Weekend in our own Backyard

The ancient and amazing Heidelberg castle 

Longest European shopping street 

Heidelberg statue

Since moving across the pond, we have been so anxious to travel through Western Europe, we've neglected to explore our own backyard. This weekend we discovered we needn't travel far to find some fantastic sights in our own state of Baden Wurttemberg.

Friday night we had dinner and explored ancient Heidelberg, which is thought to have the earliest settlers in Europe.  I travel to this city, nestled on the Neckar River, daily for class, but saw it in a whole new light at night. This city was spared during the war and offers gorgeous scenery. Heidelberg is home to one of Europe's top Universities, University of Heidelberg which was founded in 1386. Heidelberg also offers international dining options, which is really nice for when we get sick of my cooking! 

Saturday we hopped in the car and headed to Frankfurt, which is only about an hour away. We found Frankfurt to lack the same energy found in other European cities, perhaps because it rained frequently while we were in town. Saturday night, we went out to the traditional party area of Sachsenhausen, a short walk from our hotel. There, we were able to try some of the interesting local Frankfurt cuisine, from the Frankfurter sausages (actually not native to the city), to Frankfurter "Green Sauce," apple wine, and lastly, Handkaese mit Musik, which roughly translates to "hand cheese with music." The Green Sauce is often served on eggs, leading me to wonder if this is where Dr. Seuss got his Green Eggs and Ham reference.   Handkaese mit Musik is balls of hand-formed cheese with onions and vinegar on top. Frankfurter Apple Wine is often mixed with mineral water or lemonade and drank from ribbed or "Gerippte" glasses. We ordered a pitcher, or Bembel, and mixed it with lemonade. 

One of my favorite Kirchner's from the exhibit 

Sunday, before leaving, we visited two museums. First, we stopped off at the Staedel Museum and viewed the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner exhibit which was very good and surprised us both. The rest of the museum was closed off for renovation, but it is said to have some nice pieces. The second stop was Liebieghaus, a sculpture museum with ancient Egyptian artifacts.  We are beginning to wonder if there is anything left in Egypt!  


It was high time to explore our own backyard! Now onto more European cities...  Heidelberg and Frankfurt pics can be seen here.