For the past week, I’ve been out of town for a work conference. One would think that a conference center would boast nice pleasant rooms and a solid internet connection so conference attendees could work while away from the office and blog (if you’re me).
During our down time — and we had quite a bit — in the evenings we wandered into the stadtzentrum, the city center, a short walk from the hotel, and frequented many of the restaurants and shops. I had never heard of the city of Speyer, only seen it on the Authobahn road signs, but it turned out to be a very intriguing place full of culture, old buildings, and of course, good food and good beer. This is a place I would love to go back to and spend more time, preferably with the Viper Pilot.
The city is located on the Rhine river and was founded by the Romans, making it one of the oldest cities in Germany. The city is home to the first recorded European Jewish community, which emerged in the 11th century, and the Speyer Cathedral — the main attraction. The cathedral was started in 1030, a triple-aisled, vaulted basilica built of red sandstone and is supposedly the largest standing Romanesque church in all of Europe. I can believe it, the thing is huge. The tombs of eight Holy Roman emperors and German kings are below the high altar.
The weather was perfect last week, not so great for sitting in meetings, but perfect to spend the night on the town. One evening, we found a biergarten that was lively and inviting so we joined the crowd. I love, love, love the German culture. The place was packed for a Wednesday evening. I just love it. Did I mention that I love it? I’m never leaving.
One thing I’ve learned after living in Germany for almost a year now (how is that possible?!) is how very short the days are in the winter and how long they are in the summer. And how there is little to no in-between regular length days. Currently, we see the sun until about 9 at night, and it’s sticking around longer and longer each evening. From our table in the biergarten, we had a beautiful view of the sun illuminating the imposing cathedral before setting and leaving us with a night sky. The red church was aglow and made for a stunning view to enjoy while pigging out.
Speaking of food, the Domhof Hausbrauerei has amazing cooks, as expected.
Vegetarian potato pockets filled with herbed cream cheese and a salad. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was surprisingly delicious and I cleaned my plate. Anything fried typically is amazing…sadly.
I came home to a very cold house blanketed by the standard German weather: fog, drizzle, and unseasonably cold for my liking. I’m debating turning the heat back on. Did you have a nice week? I hope your weather was nice!
I’ll see you soon with a recipe post and some pictures! 🙂
PROST!
Who has fun plans for this weekend? Care to share?