Tulpenfeld

The past two years saw us pass by this tulip field on our way to Würzburg. The first year it was a kind of a surprise to spot the colour from a distance. By the time we realised what it was, we had driven way ahead and there was no looking back. Last year, having travelled to the Netherlands to the world famous Keukenhof gardens, my heart and soul were content with the enormous amount of tulips we saw. So this year, when winter turned out to be longer than expected, I kind of began to wonder if I would have this gorgeous treat again. 

Two weeks ago we drove by the patch, NOTHING at all.

Not wanting to give up, last weekend we returned again. I wanted to shout for joy on spotting the yellow and red bulbs from a distance. 

It was a riot of colours. My husband still cannot figure out my delight considering the fact that it is a very small patch of flowers. To me, it's a feast to my eyes.

We spent a lot of time walking through the length of the field, posing for some excellent family portraits. There were so many varieties of tulips, you had to look through and spot them. We also cut a few to add some colour to my kitchen sill. I want to return to this beautiful spot again. Such is my love for the flowers. I wonder if I will be able to.

P.S: For those wanting to know the exact location of the fields, here's a link to the map. It's located just before Retzbach Zellingen. A half an hour drive from Lohr it's worth a trip. Hurry up before all the flowers fall off.
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A peek into an open air museum

I cannot believe that October has come rolling in. How did the months fly by? I do not know. 

As a new month begins, I wake up with the thought.... another one down. For those who do not know, it's a countdown to our return. With each passing month, the excitement builds up...:-) 

With the countdown it means that I have a bucket list of things to do, places to visit, events to experience and so on. I do not know whether it has something to do with the fixed time frame or pressure, but to my delight so far we have been able to achieve it successfully.

Like a visit to the Franconian open air museum over the weekend. The only sad part was that due to a misunderstanding we ended up without our camera's. Hence the pictures from my mobile which finally gave out after 15 and odd shots..:-(

Lesson learnt: Before setting out, cross check with your love if the camera bag is in the car or not.

Who doesn't love going back in time? Well, we do, especially our son. Museums help him go back so many years to the eras and times of the past, sometimes making him wish that he lived then..:D It helps him to imagine and wonder what life must have been like eons of years ago.

Open air museums are unique ones exhibiting collections out doors. You can step into homes of the ancient past, have a look at the rooms with actual furniture, see pictures of the families that lived in them and wonder how did they all fit in the small sized houses. 

The day we visited, we were lucky to witness costumed interpreters portray life in the medieval ages. There were women cooking on an open hearth in the kitchen, meat and sausages hanging from the ceiling along with onions and garlic(I missed my cam boo hoo hoo). I stood for the longest time taking in the strong smell of the crackling fire and as my eyes burnt with the smoke around, it reminded me so much of my grandmother's home!! I happened to mention it to my girl that this was how her great grandma cooked(looks like we were still in medieval cooking methods back home..:D). 

Another highlight was watching the traditional craftsmen in medieval clothes at work. We had the longest chat with a bead maker who made beads with animal bones. It was interesting to see how he worked and also listen to the stories of the years gone by. And the musician, what sweet music he played as the women were preparing the smoked mackerels for dinner. Did you know that the medieval violin had 5 strings? 

Over all it was a day well spent. The museum is spread over vast areas of land filled with fruit tress and patches of vegetable gardens here and there. It was a delight to see the luscious red apples peeping out from here and there. Also interesting sights are shepherds grazing their sheep along with a sheep dog(a delight to watch), lazy pigs waiting for a feed or two of apples and goats who do not mind being petted for a long time..:-)

Definitely a fun time with kids during a weekend!!

Baby's day out(Part 2)

I wish there was a continuity in my posts, but I will save both myself and you my rant. Let's just say, I am fed up of waiting for the kids to get their summer holidays. Honestly, the academic year in Deutschland seems to drag, and the sudden surge in heat is not helping at all. Just a few days ago we were kind of shivering cause it felt like a mild winter instead of summer and now, all we want to do is take refuge in our cool cellars.

So back to today's post, part 2 of my beautiful day out at Würzburg. If you read part 1, you will know that I made the trip alone without family. My intention was to walk the vineyards of the Marienberg fortress. 

After reaching the top of the fortress, I was lost!! Yes, completely. Have you seen the boards which tell you "You are here" and give directions to go about a tourist spot. Well, I could figure out where was I, but for the life of me couldn't figure out how to get out of the huge walls and into the vineyards. After pondering for a while as to whether to give up and go back the way I came or head on over to the ticket counter and ask for directions, I chose the latter. Only that I wanted the directions in English. The poor guy fumbled and managed to give me a long set of lefts and rights and tunnels!!! No wonder I couldn't figure it out.

Once I reached the entrance, all I wanted to do was a little jig. The arched rugged stone entry with the breath taking views, took me a long time to recover.

Then on, it was a slow steady walk of 40 minutes downhill(photography, pausing and sighing with happiness and short breaks on the benches provided are not taken into account). I witnessed men at work in the vineyards. The fruit looked like it needed more time to grow. Maybe the harvest is in autumn? Just wondering.

The descent provided breathtaking views over the city wit the brightly coloured roof tops, church steeples and blue skies.

If you looked upwards, you could see the fortress looking beautiful as ever.

I didn't keep track of how long I took to walk through the green vines. I was in no rush. I wanted to take in the sights slowly without a soul around to disturb me. Occasionally there was a tourist panting and climbing uphill, one asked me how far was the entrance. There's no fun walking uphill with all the beauty behind you. 

Now if I tell you that on reaching the foothills of the vineyards, I was treated to a heavy downpour, would you believe me?? :D

P.S: The Lohrer Beer festival begins today. Do not forget to drop by my facebook page where I will be posting all the action.

Baby's day out(Part 1).

Only that the baby was me...:-)

Yesterday, Ms A had a school trip to attend to. With both the kids away the entire day I had 8 hours all to myself. What fun to leave the house and do something that you like? I have always wanted to walk through vineyards, without any interruption. So, narrowing down on the ones below the Festung Mairenberg in Würzburg, I took the train to this lovely town, which is only 45 minutes away.

Würzburg is a blend of both old and new, with modern shopping malls and cafes sandwiched between old churches and stucco buildings, it's a delight for both the young and old to simply walk through and take in the smells and sights.At the heart of the town, right beside the Marienkapelle(the red church) is the markt platz. With festivals happening round the clock, colorful stalls and food courts adorn this place all through the year. I have a favorite one which sells the best franconian bratwurst. After relishing one which was my lunch and wandering around the stalls, I proceeded to the Alte Mainbrücke(Old Main bridge).

One of the oldest and loveliest stone bridges in Germany, it has amazing views over the Main with the small ships docked to the side, the fortress right on top of the mountain with the sprawling vineyards below and the towers of St Kilian church on the other end. 12 larger than life statues of saints and emperors are placed on both the sides of the bridge. Above is St. Burkard, Würzburg's first bishop. There is always a flurry of activity on this bridge.....Guided tours with tourists, lovers holding hands and looking upward to the fortress, wine lovers sipping on that glass of wine(yes, they were standing on the bridge with their glasses), photo enthusiasts like me waiting for that moment of respite from the crowds to get the perfect shot and the elderly, seating themselves on the stone benches for that much awaited break.

Once you go over the bridge, there are clear signs guiding you to the fortress. The option in front of me were two paths - 20 minutes by stairs or 40 minutes through vineyards. Both uphill.

You can guess what I chose...:-)

As I climbed up steadily, the roof tops of Würzburg slowly came into sight. It was indeed breathtaking. I spent quite some time taking it all in, after all there was nobody along with me. 

The Marienberg fortress is a prominent landmark of Würzburg. It was the home of the prince bishops from 1201 until the 18th century. With two courtyards, towers, a church and gardens, you need quite some time to explore both inside and outside.
Having already done the tours of the above 2 years ago I could not wait to get into the vineyards. Only problem was I couldn't figure out how to get to them.....:D

to be continued...

I finally went out ALONE...

Yes, just me, my thoughts, myself.

and, I enjoyed it thoroughly..

so much so, that I want to do it, more often..:-)

I paused where I pleased,

clicked way too many pictures,

cause you see, there was nobody waiting for me or tagging alongside.

I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see.

A walk through the vineyards. 

The arch up there, that was the entrance to them.

My heart almost skipped a beat when I saw it.

Klein Venedig

While I thought I would squeeze in all the sights we saw in Bamberg into one post, I thought it would be a shame not to share pictures of the Little Venice(Klein Venedig). The entire day, sunshine and rain were playing a little game of hide and seek. So when we were by the banks of the river Regnitz to view the row of 19th century fishermen's houses, the blue skies popped out just for a while so that I could get these gorgeous shots..:D

It is not possible to walk through these row of 30 wooden houses. You have to be on the opposite side of the river bank to actually view this little delight. Each house has a tiny front yard filled with flowers, patio furniture and an occasional boat tied to the dock.

Notice the two young lads crooning on a guitar on this warm summer's day.

Do you know that there are vacation homes on the klein Venedig. I would have loved to live in one of them.

I spent time watching this lady garden. Did she mind? I wonder... Or she must be used to a bunch of tourists like me trying to catch a glimpse of normal life on the Vendig.

So, which was your favorite picture?

Farmer's market in Bamberg.

On Saturday, the family and I finally visited Bamberg. For hubby dear it was sheer nostalgia. While I come back tomorrow with some ramblings about our visit, I thought I would leave you all with pictures from the weekend farmer's market of Bamberg. It was huge, colorful and crowded!!

It was a wonderful combination of flowers, veggies, fruits, honey, liqueur, bread, meat and not to forget, PEOPLE...:D

I did end up buying some cherries from enthusiastic elderly ladies at a stall. By the time we were back home late in the night, they were squashed.

Glimpses of Bamberg.

Over the weekend a friend and I visited the Landesgartenscahu Bamberg. Once we were done with the garden, we had a little more than two hours to spare. We decided to head on over to the old town and simply walk around.

Since it was just the two of us with no kids to worry about, it felt good to stroll around this enchanting town. I could take my time to pause and simply take in the sights. I LOVE walking on cobbled streets taking the off beaten path, admiring the very old  fachwerk(half timbered)houses with their all the more old shutters and beautiful doors. Since the initial plan was to only visit the garden show, I had not done my reading to get acquainted with the city. Something told me that this town was untouched. It had the charm of an ancient city.

Once home I had to know more about Bamberg. It is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed during World War II(so I was right, everything looked so real and original). Bamberg extends over seven hills, each crowned by a church. This has led to Bamberg being called the Franconian Rome.

We managed to visit St Michaels church on Michaelberg. The climb to this hill was worth it through meadows and vineyards from which we could see the other hills with the churches.

(The view of Bamberg from Michaelsberg)

(St Michael's Kirche) 

This is why I love blue skies. You end up with stunning pictures..:D

We then headed on over to the Klein Venedig or Little Venice which is a colony of picturesque's fishermen houses from the 19th century along one side of the river Regnitz. I expressed a desire to live in one of those homes. This stunned my friend(she is german). She wouldn' have chosen such a place . "Just think of all the hochwasser( flood)" she says..:D So much for my wishful thinking.

(Klein Venedig or Little Venice of Bamberg)

Time just flew by. I wanted to see more, but we had a train to catch. I had seen plenty of pictures of the famous Altes Rathaus, but then had to choose between trying to get the actual shot of it or catch our train. I chose the latter. We walked through the Rathaus admiring the pretty paintings. To see how it actually looks click here. 

There's no doubt, I fell in love with Bamberg. I also felt a wee bit jealous of my husband who had lived in Bamberg for a whole 8 months before we are married...:D Now I know,why he loved to walk for hours together around this town.

Picking up the good old bratwurst, we walked back, me wanting to return one day with the kids and maybe attempt climbing at least half of Bamberg's hills, if not all.

And for the record, my friend just could not understand as to why was I clicking so many pictures..:D 

Sundays in my city

German villages are not hard to fall in love with......

You can be smitten by them easily.

The brightly colored timbered houses with romantic towers protruding out gives way to fairytale like imagination....

Did a Rapunzel lean out of this tower??

The wrought ironed shop signs remind you of the medieval times gone by...

The cobbled pathways may have been worn out with the horse drawn carriages of the past?

Sigh...my camera and I can go on and on.

Do you get smitten by quaint villages and get the urge to return?

P.S: All pictures taken at Miltenberg. Am gonna return cause I have to see the geraniums hanging out of every window in the above lane.