History Archives | North of Something

The Weltenburg Abbey on the Danube is a monastery and brewery that has been brewing beer for over a thousand years. Not only are they respected throughout Germany for the cultural and historical aspects, but the on-site brewery has won a few highly respected awards in the world of beer drinkers. The Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel received the “World Beer Cup” as the best dark beer in the world in 2004, 2008, and 2012.

We parked across the river from the Brewery and took this ~~ferry~~ raft across to the peninsula to the brewery. When we got to the other side my son yelled “Lower the anchorrrrr!” and the guy laughed and then almost took out the kids with his enormous anchor on a stick he kept swinging from side to side. It takes about 5-10 minutes to walk to the brewery from where the raft lands (depending on if you have small kids with short legs) so it took us about 15 minutes which included various stops, including one to pose on top of this rock.

We arrived at 11am and the Beer Garden was already hopping and the beer was flowing. As far as facilities go, there’s a really nice bathroom, but no ATM in sight so do yourself a favor and get cash before you get on the raft, because you will need it for the tour, the beer, and any souvenirs you might want.

The Brewery Tour is available April through October and it’s in German, but if you smile and nod a lot, you’ll blend right in. Plus, for 11,80 Euros per person you get quite a bit of beer at the beer tasting part of the tour and your own Weltenburger beer glass to take home.

My favorite beer was the Weltenburger Anno 1050 (one of their lightest), which has won the gold medal with the “European Beer Star” in the German Style category. My son’s favorite is the apple juice (Apfelsaft)!

There are about a million flat river rocks, perfect for skipping, along the banks of the Danube. It was a really hot day in Bavaria so we cooled our feet (and one of us accidentally cooled our butt) in the very chilly water. There were people in kayaks and other various floating-intertube-type things enjoying the slow-moving river.

We also got to see the inside of the monastery where some monks were singing some really pretty songs.

Overall it was a neat experience and even fun for the kids when we weren’t yelling at them to be quiet.

This past Saturday I was lucky enough to meet up with some amazing bloggers in the area and we explored the Nürnberg Easter Market. Together with Betsy from Java Cupcake and Melissa from MilliGFunk, we went up and down every dang aisle of the market to check out all the incredible vendors.

I was excited to be there right at noon when the gothic-style Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) chimed noon and the figures under the clock sprung to life. Some quick research on German Wikipedia tells me that the clock was installed in 1506 and it depicts the Holy Roman Emperor being circled by “prince-electors.” Holy history, batman!

Since this was my first time in Nürnberg, I just HAD to do some more historical research after I got home. In the 12th century Nürnberg main market square was just crappy marsh land where the Jews were forced to settle. And the current location of the beautiful Frauenkirche Cathedral is where the Jewish synagogue used to be. What would the 12 century Jewish families think of our present day Easter market?!

Below is a photo of the square in 1707. It has hardly changed! Even in the early 18th century this was an area set up with vendors just like it was last Saturday when we went.

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And in the early 20th century it was a popular rally location for the Nazi party. In 1933 it was rechristened “Adolf Hitler Platz.” The photo below is from 1934 when troops from the Nazi party were deploying.

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There was a ton of damage done to the square during World War II, but the Germans are nothing if not efficient when it comes to restoration.

Today the marketplace boasts year round markets throughout the seasons. The Easter holiday is no exception and it is truly beautiful! We saw so many traditional German Easter decorations, many hand-made.

I absolutely adore watching vendors in the midst of their creations. Even with a language barrier I see many of their faces light up while talking about their products. This woman had some incredible sweaters and a million other items made with yarn. The man in the photo below makes some unbelievable pieces with wood.

It’s also really fun to see the different artistic personalties, ranging from proud and confident to shy and bashful. The man below was more of a salesman selling commercially made (although traditionally German, many wooden) toys. He was very friendly and even struck up a conversation with me in German, to which I just smiled :)

The food was also incredible! I had some freshly made kettle chips, corn on the cob (on a stick), and some fresh bread that was made right there at the vendor stand.