Stuff to do in southwest Germany

[th3w01f]

I was in Karlsruhe (a little south east of Ramstein) a few months ago and I was surprised by how anti-immigration everyone I met seemed to be. That was my first real trip to Germany and it was better than I expected. Not much in English (like signs and bus schedules) and don't expect to find many people who speak much English but everyone was very friendly and helpful. The beer and food was great.

The strangest thing was the comforters; on a queen or king bed the main comforter is split in two so basically two singles. I finally asked for an American comforter and got a single one that fit the bed.

Not sure if Ramstein will be the same but in Karlsruhe almost everything was closed on Sunday. I had to walk back to the train station to get some diet coke and water.

[earplug]

What are your interests? Heidelberg has a bit of everything. Hockenheim racetrack might be running. Take a train trip just to see the country. Seriously consider a volksmarch to meet people. Nurburgring race track with the rental car.

[hurley842002]

What are your interests? Heidelberg has a bit of everything. Will you have a vehicle? Hockenheim racetrack might be running. Take a train trip just to see the country. Seriously consider a volksmarch to meet people.

Didn't read the whole OP I'm guessing?

[jerrymrc]

There is much to see and do. Depending on when you come we may be able to help out. Do understand that your weekend is one day as nothing much is open on sundays. I will send a PM.

[bellavite1]

German chicks...

[Rumline]

Thanks for all the replies. Good to know about Sundays. It looks like that Eltz castle is open "daily", I assume that means Sundays too, so maybe I'll save that for Sunday.

German chicks...

LOL! Why couldn't I get assignments like this when I was still single?

[Martinjmpr]

Thanks for all the replies. Good to know about Sundays. It looks like that Eltz castle is open "daily", I assume that means Sundays too, so maybe I'll save that for Sunday.

I think you'll be close to Heidelberg which is a beautiful city.

As far as things being closed, it's been 25 years since I was stationed there but unless things have changed, most businesses (including any retail establishments) close by 6pm weekdays and on Saturdays are only open about 8 - 1pm.

When I was there the only thing you could buy on Sunday was gas and beer. Although if you have access to a US military installation this doesn't apply.

Germany is gorgeous. I'm prejudiced towards Bavaria (I was born there) which is pretty far East of where you'll be (although it's not like it's really that far - Germany is not that big of a country.)

If you're only going to see one castle, why not make it THE castle, i.e. Schloss Nueschwanstein



NOTE: Just Google mapped it and it looks like it may be too far (424km, 250 miles - minimum 4 hours each way) so that may be a bit too much "autobahn time." However there are castles on the Rhine that are probably worth visiting.

If you have time try to learn a little German. Even though most people understand English, like anyone else they appreciate it if foreigners at least make an effort to learn some of the language.

Warning: After you have German beer and food, coming back to the US will be a letdown. Don't say I didn't warn you.

[Rumline]

I'd highly recommend a trip to the Burg Eltz castle. It looks like about a 2 hour drive from Ramstein and you'd be driving through some really scenic areas of Germany.

http://burg-eltz.de/en/eltz-castle-t...s-history.html

This was an awesome recommendation. On Sunday my coworker and I drove up the Moselle River from Trier to Koblenz. We toured both Cochem and Eltz castles, and in my opinion there was no comparison. Eltz was exactly what I was looking for: an actual castle that was not rebuilt in a "fairytale recreation" by some rich guy in 1880. The castle tour was very detailed and gave a good sense of how the rich lived during the middle ages. Their collection of fine arms was really impressive. They had a number of ornate old rifles with O.G. Damascus steel barrels...not the modern recreations. And yes you can tell the difference. All the guns looked extremely well-kept despite being 200-300 years old. It wouldn't surprise me if they could still be fired today. They didn't allow photography at all inside the castle, which was very disappointing. They do sell a book for about $10 which covers the history of the castle. It has plenty of photos of the castle itself, which is great, and a few pictures of the guns in their collection, but the pictures don't do the guns justice.

Warning: After you have German beer and food, coming back to the US will be a letdown. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This is true. I love that they can't use high fructose corn syrup and other artificial stuff in their food. Everything I ate was more "basic" tasting than food here, but more satisfying. Also the breakfasts at the hotel were freakin' awesome. Between those and the beer I must have gained 10 lbs. Oh, the beer....everybody talks about German beer to the point that it's a trite conversation point. But similar to the food, the beer was basic but very tasty, perfect texture, and in some ways more satisfying than beer here. I've had Paulaner hefeweizen on tap here in the US before, and from my recollection it was about the same, but I can't do a taste comparison across multiple years. But I feel like a lot of hefeweizen's here are mixed with other flavoring agents, or are actually belgian-style as opposed to German-style. Anyway, I liked them, and miss them already.

[electronman1729]

Lived there as a kid. Landshul castle is pretty cool. Heidelberg is cool as well but about 1hr away.

[Circuits]

But I feel like a lot of hefeweizen's here are mixed with other flavoring agents, or are actually belgian-style as opposed to German-style. Anyway, I liked them, and miss them already.

We use different hops than the germans do - it makes a huge difference in the flavor profile(s). Not so much "flavorants", but regional/national differences in the products used to make it.