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Published: January 26th 2010
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Heidelberg
Up on the Old Bridge looking out on Heidelberg Castle. Jan. 25, 2010
Monday morning . . . we slept in . . . checked out of Nausser Hof and made our way back down the strip to the Old Bridge. The town was covered in snow but it was much more comfortable to walk around because it was not nearly as cold. We stopped for coffee and tea on the way, as it is obviously the thing to do; everywhere you look there are packed coffee shops (including two Starbucks). There is an even a coffee shop with an outside area that is packed full of smokers.
At the Old Bridge, which has the best view of Heidelberg Castle, we stopped for pictures. At one point I approached a German man to take a picture of the two of us. Clearly not understanding our English, he politely removed his hat, smoothed his hair out and posed for us with a big smile, as he assumed that we wanted a picture of him. After snapping his portrait, I asked again if he would take OUR picture (which he finally did).
After our adventure on the bridge we made our way to a late lunch at Bier Prezel. Once
Heidelberg
German man posing for picture on the Old Bridge. again, an absolutely delicious meal . . . Mom had spätzle and schnitzel and I had onion soup and salad. I did try her pork fried schnitzel - not something I would want to order everyday but definitely a tasty treat. The atmosphere was that of a traditional German gasthaus (a German pub); much like the restaurant we were at in Rothenburg. I’ve decided this is my favorite type of place to eat at in Germany - authentic, endearing and chill. At Bier Prezel the waitress was dressed in a dirndl which always makes me think of the Halloween I dressed up in Mom’s to be a German lady. The most hilarious part of this lunch was being hit on by another customer - “You look very special,” he said as he caught me coming up from the bathroom, “I would like to get to know you better.” Needless to say, I would not allow Mom to use the bathroom or leave my side until we were done with the meal.
A little bit of shopping on our way back to the car . . . and on to Landstuhl and Ramstein to Ramstein Air Base where my dad
Heidelberg
Mom & Sara on the Old Bridge worked for three years from 1976-1979. It was a quick drive once we actually got the car started; the little bugger gave us quite a scare as we tried to get it started one too many times. We made it to Ramstein in about an hour. Vineyards line the hillsides . . . As we drove farther south there was more and more snow and the towns became smaller and smaller. Upon seeing the sign to the Air Base Mom became very nostalgic (I think we all know what that means).
Getting on Base was very simple; Mom had her military ID and I had to show my passport. Hassle free (although very tight security), we were able to get a room at the Ramstein Inn for $41.50/night (yes, American dollars - crazy, right?). Inside is also a huge mall with movie theaters, kiosks everywhere, any kind of shop imaginable and a food court. It also has a travel center, business center and parking. This building is brand new - only a year and a half old. No wonder it was almost sold out - they fortunately had one room available - a Pet Friendly Family Unit, which is
Bier Prezel
A delicious cozy lunch! huge! It has a fully supplied kitchen and dining room set, living room with TV, pet cages, couch, chairs, and coffee table, washer, dryer, fully equipped bathroom, and 2 bedrooms, one with twin beds and the other with a queen.
After exploring Ramstein Inn and videotaping the inside to show my dad how much the Base had changed, we headed back to Landstuhl for dinner. Needless to say, the Base is farther bigger than Mom remembered. There are now roundabouts about every 1/8 mile which became very confusing; let’s just say we definitely went in circles for a while. Thank goodness we didn’t get a GPS - it would have been going crazy on us!
Anyways, we eventually ended up downtown at a Greek restaurant (we didn’t have a lot of choices). The English was not very good nor was the food; however, the owners seemed very grateful to see us and tried forcing uzo shots down our throats on our way out the door. All we have to say is when in Germany, stick to German food (we didn’t have the option this night). Thus, our night in Ramstein came to an end. We are soooo looking
The Vineyards
The never ending vineyards of Germany forward to tomorrow - seeing the hospital I was born in and the Rodenbach home my parents lived in for three years (if it’s still there).
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