Bamberg

I do owe you another post on Budapest but I will get back to that. First, I am going to talk about a little daytrip to a small city called Bamberg just north of Nuremberg in Germany.

OH and also, my mother sent us a care package which was basically like Christmas 4 days later (and full of some of our Christmas present. Thanks mom!). I requested from her a bag of Marylou's ground coffee. Along with some of the other awesome gifts (*coughReese'sChristmasTreescough*) this was a real winner. For those of you not from Southeastern Massachusetts, Marylou's is a small coffee chain (known for their bright pink color) that has flavored coffees like Twix, Blueberry Pie,  and Minty Lou's. Heaven.

We are counting down the days until we can move into the apartment (12 days!) and be reunited with our stuff. Cannot wait to cook like a normal person again. And sleep in our own bed. And hang out on our own couch. 

Yesterday we drove about 45 minutes to Bamberg. Bamberg's center is actually listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the town itself is 1000+ years old. It has a very medieval look to it which makes it a popular destination for tourists. Luckily going in January helped us avoid most of the crowds. 

We didn't go in with a plan as we knew it was small and we could just wander from place to place. 

I love the marzipan in Germany and how they make it into really cute things.

Bamberg has a portion called "Little Venice" with the "canals" from the river.

The architecture was beautiful.

We walked by the Altes Rathaus which is the Old Town Hall. It lies in between bridges.

This below is the Bamberger Dom or the Bamberg Cathedral.

We hiked our way up to Kloster Michelsburg which is the Michelsburg Abbey. 

There was a gorgeous view from the top as it is on one of the 7 hills of Bamberg.

Once we came down from the top, we decided it was time for lunch. We found a place called Wirsthaus Zum Domreiter that looked good.

We just HAD to try the Rauchbier or Bamberg's famous smoked beer. It was unlike anything I've ever tasted. It was the perfect winter beer as it is on the heavy and dark side. My husband said it tasted like a campfire in his mouth and others would say it tastes like bacon. Smokey with a little bit of sweetness. To make this beer unique, malted barley is roasted over a flame. 

The restaurant served Franconian specialties. Franconia is a region of Germany that lies within Bavaria (and where we are living). I had an onion stuffed with ground meat with mashed potatoes and a smoked beer sauce. So good and hearty for a chilly day.

Normally we don't get dessert but were attracted to the apple strudel on the menu. It was worth it.

Bamberg was a cute little city to visit and I'm sure even prettier in the Spring when everything is in bloom. It is a good side trip if you are in the city of Nuremberg.