Traveling to Bamberg by Train

I was invited by my blogging friend Ces, the publisher of the PILYA blog magazine (a Filipino German magazine), to attend the Asian German Association Christmas party, whom she is a member. It was an honor for me to get invited and so I said yes and booked the train ticket to Bamberg Hauptbahnhof (Central station). It was my first travel to Bamberg, and so I was so excited. 

Frescos of the old Town Hall / Altes Rathaus in Bamberg.

It was a 6 hours travel by train and I had to change the train twice. From the city I started my train ride, I had to change my train in Duisburg and in Würzburg stations. It was easy peasy for me as a wife of a railway civil servant but due to late train arrivals, I went on the ICE/Intercity train in Duisburg which was going to Düsseldorf airport instead of going to Würzburg. It was late when I noticed it. The train to Düsseldorf airport and the train to Würzburg were in the same railway track, where my train was behind the train to Düsseldorf airport. Confusing! 

The German train to Bamberg.

I was already in stress but gladfully the friendly train stewardess had kindly told me to go out from the Düsseldorf train and from there, I had to go to the train going to Munich (it stops in Würzburg), which was on the farthest railway track in the station. She was kind enough to write something on my ticket so that I didn´t have to pay the extra pay for riding on another ICE train. It was confusing for all the people as I was not alone having that problem. 

From then on, I was careful not to miss my trains and I arrived well in Bamberg Hbf (central station). Seeing Ces, I was delighted. We have not seen for more than 2 years.
I was lucky. I reached Bamberg station on time. I hate to be late. Since Friday the 8th until Sunday the 10th, the ICE trains were late, some were canceled and the travelers were all confused and in a panic not to reach their destinations. 

Bamberg, the "Little Venice" in Germany.

Bamberg is an old historical town in the Upper part of Franconia, in the North of Bavaria. It is surrounded by the stunning countrysides and it stands on the seven hills. The old buildings are very unique, in baroque and in medieval designs. Since 1993, it is a UNESCO World Heritage. Bamberg is also called the "Little Venice" In Germany.



Below are the photos of Bamberg. Enjoy! Maybe one day you will come and visit Bamberg.

Strolling at the city of Bamberg.

The strong water current of Bamberg Regnitz river.

The awesome view of Bamberg historical old city.

The Crucifixion sculptures in Bamberg city.

The Crucifixion sculptures in Bamberg city.

Igor Mitoraj Centurione Statue in Bamberg.

View on the other side of the Altes Rathaus / Old Town Hall, Bamberg.

Frescos on the wall of Bamberg Altes Rathaus / Old Town Hall.

I hope you like the photos. Sightseeing in the old city of Bamberg with my friend and her family for a few hours was awesome. The beauty of the city was not comparable to Venice for me because the smell of Bamberg was fresh and breathtaking. Yes, it looked like I was in Venice because of the stunning view of the Regnitz river with its unique Baroque architecture and designs of the houses around this river but Bamberg is more than that.

Christmas Market in Bamberg. Photo was taken by Ces.

Me at the Christmas Market. Photo was taken by Ces.

Like many other cities in Germany, Bamberg has its own Weihnachtsmarkt / Christmas Market. It was one of the beautiful Christmas markets that I have seen in my life. There were lots of Christmas decorations for sale like Christmas tinsels, garlands, stars, lantern, candles in different shapes and colors, gingerbread houses, cookies, chocolates, mulled wine and many more.

Me and the President of the Asian German Association in Bavaria, Germany

It was a very long day travel to Bamberg. The final event of that weekend was the Christmas party of the Asian German Association. It was a wonderful event full of fun, eating and dancing. I am glad I went to Bamberg. I am sure it was not the last time I was there. I still have a lot of places to see like the churches and museums. 

My travel back home was not as smooth as the travel to Bamberg. The ICE train was not fast as it used to be because of the bad weather. From Würzburg on, the snow started to fall down. There were many people who missed their trains as we arrived late to our destination. Some trains were canceled. I arrived home safe but it was so cold and the snow was thick. The view was like a winter wonderland.

Thank you very much for reading. Thank you Ces and Georg for your hospitality. I enjoyed our weekend together. Until then. Ciao!

Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Alberts

Photographs of the Hansefest in Wesel 2017

Hansefest is a historical trade fair event in Wesel, Germany. It is a Middle Ages historical event where traders from other neighboring towns and cities of Germany participated. Hansefest is a medieval guild of merchants event where most of the merchants wear clothes from medieval time. It is a 3 days event which starts on Friday and ends up on the following Sunday every year on the last weekend in October. Besides PPP (Pauken Plunder Promenade), this is one of the most awaiting events in Wesel.

Handmade pieces of jewelry, toys and lampshades at the Hansefest 2017.

Hansefest started in 1991 when Wesel city celebrated its 750 years foundation. Since then, thousands of visitors came to Wesel to witness the trade fair event. More than 50 merchants from all over Germany participated and have their products for sale in their self-built tents and stalls. 

Tents and beer garden around the Berlinertor (BerlinGate).

The event started from Berlinertor (Berliner gate) at the post office, straight through the shopping promenade until the front of the Willibrordi cathedral.

Here are the photos of Hansefest 2017:

Wooden Ferris wheel at the Berlinertor.

Handmade pieces of jewelry at the Hansefest 2017.

Strassenorgel / Street organ

Strassenorgel / Street organ

Back of the Strassenorgel / Street organ.

Children with their parents took horse carriage ride at the Hansefest.

Pieces of jewelry for sale at the Hansefest event.

Awesome handmade birds for sale.

Isn´t it beautiful? Metal handmade bird.

Amethyst and rock crystal for sale.

Earrings and necklaces made of amethyst and rock crystal.

Turkish tea for sale.

Gourmet coffees and spiced teas for sale.

Different kinds of teas for sale. Peppermint, herbal teas and more.

Homemade marmalade and jam for sale.

Stockbrot / bread in a stick baked in that old fashion oven.

The merchant tents with the products for sale before the visitors were coming.

Herbal fruit candies, liqourice and herbal candies for coughs.

Guinness and whiskeys for sale and a riding toy for small children on the left side.

Different kinds of spices from Himalayan salt, pepper, chilies, basil, rosemary, sage, etc.

Sheeps skin clothing and cushions for sale
.

The Hansefest was a wonderful event that ended on Sunday where there was a "Verkaufsoffen Sonntag",  shops were open from 1 in the afternoon to 6 in the evening.

Below is the video of the Strassenorgel (Street organ) which I took on that Sunday afternoon. The owner of the Strassenorgel showed me the mechanics behind the music played. Enjoy watching!

Thank you very much for dropping by. Please feel free to comment, like and share this blog to your social media sites. Take care and God bless you all.

Here are some of my writing sites:

Hubpages
Thellyscucina
Gardening
Germany

Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Alberts

Feierabend Market in Wesel

Last Thursday, October 19, was the last Feierabend  (after work) Market in Wesel. It started at 4 in the afternoon until 8 in the evening as what was stated in the event schedule of Wesel.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and so I was motivated to see the Feierabend Market, which was an Open Market, in the Great Market of Wesel. I thought, maybe there were a lot of stalls selling flowers, clothes, bread, sausages, meat and fruits. I thought there would be a lot of people strolling at the Feierabend Market which was located in front of the Willibrordi Dom (Willibrordi cathedral), but it was not the case.

Dried and roasted fruits like raisins, bananas, walnuts, coconuts, etc.....

When I arrived in the Feierabend Market, there were not a lot of people strolling and buying goods. Maybe I was so early. Maybe there were people coming there when I left before 5 p.m. People who visited the event later after their work.

Ginger root candies, spicy.

Anyway, in the Feierabend Market, there were stalls with flowers, bread, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and candies. What I was interested of was the stall which sold roasted and chocolate coated peanuts, walnuts, dried pineapples, dried bananas, dried dates and many more. I bought 200grams of those ginger root candies as I knew they were good to my throat especially now that the winter is coming.

Sugar coated peanuts, dried bananas, dried peaches, dried apples, ginger root candies, etc...

There were many beautiful flowers and different herbs sold in one of the stalls. I could have bought some of the herbs but I still have them at home.

Have you visited an open market in your place? What goods are they selling?

Flowers sold at the Feierabend Market.

Thanks for dropping by. Please feel free to like, comment, pin, tweet and share this blog on your social media site.

Here are some links about Germany.

https://hubpages.com/holidays/PPP-Townfest-In-Wesel-Germany

https://hubpages.com/travel/Fascinating-Places-To-Visit-In-Cologne-Germany

https://hubpages.com/travel/Fraueninsel-Sightseeing-Tour

Copyright 2017 by Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

Views From Willibrordi Cathedral

Have you climbed a cathedral and saw the beauty of the surroundings?

Willibrordi Cathedral view from the Great Market place

Last August 6, I climbed the Willibrordi Cathedral in Wesel, North Rhine Westphalia here in my adopted country, Germany. The Gothic Basilica is I think one of the oldest cathedrals in NRW (North Rhine Westphalia). It has 5 naves which were built between 1501 to 1540 and a tower which was built between 1477 to 1478 (Source Wikipedia). It has 50 tombstones which were fixed to the walls.

Willibrordi Cathedral Organ

The day I climbed the Willibrordi Cathedral was a PPP (Pauken Plunder and Promenade)  Townfest weekend in Wesel. The cathedral was opened to the public for climbing up to the viewing top of it. There were  Tombola tickets sold if anyone wanted to win a lottery. I bought 2 before I climbed the stairs but didn´t win. There was a paper pinned on the door stated that there were 216 steps in going to the viewing platform. (It was corrected by a friend later that there were actually 217 steps.) 

Inside Wilibrordi Cathedral

There were not many people climbing the stairs at that time and I was glad because the stairs were so steep, narrow and curvy. Often times though, I had to stop to let people who came from the viewing platform passed by so they were able to go down the stairs. I also stopped to take photos of the church bell below me. I was surprised at myself as I was not losing my breath when climbing. I was fitter this time than the first time I have climbed the viewing platform 10 years ago.

The steep, narrow and curvy stairs of  Willibrordi Cathedral.

Willibrordi Cathedral Bells

Arriving at the hall of the viewing platform, I rested on a bank and prepared my video camera and smartphone for my task. I didn´t know how high the cathedral was but it was a stunning view of the Rhine river that caught my eyes. There was a Fleamarket at that time and I saw thousands of people strolling like ants, parading before my eyes while I pinned my eyes on the lens of the camera I was holding.

View from the Willibrordi Cathedral viewing platform. The Rhine River and Rhein Promenade.

View from the Willibrordi Cathedral viewing platform.

Views From Viewing Platform of Wilibrordi Cathedral

1. The Rhine River
2. The Rhine Bridge (Rheinbrücke)
3. Großermarkt / Great Market at the cathedral
4. "Langer Heinrich", the TV Tower in Wesel
5.  Old Waterworks 
6. Wesel City
7. Buildings, houses and apartments

The Rheinbrücke / Rhine Bridge view from Willibrordi Cathedral viewing platform.

My visit to the Willibrordi Cathedral was a memorable one.I didn´t have to travel far to see those amazing views. Thanks for reading my travel blog. I hope you enjoy looking at the photos. Maybe you can visit this place one day. God bless!

The small park at the Willibrordi Cathedral.

BTW, the famous resident of Wesel was Peter Minuit, who bought Manhattan from the native Indian American.

If you are interested to read my articles, please check this link on Hubpages.

View of the Rhine River from Willibrordi Cathedral viewing platform.

Copyright 2017 by Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved