Franconia on a Summer Day

I left Franconia (Franken in northern Bavaria) almost 40 years ago. My four siblings still live there, so I have plenty of reason to go back. It’s not just for family, but also for the local food, which is a big highlight for me. Tasting certain food brings back some good memories.

Here we stopped in Volkach, a little town by the Main River. I was surprised to see so many folks enjoying a glass of wine, sitting in cafés at noon, and it seemed like a regular thing to do. You’d have to be either a tourist or a retiree to have that freedom.

There are quite a few nice shops along the main road. Here we stopped at the shop named “Werry Frängisch”, and the shop keeper, being a Franconian herself, actually chased us out of the shop. Werry Frängisch indeed. 🙂 Franconians have the reputation to be very direct.

We had planned to stop by the wine fest in Nordheim, and were disappointed to realize it would not start until 3pm that Saturday. The following day, Sunday, would start with the Frühschoppen (German for morning pint in Hesse, but morning wine in Franconia) at 11am.

We walked down to the ferry port, where a passenger ride still costs only 70 cents.

Next stop was the abbey in Münsterschwarzach. Across the street, we had a very good lunch at “Zum Benediktiner”.

I opted for the Fränkische Hochzeitsessen, which means Franconian Wedding Food. It consists of fine cuts of beef in a horseradish gravy. I occasionally make it at home, but to have it in a restaurant, you need to order it from a menu in Franconia.