Aschaffenburg is a city of about 40,000 people. You wouldn't know it to look at it on a
map. But the major cities in Germany consist of little townships just outside the city
(what we call suburbs) and they count the people living in those townships as part of the
major city, I believe. Aschaffenburg is in the state of Bayern which is what we commonly
call Bavaria. We live in the northern most part of Bavaria and you can start to see the
Bavarian influence in some of the architecture.
We don't live too far away from the castle either. It is about a 10 minute walk from
our house and it is very nice. They have market on Saturdays from 8am until 2pm in the
Schloss MarktPlatz (castle market square). You can get fresh fruits, veggies and flowers
--whatever is in season at the time. They sell meats and honey as well. You can get just
about anything here. During November and December, along with the market on Saturdays,
they have their Christmas Market everyday. And during the summer, every weekend you will
be able to find a fest--if not in Aschaffenburg, at least somewhere. This is a partying
culture. And, of course, we cannot forget OktoberFest--which actually starts in September.
This castle is not in it's original form. During World War II, Americans
bombed and destroyed most of this castle because it was believed it was a storage place
for German ammunition. Inside the castle is a museum that shows pictures of the damage.
And, of course, after the war, Americans paid for the restoration of this castle.
These pictures we took on one of the biggest Ferris Wheels I have ever
seen, during the Stadtfest (city fest). As I learn more information and pictures, I will
post them here. Keep checking back.
15 Oct 99
This past weekend we took a little drive just outside Aschaffenburg and
found this nice little castle called the WasserSchloss (Water Castle). It sits up in the
Spessart Mountains in Bavaria. We didn't go in to see what it was all about; but we did
take a picture of the front. The castle sits on a manmade moat. It looks pretty
interesting so here's the picture :) we got there in the later part of the afternoon. It
probably would have been a better picture with the reflection in the water around noon
time.
23 November 1999
We had our first snow storm! It was beautiful! I have been waiting for this to happen
since we got here. You know, the kind of snow storm that makes you want to stay home and
snuggle under a nice warm quilt with a hot cup of tea at your side! It finally came! Now,
if only it lasts all winter! Every other winter has been cold and rainy. I mean, when we
came to Germany I expected SNOW! It never happened.
Well, this snow storm started on Thursday night. It snowed 2 inches then cleared
up. Then, again Friday night, then cleared up again. Saturday it snowed again. Sunday it
was clear but the snow stuck around. Then, it hit hard on Monday morning. We all went to
work and around 8:30 it began--the worst yet. It was so bad that by 11:30 they closed down
the post and we all got to go home. It took a few hours to get home since the roads were
so bad. I made sure I went slow. There were a couple of times I thought I would get rear
ended or side swiped on account of other people's speeds. But, I made it home safe.
Here's a picture of Saturday (20 Nov 99) morning taken off our balcony:
15 June 00
This is the best place to get a picture of the castle. It is over one of many
bridges of the Main (pronounced Mine) River.
