Would you believe it? Another trip to Germany. This time it was for the marathon. It just happened to be a big coincidence that Oktoberfest was going on at the same time!
We arrived in Nuremburg, the closest point for the race and spent a few days at Five Reasons Hostel & Hotel, situated within the walled city and overseen by the Imperial Castle. Hikes around town were greeted with great food and drink, especially at Hausbraurei Altstadthof, Café Wanderer, and BarfüsserBrauhaus. We ventured deep into the underground caves to see the city below the city. We also headed out to the Nazi Rally Grounds and Memorium of the Nuremberg Trials to get a taste of the significant history of the city. Such amazing and horrible things happened here and it is good to see that these sites haven't been destroyed. We learn more from being able to walk around than from stories or books.
The weekend concluded with an ill-advised marathon in a small, neighboring town. It was one of the prettiest races I have done. But soon we were headed to Munich, with the running behind us, and a new kind of marathon looming ahead.
Oktoberfest is one of the world's most amazing events and we were drawn back. With kinds in tow this time, we opted for daytime visits on weekdays, making it easy to get a seat and less likely to run into any problems. Of course, we all showed up in authentic lederhosen and drindl. Arriving on Monday morning around 11, we had our choice of tents. Opting for a place that is famous for chicken, we rolled in and sat down to the butter and herb roasted goodness that is Bavarian Hendl. Of course, we had to spot some pretzels as well as a great litre of brew. Seeing no reason not to bounce around and check out the other atmospheres, we went on to the next tent and the next. From Spatan to Hacker-Pschorr, to Hofbrauhaus we roamed. The girls stopped for a gingerbread cookie which they demolished. We lost Sarah for a bit but she resurfaced and we made our way home, job well done.
The next day we headed back for round 2, but this time meeting a couple we worked with in Doha. It was family day so the rides were half price. With the promise of carnival rides, we got the kids back in for food and alternated rides with another tent and so on. Even at half prices the rides were expensive (and cheesy). But some tents had kids' areas and all had music so we were all entertained. Towards the afternoon we decided that Justin would go to the Bayern-Munich football game with Mike. We went and witnessed a historic game with Lewandowski scoring 5 goals in 9 min.
With Oktoberfest done and dusted, we rolled south into the Bavarian gem town of Fussen. This is fairy tale kingdom and on the following day we went to Neuschwanstein Castle and
Hohenschwangau Castle and learned the history of King Ludwig II. These castles are amazing to see and provide great views. After the castles we headed to a brewery. Dinner and a few lead to a fine game of putt-putt out in the fields below the castle. Our base was the lovely Hotel Fantasia, a repeat stay and one of our favorite lodgings in the world. It is like its own fairy tale castle and garden at the base of the real castles.
Our final stop on the way out was Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a German town in northern Bavaria known for its medieval architecture. Half-timbered houses line the cobblestone lanes of its old town. The town walls include many preserved gate houses and towers, plus a covered walkway on top. One of our favorite sites in this town is a medieval crime and torture museum, complete with swords, masks, and other devices. At night we joined the famous Night Watchman tour. A guy dresses in a holocaust cloak and wields a giant ax-like weapon as he wanders through the streets describing life as it was in medieval times. It is really a fun addition to a great, classic city.
We arrived in Nuremburg, the closest point for the race and spent a few days at Five Reasons Hostel & Hotel, situated within the walled city and overseen by the Imperial Castle. Hikes around town were greeted with great food and drink, especially at Hausbraurei Altstadthof, Café Wanderer, and BarfüsserBrauhaus. We ventured deep into the underground caves to see the city below the city. We also headed out to the Nazi Rally Grounds and Memorium of the Nuremberg Trials to get a taste of the significant history of the city. Such amazing and horrible things happened here and it is good to see that these sites haven't been destroyed. We learn more from being able to walk around than from stories or books.
The weekend concluded with an ill-advised marathon in a small, neighboring town. It was one of the prettiest races I have done. But soon we were headed to Munich, with the running behind us, and a new kind of marathon looming ahead.
Oktoberfest is one of the world's most amazing events and we were drawn back. With kinds in tow this time, we opted for daytime visits on weekdays, making it easy to get a seat and less likely to run into any problems. Of course, we all showed up in authentic lederhosen and drindl. Arriving on Monday morning around 11, we had our choice of tents. Opting for a place that is famous for chicken, we rolled in and sat down to the butter and herb roasted goodness that is Bavarian Hendl. Of course, we had to spot some pretzels as well as a great litre of brew. Seeing no reason not to bounce around and check out the other atmospheres, we went on to the next tent and the next. From Spatan to Hacker-Pschorr, to Hofbrauhaus we roamed. The girls stopped for a gingerbread cookie which they demolished. We lost Sarah for a bit but she resurfaced and we made our way home, job well done.
The next day we headed back for round 2, but this time meeting a couple we worked with in Doha. It was family day so the rides were half price. With the promise of carnival rides, we got the kids back in for food and alternated rides with another tent and so on. Even at half prices the rides were expensive (and cheesy). But some tents had kids' areas and all had music so we were all entertained. Towards the afternoon we decided that Justin would go to the Bayern-Munich football game with Mike. We went and witnessed a historic game with Lewandowski scoring 5 goals in 9 min.
With Oktoberfest done and dusted, we rolled south into the Bavarian gem town of Fussen. This is fairy tale kingdom and on the following day we went to Neuschwanstein Castle and
Hohenschwangau Castle and learned the history of King Ludwig II. These castles are amazing to see and provide great views. After the castles we headed to a brewery. Dinner and a few lead to a fine game of putt-putt out in the fields below the castle. Our base was the lovely Hotel Fantasia, a repeat stay and one of our favorite lodgings in the world. It is like its own fairy tale castle and garden at the base of the real castles.
Our final stop on the way out was Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a German town in northern Bavaria known for its medieval architecture. Half-timbered houses line the cobblestone lanes of its old town. The town walls include many preserved gate houses and towers, plus a covered walkway on top. One of our favorite sites in this town is a medieval crime and torture museum, complete with swords, masks, and other devices. At night we joined the famous Night Watchman tour. A guy dresses in a holocaust cloak and wields a giant ax-like weapon as he wanders through the streets describing life as it was in medieval times. It is really a fun addition to a great, classic city.
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