Blog

Winter in Zeilitzheim

Alex von Halem — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:16:04 +0000

The hotel is closed until the end of February. It's just too cold this time of year and/or too expensive to heat. We are making good use of the time by renovating some of the rooms. And of course Christmas itself is the highlight of the season. My New Year's resolution for 2012? Feeding this blog more (not just the Blog in German).

Day-trips to the Fichtelgebirge Region

Alex von Halem — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:42:10 +0000

I recently went on a short vacation to the Fichtelgebirge region with my family. It is mountain range that is close enough to Zeilitzheim for day trips (about 100 miles / 160 km), which is why I want to recommend it here.

For those interested in cultural events, the Luisenburgfestspiele near Wunsiedel are an attraction during the summer months. The Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth is also located here and is a must visit with kids. Our kids, who usually tend to start whining after a couple hundred yards on walks, climbed up the jagged rocks with a frenzy.

We visited the visitor mine near Fichtelberg on a rainy day; perfect, as you spend about an hour under ground. This is a great tour for kids, too. You get to wear a miners overcoat, helmet and lamp. Every visitor (who wants it) is christened with a smear of silver dust on the cheek. Group pictures can be ordered at 3 Euros including postage within Germany (so you could have the pictures mailed to your hotel if you travel Germany for a few weeks).

The mountains aren't exactly the Rockies but still fun to climb (more likely hike up). If traveling with kids you can always take one of the two chair lifts up the Ochsenkopf mountain and hike back down. We hiked down half way and then took the Sommerrodelbahn (dry toboggan run) down the rest of the way. A blast! Not just for the kids...

Of course there are numerous restaurants in the region. Feel free to ask me for recommendations when you visit!

On the way home we stopped off at Bayreuth which is a beautiful city with grand architecture. The Hermitage (with its sprawling gardens and - of course - beer garden) is a must visit in Bayreuth.

There is so much to see and do within a 100-200 km radius of Zeilitzheim. We will continue to go on short vacations within our own region so that I can post more travel tips here on the blog.

Photos: Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth, Hermitage (Bayreuth) - more at flickr.com

Making Room for the New

Alex von Halem — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:43:49 +0000

Kati and I have been quite busy working in the castle garden for the past week or so. We have been having perfect weather for that, too. It is still a little cold in southern Germany but sunny. Work certainly drives the body temperature up, though!

After cutting the roses and fruit trees (with the help of a good friend) we have been busy raking up the leaves and twigs, making room for new growth in the garden. The daffodils are now in bloom. Also a few other blue flowers are popping up, like this one (is it liverwort?):

The Bells of Bavaria

Alex von Halem — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 09:05:18 +0000

Certainly one of the things about Europe and Germany most treasured by travelers from the "New World" is the heritage that is obvious at just about every turn of the road. Not only the sights of Bavaria are special: There are typical sounds, too.

One of my personal favorites is the sound of church bells. Each church has its own unique sound, each village has different times when these bells are rung. I have begun collecting the sound of church bells with an iPhone application called audioboo.fm:

The first church I am featuring in what will hopefully become a series of related articles is Zeilitzheim's own Lutheran church. Here is what its bells sound like on Friday mornings:

Listen!

On Sunday morning it sounds like this:

Listen!

There is one lone bell in Zeilitzheim that is only heard once a year on the 31st of December at 2 p.m.:

Listen!

A must-visit church on any trip to Bavaria has to be the "Bamberger Dom", Bamberg's cathedral. This is what its bells sounded like on a Saturday morning recently:

Listen!

Another Bamberg church with great sound is the Stephanskirche:

Listen!

Photo: The Lutheran church in Zeilitzheim

German Whisky Made in Zeilitzheim

Alex von Halem — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:46:34 +0000

Germany is famous for its beer and wine. But also Spirits (Schnaps) have a great tradition here, especially here in Franken (Franconia in northern Bavaria). Especially Schnaps distilled from the abundant types of fruit that grow here is an obligatory digestif after a good German meal. But if you can make Schnaps from fruit, surely you can also makes Whisky, right? That's what our local vintner and distiller Reiner Mößlein thought, too, when he started making Whisky in the 1990s. The first batch of 5-year-old Whisky was bottled in 2003 after having enjoyed a peaceful existence within toasted oak vats that give the Whisky its unique flavor. But also the grain that goes into this local product is important: Reiner grows the wheat he uses himself. These are old types of wheat that are therefore also preserved for posterity. Next time you visit Germany, be sure to try our Franconian Whisky here in Zeilitzheim!

Village Impressions

Alex von Halem — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:24:35 +0000

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

No Credit Card Required

Alex von Halem — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:38:07 +0000

When I get calls or emails from people in the United States regarding rooms at our hotel, they almost always offer me their credit card number for the reservation. And they are sometimes confused, perhaps even irritated when I tell them I don't need a credit card to secure the booking. Perhaps they doubt the seriousness of the booking without the security or finality of providing payment information in advance. The fact is: we hardly *ever* have no-shows here at the hotel. And if someone can't follow through on a reservation, there is almost always a very good reason for it. We simply ask for as much "heads-up" as you can possibly give us if and when you have to cancel a booking. It's really that simple. Of course we would rather have you visit than not but we won't charge your credit card if your plans have to change. This policy has worked very well for us and our guests - provided this information - feel safe enough that we will honor their reservation even without noting a credit card number. That said: what other information could we provide you that would you decide on visiting with us and/or in planning your trip?

New Fire Truck

Alex von Halem — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:06:27 +0000

Getting a new fire engine is a big thing in a village as small as ours. Appropriately it was quite a party when the volunteer fire department presented its new truck to the public recently. Here are a few impressions of the event:

(More at flickr)

Summer in Zeilitzheim

Alex von Halem — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:27:51 +0000

After an unusually-long cold (and wet) period, summer has finally reached Southern Germany. It is wine festival time in the region. Not a weekend that doesn't offer at least three "weinfests" in Zeilitzheim's surroundings. The garden still demands a bit of work, less with the shrubs and flowers but more with the lawn that needs to be mown weekly now. The children are enjoying the sunny weather and spend their afternoons after kindergarten. The castle cats Charly and Emilio usually join them in the garden. Here is a picture taken yesterday of Charly observing Mr. and Mrs. Duck who visit us daily for some royal bathing in the pond.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barockschloss/

Zeilitzheim in May

Alex von Halem — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:42:14 +0000

May has arrived and nature has painted the countryside around Zeilitzheim in increasingly vivid colors. The following pictures were taken on a walk along the "Eulenberg" hill that runs south of the village.