Bamberg, Germany

Bamberg

I woke up at 6:45 to dogs fighting and Cameron and Emma yelling at each other and the dogs. Lovely morning it was...I was still debating whether or not I wanted to go to Bamberg. It was ten degrees this morning. That should have been enough to keep me from going considering the fact that when I stepped outside I just about froze in place. I thought that being from Utah would somehow up my defenses against the cold, but I was wrong. It's freezing.

Emma and I talked about German laws on the way into town. In Germany, you're not allowed to wash your car yourself. You're not allowed to mow your lawn on Sundays. These people are law makers and followers. Except there's no speed limit on the autobahn, but that's because they make fast cars in Germany...and they can't limit their use in the country of origin! Oh! And kindergartens (and daycares) as well as some elementary schools don't allow shoes and therefore require slippers. No socks. They must have slippers. Germans wear slippers in the house at all times as well. Emma wears them but the boys don't. I wish I had some cause my feet are always cold here, and I've stepped in liquid-both water and dog wee-many times.
I've been sporting the flip flops with socks look. It's real nice. Emma did lend me a "jumper" last night which is what I would call a sweatshirt. I only have cardigans or my coat, so I was grateful for the jumper.

The train ticket to/from Bamberg cost me 22.20 Euro which is like thirty bucks. I have a train pass, but it only gives me 15 travel days...so i need to save it for the long train rides that cost a billion dollars each.

It was about 35 minutes each way. I practiced saying "Es tu mir leid ich spreche hur Englische," and tried to memorize it (it means I only speak English..which us ironic because I'm saying it in German). German is really English but without the spaces. For example...tomatoensuppe is tomato soup.

I arrived in Bamberg and got a map to the TI (tourist information). It was about a fifteen minute walk to the old town. Basically, I walk up to the person at the desk and say "English??" They always say "a little," and then I ask them a question and they respond. Or I use my hands/fingers to wave/point. The lady at the TI gave me an English map and city guide. I wasn't really planning on going to Bamberg so I didn't do much research ahead of time...I kinda just looked at the map and headed towards the two places with the most "sights." I thought I did anyway...

When people say "the best part about _____ is just getting lost in the back streets if the city.." they're only saying that because it's inevitable so you HAVE to enjoy it to avoid getting ticked off. The map of Bamberg was absolutely useless. 100% useless. I got frustrated about being lost today!! I think that is the first time I have been frustrated about it. Of course I saw wonderful things while I was lost, and I really love the look and feel of Bamberg...but I just couldn't believe how absolutely ridiculous the idiotic mapmaker must be. Like seriously. Terrible. PLUS it was absolutely FREEZING!!! I swear, today made it to the top five of the coldest I've ever been in my entire life list. I would stand at crosswalks praying the walk signal would come because if I stood still too long I seriously worried about freezing in place. It was so uncomfortable...it made it hard to enjoy the city. I stopped in a bakery/cafe to get hot chocolate and somehow ended up with a delicious pastry as well. Darn it. Mom would love it here...her favorite treat is a donut and these are better than donuts. All light and flaky...plus they come in every flavor and shape imaginable. Mmmm...too hard to resist...obviously.

So a little about Bamberg. It is one of very few cities that was not destroyed (and then reconstructed) during WWII..so everything is original. Like 1000 years old original. The whole city is like one big work of art. To me, it was a mixture of all the cities I've seen so far. Old buildings, quaint homes, narrow lanes, cobblestone streets, and bridges. It was exactly what I think of when I think of a town in Germany. The brown criss cross decoration on the houses...window shutters...bikes...etc.

Bamberg is "advertised" as a Baroque City, Gardener's City, Episcopal City, Art City, Island City, Beer City, and Cultural City. Because of the rivers it is split in three sections...city, island, and garden. I spent all my time in the city section...I think.

I saw the New Residence which was a lot like the one in Wurzburg. It was built in 1697 and is huge. I didn't go in though.

I saw the Carmelite Monastery, by accident actually, but it was lovely looking. It was built in the 12th century, but it was converted to Baroque style around 1700.


I went in yet another ginormous church..the Dom. Built in 1237. The door to enter was so big and heavy. The handle was above my head!! It was filled with the typical tombs, sculptures, paintings, and benches. The very best part about it was that it was WARM!!! I could actually take a deep breath!

I saw Little Venice which is a strip of medieval houses along the River Regnitz. The fishermen used to live there. It was pretty.

I saw the Old Town Hall which might be the most popular thing in Bamberg. It was built in the middle of the river in the 14th century. It had beautiful architecture and frescos.

I gave myself plenty of time to get back to the train station since I knew it might take a while wandering...i stopped at the WC and had a mini panic attack because I could not unbutton my pants because my hand was too cold to function. I panicked because i was worried about my hand but also because i was about to pee my pants!! Good thing I don't have hips and could get them down without unbuttoning! I got back to the train station with plenty of time and thawed out before catching a train back to Schweinfurt where Emma picked me up.