Tag Traveling Germany on the cheap

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.

 

Kirch & Kloster (Ruins) and town of Bad Herrenalb

Anna--The Adventurer

Video Link

A fellow tourist summed it up perfect (excerpt from German Eagle)

The Cistercian monastery, origin of the town, was founded in 1149 by Berthold III von Eberstein and his wife Uta. It became economically successful, in the 14th and 15th century it prospered. However, the end came soon: In 1525 farmers plundered it, as a result of the Reformation it was closed down in 1534 and turned into a school. In the 30-years war the Swedish troops burned it almost completely down.

So, not much is left of the monastery buildings. The still existing choir of the former monastery church was incorporated in the construction of the ev. parish church. Best preserved is the so called “paradise”, the entrance hall of the former monastery church (pics 1 – 3). The “paradise” was built about the year 1200, in 1462 the beautiful gable in Gothic style was added. Portal and windows are still in Romanesque style. Inside are some old epitaphs.

The monastery grounds are still the heart of Bad Herrenalb. But nowadays you find things like the Kneipp bath (pic 4) and a monument (pic 5) on the grounds. Relics from the Cistercian era are also the parsonage and the adjoining house, some remains of the walls and a barn.

Access is free, always open. For the ev. church see separate tip.

Directions: Central location in town

Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.
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Inside the church.Photography by Anna Potthoff.

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.Photography by Anna Potthoff.

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.

An exchange student and an American come together again

Anna--The Adventurer

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Jenny F. with her 2 daughters and boyfriend

Way back when, okay, so in 1996 and 1997 my family hosted an exchange student from Germany–and we have kept in touch all these years.

Before leaving Colorado, I wrote to Jenny, telling her I would be moving to Germany–and she came to see me.

The last time I had seen Jenny in person, I was 15, she was 18. Now, we are older ( a lady never reveals her true age) and Jenny has two beautiful daughters.

Jenny and her family drove 6 hours to spend a weekend with us the Black Forrest and A joyous day makes all the difference.

We enjoyed the Botanical Gardens (Karlsruhe, Germany), Schloss Karlsruhe and so much more. It is awesome to get to see old friends and spend time together.

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Jenny, Thomas, Leoni, Sara, Marcel on the Rhein (German side, France across the river)

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

Coffee with Old and New Friends, Waldbronn, Germany

Anna--The Adventurer

Jenny and I wrote text messages back and forth over the past few weeks–and she has come down this weekend  see friends, myself included, as we all live in close proximity.

Jenny’s friends, whom she knew from travels and summers working abroad in Spain,  are hosting Jenny and her lovely girls and boyfriend this weekend, which is awesome, as we all got to meet this evening.

Ute and Heinrick, Jenny’s Waldbronn friends, invited Thomas and I over drinks this evening–what a treat. Ute and Heinrick have a beautiful home and are wonderful, nice people–I am so glad we all were able to get together!!!

Ute, Heinrick and the other guest asked how Jenny and I knew each other, which brought tears of laughter to our eyes as we reminisced about all the adventures and fun we had together when Jenny was an exchange student with my family in Colorado.

Leoni and Sara, Jenny’s teenage daughters, learned ‘interesting’ things about their mother when she was younger–and Marcel, Ute, and Heinrick laughed at the antics we once pulled in our youth together–a side of Jenny and I no one else experienced before as we had known each other the longest amongst the friends at the table.

Tomorrow is going to a great day as Ute and Heinrick are attending a wedding–and Thomas and I will be spending the whole day with Jenny, Sara, Leoni, and Marcel….and let the adventures continue.

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

 

Celebrating my ’21st’ birthday abroad

Anna--The Adventurer

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Celebrating my Birthday in Germany with a dinner in the backyard

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Celebrating my Birthday in Germany–family and friends in Ettlingen, Germany

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Celebrating my Birthday in Germany with Fabian and his sisters

I turned 21 today, for the 13th time but who is counting??

It is truly the first time, though, that I have celebrated a birthday abroad and it has been wonderful. Thomas hosted a dinner celebration in the backyard for my special day, with family and friends attending.

Celebrating my Birthday in Germany

Celebrating my Birthday in Germany

 

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

Kloster-Monastary Ruins, Fraunalb, Germany

Anna--The Adventurer

Riding the tram (www.kvv.de) around the area has proven to be such a joy–it takes me to places I would have never known about before–like the quaint village of Fraunalb in Baden-Wurtämburg.  The videos show case some of the wonderful and beautiful aspects of the monastary ruins–

 

 

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

Adventures in Cooking–2 course meal

Anna--The Adventurer

I do not stick to rules when cooking. I rely on my

Salad and Entree

Salad and Entree

imagination.

Akshay Kumar

Working on the dream list of cooking more often is becomign quite fun…groceries in Germany are relatively inexpensive, especially compared to American grocery costs.

Thomas, thankfully, is pretty open to trying new things, even when it is me that is cooking.  Spending time in the kitchen is well worth the while when there is someone to feed.

This evenings meal was a two-part evening–salad as a appetizer and then the entree. I have not quite learned or mastered the art of pairing wine or an adult beverage with food yet but one step at a time…

Salad:

Baby spinach—chopped walnuts–cranberries–crumbled goat Feta cheese–diced roma tomatoes–oil and vinegar dressing

Entree:

Steamed Green beens with salt, topped with sauted red bell pepper spears

Pork loins..seasoned with black pepper, garlic salt, and paprika and lightly fried on low heat in Sunflower oil.

I think food always tastes better when it is arranged in a pretty way—edible art?

 

An Simple Breakfast

Anna--The Adventurer

Home Made Breakfast

Home Made Breakfast

An easy breakfast to dish up–takes under 12 minutes from start to finish.

2 Cups of Old Fashioned Oatmeal

3 cups of cold tap water

a pinch of salt

1/2 Cup of Dried Raisins ( I like to use the purple-dark raisins)

1 TSP of ground Cinnamon

Mix everything together in a pot–cook on medium low heat for 7-9 minutes, if the mix is too thick for you, add a bit more water.

Divide up into bowls, topping with a swirl-drizzle of honey. It is so good and easily made with very common ingredients–can easily be double or tripled or quadrupled for large groups and holiday guests.

I served it with a half slice of toast and half banana this morning for a little extra ‘boost’