There are playgrounds, and then there are Pirate playgrounds. When my husband suggested a jaunt to…read moreAmberg to visit the Piraten Spielplatz with our children, I was skeptical. An hour drive for a PLAYGROUND?? Then I remembered we were the parents of small children, and thus the selection of weekend activities are pretty much limited to playground/zoo/children's museum/bier gartens so what the hell, I thought, we'll give it a whirl. I'm so glad we did, because it was definitely worth the drive. We found a small park platz a few hundred meters from the playground itself (although since it was Sunday we did see people parking in adjacent businesses' parking lots). After a short walk, we entered what can only be described as heaven for children. The main play area features a pirate ship surrounded by water that is, at its deepest, maybe 2 and a half feet, or a little over half a meter deep, and is surrounded on two sides by a sandy shore, and on one side by a small hill with various hiding niches and small masonry walls, perfect for children to clamber all over and explore. There are two rafts on pulley lines that the kids can use to reach the pirate ship, or if they're smaller or nervous about falling in the water, a small bridge as well. The main water area is sizable, and although it was busy it didn't feel overly crowded or chaotic like, say, Playmobil Funpark on a Feiertag. Separate from the main play area is another water playground that is shallower, and more suitable for babies and smaller toddlers, even though it also had a system of water wheels and small ditches to build dams and what not, so also appealing for older children. The water here is from a natural flowing spring, so it really felt like the kids were playing in a wonder of nature. Between the two play areas was a kiosk with ice cream, beer, and snacks for sale, and comfortable tables with umbrellas for seating. Also, not to be overlooked - a toilet! Not a horrible portapotty, but an actual restroom that wasn't entirely unpleasant, given the number of people at the playground. We stayed at the playground for several hours, and when we buckled the kids back into their car seats for the drive home, my husband and I hi-fived each other for our awesome parenting, and made a note to bring up this up in the (hopefully) distant future when we are sitting across from a therapist and our adult children who are enumerating all of our massive shortcomings as parents. We can say, 'Sure, there were a lot of microwaved dinners, and also maybe too much ipad, but remember that time we took you to the Pirate playground in Amberg?' and then we will fold our arms and sit back in our seats, triumphant. Pros: Great playground for children of all ages, snack kiosk, toilets, precious family memories that make up for all of the awful stuff (kinda). Cons: maybe not quite so awesome if it's cold outside

This is the place to go for a stroll in Bayreuth. Adjacent to downtown (starting behind the new…read morecastle) is this big park. A kind of Bayreuth's green loung. In the summer the trees provide some cooling shadow.

Totally gratis! Yup, zero entrance fee! This is indeed a hidden treasure and I can't believe they…read moredon't charge a penny to access all the coolness that occurs here. It's a zoo, of sorts, but very small compared to major zoos, hence the moniker of "Wild Park," I'll assume. Elk, deer, goats, big horn sheep and plenty other species running about in very large pens. You can buy feed and these guys are as domesticated as they come. Eatin' right out of your hand. There's a large lake that you stroll around and soak up the tranquility. Nice and cool as most of the trails wind through the shaded woods. In addition, there's a snack bar to provide much needed sustenance after an afternoon's walking about. It really is one of the more cool things to see in the area. I just can't praise this place enough. Kids or no kids, you'll like it here, trust me. Cheers!

Built for, and according to the vision of, Richard Wagner. Home to the world renowned annual…read moreFestspielwochen. Being able to attend an opera can take decades of fruitless applications for tickets. We managed to get a pair for Parsifal this year for EUR 210 each through membership of the Bayreuther Wagner association. Seats were located on the Balcony, which had - surprise - cushions and, as it was first row, I could stretch my legs! View of the stage was fantastic! Acoustics was fine. Singers, including chorus, were superb through out. Orchestra was in perfect harmony. Staging was ... memorable. Atmosphere before and during breaks was very pleasant. All in all a fantastic event with just the right dose of scandals e.g. the conductor Andris Nelsons throwing in the towel weeks before the premiere : )

Looks like the Bayreuth crowd is not a big Yelp crowd! Or maybe Richard is censoring all from…read morebeyond the grave.... In any case I wanted to review my swing-through in June on the ride between Nuremberg and Munich: it was a long June day so we had time and light to visit the exterior only. It was a little difficult to find as the GPS seemed to short circuit in this town, and when we got to the theater there was no clear parking, so we pulled over in an odd lot. The festival grounds are meticulously maintained and the flowers are highly arranged, clearly people put a lot of love into this park. I was happy to see that surrounding the bust of Wagner in the front was a surrounding poster display of all the Jewish musicians that in some way suffered discrimination in the hands of Wagner and his festival, justice is served in some small way. One day I will be back to see the show, when I'm richer, older, too old to write a review on whatever website exists in the future.....