Letter from Germany, part 2

In yesterday’s posts I showed you some photos from the northern Bavarian town of Hersbruck where I grew up. It’s a small town of 12,000 surrounded on all sides by fields and forests.

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Fields just outside of town

Many buildings in the town center are hundreds of years old, and thanks to strict laws their original appearance has been preserved.

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One of the three gates that were part of the medieval fortification
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Along the river
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More half-timbered houses along the river
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Old meets new
                                                                                                                                  
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Another city gate.
In the photo on the right, you can see part of the medieval wall that used to surround the town.
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View through the city gate
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One of the shopping streets in the downtown pedestrian area
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Another downtown street
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My favorite building in downtown: there’s a pharmacy on the ground floor and apartments above
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Of course there is a beer garden just outside city hall and the post office
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Forget-me-nots in a perfectly matched planter
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Since most of the buildings in the town center don’t have gardens,
people put planters out on the cobbled streets
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Johnny-jump-ups in a rustic planter against a rough stucco wall—a great combination
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More Johnny-jump-ups, pansies and forget-me-nots
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Potted basil in the outside seating area of a restaurant. This was the second place I saw basil used as a table centerpiece. Maybe to counteract the smell from the ashtray?
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Lavender at another pub
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What would Bavaria be without geraniums?
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Lily-of-the-valley
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I found this gorgeous hosta at my brother’s house
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Buttercups at a pond outside a cafƩ
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While this bamboo (don’t know which genus and species) got fried by the winter cold…
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…this laceleaf Japanese maple looks perfect
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Bamboo sighting along the river…
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…and at my brother’s house. His fargesias (right) are doing great, but the Phyllostachys bissettii on the left got nipped by the cold. Some culms are dead, but there are plenty of new leaves on the others so it’ll be just fine.

Since I’m connecting to the Internet through a cell phone router, the connection speed is very slow. I have at least one more post, but it’ll have to wait until Friday when I’m back in California.

Related posts:

Letter from Germany, part 1

Letter from Germany, part 2

Letter from Germany, part 3

Letter from Germany, part 4

Comments

  1. Keep 'em coming Gerhard! Stunning architecture and sceneries, you're inspiring us to go on a road trip in that region soon :)

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    1. There are many beautiful sights to see in southern Germany. If you end up going, let me know and I'll give you some recommendations.

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  2. While I saw lots of familiar sights (plants) yesterday, today's post is anything but. Love that architecture! I wonder if anyone ever nips off a bit of basil and adds it to their food? I would be tempted...

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    1. The use of basil and other herbs (I saw lavender and rosemary, too) as table decorations is actually a great idea. Herbs certainly last longer than the cut flowers you usually see in a setting like that.

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  3. Sehr schƶn! I have enjoyed reading your blog, and love all of the pictures. You have a gift for gardening and photography.

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    1. Thank you, Tauna! I'm glad you found my blog and hope you'll become a regular :-).

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  5. Ah, brings back fond memories! So beautiful!

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