Living between two apartments isn't a lot of fun as you always seem to need what is at the other one or in the trunk of the only car you have while it is with DH at work. I think Newton has a law about this and if he didn't, he should have. At any rate, Saturday rolled around again and we decided to have a fun day...hooray! After an hour long train ride, we arrived in Schwabisch Hall. A cute little town where there are still lots of old half timber houses and a few covered bridges over the river by what is left of the city walls. Being a sunny day with a strong breeze really topped it all off.
We walked around the meandering streets a bit and ended up at the front door of a museum so in we went and around we looked. Having just finished Pillars of the Earth (which earns 4/5 stars) it was fun to explore the old parts of the building. Much of the old building was intact and reinforced to be functional so you can see the stonework and painted wood beam ceilings. The wooden staircase with banister and railings has new stairs built on top. It was fun to go up exploring wondering what people used it daily so long ago.
Back to finding the city center were we stopped for a sour cream cake which turned out to be like a flat cheesecake and took in views of St Michael's Church. There were a ton of very steep steps to the top where they stage plays. Inside was so beautiful with floral painting around the medallions of the vaulted ceiling. DJ looked up at the entry, saw this and said WOW!
Back out to the river through the covered bridge and to the park which is on an island part next to the old mill. DJ loved having DH push him on the giant tire swing...laughing and swinging and spinning. A great family day in Germany!
I've arrived via the Scrappy Chic blog ... and your adventures are totally intriguing ... My boyfriend, brother and I will be traveling to Germany (for the first time) at the end of September ... so I'm VERY curious to hear what you have to say, tips for Americans, etc ...
ReplyDeleteHi Pam! It is so beautiful here! There are some things that come to mind that is different than in the US such as paying the bill in a restaurant. Dinner is an event here and is savored and lingered over. They will not try to hurry you up and will just assume you wish to talk unless you say otherwise. Also, you pay the waiter directly when the bill comes and include the tip then instead of leaving it on the table. Service is almost always included in the bill so tips are small, usually rounding up a few Euro.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is they love cash here. Many places do not accept credit cards though in bigger cities and in the North it may be different. The Southern Swabian region has an aversion to debt so cash is best. Fortunately, there are ATM's all around the place with lobbies that stay open all hours. If you have specific questions, I'll do what I can to help. Would love to hear where you go and how you like it...keep me posted. :)