A Beautiful Corner of the World: Bavaria

The glory of having a Eurail pass isn’t just the automatic first class upgrade, but the fact you can go off route and explore different cities within the selected country at no extra charge.

From Munich we headed toward Passau for a night, but before we got there we took a detour to Regensburg, a Bavarian city where the Danube and Regen rivers meet. Catch this place on a sunny day and it’s one of the most picturesque cities in existence.

We didn’t have a map or any sense of what to do in this Gothic inspired area of Germany, so we chose a direction and headed in it once we left the train station. Our internal compasses must have been in working order, because we followed a wide stretch of commercial boulevard and came across some gorgeous buildings.

Cross The Stone Bridge over the Danube and behold history at your feet, as this footbridge was built in 1146 and was used during the crusades. Regensburg Cathedral is certainly worth a reconnoiter. This beautiful city has something to see – and take a picture of – at every corner.

From Regensburg we went to Passau, which won’t earn more than a few sentences in my blog. This hilly, university town is a good place to recover when you reach your mid-vacation crisis (running out of laundry). There’s not a huge to-do list, unless you want to do some general shopping or lounging. We regretfully stayed at the overpriced Achat Hotel and drank dunkel bier all night at Maxi Café/Bistro up the street.

Moving on from Passau, we were delighted to reach Nürnberg. This historic city made a definite impression on our trip, marking my favorite stop on our European Explosion Tour.

We stayed at the EuroHotel/Suites, which I highly recommend. A double room runs for 100 euros, but the room was huge and you’re on the castle’s doorstep. The Nürnberg Castle’s distinct sandstone rock makes up three parts and offers impressive views and a grand sense of history.

Just walking through this amazing city is interesting, as it blends old and contemporary architecture because of the damage done during World War II. The Hauptmarkt was buzzing with stands offering food and flowers, along with year-long Christmas décor. Nürnberg simply oozes with historical value, it’s a great place to be a tourist.

As for food, The Bratwurste Hausla was overpriced and overrated, so don’t be lured in by the tempting smell of sausages. Make your way to the Handwerkerhof area and ignore the kitschy tourist feeling in favor of Fränkische Weinstube. This traditional German open air restaurant was one of the best yet and had the kind of schnitzel my German grandmother would make. Near EuroHotel/Suites we had a quiet meal at the Trattoria Germania. It was moderately priced, delicious, and local… not to mention, a respite from German food.

You might be wondering how the typical hunt for coffee went in this new place… let me assure you, we weren’t disappointed. The Starbucks in Nürnberg ranks in my top favorite of all time, since it’s located right along the water and is deceptively huge (Hauptmarkt 1). That makes up for the fact we couldn’t find decent coffee anywhere else.

Our last night in Germany needed to be spent near the Karlsruhe-Baden Baden airport. Funny thing about getting a flight for a penny one way (that includes taxes and fees, my friends) is that you end up in the middle of no where. Before we left, I called several hotels in the surrounding area and put my diminutive German-speaking skills to the test. Apparently it worked, because we secured a reservation at Hotel de Charme.

Now let’s get something straight, traveling with a sibling is awesome… you typically get along, have the same interests, share the same sense of humor. However, you run the risk of people assuming you’re not siblings. This was the case in Iffezheim, where even through the language barrier we understood that our bed and breakfast owner thought we were married. This was further emphasized when he told us in a French accent that the area was very romantic. Needless to say, it was awkward.

Moving right along, we had a blasé meal in town at Bei Leuchtners, had a comfortable (albeit discomfited) stay at Hotel de Charme, and then took a 30 euro cab ride to the Karlsruhe-Baden Baden airport. We passed the village we wanted to stay in, but alas, it was all booked up for a gnome festival (seriously). The lack of hotels near the airport didn’t make the penny flight worth it, so I suggest shelling out a few extra euros to fly to/from a major airport. But hey, if you’re considering buying real estate, may I suggest you pick up some land in this area and build a hotel.