Review A Nuernberg, Germany Vacation

In the summer is the best time to visit Neurnberg as the weather is best this time of year, but well, if you visit then, you'll miss Ocktoberfest.  Maybe you should visit in October at least once and decide for yourselves.

When you enter the city, you travel thru a modern section before entering the Old City and you get there thru the City Wall.  In some parts, the wall is in two rows, with the outer wall and then the inner wall.  Between the two walls lie quaint old buildings, once workshops and smiths.  Now they are occupied by shops which continue former blacksmithing and goldsmithing traditions, and also sell antiques and other collectibles.

Once the Old City is entered, delicious aromas delight the nose.  Carts being pushed by peddlers sell all kinds of foods.  Some sell Brez'n (pretzels), while others sell Bratwurst (sausage).  You can also get beer or roasted nuts. 

My favorite restaurant in the Old City is the Bratwurst House (established in 1496).  Bratwurtz in Germany is not like what we get in the states.  The bratwurtz is about the size of link sausage and it is grilled over an open fire.  We also had wild boar from the Black Forest and it was delicious.  The sign on the door telling how long the business had been open was about the size of a business card.  The restaurant is located in the square across from the church where Hitler use to rile up the troops from its steps. 

There is also a large gold fountain in the square with a ring on it.  You have to stand up and reach to touch the ring, but you are suppose to spin it for good luck.

For those a bit less willing, there is always the occasional McDonalds.  There is one in the Old City located next to a sex shop.  We also found a nice Argentine Steak House with excellent beef.

Don't be surprised to see small children at play by themselves at night as this is one of the safest cities we have ever been in.  You will find the police in the airports, with machine guns and they don't play.

The Old City does really deserve its name.  One look at the buildings will tell you how old the city is.  many of the buildings date back to or before 1700, some before 1600 and some even earlier as was the case with the Bratwurtz House building.

These is also a very old cathedral, the one across from the Bratwurtz House, which dates back to who knows when.  It is very impressive and is very immense in size.  You will love all the old buildings and the architecture and pictures are a must.

On the Saturdays, the people from the outside area, flock to Old City to put out their wares.  Antiques, homemade food, homemade clothes, and much more make Saturdays a special day in the Old City.  If you are looking for something to take back home, then make sure that your stay includes a Saturday.

On top of the hill in the Old City is the city's castle.  This served as the center of the medieval city and everything was centered around it.  Parts of the castle are now open as a hotel and gives you a since of going back in time staying there.

From the top of the castle, the whole city can be seen as well as the surrounding countryside.  This is a great place for pictures and the wells there are so deep that they put large candles in a bucket and lower it into the wells so far down and still don't touch bottom, but you can no longer see the candles.

The city has a modern side with a convention center that houses 5 separate building and the city is connected by The Underground (subway).  It runs every 3 minutes during the week and every 5 minutes on the weekend.  You buy your own ticket, the honor system, and you validate it in a machine as you head to the cars and there is no one to check you.  New York City would go bankrupt in 3 months with this type of system.  But the people do buy and no problems.  There is also shopping centers at certain stops that are underground.  No gang writing on the walls or anything like that.  The Underground also goes above ground in certain areas.

Nuernberg is the perfect place for anybody to visit, young or old, especially people who enjoy historical cities from hundreds of years ago.  Go, I do as often as time permits.