We had a bit of a chaotic start to our day. Several of Z’s models, and their children, bunked over. In addition, she is having her kitchen updated by the house owner/military folks. And the dog has been stung by a bee. And… well, you get the idea. Around 4 in the afternoon things had settled down enough that Keyra, having left Jaden with a sitter, Z and I could sneak out for a trip to Nürnberg.
We traveled by train. I have to say that if you are visiting Bavaria, you must do this at least once. First, you understand maybe one word in a hundred being spoken by the announcer dude. Second, they like to change the schedules – unannounced. So it is a nice, stress-free way to get from one place to another. Ahh, but once you get on the train…you cannot possibly imagine how beautiful the Bavarian countryside is. A pretty forest with picturesque little hamlets, it was a most enjoyable trip – except for the train station stuff.
As it was hotter than blue blazes outside, our first task in Nürnberg was to find something to drink. Good thing Starbucks was nearby. Nothing like a refreshing ice tea on a hot day, is there? And so many choices wow! This place just totally rocked. (Yes, I own Starbucks stock.)
Most tourist guides love to rant on cities like Nürnberg, that were destroyed in the war and then rebuilt, that you can hardly tell the difference between the old buildings and the restored ones. You can tell. It’s really not very hard. Really. But the restoration, Disneyland version doesn’t distract from the real old-timey classic buildings. Just kind of, well, puts them in context.
There are some beautiful old churches here, with an amazing amount of detail on the buildings. The artists involved in building these things were pretty amazing, and I do mean artists. Each church is a work of art. Many people say that they reach a point in Europe where you don’t see the churches and old buildings anymore, after all, there is one on every corner, isn’t there? To those people, you need to get more caught up in the details. Stop and look at the sculpture and detail in these buildings. It is amazing.
A little shopping for us in the middle of sightseeing, but not too much as the stores were beginning to close. So we stopped for dinner. We ate at the Barfüβer pub in the center square. Of course it is a brew pub, do you need to ask?
Barfüβer Blonde. Brewed in house in Nürnberg. Alcohol not available, but probably in the 5% range. A beautiful sea of white foam floats atop a cloudy brown brew. Hints of the hops in the nose, but you have to look for them. Not an in-your-face helles, but an acceptable balance of the caramel malt and the floral hops. Just not very big. Nice chewy texture and a hint of hops at the end. Like Oregon, there are really no bad beers here (yet!), there are just some that are better than others. This is a middle of the packer.
Home by train and to bed. Tomorrow we go to mecca!
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