My trip to Erlangen entailed me to use the InterCity Express(ICE) – Germany’s answer to the bullet train of Japan, but I think it’s not as
fast as the latter. The trip from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) to
Nuremberg was a decent two hours.
Getting a ticket is no hassle because you can
get it online and you can
also reserve ticket online. Of course, like anything
else, you should know how things work.
Going back to the trip to Erlangen, it took me to some of
the places in the Fraenkische Alb. The
blossoming cherries that abound in the region, the yellow dandelions scattered
on the fields like yellow-dotted carpets and the green forest provided picture-perfect
landscape that I could have had taken my paint brush and painted it. I would
say that this place captivated
me – like love-at-first-sight. The far-flung
villages separated by patches of meadows, farmlands and low-lying hills gave me
a glimpse of a typical German countryside.
Aside from the panoramic of view of the valleys, century-old
houses and buildings gave a scenic view of the surroundings. Traversing those
winding roads looked as if going back during the time of brothers Grimm.
The area was popular among outdoor enthusiasts – campers and
hikers – I would say. Those thickly forested hills could offer great
opportunities and challenges to adventure seekers. It was the beginning of
spring when I visited the area and the vegetation told me that autumn could
also provide a picturesque view of the hills. In fact, any season was just beautiful
in this area.
It was unfortunate that I only had one day to explore some
of the attractions of the area, but I am sure I will be coming back for
more.