I fell in love with Nürnberg when I visited in 2021. I forever love a walled city with turrets and moats.
Actually, I fell in love with Nürnberg artist, Albrecht Dürer. Or maybe it was the city’s connection to the efforts of the Monuments Men after WW2. Could be the wonderful Frauekirche dominating the main square of Hauptmarkt with its gothic facade, bell tower, and functioning mechanical clock. I fondly recall that Johann Pachebel was an organist at St. Sebaldus.
Hard to decide what was best about Nürnberg. I know this city will be a wonderful repeat visit with Martha.
Regensburg proves to be a wonderful old city filled with beautiful architecture, a grand cathedral, historic plazas and cafes. The Danube weaves through the city as church bells toll from soaring towers. Boats cruise the waters passing under historic bridges. We spend our day casually cruising pedestrian streets and along the river.
Departing Munich’s Hbf, with a train leaving about every hour, we travel about an hour and a half to the city of Regensburg. We settle into a 6-person compartment to zip through green countryside intermittently broken by large solar farms.
Green Banner “Want to go” destinations.
Why Regensburg? First, it was a convenient stopping point while traveling north. My goal? To see a couple of my “Green Banner” cities. My extensively starred and “Want to Go” Google Map indicates additional places (Green Banners) I want to visit in Nuremberg and a desire to explore Rothenburg for the first time. When looking for a city of interest in their northerly direction, Regensburg caught my attention.
Using the DB Navigator App, we purchase tickets on a EuroCity train south to the lakeside resort of Prien am Chiemsee. Prien seems like stepping into a picturesque postcard with beautiful lake views with the Bavarian Alps as a backdrop. It’s not just scenery, though. Prien offers a perfect blend of nature and history in a relatively peaceful setting.
Within less than an hour, we arrive at the Prien train station. From the station, it seems the narrow-gauge, steam-powered train isn’t chugging today, so we board Bus 481 for the mile ride to the Prien/Stock Harbor. From there, we walk the short distance to our lodgings at the Garden-Hotel Reinhart.
After the huge crowds in Paris last month, I hesitate to hope for a better outcome for Munich. Lots and lots of people are traveling, flights are full, popular destinations crowded. Good decision made: “Let Martha do it !”
I face the epic dilemma of an experienced global traveler: Option one, revisit those spots from years ago, where I’ve likely forgotten everything except the name of that one museum or art gallery. Ah, nostalgia! Option two, the adventurous quest for the new and obscure in the hopes of discovering the world’s best brewery in a back alley. Or, option three, just be incredibly happy to escape the chaos of America by sipping a cold brew in Any-Platz Germany, where chaos probably means the beer joint ran out of pretzels.
I take liberties with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Instead of “Take the train from Casablanca going south,” I leave Marrakech upon the highways going North to Casablanca. It nears the end of my Moroccan tour and we leave the city of Marrakech in our rearview mirrors.
