Over the Columbus Day weekend I decided to do something different. That thing for me was to take a Friday off, which gave me a four day weekend. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, I just knew it had to be a nice place, where I hadn’t been before, oh and it needed to have decent weather. In October that’s asking a lot.
The first location was Basel in Switzerland, the second was Bamberg in Southeast Germany, in the state of Bavaria. Not only would you find Bamberg, but Munich as well in this region of Germany.
The trip to Bamberg was spurred on by the fact that our friend Chris preparing to move back to the Michigan, so our friend John suggested Bamberg. What’s in Bamberg you may wonder. That’s simple, Rauchbier (smoked beer), along with other things. If you ever wondered if it was possible to get a beer with a smoky flavor, the answer is yes. In Bamberg you can get Rauchbier at a lot of different places. They have multiple breweries, so the bier will be different, the atmosphere will be solid, and you will have some fun.
Drinking wasn’t the only thing to do. Bamberg has a lovely area of shopping, the marktplatz (marketplace), which allows you to see great sites. Like the shot I took as you are walking over the bridge towards the marktplatz.
I also ran into something I hadn’t ever seen before. Locks on the wires as you walk across the bridge. I had a friend tell me later that couples who are getting married put them on there. I had never seen it before. It was pretty interesting.
It was made more interesting listening to John come up with random stories on how the couples met that put the locks on there. I could buy some of what he was saying. I mean how in the world are we really supposed to know.
To get to Bamberg train is the best method. In our case it was four of us that took a regional bahn train, on Deutsche Bahn. It is about a 3 hour train ride, which cost about €10. A very cheap ticket because Deutsche Bahn has the happy traveler ticket. Probably one of the coolest things to use.
The ride to Bamberg allows you to see the beautiful country side of Germany. Something I don’t think you ever really get to see in America. This along with wondering at each and every station stop, “Where are we exactly?”
The time there wasn’t long enough, but it was a good trip. We ran into four guys who were visiting from the states, oddly enough one of them was from Michigan. I was wearing my Tigers hat, and for some reason John, who is also from Michigan to, Chris and I were talking either Tigers or Lions, so the guy overheard us. It still amazes me the number or people from Michigan that I’ve met here.
If you are looking for a weekend or even a easy Saturday trip, Bamberg is the place to go. I’ve included a link below that lists the various breweries in town. I have to say you should try out the Brauerei Spezial as your first stop. You will feel a little odd because when we walked in you are in a place with older Germans, but as I’ve come to figure out, no matter where you go, they are going to look at you weird, but that’s Germany.
Check out the rest of the pictures of the trip below. Have a great week ahead!
The Bamberg Trip
Jacob Thomas 