In my previous post, I wrote about the joy that was spending six days with my parents here in Germany. It was a tremendous effort on their part, and I was so proud to share my new home with them. I also featured a guest post from my mom on the blog, and she touched on just about everything that made the time together so special. Both posts allude to some of our travels, but I haven't divulged full details about our jam packed days and eye-opening trips.
I haven't heard from my parents what their absolute favorite part of the trip was, but I'm going to venture out and offer my own highlights. I'm sure their opinions aren't too far off. The list goes in chronological order, and while there is a whole lot I can't fit in, these will make a pretty decent summary of our adventures.
Monday
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| The delightful displays in my favorite Bad Homburg chocolate shop |
Tuesday
On a day where we shared our time between Frankfurt and Mainz--the two closest big cities--the grey skies couldn't stop us from seeing and eating to our hearts' content. My favorite stop in Mainz was our lunch spot, a brewery called Eisgrub-Brau. Located in an old vaulted ice cellar with arched ceilings, the pub served big plates of traditional German food and offered a warm atmosphere. My parents couldn't go to Germany and not try Bratwurst and Sauerkraut!
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| My Dad's first real German meal |
The highlight from Frankfurt was a new adventure for me. After a lovely dinner of Flammkuchen and soup on Frankfurt's Burger Strasse, we met Nina and Simon for an evening at the English Theater. The small performance center does, as you guessed, plays and musicals in English. We happened to see a musical called "Sweet Charity." I'd never heard of it, but without going into the details, I found it to be incredibly entertaining. I never really appreciated professional stage acting until I saw "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway last spring with my AP English class. While the English Theater in Frankfurt is a little different than Broadway, I enjoyed the play start to finish. Heck, I haven't seen a musical by anyone older than high school students since I saw "The Lion King" half-a-dozen years ago. "Sweet Charity" capped off a busy and successful Tuesday.
Wednesday
As I mentioned in my last post, we were able to visit Accadis and spend some time with the head P.E. teacher Darryl Cromier. I have spent a lot of time helping Darryl in his sports classes and we've developed a bond that I know will continue even after I leave. When I visited with my parents on Wednesday morning, he took his whole break period to talk with us and give a tour of the school. They got to see how fortunate I am to have landed at Accadis and that I get to spend my days with Darryl. By the end of our tour, they loved the school, and I was even prouder to be a volunteer there.
Thursday
We left for Heidelberg in foggy skies, but as soon as we drove south of Frankfurt, the sun started peeking out. Soon there was plenty of blue, and by the time we reached our destination, there was not a cloud in the sky. Though it was about thirty degrees colder than my last visit in early September, the clear blue skies hadn't changed a bit.
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| Panorama from the Heidelberg Castle in late afternoon |
It's impossible to pick a favorite moment from the day, since our stops ranged from incredible stores along the Hauptstrasse to five different Christmas Markets to unforgettable breweries and eateries. I took my second trip to the famous Heidelberg Schoss (castle), this time via the steepest railway I've ever been on. We walked out to a lookout near the castle and enjoyed the full scope and beauty of the city in the orange sunset.
I'm going to write about the different Christmas Markets I visit in another post, but for now, I loved the atmosphere and stalls in all of the Heidelberg markets. They gave wandering around the Altstadt a purpose, and between our meals we filled the time with stall-gazing and gift buying. I loved Heidelberg during my first visit, but that was back when I didn't know anything about German travel. Coming back with my parents confirmed my appreciation for the city and all of the big and not-so-big details that make it special.
Friday
I wrote earlier about our highly anticipated trip to Cologne. I'd never been to to city besides a transfer at the train station, but even the few glimpses I got left me yearning to spend a day there. We took the scenic route up--over the Taunus hills and down to Koblenz where we hit the Rhine. From there we chose the low road, which wound its way along the wide river. We saw the quaint German towns, steep hills lined with rows and rows of grapevines, and the occasional castle or palace.
Cologne itself was a treat, despite the only rain of the entire week. There isn't the ancient feel of Heidelberg, but the tradeoff is incredible shopping streets, unique museums, and plenty of sights. One of the most jaw-dropping of these was the Hohenzollern Bridge and its locks. It's become a tradition for partners to engrave their names on a lock and attach it to the bridge's fencing. There's not an inch of space, and the bridge stretches 400 meters over the Rhine!
And of course, there's the Dom. It was the single most impressive thing I've seen in Germany. I can say all I want about its size, design, and omnipresence, but it really has to seen to be believed. Considering that every inch of the cathedral was carved, sculpted, and arranged down to the tiniest details, I understand why it took so long to complete. (There were long breaks in the 600 years of building, though). I wish I had known a little bit more about the stained glass pictures and narratives described in the Dom's artwork, but at the very least, the time we spent there was unforgettable.
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| Each arched doorway is decorated with the most intricate stone carvings |
Lastly, despite some transportation issues, we reached the FC Koln stadium for an evening soccer match versus Bochum. Everyone came out for the Friday night football fest, and the big stadium was mostly filled by the 40,000 in attendance. We got to see a few goals, which each came with raucous celebration. I've now been to three games (in Stuttgart, Edinburgh, and Cologne) and the feel in the Koln stadium was the most fun. The match finished 3-1 to the home side, and though we got home late, it was well worth the effort.
Saturday
I wrote about one of Saturday's highlights in my previous post, that being my soccer match. It was a fun game for my parents (and the whole Judson family) to see, and my teammates made me feel like it was my night.
For our final evening together, we joined Nina and Simon for a goose dinner at a cozy restaurant in Bad Homburg's Altstadt. I'd seen hundreds of half-timbered buildings but had never been inside one. The inside looked just as old as the outside, but in an elegant way that made our final dinner special. The goose was one of the best meals I've had in Germany. Though we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey, the goose was a delectable substitute.
Those were the moments I enjoyed most about the week: when all of us knew it was late in the evening, but we simply couldn't stop talking. Even though our families haven't spent too much time together, it feels like we've all been friends for years. I'm very lucky to have Nina and Simon looking out for me, and it certainly makes it easier on my parents. Still, there's nothing better than being with family. It was a week none of us will forget.
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