Teil Zwei: Deutschland!: August 2008

Biking in the Taunus Mountains, just behind Oberursel, has been more fun than a box of monkeys! Hundreds of trails are well-mantained, somewhat marked, and seem to go on endlessly. They head up into the peaks (which are really just large hills - 800m) and interconnect surrounding villages. On the weekends, so many people are out biking or running or walking. We have come across a few small cafes nestled into overlooks, only accessible by trail, where you can break for cake and coffee.

Going for a Sunday morning drive up the mountain.

Random statues in the woods.

Kuchen the size of my head at the top! This was one of the little restaraunts along the trail...excellent split pea soup.

Blackberries everywhere!

Spencer at the top of The Feldberg, the local "peak".

A lower path through apple orchards connecting two villages.

My Biology classroom.

I have moved to Oberursel Germany where I will be teaching Biology at Frankfurt International School! So far, I have been getting comfortable in Oberursel, preparing for the start of school, and have made one trip into Frankfurt.

Where is Oberursel, Anyway?

Oberursel is located a bit northwest of Frankfurt and both are marked in red here - Germany is oulined in yellow.

A closeup of Frankfurt and Oberursel, which is surrounded by the Taunus Mountains. Frankfurt is a 17 minute ride on the U-ban from Oberursel.

What does it look like around Oberursel?
The view from a tower in the schloss in Bad Hamburg, a town slightly north of Oberursel (see the map), looking towards Frankfurt. You can see the Frankfurt skyline in the distance.

The Taunus Mountains, which rise up behind Oberursel, as seen from the schloss in Bad Hamburg

Houses in the old section of Oberursel

During WWII, Oberursel was a POW camp for Allied pilots (one German told me that before flying out of England during bombing missions, the Americans used to say, "see you in Oberursel"). Therefore, Oberursel was never bombed during the war, and many houses remain from the 30 Years War (over 300 years ago).

The tower of St. Ursula rises up in the background throughout much of the city.

An 800 year old market takes place every Saturday in the markplatz (market place) to the left; St. Ursula looms in the background.

My ride home from the Marktplatz in downtown is primarily through trails in the woods.

Much of Germany is flat and single-speed cruiser bikes are the norm. Roads in Oberursel either go up hill or downhill and the town is surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of paved and unpaved bike paths. The smartest thing I did moving here was to ship my mountian bike as I can travel all over Oberursel, into Frankfurt, into the mountains, and neighboring towns all on my bike. You can also put it on the train or bus and travel throughout Europe.