All of Her Things

Here’s something I love about Germany. There’s a castle everywhere. When you drive on the autobahn, there aren’t big billboards and advertisements, but you’ll see castles built long before America was colonized. Burg Trausnitz in Landshut, for example, was founded in 1204 by Duke Ludwig I and served as the residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty for 250 years.

For Easter, my husband and I met his parents for lunch at Burg Trausnitz. I had wanted to go there for a while because we passed it on our way to visit his family. I always point it out and say we need to visit. Well, my husband has been listening to me, I guess. We didn’t take a tour, but he made a lunch reservation at Burgschänke, a restaurant inside the castle. At lunch, we sat under the sun on the terrace and ate traditional Bavarian dishes with an astonishing view of the city. The food was good, the vibes were great, and I tested my German a little with my in-laws. One day, my husband won’t have to translate for us.

After our lunch, we took a stroll through Landshut’s city center, which was larger than I expected. We peeked into Stiftsbasilika Martin, a Gothic-style church founded in 1392 after a devastating city fire 50 years prior. It was completed in 1500. I hope to sit in on a service at one of these massive churches one day soon. Maybe by Christmas, I’ll understand German well enough to do so.

After our viewing of the church, we all sat together at a cute cafe, sipping coffee and tea, waiting until exactly 14:00 for the ice cream shop to open.

Overall, the day was lovely. I enjoy spending time with family, and we had perfect weather for enjoying the castle terrace and taking a nice stroll together.

I’ve loved visiting all these Bavarian castles and learning more about German history. All I know is what I learned in school, as if Germany didn’t exist before WWI and WWII. This country is much more than its dark past, and I look forward to learning more about its history and seeing more of its beauty.

.always.

Dani