Gotha Friday 19 July 2013

    I made a day trip to Gotha on Thursday 18 July 2013.  I have been there 2 times before and I promised myself that if I went again I would not go to the Schloss again and I did not.  I walked down into town and they were setting up for an International Folk Festival.  I went to the Tourist info and asked about the city tour which I knew was already gone.  But they called a guide and he took only me.  The tour was nice and I especially liked that I got to talk German with him the whole time.  His English was poor.   We spent about 1 1/2 hours on the tour and then went for a beer.  He is an elementary school teacher.  I gave him 20 euros.
     Gotha is worth a day if you have one to spare.  It is easy to get to the main site from the main train station.  Go straight down Bahnhof Strasse and make a right at Park Allee.  There are signs so you can't go wrong.  This street leads to the back of Friedens Schloss, the main site.  You walk up to the castle from the back through a park..  In this castle are the main museums.  But if you go through and out the front and take  that street straight down you come to the center of the town.  It is a nice town to walk through.  To get to  the train station you can walk or take almost any bus for 1.30Euro to the Hauptbahnhof.
     I have visited Gotha 3 times and there is really no reason for me to go back but I do recommend it for travelers in Thuringia.
     This tip is not only for travelers, but for any one to whom it applies. If you get a bike and go for a ride with that bike and you can not pedal that bike faster than a 50 year old man can jog down the side of the path, then you probably do not need the helmet and you definitely do not need the spandex biker shorts.  Thank-you

Weimar Monday 15 July

     I did not mention that on Thursday through Sunday nights we had the annual wine fest!  I have been every year since I have been coming to Weimar.  In the platz in front of Goethe's house about 5/6 wineyards set up stands and sell their wine.  You can either buy a glass, either .1l or .2l or you can buy a bottle to drink there or,( the deal of the day) you can buy a bottle to go.  On Friday night I tried 3 different wines at one place and then bought 2 bottles to go.  One weisseburgundian and one dornfelder.  Together the bottles cost me 12e!  6e each!  One 2 l glass costs 4e.
     On Saturday night, after dinner at Texas,  I went again.  This time I hit 2 different stands.  At the first I had one 2l glass and then one 1l glass and bought a bottle of Riesling for 4.50e.  At the next stand I had 2 different glasses.  Then I went home.  The winefest is a fun time.  There are a lot of people there and I don't think it is a lot of tourists.
    On Saturday morning I decided to go to Arnstadt.  I had never heard of this town before but read a bout it in a Thuringian Card book.  Apparently it is the oldest city in  Thuringia.  I took the train to Erfurt and then changed for Arnstadt.  It took less than 50 minutes and I think the change-overin Erfurt was longer than either of the train rides.  The Altstadt is pretty easyt o find from the train station.  There are signs and it is pretty much straight ahead on Erfurter Strasse.  I found the Tourist Bureau and they gave me a city map with a self-guided walking tour.  I visited the city Palace and the cathedral.  To be honest neither is that interesting.  I did stop for a beer after I got my map and after the palace I had lunch and it was nice and reasonable and I enjoyed the city and walking around there.  All in all it made for a nice day out.

Weimar 12 July 2013

     Another beautiful day here in Weimar!  I went for a run in the park again.  It is my 4th time in 6 days.  I run up and down both sides of the Ilm.  The Park-an-Ilm is on both sides of the river(?). And is a beautiful place to go either for a nice walk or a run.  I am out there for an hour, running, walking.  Then I come home and cool off and shower and then eat.  Today I went to City Doner for a doner.  Did I mention that they don't sell beer any more?  I don't know why.   Then I bought Das Spiegel at the bookstore because this edition is about the Kaiserreich.  Then I went down to the Rathaus and had a beer at the outdoor part while I looked at the magazine.
     When I came home I  fell asleep and slept about 2 hours at least.  I don't know why I have been so tired but it doesn't matter.  I promised myself that this summer I would not be tired.  If I want to sleep I will.  I went to Apollon for dinner.  I love that restaurant.  It is out of the way and there are only locals there.  I had baked sharp cheese for the appetizer and then a plate with 2 lamb chops and chicken on a spit and gyros meat with that white sauce and rice and a small salad.  I also had 2 big beers.  All for 22e.
     Now I am home watching Mein Mann Kann, a dopey game show that I have seen before.

Weimar 9 July 2013

     It has been beautiful weather here in Weimar.  Sunny, no humidity, and warm enough so that one is not hot.  I have been jogging in Park-an-Ilm and it is wonderful.  Today I went to a special exhibition at the Stadt Museum.  It was about fashion at the turn of the last century.  They had clothes on models which was nice, but what I really wanted to see were the old photos of Weimar and the Grand Ducal family.  They also had a video of 6 different events that were filmed by someone who lived in Weimar at that time and I watched those.
   I had lunch at good old Shakespeare Café.  I had Gulasch and 2 Hefeweizen beers for under 15e.  I went to dinner tonight at Pearle.  This is one of my favorite places to pass an evening.  They make basic, good Italian food.  The location is great.  Right on the Platz across from Goethe's house.  The food is good, plentiful and the price is right.  I was there for 1 1/2 hrs.  I have been looking into possible day trips to make but have not come up with anything yet.

Weimar 7 July 2013

     Well I have reached the apartment that I rent in Weimar on Saturday 6 Juli.  I am happy to be here.  But I want to end the Berlin part of the summer. I ate dinner at ADR bar and it was basic and good.  I had 3 beers there and then walked over to Hackesher Markt and had a beer and a Sambuca.  Then I walked to Augustinier Brau and had 2 more beers and an obstler.  I drank at Augustinier Brau twice this year.  I don't know why I have never been there before.  I also ate at La Provencal on the Spree Ufer, just down from La Rive.  I have never eaten there before either but I heard good things.  I don't know what to say.  It is a little pricey but the food is really good.  The waiters are friendly enough and mean well but the service sucks.  I had to wait 40 minutes between placing my order and getting my soup.  Then I had to wait at least 30 minutes between my soup and the main course.  there was no reason for this other than incompetence.  There were 3 waiters, there were about 10 tables outside and I don't think there was anyone onside.  I probably would give it one more try, but if this kind of thing makes you crazy or you need to be done by a certain time do not go there.
     But I am in Weimar now and that is what is important.  I went out today and as I walked past the National theatre I saw that "Merchant of Venice" was playing.  So I went in and bought a ticket.  Then I went to Vodaphone which was closed because it is Sunday and came home.  I changed and went for a jog in the park.  I showered and went for lunch at the Ratskeller.  After I took  a nap and then got ready and went to the show.  It was good up to the last 25 minutes.  Every theater director in the world needs to stage his show and then cut the last 20 minutes.  The last 20 minutes of this were terrible.  And had nothing to do with the story.
    After I went to good old Theater Café and had 1/2 l red and onion soup and a small salad.  all in all a perfect day.

Berlin 3 July 2013

     Today was a beautiful day in Berlin.  The sun was out and it was warm but not too hot.  I walked from the Hilton down Leipziger Strasse to Potsdamer Platz and then down to the Gemalde Gallerie.  Having purchased my 3-day card yesterday, the price went up to 24e but still worth it, I did not have to wait in line and went right in to the collection.  This is a great collection of Old Masters.  I visit here every time I come to Berlin.  It has a little of everything but my favorites are the 2 Vermeers.
     Normally after  visit I stop at the outdoor café and have a beer or two.. But today I did not because I had enouph beer last night.  Instead I walked down Erbert Strasse to the Brandenburg Tor and then went to Lowenbrau on Leipziger Strasse for lunch.  I had the Wiener Schnitzel with cabbage salad and potatoes and a dark Weiss beer all for 13e.   Yesterday I found ARD bar on Weinmeister Strasse.  I had eaten there twice last summer and looked for it the other day un successfully.  It is a great place to stop for a beer or coffee.  The food is basic German and good and the price is right.  Last year I watched the World Cup semi-final with Germany there.

Berlin June 30. 2013

Well, I am finally here!  I left for the airport at 3:00 pm on Friday 6/28/13 and got there at about 3:40.
The check in was easy and we actually boarded in plenty of time and were ready to take-off on time.  But of course we did not.  The weather prevented it and we left an hour late.  However it only took 7 hours to get here.  I was in my room at the Berlin Hilton by 9:30 am.  My room is the standard king but I have free internet access this time.  I don't know if this is regular of if it is an Honors perk.
    Yesterday I walked over to the Zeughaus and had a piece of cake and a coffee at the cake.  It poured rain

Berlin July 2, 2013

    The last post did not go very well. It turns out that I do not have free internet access.  I must pay 25e for 24 hours.  How outrageous is that?  Can the Hiltons nickel and dime you for anymore?    In any event I have been enjoying being in Berlin.  I ate at Lowenbrau, Amici, Luttner and Wegner and La Riva.  My favorite remains La Riva.  I had a big salad and taglatelli with asparagus and shrimp and 1/4 of Chianti and 2 Hefeweissen beers all for 32e.  The Lowenbrau on Saturday was good.  Again the food is basic and good and the price is right.  Amici is a great restaurant right on Gendarmarkt.  It is Italian.  the selection is good, the service is good and the price is right.  I had a pasta dish that was a thick spaghetti with Bolonese sauce and a salad and some wine and for dessert a piece of cherry  streusal cake and it all was good.
    Today I bought my 3 day card for the museums and went to the Egyptian museum and to the Bode museum.  I ate lunch at Que Pasa?  A great Mexican restaurant on Oraniunbaum Strasse.  I had a lunch burrito and a beer and it was great for 13e.  I have eaten there many times before and it is definitely worth a stop if you are in that area for lunch.