2020 has changed so much for so many; Amberg is full of gazebos, courtyards, and wide-open spaces that I’m told are normally used to host festivals, carnivals, live entertainment and street performers. Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances all those events have been cancelled; we are nearly at the end of summer and due to restrictions I haven’t actually seen Amberg at its “summer finest”! I’m looking forward to summer of 2021!
Of course, there are MANY beer gardens that are open for business, and some do enhance the drinking/socializing experience with live entertainment. And while practicing social distancing, all the street cafes and ice cream shops are buzzing with people who are willing to do with the exceptionally warm days because they’ve already been indoors for months!
Speaking of Ice Cream shops…..what’s up with that? Once spring rolled in, so do an abundance of ice cream shops, and people are lined up at ALL of them! I don’t recall a multitude of them when we lived in the KMC area, and certainly don’t remember any long lines waiting to get in. Is that unique to Bavaria? Are they so popular because (unlike in the states) they are seasonal, and people feel the need to indulge while they can? Seriously, in the old town alone, we have at least one ice cream shop every three or four blocks along the pedestrian walkway. And there are more outside of the city center!
I did, however, notice recently that most of these ice cream shops also carry a full range of liquors, serve coffee, and some serve beer! So maybe that helps explain the long lines:)
The borders have just recently re-opened for travel, and many have been a bit skeptical – waiting to see if people crossing borders cause a spike in COVID numbers before jumping in! While waiting a few more weeks to begin traveling, this city keeps me enthused about walking and/or bike riding. The video below if from my walk around the city a couple days ago.
Yes, I’m partial to Amberg when I talk about the beauty of Germany, but I totally understand that you can’t drive very far in this country without finding beauty. The entire country does an amazing job of enhancing cities, businesses, and homes with gorgeous flowers. As a result of the fb groups who really love Germany, I have seen more gorgeous rivers, churches, castles, and cityscapes than I can possibly fit on my bucket list! While I’m anxious to start traveling to other countries in the EU, I have at least fifteen cities in Germany that I can’t wait to see, and when the holidays roll around, I can add another fifteen just for their Christmas Markets!
If you want to see breathtaking images of destinations throughout Germany, I encourage you to head to the “Resources Page” and join a few of those Facebook Groups listed under social media links; a bunch of really nice people and many have been here for a very long time which equates to a wealth of knowledge about traveling Germany!
"a bunch of really nice people and many have been here for a very long time which equates to a wealth of knowledge about traveling Germany!"
As summer winds down, and Labor Day weekend is rapidly approaching, if you’re traveling – do it safely!