Playground Day
The request was simple. Eva, the 10 year old, LOVES playgrounds and asked if we could spend one entire day of school spring break visiting playgrounds in the area. Unlike America where life goes on as usual during the COVID-19 pandemic, here in Deutschland the lockdown continues in some fashion now in its 14th month. And rather than discuss loosening restrictions, national and regional leaders are strategizing how to tighten the restrictions. With this background we set out to do one activity that was initially banned in Deutschland early in the pandemic lockdown but was now allowed, visit playgrounds. Our first stop was Schwaighausen which is a ten minute drive from our home, 20 and 26 minutes if coming from Hohenfels and Parsburg respectively. On the weekend day we visited there were no other people present. This playground was the least impressive one on the day's tours however we enjoyed it and there were several highlights which I'll get to in a moment. First the...
Burg Loch
When your child has a birthday in the era of COVID-19, celebration options are limited. What a difference a year makes. This time last year we were celebrating Hunter's eleventh birthday in Ireland. You can read all about that adventure here. For his twelfth birthday Hunter requested castle hikes--our family's number one 'travel' adventure during lockdown. For this day I put two castles on the list that cumulatively were within 30 minutes of our home. For those with children you know how much better the moods are when the trip is shorter so that was a bonus. Our first stop was an urban castle remnant in Laaber. From there we made the 15 minute drive to Loch where we explored the castle ruins named for the town. Now during COVID it has been difficult to know when castle sites are closed or not. I have found a number of castles listed as ' temporarily closed' by Google when in fact they are open air castle accessible 24/7. However there are those peculiar castle ruins in Germany where...
Burgruine Sengersberg
The weather forecast was cold with a chance for freezing rain, sleet, or snow but later in the day. What a great opportunity to get out before the bad weather set in. Jules hadn't been able to join the kids and I on the last couple of castle hikes but even with the downbeat weather she was excited to get out and explore our backyard. One of the permissible things allowed under Deutschland's COVID lockdown--outdoor exercise. Burgruine Sengersberg was our third castle stop of the afternoon and I was hoping to visit one additional castle ruin before hitting up our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Nittenau. Turns out, this would be our final pitstop before picking up dinner due to the weather. As mentioned previously, there seems to be no ideal place to park on the approach to German castle ruins and these were no different. Compounding the difficulty was the fact that we approached the ruins on a winding hill. Not ideal for pulling over and parking. We settled on parking on a...
Burgruine Rossstein
Nestled in the hills a stone's throw from the American enclave of Hohenberg lies Burgruine Rossstein. We chose to visit these castle ruins on a sunny, snow covered Sunday afternoon because they were a short 25 minute drive from our home. If you are coming from Hohenberg, it is just a 13 minute drive. From Hohenfels the drive is 25 minutes and from little America one and two in Parsberg and Velburg, just 35 minutes. Hiking and visiting places of interest in Deutschland is very different than in the United States. There is normally no designated trailhead nor trailhead parking. This makes perfect sense as the Deutsche exercise in a very different way than Americans. For the average German, it's not about joining a gym. It's about getting outdoors and walking. Walking to the grocery store. Walking along the river. Walking through the woods. As much as Germans love fine automobiles, their society is not centered around the automobile the way it is in the United States of...
Burgruine Adelburg
Nestled in the countryside between Parsberg and Velburg lies Burgruine Adelburg. Never heard of Burgruine Adelburg? Not surprising. A quick glance of Google Reviews shows 160 reviews of the Velburg castle ruins and only TWO Burgruine Adelburg reviews. This isn't on anyone's radar. Although not currently living in the Lupburg-Parsberg-Velburg Triangle our family did spend six weeks as residents of the Winkler Brau upon our arrival to Deutschland in 2019 so the area still holds a special place in our hearts. As such we enjoy finding reasons to visit friends in the these towns as well as finding reasons to play there. It was the latter that led us to Seubersdorf on a recent foggy day. With COVID-19 host nation and U.S. Army regulations in place, our current travel is restricted to grocery stores and exercise. Having heard about these castle ruins for the first time after having lived in Deutschland for nearly 18 months, I was eager to see what hidden gem was in the shadow of...
Burgruine Kürnburg
Prior to COVID-19, we traveled extensively across Europe year round. So much so that my wife Jules often lamented how infrequently we enjoyed the confines of our own home. With travel restrictions in place across Europe that is no longer a problem. In some ways we are now under house arrest. Unfortunately, this time of year is not ideal for being under house arrest. When the last rays of summer warmth dissipate into the brown and crumbling leaves of Autumn in November, the fog descends on Bayern like a cheesy 1980s horror movie set. Our little river valley in Deutschland can be a very foggy place. For days on end. With no end in sight. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes driving to escape the fogbank. Sometimes it only takes a five minute drive to the hill upon which the A3 sits to see the sun that is shining above our foggy valley. This particular Sunday was another day that was supposed to be sunny but turned into another fog filled day...
Kallmunz Castle Ruins
In anticipation of moving to Germany I scoured the internet for tips on how best to prepare for the move from one culture to another. Among the internet resources I found was a military spouse blog that used a featured image that became lodged in my head. Living in America at the time, it looked like a German fairytale. There was a seemingly medieval bridge in the center of town, castle ruins high above the town, and charming structures dotted throughout the town. I would revisit that blog after living in Germany in a hotel 25 minutes away only to realize that village was Kallmunz. I have hiked the Kallmunz Castle several times and have found the best time to go is the winter when crowds are thinner. Because the Regensburg crowd both drives and bikes out to Kallmunz on warm sunny weekend days, these tend to be days when it is most crowded. Crowded as in probably 100 people at the summit. At the bottom of the page you will find a GPS link where you can park either your bicycle...
Castle Brunneck
The beauty of living in Hohenfels Germany is the ability to daytrip to a magical location or locations and sleep in your own bed at night. Our day started with a wakeup at 0800 for the children (Hunter age 11, Eva age 9, Acadia age 7) and a departure time of 0830. Departing thirty minutes after wake up was only possible with a quick stop at the Rewe in Hemau to grab fresh pastries and bread. Jules and I appreciate living in Germany where you can stop in any town and and find a great bakery. In America, we don't think twice about traveling 3-5 hours to visit children or parents. In Germany you find many Germany nationals that have never visited Prague or Paris even though they are only a 2 hour 45 minute and eight hour drive respectively. For this trip our initial destination was Burgruine Brunneck in Titting Germany and the travel time was 75 minutes. The drive may have been a little over an hour but it was enjoyable--reminiscent of the Vermont countryside with forested hills,...
Castle Bechthal
Just a short 17 minute drive from Burgruine Brunneck in Bavaria Germany are the ruins of a 13th century Irish castle. Well not exactly but this is the most Irish looking castle we have seen during our one year of living in Deutschland. This was the second leg of our three castle day trip and had we driven straight from Hohenfels, the journey would have been 70 minutes one way. The drive is beautiful and will feel less than one hour. The quickest route through Google led us down extremely narrow roads which I enjoy so that was a bonus. The approach to Bechthal is unlike any other castle ruin. The landscape is mostly barren and rather than located on a hill, the castle is located on a promenade surrounded by sunken wide trenches. The parking lot to hike the ruins is at the confluence of three approaches. Once parked, the kids leapt from the vehicles as they could see the castle from their seats and from a child's perspective--had a straight shot at running to the ruins. As I...
Hohenfels Castle Ruins
Located in a small historic village in Germany....okay, wait...all villages in Germany are small and historic....lies a castle ruin set upon a rock rising high above the town below. The town I speak of is.....Hohenfels. Which translated to English literally means high (hohen) rock (fels). Bet you didn't know that. And if you are stationed in Hohenfels chances are you have never visited the Hohenfels castle ruins. Just prior to writing this piece, I tried unsuccessfully to convince two friends who were PCSing back to America to join me on the hike to the ruins. I knew they had not visited the historical site so I begged them to join me. It was almost painful to know they could travel to countries all across Europe but never found time for a 30 minute excursion in the town where their post was located. I don't need to explain how long it will take you to reach Hohenfels. If you are reading this, you are most likely living in either Hohenfels or one of the surrounding...
ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
Eva's wearing the latest in our L.L. Bean Winter 2019 collection...just kidding. Though she does look like a kiddo model in this photograph. I took this picture of Eva standing at the entrance to this alley as it was reminiscent of the many winding narrow allies across the Greek island of Mykonos--albeit much colder. Venturing through Rothenburg you will see many beautiful main thoroughfares but also many charming side alleyways. Rothernburg is considered 'touristy' in Deutschland. Which is funny because touristy in Deutschland is different than touristy in America. In America I immediately think of South of the Border which borders the North and South Carolina border. Gaudy, cheap, eyesore come to mind. In Deutschland I suppose touristy simply means the city is more expensive and filled with lots of tourists because as you will see from these photos, there is nothing cheap or gaudy about this city. Our Night Watchman for the evening. Tours are offered daily at 8pm March...
