Nuremberg and Bamberg

Bamberg and Nuremberg are both cities within Franconian Bavaria, in the lower half of Germany.  This area is famous for its sausages, smoked beer, and many other delicious delicacies.

The quaint, cute little streets of Nuremberg

Nuremberg is a very pretty walled city with gorgeous old-fashioned houses, many still standing from the 15th century or earlier (though much of the city was bombed during the war, so some parts are re-built).  It's a relatively small city centre that you can easily walk around, and the old castle still stands at the top of the hill.

To the left of Sam, Albrecht Durer's house (famous painter), to the right, the city walls

View from the castle - could easily be mistaken for a medieval skyline 

Although the city's history is all around you as you walk through the city, we took two tours to gain a better understanding of what the Nuremberg is all about.  One tour took us through the city centre and up to the castle, then out to the once-was Nazi party rally grounds (medieval history meets modern history).  The other tour we took was of subterranean Nuremberg, taking us through the city's cellars which were used to store the 500L of beer per person per year which was the normal allowance in the 1400s, and also the spots that were used as bunkers during the war.

The cellars underneath the city

On Saturday we visited Bamberg (with our gracious hosts, Karin and Tim) as the annual Bamberg Magic Festival was on.  Massive crowds swamped the streets to see street performers, market stalls and live music throughout the city centre.

The crowd (in reflection) watches a magic pirate (with hamster friend)

We were also in town to visit some of Bamberg's famous brewpubs.  The Schlenkerla Brauhaus (brew house) is possibly the most well-known brew pub, famous for its Rauchbier (smoked beer).  The date that the brewery was built is unknown, but it was mentioned as early as 1405 and the beer is still tapped in the traditional way from wooden barrels.

Come try a rauchbier at Schlenkerla!

The curved, ornate ceilings of Schlenkerla behind us

Rauchbier from the barrel

Of course we had to sample some of the other brew pubs in town.  One of the interesting discoveries we made was Beer Schnapps - basically distilled beer that makes for a tasty liquor!

Demijohns of different types of schnapps

Bamberg is another beautiful ye olde city worth a visit.  It also features a fantastic castle on the hill, quaint car-free streets to explore and great food to sample.

Bamberg's old City Hall (perched precariously on the river Regnitz)

Next stop: Cologne