Bamberg, Germany

If I had to pick our favorite stop during the Big Trip, I would choose Bamberg. This is surprising, no doubt, but the city had so much to offer and so few crowds. It's a functioning city in Germany, and the entire Old Town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The criticism of UNESCO, that once a site is designated World Heritage it begins to deteriorate due to an onslaught of travelers, but that does not hold true here. It's probably true of The Great Barrier Reef, though. If only coral were as durable as stone.

Our visit coincided with a festival in Bamberg called "Unterm Sternenmantel". The Google translation of this term is "Unterm star coat", but it's actually a celebration of 1000 years of having a bishop. From what I could gather, they consider their year of founding 1007, when Rome recognized their significance by creating a diocese there: "1000 Jahre Bistum Bamberg". In honor of the occasion, the square in front of the Bamberg Cathedral was turned into a giant bier garten! That's Germany for you. The locally-brewed beer was not served in plastic cups, but you gave a deposit of a few Euro to received a stein, which you could fill as often as you like for 2 Euro. There was much to be seen, so I only had one.

The city is peppered with sculptures, both old and new, and they have not one, but two beautiful rose gardens. Beer from their nine local breweries can be enjoyed in one of the small pubs or one of the massive beer gardens. The River Main runs alongside the Old Town, and some of the most beautiful buildings in Germany can be found on it. Needless to say, there are a few things to do in Bamberg. We did quite a bit of walking, from the Wilde-Rose-Keller to the Klosterburg St. Michael, and enjoyed a few local brews, especially the fresh rauchbier. This is a smoked beer, the specialty of Bamberg. The best producer of this style, in my opinion, is Brauerei Heller-Trum, maker of Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier. It's excellent in a bottle, but it's far better fresh on tap. And in Bamberg. With a pile of Bavarian food in front of you. Surrounded by magnificent Medieval architecture.

Don't miss these photos. Centurione I to Kunigunde; Doorknob to Door knocker.