Bad Neuenahr

One of the gates to the Altstadt

Today, I went to Bad Neuenahr with U., who had an appointment there. It's a cute little town with a walled-in Altstadt (old city). I wandered around for a bit and took in the sights. At least in the morning, it appeared that the people there all knew each other. (All small towns are much the same, I suppose, even when they're surrounded by a really old wall.) I grabbed coffee in a little Bäckerei and watched people come in and out for a while. It started raining while I was there, so I was pretty happy that I'd ordered the food to eat inside.

Complete with mannequins in appropriate dress!

My next stop was the Roman Villa that had been excavated near the town. It's now open for visitors, with walkways to keep them from wearing down the stones (see right). It was a neat little place and I got a few photos for my students, should I ever teach Archaeology again. (Strata and excavation tools, oh my!)

Hefe......

I went back to meet U. after her meeting and we spent more time in the Altstadt, including a very interesting lunch. We couldn't decide where to go, so we followed a pack of nuns into a building of some pedigree (I can't remember the century). I learned a few days ago that "Hefe" is short for "Hefeweißen." So, I ordered a "Hefe" to drink with my lunch. The waitress brought back a schnapps that was also called "Hefe." U. was just as confused as me until I figured that part out, but she also thought I'd ordered a beer. I could have sent it back in exchange for the beer, but the communication issue was likely my mistake, so I decided to drink the schnapps instead. I ended up getting a water, as well. The food was good, though. I'll just have to try again on the beer!

Finally, we went to the Haribo outlet store. I stocked up on candy for people back home (and, perhaps, for me). Got a few of my presents taken care of, too. I plan to grab some chocolate on my way out of the country, completing the food that will come from this trip. (I did, after all, promise S. that I'd bring her chocolate!)