That is the name of the town we are staying in which is a half hour Uber ride from Frankfurt.
Another fabulous breakfast at our little Schloss this morning.
We decided to have a look at the local castle before heading back into Frankfurt. Some quick googling told us it didn’t open until 11, which gave us plenty of time to get lost on the way which has become something of a tradition. In the end it was 11:30 by the time we arrived, but that still allowed us to join the first guided tour of the day at 12. It was meant to be in German but the guide kindly provided us with a brochure translated into English, and as it happened the other people on the group were more than happy for Carmen to take the tour in English, which was very decent of them. They even asked any questions they had in English, which really was above and beyond. She wasn’t completely fluent but it was more than adequate for the purpose. More importantly, she was lovely and laughed a lot in a most engaging manner. She clearly was very knowledgeable and enjoyed her job, but was never more animated than when she discovered we were from NZ. She visited there 30 years ago and loved it. She remembered seeing the Wizard of Christchurch, and also hugging a sheep.
The castle is a medley of different eras, but was most recently renovated by the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria, named after her mother but known hereabouts as “Vicky”, who married a German bigwig. When she was widowed in an untimely manner, she moved from Berlin to the schloss where we are staying. Much more comfortable than the castle (she never lived in the castle itself.)
After the tour, it was nearly 2 pm, so we gave up on the idea of going to Frankfurt, and had lunch at a little restaurant on the square. It was Italian, so we really struggled understanding the menu, which was in a melange of the Italian and German tongues. Only Simon suffered from this, ordering a pizza when what he really wanted was a salad.
After lunch we went to the local fresh water swimming pool. What a gorgeous spot to swim laps in crystal clear water! I’d show you a photo but when I tried to take a picture as we were leaving, the lifeguard whistled loudly and aggressively and pointed at me. I had no idea what was going on but then he mimed taking a photo. As we were walking out he made a long, animated speech to me in German, where apparently the word “polizei” was spoken but luckily I didn’t hear it. I said I didn’t speak German so then he switched his tirade to English to say that there was a law in Germany forbidding the taking of photos in public baths to curb paedophiles. He said it was crazy but whether he meant the law was crazy, or I was crazy, wasn’t clear.
No nap today so having had dinner at another local restaurant – Lieber Ziet – literally ‘love time‘ – it’s now time for bed.