Germany Trip Report 2016 - Completed

[Skatetigger]

oh I LOVED having Michael as our guide in Munich. He was just AWESOME! He really shines when you go to the castle though .

 

[TXTransplant]

oh I LOVED having Michael as our guide in Munich. He was just AWESOME! He really shines when you go to the castle though .

I don't think Michael always goes with the group to the castle. He didn't accompany us last year. We had another (very good) local guide, but it wasn't Michael.

 

[Skatetigger]

I don't think Michael always goes with the group to the castle. He didn't accompany us last year. We had another (very good) local guide, but it wasn't Michael.

Oh bummer, I loved having him "help" with that, he was lots of fun!

 

[carpenta]

I think that Michael goes usually with a family group for he is well suited to act as a "Pied Piper" and the kids loved him. On walking up to go into the castle he had a Bavarian flag and went "people fishing" where he and three other kids held the flag on it's corners and ran up to people to scoop them up in the flag but they actually just flew the flag up and over the unsuspecting guest. Great laughs. He took all the kids in our group swimming in the lake and some of the kids only had street clothes but swam anyways. What a character.

 

[2003Eeyore]

We did this ABD in June of this year we only had 12 people on ours total. We also just had Michael for Munich but he is AWESOME!

 

[Skatetigger]

I think that Michael goes usually with a family group for he is well suited to act as a "Pied Piper" and the kids loved him. On walking up to go into the castle he had a Bavarian flag and went "people fishing" where he and three other kids held the flag on it's corners and ran up to people to scoop them up in the flag but they actually just flew the flag up and over the unsuspecting guest. Great laughs. He took all the kids in our group swimming in the lake and some of the kids only had street clothes but swam anyways. What a character.

He loves that flag , he was draping all of us in the flag as we were taking pictures of the castle from the bridge. I have one of me in the flag with my husband at the castle, one of our favorite pics.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I don't think Michael always goes with the group to the castle. He didn't accompany us last year. We had another (very good) local guide, but it wasn't Michael.

I'm all finished with the ABD, and now need to catch up on my trip report. Michael did take us around Munich and he was wonderful. He did not take us to Neuschwanstein. That was Mo.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Day 5 Waldeck to Rothenburg, Part 1

Cool stairwell in Waldec Castle



After breakfast we headed south towards Rothenburg. On the way we stopped in Calden and visited Schloss Wilhelmsthal, a regional palace. It wasn’t listed on our schedule, so I’m not sure if this is a new addition or specific change just for our ABD. On the itinerary is listed a visit to Lowenburg Castle. We did see Lowenburg castle, but very briefly and at a distance.



So, a Schloss is a palace. Schloss Wilhelmsthal was a palace for one of the many small German monarchies. When we entered the gates, it felt like Fraulein Maria walking up to the von Trapp home. We were greeted by the princess of the Palace, and we broke into 2 groups. The adult group went on a standard Palace tour and the children’s group (with 2 kids) did their own thing with the Princess. It was a beautiful palace and was a perfect size for touring around. It wasn’t overwhelmingly large. And we pretty much had the Palace to ourselves.

After Schloss Wilhelmsthal we took a very short bus ride to Lowenburg castle. From previous reports it looked like ABD visited the castle up close. We stopped at a large pond in a park and straight ahead in the distances was the Hercules statue and off to the right was the Lowenburg castle. It’s a castle built 200 yrs ago (not old by Euro standards) but it was built in the style of a 1000 year old medieval castle. The Hercules statue was way out in the distance. On my iPhone I have Disney’s Hercules music and I couldn’t resist playing it for added theme. It was a brief stop before driving over to the nearby restaurant. Today was Schnitzel Day and it was very good.



After lunch we drove into Rothenburg. Rothenburg is a beautiful, medieval walled city. The streets are cobble stoned. The buildings are stone and half-timbered German style. Think of Pinocchio’s village. In fact Rothenburg provided the inspiration for the style and look of Pinocchio. This town is gorgeous. Rothenburg is also what the Epcot pavilion is based off of including the fountain in the center of the Germany pavilion. That fountain is right around the corner from the hotel.

We stayed at Eisenhut. A beautiful and very old hotel from the 1600’s. The hotel used to be 2 buildings next to each other. But when they tore down the walls between them they noticed the floors weren’t even. So there are a number of hallways and little staircases running all over the hotel. It’s a gorgeous hotel that fits in perfect in the town. And it has an ideal location as well. It’s right next to the main square, and it’s right next to Kathe Wohlfahrt - THE Christmas store.

I’ll break today up into 2 parts. Next up, walking around Rothenburg…

 

[TXTransplant]

We did The Hercules Monument last year, starting at the very top. We walked all the way down and through a forest to get to Lowenburg Castle, where we got the full tour. The hike through the woods was great, and along the way, we stopped so the kids could have their picture taken on a cute little bridge over a waterfall (you see this pic in some of the ABD promotional material). I guess y'all didn't do that?

I love that Apotheke building in Rothenburg! Did y'all walk the wall during OYO time?

Can't wait to hear about Munich and Neuschwanstein!

 

[Cousin Orville]

We did The Hercules Monument last year, starting at the very top. We walked all the way down and through a forest to get to Lowenburg Castle, where we got the full tour. The hike through the woods was great, and along the way, we stopped so the kids could have their picture taken on a cute little bridge over a waterfall (you see this pic in some of the ABD promotional material). I guess y'all didn't do that?

I love that Apotheke building in Rothenburg! Did y'all walk the wall during OYO time?

Can't wait to hear about Munich and Neuschwanstein!

No, we didn't tour the inside of Lowenburg Castle. We spent most of our time at Schloss Wilhelmsthal which I loved. I don't know if Lowenburg Castle was just closed for the day, or if there was a permanent change in the itinerary. Who knows? I loved it though. Seemed like a good alternative. I guess you ended at the base of the park with the pond (looking up to the statue)?

I would have posted photos from Schloss Wilhelmsthal, but we weren't allow to take pictures inside. The guides were granted special permission however, so if I remember, I'll come back and include some of their photos for future readers.

 

[TXTransplant]

No, we didn't tour the inside of Lowenburg Castle. We spent most of our time at Schloss Wilhelmsthal which I loved. I don't know if Lowenburg Castle was just closed for the day, or if there was a permanent change in the itinerary. Who knows? I loved it though. Seemed like a good alternative. I guess you ended at the base of the park with the pond (looking up to the statue)?

I would have posted photos from Schloss Wilhelmsthal, but we weren't allow to take pictures inside. The guides were granted special permission however, so if I remember, I'll come back and include some of their photos for future readers.

Yep, we started at the top of the Hercules Monument and walked all the way down the stairs to the base. We spent some time in the forest (there were some really cool, gnarled trees) and the kids took the pic on the bridge. Then we walked to the castle. It wasn't a strenuous hike, but from what I remember, it was pretty far.

 

[Cousin Orville]

It wasn't a strenuous hike, but from what I remember, it was pretty far.

It looked far! Hercules was tiny from our vantage point.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Day 5 Rothenburg, Part 2



One we arrived, we had a few hours on our own. We went straight to Kathe Wohlfahrt’s Christmas shop. It’s amazing. The store is on multiple levels, including a museum on the upper level. There are so many elaborate displays throughout the store. I have a few photos of the store - areas where I was given specific permission to take photos, but in most of the areas I wasn’t allowed to photograph. If it’s Christmas themed and made in Germany it’s here. They had Nutcrackers, Cuckoo Clocks, Countless ornaments, Linens, on and on. The cool thing is they will ship everything back for you for a very reasonable price. Plus, if you ship it, the don’t charge the VAT tax. We picked up a cuckoo clock and lots of Christmas decorations.

We continued to shop and look around the town. It’s just incredible. Rothenburg is absolutely a must see town. It makes the entire Germany ABD a must do!

We ate dinner on our own at the Hotel Reichskuchenmeister near the town square. It was recommended by Lexi and Zuza, and it was excellent. Loved it!

For the children after their meal they invited them into the kitchen for a surprise. They led Gavin to the dishwasher… surprise! Oh those silly Germans. They gave Gavin an ice cream cone.

After dinner we had a walking tour with the Night Watchman. He took us around town explaining his job and the history of Rothenburg. It was a highlight.

He told us the story of how Rothenburg was invaded but a deal was struck. If the Mayor could chug an impossibly huge stein of beer, the town would be saved! Well, the hero is shown on the hour reenacting his brave deed. The invader on the left. The mayor on the right.

It was a great day, and I just can’t overstate how neat Rothenburg is! Everyone needs to see it!

 

[calypso726]

Oh my, a Christmas store! That's dangerous for me! My credit card might wind up melting in such a place, especially if the ship and no VAT! Beautiful pictures! I want to go there now! *note to self: win the lottery, call in "rich" at work*

 

[TXTransplant]

Oh my, a Christmas store! That's dangerous for me! My credit card might wind up melting in such a place, especially if the ship and no VAT! Beautiful pictures! I want to go there now! *note to self: win the lottery, call in "rich" at work*

There are actually TWO stores! One next door to the hotel and one across the street. And they both have different things! One store just can't contain it all!

 

[Skatetigger]

I soo love reading this trip report and FULLY agree with Rothenburg, I would love to go back someday! It was AMAZING!

 

[SingingMom]

Enjoying reliving our Germany ABD! I agree about Waldeck's castle - definitely needed a pool or something to do at night! We took over the lounge and had ou own bartender. lol That walk up the hill in the heat was rough. We had a heatwave while we were there! We ate at the little Italian restaurant in town - most of the ABD group ended up there and it was a hoot trying to communicate by pointing at the menu.

Loved those shops in Rothenburg! We purchased a gorgeous cuckoo clock that we had shipped home. I think of our beautiful trip every hour when the clock chimes!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Great read! Thanks for posting!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Enjoying reliving our Germany ABD! I agree about Waldeck's castle - definitely needed a pool or something to do at night! We took over the lounge and had ou own bartender. lol That walk up the hill in the heat was rough. We had a heatwave while we were there! We ate at the little Italian restaurant in town - most of the ABD group ended up there and it was a hoot trying to communicate by pointing at the menu.

Loved those shops in Rothenburg! We purchased a gorgeous cuckoo clock that we had shipped home. I think of our beautiful trip every hour when the clock chimes!

We also bought a cuckoo clock.. Can't remember if I mentioned that. I'm very excited. It's beautiful. Hopefully it will arrive in the next week or 2.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Day 6 Rothenburg



About a year ago when selecting this summer’s ABD, Gavin and I discussed a few options and I let him pick. We wanted something shorter and closer than Australia and China (our previous ABD’s together). But the one activity that stuck out for him was pretzel making. Yes, we picked the Germany ABD because of pretzel making and today’s the big day!



We woke up to a beautiful day. The view outside our window…

Breakfast was good. Nothing fancy. They had a waffle maker, so I made some waffles for us. They roped off one half the restaurant just for ABD. It was kind of funny. We saw 2 others from our group sitting in the main area with all the other hotel guests, but the waitress caught us and showed us the special ABD area. So Gavin and I ate our breakfast in a huge private area, with 50 other seats alone. We of course didn’t mind it. No big deal. Just funny. I’m sure with a full ABD tour, that area would make more sense. I think someone else was coming in to eat in our area and they were shooed away.



Pretzel making was up first. We went to an actual working bakery and store down the street for our hotel. It was very matter of fact. We had a great time and joked around, but it was the real deal. The owner/baker makes pretzels to sell and his bakery has been around for generations. We all made 2 or more pretzels. It was actually very cool. And it was everything Gavin hoped it would be.

Adding butter and salt…

After pretzels was free time to walk around Rothenburg and shop some more. I did my best to stimulate the German economy

Gavin shows how God sprinkles pretzels upon the people in the stained glass…

In the early afternoon, we met up at the Suit of Armor store for photos dressing up in medieval garb. We actually had a great time. It sounds kind of silly and it was. But the “costumes” were absolutely real. The chain mail was quite heavy. It was cool. Helpful hint for others - ask to take some pictures in the dimly lit areas with candles. I thought they turned out the best.

Afterwards we were invited by the owner of the suit of armor store upstairs to his private home to see how he is restoring it. It was amazing. The guy was in his 30s and had inherited (from what I understood) this house in which he and his wife opened up the suit of armor store. Now it’s his life’s passion to restore the home which is hundreds of years old. And huge! Several thousand sqft. Some of it was restored already, but much of it wasn’t. He said it would take a life time at least and probably 3-4 Million Euros. So they do what they can when they can. It was very generous of him to show us around. I’m sure it’s because we were such a very small group.

And we walked around some more. When we first arrived in Rothenburg, I immediately thought we’d need more time in this city. After hanging out here for a day and half… I think the 2 days is plenty. We walked around part of the medieval wall of the city. After we had seen all we cared to see, we lucked upon a cafe table by the main square where Gavin set up some Pokemon magnet where they all came to him for 30 min and I enjoyed a glass of wine… or 2.

Dinner was back at the hotel and was very good. I’m not sure any dinner stuck out dramatically better or worse than the others. They were all solid. This was another solid one.



Overall a great day. Rothenburg is such a pleasant city. One of my new favorites in Europe.