As Spring brings odd but good weather, and the plants bloom furiously making everyone in the house sneeze a lot, there was a middle ages themed festival at the bergruine Nanstein in Landstuhl.
Craig is philosophically against the idea of castles, so he stayed home while Jessica and I took the train over to check out the festivities.
The walk across the town and hike up to the castle was picturesque. The weather app having lied about the rain again, the sun shone through the forest lighting our way diffusely and even. It was strange but very cool.
We got to the entrance of the fest marked with a large wooden sword and paid our entry fees. The vendors were all correctly themed and we fairly swiftly found the tavern and got some weinschorle (wine with carbonated water in it). A magician did some cute magic for the kids and we clapped for him, as his illusions were good.
There were live demonstrations of life, including swordplay, folks lounging at tables in medieval costume, birds of prey, weapons to take photos with…
After our first round of schorle we got a second, and made our way to the top of the castle for the best vantage point. We listened to various music wafting up and watched as people flowed through the event.
After buying local mead, honey beer, and some beeswax candles, we made our way back to the train and home. Later in the afternoon the weather app took its revenge on our doubtingness and there was a random, strong thunderstorm that rolled through. We were happy we went earlier when the weather was nice!
(*photos from this adventure all taken by Jessica*)
I am in the process of buying a used car from a German dealership, which involves a ton of running around and paperwork. On our way home from the test drive we took on Friday, we saw a billboard announcing a street food fest in Kaiserslautern being held in the stadium, and we took a mental note to maybe go check it out, since we also recently got Deutschland tickets for the train, so we were going to debut them at the same time.
When we looked up the fest on Saturday, it turned out that dogs were not welcome, and it was such a nice day that we wanted to bring Freyja along. Plus, she really loves the train. So we spent some time trying to find a fest to do. Not having found one, we decided to just head to Homburg and see what happened.
We ended up heading to the Stadtpark, which also opens up into a wetlands preserve. It was a beautiful walk, and we spent some time in the grass letting Freyja enjoy life. Craig brought his longboard so he would skate off for a bit and come back while Jessica and I meandered. Freyja was super offended every time he left her with us, she also really likes running while he boards.
After some time in the park, we decided it would be a nice day for a beer on a terrace. We walked past the Karlsberg beer factory in Homburg on the way to the Cafe Bar, so I figured Karlsberg on tap would be rather fresh here. We sat at the outdoor table in the middle of Homburg and discovered that the beer was indeed fresh, and it just so happened there was some sort of market going on as well, with the street shut down for vendors.
Craig tried to order a Guinness but the bar had none, so we got some normal beers. After the first round the barkeep told us she had a ‘Dunkel Karlsberg’ on tap that we should try. She was right, it was SO GOOD. That is the first time I ever actually tasted the supposed caramel notes in a beer. Probably my new favorite beer.
Afterwards we wandered around the market, which was a ceramics market full of hand-thrown colorful wares. There were some gorgeous art pieces that I felt like it would have been some form of theft to photograph.
Finally, we caught the train home, another very successful adventure in Homburg!
Rhineland-Pfalz is wine country, and nestled in that wine country is an area with almond trees planted. Similarly to cherry trees almonds bloom in the spring, pink and fragrant and full of life.
Every year a committee of people in Gimmeldingen village watch the almond trees for the peak of their bloom, and schedule the almond blossom festival. I’ve been checking every week since February to catch the right weekends for the festival, and this year it just so happens to be March 22nd and 23rd, along with next weekend as well. This was excellent timing as our anniversary happens to be March 22nd.
We all loaded up in the train around 10am and took the hour long ride to the village. It was neat to wind our way up the medieval streets, following a crowd of other folks going to roughly the same place. We took a right onto a slightly less travelled path and got our first glimpse of the almond trees. They were beautiful, but we weren’t totally sure it lives up to the hype.
We continued on the path until we encountered a truck booth proffering wine. Things started looking up as we got our first glass of schorle style wine, where sparkling mineral water is added to the wine to make it sparkly.
As we walked up the hill further, drinking our wine and enjoying the sunny weather (a pleasant surprise, it was supposed to rain according to our apps) we started seeing a bigger picture of the festival, and everything started making sense.
The main almond-lined panorama view of the village was lined with booths full of food, confections, wine, and various craft goods, similar to the Christmas markets. There were tables and benches in open seating areas and the yard of a building that let us know from a carving it was built in 1772. We were unable to pass by the artisanal French sausage cart, the candied almond cart, or the Netherlands cheese cart without buying the wares. One booth offered braised salmon sandwiches, also not passed up. We found half meter spicy sausages on brotchen, pommes, and almond cookies, along with a refill of our wine.
We wandered up onto the panorama way to look out over the Rhine wine valley, vineyards and almond trees making a tapestry of the land. Industry distant in Mannheim, and I think I was able to distinguish Heidelberg far away as well.
On the way back to the train, we tipped a busker playing accordion for passersby, and observed as the festival began to fill up with more people.
We stopped into one of the wineries in Gimmeldingen proper to buy a bottle of the wine from the schorle. “€6.50” stated the nice wine attendant as she placed the large bottle on the counter. “€6.50?? Can we have 2 please”. Good wine doesn’t have to be expensive, especially here.
We took the trains back home with only a little worry for the connection, but everything went off without a hitch. 4 bottles of wine, 5 sausages, 2 cheeses, a bunch of sweets and 3 very content people later, we were very pleased with discovering the Mandelblütenfest. Just so happens, this year is also Gimmeldingen’ 750 year anniversary. Happy anniversary!
Freyja is a shelter dog, but we got her at 13 weeks old. She’s 2 years old now, but her whole life has been in the desert suburbs of Albuquerque. So safe to say she’s never been on public transportation before.
This Saturday we decided to try to take the S-Bahn somewhere, just to work the system. I suggested Homburg since it’s close by in the neighboring state of Saarland, and the train goes right to it.
I checked that Freyja could ride with us, but she would need a ticket since she’s larger than a cat. After some debate on whether to actually take her this time or not, her sad puppy eyes convinced us, and we set out for the train station with Freyja in tow.
The station itself was a bit weird for her, and she was very alert to everything. We boarded the train without issue, and she actually settled in pretty ok. A man heading by us asked to pet her and asked how old she was, and she loved the attention.
This is my “give me hamburger” face
After the short train ride we disembarked in Homburg and proceeded to explore for a couple hours, stopping at an ice cream shop (Freyja got no ice cream), and had lunch at a burger place (Freyja got water, a fry, and a bit of prosciutto; the burgers were so good we forgot to give her some).
Both we and Freyja had enough after lunch, so we headed back home on the train, adventure a great success! Freyja slept the rest of the day, she was worn out!
Last weekend Craig and Jessica finally joined me in lovely lush Germany. With them came two loud, complaining cats and one very confused dog. Freyja had definitely missed me, and especially missed sleeping in my bed at night.
Everyone took the week to settle in and start soaking in the sights, sounds, smells and feels of the new place. After the jetlag started wearing off, we got to the weekend once more.
We decided to go tour the Nanstein castle ruins in Landstuhl. Unlike on Thanksgiving when I went on my first hike in the area, the ruins themselves were actually open. 6 Euros each and we were free to roam the interior of the structure. The castle was first there about the year 1100 or so, but it was extensively remodeled in the 1500s and 1600s for warfare with artillery and guns.
It was neat to go through the castle with a couple of first-timers, watching the curiosity and emotion of seeing something so old that has been there so long. The castle has a great vantage of the town and the surrounding areas, and we were able to go all the way up to the very top to see all the way out.
The natural limestone that the castle is built on is this gorgeous red color. It’s built out of a lot of that limestone, but they also pulled in stones from other sources. In the basement of the large artillery round there is a relief of the god Mercury that was repurposed from a 4th century shrine either on the castle grounds or brought in from somewhere else.
Also in the artillery area, there was a cannon with some speakers and lights hooked up to it so that you could experience a bit of what it would be like to be at war in the castle. It was also really interesting to experience the closed feeling of being in the cellar areas of the castle, where the wet stone dripped onto the floor, and the drops made little holes in the limestone mirroring the grid of the hewn stone of the ceiling.
After touring the castle we walked back to the car through the forest in a very light rain. We had the intention to hike further but didn’t want to get caught in the rain. Another successful adventure!
A few weeks ago my coworker sent me a link to an event, Nacht der Vampire, Feb 8, Heidelberg Schloss. Not only was it a vampire party in a castle, but there was the option for a horror themed buffet at the castle restaurant as well. I bought my ticket, and spent the next bit planning: bought a dress, but it didn’t look quite right, so I bought a corset too; makeup; jewelry; train tickets for the S-Bahn to Heidelberg-Altstadt; hotel room for one night, walking distance from the castle.
Finally the day came. I overcame my curmudgeonly urges to stay home and go hiking instead, and walked to the train station. I was nearly 20 minutes early for a train that arrived 5 minutes late, so I got to watch other trains slide by and stir up the cold wind. ‘I really should buy an actual scarf.’ (I have had this thought probably 20 times since I got here. still haven’t bought an actual scarf). My train arrived and I boarded and found a seat, facing south and looking forward.
The train ride was smooth and uneventful. I watched the people that boarded and then left, and the landscapes roll by. Crossing the Rhine is always super impressive, it reminded me of crossing the Mississippi back when we drove to Michigan. The views from the train are quite different than from the highways, I had no idea there were a bunch of tiny-house communities near the railroad tracks. they looked pretty well put together but only a step or two away from being shanty towns; The ramshackle tiny homes had the occasional solar panel and all of them had little gardens.
I arrived to Heidelberg and walked to my hotel. It was hard to find how to get into the hotel because it is at the top of a parking structure and apparently the only way to access it is via the parking structure elevator, and I didn’t see any signs that said that. I eventually found it and checked in, and the view from my room directly to the castle was breathtaking. This was going to be a super cool night.
I got ready and headed out to the castle after dark. The structure was lit up and the pathways to the castle are open to the public 24/7, even if the castle itself is closed. The hike up was rather steep, and my wool cape was actually a little warmer than I needed as I huffed and puffed in my corset and boots up the hill. I got sat at a table “for the people who came alone” where 3 other people were sitting, 2 American gentlemen working in Munich to open a new office for CCG, a company responsible for Pokémon trading cards, and a German lady. We all immediately made friends. The buffet was excellent, and included a wine buffet along with whatever cocktails and drinks one could want.
I was pretty toasty by the time my coworker arrived to the party, and after checking my cape, joined the party in earnest. There were two dance floors, one in the ground floor of the main castle, where Germany’s biggest cask has been since it was built in the 1700s. It can hold 68,000 liters of wine, mirroring the crowd dancing to the DJ sets.
Upstairs was a different, fancier dance floor with a different, more pop-music focused DJ. I linked up with my coworker friends and bopped around a bit with them, then lost them after we went out for some fresh air. My new German friend from the restaurant found me on the stairs on the way back up to the dance floor, so I linked up with my new friends, and was herded up to the stage to dance. I am so happy I remembered to purchase, bring, and wear earplugs to the party!
After dancing at the front I lost both my drink and my new friends, found my old friends, and acquired another drink (water this time, cause I’m smart.) We people-watched for a while, as there were some really intricate costumes circulating, and I watched several ballroom and swing dancers find small spaces to dance. At some point the dance floor got far too warm, and I started getting rather tired, so I took my leave of both sets of friends (found the new ones on the stairs again, taking photos in the deep castle window), and weaved my way back to the hotel. Thankfully my corset has a side zipper so I took it off while I hiked back to the hotel, proud of myself for both remembering how to get back and not tripping or stumbling.
The headache I woke up with was not as bad as I was expecting, and I did not wake up as late as I expected. The hotel breakfast was perfect post party food, consisting of breads, lunch meats, some weird egg salad sort of things, fruit, and coffee. I packed up my party clothes and headed out to walk around the castle in the daylight before I caught the train home.
The hotel receptionist had mentioned some stairs to reach the castle and had recommended the footpath for getting to the party, rather than going up the stairs. I was curious so I went up the stairs to the castle. It felt like approximately 68,000 steps, but it’s actually more like 315. It was like time travel walking up, the old style houses with their little terraced gardens, their only access from these very steps.
When I got to the top and reached the castle battlements, the view was stupendous. A crow landed a couple meters from me, hopeful I might have food for him. I told him in German that I had no food for him, but thanked him for joining me, so he politely posed for a couple photos before flying off.
The vast expanse of the castle was lovely to explore, with a bunch of really neat statuary, various carvings, and views for days. I heard what sounded like parrot screeches, and ended up seeing a flock of wild ringed parakeets flying around being adorable. They have apparently naturalized in the area since the ’70s.
Finally, I hiked back down the hill on a different path and walked over to the train station, 10 minutes early to catch my train, which came on time. When I got home, Sensi wasn’t even mad, so all in all this small trip was a huge success. The S-Bahn was easy to navigate since I found a direct line with no transfers, and Heidelberg is a truly beautiful historical city. I am very excited to go back and explore more of the old medieval streets and go to some of the museums there.
I grew up with the original Roxy cast recording of Rocky Horror Show; Tim Curry, Meatloaf, upbeat rock riffs… As a little kid it sounded like normal science fiction stuff. As a teenager I got to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show movie, still starring Tim Curry and meatloaf; the songs were more languid in the movie version, but it is still iconic. I never wound up seeing the production live.
2024 is the 50th anniversary of the original musical, and back in December Instagram served me up ads informing me of the Germany leg of the anniversary tour. The closest showing to me was in Mannheim, and there were still some decent seats available at the time, so I bought one.
I had no idea at the time that I would be in the midst of moving into and furnishing my house, but I still headed out Saturday afternoon driving East on the 6. The show would be in the Rosengarten Congress Center in Mannheim, a gorgeous art deco building toward the center of the large city on the bank of the Rhine.
The drive was gorgeous, even passing a half-ruined castle right by the side of the Autobahn. The speed limit dropped in that area due to a low mountain pass, but it gave me a moment to appreciate the view of the Rhineland wine country.
Arriving at the Rosengarten, I got my Pre-Show Pretzel (if you don’t have pre-show pretzels, what are you even doing) and Sprudel Wasser, and headed to my seat
The show was excellent, the cast comfortable with their roles and singing beautifully. I wasn’t expecting to get a bit emotional when hearing the familiar tunes live, in a theater in Germany, the outsider and alien themes of the show somehow reflecting my own status as a foreigner and outsider in this land. The narration was in German, and the crowd played along with the show, squirting water, throwing confetti, and participating where appropriate.
It was quite the sight to watch middle-aged German men doing the Timewarp again, but I think we should refrain from getting strung out by the way folks look, and not judge books by their covers.
After the show I made my way out of Mannheim. The castle passed earlier was now illuminated in red light in the dark. Unfortunately my Hyundai Tucson appeared to night like that particular mountain pass and struggled to keep speed up the hill. The check engine light came on, and I thought, well there’s something else I’ll have to look into when I get home.
Unfortunately the car thought that was not good enough and lost power as the check engine light started flashing. Apparently that means “EMERGENCY DO NOT DRIVE” so I had to pull off at a rest stop and call a tow truck. A couple hours later the tow truck driver dropped me and mein kaputtes Auto at home. Duolingo came in clutch, cause none of the people I had to interact with to get my car towed spoke English except the tow company rep on the phone.
What ever happened to Saturday night? When you Left your job and felt alright? Don’t seem the same since cosmic light Came into my life, I thought I was divine
Dawn comes gray at 8:15, the wind pushes the high clouds Southeast as the ambient becomes brighter. I don’t expect to see the sun today, but the Winter Solstice is about the night, not the day. My single candle is ready for the evening; I won’t be lighting a bonfire this year, so the scent I chose was ‘Evening Bonfire’.
Mid morning I put together my itinerary to head to the Treetop Walk in Saarschleife. I read about them decorating it with lights for the holiday, and thought what better way to spend the solstice than by going and seeing the lights. It was lightly raining when I left, driving Northwest on the Autobahn. The clouds were low, and sometimes I would see just the bottoms of the huge blades of the windmills as they disappeared above the clouds. Sometimes there were whisps of stray clouds rising from forests on the side of the road, dark green pine trees and the red bare wood of deciduous trees making Christmas colors on the hills.
I stopped at Burg Dagstuhl, a castle ruin I chose almost at random on the map a little over halfway to my destination. This ruin is open to the public and free to explore. It was slippery hiking to the wet ruin, happy plants sprouting from the black stones. There were the usual blackberry brambles and the occasional fern; this is the first time I have seen nettles, and there were patches of small wild strawberries growing in this bunches at the base of some of the walls.
I walked around the medieval ruin for about half an our in the drizzly rain, and managed not to fall on the slippery leaves as I hiked back down to my car.
Less than an hour later I arrived at the Treetop Walk location, and parked in a nearly empty parking lot. I had arrived just in time for lunch, and somewhat at random chose a restaurant called Buchnas Dorfküche, and seem to have accidentally chosen something that won a Michelin award at the very least according to a plaque on the wall as I left. The restaurant served elevated regional food. I had a delightful seasonal onion torte, calf’s liver with apple and potato puree, and an almond-plum strudel with pear ice cream. It was unbelievably delicious.
I walked back down to the nature park and hiked around a bit before going up to the Treetop Walk tower. The Saar river snakes through the mountainous terrain here, and on one of the finger-like lands is the Burg Montclair, a cute castle that I am definitely going to hike to in the future.
It’s been raining quite a bit in the last 24 hours in this area, so the river is muddy looking and running high. I’m told it has a more aesthetic color in the spring. Nonetheless, the view and landscape are breathtaking, and the dramatic clouds slip by South-to-North quickly shapeshifting, occasionally dropping a few halfhearted rain flurries.
Sunset is scheduled at 1633h, and at 1540h I use my ticket to access the wooden walkway up to the tower of the Treetop Walk. The lights are on, but they are a little underwhelming after memories of the river of lights back home.
The walk spiraling up to the top of the tower was around 700m, warning signs telling walkers to get off the top viewing deck if there is lightning or a storm. The clouds were still low, but it wasn’t raining at the moment. Arriving at the viewing deck at the top of the tower, I could feel the whole structure shaking in the wind.
I sat on the bench at the top of the tower for a while while I took in the view, watching the landscape start to darken. People file through, take windblown selfies with the river, then file back out, chattering in their various languages – German, French, Loud American.
1633h hit and it started to rain. I took that as my cue to depart, I left my umbrella in the car drying out after my adventure at Burg Dagstuhl. I skipped the store selling Glühwein at the bottom of the tower and made it back to the car, darkness rapidly closing in around the landscape.
It rained in earnest my entire dark drive back home. I didn’t have to slow down much, though; the Autobahn is wide and well designed to keep traffic moving even in weather.
Back at the hotel, I had dinner in the restaurant as a lovely cap to the day. I came back upstairs and lit my Solstice candle, the subtle scent spreading in the room while I wrote these thoughts and sipped a nice Earl Gray tea.
And so went the shortest day of the year; the shortest day I have ever experienced, and so began the longest night. Happy Solstice everyone, tomorrow the light makes its return bit by bit.
Wiesbaden is the state capital of Hessen, and in a close vicinity to Frankfurt. Its advantageous site on the upper Rhine means that the site has been continuously occupied since the Neolithic, but there are currently extant Roman parts that date from 6AD.
Two of my coworkers, a friend of one of said coworkers, and I all loaded up and made the hour-ish drive up to Wiesbaden from Landstuhl about midday today. The autobahn between Kaiserslautern and Frankfurt are flanked by gorgeous green fields, rolling forests, and wind turbines here and there adding modern flair to the classic landscapes.
This market is a lot larger than the one I visited a couple weeks ago at Kaiserslautern, with several streets surrounding the cathedral taken up with rows of booths full of various wares, including Christmas decor, handmade soaps, wooden bowls and spoons, and many different types of tempting food offerings.
We wandered around for a bit just taking in the sights and smells. on every row was a booth for various types of Glühwein, several booths with Wurst and soups… I was glad I skipped breakfast. Once we got our bearings, we hit a Glühwein vendor in the middle square, and I found a flatbread vendor that smelled so good I could not resist. I also got the opportunity to try Currywurst and it was extremely tasty; the tangy sauce played well with the curry seasoning on top of a fine-textured sausage.
I got a bag of roasted chestnuts as well, a delectable treat I haven’t indulged in since the late 90’s in Madrid, Spain. They were well roasted and hit a spot I didn’t realize needed hitting til I found myself in Europe in Winter once more.
As we wandered around more, the crowds began growing and slow-moving lanes formed down the aisles of booths. At some point a live band started playing on a stage that had been covered when we first arrived, our slow progress was made pleasant by brass tunes accompanying out march.
I accomplished some gift shopping to send back home for the holiday, and am very excited about the things I found. I will have to make a future post after Christmas so I don’t spoil any surprises.
The weather all day was chilly but mostly sunny, and our drive back toward Kaiserslautern was gifted a dazzling display of sunset colors.
The rain has been relentless, but in a poetic, misty kind of way that still soaks you if you aren’t careful. I still haven’t sorted out proper rain gear for my biking and hiking escapades, so for now, my adventures are of the less-epic, more-errand-running variety.
Sensi, on the other hand, is blissfully indifferent to my damp dilemmas. She’s content in the way cats are – aloof yet unmistakably missing something. Maybe it’s the thrill of a new hiding spot, or the ability to silently judge me from a loftier perch. In response, I’ve been on a quiet mission to make our temporary hotel home a bit more Sensi-friendly.
For the first few days, we were the lone occupants of our floor. The hotel owner graciously let me close off the hallway, and Sensi indulged in some hallway reconnaissance, tail up, ears forward – an intrepid explorer surveying her temporary extra kingdom. But new guests have since appeared, and so, for now, her adventures are limited to our room.
To keep things fresh, I’ve adopted a uniquely German winter tradition: Lüften – airing out the room daily, no matter how bone-chilling it is outside. A ritual of windows flung open, icy air swirling in, and old air politely shown the door. Sensi, always intrigued by the doorway to the great beyond, takes full advantage of these moments. She pads out to the balcony, sniffs the cold air, and glares at passing pigeons with the disdain of someone who has just discovered they exist.
But let’s face it – she’s bored. The room is smaller than my old one, and despite pillow forts, a fancy cat cave (which she treats like a cursed artifact), and my best efforts at enrichment, the ennui is palpable.
So today, I ventured out into the rain for supplies. Mission: lunches, a laundry hamper (because the laundry bags are not the vibe), and something, anything, to bribe Sensi into a state of joy – or at least mild approval.
Enter Fressnapf, a local pet store in Landstuhl. This is where I previously procured the “Cat Tower of Judgment” and the infamous “Cat Cave of Nope.” Today’s haul? A circular cardboard scratcher infused with some magical, non-catnip herb, a couple of toys, and a new plush cat bed – deep, soft, and worthy of a royal nap.
Back in the hotel room, I set up the scratcher, sprinkled on the cat herb, and stepped back. Sensi sniffed, eyes dilated, and the fun commenced. She scratched, pounced, zoomed, and generally behaved like a caffeinated fur missile. Fifteen glorious minutes later, she gave in to the siren call of the new plush bed, curled up like a perfect cinnamon roll, and began snoring softly.
Mission accomplished. For now.
And as the rain continued to tap against the window, I sat down, watching my content, softly-snoring cat, and thought – sometimes the best adventures are the ones that end in a little peace.
Margarine is Murder 