Day 1

We left the CSUS Music Department parking lot around 6:45am and aside from stopping in Ripon because someone forgot their wallet and light traffic after we got onto the San Mateo Bridge, we made good time to the SF Airport. We got all of our luggage and equipment into the terminal, stood in line and got our boarding passes and then breezed through security. By the time we got to the gate it was only a little after 11:00 am so we had a lot of time to kill. I decided to get Mexican food for lunch, since it was probably the last time I would have it for ten days. We finally boarded the plane around 2:45pm (our original departure was 2:20) and we were off!
The flight was about 10.5 hours, with dinner and breakfast included. We landed Frankfurt around 10:45am and we went straight to baggage claim. On the way through the terminal we passed through a make-shift “shelter” for passengers that weren’t able to fly out due to bad weather conditions. Brad and I thought it looked like about 1,000 cots lined up right next to each other, sort-of like a homeless shelter or a hostel.
Once we got to baggage claim and got our luggage we headed for the currency exchange booth and then out to the bus. Our bus is a small charter bus and one less seat than our group’s total number so our director, Dr. McMahan and the tour guide have been taking turns standing. I think McMahan is on the mic way more than the guide anyway…but that’s another story! We got all settled on the bus and the tour guide told us that there had been a change in the itinerary. Our original plan was to drive from the airport to downtown Frankfurt and have lunch but the German government has recently made some changes to the bus regulations in regards to emissions. Buses are no longer allowed to drive in the city of Frankfurt and some other major cities in Germany due to pollution problems. Apparently, the law went into affect three days before we arrived.
I was a little bummed about not being able to go into Frankfurt but the tour guide went on to say that instead we were going to visit the town of Wurzburg (pronounced Verts-burg), one of the oldest Medieval cities in Germany, so my disappointment didn’t last too long. On the way we learned that Germany consists of 23 states and we were going to spend the majority of our time in the state of Bavaria. It was a very scenic drive through countryside and small, snow-covered Bavarian towns. Our tour guide, Ilse, told us that Germans have very strict rules about the style of their neighborhoods; you don’t see any Spanish style homes or tract style homes because people aren’t allowed to build them.
We got to Wurzburg and parked our bus, which also pulled a trailer for our suitcases and instruments, and walked across the “mote” to the old city of Wurzburg. It was about 30 degrees and snowing outside at this point so we bundled up and made our way across the bridge. We wandered around town until we found a bakery, based on advice from the tour guide, and tried our best to order something for lunch. Brad and some of the guys stayed on the sidewalk and order through the take-out window. They had sandwiches displayed to the out side so you just had to walk up and point. My new friend Jessica and I took the more adventurous route and went inside. After inspecting the delicious pastries and breads, I decided on Apfel Kuchen (which looked similar to Apple Streudel). I got the girl’s attention and pointed to the pastry that I wanted. She smiled and told us in very broken English and hand signals that we should sit down and someone would come take our order. So Jessie and I did as we were told and sat down at a tall café table against the wall. When the waitress came I ordered my Kuchen with a latte and ended my order with a very enthusiastic “Danke!” (the only German word I know, meaning “Thank You”). The waitress chuckled a little and nodded. The Kuchen was delicious and it didn’t matter what the latte tasted like as long as it was warm! While we ate our lunch in the warm bakery the snow began to fall in big fluffy flakes.
After our lunch we walked through the small city and looked in shop windows. It was actually a very modern, bustling city despite its small size. There was a Subway and a Pizza Hut as well as an H&M clothing store. In among these modern stores were ancient old buildings and churches with cobble stone streets and sidewalks. Every street was curvy and a different width so it was a little confusing. I’m glad Brad has a good sense of direction!
We headed back to the bus around 3:30pm and we headed to our next destination, Rothenberg (pronounced Row-tin-burg, with the first “r” rolled, of course). Ilse referred to this city as another one of the oldest cities in Germany. I enjoyed Rothenberg a great deal more than Wurzberg because we had a guided walking tour with a very interesting old man. We started at the entrance of what used to be the Hospital Gate. Every street was uneven and cobblestone. Most of the structures were built before 1400 and anything else is referred to as modern even though it blends in with the Medieval style so well that you wouldn’t know the difference. He had a strange sense of humor and told us many stories about how wives kept their husbands in line when they came home late and how children were punished when they didn’t do their homework.
One of the buildings we passed was the Kriminalmuseum where they house all of the old torturing instruments. The building was closed by that time of day but we could see one instrument sitting in the garden: the Dunking Cage. He said that people were put into the cage and then dunked in the fountain in the middle of town-even in winter when the water was below freezing! There are only four churches in town; three Lutheran and one Catholic. He also showed us what used to be the prison, a beautiful ivy-covered building which faces an amazing view of the Tauber Valley. He joked that the prisoners got the best view in town.
Most every little store in town was closed but they all kept their front windows lit and full of pretty things to look at as we walked by. There were lots of dolls and toys, which reminded me of the movie Pinnocchio for some reason, and most windows had a flower box on it. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow in the daytime. It was a very picturesque town, especially in the snow.
It started to get unbearably cold after the sun went down so we finished our tour and headed straight for the bus. We left so fast the almost left a member of the group in town! After a little panicking and a short search, we found him and headed a little ways out of town to our hotel. After dropping our luggage in our room and a quick potty break, we walked a block down the road to the restaurant. We prepaid six dinners in our tour price and tonight included one of them. It was a four course meal consisting of soup, a salad, noodles and pork with gravy, and ice cream. The soup was really just a broth with little bread balls floating in it and some chives. The best part was the meat and noodles because the noodles were homemade and tasted just like my Grandma H’s recipe. (Which I guess isn’t too surprising, considering she was German). Yum!
I’m off to get a good night’s sleep because we have an even busier day tomorrow, including our first concert!