Day #194 - Bamberg & Regensburg, Germany

Town Hall - Bamberg

Bamberg - interesting configuration

Lunch - Wiener Schnitzel

Regensburg - central cooridor

Regensburg - the Dom Cathedral

Friday, September 24th

Today I visited a couple cities north of Munich - Bamberg and Regensburg. Both places were unique and offered more southern German flavor.

I first took a 3-train connection to Bamberg (Pronounced 'Bambeeerg" - I was corrected by the lady at the station - she was having a liitle fun with me) This place is unique because it was one of the few cities untouched during the bombing of WWII because of its location near an artillery factory - which prevented planes from getting too close. Bamberg is also built on seven hills and was capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Heinrich II. The town is also known for its beer breweries - with one dating back to 1536.

When I first got off the train and started walking - I almost turned around to leave. The place just didn't have the 'feel'. I kept walking and crossed over a bridge. Now we're talking. All of a sudden, the streets turned to cobblestone, people were out in droves, the beer gardens were packed, and a festival atmosphere was taking place. Awesome. I grabbed a couple pieces of fruit and walked around. There were a bunch of different waterways connecting the city. The town hall (Altes Rathaus) is one of the most photographed places.

I decided to get some lunch. I found this place with a sign out front stating it has a prize-winning Wiener Schnitzel. This is an Austrian dish - but I thought I'd try it anyway. All good. I've included a picture. It was veal with potatoes with a special jam. I washed it down with a mug of their finest brew. I was sitting at this outdoor cafe and I was literally telling myself how lucky I am to be here right now.

I finished walking around town and then took the next train combination to Regensburg. I was delayed on one section for an hour - they made us get off the train. A girl sitting next to me said they made an announcement that there was an accident on the rails up ahead. She said it was probably a suicide - this happens occasionally. Woo - not so good.

I made it into Regensburg late in the afternoon. This town was largely kept from the destruction of WWII as well. It's known as the 'city of churches'. The Dom is one of the famous cathedrals in town and has two spiral steeples towering above it. There's also a large central corridor that filters throughout town. I walked the length of this and took in the scenery.

I didn't spend quite as much time in Regensburg - simply because I have alot to accomplish tonight. It's another example of a very interesting German town.

I just booked my hotel stay in Berlin. I'm really excited about this trip. I did a paper on the Berlin Wall when I was a senior in high school. We also had a German exchange student from Berlin that year. It's always interested me how the dynamics of the city could function under such separation. I also just found out that the Berlin Marathon will be held on Sunday. It's one of the biggest and best marathons in the world - with over 40,000 runners. I looked into registering long ago - but it was all sold out. The Berlin Marathon - along with the New York, Chicago, Boston, and London make up the Big 5 marathons. Maybe I'll go to the exhibit on Saturday afternoon and see if I can finagle my way into running it. Doubtful - these marathons are tough to get in. New York is a lottery and Boston you must be a superstar. I've done Chicago. Not sure about London. Who knows - maybe I'll get lucky. I need to do a long run over the weekend anyway - why not be the Berlin Marathon. At bare minimum - I'll get to watch some of it on Sunday.

Here's to a great trip north to see the 4th most populated city in Europe and the 15th most visited. I'm here to say that my 'most visited' list has some flaws in my eyes. I could live with the Top 10 (although I wouldn't put them in this order and I would exclude a few) -- London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Dublin, Madrid, Amsterdam, Prague, Moscow, Vienna. But, #'s 11-20 - my list has Warsaw over Berlin, Munich, and Florence. I haven't even been to Florence or Berlin yet - and there's almost no chance I'll agree with this. Keep an open mind - I get it.

Here's to keeping it interesting.