On the Road in Germany: Tübingen

It has been a very busy last few weeks. I have been lucky enough to do some traveling with my parents! We had such an amazing time. The highlight of the trip was a visit back to my favorite city in Europe, Tübingen, Germany. I spent a year studying here from 2008 to 2009 and fell in love with the city and all of the people I met there. It is so lovely!  I try to go back and visit as often as possible. 

Tübingen is a beautiful German city located in Baden-Württemberg. It is a bustling little university city; the student population makes up about a quarter of the total population. The university was established in 1477 and the town dates back to the Middle Ages. The city is well preserved because it was left largely unscathed during the Second World War. It is a city that has so much history and culture. I cannot wait for future visits. 

We were able to rent an apartment for the weekend that was right on the Neckar river in a house that is 700 years old! It is the rust-colored house that is six houses in from the right. The boats on the river are called Stocherkahn, which are punt boats and are very popular in the area. Some of the locals even install small barbecues in their boats to have lunch while floating down the river on a sunny afternoon.

We were able to enjoy some delicious Swabian foods. We had dinner at die Wurstküche (sausage kitchen), which is highly recommended! Of course a traditional German meal often goes well with one of the local freshly brewed beers, which there are plenty of throughout the area.

If you ever have the chance to visit this area of Germany, I highly recommend a visit to this delightful little city. It has so much character and will surely not disappoint.

<3 Amy

Gutters of Freiburg, Revisited

Amy enjoying the gutters of Freiburg

Yesterday, I wrote all about the gutters of Freiburg with a pretty boring shot of the gutters.  Then Amy sent me this one, and I just had to post it.  She really, really likes these gutters.

On the Road in Germany: Freiburg

Gutter system, Freiburg, Germany

I do not have any photos of Freiburg because my camera batteries died, but this one is from Geri (mother of Amy)'s Facebook (thanks!).  We spent a day driving through the Black Forest (it was Grimm... rim shot?).  The place was beautiful.  The trees went on for days and probably prickled the clouds.  Our destination was Freiburg, a large city on the edge of the Black Forest.  It seems to really just pop up out of nowhere.  Between the hills and the forest around it, I was amazed that this city has been there since the twelfth century.  Though the area is famous for its wine (we visited just before a festival!), what we all liked best about it was the system of small gutters that runs all through the city.

These gutters, or bächle, date back to the middle ages.  The water that runs through them comes from the river Dreisam as well as the rain run-off from the streets.  It was once used to nourish livestock and put out fires.  Though one might assume this was a modern usage for an antiquated sewer system, these street level gutters were always utilized in this way.  Apparently, even in the middle ages there were severe fines for disposing of undesirable materials in the gutters.

I cannot really put my finger on why we were all so charmed by these gutters.  It was kind of like having a little river follow you around the whole city.  The water really was crystal clear, as well.  We saw children putting their feet in to cool off and even pulling toy boats in the small streams!  I have never seen anything quite so quaint.

Summer Solstice

A walk by the Vltava yesterday turned into the perfect first day of summer.  While walking back from ice cream at Old Town Square, we heard some music coming from a beer garden on an embankment.  Amy was sure the voice of the singer sounded familiar, so we went closer to investigate.

Lo and behold, Amy was right!  Looking down at a familiar face, having him wave and smile up between songs--it made this big ol' city feel like a small town.  

We went down to listen.

And have a beer.

In the background, you can see some boaters enjoying a lazy afternoon on the river.  We decided that the time had come.  We had had enough I've always wanted to do thats and someday, we should try thats.  

So we rented a paddle boat!  It was only 250 CZK per hour (about $13.00) for up to 4 people.  Quite reasonable prices!

We befriended some ducks and ducklings who obviously assumed we would feed them.  They also had fine taste in art and chose to swim around the giant chair and marching yellow penguins.

Amy and the beautiful view!  

We decided that the river is actually one of the best places to take photos of the city.

Vyšehrad Fortress in the background

Tančící dům--The Dancing House! 

Shades

Mo loved how this ladder leads down to the water and how the tree appears to be growing out of it.

Národní divadlo--The National Theatre 

Something is hilarious.

Casual Paddling

Feeling really casual.

Zebra striped zoo boat.  I was very nervous about how close it got to paddle boaters.

Off the boat, back on the docks, we saw this little ugly duckling.  Last spring, part of the beer garden on the embankment was roped off because of a swan nest.  This is obviously the small friend who hatched out of that egg.  It seems likely since his parents were hanging around where the nest was.

I highly recommend seeing the center of the city from a paddle boat!  Best solstice ever!

Flat Stanley's Visit

A Walk Around Prague

With Flat Stanley

When I went home this winter, my oldest niece sent me back to Prague with an assignment. Her class had read a book titled Flat Stanley about a boy who dreams of a California vacation. However, his family does not have the money to pay for a flight. One morning, Flat Stanley's bulletin board falls on him and he is smushed to a quarter inch thick. Now, his mother is able to mail Flat Stanley to many different, exciting locations across the world. 

My job was to take pictures of Flat Stanley with me around Prague to send back to my niece's class. I was so excited to take on the assignment and be able to show my niece the amazing places around Prague. I thought this adorable idea was worth a share with our readers as well. :)

Charles Bridge

 To start the day, Flat Stanley and I took a visit to the Charles Bridge. This is one of the top sites in Prague. The Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge in Prague with construction beginning in 1357. It allowed for the city to grow and thrive throughout history and was vital for early commerce. 

Prague Castle

 The second stop was the view of the Prague Castle from the Charles Bridge. The history of the castle goes back to 870 and is still in use today. It functions as the seat of the Czech government and is where they keep the crown jewels. The Prague Castle was built in the Gothic style and is one of the largest castles in the world. 

Vlatava River

 On our walk across the bridge, Flat Stanley decided he wanted to go for a swim in the Vltava River. This river runs right through the center of Prague and is the longest river in the Czech Republic. The river has allowed the city to be a major trading post throughout its extensive history.  

Graffiti in Prague

We found this graffiti inspired advertisement for a party that had come and gone. However, we took the opportunity to teach Flat Stanley how to drive in this appropriately-sized vehicle.

Traditional Czech Meal

 We were tempted to stop for a traditional Czech meal of pork knuckle and a beer, but decided to keep adventuring on instead.  

Kafka Statue

 While wandering through the Jewish Quarter we came across this Kafka-inspired statue. Kafka was born to German-speaking Jewish parents in Prague in 1883 and lived until 1924. He was a modernist existentialist writer and his most famous work is The Metamorphosis. 

Trdelnik

 Our last stop was for trdelnik, a traditional Czech dessert. It is made from dough that is cooked on a spit and then sprinkled with sugar and walnut. 

 I hope that you have enjoyed sharing in Flat Stanley's adventures through Prague. He had a great trip and I am hoping that he is out there exploring many other exciting places!

<3 Amy