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| Denise and I at a small Bavarian beer festival |
I was fortunate to get stationed in Bavaria in the Army in 1998. I was even more fortunate to land a civilian job in the Heidelberg area in 2008. The travel opportunities and the European lifestyle is wonderful. My first experience in Bavaria consisted of Denise and I being invited to Munich by our friend Mike. A few hours later, we were going 140 miles per hour in his red Camaro Z28 on the autobahn. Zooming past the hops fields, which are 15 foot tall plants growing up wires, I realized that I was in another country.
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| Marienplatz Rathaus |
Bavaria is the traditional heart of Germany. When you see pictures of blonde haired girls in dirndels carrying huge beers, and men in lederhosen...that is Bavaria. And Munich is the heart of Bavaria. For anyone in the world, its easy to get to Munich. They have a huge airport (Franz Josef Strauss, airport code: MUC), a major train station, and autobahns radiate in all directions. The Munich publis transportation system of busses, subways, and street cars is easy to navigate. Find your way to Marienplatz, which is the heart of the Munich.
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| Dad and I enjoy big beers at the Hofbrauhaus |
Marien plats has the Rathaus (City hall), which is famous for its glockenspiel (playing bells). At 11 o clock and one other time during the day, the bells ring, and old fashioned mechanical puppets dance. Thousands of tourists stand outside to watch the show. This is the perfect time to sneak into the famous Hofbrauhaus and have a giant Bier (beer). The Hofbrauhaus is a tourist magnet, but don;t let this fool you. It is a class act, and it is full of local Germans. The staff are all decked out in traditional garb. Expect an oompa band, and a large helping of Bratwurst and Kraut. You won't be disappointed.
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| Frauenkirchen |
If you enter the city from the train station, the narrow streets and many 4 story buildings may prevent you from seeing the tallest structure in Munich, the Frauenkirchen. Munich passed a law making it illegal to build any building higher than the Frauenkirchen. When you are in the area, you walk around a corner and boom, there are the tall towers of the Frauenkirchen. Munich is breathtaking even without visiting Oktoberfest.
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| Mainstreet walking district in Amberg |
There is a lot more to Bavaria than Munich. My favorite parts of Bavaria are the small towns, countryside, and culture. I lived in the vicinity of Amberg, Germany for 3 and ahalf years in a small town called Poppenricht.
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| Raising the Kirwa baum |
Poppenricht is a cute little town in the rolling hills of the countryside. Its surrounded by farms and fields on all sides. Population is about 2000, making it what I call, a one bakery town. Other than being a quaint European village, Poppenricht is nothing special, except for one long weekend in the summer they host the best little beer festival. Every small town in Bavaria holds a Kirwa Festival. Apparently it has something to do with the church. But for sure, there is a whole lot of partying going on. This is the best party I have ever been to, so I've been here 7 times. I've been back twice on vacations from the USA. At the party, they set up a huge tree using only poles, ropes and men. Its hard work. It takes up to four hours to erect the tree. The tired men shout out, "THURST", and the beautiful young ladies come running with giant mugs of beer.
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| Check out the traditional Bavarian clothing! |
After the tree is up, everyone goes home to get on their best traditional Bavarian attire. They return at 7 PM to a gigantic fest tent with a rock band. hte band has all standard rock instruments PLUS an accordian, a tuba, and sometimes a clarinet. Be prepared to sing all kinds of songs, lock arms with your neighbors and dance at the tables. Before long, 1000 people will be standing on tables and benches, drinking and dancing.
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| Dancing around the Kirwa baum |
On Sunday, the young men and women of the Kirwa club, do a traditiomnal dance around the Kirwa baum. the party continues all evening. Monday is the last day of the festival. During the day, the Kirwa Bear roams the town with black soot covered hands. Children that are afraid of the bear and run are covered from head to toe in black soot. Brave children gt two little smudges on their cheeks. The party lasts until midnight, and then the party is over. If you can do all three days, then you are not having enough fun. Ther eis a reason why I have been back to Kirwa Poppenricht 7 times! This summer will be 8!
Back to Amberg...
Amberg itself is a beautiful and historic city. The center of Amberg is a giant church with a tower, next to a small river, surrounded by two walls and a dry moat. The four corners of the city have extravagant medieval guard gates. The streets are all cobblestone and the main road down the center is a major shopping district with cute shops, breweries, and restaraunts. The north end of town is an old palace that has been renovated and transformed into condos. Rising on a hill over the city is another church, hence the name (Am Berg...On the mountain).
One of Amberg's most popular landmarks is a part of the wall fortification that goes over the Vils River. It is known as the city's glasses (Stadtbrille), because it looks like a set of spectacles as the the bridge refelcts off the water's surface.
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My father and law Bill and I
enjoying some of Bavaria's best beer |
Amberg has a train and bus station which makes it a good place to set up camp and venture out to places like Nuremberg, Prague (Czech Republic), Regensburg and the Danube River, and then on further south to Munich. Or explore more small treasures such as castles, caves, gasthauses (Small family owned hotels), or beerhalls. Amberg itself has 4 breweries, and the surrounding area has many more.
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| Wolfsteinburg in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz |
Day trips around Amberg are fun. South of Amberg, near the town of Neumarkt is a an interesting little castle. Apparently, back in the dark ages, when Germany was divided into feudal kingdoms, there was a band of bandits in this area. They built this castle, now called Wolfsteinburg, and ran regular raids on local villages. The castle has been remodelled, and it is exactly what a kids would imagine a "bandit castle" would look like.
Another place to visit near Amberg is Nuremberg. the Germans call it Nurnburg. Nuremberg is a much bigger walled city than Amberg. Overwatching the city is a large fortress castle.
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| Nuremberg Castle |
It is a major metropolitan area in Bavaria. Back before World War II, Hitler made Nuremberg the center of the Nazi party and large protests were held there. Visit Nuremberg now, and its a nice clean city. But you will see many pictures of how it was totally destroyed. Still more pictures show the Germans stacking up the cobble stones by size and beginning to rebuild the city. This gives you some insite into the the German people.
Probably the biggest reason Nuremberg is famous is for its Christmas Market. It is one of the largest and most traditional Weihnachtsmarkts (Christmas Market) in Germany. Find vendors for ornaments, chestnuts roasted on an open fire (not kidding), candy, wine, cheese, lebkuchen (gingerbread), and anything associated with Christmas. Nuremberger Lebkuchen is known worldwide, mostly for being sold in beautiful painted tin cans.
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| Nuremberg Frauenkirche |
The Christmas market is beautiful. All of the stands look like little log cabins and are decorated with lights and ornaments. The market is in a plaza outside a beautiful old church, also called the Frauenkirche. While you are in the area of the church, stop by and spin the brass ring on the fountain for good luck!
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| Dad spinning the brass rign for luck |
