Europe – French Fry Runner

Okay, so this post is a long time coming. Some of my friends and family will be pleased they actually get to see pictures. 🙂 Back in November 2014, I was able to meet my husband in Germany for the last three weeks of an “externship” he had with a German satellite company. Es war fantastisch! (It was fantastic!)

We were able to visit so many awesome places–and my German language skills actually came in handy (I’m not fluent by any stretch, but I can get by). We went to Berlin, Munich, Heidelberg, Mainz (my favorite), Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Dachau, Dieburg, and Darmstadt, which was our home base and where my husband worked.

First Germany Trip | frenchfryrunner.com — Getting ready to take off–or I just landed. No idea

Frankfurt

To try and postpone any jet lag, we went into Frankfurt after my flight to Germany. (The flight actually was great; I slept a little but had the whole row to myself, and they had awesome movies to watch.) We walked around the city and went to a cathedral that had been rebuilt on the inside. The outside was really impressive, though. We also walked by the Main River (pronounced like “mine”), which separated the “big city” from the quaint row homes. I loved it!

And we also got a bagel and drinks at a big shopping mall. All in all, it was a great start to a great trip. We visited Frankfurt again later in our trip when we went to the Frankfurt Weihnachtsmarkt–a lovely, lovely festival.

Darmstadt

Known as the city of science, Darmstadt is a quaint medium-sized town. We stayed in a long-term hotel, kind of like a Residence Inn, but older and . . . German–dark woods, plaster walls, and German TV. Breakfast was provided in the hotel’s “normal” annex and was scrumptious. I could totally eat meat, bread, and cheese every day for breakfast. We also enjoyed an assortment of jams, sausages, muesli, quark, and other treats–YUM!

While in Darmstadt, we enjoyed museums, markets, and the town square, which happened to be decorated for Christmas and was the location of a little Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). We took the bus–which was always prompt–everywhere we needed to go. German transportation is a whole lot more reliable that what we’re used to, but of course I welcomed that fact. Even though one time I was yelled at by an angry bus driver. Good times.

Darmstadt's Weihnachtsmarkt | frenchfryrunner.com — Darmstadt’s Christmas market

Since Darmstadt was our home base, I got acquainted with the different delicious foods and shops in that marvelous little town. My favorite food I tried–and which I haven’t been able to find in it’s purest form–is Döner, or Döner Kebap. SO STINKING DELICIOUS. Think of a gyro and double the deliciousness. I feel sorry for you if you don’t like gyros by the way…

My favorite way to eat Döner is in pizza form… I don’t have any pictures of the pizza I ate, just the restaurant we went to. My mouth is watering just thinking about it…

Anyway, add pretzels (Brezeln), Spätzle, and the best sausages in the world to the mix, and you’ve got an idea of what I enjoyed on my trip, not only in Darmstadt but in Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, and Heidelberg. YUM!

I sure am talking a lot about food… Such is who I am. 🙂

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my German adventure coming soon.

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Bis spaeter!

Have you ever been to Germany? What’s your favorite German food?

I’m linking up with Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia from You Signed Up for WHAT?!, and Mar from Mar on the Run. This week’s Friday Five theme is Five Things I Like about My Favorite City. To be honest, I have several favorite cities because I love to travel, but I thought I would highlight my favorite city I visited 2014: London, England. I was only there for 4 days, but it made a serious impression on me. I will be going back soon! A close second is Mainz, Germany. Gotta throw that in there. 🙂

Here goes:

Architecture (hello, Buckingham Palace!). I’m just amazed at the level of detail on all the buildings in London. None of them have that thrown-together, strip-mall feel.

Food! A lot of people say they don’t like the food in England, but there’s enough of a variety to make everyone happy. We had fish and chips a couple times, delicious Indian food, and so many toasties from Pret a Manger, a delicious UK fast food chain.

So much history! Everywhere you look in London, there are monuments, plaques, statues, or buildings that commemorate a historical event. We visited Westminster Abbey and were overwhelmed by the history–in a good way. We saw the coronation chair (or King Edward’s Chair), the chair in which all the monarchs from 1296 have been crowned. We also saw the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, which was amazing. Another cool thing to realize is that American history and British history are the same until a certain point. It makes me feel more connected.

Activities and tourist stops. From the London Eye to the Tower of London to the rebuilt Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to West End shows, there is so much to see and do in London. We had a blast dipping our toes into the culture that is thriving there.

Museums! Most of the museums in London are free, so we were able to go to a few, which was awesome. We went to the British Museum (hello, Rosetta Stone!), the National Gallery (Monet, van Gogh, and Rembrandt, oh my!), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (so cool!). We saw so much awesome art, exhibits, and displays, and just loved it.

I really could go on and on about London, and it’s hard to pick 5 of my favorite things. I will say this, though: if you haven’t taken the trip across the pond, do it. You won’t regret it.

Honorable Mentions

San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Mainz, Rheinland-Palatinate, Germany
St. Louis, MO

What’s your favorite city? What draws you to that city?

Where are you traveling next?

Don’t forget to link up at You Signed Up for WHAT?!, Mar on the Run, and Eat Pray Run DC.

Category: Europe

My First Trip to Germany (Part 1)

Frankfurt

Darmstadt

Have you ever been to Germany? What’s your favorite German food?

London: My Five Favorites