BMW in Germany: Day I

Thursday, 9 June, 2011 - After seeing the Counseling group safely out and on their respective ways, I did a sweep of the house and caught the next train out to Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Germany. I must say, having a Eurail pass makes getting around extremely convenient because I can just hop on any train and be off as long as I log it. The train ride was uneventful as I just fluctuated between reading and watching the passing scenery for the five hour duration. I arrived at the train station

at about 5:30 which still gave me ample time to roam about, though I knew most places would be closed by then. I dropped my bag off where I would be staying, about three minutes from the station, then headed into the Altstadt (old town), just across the street from the station. This area, the city center, was the site of the original trading settlement that dates back to 1050 and is still surrounded by a three mile stretch of walls. The closest entrance was at this round tower:

Frauentor, which is one of the four original medieval entrances. My agenda for the evening was basically to get some dinner (I had a few suggestions from some guidebooks) and acclimate myself with the area

since it stays light until after 9:00 so that I would have a better idea of how to go about things on Friday. I started out by moving on a whim, following streets and sites that looked fascinating. I eventually wound my way to St. Sebaldus Kirche, one of the only things open past 6:00. The oldest church in the city, it was originally built from 1230-1273.

Tomb of St. Sebald by Peter Vischer the Elder, 1519, bronze, housing silver coffin from 1397 that contains relics of the saint

At this point I realized one of the restaurants on my list, Bratwursthäusle, was just around the corner, so I decided that was to be my dinner destination.

Avoiding the whole tomatoes, lettuce, etc. genre considering the recent E.coli outbreak, I thought some good ol' bratwurst would probably do the trick. Nürnberg in fact has its own local Bratwurst called, not surprisingly, Nürnberger - mini-sized sausages. The common remark is, "in der Kürze liegt die Würze," or, "in the shortness lies the tastiness." So I had Nürnberger with sauerkraut and a roll. Now, mind you, I normally am not the biggest fan of sauerkraut, but since it typically goes with these little sausages I thought I might as well get the full experience. I must admit, I was quite pleasantly surprised as this happened to be really good sauerkraut (though don't worry, Mom, I'm not going to be requesting that you make any next time I'm home).

Although simple, as is most traditional Franconian food, it was nonetheless tasty and did well to satisfy my cravings. Though I admit, I may have succumbed to the temptation of a cup of gelato for dessert (those little shops are everywhere! I swear you can't walk a block in Vienna, and apparently Nürnberg, either, without coming across one).

I spent most of the evening roaming around the western side of the town where I came across a slew of unexpected sites and information, including:

"Summer in the City" - a whole square, possibly a park, turned into a beach, complete with volleyball courts...

...a stunt biker...

...and this little area with multiple Irish pubs

I was mildly considering getting a Smithwick's as a throwback to my semester in Ireland, but when I stopped in this little place on the left to ask if they had any, the bartender, an Irish fellow, laughed and said that you can't find it anywhere in Germany. Apparently it's too difficult for the Germans to pronounce since their 'w' sounds like a 'v' (though the Irish pronounce this particular beer "Smiddick's", anyway), so they just don't bother to import it. He tried to offer me a Kilkenny Red, though agreed with me when I told him it just wasn't the same.

I also wandered down the wall a little ways

before turning down another side street and coming across

an old tower house, possibly the last one remaining in the city (I seem to recall reading that somewhere), other picturesque places to eat,

and neat little details (or so I think) everywhere,

before eventually coming back across Königstrasse, the main street through the middle of the city. Random aside: see all the holes in the stones that look like they might be purposefully there? They are. They're in just about every stone in every building in the old town. It took me a while to find someone who knew why they were there, but the best answer I got was that they were placed there to make it easier for the stones to be hoisted up using tong-like implements.

By that time it was starting to get dark (and nippy) so I made my way in for the night. My return stroll back down Königstrasse looked a little something like this: