Brussels, Belgium

Waffles, Chocolate, Beer!  Where can you get all of your favorite unhealthy foods?  Belgium.  Over the weekend I spent two days and one night in Brussels.  This was a 7 hour trip from where I am located in Germany.  When I was doing research about what to do in Brussels, a lot of the information was just telling me to go to Bruges instead.  While I may need to make a trip to Bruges eventually, I still decided to go to Brussels, the capital of Belgium.

All I really knew about Brussels was indeed waffles, chocolate, and beer.  Oh and also Brussels sprouts, but who eats those anyways?  My knowledge of Belgium was limited, but I was intrigued by what the country had to offer.  My husband and I stayed at the Novohotel which was centrally located between all main attractions and was a nice place to stay.  Upon arriving in Brussels, we went to our first destination which was the Grand Place.  It is an open space surrounded by beautiful historic and visually stimulating buildings like the Town Hall.  The Grand Place is the center of Brussels and where mostly everyone goes to get a taste of the city.

 

What's interesting is that in Belgium they speak about four languages.  French, Flemish, German (near the border), and many also speak English.  In Brussels, every local we encountered spoke French so I found myself trying to put together the meager bits of French that I knew.  I always try to learn a few key phrases whenever I travel.

Here is the St. Cahterine Church which was right around the corner from our hotel.  The first image is from the front of the church.  It is very dark.  The next picture you can see the other side of the church where they are working to completely clean the surface.

*random*

Below, is the restaurant that we chose for dinner.  I read that Jaloa was a former residence of Van Gogh.  Besides good seafood, this was a draw for me.  I was excited to eat in a place where I thought Van Gogh had once lived, however, after dinner, we walked a few blocks down the street and noticed another, different Jaloa, so I'm not sure we were at the right one.  Not to be dissapointed, I had some "mussels from Brussels" at this place.  I never thought I would like mussels, but wow were these good!  I was glad to finally be in a place that has great seafood.  Germany's seafood doesn't really do anything for me and Bavaria is a landlocked area.

One of the biggest attractions for Brussels is the Manneken Pis.  Your read that right and it is what you think it is.  Brussels' most beloved Bronze statue erected in about 1618, is surprisingly small.  It's a statue about two feet tall of a young boy pissing in a fountain.  You can see this right around the corner from the Grand Square and right next door to a waffle shop.  Supposedly, this is the Belgian version of the Eiffel Tower.  I don't really see what all the fuss is about but at least the Belgians have a sense of humor.  They dress the little guy up all the time depending on what is going on.  I'm really not sure what outfit he was currently wearing.

As mentioned, said waffle shop.  The waffle I got which had Everything on it was not 1 euro, it was about 5 euro.  

Me:  "What could be so great about Belgian Waffles, I mean, you've got some basic ingredients here?"

Me biting into the waffle:  "OMG I need 5 more of these."

Complete with an obligatory Manneken Pis gummy.

The next day we took a (free) bus ride to The Atomium.  I'm not sure if the bus was free or the driver just didn't give a shit, but we didn't pay either way.  This was a significant way from our hotel and the city center, but it was listed as one of the big attractions so we wanted to check it out.  

The structure was displayed originally at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair and was designed by Andre Waterkeyn.  It is basically a huge depiction of a iron crystal.  And yes, we went inside of it.  There are elevators to the top and you can go in 5 of the 9 metal balls.  The best part of The Atomium was simply looking at the view of Brussels.  It was nice to get a more complete idea of what it looks like.  

Brandon took some shots of me going down the escalator.  I was a bit surprised when some crazy lights started going off.

The last statue which is way less popular than the Manneken Pis, but way more important is the Patria Statue which lays in the area of the Place des Martyrs.  It commemorates the lost lives of 466 people  who fought against the Dutch to reclaim their independence in 1830.

So that was Brussels.   If you ask me, it can be done in two days like we did.  In my opinion the sights weren't the best that I have seen.  But, I will mention that the food was fantastic and for that reason alone I would go back to Brussels.  The food really was that great.  On the first day, for lunch we had eaten at a restaurant where I ordered scallops with riced potatoes and a cream sauce.  These were literally the best scallops I've ever had.  Not to mention, the great waffles, that really are that good in Belgium.  I'm not a beer drinker, but the sips I drank of Brandon's selections could make me a beer drinker.  They have fruity beers with a very strong alcohol content.  Brandon found this out the hard way at one of the bars we went to during our stay in Belgium.  :)  

The Belgian chocolate also confirmed my thoughts that Belgium has the best chocolate.  And even though, I never thought I'd like mussels, they were simply very good!  Excuse my French, but the food was fucking brilliant.  This really gets me excited for the French cuisines in France!  If not for the sights, go to Belgium for the food!

Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my husband at Edelweiss Resort and Lodge in Garmisch, Germany.  This resort is beautiful and sits amongst the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany.  These mountains are humongous and very picturesque.  With all of the snow adorning the mountains and fog at the mountain tops, the whole weekend had this ethereal feel to it.  This was one of the most beautiful skiing/snowboarding towns I've ever seen let alone been to.  On the second day we went to the Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle.  During our trip we also went snowboarding.

The first picture is of the lodge, Edelweiss, which you need ID to get to because it is an American resort.  The resort itself was beautiful.  Very nice rooms and services.  The food was not so good.  Pretty much a beefed up version of DFAC food.

This is the view of the mountains from the lodge parking lot!

There were many cute restaurants and hotels along the resort community.  Each had their own style and charm.

This is the Neuschwanstein Castle from the bottom of the mountain.  This is the most famous castle in Germany and it is also the castle that inspired Walt Disney.  It doesn't look real but I assure you it is.  This was the castle of King Ludwig II.  The castle was finally open to the public in 1886, only 6 weeks after the king's death.  The king only got to live in the castle for about 170 days.  The castle is still being renovated today and many of the rooms are unfinished, like the church.  Though the castle was built in the 1800's it is reminiscent of the 10th century Romanesque style castles.  This is what give it the fairy tale like look.

We climbed to the top of the mountain which was a "45" minute hike to the castle.  It only took Brandon and I about 15 minutes. We seemed to be going at a normal pace.

We paid 12 euro to take a tour of the inside of the castle.  Tours were available in English as well.

I wish I could have taken some pictures of the inside of the castle.  The decor was very elaborate and one of the most beautifully decorated interiors I have ever seen, with lush fabrics in rich colors such as purple, aqua, and burgundy accented with gold and dark wood carvings.  King Ludwig II bedroom took carpenters 4 years to construct the designs on the walls, the canopy of his bed, and top of his wash basin.  The style of interior was done in the Byzantine fashion with complete murals adorning every wall in homage to his favorite operas by Richard Wagner.  Gold chandeliers hung from every ceiling and there was even a grotto/cave.  His castle was outfitted with the latest technology such as running water, a flushing toilet, and telephones. Below are two pictures that I have NOT taken but I feel it is necessary to show you how the inside looked.

The picture below is a picture of the scenery around the castle.

Close to the Neuschwanstein Castle is the Hohenschwangau Castle where King Ludwig II spent a lot of his youth as his father was King Maximillian.  Though the castle was first mentioned in the 12th century, it was rebuilt by the King in the 19th century in the Neo-Gothic Style.  This castle is centuries older and maintains all of its charm.  The interior is also very ornate and they offer tours inside as well.  We did not have enough time to go into the other castle but I will definitely be making another trip at some point.  I took some pictures of the outside of the castle.

The last picture is of model crowns from Germany.  Very pretty.

Christmas Markets

This will be my first December in Germany and I'm so excited to go to all of the Christmas Markets.  When I first heard about Christmas Markets, I thought, "I don't really get it." "Who wants to go buy a bunch of Christmas stuff?" But once I started seeing them I realized, it's a great way to see an area, you otherwise wouldn't have gone to and there are a lot of good food and desserts to try.  Also, there is Gluwein and other alcoholic beverages that draw people from all over.  They do have those Christmas knick knacks like ornaments, nutcrackers, cookoo clocks. etc.  Even though I might not have a use for those things, they make good gifts for people back in the States.

The first Christmas Market we went to was Schwarzenfeld.   This was a small local market with few food stands and knick knacks.  The stores in town were also open.  We went during the day.  I was eating bratwurst on a roll and drinking Gluwein which is spiced wine with liquor.  I give it one and a half stars.

Shwandorf

 

That same day we went to Schwandorf for their Christmas Market, only about 10 minutes away from Schwarzenfeld.  It turns out that the market was not open yet and I'm not sure why.  We ended up walking around the town anyways.  This town actually had a lot of stores and restaurants and I'm planning on going back because it was a nice town to do some nearby shopping.  Even though we didn't get to the market I give it three stars. Here are some pics from the town:

Here is a park in Schwandorf.  It had some strange little building overgrown with ivy and trees.  The inside was trashed but I thought it was interesting.

Later in the day, we went to the Christmas Market in Schmidmuhlen.  It was pretty small but very crowded.  They only have about six stalls with food and knick knacks and it was held around the city church.  I didn't care much for this market but I gave it half a star.  They did have yummy Crepes with Nutella on the inside.  You can find Crepes with different fillings like applesauce and jam too at almost any Christmas Market.  I have no pictures of this market.

Parsberg

 

The next Market we went to was in Parsberg.  This Market was held around the Town Castle up on the hill.  This was a smaller local market but one of my favorites.  The castle was very pretty and the lights made it even more beautiful.  We ate pizza and chocolate covered fruit.  I gave this market two and a half stars.  Small, but has a lot of character, plus it was snowing which made everything even more festive.  Pictures below:

Regensburg

 Next, we went to the Regensburg Christmas Market.  Regensburg is my favorite nearby town for its neat little cobble stone streets and alleys and overall medieval feel.  It sits along the Danube River which you can see in the first picture as we are crossing the bridge.  You can also see St. Peter's Cathedral.  The city was largely untouched during World War II with many of it's architecture still intact.  It actually wasn't that big of a market but crowded.  I gave the market itself two stars.  It was freezing!  They also have another market in the Castle but we didn't go to that one.

 

At the stalls, I had a potato pancake with an onion and pork sauce called a Reiberdatschi.  Also had some more Gluwein.

Close up of St. Peter's Cathedral.  On this night they were holding mass inside the Cathedral.  They handed out candles for visitors and there was the most beautiful choir singing.  It was really nice.

Schloss Guteneck

 

This weekend we went to Schloss Guteneck.  This Market was held around the huge castle/mansion.  It is probably my favorite market so far.  It had a Romantic/Medieval feel to it, wasn't crowded, and had a lot of interesting things to look at.  My husband got a few of his Christmas presents here.  They even had some places to go sit inside and drink beer.  There were genuine blacksmiths working on their wares and a small petting zoo.  Lots of hand crafted leather items and woodwork and of course food.  We got fried nuts here and more pizza.  They also had live medieval music playing.  This market is a must see for people seeking a more unique market than just a row of stalls with wares.  There is an admission of 3 or 5 Euro and 2 Euro for parking but totally worth it.  I gave this one three stars.  I didn't get good enough pictures to capture the market but here are some below:

Nurnberg

 

That same weekend we went to a big Christmas Market in Nurnberg.  This is one of the most well-known Christmas Markets in Germany. It was pretty big and there were tons of stalls with knick knacks, but not as many food stands.  There was a lot of candy and pastries, however.  This market was way too crowded though and it's like that for most of the time because of its popularity.  What I like about this market too is that there was another section that showcased Christmas Markets from all around the world.  They had stands from China, Scotland, the Ukraine, and so on.  I gave this three stars because it was definitely worth seeing.

Nurnberg is such a big city and there is so much to see.  We will have to go back to tour the city in the warmer months!

The last market we went to that week was a local one in Velburg.  This market was right in the city center with a decent amount of stalls but still on the smaller side.  They also had a stage and a little petting zoo.  At this market I had a lamb burger and eggnog liquor!  Very good.  I gave this market one and a half stars. No pictures.

Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber

 

The last Christmas Market we went to was in Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber.  This market was closer than we had thought.  This market was definitely my favorite one.  It is a Christmastown all year long and many of the stores are open with Christmas themes.  It was a medieval town left untouched during World War II.  The town is what you think of when you think of Christmas in Germany.  I give it three stars.  If we had more daylight we would have toured the wall.  The town is surrounded by a stone wall and you can walk up stairs and walk the length of the wall.

 We stopped in at the Midieval Crime Museum which was right in the city.  It featured 4 floors of law, crime, and torture devices.

The next two pictures are of an area that is highly photographed.  We stopped in a Doner shop to eat dinner (Doners are basically the German version of Gyros with lamb or turkey meat) and there were paintings on the wall of the same spot.

 They had a decent amount of stalls and with food and wares.  They had these pastries called Schneeballen or snow balls that were made of baked dough with flavors like chocolate, vanilla, powdered sugar, and cinnamon sugar.  They looked tasty, tasted nasty.  I also bought some polish pottery at one of the stalls.  We will definitely be going back again next year.