Germany
Having finished the Tour du Mont Blanc, we were looking forward to meeting up with our good friend Birkin (and his friend Jacob, a co-resident in his endodontics program) in Germany.
Birkin has traveled around Germany extensively over the years. His father grew up in a small village about an hour south of Frankfurt before immigrating to the United States in the 70s. Birkin now returns regularly to connect with family and hike/bike in the beautiful countryside.
Frankfurt
After bussing from Chamonix to Frankfurt, we had a couple of “down days” before Birkin and Jacob flew in. We spent the majority of these days relaxing around our accommodation but managed to squeeze in a walking tour and partake in a summer festival on the banks of the Main River.
At the festival, we sampled apfelwein (similar to a hard apple cider but a bit more vinegary), handkäse mit musik (a VERY unique translucent sour milk cheese topped with raw onions and caraway seeds…still not sure how we feel about it), and Frankfurter Kranz (a delicious regional cake).
Wertheim, Miltenberg, and Schlierstadt
Birkin and Jacob arrived early in Frankfurt. We loaded up the rental car and headed south.
Our first stop was Wertheim, a small village located at the confluence of the Main and Tauber rivers. We found a bite to eat from the local bakery, enjoyed a stroll through the village’s narrow streets, and climbed up to an old castle built in the 12th century.
The next stop was the Miltenberg Beerfest. It was a weekday so we easily found an open table and listened to the band play traditional German music. Faust, the Miltenberg brewery providing those enormous beers you see below, was founded in 1654 by a Belgian named Kilian Francois Mathieu Servantaine. Kilian was one of many immigrants brought in by the government following the Thirty Years War (a long and destructive religious conflict in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648) to stimulate the economy. The brewery was acquired by Johann Adalbert Faust in 1895 and has been owned by the Faust family now for over 100 years (4 generations). Don’t ask us why we know so much about this…
Our final stop that day was the village of Schlierstadt (where Birkin’s dad is from). We caught a sunset and a nice dinner before calling it a night.
But not before hitting a German club…
Roaming around Schlierstadt
Our second day was spent exploring the surrounding area of Schlierstadt. We hiked to a historic tower with excellent views of the region and then enjoyed a picnic lunch at the local swimming hole. Only Birkin was brave enough to swim in the icy water.
In the afternoon, Birkin’s cousins invited us to a beer pong tournament at their sports club. Beer pong transcends cultures and languages… “Team USA” did okay but sadly did not take home the gold.
Kartoffelfest
When in Germany, do as the Germans do. And in this case, that means attending Kattoffelfest (potato festival)!
This great little festival offered potatoes cooked in every manner (or you could just grab a bag of raw ones instead). One of the most unique dishes we tried was semmede (pic below with the two ladies preparing it). To make semmede, chopped potatoes are mixed with a significant amount of flour and then cooked in fat until crispy. Served with applesauce. Yum.
After saying goodbye to Kartoffelfest, we headed east to the city of Bamberg. We had just enough time for a walk through town, a sunset hike, and another great German dinner.
Despite being bombed twice during the Second World War, much of Bamberg’s old town remained intact. As such, Bamberg has the largest preserved historic city center in Germany. The best-known building is likely the Romanesque cathedral (third pic below) where Henry II (the last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) is buried.
We finished the day with a pint of Rauchbier. This incredibly smoky beer is made with barley dried over an open flame. You only really want one (in Chris’ opinion).
The Black Forest
Our next couple of days were spent in the Black Forest. This beautiful region is known for its dense evergreen forests, lush meadows, and cute villages. It is also commonly associated with the Brothers Grimm fairy tales (think Hansel and Gretel or Snow White).
On our hike, we climbed inside of a “Hochsitz” (high seat). These hunting huts can be seen all over rural Germany and are used for shooting wild game (especially boar).
We stayed the night in Freiburg im Breisgau, a picturesque college town on the southern end of the Black Forest. We visited a local bar Birkin knew of for beers and cards. Chris was playing especially poorly until he realized that this gent in red was taking pictures of his cards behind my back and showing them to Marlene and Jacob…
Feldberg and Heidelberg
Our final day in Germany was a full one. We started the morning with a hike up Feldberg, the highest mountain in the Black Forest. We had perfect weather and could see the Swiss Alps off in the distance.
After our hike, we drove north to the city of Heidelberg via the autobahn.
As you probably already know, the autobahn does not have a speed limit. The Audi rental car was taken VERY BRIEFLY over 100mph to indulge in the experience (don’t tell our parents). What was truly the unique experience however was cruising at 100mph and watching cars fly by even faster in the far left lane…
We arrived in Heidelberg safe and sound and enjoyed an evening walk around town.
We also found a restaurant that served the best schnitzel and spätzle (an egg noodle pasta with a chewy, dumpling-like texture) we had ever tasted. The perfect way to cap off an incredible week.
Three Important Words in German
Hallo — Hello
Danke — Thanks
Prost — Cheers
A huge thank you to Birkin for planning this fantastic and unique journey around Southern Germany. Traveling to a country with someone who has deep connections to the land/culture was a real treat!
