Weimar 2016 - The final Word

     Today is my last night in Weimar.  Another month gone by entirely too fast.  I know I say this every year but it becomes increasingly true.  So I decided to give some advice based on the 7 Julys I have spent here.
     For basic German food go to Sächsischer Hof.   The food and the choices are all the same in all the German restaurants in town but here they have the best  Klöße in town.  The price is right, you sit in a lovely, peaceful garden and the service is good.  Also it is never very crowded so you can always get a table.
     There are now 4 Italian restaurants in town but I have only eaten at 3 of them - Napoli, Versilia, and La Trattoria .   All offer the same basic pasta and pizza menu.  I like them all for different reasons.  La Trattoria is out of the way.  You sit on the terrace out back and it is very quiet.  Versilia has a lot of indoor seating so if it is inclement weather you can still go there.  But overall I pick Napoli.  It too has acceptable indoor seating.  The outdoor seating is in a more active part of town so you get more people passing by as you eat.  But the only real deciding factor is that a half-liter of wine is cheapest there.  The food is good in all of them.  Napoli also offers Krombacher beer vom fass and it is always fresh and delicious.
     For lunch, go to City Doner.  It is in the Theatre Platz to the left of the theater.  Go up to the take-out window and order one to go.  Be sure to say for "mitnehmen"  so you get it in a bag.   Then walk down to the beer kiosk outsice the Rathause and get a beer.  Sit down at a table and enjoy.  It is cheap, good and you are sitting right in the Markt Platz where all the world, or what little of it there is in Weimar, goes by,    Well that's it for Weimar 2016 - bis nachste Sommer!
       

City Kebab

Beer Kiosk

Tomorrow I leave for Dresden.

Weimar 2016 Special Exhibit

     As I previously wrote, there was a special exhibit this summer called "The Ernestinier prägt Europa".  It consisted of 4 parts.  Two parts were in Weimar and two parts were in Gotha.  Part One was at the Stadt Rezidence.  It was interesting but nothing that different than what is normally there.  Part Two is in the Neues Stadt museem.  I have never been there and thought this part was better.  You are told a lot of information on the audio guide that comes with your ticket.  They have the Grand Duke's throne here.

     I had purchased the combi-ticket for 16 euro which got me into all 4 parts during the run of the exhibit.  Really a good deal.  So I made the trip to Gotha on Wednesday.  I did one stupid thing.  If the City-Hopper ticket is offered on the screen once you put in your destination, TAKE IT!!  It is only 5 euro 60 and to go both ways it is cheaper than one way with a regular ticket.  I bought one to come home.
     In Gotha Part 3 is in the Herzoglisches Museem and part 4 is in Schloss Friedenstein.  I have never been to the museem before because the other times that I visited Gotha it was not open.  So it was interesting for me just to go there and your Special Exhibit ticket lets you into the whole museum.  They had mostly art here and it was very interesting.  Part 4 was in Schloss Friedenstein and again, your ticket lets you all through the Schloss including the ducal family rooms.  One thing I did not like is that most of the portraits are not labels.  One thing I did like is being able to see all the portraits that I have only seen in books.

Schloss Friedenstein

Between museums I went down to the town, had a little walk around and then had lunch at an Irish pub

Irish Pub - Gotha

I had Irish Stew and a couple of Franzikaner beers.  Then back to Schloss Friedenstein.  To get here is very easy.  Leave the station out the front exit.  You will see the S-bahns on the left.  Just walk straight up Bahnhof Strasse until you come to ParkAllee.  Go left.  The Herzoglisches Museem is on the left side of the street and Schloss Friedenstien on the right.  The photo of the Schloss was taken from the porch of the Museum.

Weimar 2016

     In previous posts I said that I enjoyed going to Theatre Cafe to hang out and have a beer or a glass of wine in the evening.  It is the same place with the same name but it has changed hands.  It is now an Italian restaurant.  The same waitress was there the other evening when I stopped in for a drink but the menu and the prices have changed.
     It is the standard Italian menu but there are other Italian restaurants near by that offer the same menu but for less.  A glass of chianti was 4 euro 80.   The old Theatre Cafe offered carafes of wine at a reasonable price.  The location still can not be beat so after a dinner and then a nice walk it is still a great place to sit and watch the square.  I do not think that I will be hanging out there that much.
    I find that I have been enjoying the Ratskeller Kiosk more and more.  It is pleasant to sit in the square and relax and the price - one beer= 3 euro - can't be beat.

Weimar 2016

     I arrived in Weimar, from Frankfurt, on Tuesday 5 July.  The train ride was easy - about 2 hours 30 minutes.  My train left Frankfurt at 9:30 am and I was in the apartment at 12:30 pm.  Weimar is just like always.  This is my 7th summer here!  When I go out and walk around I feel the same as I do when I am at home.  I know where everything is and I know exactly where I want to go.
     I have eaten at Texas, Versilia, Sachsische Hof, City Doner, Schwartzberger Hof.  All the same and all still good.  Texas is still my favorite place to eat and Schwartzburger Hof is still my favorite place to hang out.  I was there to watch the semi-final game between Wales and Portugal.  I did not go to the Deutschland semi because I knew it would be too wild.
     There is a special exhibit here at the Stadt Schloss this summer.  It is called, "Die Ernestinier prägt Europa",  It also has a part in Gotha and of course I want to go to both.

Köln/Heidelberg 2016

     After 3 days in Frankfurt we went to Koln.  It was easy to do but the ticket price was 71 euro and I don't know why?  I looked on the ticket machine at the train station and on line and it was all the same.  I stayed at the Hilton which is just up the street from the train station and to the left - very conventient.  The Hilton is the Hilton.  The rooms are nice and the breakfast is fantastic but only if you get a deal where it is included.  If you have to pay every day it is very expensive.
     The city itself is very nice and walkable around the cathedral.  The tiny side streets are quiet and beautiful.  The walk along the river is very nice.  We ate at Toro Negro one night.  Great!!  It has a store front on one of the quaint small side streets and outdoor seating in the back in an unexpected courtyard, which can be used to pass through.  The food was basic Spanish - steaks and shrimp and we drank a liter of red wine.  For the two of us the bill was 60 euro.  I would happily recommend this place.  We also ate at an Indian restaurant up the street from the Hilton in the direction away from the altstadt.  The food was tremendously good.  We ordered a bunch of plates and beers.  The servers were helpful and nice and efficient.
    The cathedral itself is just stunning.  Standing there and looking up is almost breath taking.  I think it is because this giant cathedral is right in the middle of everything.  The art museum has a nice collection and as I said, just walking around on a nice summer evening is great.

     From Koln we took the train to Heidelberg.  I was here a long time ago.  What a beautiful little city to visit.  It is so picturesque and the river views are just spectacular.  The schloss ruins are like a fairytale setting.  To get up there you go into a building that looks like a parking garage.  At the desk you buy a ticket that is good for a ride up and then down and also to walk around the grounds.  If you take a guided tour you get to go inside.  Once again the views from up there are unbelievable.   We stayed at the Leonardo Hotel which is nice enough.  However, believe it or not the water smells.  Its true.