Erfurt & Nuremberg 埃尔福特及纽伦堡

July 7，2022

After a brief family reunion in Berlin, our daughter flew back to New York today. Two of us headed to the next destination, the city of Nuremberg in southeastern Germany, while our son stayed in Berlin for a few more days to enjoy city life. We left Berlin early in the morning since we were going to have a side trip to Erfurt on the way to Nuremberg. After about a two-hour train ride, we got off the train at the central German city of Erfurt for a half-day visit. Erfurt has a rich history and is beautiful. Unlike most old towns in Germany that were destroyed during World War II and rebuilt after the war, Erfurt's old town was largely intact during World War II. It was one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Germany. From the Erfurt train station, we took the bus to the town square. The weather was not in our favor, and the sky changed from cloudy to drizzling. The farmer's market in the square had just started, and we glanced at the market but quickly headed to the Cathedral. On the way to the Cathedral, we heard a beautiful voice singing behind the tall fences around the Cathedral. When we got closer, we saw a man singing opera on the 70 steps open-air stage on the cathedral hill while it was raining. Then a couple of other guys went up and sang. We did a quick google search. It was Erfurt Theater at the backdrop of the Cathedral. Probably, the guys were rehearsing or trying the audio system. We watched them practice for a while and wished we could stay for the night for the concert, whatever it was. Cathedral Church of St. Mary is on the hill overlooking the town square. Right next to the Cathedral was the St Severus' Church. Both churches together form the city's landmark. The inside of both churches was beautiful.

After walking around the churches, we headed to Petersberg Citadel. On the way there, mother nature called. But the restroom required a coin to enter, and one of us hadn't carried cash for months, so he jumped over the gate so he could take care of the business. We don't understand the justification for paid toilets in tourist areas. Can they raise the fee to cover the cost of maintaining the facility? It was not the first time we had a toilet issue during our Europe trip, and we learned from the experience to always carry some coins for an emergency. Petersberg Citadel in Erfurt is one of Europe's largest and best-preserved town fortresses. The citadel was built on Petersberg hill overlooking the city. The garden and fortress were well-maintained and beautiful. As we walked around the fortress, the rain stopped, and we enjoyed the view of the city and the stunning Cathedral.

The lunch was at a restaurant next to the square. Of course, we had Thuringian sausage. Thuringian sausage is a unique sausage from the German state of Thuringia, which has protected geographical indication status under European Union law. The sausage has been produced for hundreds of years, and we like the delicious sausage too.

Erfurt was where Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation movement, completed college. The city has many historical buildings, such as the Augustinian monastery, where Martin Luther lived, prayed, and worked as a monk. St. Michael's Church was where Martin Luther regularly attended mass and preached. However, the most famous attraction in the town is the Merchants' Bridge, a medieval arch bridge lined with shops and houses on both sides of a cobblestone street. It is one of the few remaining bridges in the world with inhabited buildings. We walked back and forth over the bridge a couple of times.

We returned to the train station in the afternoon and headed to Nuremberg. Our hotel apartment was in the old town center. Next to the hotel was a Japanese ramen restaurant, and business was booming. Luckily, we got seats at the noodle bar and had ramen and sashimi salad, which were excellent.

After dinner, we wandered around the old town area. Our first impression was that Nuremberg’s old town was a bit like Prague's old town, but it was quieter and more beautiful than Prague’s old town.

欧洲游第四十八天：一家四口在柏林短暂相聚之后，今天女儿飞回纽约，我们俩前往下一站德国东南部城市纽伦堡市，儿子则继续留在柏林。一早坐了二个小时左右的火车先顺路在德国中部城市埃尔福特（Erfurt）下车来个半天游。小城历史悠久，很漂亮，与德国其它一些城市相比，算是在二战期间受损不太严重的城市，所以很多漂亮的旧建筑还在。埃尔福特是基督新教发起人-马丁．路德求学的所在地，在那里读完了大学。而埃尔福特最著名的景点是商人小桥，桥上两边是小商店，楼上还住着人家。午餐是当地的香肠,很好吃。在欧洲共同体里，这些著名的当地特产品都是有严格规定的，所以质量完全有保证。

下午再上火车来到纽伦堡市，这次又住酒店式公寓，带厨房的，就在市中心，非常方便。酒店隔壁就是日本拉面馆，生意兴隆，我们也去凑热闹，拉面🍜和生鱼片色拉🥗都非常棒。晚饭后还是老样子先在住的附近转一下，感觉有点像布拉格的旧城，但比布拉格更漂亮。