Hotel Boettger Bad Windsheim

... pressing apple cider, and selling wares. For some reason, a bulk of the shops sold Christmas ornaments which lent a festive air. The other specialty is schneeballs. A nearby town must be famous for pies because I'm pretty sure schnieballs are leftover pie crust balled together and dipped in some sort of goodness. They were alright. The hot chocolate was great. And, the owner spoke German, English, and Japanese, pretty cool. All in all, it was a good day.<br><br>

... to my hotel. Now I know why they call it LUGgage. After settling into my room, I headed out to take the "Night Watchman Tour". The tour was only an hour, but it was informative and the Watchman was humorous as well. After the tour, I went To Hell, yes that is the restaurant's name, for dinner. FYI, they serve good food in Hell. So the next time someone tells you to "go to Hell", it may very well be a good suggestion!

... It's beautiful and charming but ask me in a few hours when the Elderhostel tour buses and their occupants have sent me over the edge. Anyway. My goal today is to discover the deliciousness of something called "schneeballs." They look chocolate and fried and should go great with beer.<br><br>Well that's all for now- I am in a tourist office that gives me 15 minutes free internet access and I have to steal it where I can get it. Auf Weidershen :)

They Said:<br><br>Even if for only one damp and chilly night, we finally got to see another city in Bavaria. Nuremberg is mostly a bombed out shell of its former self, redone since the war with more modern style architecture but still retaining the city's original mapping. This means tons of streets that are pedestrian only, and for the most part, this is how we enjoyed the city &#8211; simply by walking its ...

... t get to talk to family or friends much so I have no idea what is going on back home. <br><br>But it really helps when I get postcards and emails from home. Even small comments on my blog (thank you Mitch) help. I want to take this time to thank those of you who have sent me cards or postcards in the mail, they are making my walls, as well as my smile, so much brighter. Also, thank you to those that send me emails, those always help and put a smile on my face. But enough of this ...

The weekend of November 9th the town of Bad Windsheim Germany welcomed Jews from around the world to the former home town of their parents, grandparents and forefathers to commemorate the the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht - the night that has been recognized as the prelude to the Holocaust. That night 70 years ago the Nazi's began the systemic eradication of a people who could trace their ancestry in Germany to ancient Rome. Jewish businesses ...

My biggest challenge on this assignment has been staying connected to the Internet. Multiple times I have typed - and lost - communication to my buddies at home. There are several events I want to share with you through the blog before the experiences bleach from my memory. Time is running out, however, so suffice to say I'm well and winding down. Last weekend I fine tuned my skills on the Autobahn. I have traded my muscle car for a winterized Passant Wagon that ...

... forcing my fingers to work their connecting magic to the people at home who make up my life. Aside from being alone and terribly isolated, the town is amazing. My daily drive takes me through endless farmland that spreads over the landscape in sections of varying shades of green dotted with soaring or sitting hawks. When the wind blows the right way the smell of manure is unmistakable. I return home each night to a village lined with stone streets and filled with ...

... Windsheim. Bad Windsheim is a small historic town. It is best known for it's salt water spring, hence the German word Bad. And I guess it is also known for someone or something named Winid. Windsheim translates to 'To the home of Winid.' The town is also known for it's spa, Franken-Therme (whatever the heck that is), and it's museum. I hope to visit the museum next week but I think it might be closed in the winter. Whew, now ...

... fields and hills as far as the eye can see. And there were a few little German villages. (Something interesting my dad told me on the way: the tallest point of most German villages is the steeple of the church.) As we drove along I saw a sign for some town called Ausfahrt. Strange name, I know. I thought nothing more of it until we past two more signs for Ausfahrt. I thought it must be a bigger ...