Germany

Throughout the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016 I spent a lot of time in Germany. Deutschland has always been one of my favorite places in Europe and I loved getting the opportunity to explore some new cities.

My car for the month. I didn’t hate driving this on the autobahn…I got up to 190km.

Where I worked:

Wiesbaden

Marktkirche – the main protestant church in Wiesbaden

Spielbank Wiesbaden – Casino

The Heidenmauer (“Heathen Wall”) of Aquae Mattiacorum

Hessisches Staatstheater

Carnival parade downtown Wiesbaden

Daily snacks at the office…

While I was in Germany I worked in a town called Wiesbaden which is in central western Germany, about 20 minutes outside Frankfurt. It is a lovely town with lots of restaurants and great shopping (I tend to go shopping a lot when I’m alone and wandering around.. I can’t be trusted).

I happened to be in Germany during Carnival which is a huge Catholic festival that occurs right before lent. The festivities normally take place at the end of February or beginning of March and includes big celebrations and parades. The only way I can describe it is a mixture between Mardi Gras and Halloween.

Places to Eat and Drink:

• Restorante Comback: Italian restaurant downtown Wiesbaden with amazing truffle pasta!
• Spital: I went here for some drinks with a friend and some of his German friends. It was busy and seemed to be a happening place at night.
• Manoamano: Delicious cocktails and cool vibe!
• Frankfurter Hof Sprenger – Great Schnitzel and Apfelwein (add some sparkling water or sprite to dilute the tart taste)

Biebrich Palace:

Not too far from downtown Wiesbaden is Biebrich Palace. During one of my days off I explored the area around the palace which is located on the Rhine River. It was a beautiful place to walk around and I would recommend going if you find yourself in the area.

Mainz

Mainz is a college town located on the Rhine river about 25 minutes from Wiesbaden. I stayed in Mainz for a week to get a change of scenery and because I made my reservations last minute I had to stay at two different hotels during this week. The first place I stayed was the Hilton Mainz, which is located on the bank of the Rhine River. The second hotel I stayed at was the Hilton Mainz City. Both hotels were very nice. The Hilton Mainz city is a little older of a hotel, but it is also smaller so you get more of a personal experience where the hotel staff knows who you are.

Mannheim

One of my weekends in Germany I drove to Mannheim to meet up with a friend. Unfortunately it rained practically the entire time I was there so our day consisted of more eating and drinking opposed to sightseeing. Trying to find the best that Mannheim had to offer we went to lunch at the revolving restaurant in the space needle. Honestly, I don’t recommend doing this. Thankfully I had good company but the food was not great and Mannheim is an industrial city so the views weren’t that great either. The one interesting thing we found while we were there was Luisenpark park which had an area that looked just like Asia (who would have thought in the middle of Germany).

Ruedesheim am Rhein

Rüdesheim lies at the foot of the Rhine’s right (east) bank. The town belongs to the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and is one of Germany’s biggest tourist attractions (aside from the Cologne Cathedral)

I was only in Ruedesheim for an afternoon so my time mostly consisted of drinking wine and walking around exploring the area. Some of my co-workers went during peak wine season and took a trolley ride through the vineyards which looked amazing!

The town is known for its white wine, specifically Riesling. I am not normally a Riesling fan (too sweet for me) but the ones I tried here were great. They were a little on the drier side so it tasted more like a chardonnay.

Overall, I really enjoyed my few months in Germany and can’t wait to return someday!

Xoxo,

Kirsten