Bamberg 4 August 2013

   I have been in Bamberg, Germany since 24 July.  I have not been able to write because the apartment that I have rented does not have access of any kind.  Right now I am in a restaurant that lets you have access for 2e.  My 12 nights here in Bamberg have been OK.  The weather was good.  Although some days were very hot, but it is summer.  I made a day trip to Coburg.  It is a nice day out and takes about 30 minutes on the train.  I walked around and went on the guided tour of the city palace and enjoyed it a great deal.  Coburg was the capitol of the duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the reigning dukes lived there.  Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert was from there as was her mother so there is a lot of portraits and memorabilia if you are interested in that.  I had lunch at the Ratskeller right on the main platz.  It was perfectly nice.
     I can not report anything new about Bamberg.  I ate twice at a restaurant called Casa Italia and loved it.  I had eaten there before.  It is never crowded and the food is very good.  The wait staff are great and it is nice to spend a quiet evening there with good food and good wine at a good price.  I also ate at the little place on the canal.  I don't know the name but it is behind the Tourist office and directly over the bridge.  The food is good German food.  You get a lot of it, it is fresh and well made.  The prices are tremendously good.  Go there.
     I do think this is my last summer here in Bamberg.  It has become over run with tourists.  There are nights when every restaurant is full.  also the apartment I rented was in a residential area, which was nice, but there was constant, and I do mean constant, traffic.  I am exhausted because the noise makes it almost impossible to sleep.  Tomorrow I go by train to Nurnberg and then with the bus to Prague.  I am staying at the Hilton and expect to arrive early in the afternoon.  I am going to take a nice shower, crank up the AC and SLEEP.  I can't wait! 
     Before leaving Bamberg I do want to make one last recommendation.  At the end of Markkus Strasse is a bridge.  Over the bridge on the right is a bar called Lewinsky's.  It is GREAT.  They have indoor and outdoor seating and in the evenings if there is a sporting event on TV they have it on inside on a large screen.  I went there to watch Bayern Munchen play in the semi-finals and finals of the Audi Cup.  So if you want to have a few beers and hang out with the locals go there and grab a seat out back and enjoy.

    Next stop Prague