Mon 12.Aug.2024
DE - Esslingen & Nuernberg
CZ - Franzensbad & Prague
Where were we here?
Germany, that's where!
I am a sucker for an ice cream shop.
This one is in the leafy Sachsenhausen neighborhoood in Frankfurt.
Esslingen
Does it all look the same, the Altstadt's exuberant half-timbering?
Same or not, I like what it is!
Stuttgart-based Schwaben Braeu was my first ever pilsner, back in 1965.
Nice to see they are still around! (The local Esslingen brew that was my introduction to beer of any
kind is long defunct. R.I.P. Kemmler Bier - "Das Esslinger Bier")
The Neckarkanal, a side-loop from the main body of the river Neckar, was part
of the ciry's defenses in medieval times.
Wolfstor, one of the medieval gates of the then-fortified city.
From Esslingen, to the Altstadt of Nuernberg, near the Ludwigstor, another medieval
city gate.
The lovely river Pegnitz, in the heart of old Nuernberg.
Czechia
Frantiskovy Lazne is a tiny, absurdly picturesque spa town near the border with Germany.
A useful spot to unwind and start remembering Czech phrases, before plunging on through the lush
Bohemian forests to Prague and beyond.
I don't know why anything in these parts is named "Saguaro", but I laughed at the
southwest desert name in my Bohemian apatment.
This was Strange Language Week in Czechia. If I was gifted with Saguaro water in Frabtiskovy Lazne,
what do I make of an Italian flag flying in a residential neighborhood of Prague?
And in the heart of downtown Prague, a street of shops in various languages, all foreign.
Left to right: English, Spanish, Japanese. All that is missing from the picture is Czech
(until you check the small print; potraviny is Czech for "groceries").