Germany - Pt 1

We flew from Belfast via London to Nuremberg, our base while in Germany. We stayed with Debbie in her flat, which is conveniently located for her and close to the Old Town, which was convenient for us.

Debbie has a contract until August with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (playing French horn). We saw her play in two concerts in the Serenadenhof, an outdoor courtyard with shade sails over the audience and orchestra. In one concert, Tango/Swing/Cha Cha Cha, the conductor danced around so much he reminded Gail of Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act. The Serenadenhof is in the pics below (Debbie is in the background of the second pic).

One day we took a 1 hr train trip from Nuremberg to Regensburg, a beautiful medieval city on the Danube River. The Steinere Brucke (Stone Bridge) which was built over the Danube in the 12th century, is an outstanding example of medieval engineering. From the bridge you get a panoramic view of Regensburg, with St Peter's Cathedral towering above the city.

Near the bridge is the Historische Wurstkuche (Historical Sausage Kitchen), which has been serving its famous Rotherburger sausages for hundreds of years. We shared a plate of "6 with sauerkraut" (translated) for lunch - see pics below.

In Regensburg's Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square) stands an old 15th century town hall with a 13th century tower. It has an adjoining New Town Hall dating from the late 17th century. We did an interesting tour of the Old Town Hall which included a visit to the medieval torture chamber. The pics show the New Town Hall with the Old Town Hall behind it and the beautiful oriel window on the side of the Old Town Hall.

The Alte Kapelle (Old Chapel) on Regensburg's Kornmarkt was worth a visit to see its ornate Rococo interior.

Many buildings in medieval European cities have colourful wall murals. One example in Regensburg is the Goliathhaus, with a scene of David and Goliath on it. This house is where Oskar Schindler lived for a while in 1945.

Next update will cover Nuremberg.