EURO TRIP 2015 | Day 7: My Birth Place

For 25 years I've been hearing about the place I was born.  My parents have told countless stories of their life in Germany- where they lived, their military lifestyle, the friends who became family, the travels they went on.  I've heard about all of this anxiously waiting for the day I could experience it for myself and fully visualize their stories.  Although this part of the trip is not as "touristy" as the rest, it was some of my favorite.

My parents started dating in high school, and a few years later when my dad was graduating from West Point and my mom from Rutgers, they put Germany at the top of their list of places to get stationed.  My parents got married in August 1987 and left for Germany in September.  Nearly three years later, in April of 1990, I was born.

Throughout their time in Germany my dad worked at the United States Military base in Hanau- not too far outside of Frankfurt.  My dad showed us the base, which has since become something else but the buildings are the same.  He showed us the buildings he and his friends that we know worked in and where the tanks were kept and re-told stories of working on the base.  My parents told us about how my mom and her friend used to drive around the bank truck for the soldiers to gather their checks and exchange money.

We then walked through the town of Hanau and to the Marktplatz, which is a market in the center of town where they sell tons of fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc.  They also have food stands/trucks.  In the center of the Marktplatz is a statue of the Grimm Brothers, who are famous for writing folk and fairy tales.

After visiting Hanau we headed to Hammersbach, which is the town my parents lived in and the born where I was born.  This was very surreal.  The town is like most German towns with houses pretty close together, narrow roads, and separated from the next with lots of fields and meadows.  Up the street from their old house was an arch that was symbolic of the town.

There is a bar/restaurant that my parents and their friends constantly talk about.  They spent many nights there and always brought their visitors.  They tried to take us there and once we arrived realized that it isn't the same.  The outside looked the same, the inside had a few changes, but the ownership and menu and overall feel (they said) had changed.  They were so upset!

In all, it was a wonderful day exploring the town my parents lived in and where I came into the world.  It was such a unique thing for me and I loved it!!

EURO TRIP 2015 | Day 6: Rhine River Cruise

On Day 6 my dad finally joined us on our European adventure.  We picked him up from the airport and headed to Bingen for a Rhine River Cruise and Weingutz (wine tastings).

The Rhine River Cruise was very nice.  We saw a ton of castles and wineries along the River.  We got to relax and tell dad all of the stories from our trip so far and enjoy the scenery.

After the cruise went to a few Weingutz to taste local wines.  I loved this because you literally walk up to people's houses and ask to taste the wine- very similar to that in Epernay, France with the Champagne.  The wine was so delicious and we bought our fair share of bottles to take home with us!

Following the wine tasting we headed to dinner at the Brathahnchen Farm hidden in the country and down narrow back roads!  It's a chicken farm my parents used to go to while they lived there.  It's the last place they went before becoming parents.  Cute, I know! The chicken was absolutely delicious.  Kind of salty, but sooo fresh, and juicy!  It was served with french fries and applesauce.  We had delicious soups too.  The chicken also came with dips for added flavor- a garlic one and a sweet one, almost like duck sauce from a Chinese restaurant, but I preferred it plain.  The place was adorable- so German!  It had big wood tables and the chairs were covered in sheepskin.  The only lights were the ones right above the tables, which added to the character of the place!

It's definitely a place to check out if you're in that area.  Next up: my birthplace!  This was a really fun and surreal day for me!

EURO TRIP 2015 | Day 5: Heidelberg, Germany

Heidelberg was the first town we explored in Germany.  Its adorable buildings, pedestrian-only and cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants, located right on the river with a castle over looking the town is exactly what you would picture when you think of places in Germany.  Heidelberg was ridiculously cute.

We took the tram up to the castle to explore and then continued up to the top of the small mountain.  We had delicious goulash soup and pretzels overlooking Heidelberg.

When we ventured back down the mountain we headed to the Marktplatz, which was adorable.  It's like a town square with lots of tables that belonged to the different restaurants lining the street.  We shopped and explored the streets before dipping into the cutest German bar in town.  They had a Beir Garten out back but we decided to sit at the wood bar and admire the atmosphere of such a traditional place.

We then continued to walk around, grabbed a few snacks and headed to the bridge to get a different view of the town, castle, and bridge entrance.

That night we headed a few miles outside of Heidelberg and on our way to Frankfort to a restaurant my mom and dad had found while living in Germany called Die Kartoffel.  This place was tucked in another cute town of Ladenberg.  At this place they bring your meat to you on a hot stone and you let it cook to your liking.  One of the most delicious steaks I've ever had.  I enjoyed the fact that you could cook different pieces differently- from rare to well-done by the amount of time you left it on the stone.  And the variety of sauces they gave you were delicious too, although the steak certainly didn't need it because it was already so rich in flavor.

I really enjoyed touring Heidelberg.  There is nothing like the rich culture, atmosphere and character you'll find in a German town.  Up next, touring the area my parents lived and the place I was born.  This part of the trip was really special and so incredible!