Branching Out in Bavaria; or, Hot Date in Regensburg

Regensburg, Germany   
July 7-8

one hour drive from Vilseck to Regensburg

Anniversaries have never been a really big deal for us.

To me, a wedding anniversary is something silly to celebrate as one big event. Whoo-hoo! We're still married!

Instead, I like getting something small (like a heartfelt, handwritten note in a card or a meal in a favorite restaurant) and carry on like it's any other day.

The other reality is we are usually apart during our anniversary. For the first four years, we were separated thanks to Uncle Sam and the U.S. Army. Then it became my summer trips to see family living out of state while the kids and I were on break. July is travel time, and we are just as likely (or more so) to travel separately than together.

This is the second year in a row that we are able to celebrate together in a more over-the-top than usual manner. Last year we spent our anniversary in Mexico. This year, we took a trip to the beautiful and historical town of Regensburg.

Cultural stuff: 
Regensburg was the location of a Roman fort in 90 AD. Much of the 11th-13th century Gothic architecture is still visible today. It was also bombed several times during WWII.  Unlike Köln, which was obliterated by bombing in WWII and had to replace historical structures with modern, grey buildings, Regensburg was luckily spared mass destruction and put great efforts into restoring the city to its Medieval roots. For its efforts, its old town center is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Things to do: 
The old part of the city sits on the Danube. Quaint cafes and Würstchen stands line the path facing the river. We saw families on bikes, couples eating and drinking on blankets, kids running around with gelato, and lots and lots of people taking in the sun on a pleasant and beautiful day.

It's the Danube!

View of an outdoor cafe from the UNESCO information center.

What we did enjoy was sitting and people watching. Drinking good beer and taking in the sights from a sidewalk cafe. Window shopping. Relaxing and having a good time.

people watching, window shopping, and beer drinking

For our anniversary we stayed in a rather posh hotel called the Domresidenz. The hotel is on a tiny street with lots of interesting shops---you can find anything from a fancy hat to a vintage Tom Jones album. 

The hotel itself is located in an 800 year old building. It's been gutted and modernized for the most part, but the historical bones of the building are still there, with too-short doorways carved of stone, walls that aren't square in any way or fashion. On the corner from the hotel is an antiques store the owners also have, and the decor was a combination of Swedish modern and gorgeous antiques from their shop.

view from one of the hotel windows

The Domresidenz has only a few suites, and each is a 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment with a full kitchen and dining room. We didn't take advantage of the kitchen since we ate out. In a month in Europe, we only stayed in hotels for a total of 5 nights. This was most definitely our biggest splurge. But you only celebrate your 23rd anniversary one time, right?

There are several sidewalk cafes/bars across from the cathedral that make a great place for people watching. Beer runs anywhere from $5-10, depending on the size. The sidewalk cafes have blankets over the backs of chairs in case you get cold in the evenings. This seems to be typical all over Germany.

There is also a nice shopping area where we hit up the Birkenstock store and TK Maxx. Yes, you read that right. Germany has TK Maxx and it's as great as its US cousin. 

Best of all in Regensburg was the selection of brew houses (braühauses?) that serve cheap, good Bavarian dishes. After scouring the internet for reviews and careful consideration, we chose the Weissbraühaus. Okay, who am I kidding---we passed by and I wanted to go inside because Weiss is one of my family names. Silly, I know. Later we found out that it actually is one of the top rated pubs in Regensburg on several travel and restaurant sites. They brew their own beer and have a wonderful selection of traditional Bavarian dishes. Prices were very reasonable ($8-15 for entrees) and the service was great.  

obligatory food shot. I promise we won't have many of these. 

What I learned: 

Our first solo trip without our German speaking host was a little daunting for me in the beginning. First, there was getting there---on the Autobahn. Yes, that Autobahn. We borrowed our friends' cute little Hyundai---great for getting around tight, tiny streets in Europe, but not really meant to burn up the Autobahn. We puttered around at 70-80 mph and watched in wonder as cars whizzed by like we were standing still. (We've get a second round in a much faster car later in the trip). Second, checking in to the hotel, shopping, and ordering food meant trying to use a little bit of German. My German is, well, atrocious. I am a little hopeless, Duolingo and all. But it was a great adventure because it was one of the first times in a long, long, long time that my husband and I have had a day and night to ourselves. We laughed a lot at our attempts---and as anyone who travels will tell you, if you just try to speak the local language, it will open doors and you will generally get better service. Muddling through it together within our first week overseas was a great experience, and an apt way to mark our anniversary, since our relationship started as friends in college living in Mexico, trying to master a foreign culture and language and laughing the whole time.