Spousal Unit and I joined a boatload of friends (literally!) for a Christmas Market cruise on Gate…read more1. (Review of the cruise to be posted separately - but it will be great!). While wandering the old town and it's very nice market (and enjoying abundent gluewhein mit flaming rum) we settled down for a nice lunch at Schlenkerla. Great choice! First, the smoked beer. Not my favorite, but hey, when in Bamberg ya gotta try it. The menu was not extensive but that's not a negative. I think too many restaurants offer too many choices with too little quality. Not a problem here. My friends ordered gulasche soup; a baked potato with salad combination plate (with two "small" baked potatoes drenched with what appeared to be fifteen pounds of butter); very tasty sausage with very, very tasty sauerkraut; and what I ordered: Bamberg style stuffed onion with mashed potatoes. I thought I was being virtuous. I must rethink my definition. The two very large onions were stuffed with a pork/bacon/bread/herb mix then roasted. Delicate taste that paired beautifully with mashed potatoes and smoked beer/beef stock sauce. Wunderbar! Look, I'm not a fan of tourist traps. Schlenkerla is certainly well-promoted to all of the tour operators, but most of the diners were obviously local. The menu was the same for all, as was the service. Excellent choice, and highly recommended.

Famous for their Rauchbier I now got to try their food. They got the typical local dishes. We had…read morethe Krustenbraten and Tafelspitz. Both dishes were well prepared. They are quite busy in summer, but they made space for our large group. Great hospitality. But for some reasons they do not entertain bachelor parties.

This was an amazing place to stop! We were driving between Frankfurt and Berlin and happened across…read morethis place. It is a hidden gem! The staff was friendly and accommodated us as English speakers. Shout out to Selene, Ana, and Falko. The food is delicious and never had a bad meal. We loved the place so much we stopped for round 2 between Belin and Munich. I'd recommend anyone passing through stops here! They also have a kid friendly environment with toys inside and outside as well.

From the US, and exploring Germany by car, we pulled off of Rt. 9 and into Bad Klosterlausnitz for…read morelunch on our way south from Berlin. We happened to find this charming restaurant operated by an Austrian family. While their menus are only in German, our host was very gracious, spoke excellent English, and assisted us in ordering an outstanding traditional Austrian meal. The food and service were excellent. The prices moderate, and the ambiance is of a nicer restaurant, busy with local patrons. We certainly recommend it to other travelers!

This amazing Bed and Breakfast called Schlosshotel in Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Germany is east of…read moreFrankfurt about 1 hour and one half drive. It is in the region where everyone goes for a spa and to partake in the healing waters. Once a beautiful castle with its own chapel...many Germans flock there for their weddings. The grounds are acres of a stunning park...if you look at the website you feel like you are in the Prince's castle from Cinderella. The food is gourmet quality and the service is highly personal and attentive. Just staying there for a few days...we were sad to leave...and the owner, Marcus, is young and vibrant and renders excellent service with his staff Stefan and Andreas. We were very spoiled and felt like guests in a magical wonderland!

Gasseldorf - home of the inventor of the Wiener. The plaque reads:…read moreJOHANN GEORG LAHNER was born in Gasseldorf on Aug. 13th, 1772. He apprenticed the butcher trade in Frankfurt[/Main] and founded a butcher's shop in Vienna in 1804. In 1805, he produced for the first time the now world-famous Wiener (a.k.a. Frank) according to this own recipe.

"Beware of Open Pollination"…read more If you are wondering what the everblooming daylilies you and your buds can do for entertainment in Jena, just ask yourself, "WWGD" (What would Goethe Do)? Goethe would undoubtedly bolt over to the Botanical Garden to visit the tree he planted there so many years ago...his beloved Ginkgo, which is now the oldest in Thuringia. Fun side story for luvvas: his poem "Gingo Biloba" (later "Ginkgo Biloba") was dedicated to his muse, Marianne von Willemer. The tart was a recently married woman, who at 35 years his junior was the Catherine Zeta Jones to his Michael Douglas...the Hilaria to his Alec...the *ahem, fur ball* Courtney Stodden to his Doug Hutchison. While creeping on Marianne, Goethe mailed her a Ginkgo-leaf with a side of fava beans. Then on September 15, 1815 he read his draft of the Gingo/Ginkgo poem to her and friends in Frankfurt. On September 23, 1815 he saw Marianna for the last time. Guess he couldn't see the forest for the trees! And here for your pleasure is the poem that was the kiss of death for their little tryst: "Gingo Biloba" This leaf from a tree in the East, Has been given to my garden. It reveals a certain secret, Which pleases me and thoughtful people. Is it a living being, Which has separated in itself? Or are these two, who chose To be recognized as one? Answering this kind of question, Haven't I found the proper meaning, Don't you feel in my songs, That I'm one and double? In addition to Frau Willemer, old Joe was also inspired by his surroundings at the garden to create some of his other greatest hits, like "West-östlicher Divan" and "Italian Journey", which brings us back to the garden... The second-oldest botanical garden in Germany, it was first established in 1586 as the medical garden, "Hortus Medicus in Collegio" by the University of Jena. It has been enlarged and redesigned many times in the years since. In 1776, Goethe and Botany Professor Batch founded the Botanical Garden (currently maintained by the Friedrich-Schiller-Univeristy of Jena), in addition to helping organize the Jena Institute for Botany. The garden now contains about 12,000 plants from every climatic zone on Earth. Areas of the grounds include an alpine garden, a collection of medicinal and useful plants, a pond, an arboretum containing about 900 species of deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs, a palm house, a collection of rhododendrons, roses, and dahlias, and a recreation of Goethe's Garden and the Inspector House. The succulents section of the garden is not to be missed for those furnishing guest rooms for in-laws. Your interior decorator will be delighted when you show them examples of the the Echinocactus Grusonin/Golden Barrel Cactus, affectionately known as the "Schwiegervater and Schwiegermutter Sessels" (Father-in-law and mother-in-law chairs)! No need to leach off your friends to get in...admission is under 5 Euro. Most areas are wheelchair-accessible. ~The Nosy Norwegian Sniffing out flowers, German creepers, and good deals, so that you don't have to!

Arriving past midnight, I was pleasantly surprised they do have a live 24/7 reception. The room…read moreitself was spotless clean and the bathroom did really compete with some of the posher and much pricier hotels I have been to. Of course I would not want to spend my holidays here, but for an immdiate hopp off the freeway to get few hours this is very recommendable. Thanks for reading my comment. Now, if you are curious enough about my "rating scheme", here's "the moment of truth. I am a music photographer who travels the world with the worlds greatest musical talents (Michael Jackson, AC/DC, Rolling Stones or Rammstein, to name a few) for almost 40 years. When being asked "where do you live" I tended to ask "in hotels". At my peak, I "shot" 250 shows a year. Will say: been there, saw and tasted it, and a lot, as I may say and much to the dismay of my doctor who is in my back to lose a few pounds. Quite a few, as I may add, which is why my wife and I walk ten thousand steps per day, where- and whenever we can - and explore a lot of new exciting places - places you may oversee when just driving by. While I love to share my experience with others, I am sometimes shocked how people use their "power of word" to down-rate amazing places because of minor incidents (in my all time favourite restaurant Le Petit Four on Sunset Plaza the owner was even called a racist as he refused to toast the (free) bread in his packed restaurant - they simply do not offer toasted bread, as no French place does, as I may add). Or I just read "Chicken piccata so over-salted I hope the dog enjoys the leftovers tomorrow, I brought home most of the dish." Did they speak to their service? How could the restaurant learn that something was wrong when patrons even have their leftovers boxed to take home? As a dog owner, I want to take the writer and shake him or her really bad and say "you give over-salted food to your dog? Anyone with a bit of brain understands this is a horrible idea... I hope you agree. So If I had the say on this portal, I would offer just to see ratings of my friends. So I would see what the ratings were by like-minded people. Sadly, I have no say. I try not to compare apples with oranges. A place like this simply does not compare to "The Ritz". At first, I assume that a restaurant is clean, they do not greet you with a gun - and they deliver whatever they promise. I do not give stars for things that are expected. In my rating scheme, three or more stars are awarded if they actually exceeded my expectation. Four, if I am sure I will come back. To achieve five stars, I must be willing to take a detour of thirty minutes or more to go again. I always tried to avoid this kind of hotels. This time I really did not have a chance - we had an event in Frankfurt, had to leave for Munich for a lunch meeting and another even that ran though midnight and head back to Frankfurt for a morning flight to Los Angeles. While I would always recommend and return, the nature of this hotel is not the one I would do a 30+ minute detour for, which is why I did not give five stars. Thank you for reading this.