5 Things To Do In Würzburg
The beautiful Bavarian City Würzburg is my Hometown and I truly love this City. Würzburg has about 124.000 citizens and I like that it is not a super big and busy city. This city has a long history and has a lot of charm. Now I want to show you the best Things to Do in Würzburg to make your trip unforgettable!
5 Things To Do in Würzburg
1 Go for a walk in the Court Garden of the Residence Castle
No matter what time of the year you come to Würzburg, the beautiful Garden behind the UNESCO World Heritage Site Residence Castle is always the perfect spot to breath some fresh air and enjoy the beauty of nature. The Residence Castle is one of the well known Baroque Castles in Europe and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site more than 30 years ago. It was built between 1720 and 1744 by Balthasar Neumann and partly destroyed in the second world war.
We love to walk around in the beautiful garden, sit at the fountain and enjoy the beauty of the world!
2 Drink a wine at the Old Main Bridge
Würzburg has a lot of vineyards and is known for good vine. The famous old Main Bridge “Alte Mainbrücke” is a beautiful stone bridge and was built between 1473 and 1543. The view from this bridge is just amazing, you see the Fortress Marienberg with the vineyards underneath and the pilgrimage church called “Käppele”. This pedestrian bridge is the best place to drink a tasty wine while enjoying the atmosphere.
3 Hike to the Fortress Marienberg
After crossing the Old Main Bridge, you will find several signs which lead you the way to the fortress Marienberg! There are quite a few steps, but the hike is totally worth it! The view is amazing. I could spend hours there looking down to the city and watching the people walking around. It looks so unreal!
Don't forget to count the churches!
4 Enjoy the vineyard scenery
Almost everywhere in Würzburg you will have a great view of the vineyards! We really like the scenery in summer and the beginning of fall.
My family has vineyards too, so just let me know if you want to help with the harvest one day :)
5 Eat a Bratwurst on the Market Square at the Knüpfing Food Stand
One thing only locals know, is that the bratwurst at the little food stand in the market square is amazing. For me this is a must-do when I am in my hometown Würzburg! This little stand has been there forever and the reason is pretty simple: The bratwurst in bread tasts very delicious!
Have fun in my hometown and let me know how you liked the list of things to do in Würzburg!
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Check out more German destinations here: Destination Guides Germany
10 Useful Travel Items - Travel Like A Pro
Hello Travelers,
people and friends are asking us often, what we like to take when we go on vacations or trips. So we made a list for you and want to show you 10 useful travel items today! I hate it when we are somewhere and I think of something which I left at home! For more information, we prepared a full packing list on our blog post here: How To Pack A Packpack - Packing List
10 Useful Travel Items
We picked all items for under $ 20 for you, but really great quality. Some are bestsellers on Amazon!
#1 Power Bank
Number one of the useful Travel Items is a Power Bank! When we are traveling, it is so important for us to have a small power bank with us! It is super annoying when you are somewhere and you can’t charge your phone. We need our phone for GPS to find our way, we are having all the stars on Google Maps for all the landmarks as well as we are using it often to take photos! This power bank is one of the bestsellers on Amazon and for this price you can’t go wrong! It fits in every backpack or even in your pockets!
#2 Blow Up Pillow
I loooove this item! Did you ever wake up in the plane and you realized that your neck hurts a lot? That happened to me so often in planes, buses, trains or even in the car sometimes. But the solution for that is the blow up pillow! ♥ I never travel without the blow up pillow and you can buy it on amazon or only $ 7,99
#3 Refillable Travel Bottles
I use refillable travel bottles for my shampoos, conditioner since the last 5 years. All the plastic we use and throw back after is so bad for the environment! And who needs a full bottle of shampoo or conditioner on a 2 or 3 week vacation? Even when we are going on long backpacking adventures for a couple of month, we don’t take the huge shampoo bottles, we fill it in our refillable travel bottles, which lasts us for the first weeks!
#4 All in One Charger
This is Jeremys favourite travel item, which he takes on every vacation. This All in One Charger charges his Samsung Phone, my iPhone, his iPad and our camera! Isn’t it great! We hate it when we realize on a trip, that we forgot one charger. But since we bought this all in one charger we don’t have that problem anymore :)
#5 Water Bottle
This is something really important for me, that we all take care a little more of our environment. Sorry for saying that, but especially Americans love to use plastic and throwing it away! I have never seen that many straws in my whole life than in my 3 month america trip! I have always, even at home a refillable water bottle (BPA free) which I take when I leave the house to go shopping, go to work, etc.
Cut a slice of lemon in and it will tast super delicious!
I picked a really good one for you, which is BPA free and will last you a long time!
#6 Microfiber Travel Towel
We bought 2 microfiber travel towels before we headed out on our 3 month South East Asia Backpacking Trip and since then we never went on a vacation without this towel! It dries super fast and it very soft as well. We use it as a beach towel as well as a shower towel sometimes. This is a really useful item when you are backpacking!
Amazon has it in different sizes and colors and we can highly recommend to buy one if you don’t have one yet. They don’t take much space in your backpack or suitcase too, which is great!
#7 Foldable and Reusable Bag
We have several of these foldable bags, because they are super practical! We have one in the car for grocery shopping, I have one in my purse and we always take one on trips. When we are going to the airport we have our drinks and food for the journey in it and after eating our snacks, we fold the bag and put it away. It is super easy and comfortable to have a foldable and reusable bag. And it also looks better than a plastic bag! It can even get wet and will be ok, because it is made out of nylon! This is for sure one of the useful travel items.
#8 Travel Tag
This is an important item too and should be on the list of useful travel items! You are lucky if you never lost a suitcase or anything. But with all the chaos in the airports, bus stations, etc. it is really useful to have a travel tag. It doesn’t cost a lot. This here is $ 7.89 at amazon and comes with you! You can pick a color you like and it is good material.
They have the paper ones at the airports too, but these ones get ripped of easy.
# 9 Universal Waterproof Phone Case
Whenever you travel to Asia, South America, etc. it is good to have a waterproof case for your phone or bills. We had a lot of boat rides in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. and it is always good to make sure your phone and money is safe. Even on kayak this universal waterproof phone case is great. It happened one time that our kayak flipped over and this waterproof case saved our life, ehm our phones haha!
#10 Digital Hanging Luggage Scale
We had so many problems with overweight luggage last year in Asia. Some airports are really strict, which is pretty annoying! We had to open our backpacks in line at the ticket counter to throw stuff away, because overweight is so expensive. So we just bought this digital hanging luggage scale to make sure we are fine the next time! It is super easy to use and small enough to take it on your trips. You just hang you backpack, suitcase, carryon luggage on it and it tells you the weight of it!
Zion National Park
On our way to Denver we stopped at the Zion National Park, which is a beautiful destination to go hiking, rock climbing, biking or just enjoying the beauty of nature.
The Zion National Park is home to a huge variety of animals and plants. 68 species of mammals, 36 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians and 271 species of birds live side by side in a delicate ecological balance.
You can either drive into the national park by your own vehicle or you could just park outside, take the Springdale Shuttle to the entrance of the park and use the Canyon Shuttle in the park.
The roads the Canyon Shuttle are using is completely closed for cars and is the only way to get to the top of the canyon.
The Canyon Shuttle stops at 9 different places, where you can hike and go to beautiful viewpoints. The Angel's landing is probably the most famous trail of the Zion National Park and the view is amazing.
Impressions of our trip to the Zion National Park
Waking up to another beautiful day in Zion National Park with our camper van crew ♥
There are so many trails to choose from in Zion National Park and the views are breathtaking
Zion is a photographers playground
LUCKY SHOT OF THE DAY!
I captured a photo of a bat completely by accident
Check out other blog posts about our USA trip here: USA ROAD TRIP
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Solymar Therme Bad Mergentheim - A Unforgettable Experience
There is no place like a German Thermal Baths. Jeremy never really experienced great pools like we have here in Germany before he moved here 2 years ago! Especially in the winter when it is rainy or snowing outside and you don't really want to do anything, going to pools is the best thing you can do! We both really love to be in a 36 degree warm outside pool when snowflakes are falling down on us. Enjoy a great day at the Solymar Therme Bad Mergentheim!
Solymar Therme Bad Mergentheim
Last Friday we went to the nice city Bad Mergentheim in Baden Württemberg and spent the day in the Solymar Thermal Bath. It was a perfect experience and such a relaxing day! They had a special event going on, which was called "Nacht der Lichter" - Night of the Lights, which sounded really good to us. It was the perfect start into the weekend!
Brine and Vital pools: our favorite area
The Solymar Therme Bad Mergentheim has 3 different pool and relax areas:
Sport and Family Pools: This is the area where you can swim lanes, jump into the water and have a lot of fun on the water slides. The 2 water slides are great and you are up to 35 km/h fast. This area is for the whole family and it is save for babys and kids!
Sport and Family pools
Brine und Vital pools: The Solymar offers 5 different pools filled with curative water: a minerals pool, lithium pool, magnesium pool, meditation pool under the stars and the calcium pool. These pools are good for your body and soul. The magnesium pool for example has the same effects than the dead sea and regenerates your skin. All pools are good temperated and even it was a Friday afternoon it was not crowded at all.
brine and vital pools
Spa and Sauna: The whole Sauna area is really nice! They offer 6 different saunas for your relaxation. Enjoy the heat and forget about your worries in the Solymar Therme in Bad Mergentheim.
They also offer a great variety of massages and wellness packages for a good price!
Nacht der Lichter - Night of the Lights
Every Friday the Solymar has an amazing special going on. All around the Brine and Vital pools and in the Sauna department are candles in different colors set up, which compliments the atmosphere. The event starts every Friday at 6 pm. But it looks the best when it is dark outside.
Solymar Therme Bad Mergentheim
A day in this thermal bath is like a vacation. Your entire body calms down and recovers. We loved the night of the lights, which was romantic and relaxing! We can recommend this Thermal Bath to everybody, who is looking for a great and relaxing day. It is so good for body and soul and gives you new energy! The whole facilities are very clean and we enjoyed that the Solymar Therme was not crowded at all.
Find more informations about this beautiful place on their website: solymar-therme.de
30 Day Water Challenge
Hey Guys,
I am sorry for not writing a new blog post in a few weeks! Jeremy and me had a really great time in America and we came back to our German home base 6 weeks ago! After being back here we were busy meeting our friends, getting a little bit settled again here, eating the best german dishes and of course enjoying the summer here.
We have a few new projects going on right now, so be ready for more blog posts soon :)) Big things are coming!!!
As you can imagine we had a little bit of fast food and a few cokes in the USA and now it is time for a retreat.
30 day water challenge
I read a very interesting article about how the body and your system changes, if you drink only water, no soft drinks, no alcohol, etc for at least 30 days. And this is what I want to try! I am hoping Jeremy will do it with me :)
I heard after drinking only water for a couple of days, you will feel the first effects. You will feel much more awake, you are supposed to have a better concentration, you will sleep better and be more healthy! Your skin should be cleaner and you should also look refreshed. This is what we want to experience!
So today is day 4 of our 30 day water challenge! We will write about our challenge, how we feel and the end results soon!
Who is joining us and the 30 day water challenge?
My favorite drinks right now are water with lemon slices & mint leaves and in the mornings and evenings we love to have a few cups of chinese Sencha Tea!
So far, I really enjoy it and I don't really miss sodas!
So come back to Openmindtravelers again!
Love,
Ina
Gambling In Las Vegas
It is a must-do when you are in Vegas to spend some time in the Casinos. It is fun to watch people playing Poker, Roulette, Black Jack, Keno and the Slot Machines.
The last time we played poker was with our friends on a small Island called Cacnipa in the Philippines.
The Bellagio Hotel in Vegas
After a little power nap after the huge lunch buffet (Go here to the Blog Post "Our Favorite Buffet In Las Vegas"), I got new energy and we were ready to gamble a little bit. I like roulette and black jack the best. So Jeremy and me were watching people at the roulette table for a couple of minutes, before I sat down to play too. The minimum was $5 and if you set on numbers you can split it in $1 chips, but you need to have set a minimum of $5.
Roulette in Vegas
We changed $20 in chips and set it on different numbers. We always picked the 26, because that is both of our birthdate.
We made some money and lost some. Jeremy won $10 on the 0, that was really great. But then I lost too times $5 on red :(
After playing for a little bit, we left the table with $22.
Jeremy stopped at the Black Jack table and sat down. He did really good, even if he never got a black jack right away.
He left the table with $80 chips. So we won $60 and were happy for that!
Now it is time for us to leave Vegas for the next adventure. We are heading out to Zion National Park.
Our Favorite Buffet In Las Vegas
For me it was the first time in Vegas, Jeremy came here several times before.
We did not have breakfast included in our hotel, so we were thinking about going to a lunch buffet in one of the hotels on the strip.
Jeremy tried the buffets in the Excalibur, Flamingo and Luxor before, but he wanted to try something new. So we were looking to find our favorite buffet in Las Vegas :)
Every buffet is about the same price, about $15-30 depending on the time of the day.
We parked our van in the self-parking of the Excalibur and walked in direction north of the Strip.
New York has no buffet, but there are really nice places to eat as well. It looks like in the streets of New Yorker, but a lot cleaner ;)
I think if you want to eat something that fills you up and have a drink as well, it is not much more expensive to just go to the buffet, where you have a huge variety of food from all over the world and I always need a little of something sweet after :)
So I really wanted to check out a buffet.
A few other bloggers wrote that the buffets in the Bellagio and the Cosmopolitan are the best.
As we were walking up the strip, the Bellagio was really far and we went to the Cosmopolitan. Their restaurant is called the wicked spoon and it turned out that this was a good decision.
The price is $27 for the buffet (8am - 3pm) and if you want unlimited mimosas, champagne, etc. you can get that for $43, but we don't really like drinking that much.
Wicket Spoon - Restaurant in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas
We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes to get a seat, but it was totally worth it.
The variety and quality of the food was amazing.
They had good breakfast, a great salad bar and food from all over the world, like sushi, spanish paella, Italian noodles & pizza and great steaks and meats.
My first course: gnocci, pizza, salmon, chicken skewer and caesar salad
The variety of dessert was really huge, the ice cream and chocolate dipped strawberries were our favorites.
Jeremy is enjoying his dessert :)
Soooo delicious :)
Non alcoholic drinks were included too and we really loved the fresh strawberry-passion fruit juice.
After one hour of eating, we were so full and tired. We could not eat anything anymore for the rest of the day!
Did you try the buffets in Vegas? Tell us about it in the comments :)
Around The World In One Day
We started the day in the early mornings in California. We filled up our 7 gallon water container and got some groceries for our trip!
After a little stop at the mad Greek for a gyros, we arrived our destination at 3 pm. We checked in our hotel, enjoyed a little rest in the hotel room and went down to the pool. The weather is crazy out here, it was 99 degree Fahrenheit.
So we needed something healthy for dinner and had a salad with my favourite Olive Garden dressing and chicken, which we prepared the day before.
We showered and got ready for traveling the world! At first we were in Rome and saw the Colosseum and Caesars Palace!
View of our hotel room - Caesar's Palace
Our next stop was Paris in France. We took photos next to the Eiffel Tour!
A couple of minutes later we were right in the middle of New York and were next to the Empire State Building and took photos at the Statue of Liberty.
photo stop at the Statue of Liberty in NY
selfie in NYC
walking over the Manhattan Bridge in New York
Our last destination of the day was Egypt. We were really impressed by the incredible pyramids and the great architecture.
I'm in a Pyramide :)
Selfie in a pyramide :)
And where else is it possible to see that many beautiful destinations around the world in one night? Viva Las Vegas :)
the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas
we had a great night in Vegas
the Bellagio Hotel (remember the movie Ocean's Eleven?)
My Favorite Fast Food In The USA
First of let me tell you, I don't like fast food at all. As many of you know already, I love to cook and bake my own food! I also prefer baking my own bread instead of buying it somewhere.
Our easter brunch at our apartment in Germany
Jeremy likes our homemade meals much better than eating out. Of course sometimes we enjoy going out to dinner, for example to our favorite Greek restaurant in Würzburg or a little authentic Italian restaurant!
I haven't been to a Starbucks more than 5 times in my entire life and I don't go to dunkin donuts. We hate to fill the pockets of huge companys.
I read an article about Starbucks long time ago and the owner of Starbucks said himself something about that you can buy the same shitty coffee to go on every corner for 1$, but they made their stores really nice and people are willing to pay 4 times the price now.
So we prefer to go to tiny restaurants, where the owners really care about their customers and get in touch with them.
But back to the topic now:
When I arrived here in the USA I was a little shocked about the unbelievable variety of fast food. As we live in a Van and cooking is not always super easy, we tried the food at in-n-out, chipotle and Panera bread so far.
Chipotle
The first fast food I tried was at Chipotle. We got a burrito bowl there with steak, rice and beans and chips with guacamole! We shared that and spent 12 bucks for that. This price is ridiculous, the food was ok, but nothing special to me at all. And for sure not worth 12 dollar!
Every time we drive by a chipotle I can't believe these fast food restaurants are packed! Do Americas really like that so much or is there more to this story?
In-n-out
Everybody in California talks about in-n-out, so we went there last week.
Jeremy told me about the secret menu and ordered for us a double double burger with animal fries. Animals fries are regular French fries with grilled onions, secret sauce and cheese! The burger tasted really fresh and good. The fries were delicious.
double double burger (protein style), cheeseburger and fries
Panera Bread
The next fast food restaurant we wanted to give a chance was Panera bread.
We were in San Clemente in the outlets, which a just opened and I was curious what Panera Bread is. It seems to be a little like our Dean and David in Germany. After the experience at chipotle and in-n-out I did not expect much.
We ordered the special "you pick 2" and got a ceasar salad and a grilled chicken sandwich.
The sandwich was ok, but I truly loved the salad. It was really delicious and so fresh! We spent about 10$ for that lunch. The atmosphere at the Panera bread is very good, we were sitting outside and enjoyed the nice weather and the good food.
We like that they bake their own bread. I my opinion it is overpriced too, because to bake your own bread does not cost more than 1$, but I feel better spending my money at Panera bread instead of any of the other fast food chains so far!
Which are your favorite restaurants in the USA? What should we try next?
How To Be Happy
Hey guys,
a couple of years ago, I told my friend about something I am going to paint on a canvas. I showed her a photo of a quote and she was so impressed, that she joined me painting it! We had a lot of fun, spend about 20 hours painting on my table in the kitchen.
This painting means so much for me and I will always keep it and hang it somewhere, where we can see it. Whenever I show my painting on a photo to somebody, they really love it. So I just thought I should also share it with you and show you how to be happy.
Here is the picture! Please read it and comment your favorite part.
So let my tell you a few things about me:
I quit my job last year, not because I did not like it, but I wanted to do what I love. So I went out there to travel the world, met Jeremy, who is on the same path.
And now we are trying to share our passion here on our travel blog with you guys.
We love to meet new people and explore new countries and we know we are united in our differences!
When we eat, we appreciate it, we don't care about calories!
We don't watch a lot of tv, because out there are so many better things to do.
So DO WHAT YOU LOVE, DO IT OFTEN AND ALWAYS TRAVEN WITH AN OPEN MIND!
Love,
Ina