Nuremberg, Deutschland. Thursday, 9th May 2019
Turned out to be an eventful and exciting day! Left Hotel Holiday Inn Express, Munich; after breakfast at 09:45 and caught bus no. 190 to Berg Am Liam station. While waiting for the bus, we struck up conversation with a friendly lady, who it turned out, hailed from Bamberg. The previous night I had a conversation with Mr. Niraj Salgarkar, a friend who had so kindly hosted us at Stuttgart on our 2016 trip; and who was currently working in Berlin. Mr. Salgarkar had worked for a few years at Bamberg. I had also read about beautiful Bamberg with its medieval constructions, before embarking on this trip. Perhaps, these incidents combined together to plant the thought of visiting Bamberg, in my head.
We reached München Hauptbahnhof by a combination of S4 and S2 trains. The station was beautiful, reminded us of Zurich Hbf. Shot a video. Our train for Nuremberg departed on the dot at 11:05 from platform no. 24.
The pleasant journey that exposed the beautiful German countryside to us, culminated at 12:48; we were at Nuremberg. This station was nice too-spic n span. Exited the station building guided by GPRS (a boon!), to be greeted by cold winds and a cloudy sky that seemed to be in the mood of releasing its watery contents. The city was a typical German city(whatever that may mean!) with a certain charm and warmth. We were instantly reminded of Heidelberg, visited in 2016. The hotel Holiday Inn Express Hauptbahnhof was just 200 metres away and we found it easily. Bahnhofstrasse was packed with hotels on either side. We were greeted warmly at the reception (unlike that at Munich) and allotted room no. 412 on the fourth floor, road-facing. Room was neat.
Refreshed ourselves and set off by 14:00 to look for a restaurant. Found one named 'Cocoon-Fine Asian Cuisine', close to the Bahnhof. Now, Asian food was the last thing we wanted to try, but we were hungry and hunting for restaurants in the cold was not an option that I wished to exercise. We ended up eating a Japanese meal - Yuki Tori roll and another dish whose name I forget. The dishes were quite good, I must say. There was a lot of seasoning done to the dishes - salad items used for garnishing. Urmila being a vegetable lover, saw one appealing looking 'flower' and put it in her mouth. No sooner had she done so than she spat it out, her face taking on a horrified look; she managing to say. "Tikhat!" ('pungent', in Marathi) We immediately called for water and the bearer wasted no time in bringing a glass of sparkling water. After she had calmed down, she exclaimed that she had never tasted anything more horrible or pungent! Along with the bill, the bearer presented us two lollypops!
Used the subway to go to the station on the opposite side and were thankful for the same. It protected us from not only the traffic but also the cold! Caught a train to Bamberg and enjoyed the 40 minute ride, marvelling for the umpteenth time at the pretty villages with their neat approaches, at every halt. How fortunate are the people living here!
I fell in love with Bamberg at first sight. A typical German small town with a dated railway station building; and the town with its constructions, roads, buses, etc. all spread on one side of the railway station.
Boarded bus no. 901 at the station, for the Town hall - the most prominent feature of Bamberg. The moment the bus took a right turn and went farther, I knew I would love the place. There are certain places that immediately give you good vibes and this was one of them. We alighted at ZOB, the bus station and the gateway to the charms of Bamberg, under a cloudy sky that had begun to shed raindrops. The ambience was fantastic - cobbled streets, glittering showrooms and people in colourful attire. Following GPRS, we strolled in the direction of the Town hall. At one stage, when we were on a narrow cobbled lane sandwiched by enticing shops on either side, it started raining hard so we were forced to take refuge at a shop. It turned out to be a very bright and colourful store, selling all kinds of household items. It was so well laid out that Urmila demanded that a video be shot.
With the owner's permission, I did so. It was truly a magnificent shop! Waited outside for the rain to stop, observing people with raincoats, umbrellas or neither, hurrying about. An elderly couple was also waiting with us and the man smiled spontaneously! When the rain reduced, the couple left, with the man actually saying, "Good-bye!" I have mentioned this only to show how friendly the locals are.
The skies stopped pouring their contents and we continued. Came to a junction which was lined by medieval buildings on either side and housed a fruit market at the centre. The rain washed roads and a very light mist that hung above created a fantabulous atmosphere! Purchased peach at the fruit market. The fruit was average in taste. Admiring the town, we finally came upon the river with its many bridges and of course, the centre of attraction -the Town hall. It was truly mind-blowing! The entire setting was right out of a fairy tale.
Clicked photos and shot videos. As the heavens threatened to open up again, we retraced our steps to the ZOB, this time hurriedly. Purchased a steel scrubber at 'dm' supermarket, opposite the ZOB. Back to the Bahnhof by bus no. 901. Purchased a Jack Daniels at a mini-mart ( cash only!) in the station premises and made our way to platform no. 5. Waited for the S1 to Nuremberg, braving the icy winds.
The train departed 10 minutes late. This was a 'passenger' train that stopped at every station but this afforded us the opportunity to study ( and of course admire!) every village and its layout. Were back in the warm confines of our hotel by 19:30. Had Jack Daniels and Khakhra(!) before calling it a day.
A most rewarding visit, which was not included in our original itinerary!