The Bruner Family Journey: Ok, We're Back In Germany Now

The kids were extremely excited to see their former au pair Dung, who is studying in Bamberg in northern Bavaria. It was a reunion we had started planning months ago. But first we had to make our way back across southern Germany from Stasbourg. Too bad they don't give frequent driving miles.

The large castle in little Langenberg

We first made a brief stop in Langenburg, a tiny village famous for its large Renaissance castle and for the witch trials it held in the 17th century. As a precaution, I instructed the kids to refrain from any supernatural or otherwise suspicious behavior until we left town. After taking a leisurely stroll along Langenburg's quiet main street, we headed to the nearby town Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which was definitely one the highlights of our time Germany. We initially had intended to spend only an hour or two here, but it turned into an entire afternoon and part of the evening.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg is a medieval gem. The historic architecture here is as well preserved as anywhere in Europe. One reason for this is the demise the town suffered in the 17th century as the result of the Plague and the Thirty Years War, which decimated the town's population, halted its growth and essentially froze it in time. Tourism became popular in the late 19th century among German Romantic artists, and today the town is very popular with tourists from around the world. One of the highlights of a visit to Rothenburg is the intact medieval wall that encircles the town. We walked around the wall for hours, which is a great way to see the town and escape the tourist crowds who flock to Rothenburg's main square.

Just outside the city wall

Just inside the city wall

View from the ramparts

The idea was to make it all the way to Bamburg for dinner but we were running late and hungry so we stopped in nearby Hochstat. The small town is pleasant enough, but the reason we will remember it is the fantastic Greek meal we ate here. It's just one example of Germany's excellent ethnic dining scene - by the time we left the country, we'd eaten Greek, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Tunisian and Ethiopian (not to mention the other cuisines we ran across but didn't have time to try: Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Hungarian, Afghani, Pakastani, Indian, Argentinean, Uighur, Russian, Mongolian and Moroccan).

Beautiful Bamberg along the Regnitz River

We made it Bamberg quite late and it was difficult to find a hotel. We finally settled on a luxury hotel in a former castle on the edge of the old part of town - it was way out of our budget, but man it was nice, the kids loved it, and the sprawling breakfast buffet was awesome. There were about eight different kinds of cheese, more than a dozen breakfast meats, four kinds of muesli, six different breads, fresh fruit, dried fruit, canned fruit, an array of juices (including cherry, pineapple, and mango), a variety of cakes and pastries, a broad selection of yogurts, various savory salads (potato, pasta, cabbage, etc.), a separate section for organic breakfast foods, and even a wide choice of different mineral waters.

Gardens in Bamberg

Bamberg's most famous (and most photographed) bridge

We had a great time catching up with Dung and you couldn't pick a prettier meeting place. Bamberg was virtually untouched by Allied bombing during World War II and as a result has the largest intact historical city center in Germany and one of the largest in all of Europe. The town boasts a wide arrray of original architectural treasures, ranging from the 12th to the 19th centuries. From the 10th century onward, Bamberg was an important link to the Slavic peoples to the east, and its layout and architecture exerted a strong influence on towns throughout central Europe. At one point, Bamberg was briefly the center of the Holy Roman Empire (which, as a I pointed out in a previous post, was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire). With its magnificent palaces and churches set among seven hills, it was consciously intended to be a Germanic version of Rome. It thrived for centuries as a center of trade and culture and the city retained its traditional economy even in the face of the industrial revolution. It was the heart of the Enlightenment in southern Germany and the birthplace of Bavaria's first democratic constitution. The kids didn't really care about any of this - they just wanted to play with their long-lost friend Dung.

After our second night here, we gorged ourselves at breakfast, said goodbye to Dung, and headed off to a new and exciting adventure - we were headed behind the old Iron Curtain, to the former East Germany. During the drive, we talked to the kids about some pretty weighty topics - the Cold War, democracy, capitalism and Karl Marx. Jeremy asked some pretty thoughtful questions, but both kids seemed more interested in when they were going to see Dung again.