You might remember my affinity for bright colors (if not, click here and here to see how much I’m obsessed). I have many stock photos reserved for occasional posts like that, and most of those photos were taken in Bamberg. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that Bamberg stole my heart at first glance.
I’m ashamed to say that before Marion mentioned it to me, I had never heard of Bamberg. As I was traveling with someone who was familiar with the area, I didn’t do any research for itinerary and scheduling. I basically was just trailing behind Marion the whole time, but lucky for me, she was an exceptional guide. She brought me to the most beautiful places, and didn’t mind when I stopped too many times to take pictures. At one point she even said to me, “Take your time Dixie, take as many pictures as you want.” To me, that was like telling a kid in a candy store that he/she could take as much as she wanted.
I was in cloud nine.
When you’re in Germany, I strongly suggest to see the town hall (or Rathaus), wherever you are. Each is unique and has its own flair, and the town hall of Bamberg showed it. Remember when I say that Bamberg was colorful? So was the city hall.
The facade, with the exquisite frescoes, was such a head-turner.
The town hall is situated in the middle of Obere Brücke, a bridge over the Little Venice (Klein Venedig). It was just stunning.
Next was Bamberg Cathedral, known locally as Bamberger Dom, a late Romanesque building with 4 majestic towers.
It was under construction when we were there, so we weren’t able to see much, but the cathedral was beautifully ornate. It was quite impressive to see this building stood there after it was burned down more than once in the past.
The view from the cathedral was not bad as well, as it was located on a higher ground.
A short walk from Bamberg Cathedral was the Old Court (Alte Hofhaltung), an old farm building which was also the place for the Historical Museum Bamberg.
Looking back, as much as I enjoyed the whole Bavaria Trip, Bamberg somehow stood out more than the other places (except Schloß Neuschwanstein and Zugspitze of course, but that’s another story!). We spent a long time just strolling around, chatting, and it was such a relaxing day. I just felt… contented.
Of course, the pretty town helped a lot. This part where we walked around the town might be my favorite thing of the day.
We also made a brief visit to St. Jacob Church.
And then, more strolling with more and more bright walls…
Our next destination was Kloster Michaelsberg, a Benedictine monastery up the hill.
On the way there, we spotted Tante-Emma-Laden, which was quite well-known apparently. I couldn’t resist to take a picture before going in. Look how pretty it was!
We went in and bought some ice cream. I don’t know if it was the weather, the long walk we’d had, or simply the ice cream itself, but it was the best ice cream I’d had in a while.
We continued our walk up the hill…
and I finally got to see the monastery up-close.
We spent a long time there, enjoying the peaceful surroundings.
And just when I thought it couldn’t get any prettier…
it proved me wrong.
Maybe this is why I’ve had such a hard time moving on from Germany.
That afternoon, it was like one pretty scene after another. After Kloster Michaelsberg, we walked along the Little Venice, and I got to see the idyllic part of the town.
The day was wrapped with a walk back downtown, where we stopped at the farmers market to buy asparagus for dinner (we actually stopped by the Seehof Palace on the way home, but I’ll save it for another time as this post is getting way longer than I’d planned).
At the end of the day, I could imagine myself happily living here. This town had an understated charm (I suspect it had something to do with the pretty walls and the quaint atmosphere), and I was hooked.
It was a lovely day. The sun was shining (3 days in a row! I was really lucked out), I spent the day exploring a beautiful little town with a good friend, and came home with a full memory card in my camera and a heart filled with warmth and happiness.
Later that night, I told Marion about my feelings that day, and she told me about this word, Gemütlichkeit.
“I can’t really explain it,” she said. “It’s when you’re feeling warm, happy, and comfortable. Maybe the way you’re feeling right now.”
When she told me that word, I thought, that’s it! That word perfectly sums up my day.
For all it had, and for the moment I truly experienced the true meaning of the word Gemütlichkeit, Bamberg will always have a special place in my heart.
For the previous part, click here:
No Comments