Monday is a wonderful day, warm and sunny and we decide to drive to Speyer, which Manuela my teacher) mentioned as worth visiting. The town was also mentioned in the Jewish Museum in Berlin as having one of the oldest Jewish communities in Germany. Speyer is delightful; we take a look at the Dom (cathedral) the largest Romanesque cathedral in Germany, which is huge and very interesting. We then walk into the beautiful old town located immediately in front of the cathedral. We buy some postcards and Eliane finds several bargains at a local boutique. After lunch at an outdoor café we walk to the Medieval Jewish Court, where the city has preserved a Mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) and the only remaining wall of the synagogue, which were built between 1110 and 1120! In the Middle Ages Speyer was one of the most important Jewish communities north of the Alps. The community became important as a center for Torah study producing many important scholars. The community flourished till the beginning of the 16th Century, when the Jews were expelled. The communities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz formed an alliance, known as the “Shum”, named after the Hebrew initials of the three towns, which was considered an authority in religious matters all over Germany. Of the 77 Jews living in Speyer in 1939, 51 were deported and all but 15 were murdered by the Nazis. No Jewish community exists today. The ruins of the Jewish Court have been preserved and protected by a large glass roof designed by a local sculptor.
On the way home we stop at the Famila Center, a huge shopping center with an enormous supermarket located on the highway near Boxberg. We buy a few things and have a quiet dinner at home.
Next day is also warm and sunny and we drive to Heidelberg and Eliane does some last minute shopping, while I sit by the river and read the newspaper. In the evening we drive to Ladenburg, the Roman city where Henry and I had such a good traditional German dinner. We have an aperitif in the village square and talk to a local couple enjoying a cup of coffee and huge pieces of cake. They are very friendly, they live in the little town and he works in Heidelberg. They recommend a Greek restaurant, however when we got there, they’re fully booked and cannot fit us in. We walk over to Zum Sackpfeife (at the bagpipes) the same restaurant that Henry and I visited. This time we are shown to a table out in the courtyard and have a fabulous dinner. We start with a white asparagus appetizer; the best asparagus to date because it’s cooked to order and served al dente. Then, from the menu section “for two or more” choose Alemannspies, which includes six small broiled steaks of beef, pork and lamb, over Risotto, which is more like rice pilaf and 4 or 5 different salads all served on a huge carved wooden board. It’s delicious and we certainly do it justice!
On Wednesday Eliane finishes packing and we drive to the Crowne Plaza hotel in Heidelberg to catch the Lufthansa shuttle to Frankfurt airport. In just over an hour we arrive at the airport for Eliane to check in at United and then go downstairs for lunch at Marché, which is her last chance for Bratwurst und gebrattene Kartoffle. I walk her as far as security and she leaves for Los Angeles and I have a Haagen Dazs icecream before catching the shuttle back to Heidelberg.
Photos:
Dinner at Ladenburg 2#160
Dom, Speyer 2#130
Mikveh, Speyer 2#147
Mikveh, Speyer 2#143
On the way home we stop at the Famila Center, a huge shopping center with an enormous supermarket located on the highway near Boxberg. We buy a few things and have a quiet dinner at home.
Next day is also warm and sunny and we drive to Heidelberg and Eliane does some last minute shopping, while I sit by the river and read the newspaper. In the evening we drive to Ladenburg, the Roman city where Henry and I had such a good traditional German dinner. We have an aperitif in the village square and talk to a local couple enjoying a cup of coffee and huge pieces of cake. They are very friendly, they live in the little town and he works in Heidelberg. They recommend a Greek restaurant, however when we got there, they’re fully booked and cannot fit us in. We walk over to Zum Sackpfeife (at the bagpipes) the same restaurant that Henry and I visited. This time we are shown to a table out in the courtyard and have a fabulous dinner. We start with a white asparagus appetizer; the best asparagus to date because it’s cooked to order and served al dente. Then, from the menu section “for two or more” choose Alemannspies, which includes six small broiled steaks of beef, pork and lamb, over Risotto, which is more like rice pilaf and 4 or 5 different salads all served on a huge carved wooden board. It’s delicious and we certainly do it justice!
On Wednesday Eliane finishes packing and we drive to the Crowne Plaza hotel in Heidelberg to catch the Lufthansa shuttle to Frankfurt airport. In just over an hour we arrive at the airport for Eliane to check in at United and then go downstairs for lunch at Marché, which is her last chance for Bratwurst und gebrattene Kartoffle. I walk her as far as security and she leaves for Los Angeles and I have a Haagen Dazs icecream before catching the shuttle back to Heidelberg.
Photos:
Dinner at Ladenburg 2#160
Dom, Speyer 2#130
Mikveh, Speyer 2#147
Mikveh, Speyer 2#143
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