Visit the shrine to Rauchbier... and other Bamberg, Germany General Tips

Favorite Thing: Visit the shrine to Rauchbier at the centuries old Schlenkerla brewpub.

Fondest Memory: Stepping into Schlenkerla is like stepping back in time for anyone, it’s a rare place where time has stood still for centuries. For me, it was doubly so, as it stirred memories of former visits, as did strolling around Bamberg in general. My first visit to this jewel amongst German cities was in 1997 when I showed Ina, a German native, the joys of her own country. It even caught me by surprise as my primary reason for going was to try the world classic Rauchbier, but the jumble of building styles and the setting was amazing without being overwhelming. I went back again a few years later and enjoyed it even more with freshly fallen snow. What I noticed that I had not before were numerous Botero sculptures strewn throughout the city. They seemed incongruous at first but we enjoyed seeing them in what seemed unlikely places. One night while out playing in the snow, we happened upon an unusual one, a naked woman laying on her stomach. It was enormous and we climbed on it and played as children, laughing in the cold night air. I returned again this year with VTer tabatha and never seemed to come across one. I mentioned it to Hanna but having not seen them before, it made no real impression. Still, something seemed missing. I thought maybe I just wasn’t walking in the same areas but it is not that big of a city. When I returned home and scanned my photos a few months later, I dug out my old photos to compare and lo and behold I had nearly the same photo, one with the Botero, and the other without. It must have been a temporary exhibit that had since moved on. So, it seems no matter how many times you walk down the same paths, there is always something new to see and experience and previous memories are just that, a representation in your mind. It’s nice to hang onto things in your past but you cannot let them keep you from the present day or impede your future. Bamberg is a special place for me with lots of memories, and surely more to make someday.

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