128. The town has changed ownership several times over the years. In the 14th century, Lübeck became known as the "Queen of the Hanseatic League". It went through several periods of good times and bad times. In World War II it was the first city to be attacked by the Royal Air Force. Lübeck is known according to legend as the place where marzipan was created.

I took the train to Lübeck from Luneburg which was about a hour long trip. My restaurant of choice for the day was Schiffergesellschaft which basically a museum where you can also enjoy a wonderful meal.

It is focused on the port history with many ship models hanging from the ceiling. It served many tradition foods for the area and some exotic cuisine also. It was delicious!

My next stop was Niederegger for all the marzipan I could see, smell and eat!

They have been one of the most well known marzipan brands and you may even see some of their product on American shelves. They also have a café with all sorts of torte and cakes. So this is a great place to see some history of important food in the area while also getting to eat some delicious treats!

After having a delicious meal and some tasty cake, I took some time to walk around the beautiful city and look at the gorgeous buildings.

 While walking around I found the Theater Figuren Museum which has over 1200 puppets from all over the world. And while I am not a fan of puppets it was a cool experience before I had to go get on the train and go home. I also needed some new material to fuel my nightmares of creepy aging puppets and it was only €5 to get in. What a deal!

Besides the puppets my trip to Lübeck was full of scenic views, delicious food and interesting cultural items. But that's all for now and as always there are some links for more info at the bottom of the page. And here is my gift to you, a close up of a puppet to fuel your nightmares! 

More about Lübeck: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
More on some activcies in  Lübeck: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/schleswig-holstein/lubeck/things-to-do
More about Niederegger:  http://www.niederegger.de/
More about Schiffergesellschaft: http://vorstand.schiffergesellschaft.de/

Trip #1 The island of Rügen

For my first trip in Germany, I am staying in Lüneburg, Germany. It is a wonderful scenic town very close to Hamburg. It is kind of like the Meridian to Hamburg's Boise. But for my first trip out of Lüneburg, I decided to go to the island of Rügen, Germany.
 I took the train which takes around 4 hours to get there. The trains run multiple times a day so I can do a day trip and still have time to be back in my own bed at night. Rügen is actually Germany's largest island by area so on my way to my final destination of Jasmund National Park I had to stop in Bergen auf Rügen. Bergen is in the middle of the island and is a more agriculture based town than the other more fishing based towns. Bergen also has a museum all about the history of Rügen which really helped me to embrace all the beautiful island I would be seeing.
 My real destination though was Jasmund National Park for a day of hiking and time on the beach though it was in the 30-40s Fahrenheit. I have always loved going to the beach even when it is chilly outside because there is just something so calming about the ocean. Also my favorite place to go when I don't have access to a ocean is the forest so it was the best of both worlds.
The park is actually the smallest in Germany at only 11 square miles. It was founded in 1990 and in 2011 the beech forests were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.  Jasmund National park is mostly well known for its chalk cliffs that were painted by Caspar David Friedrich in 1818. He painted this while on his honeymoon with his wife who many think is the woman in red in the painting.
 
And here is a picture of the chalk cliffs today. Isn't it just gorgeous?
Besides getting to walk on beautiful beaches and through beech forests that have been there since the 13th century, the park office also many different tours and walks based on characters from myths and legends of the island, like the story of buried pirate treasure hidden on the island! The island has a rich history and when you are walking on the beach you may even see fossils in the chalk cliffs!

After spending some time walking around and hanging out on the beach it was time for some lunch/dinner. I went to König Gustav in the nearby town of Sassnitz. It is a Nordic restaurant that has many traditional items and also boasts of the best schnitzel on the island! I tried one of the many variety of fresh fish they had and it was delicious and the building was very beautiful too.

Sassnitz is a cute little fishing town that is one of the most popular places to travel to in Rügen. It has a population around 10,000 so it isn't that big but it does get a lot of tourists. It has Rügen's only zoo. It has been focused on chalk then fishing and now tourism so there are many people who have lived there for generations and is a large part of its cultural history. Some groups in town are De Jasmunder Plattdänzer, a folk dance group of girls and boys (aged 6–18), youth brass band, a town choir, and the Sassnitz Carnival Club. One of the coolest parts of it is the decommissioned British submarine HMS Otus, as a museum piece in the harbor. I started to get a little tired so my tour of Sassnitz was a little short but it was a wonderful place that anybody would dream of going to for vacation.
 
After a wonderful day at the beach and hiking and a wonderful meal, it was time to go so I hopped back on the train to Lüneburg. Until my next trip! Tchüss!

If you are interested in learning more, here are some sites that can be helpful:
All about Rügen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCgen
All about Bergen auf
http://www.stadt-bergen-auf-ruegen.de/index.phtml?sNavID=1838.17&La=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_auf_R%C3%BCgen
All about Jasmund National Forest
http://www.germany.travel/en/leisure-and-recreation/natural-landscapes/nationalpark-jasmund.html
The website for König Gustav
http://www.koenig-gustav.de/
All about Sassnitz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassnitz
All about Caspar David Friedrich who is very important to the island of Rügen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich