My Week in Wiesbaden

At the end of August, I was lucky enough to be able to crash on yet another ginger friend's couch in Europe - first Ireland, then Sweden, and now Germany!  I am one lucky redhead*.  

Dinner & drinks with Margaret in Wiesbaden

Margaret, a wonderful friend from high school, had been working for two months in Wiesbaden, a city located in the southwest of Germany about an hour away from Frankfurt.  She has a very intense work schedule, but despite her inter-regional travels we were going to be able to spend a few days catching up and exploring Wiesbaden and Frankfurt together.  I was beyond excited!

The Hessian State Theatre in Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden has an array of historical, cultural, and religious sites to offer its visitors.  Margaret's apartment is perfectly located just a few short minutes from a plaza with shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and more.  The city is a wonderful one to visit because although you can easily walk around the city within a few hours, the options and excitement of city life is not compromised - it has a perfect blend of the old and the new, which meant shopping, cafe visits and delicious new restaurants for us every day.

Statues around the city

Margaret and I spent our first evening visiting a local bar near her apartment and taste testing Germany beers, in case I had missed any during my time in Munich.  During one of the days I was visiting, her neighbor JB offered to show me around the city while Margaret was in the office for a few hours. 

St. Elizabeth's Russian Orthodox Church in Wiesbaden (with a wedding happening!)

We walked from their apartment building to Neroberg, a wooded area overlooking the city which is home to the gold-roofed Saint Elizabeth's Russian Orthodox Church.  While we were exploring the grounds there was a traditional wedding party taking place, which is always fun to see.  It included endless pictures, singing, clapping and food.  

On the way there, we also passed the Holocaust Memorial and the Roman Open-Air Museum, which is an impressive ancient Roman aqueduct.  I also found a road sign that raised a few questions...

My obsession with weird road signs continues...not very gender neutral!

On another lazy afternoon, we continued exploring Wiesbaden and got to see the impressive Marktkirche located on Market Square.  The Protestant church, which is made entirely of brick, was built in the mid 1800s.  At the time of construction it was the largest brick building in the region and is still quite stunning.  We passed it during the day and at night, and both views were equally impressive.

Marktirche, or Market Church, in Wiesbaden

One of my favorite adventures during my time with Margaret was our day trip to Frankfurt.  We had no specific plans for how we would pass the day, and were quite surprised when we arrived and saw that The Museum Embankment Festival was happening.  There were endless stalls of German bratwurst, handmade pretzels, beer, cider and more.  We took it upon ourselves to sample the bratwurst - it all looked amazing!

There was live music every hundred meters, art exhibits, crafts shops to peruse, and DIY painting stalls.  We had a go at painting and creating prints at one of the many stalls, which was hilarious and entertaining - we were the oldest crafters by at least 15 years! 

Museum Embankment Festival in Frankfurt & tasting delicious bratwurst!

As with all of my friends I've met up with on the road as of late, I forced JB and Margaret to join me in a mud mask evening one of our nights there.  They will probably want to kill me for posting this picture!

It seems like I do this with all of my friends.  That's because I do this with all of my friends.

I was sad to say 'tschüss' to Margaret and pack my bags for Marrakech, Morocco, but I was grateful for our chance to catch up during my week with her!

*I think it's safe to assume they would have let me stay if I was not a redhead, but we are always especially excited to see fellow gingers!