Rechnung bitte!

Yesterday Kyle and I embarked on our first journey to an exotic and industrial destination~Saarbrucken, Germany.  We were able to rock the budget with this trip; we used our 12-25 cards to get half-priced train tickets to Forbach, France and took the intercity bus across national lines to Saarland.  Boy, were we surprised when we alighted from the bus.  It was as if we were magically transported back to the United States.  Instantly, we could try on Nikes at the FootLocker, eat a whopper with the Burger King, follow lunch with a Starbucks mocha, and then browse for video games at Game Stop. The people even looked like me. And then we discovered that many people spoke neither English nor French....from that point on, we had an authentically German experience.

Now that we know you are here, we'll be back Starbrucken...

We began with Starbucks (because we can't help ourselves), and then moved forward with sightseeing.  It was located on Bahnhofstrasse (trainstation street) which appears to be the shopping district for pedestrians.  Our first visit was at the Rathaus (townhall) which conveniently housed the tourist office as well.  With our handy dandy map, we discovered Basilica St Johann (with doors made entirely of bronze), the Alte Brucke (old bridge), the Schlossplatz (castle square), Ludwigskirche (church), the Saarkran (crane), and St. Johanner Markt (market).  Many of the lovely historical locations seemed to be tainted with a bit too much modernity.  For instance, the Alte Brucke has modern railings painted in a bright blue that diminish its 16th century appeal.   Though the castle has seen reconstruction due to the devastation of war, the surrounding castle wall remained intact until recently it was moved 16 meters away from the Saar river to make way for an urban motorway to be situated between the two Saarbrucken icons.  Thankfully, landmarks are lovely and the nearby markets allowed us to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of Saarland.

The view from Castle Wall: Alte Brucke & Saar River

Favorite Moment #1:  We found a playgroud where we swung on probably the most well-crafted swingset ever.  Kyle managed to set up the time on his camera to catch a few choice pictures.  It  was fun to play outside; I don't think we've ever swung together before... We've got to it again because it is too much fun.

Kyle & me having fun being kids

Favorite Moment #2:  While wandering around town, we stumbled across a funky shop that sold unique items.  These unique items were completely familiar to me~ so much so that I'm willing to bet that their handcarved cats were crafted in Indonesia.  It made me feel as if I were at Go Fish in Marietta.

I'd rather shop at Go Fish...

Favorite Moment #3:  Our tourist book led us to a wonderful location for lunch.  Stiefel Brau is known for preparing Saarland specialities as well as brewing beer on-site.  We were in for a treat; we tried a tasty beer and split the Lyoner dish.  It was a grilled sausage served with mustard and a side of fried potatoes and bacon bits. We even met a couple sitting next to us that spoke English very well and offered to show us around if we were ever in Dusseldorf.  Also while we were eating, we miraculously dodged a sudden hail storm.  Hail and rain were definitely not on the forcast so we were happy that we were inside.

We finally escaped French-sized beers

Favorite Moment #4:  Kyle befriended an older chap at the bus stop.  He spoke German and French and was very difficult to understand.  For whatever reason, this man told the bus driver that we were with him, and we weren't charged for the ride back to France ( a whopping 5 euros and 20 cents!)  Kyle needs to become friends with the barista at what we are calling the Starbrucken (starbucks in Saarbrucken).

It was a fun adventure, and it was the first time that Metz really felt like home.  We felt like we were coming home after traveling, and I think that's a good sign.  I'll be posting more pictures on Facebook if you'd like to see more!   Auf wiedersehen!