Some Closing Vignettes From Bavaria
UNTERNEUKIRCHEN, BAVARIA — My time here has ended after almost two weeks visiting my daughter Mere and son-in-law Matt and taking a few adventures. Here are a few vignettes to wrap up this trip.
- Matt and I made a day trip by train to Regensburg, a city of 150,000 in eastern Bavaria that sits at the confluence of the Danube, Naab, and Regen rivers. The city served as a wealthy medieval trade center and has been dubbed the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages.” It was considered Europe’s center for almost 150 years, into the 17th century.
Regensburg escaped major damage during World War II and has a well-preserved Old Town, including Dom St. Peter, a twin-spired Gothic cathedral marking its 750th birthday this year. Its stained-glass windows, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, provide the only illumination for the breathtaking interior with its ribbed vaults. The only other cathedral in Germany that rivals Dom St. Peter is in Cologne, which we visited four years ago, when Mere and Matt lived there before moving south to Bavaria.
One reason for our trip: Matt has a hankering for Mexican food. There is a small café in Old Town that has decent tacos, he notes. I stick with a simple salad but was impressed with the margarita on the rocks, which Matt ordered for us in fluen
t German. (This is the first time I have heard someone order Mexican food in German. Just saying.)
We cross the Danube on a stone bridge whose construction began in 1135, making it the oldest preserved bridge in Germany. We take a pleasant walk after lunch along the river on a trail filled with hikers and bikers, plus an array of happy dogs on leashes. Eventually, we again work up an appetite. It is time to surrender and eat some old sausage.
OK, the sausage isn’t old. But the establishment where we sit outside near the Stone Bridge, with the Danube in sight, bills itself as the world’s oldest sausage kitchen, dating back to 1146. Their specialty is delicious, small pork bratwurst served on a bed of sauerkraut, with a side of sweet mustard, all washed down with a local beer. Some claim Historische Wurstkuchl is the oldest continuously operating public restaurant in the world. I can’t vouch for that claim, but if you are ever in Regensburg — grab a plate.
- Burghausen, with a population of about 20,000, is the closest town of any size to the charming village of Unterneukirchen, where Mere and Matt live. It’s about 12 miles away and sits on the Salzach River, which forms the border between Bavaria and Austria. Burghausen is home to the longest castle in the world (more than 1,000 meters long), which sits on a bluff above the town. (You can read about it here.) Matt and I walked across the bridge to check out the vending machine on the Austrian side. The Brückenautomat doesn’t sell just soft drinks and candy bars. It also sells a dozen eggs, a carton of milk, shredded cheese, and lunch meat.
We wandered through Old Town, stopping at an outdoor café for coffee and a light breakfast. Once again, a beautiful river came into view, this time the Salzach. The castle dominated the skyline. I never tire of this place’s beauty.
- On my final night in Bavaria, we walked about half a mile into town. Unterneukirchen is a charming village of about 3,500 people, with a decent grocery store, a church built in the 15th century, and Raspl’s Steak Wirthaus, an excellent restaurant with a congenial staff. Since Mere and Matt are apparently the only Americans in Unterneukirchen, they are well known and greeted warmly by the same fellow who served me a year earlier. We sat outside as the sun began to set, eating steaks and drinking a couple of beers.
It has been a fine adventure. Until next time, auf wiedersehen!
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