Germany

OUR TRIP TO GERMANY

AUGUST 16, 2012

The German Flag

Germany is one third larger than the state of KY.

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Menu for our German Dinner
at the Kilmer Haus 

Beverage

Warsteiner German Beer

Appetizer

Sauerkraut balls w/mustard sauce

Smoked butterkase cheese melted on pumpernickel rye

Main course

German Metts w/ sauerkraut

Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)

Applesauce

Dessert

Apple Strudel

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We began our dinner with authentic German beer and toasted with
the traditional German toast, "Prost"!

Eric was the only one who could handle the strong German beer.  Some states don't allow this beer to be sold due to the higher alcohol content. 
 

We enjoyed sauerkraut balls and German cheese as an appetizer.

Mark and Eric weren't too fond of the sauerkraut but made up for it with the apple strudel below.

Eric enjoyed meeting the German waitresses!!

The German castles were among our favorite sites in Germany.

Above is the Castle Neuschwanstein.

Here we are viewing the castle from a lookout on the hillside.

We  wondered how this castle was built on the top of such a high elevation.

We were amazed by the New Town Hall in Munich Germany. It was completed in 1908 and includes 400 rooms. 

Connie loved knowing that the 3rd largest lake in central Europe, Lake Constance,  is named after her!  The lake is 220 sq miles and borders on Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.



 
 Germans love their flowers.  This floral display at Mainau Island on Lake Constance was a perfect photo opportunity.

The cathedrals in Germany were as amazing as the castles. Above is the Berlin Cathedral built in 1454.

The inside of the cathedral was spectacular.

The main altar in Berlin Cathedral

Begun in 1248, the Cologne Cathedral took seven hundred years before it was completed. It miraculously survived the bombings of WWII.  It houses the golden crowned skulls of what is believed to be the Three Magi.

We loved our tour of the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin,  built in 1699 to house the royal family. The palace was severely damaged in
WWII and rebuilt beginning in 1950 and is now a museum.

The interior of the palace was definitely "over the top"!  The floor
was beyond beautiful.

This office looks just like Mark's office at TSR!!

In our many travels, this has to be our number one choice for opulence.  We couldn't imagine the cost incurred in building this palace. 

A monument to Mozart, the world famous German composer, in Dresden.

The Ka De We is the largest department store in continental Europe.  It is the size of nine football fields and is seven stories tall.

Connie has always loved the Tudor style of German houses.

Flower shops were seen frequently.  A German never comes to dinner as a guest without bringing flowers.

 Germans love their bread -- the average person consumes a half pound of bread every day.

 

We soon learned that all public restrooms in Germany use a turn style and so it is important to always have a coin in your pocket! 

 We had to make a visit to Olathe, the home town of Connie's

Pulsfort ancestors.  

Mark and Connie thought this BMW would be a nice keepsake of our trip. This luxury car, however, wasn't in our "virtual" budget!