The Christmas Market in Bamberg, Germany was nothing short of enchanting. We first visited in the evening with one of Mr. Meena’s bosses and loved it so much we took the train back to enjoy it again the next week. We were quickly drawn to the smell of German bratwurst at the Christmas Market. The Bamberger Bratwurst is two long sausages on a slightly shorter bun; they are currently my second favorite bratwurst variety (after the Nuremberger bratwurst). Food in […]
Category: Germany
The Würzburg Christmas Markets.
Last Sunday we had our fourth German Christmas Market experience in the nearby city of Würzburg. We’ve visited the small market where we live in Schweinfurt as well as the markets in Munich and Nuremberg. I attempted to research what to do and see at the Würzburg Christmas Markets but I could find little other than the dates and the mention of a special artisans market. So we just had to go experience it for ourselves. It wasn’t surprising that […]
An American Goes to the Doctor in Germany.
I’ve had excruciating back pain for over a year now that manifests whenever I sit or stand for more than 30 minutes. It’s a pinpoint type of pain that radiates from my eighth vertebrae. I do okay if I’m walking quickly or lying down but that’s about it. As you can imagine, it puts quite a damper on our travels around Germany. We saw several doctors and I had so many tests done in America it would make your head […]
7 Tips for Visiting the Nuremberg Christmas Markets.
I especially loved the Nuremberg Christmas Markets because they had so many surprises to offer throughout the day. We arrived early (a big accomplishment!) and were startled when we heard several people speaking English. After a long time of not hearing anyone other than your spouse speaking English in public it feels like culture shock when you hear it. I even heard a lady talking with a southern accent and I wanted to go hug her. Of course, we had […]
8 Ways to Prepare for a Visit to Germany.
Last weekend we visited Munich and I couldn’t help but notice all the ways that a big German city is different from an American one. We’ve been living in Germany for three months now and these are my tips for adapting to the cultural differences during your visit here. 1) Expect to be pushed around – especially if you are in a bigger city. The average German will attempt to cut in front of you, push past you, or otherwise […]
How Holiday Park (Germany) Is Different from American Theme Parks.
We recently visited Holiday Park and were pleasantly surprised throughout the day as we encountered a more relaxed atmosphere than we expected. This park really challenged our primarily American based experience of theme parks. I’m even more excited now to visit more parks in Europe. Here are the 13 things that really stood out to us: You don’t pass through a special parking toll gate when you arrive. Instead, you just pay when you get your ticket and then give […]
Do’s and Don’ts: Our First Impressions of Bamberg, Germany.
Bamberg is a thirty minute ride down the train tracks for us, so we didn’t try to accomplish all our sightseeing in one day. It was bustling with activity when we visited, which isn’t all that surprising considering its university and the city’s claim to fame as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the first things you’ll learn if you start researching Bamberg is that is has seven hills and seven churches on each hill. I wasn’t able to […]
9 Ways to Say Goodbye in German.
I was reflecting on my post about how to greet in German and having a good laugh about it, because we rarely get the opportunity to greet Germans properly. Usually we are greeted by a string of words or sentences as if we were already mid-conversation with someone. The cashier will start rambling along about something (I have no idea what) while ringing up my groceries or I’ll open the door to the cleaning ladies and my “Guten Morgen” is drowned out […]
Visiting Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany.
Recently Mr. Meena and I visited Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany. It’s nearly three hours away from where we live and it was a very appropriate trip since we were celebrating Mr. Meena’s 25th birthday (in case you don’t know, he is a roller coaster fanatic in every sense of the word). We had something really special happen during this trip (which I’ll share below)! I’m going to talk about the coasters at the park, their waterpark show, the kiddy section, and […]
4 Details About German Greetings.
Last Wednesday evening a personal language tutor showed up on our doorstep. We spent an hour and a half learning German from him and will see him almost weekly over the next year because Mr. Meena’s company graciously provided us with 100 hours of language training. I thought that the one-on-one language teaching scene was for rich kids and motivated scholars. We are neither. We have Rosetta Stone and some cool phone apps to help us along in this German adventure, but […]