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SINGAPOREAN ABROAD IN WURZBURG WITH...

Keung Xi Zhen
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Length of stay: 31/2 years

Reading guidebooks is not enough. You have to live with the Germans and interact with them in order to understand their lifestyle.

That is what master's student Keung Xi Zhen realised. She has been living with two German students in Wurzburg, Germany, a small Bavarian university town in the region of Franconia, which is about 120km from Frankfurt.

'Through my interactions with the Germans, I've found out more about their education, what the German unification in 1990 meant to them and how they view their future prospects,' she says.

Ms Keung has also adapted to the slow-paced lifestyle and says that she is happy to walk home from school, even though it takes her an hour.

She explains: 'When I first came, I would get bored. But now I have become more patient and mellow. My life is more relaxed.'

View from the fortress

GETTING AROUND

The best way to get around the place is...

By walking to visit all the attractions within the city.

The best way to explore the place is by...

Taking your time to enjoy the leisurely pace of life, the beautiful scenery, the culture on offer and the local Franconian cuisine and wine.

The best time to visit the place is...

Spring, in April and May, to catch flowers in bloom or late summer, which is in September, to get the first 'wine' of the season, the Federweisser, which is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice. It can contain up to 10 per cent of alcohol.

What is the weather like?

Mild winters with temperatures of about minus 5 deg C and summers that can reach up to 30 deg C. Temperatures for spring and autumn range from 10 to 20 deg C.

Must one know the language to get around?

No, most Germans speak English and are quite keen to practise speaking the language with visitors.

CULTURE

The entire city has so much to offer, where does one start?

Start with a hike to the Fortress Marienberg, which dates back to the 13th century and now houses a museum of Franconian art as well as one of Wurzburg's history.

The fortress offers an excellent view of the Old City with numerous church spires and vineyards along the river.

Take a 40-minute stroll through vineyards to the fortress. In August and September, grapes can be plucked right off the vines and savoured immediately.

One cannot leave without visiting...

My favourite cultural stop which is Wurzburg Residenz (tel: +49-0-9-31-3-55-17-0, www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/ ), an 18thcentury baroque palace designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Highlights include a beautiful staircase overlooked by a stunning ceiling fresco depicting what was then known about the four continents of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas) and the Mirror Cabinet, with walls made entirely of gilded glass panels which are then painted and engraved. Admission costs €7 (S$13.75).

Plan your visit for June because that is the time of the annual Mozart Festival at the Wurzburg Residenz and its extensive Court Gardens.

FESTIVAL TOWN

Any key festivals to work into one's travel plans?

The annual three- or four-day-long Africa Festival (tel: +49-0-9-31-1-50-60, www.africafestival.org/ ) in the last week of May is one of the largest in Europe and offers a variety of African cultural products and musical performances.

The Kiliani Volksfest, which takes place in July each year, is a smaller version of the Oktoberfest and offers carousel rides, food and a good selection of local brews. If you visit in winter, do not miss the Christmas market and the mulled wine (Gluhwein) on offer.

It is a staple at every Christmas market, not only because it is cooked on the spot, but also because it contains cinnamon, cloves, sugar and a tinge of orange - ingredients that make for an aroma with its sweet and spicy notes.

It is served warm and costs about €2.50.

SHOPPING

The most fascinating market is...

Farmers Market on Market Square, which is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7am to 3pm. Farmers from around the region come to sell their fresh produce such as flowers, cheese and fruit.

Go for a wine cellar tour at...

The three largest wine cellars in the old city of Wurzburg, which is the Hofkeller (next to Wurzburg Residenz), Juliusspital (on Juliuspromenade, beneath the Juliusspital hospital) and the Burgerspital (beneath the Burgerspital hospital on Theaterstrasse). Before the latter two became public hospitals, wine production was their unique source of funding.

FOOD

Do not leave the place without...

Trying schaufele (€12 to €15), which is a roast pork shoulder served with cabbage and potato dumplings, and sauerbraten (€10 to €12) which is roast beef or horse meat marinated in vinegar and wine, served with potato dumplings or homemade noodles.

You can also try blaue zipfel (€8 to €10), which is a pair of sausages cooked in a simmering mix of onion, vinegar and white wine.

An affordable restaurant with a beer garden would be Lammle (tel: +49-0-9-31-54-74-8, www.wirtshaus-laemmle.de). Main courses include the Franconian sauerbraten, schnitzel and Franconian 'farmer's feast' of roast pork, sausage and liver dumpling. It costs between €8 and €12.

The best breakfast and brunch is at...

Cafehaus Bruckenback ( www.brueckenbaeck.de ), at the foot of the Fortress Marienberg and at one end of the old Main bridge, and Unicafe (Neubaustr. 2, near the New University).

They are popular choices for brunch on Sundays with the typical Bavarian breakfast (served only from 11am) of a pair of poached white veal sausages served with salted Brezel or pretzel, and a pint of Hefeweizen, a wheat beer. The meal costs about €7 to €8, including beer.

The best dinner is at...

My favourite restaurant is the Auflauf, which is German for 'casserole' , located near the New University (tel: +49-0-9-31-57-13-43, www.auflauf-wuerzburg.de ). Spend long evenings chatting with friends over self-created casseroles or order from the extensive menu, where the basic ingredient of either potato, rice, pasta, puff pastry or homemade noodles is combined with other ingredients and sauces. Spend about €12 to €15 a person.

SUNDOWNERS

The best drinks are at...

Till Eulenspiegel (Sanderstrasse 1a). You can get a huge variety of local wines and beers at this street-level wine tavern or underground beer cellar. Beers cost about €3.50 a pint, wines about €4 a glass and cocktails about €7.

What is the coolest place to chill out in?

The Biergarten am Alten Kranen (tel: +49-0-9-31-57-08-0, Kranenkai 1) along the river Main offers majestic night views of the brightly lit Fortress and a relaxed ambience, perfect for quiet reflection.

Is there a Clarke Quay equivalent?

Bars are concentrated in two streets: Karmelitenstrasse and Sanderstrasse, both of which are in the centre of town and can be reached on foot from most hotels in town.

FURTHER OUT

What is there to explore?

Cycle around the vineyards in Wurzburg which surround the city in both directions along the river Main. Combine cycling with wine-tasting and visit one of my favourite wineries located in Escherndorf, a village about 20km from Wurzburg. Weingut Blendel (tel: +49-0-9-38-19-13-0, www.weingut-blendel.de ) has been run by the same family for 10 generations and offers not just wine-tasting in the winery itself but also wine-tasting ferry trips along the river Main, theatre and tours through its wine cellar and vineyards.

Any other sites that would appeal to Singaporeans?

One of the most attractive aspects of Wurzburg is that it is situated in the middle of several very interesting towns and is also the starting point of the scenic 350km Romantic Road, which is Germany's most famous and popular tourist route.

To experience mediaeval life, take a train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber or Dinkelsbuhl which, fortunately, escaped being bombed during World War II.

To understand the extent of the Nazi ambitions, visit Nurnberg, the headquarters of the Nazi party and site of extravagant political rallies in the 1930s.

Another Unesco World Heritage Site in the neighbourhood is the old city of Bamberg where people still live in beautiful half-timbered houses.

These places are about an hour by train from Wurzburg. Day tickets within Bavaria to these spots cost €20 a person or €37 for a group of up to five.

euniceq@sph.com.sg

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.

Fortress city

By Eunice Quek, The Sunday Times | Wed, Feb 3 2010

Conceived as a massive fort more than 500 years ago, Wurzburg in Germany is a picturesque getaway today.

Keywords

frankfurt