Ulllllm...

Ulm, Germany is the birth place of Albert Einstein and home of the tallest church in the world; the Munster Cathedral. Rising to a whopping 530 feet high, let me tell you (let my LEGS tell you), it's quite an impressive building. You start out on the bottom floor where you can view the main cathedral area, including a memorial trail you can follow along the floor, a candle lighting circle, a prayer room, and the main services area (the stained glass windows were truly breathtaking). Then you enter a tiny cement spiral stairway, big enough only for two people at any point, and you climb straight up to the main platform. There are a few smaller platforms at the lower levels for you to stop and take a break, as it's an exhausting feat. The climb is not recommended for anyone with claustrophobia, as many times you have to climb over a group of people who are pressed against the wall and taking a break.

Once you get to the main top floor, you can walk around and take pictures. There is, however, an optional platform that you can climb to. The steeple stairway is smaller than the main stairway and is a two-way lane; meaning you have people coming up and down in the same stairwell. It's quite a squeeze to get through at some points, but the view is worth it. The very top is also extremely limited in moving space and relies on the group present in when/where you move or leave, so we stayed and took pictures until everyone began to climb back down.

view from top






We managed to get around some of the back cobble streets, where we found a small tea shop and some beautiful scenery. We even managed to find pieces of the wall, which was built to surround Ulm. The city itself is situated on the Danube river and we found some magnificent views as we followed the wall.





The library is located in a central area of the city and looks like a fortress of glass. The stairs wind in a large circle throughout the library, and just outside the building you can find cafes and bistros with umbrellas, tables, and chairs for dining.




Jen and I had lunch after our 530 foot climb (quite literally!) at a restaurant outside by a fountain. We shared a small stack of ribs, a salad, and a baked potato. Afterwards, we walked around, browsed through some shops, and finished the day with an italian ice cream. I also ended up buying a handmade basket from one of the dealers outside the cathedral during the market sale.










I recommend visiting Ulm if you're ever in Germany. If you plan to climb the cathedral stairs, make sure you're in shape and prepared for tight, closed in spaces! Those aside, the hike is worth the effort.

Naturally, when Jenny and I got home we purchased some fruit, sushi, and bread from the local grocery store. We had our fruit salad on the balcony and watched the sunset over Feuerbach.







for more pictures, please visit my flickr site.

wow.. it's a GTX3Z4500 triple s lutz deluxe limited edition car, or something

Some photos from our trip to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Brian fell in love, Gigi snapped a million pictures, and I used adjectives for the cars, like "red" and "the shiny one" and "the one with the cool doors".


After you purchase your ticket for the museum, they give you an audio device and then launch you up to the 8th floor in a spaceship. Or something like it, at least. Whenever you want to hear information about a model or exhibit, you'd just aim your device at the circle and press the button. They also had movies and moving pictures, so you could listen to those, as well.

When we were done at the museum, Gigi decided to make us some dinner. We drove downtown Feuerbach, in which I got turned around several times on the little windy streets. After a stop at the grocery mart and a few horn exchanges, we went back to the house to eat. We had a turkish meal called schwarmi (sp?), and then proceeded to crash at our quarters.













(this was Gigi's meal. he likes to stack his fries in the middle)





Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Dinner in France

Gigi and I decided to have dinner in France on Tuesday evening just for kicks. The following day was the 4th of July, so we would be able to stay out a little later than usual. It took about two hours to get there, mostly due to some traffic around construction areas along the way. I opted to drive since Gigi drove last time. If I hadn't overcome my "small-lane" phobia yet, I sure did fix it along the way. There's nothing like riding next to a semi when the lanes are half the size you're used to and construction barriers kick in.






We got to Strasbourg around 8:00 pm or so and found a parking spot next to the University. We walked along and crossed the river Ill until we found a little city square.









When we found a couple of menus on the street, we decided to go to Au Dophin (the dolphin). They had several entrees and specialties you could order, but we wanted to try one of the set three-course meals that they recommended. The one we chose was called The Terror menu, although the Pirate menu was very tempting. Believe it or not, I was relieved to see that they had German subscript under each menu item. I was able to read and understand some of what I saw, but when it came to French, I had no idea. Gigi said he had studied French for several years, so I told him that he could order for me. As soon as the waitress came to take our order, both of us stared blankly at her for a moment until Gigi finally said "water," and proceeded to order in English. Haha!!










Both of us had the soup of the day even though we had no idea what it was. We wanted to try something authentic since we were there only for the night. It turned out to be a really good (and really green) potato and asparagus soup. For the main dish, I had a steak with mushrooms, potatoes and cheese, and vegetables. Gigi ordered the pork roast with veggies and noodles. When we were finished, we ordered the tart for dessert, but it turned out there was only one left. He gave it to me and instead of choosing ice cream, Gigi ordered the cheese. The moment that plate came out, I about passed out in my chair from just the smell of it. We were laughing so hard, I had to keep my napkin over my nose because I felt my stomach turning each time Gigi took a bite. I tried a little piece because I figured I might as well, but I wasn't a fan. He enjoyed it, but had to acquire a taste for it which he had done awhile back.





After dinner, we took some pictures of the cathedral. The windows and lights were set on different colors and timers, and made for some great pictures. There were quite a few people on the streets enjoying themselves and watching the display.





We had a hard time finding the correct direction to go on the highway, only because the cities listed were the same as the ones we were moving towards when we drove to Strasbourg. The navigation system only seems to work for Germany unless you install a different CD, which we didn't have. After a little effort, we figured out where to go and made it home around 1:30 am.