Tag cheap travels abroad

St. Martins Church, Ettlingen, Baden-Wartümberg, Germany

Anna--The Adventurer

Annas Potthoffs 2774

One lovely, very sunny (and thus hot day), I leisurely went into St. Martins to enjoy the shade and for prayers.  The church was silent, in reverence of peace and quiet–the church being void of other humans.

I bolted upright from a very bizarre sound, not from the ding dang dong of the musical bells, for it was only 10:12 in the morning. Thinking something amiss, I searched for the source of the disturbance and was but awoken by the reverberations of my own rumbling snores echoing off the walls.

 

St. Annas Potthoffs 2780Martins Church, located in downtown Ettlingen (Kirchplatz) is a lovely place to visit–the church has different periods of construction (having been destroyed at points during previous wars.) The Spire is original and is easily seen from about anywhere in town.  Annas Potthoffs 2777

Upon looking up (once inside) the painting on the ceiling will fascinate as it is not rendered in the traditional sense.

The wooden, standardized pews are a lovely way to sit, relax and enjoy the divine presense of our Lord Saviour.

Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.

Strausbourg–German or French??

Anna--The Adventurer

The city of Strasbourg has been both french and German over the centuries but officially, as of now, Strausbourg is….

French

A classmate (from Columbia), turned friend, invited me to go to Strasbourg on an adventure and off we went.  She traveled via one bus and I booked a fare for a bus 2 hours later with available seating–but we made sure we had the same return bus fare back into Karlsruhe, Germany.

Our adventures began by meeting at the Strasbourg-Muenster cathedral, easily located and seen from just about anywhere in the city–a great meeting point for us.

My friend had found online a free walking tour (with tips optional at the end, which is natural to do, of course!! Here is the link to find out more–it is legitimate as I did the tour.)

Our tour guide, speaking in English (the international language, of course) was a hoot but also very well informed–we saw and experienced a lot–and his favorite line was ‘Thank you, Germany’–why??

Well, as I said, Strasbourg over time has been swapped back and forth between being German and French, so naturally,  a heavy German influence can be seen in the different phases and history of the city, from the architecture to some of the cusine–and many (not all) of the signs or items bear German names or wording–and anytime the tour guide showed up something historical or cool that isn’t ‘native’ french, he would exclaim ‘Thank you, Germany’, which leads into something a little more ironic…..

Many years ago, while a student at High Point University (High Point, North Carolina), an assignment led me to write an essay about Gutenburg, his press, and the influences it had on the literary influence of the world…skipping ahead to this week, I have been reading the book ‘The Book of Secrets’ by Tom Harper, a historical novel following the process in which Gutenburg started ‘toying’ with moveable type and the various places Gutenburg lived…which just happened to be in Strausbaurg (at the time it was part of Germany)…and as I stood on Gutenburg plaza, with the book in hand, printed by machines–by a German inovator in a once German city, having history come to life through the written word–and it came full circle today for me—

As my friend and were winding down, we were ravenous (despite  snacking on stuffed crepes, goodies, fruit, etc)  and took the advice of our tour guide and ate Flammkuchen at La Beire Academia Cathedral….and headed back to the bus depot afterwards to catch our bus…which was running 80 minutes late, accordingly to the digital status on the bus website…so we went back to our churh (yes, we claimed the church as our very own) and found a a comfortable spot to drink some warm tea and coffeee–and by doing so for 45 minutes, our very late bus came early…and requiring me to make a ‘please, come get us’ call to my German boyfriend…who came galloping over the Rhein from Germany to France to our rescue and only the words of our tour guide suffice—Thank you, Germany.

 

Turkish Delight–Döner

Anna--The Adventurer

Döner Teller--amazing

Döner Teller–amazing

turkish-doner

Locally owned and operated.

A definite ‘must’ in Karlsruhe–a family restuarant/locally owned business that is just simply amazing!!

Located on Kronenplatz, Karlsruhe, Germany, it is a must for any local or traveler.

The Döner Teller is filled with shaved, roasted meal,  a yogurt dressing atop a fresh salad,  a potato side with a orange sauce..incredible. The falafels were also a hit with our friends.

Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.

Friends enjoying great food.

Friends enjoying great food.

The Best Coffee–DLounge, Kronenplatz, Karlsruhe

Anna--The Adventurer

dlounge1

Missing the little things from back home is pretty normal, by most standards but one thing I really jonesed for was a good coffee shop that was relaxing yet fun, upbeat but comfy–and at last I found a ‘home’ coffee shop here in my area. And no, I am not doing a paid ‘pitch’ for the Dlounge, I have seriously been hunting for a good spot to relax and write in my journal….

A journal is something I keep in my bag along with several ink pens. Why?? One never knows where adventures might take me and honestly, I do not want to forget a moment of it–so if I am waiting for a friend, taking a coffee break, or about to head to a German class, a coffee is essentail and my journal is a must.

The DLounge, located on Kronenplatz in Karlsruhe, is the perfect coffee shop venue for me. The seating is comfortable, the music is always good, the coffee is hot and fresh, and the best feature…the baristas are super nice and speak English. What more could a girl ask for when getting her daily buzz?

Cafe Crema

Cafe Crema

The Porcelain Palace–

Anna--The Adventurer

Amazing day!! The chapel is not normally open to tourists-visitors but today, with special perimissin, Thomas and I not only got a tour of the private chapel on estate grounds but I also was given the opprotunity to cross something off my bucket list–our guide ENCOURAGED me, with full permission (without me even asking) to ring the bell in the chapel–all after an amazing, personal tour of the estate–including the private chambers of the Margravine Franziska Sibylla Augusta of Sachsen-Lauenburg.

A week after touring the estate, Thomas and I were invited to attend a classical concert at the estate–an amazing evening where the musicians dressed in period correct costumes.  Champagne and delights were served during intermission and oh, what fun!!!

History Courtesy Wik.

Schloss Favorite is a castle on the outskirts of Rastatt-Förch in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Built by Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer between 1710 and 1730, it was a pleasure and hunting palace (French: Maison de plaisance) used by Margravine Franziska Sibylla Augusta of Sachsen-Lauenburg, widow of Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden (‘Türkenlouis’). It is the oldest of the German so-called ‘Porcelain Palaces’ and the only to survive intact to this day. The castle was only used for several weeks a year as a summer residence.

The castle houses a large collection of Chinese porcelain, black lacquerwork and Schwartz Porcelain.

Address: Am Schloß Favorite 5, 76437 Rastatt, Germany

Tasty

Anna--The Adventurer 1 Comment

Creative Meal

Creative Meal

Okay, so I have not been in Germany long and the difference in measuring things, i.e. grams and milliliters verses cups and teaspoons has tripped me up…alas, I winged it today. I made a weird version of an open face sandwhich–mixing German and American??

Style:

Pumpernickel Bread

Carrot Sticks

Brown Gravy

Scrambled Eggs with Onions

Tillster Cheese

I srambled some eggs with chopped onions, putting it on pumpernickel bread

Sliced Tillster cheese ontop of the eggs, cover it all with brown gravy

Garnish with carrot sticks.

Result?? An ugly dish that tastes really, really good.

Turning over a new leaf

Anna--The Adventurer

Hundreds of letters have been exchanged between us.

A long history of letters…and we wrote.

 

So, as our story continues on, Thomas and I have continued to write, sharing our lives and friendship through letters..and now we have been very dear, good sweet friends for almost 20 years. We continued to write when one day….

Thomas asked me to come to Germany, not for a vacation, but for something more, something special. Thomas wrote:

I hope you will come to Germany and stay for a long while. I would like to opportunity to date you, make a future with you, and get to know you even better than I already do.  Please, come and stay. ‘ (small excerpt).

 

Upon receiving, reading and re reading the letter, I discussed this with my sister and Acacia, asking their advice and thoughts on it–for the power of girlfriends and sisters is something very unique (but that is a discussion for another day).  They both hooped and hollered with joy, with the confidence and hope for all good things.

I wrote to Thomas asking him when he would like me to go, a very big decision for me..and we continued to write letters.

So, now comes the point, that I know I am moving to Germany, at least for a while, as Thomas wrote back and said when I can and am ready, that he wants to welcome me in his home when I am ready…now for preparations.

As we discuss what the future for us holds….we continue to write letters.

And suddenly you know.... its time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings:

The Beginnings of….an adventure

Anna--The Adventurer

The start of my adventure

The Beginnings of Something wonderful

Decemeber,1997—My family and I were on vacation in Holland, riding the ICE train to Germany. My family, being 6 of us, 7 with my Uncle, were a large group, especially with our luggage.  My family filled the compartment and thus, I sat across the aisle at a small table, next to the window, where the chairs were bolted to the floorboards of the train.

A German man sat across from me, in the empty available seat, witha  rucksack in-tow and nothing more than that and a newspaper.  He struck up a conversation, after a bit, and within 3 hours, we exchanged mailing addresses and he disembarked from the train at his stop.

Letters were written, postcards exchanged and an old–fashioned pen-pal friendship blossomed.
We continued to write letters over time–sharing the simple things of life and…thus began something exquisite