The Sundquists' Saga

This blog is devoted to the activities we participated in with our friend, John Sundquist, and his son, Will. John and Will spent the week with us, so we took them to some of our favorite places in Karlsruhe. We then headed to Frankfurt for a few days. I think a good time was had by all. 

On Monday, 2 July, we ended up at our favorite Irish pub, the Bray Head. Here are the boys having an after-dinner drink with the owner, Ferghal Coogan. 

On Tuesday, we spent the day touring Karlsruhe. We had dinner at the Pizzahaus, where we are regular customers because we love their thin crust pizza which is cooked in a wood-fired oven. Here we are with our favorite waiter, who speaks a hysterical mixture of Italian, German, and English. We will miss this place. 

We spent Wednesday (July 4) at the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart.  Still as amazing this time as it was the first time we visited it (see March 22 blog for more pictures of the museum). 

John was kind enough to stop by the Army base in Heidelberg (where he was stationed in the 60s) and picked up several T-bone steaks on his way to Karlsruhe on Sunday. Art and Will tried to cook them on the German version of a disposable BBQ grill in the parking lot outside our apartment. What a perfect way to celebrate July 4th! 

Thursday we headed for Frankfurt, to visit Will's buddy, Sebastian. In addition to being a flight attendant for Lufthansa, he raises bees and produces honey here on this organic farming cooperative just outside Bad Vilbel, where he lives. This is part of the farm, which is run by five families. Over 100 people work here, raising pork, chickens, and cows; baking their own bread and pastries from the grain they grow; making their own cheeses; growing fruits and vegetables; and operating a grocery store where you can buy all their organic food. 

John and Art inspecting one of the vegetable beds. 

We then headed into downtown Frankfurt, where we  stopped by one of the largest indoor shopping malls (MyZeil) to admire this architectural marvel. Almost as amazing: the line of people waiting to get into Hollister's!

Here is another picture of the tubular steel and glass structure from the inside, top floor, of the mall. 

Here is what it looks like from the outside. 

Admiring architecture is hard work, so we stopped at a lovely outdoor cafe for some refreshments.  Sebastian is in the checked shirt, leaning forward, and his good friend, Christian, is behind him. 

Feeling refreshed, we headed over to Die Kleinmarkthalle, a large indoor area full of fruit, vegetable, cheese, meats, and flower vendors. 

Die Kleinmarkthalle is the largest public market in Frankfurt and contains an impressive array of  fresh food. Here is one of the fruit stalls. 

We tasted some kind of wurst from one the vendors. It has a special name, which I cannot recall. (sorry, Sebastian!)  Served hot with mustard and brown bread. Delicious!

Cheese, anyone? I sure will miss the variety of cheeses!

I'm not a fan of olives, but this stall had lots of other delicacies as well. I have become especially partial to small, hot red peppers stuffed with cheese and marinated in olive oil. 

Frankfurt am Main (pronounced mine) has been in existence since the 1st century, when it was settled by the Romans. It has a rich history, has survived many wars, has been Germany's financial center for centuries, and is now the largest financial center in Europe. It was heavily damaged during WWII, so these buildings here, surrounding the marktplatz, were completely rebuilt. 

We stop for some more culture in the marktplatz. This site is the finish line for an Iron Man race that was going to be held on Sunday, hence the bleachers under construction in the background.

The Main River bisects Frankfurt; here is one of the lovely churches along its banks. 

Thursday night, we enjoyed a wonderful meal of traditional German food at Sebastian's favorite restaurant somewhere on the outskirts of Frankfurt. The menu has remained the same for 45 years. We started our meal with handkase mit musik, a small, circular patty of cheese, formed by hand, and topped with vinegar, oil and chopped onions. The "musik" is a result of the chopped onions, which are supposed to stimulate the eater to pass gas. Good thing we all ate the handkase!

John enjoying his pork shank, brown bread, and sauerkraut. 

The apfelwein (apple cider or wine) is made here in the restaurant and stored in large barrels in the cellar. It is brought to the table in large, cold, stoneware jugs (seen here), and is served with sparkling mineral water. Slightly sour, but very tasty. I am eating Rippchen, a large (!) cured pork cutlet served with sauerkraut. The leftovers went home with Sebastian's mother, Liza, for her hunde (dog). 

To complete the meal, we had mispeln, which is similar to an apricot, and served in Calvados, a kind of French liquor. 

Prosit to Will, Liza, Sebastian, and Art!

Friday we headed out for the Rheingau, one of the major wine regions of Germany. Our first stop was Rudesheim, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the banks of the Rhine River. This is a popular tourist attraction, and it's easy to see why. The town has narrow cobblestone streets full of interesting architecture, shops, and wine stores, restaurants. 

One of the more interesting structures in Rudesheim, which was first settled by the Celts, who were displaced by the Romans, then the Franks. 

We took a small gondola to the top of the Niederlwald, a 20" trip complete with a glass of  champagne. Liza and I enjoyed both the view and the champagne on the way up. 

The patriotic statue, Germania, is located at the summit of the Niederwald.

From the summit, we had a lovely view of the Rhine River, the cruise ships and the vineyards.  

This region has been growing grapes for over 1000 years.  As far as we could see, then banks along the Rhine were covered with rows of grape vines, mainly reisling. 

Sampling a local vintage at the top of the Niederwald. 

Our next stop was Kloster Eberbach, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1136.  

The monastery consists of many buildings, including the cloisters, shown here. 

The church, a Romanesque basilica, is now used for concerts associated with the Rheingau Musik Fest. We were fortunate enough to listen to the chamber orchestra and singers practicing for a concert later that day. The acoustics in the church were just astounding. 

Here is the dormitory, where parts of Umberto Eco's movie "The Name of the Rose", starring Sean Connery, were filmed. 

The monks were well known for producing wine and the monastery had the largest vineyard in the medieval Europe. 

These grape presses are still functional today.

The monastery still has a large wine cellar and the vineyards are still actively producing reisling grapes. 

After a wonderful day in the Rheingau, we relax on the terrace of Liza's flat, and partake in a delicious assortment of cheese, pate, smoked meat, and fruit. Many thanks to Sebastian and Christian for being the chauffeurs today and to Liza and Sebastian for their hospitality. John and Will: hope you enjoyed your visit as much as we enjoyed spending time with you. See you soon. Tschuss!