This trip was mostly for my husband. I know I am always the travel planner of the family, and he isn't forced to go anywhere that I make plans for, but I always ask his input. He wanted to see the Monastery full of beer that everyone around here speaks of, so we did. I'll admit, it wasn't a bust, and I am always down to see anything or any place. That's what makes living here an adventure!
Since he was the trip planner, I stayed quiet while he set up the details.
Kloster Kreuzberg is about 2.5 hours from our house, in northwestern Bavaria, past Bamberg. It's a small blip on the map, and although I thought it'd have a neat little town surrounding it that we could explore, it didn't. It's exactly what it's name is: A Monastery. There were a few nearby homes, a restaurant, and a small chapel. That was all.
We went with a work buddy of his, and the buddy's wife, who is a nice Catalonian (from Barcelona) woman about my age. She's also fluent in German, which proved to be somewhat helpful. This small little monastery isn't a huge tourist destination, so English doesn't really exist around it! I know enough German now to be comfortable in any place: I can read a menu (for the most part), order food, and generally figure things out. I've come a long way when I look back at my first day of being here!
Apparently, my husband didn't think about weather. It was drizzly and gray, which hasn't stopped us from going anywhere before, but what we didn't expect was snow! It wasn't snowing, nor was there snow on the ground at our house, but holy schnee, there was an abundance at Kloster Kreuzberg! We weren't exactly dressed properly for the conditions. Had I known, the kids would've been sporting snow boots and not Converse. I am not husband shaming, but weather is an important detail that I always look into! Just saying...
I would've taken photos inside of the dining hall, but I was afraid to offend anyone. Nobody likes their photo taken while they're eating!
After eating, we headed outside to take a few more pictures and hit the road. My husband was VERY proud of his beer loot!
If you are ever in Germany, looking for a traditional beer hall experience, Kruezberg is the place to go! I am quite sure there are other places like it, but I'm almost certain that this one is the closest to us. It was a neat place, but since I am not much of a beer lover, I don't think I would put it on my list of places I have to see again. Soon enough, we'll be seeing beer tents at Oktoberfest! I can say that I am pretty stoked for that beer experience, but only because I get to wear a Dirndl!
Kloster Kreuzberg is about 2.5 hours from our house, in northwestern Bavaria, past Bamberg. It's a small blip on the map, and although I thought it'd have a neat little town surrounding it that we could explore, it didn't. It's exactly what it's name is: A Monastery. There were a few nearby homes, a restaurant, and a small chapel. That was all.
We went with a work buddy of his, and the buddy's wife, who is a nice Catalonian (from Barcelona) woman about my age. She's also fluent in German, which proved to be somewhat helpful. This small little monastery isn't a huge tourist destination, so English doesn't really exist around it! I know enough German now to be comfortable in any place: I can read a menu (for the most part), order food, and generally figure things out. I've come a long way when I look back at my first day of being here!
Apparently, my husband didn't think about weather. It was drizzly and gray, which hasn't stopped us from going anywhere before, but what we didn't expect was snow! It wasn't snowing, nor was there snow on the ground at our house, but holy schnee, there was an abundance at Kloster Kreuzberg! We weren't exactly dressed properly for the conditions. Had I known, the kids would've been sporting snow boots and not Converse. I am not husband shaming, but weather is an important detail that I always look into! Just saying...
We weren't exactly buying beer and leaving, so we found a trail behind the church, with a sign that said there was a cave nearby. Why not? Beer and caving? Sure.
We followed the snowy trail, which proved to be difficult and slippery, our legs sinking into 12" plus of snow, until we reached the top of a small mountain. No cave to be found. My only thought was that all of the dang snow covered it up, which may be why we never found it! I did see a religious shrine thingy along the trail, though. I assume a place of meditation or prayer, when the weather is nice?
After coming down the snowy trail, we found the chapel doors and headed inside. It was a pretty typical German church chapel. Not very huge, but pretty enough. Of course I had to take some pictures.
After leaving the chapel, and still freezing, we made our way into the monastery restaurant. It was interesting. You walk in, and see a few double doors, each leading to a dining hall. Near the main entrance, there was a line at a window, like an indoor drive thru for people on foot that sells the beer, and around the corner you can order food. My husband's friend had been to this place before, so he brought large glass jugs for a beer refill. You can only refill jugs that have been purchased here, though, or you can buy a new one. You can also order a liter or two of beer to drink while you eat. I ordered some food while my husband and his friend got in the beer line, and then we met up in one of the dining halls.
The dining hall was an experience in itself! Shoulder to shoulder bench seating; coats hanging up along each wall; people laughing, talking, and eating. We were the only English speaking folks in there. A nice old German man tried holding a conversation with my daughter (he was sitting next to her), and when I realized he was talking to her, I said "Oh, sprechen english?", he said "Nein". But, he kept on talking to her and I, even though he knew we didn't know what he was saying. He was friendly though, his eyes smiled. He looked like a drunk Santa with a wicked, curly beard.
The dining hall was an experience in itself! Shoulder to shoulder bench seating; coats hanging up along each wall; people laughing, talking, and eating. We were the only English speaking folks in there. A nice old German man tried holding a conversation with my daughter (he was sitting next to her), and when I realized he was talking to her, I said "Oh, sprechen english?", he said "Nein". But, he kept on talking to her and I, even though he knew we didn't know what he was saying. He was friendly though, his eyes smiled. He looked like a drunk Santa with a wicked, curly beard.
I would've taken photos inside of the dining hall, but I was afraid to offend anyone. Nobody likes their photo taken while they're eating!
After eating, we headed outside to take a few more pictures and hit the road. My husband was VERY proud of his beer loot!
On the way to the monastery, I remembered seeing Schloss Seehof, in Bamberg, off the autobahn, so I made a mental note of it and told my driver (husband) to stop at it on the way home. The weather was cold, windy, and rainy, which is why I thought we were the only people there. We wandered around the exterior of the castle, and the castle grounds for a bit, undisturbed by any other people. Unfortunately, the fountains were all drained of water, and the largest fountain on the grounds was covered up due to construction of some kind. There was some construction on the main entrance doors to the inside of the castle too.
Once we got into the car, I immediately googled the castle on my phone to see what was up with the big fountain. I never learned the answer to that question, but I did figure out why there weren't any other visitors: Apparently the castle was closed for repairs and restoration. Yeah. We noticed no signage that stated anything of the sort while we were there. Nothing in the parking lot, nothing around the castle. No "Keep Out" signs. Hmmmm! Makes me wish that I could visit every castle during construction. The less people, the better!
If you are ever in Germany, looking for a traditional beer hall experience, Kruezberg is the place to go! I am quite sure there are other places like it, but I'm almost certain that this one is the closest to us. It was a neat place, but since I am not much of a beer lover, I don't think I would put it on my list of places I have to see again. Soon enough, we'll be seeing beer tents at Oktoberfest! I can say that I am pretty stoked for that beer experience, but only because I get to wear a Dirndl!
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