Visit to Idstein in the Taunus

During this fairly quiet week between the Christmas holiday and the New Year, we decided to visit Idstein. This little town is known for its historical Altstadt lined with many beautiful half-timbered houses. Idstein is also part of the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße (German Half-timbered Houses Road), which connects selected towns with historic half-timbered houses and buildings.

We were quite impressed with what we found – such a jewel close to home. From friends I also heard it is famous for its many micro breweries. For us it was a half-day visit, and we managed one beer.

Idstein/Ts.
Idstein/Ts. an der Fachwerkstraße
Idstein Marktplatz
Idstein/Ts.

We had a very good lunch at the ‘Alte Feuerwache’ (Old Fire Hall).

Idstein ‘Alte Feuerwache’ Brauhaus
‘Deutsches Haus’ in Idstein

The hotel/restaurant Hoerhof (in German: Höerhof) courtyard looks very inviting. I would like to try their restaurant.

Hoerhof courtyard in Idstein

Hessen has many beautiful little towns worth visiting.

Knowing How to Enjoy Life in spite of New COVID restrictions in Germany, April 2021

Today, further restrictions have begun for schools, doing sports, and the placement of a curfew from 10pm – 5am. None of them affect me. Even if they did, it is quite easy for me to adjust my life style accordingly. That’s what I learned from living in foreign countries for almost ten years.

Since the COVID situation is not getting any better, I have opted for ‘Outdoor Isolation’, which means we have picnics (restaurants are still closed for indoor and outdoor dining) as often as we can. This way, we are isolated from others, but not from sight. It is nice to see ordinary people passing by without a mask.

Today, we went to the Maasgrund Pond in Oberursel, where we have not been since our kids were in primary/elementary school.

Maasgrund Pond in Oberursel

What’s this swimming in the water..? This is a nutria (or: coypu), a native from Louisiana, USA.

It fetched something in the water to eat it on the bank.

After our picnic of British Tea sandwiches, fruit, cheese, crackers, and white wine (not for the driver), we took a stroll around the pond.

We can see St. Ursula Church in the background. It was a beautiful sunny late afternoon.

A new initiative to save the bees is taking place in Oberursel. The yellow vending machine sells bee food for 50 cents. On the left, there is a container collecting the empty capsules for recycling.

Oberursel has many half-timbered houses, but this one is a half-timbered villa.

Biergarten Time Again in Oberursel

As of 15 May, 2020, restrictions have been eased on pubs and restaurants in Germany. These new rules for pub- and restaurant owners are not easy to comply with, so some continue with only take-out or delivery service, and some have reopened.

This Biergarten on Hohemarkstrasse in Oberursel has enough space to accommodate everyone’s updated social distancing rules.

Biergarten 16 May 2020

When we left the Biergarten, we noticed this fairly new sign right by the U-3 tracks. It is posted in all kinds of languages, but not the local one. 🙂

I imagine though after a few beers at the Biergarten, the word STOP is enough for Germans to clear the tracks before crossing.

The same crossing is used by refugees housed in one of the buildings near the Biergarten. That explains it.

I’m so glad it is Biergarten time again. After almost two months of self-isolation, this is a real blessing.

If you want to know more about this Biergarten, visit Sommergarten am Urselbach.

‘Walking Woman’ Sculpture at the Bad Homburg Train Station

A little while back, I took the S5 train from Bad Homburg to Oberursel. When I first saw the sculpture, I had to take a double look. When I looked closer, I was really touched by its beauty.

The art work ‘Walking Woman’ by the British artist Sean Henry was part of his Blickachsen (line of sight) Exhibition in 2013.

The city of Bad Homburg acquired this art work for € 100.000, and of course, some found reasons to oppose this purchase.

What I like about her:

She has neither handbag nor smart phone. But based on her stride, she knows where she’s going.

Old-Timer Tractor Show in Büdesheim, Hesse

This past Sunday, I had the craving for a grilled Bratwurst with a Radler (beer/lemonade mix). To get one in Germany on a Sunday, you just go to any kind of outdoor fest. This one was in Büdesheim in Hesse, about 19km out of Frankfurt, and it was an Old-Timer Tractor Show.

I was in for a nice surprise, because it was actually very interesting.

This IHC 353 from 1970 is actually for sale. This looks a lot like the second tractor my dad had on the farm.

My dad’s first tractor was a green Fendt like this one from 1956.

This year’s make is 1960 (just like me). It looked so perfect sitting there in the sun. I know I should not compare, but I think I need to pimp my wheels, and put some flowers in my hair.

Starting early – the tractor business, that is.

It was well worth a visit. We spent more time looking at the tractors than with our sausage and Radler.

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