German Beers – Part Of Traveling In Germany

Germans and Belgians would probably argue about who has the best beer And the Czechs, at least those from Pilsen, might join in the squabble. But we’re not going to argue with anyone, we’ll just enjoy it where ever we are. And if you’re enjoying a trip to Germany you might as well enjoy a German brew.
 
Making beer in Germany is highly regulated. The brewers must adhere to something called “Reinheitsgebot”. This is a “purity order” that dates from 1516. They must use only water, hops and barley malt when they are making their beer. The law has been updated. Yeast can also be used now, it hadn’t been discovered in 1516! Sometimes sugar can be used too. But for German brewers, no preservatives or chemicals of any kind are allowed. No wonder it’s so good.
 
According to the Discover Munich website, beer is so special to Bavarians, that it isn’t even classified as alcohol, it’s a “health drink”. Well, I don’t know about that, but we’ve read surveys that say it is Germans’ favorite drink. And we will pretty much agree that if you’re traveling somewhere in the world where the water isn’t safe, it is safe to drink beer. So maybe it is a health drink!
 
There are many different German beers to try: light beers and dark beers, wheat beers and bock beers, pilsners and ales. Most beers have between 5-6 percent alcohol, but beware of some of the bock beers – they can have up to 16 percent alcohol!

Beers vary by region too. Now I don’t claim to be a beer expert by any means but what we’ve read is that beers become “maltier” as you travel towards the south and conversely, they become “hoppier” as you head north. Does any of that matter? It might to you.
 
But let’s just say that if you’re traveling in Bavaria, you’re in for a treat. Of Germany’s 1,300 or so breweries, the highest concentration is in Bavaria. And they have the greatest variety of beer styles. You can spend several lunches and dinners exploring the beer halls of Munich. Surely you’ve heard of the Hofbrauhaus. The other biggies are Lowenbrau, Augustinerbrau, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, and Spaten. And of course, there is always the Oktoberfest!
 
You should always beware of drinking and driving. The legal limit for blood alcohol in Germany is .05 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. You can be forced to submit to a blood test, so save enjoying those beers for days when you won’t be driving or for the evenings once you’re settled into your hotel. Prost – here’s to German Beer!

Explore Munich, The Bavarian Capital

We’re pretty sure you’re going to like Munich. Yes, it’s the capital of Bavaria in Germany, but when you think of a capital city, don’t you think of a serious place with government officials and boring buildings? Well get that picture out of your mind, Munich is fun!
 
It’s in the southern part of Germany. Truthfully, it might be best known for its fall festival of Oktoberfest. Beer is a big part of touring this great city with all its famous beer halls, but there is so much more.
 
There are great museums to visit, historic churches and the great central square of Marienplatz which is full of flowers, and alpen horns, and the Rathaus looming over the whole pagent. Many of the buildings have been re-built since they were destroyed in World War II, but the reconstructions are so faithful that you’ll never notice.
 
What’s this about Alpen horns? You’ll find lots of those Tyrollean influences because it is close to the Tyrollean Alps; they’re only 80 km away. The music and the people in Bavaria just seem more carefree than what you find in northern Germany.
 
It’s Munich in English, I’ll say it’s Munchen in German, but that’s not really right, it needs those two little dots over the “u” or they’ll tell you it’s misspelled. Sometimes you see it spelled Muechen in German, but that’s not so common.
 
So what should you see in this fun loving city? See the Marienplatz we mentioned above. Join all the other tourists to watch the Glockenspeil that graces the top of the Rathaus (the New Town Hall) put on its show at 11 am. The bells and characters also come out at 12 noon and 5 pm in the summer.
 
See the Frauenkirche, one of the symbols of the city, but don’t neglect other churches, and stay alert for concerts in them. It’s a real treat to hear organs and choirs in any church – like listening to angels, and I guess that’s the affect the architects were hoping to have on you!

You’ll also want to see the Residenz, the Palace in the middle of town. It can take you the better part of a day just to see the highlights. Its fabulous rooms are full of period furniture. Don’t miss the treasury! I will never forget the little gold statue of St. George Slaying the Dragon that is encrusted with jewels.
 
There are museums too: the Alte Pinakothek full of old masters and the Neue Pinakothek with paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, but you could also visit the BMW Museum. There is a whole list of museums to choose from.
 
For meals why not try a beer hall? There are plenty to choose from in Munich While there will be lots of tourists in them, there will also be lots of locals and plenty of atmosphere and music.
 
Most major airlines fly into the Munich airport. If you want to get straight to this fun loving part of Germany, why not fly directly in? Bus, trains and taxis are available to get you into town. The airport is only about 15 km from town, but it will take you about 45 minutes to get in from the airport to city center.
 
If you want to rent a car to explore the rest of Bavaria, do that after you’ve seen Munich. You don’t need a car in town, and you don’t want the expense and bother of parking it.
 
So for a visit to the Bavarian corner of Germany consider starting in Munich where you can immerse yourself in culture and lots of fun.

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Explore The Romantic Road Towns Of Bavaria

The most popular of the Romantic Road towns of Bavaria is undoubtedly Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Every tour that includes the Romantic Road will stop there, and you should too, but there are other great towns to explore along this picturesque route.
 
Starting in the north, the first town to explore is Wurzburg. Must sees in this town are the Residenz (the Prince-Bishop’s Palace), and the Marienberg Castle Fortress. If you want to try a little wine tasting, this is the center of Germany’s Franken wine growing region.
 
Following the road south you meander between the Tauber River and vineyards. See the Weikersheim Schloss (Castle) in the little town by that name. You can take a guided tour of its baroque interor. Linger for lunch and a glass of wine at the historic Marktplatz (Market Place) in town.
  
Rothenburg ob der Tauber comes next. Of all the towns on this route, this is the one you’ve probably read about. This little town looks like it stepped right out of a German fairytale. It’s true that if you only have time for one or two of the Romantic Road towns, Rothenburg ob der Tauber should be at the top of your list. The city walls and the medieval town seem like they were untouched by time, except for all the tourists. You should be prepared for crowds during the day, but the town is worth it.
  
Dinkelsbuhl runs a close second to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It also is still surrounded by its medieval city walls and looked over by its towers. It’s quieter, though there are still plenty of tourists. Enjoy the cobblestone streets, the pretty 16th century houses and try some of their gingerbread – that will make you think of Hansel and Gretel! This is the other town that most buses allow you to spend a couple of hours in. Our first visit was for two hours that way, we grabbed some gingerbread and spent the time exploring.

Nordlingen is smaller, but no less charming. It will take you less time to walk those well preserved town walls which have little wooden roofs as they did in medieval times. One interesting little tidbit is that the town sits in a crater formed by a meteorite strike. If you’re interested you might want to visit the Meteor Museum (Reiskrater-Museum).
  
Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbuhl and Nordlingen are close to one another, and together they make for a nice compact tour of Romantic Road towns.
  
Further south you’ll pass through Augsburg, a big city by Romantic Road standards, but historic. Finally, you’ll end up in Fussen where you’ll be in the area of Mad King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle which you will definitely want to see. Augsburg is very close to Munich and Fussen is a bit southwest, so you may just decide to visit Munich first.
  
You can drive this area, take the train to most of the towns, take a tour, or ride the Europabus which links most of the towns. The Europabus travels in both directions from May to October. It’s a convenient way to travel without worrying about a rental car and parking.
  
However you choose to explore the Romantic Road towns, allow yourself enough time so you can really enjoy their charms.

Germany’s Romantic Road – A Tourists’ Dream

This road stretches through Bavaria from Wurtzburg, near Frankfurt to Fussen near Munich. If you’re going to travel from Frankfurt to Munich, you could fly; you could take a train directly between them. But really, the way you should go is via the Romantic Road.
  
It is actually a very old route. It was a trade route during the Middle Ages and before that it was a Roman highway. The towns strung along this road still retain much of their medieval character, towns with walls and gateways and towers. The Romantischastresse, as a tourist, route was organized in the 1950s by the mayors of the towns to inspire more tourism, and boy were they successful!
  
The quaint towns could call you all by themselves, but the beauty of this road is that it passes through some of Germany’s prettiest countryside. All the way into the Alps.
 
The first time we visited some of the towns on this route, we took a bus from Munich. We had stops in Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was a day trip. At the end of a long day, we caught a train back to Munich. That was all the time and money we had on that first trip, but it just whetted our appetite to see more of the towns preserved along this road. And if that’s all the time you have, it works.
  
There are buses that run daily both north and south along the Romatischestrasse between April and October. Much of the time it is actually a guided bus tour with commentary. You could break your trip and spend more than the couple of hours they give you to explore Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Both towns deserve more time.
  
You can reach most of the main destinations by train. There are plenty of tours that will take you along this route as part of a tour of Germany too.

Bavaria – Oompah Bands, Beer, Sausages and Fun

Bavaria is a very pretty and fun part of Germany to visit. It is justifiably one of Germany’s more popular tourists destinations.
 
There are just lots and lots of things to do in this region of Germany, from famous castles like Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau to beer festivals like Oktoberfest in Munich.
   
Munich is the capital of Bavaria. It will take you two, three or more days to see it. Munich deserves a page of its own, and we’ll give that to you later.
  
Nuremberg (Nurnberg), with its medieval city walls and its Christmas market (Christkindlesmarkt), is a big city, but its compact center is very walkable. You can tour the Nuremberg Castle (Kaiserburg) which was the the official residence of German Kings and Emperors. Art historians will be interested to see the Albrecht Durer House.
  
Almost any town, large or small, in this region seems historic and picturesque.
  
Germany’s Romantic Road runs through the heart of this region. It starts in Wurzburg and ends in Fussen near Munich passing though several well preserved towns like Dinkelsbuhl and Rotenburg ob der Tauber.
  
Wurzburg is a vibrant university town and is worth a visit to see the Residenz, the Prince Bishop’s Palace. Also see the Fortess Marienberg, the castle on a hill across the “Old Main Bridge”.

Fussen is the small town nearest to Schloss Neuschwanstein. The Romantic Road in between Wurtzburg and Fussen is worthy of a couple of days of touring to see the well preserved towns along the way.
  
On the eastern edge of Bavaria, just across the River from Austria, Passau is in a beautiful setting at the junction of the Danube, Inn and Ils Rivers. Walk the old city. Visit the Castle across the river, the Veste Oberhaus, for beautiful views back to Passau. Many Danube River Cruise Boats dock in Passau to see the old city.
  
Chiemsee is the largest lake in Bavaria. On the island of Herenchiemsee, Ludwig II built another of his palaces, a mini-Versailles called Neues Schloss or Konigschloss.
 
Oberammergau is famous for painted houses, wood carved sculptures and the Passion Play which is every ten years. The third of Ludwig’s castles, Schloss Linderhof is near Oberammergau.
  
There are many beautiful little churches and abbeys to visit all through the area.
  
If you want to get into the dark and somber history of WW II, Dachau, site of the first Nazi concentration camp, is here. You should know, though, that Dachau is really a nice old town and worth seeing.
 
You can fly straight into Munich from several international destinations. There are many bus tours for the Romantic Road. We think the best way to explore this area is to rent a car and just ramble.
 
You’ll find nice hotels and bed-and-breakfasts everywhere with lots of pine woodwork and big fluffy down comforters. Order a beer and sausages and enjoy all the delights that Bavaria has to offer.

Amsterdam Red Light District – the “Rossebuurt”

If the coffee shops stretched your tourist imagination, the Amsterdam Red Light District won’t.  “It won’t?” I can almost hear all you men out there. “Wait a minute – that gets my imagination going!”
  
Well, it may boggle your mind to have sex for sale out in the open and legal, but your imagination? No. The Amsterdam Redlight District leaves very little to the imagination. It’s all right out there in front of you. It’s a frenetic, hardcore sideshow of humanity, and it’s unlike any other place that has been on your tourist map, we’re pretty sure of that!
  
You may have heard about this district before we told you, but is it a place for tourists? Yep – the place is crawling with tourists.
  
It’s very likely that everything you’ve heard about the Redlight district is true. You might as well check it out for yourself with all the other tourists.
  
Yes, it’s a district full of sex shops and brothels. Ladies of the night, of all nationalities, parade their wares in red lined “parlor windows”. But here’s the thing, you really won’t feel all that out of place: couples pointing in feigned embarrassment, groups of women giggling at it all, and groups of young and not so young men gawking, with the ladies trying to convince them to “step right in.”
  
All these red lighted storefronts sprang up in the old sailor’s quarters and as an odd quirk of history and geography the Oude Kerk – the Old Church ended up surrounded by this district. Church bells chime quaintly in the heart of this neighborhood selling sex. The Old Church is, fitting with its name, the oldest church in Amsterdam. It’s a calm center in the middle of this storm with cute little houses clinging to its sides.
   
If your curiosity gets the better of you, just to see how tolerant the Dutch are and how well this all works, go for that stroll in this district at night. That’s when all the lights are on and it really comes to life. During the daytime, there is less going on and parts of it may even look a bit shabby.

Spreading out from the Oude Kerk, the Rosseburrt is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. During the day you can wander the long winding narrow cobbled streets and enjoy the charming 14th century architecture along the canals. Parts of the area are undergoing restoration to reduce the shabbiness, and you’ll find upscale restaurants and music inviting you to linger without embarrassment.
 
Amsterdammers have a liberal and tolerant attitude towards all of this. Soft drugs and prostitution are legal. The prostitutes are even tax payers!
 
No need to worry about your safety here any more than you would in any part of the city. The Amsterdam Red Light district might actually be one of the safest areas because there are so many policemen on duty, not to mention bodyguards employed by the ladies themselves.
  
So go ahead, take a stroll in the Amsterdam Red Light District. Think what you can tell all your friends back home. Just keep in mind that you should never take pictures of occupied red windows, that is the one thing that is strictly banned.

Spending some time in Frankfurt, Germany

Germany’s capital has been moved from Bonn back to Berlin, but it is still the industrial city of Frankfurt that you are most apt to fly into. More international flights land there than at any of the other airports in the country.
  
Munich and Berlin draw more tourists, so Frankfurt may not be your ultimate destination in Germany, but it’s worth a visit. You have two choices on arrival. Go into the city for a day or two to get over jet lag and see the sights, or immediately get out of town.
  
To get out of town, you can rent a car and easily get to the Rhine and Mosel areas of Germany. The Romantic Road isn’t far away. You can fly on to another destination, or you can catch a train from the airport into town and get almost anywhere from the huge 19th century railway station in town.
   
Like many cities in Germany, Frankfurt was bombed during WW II, and nearly all of its old half-timbered buildings were destroyed. The city was rebuilt with a mixture of modern and traditional architecture. Some of the old buildings were faithfully restored.
  
You can take a leisurely day to explore the old town — the Altstadt. It’s a great way to get over jet lag and still get something out of your first day on a trip. Before WW II it was a great historic town, and with the rebuilding, there are still historic things to see. See the Gothe Haus, the birthplace of the 18th century writer Gothe.

The Romerberg area is the historic center of the Alstadt. There are three old houses connected together that are called the Romer. These houses were originally built in the 13th century. About a century after they were built, they were bought by the city, interconnected, and used as the city hall, the Rathaus.
  
On the second floor is the Imperial Hall, the Kaisersaal which you can visit on a tour. The wonderfully elaborate front of the Romer overlooks the Romerberg Square – Romerplatz. There are many other reconstructed half-timbered houses in the area.
 
You can’t miss the Church St. Bartholomaus which is also in the Altstadt. This church is sometimes referred to as the Dom (the cathedral), but it isn’t truly a cathedral. The main construction was from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
  
It was destroyed during WW II but resorted to it’s former glory. There is one altar remaining from the church’s original interior called the Altar of Mary Sleeping, the Maria Schlafaltar. It was carved in the 15th century.
   
One interesting fact is that in the 14th century, the Dom was selected to be the electoral site for the kings of the Holy Roman Empire. Several coronations took place here. In the Dom Museum you can see some of the robes of Imperial Electors. Some date from the 14th century and give you an idea of how ornate they were.
  
There are several museums on the south bank of the Main River. The most important art museum is the Stadel Museum. It contains paintings from most eras of European painting from early Flemish and Dutch masters, to German painters to Impressionists. Other museums are nearby, and this south bank of the river is sometimes referred to as the Museum Embankment.
  
Most of what you probably want to see can be reached on foot. Nearly all the tourist type sights are within the old town walls. You can get around Frankfurt by subway, trams and buses. Consider a Frankfurt Card – Frankfurter Tageskarte – which will get you on public transportation and into museums.
  
So when you fly into Frankfurt Airport, consider spending a day in the city. It might just surprise you with what it has to offer.

Belgium Beer Brewed Lovingly By Monks

If you don’t know it already, beer and Belgium go together. Trappist Monastery beers are a unique and terrific little sub-set of Belgian beers, and you could set up a great tour around Belgium to include sampling what the monks so lovingly produce.
 
For centuries, the Trappist monks have been brewing these beers.
 
Six of Belgium’s Trappist monasteries are authorized to use the Authentic Trappist Product label. In order for beers to have this designation, the entire production process must be carried out, or supervised, by Trappist monks inside a Trappist monastery. That doesn’t mean that Trappist beers are all alike though.
 
There is lots of variety. There are some twenty different beers brewed by those six monasteries. Some of these monastery breweries are very old, the oldest having brewed beer for about 1,000 years. They use only the best natural ingredients and the beers are made using traditional, non-mechanized processes.

These monasteries are scattered in a ring around the country. Plot them out on a map, rent a car and drive. You should allow about three days at least to see them all. The monasteries themselves are not usually open to the public, but the churches are, and you can sample the beers nearby. We always think it’s fun to know where beer and wine are made. See the source even if you can’t tour it.
  
There are occasional “open door days” when you can tour some of them. You must have a reservation for those tours. For the rest of the year, you can sample the Trappist Monastery beers in local cafes. Some monasteries have an abbey shop where you can try them. Most are also sold all over Belgium. You’ll be supporting the monks if you buy some because all the profits go to monastery maintenance and the charitable work done by those religious communities.
  
Here are the monasteries: Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren – near Ypres (leper); Our Lady of Scourmont, Chimay; Our Lady of Saint-Remy, Rochefort; Saint Benedict, Achel; Our Lady of Orval, near the village of Florenville; Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Westmalle.
  
Sample Westvleteren’s rich, malty beer in the welcome center cafe De Vrede across the street from the abbey. Their beer is sold only at the abbey and only with a reservation!
  
Taste Chimay’s classic Blue Beer with a piece of the abbey’s beer flavored cheese.
  
There is a museum in the foundations of the 18th century buildings at Our Lady of Orval. Tour Orval’s medieval abby ruins, then taste the beer. Orval also makes bread and cheese that go well with their beer. The abbey’s beer and cheese can be bought in the abbey shop. Some of Orval’s beers are even exported. At the bottom of their webpage, they pray you drink with wisdom. They say, “A beer brewed with knowledge is tasted with wisdom.”
  
Try Rochefort’s dark, sweet beers, which are available in different strengths.
   
There are plenty of beers to try in Belgium, and there are plenty of cute little cities to visit, but if you want to take a driving tour with a different twist, hop in your rental car and ramble around the country sampling Trappist Monastery Beers.

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