Leaving Nurnberg we headed to Bayreuth for the day and then took the train back to Bamberg. During our little mix up with Rothenburg we actually stopped in this town to make our switch of trains to get back on track to Nurnberg. Before I could tell Paul that this actually may be a great place to spend the day, the train had arrived and there was no time to discuss. I grabbed a brochure and we decided to see where fate led us.
Bayreuth is known for it's festivals and opera's due to having Richard Wagner as one of their most famous inhabitants. My music history fails me here, but he was a very important 19th century composer. The Opera house was closed, but the pictures of the inside are unbelievable. There were several beautiful palaces within the city center. One of them with the tera cotta can be scene below. Paul and I spent some time in the main plaza, had some great local favorites. We both fell in love with a dark unfiltered keller bier. You will also see a picture of a big red & white striped pole with different signs on it. No it's not the North pole, but a May Pole. These were a way for richer cities to display which trades they had to offer in the main street market. Bayreuth is also known for it's breweries. There is a beer tour you can do, but as Paul and I do not like being on tours (even a beer one) we opted to wander on our own pace. The German brick work is amazing. It was Monday and many things were unfortunately closed, so we went back to the main street to people watch. We decided to have lunch at the first place we stopped, Oscar's. They had my all time favorite German dish, kaiser spaetzle. Basically, baked German style pasta with really good cheese (nothing processed here). Paul ordered my second favorite dish, pork schnitzel. We asked if the portions were big, and the server says..."normal, not too big." When the food arrived, Paul's schnitzel was hanging over the already large plate. I think he was able to finish half. Ah, German portions. On our walk back to the train station we made our loop through another palace and a beautiful public garden. Due to space most Europeans do not own their own house, but have a condo or an apartment within a larger house or building. I took a picture of a building where you can see that one family replaced the roof, and the other hasn't. Thought it was funny. Another thing I love about European cities....PUBLIC ART! Love it. Statues, paintings on buildings, fountains, simple gardens for all to enjoy. An interesting piece was that of a forest with trees that had been cut down. That one was not permanent, but a temporary display and offered visitors to climb up into the art. Well, another gorgeous day and now back to Bamberg.
No comments:
Post a Comment