Nuremberg - The Bavarian Casterly Rock

HellO, WOrld!

So, we are in September now. Winter is coming. That means we still have to wait another 8 months till we will know if Jon Snow is dead for good or not. The producers of Game of Thrones should be aware by the fact that millions of people are suffering now a trauma. And I don’t think I can resist till April 2016, this tension is killing me! Probably, that’s why this Summer I’ve been so busy visiting castles instead of sunbathing on some beautiful beaches. And the most impresive one I’ve discovered in Germany: The Imperial Castle from Nuremberg. Or you can call it Casterly Rock. Yes, Nuremberg means Rocky Hill, and the caste is on that rock, so…

Well, you won’t see any Lanister here (they are all busy filming the 6th season of GoT), but you will discover one of the oldest imperial castles from Europe. Actually, it was the most important castle durring the Holy Roman Empire.

Old Nurnberg panorama, with the Imperial Castle on the left, and the Albrecht Durer’s house in center/right.

The walls of the Old Castle

Castle’s map, in case you get lost somewhere.

As I told you, Nuremberg was the ‘unofficial capital’ of the Empire, particularly because Imperial Diets (Reichstage) and courts met at Nuremberg Castle. According to Wikipedia, The Diets of Nuremberg were an important part of the administrative structure of the Empire. The Golden Bull of 1356, issued by Emperor Charles IV (reigned 1346–78), named Nuremberg as the city where newly elected kings of Germany must hold their first Imperial Diet, making Nuremberg one of the three highest cities of the Empire^.

One funny thing about Nuremberg castle is on top of it. You will see two flags on the towers of the Imperial Castle: one in white and blue (the Bavarian flag), and the other one in white and red (the Franconian fag). Nuremberg is right in the middle of Franconia, but is also now part of Bavaria. But even now, the locals consider himselfs as Franconians instead of Bavarians. So that’s why the Franconian Flag looks a little taller than the Bavarian one But it could be just an optical illusion.

The Castle’s gardens

You must know that this castle is almost 1.000 years old!! Well, it suffers terrible damages durring the War World II, and it was rebuilded, but still… It comprises three sections: the Imperial castle (Kaiserburg), some buildings of the Burgraves of Nuremberg (Burggrafenburg), and the municipal buildings of the Imperial City at the eastern site (Reichsstädtische Bauten). The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one of Europe’s most formidable medieval fortifications. If you plan to visit it and you are looking for a special experience, you can stay right in this Castle if you want, because now, it hosts a Youth Hostel! So you can visit Nuremberg and book a room in the Imperial Castle at a very small price! Isn’t it great?

The Castle by night

What else can you do once you get to Nuremberg? You can go out in the evening and choose to drink some of the hundreds and hundreds of local beers!! It’s estimated that there are around 200 breweries and thousand beers in this region alone, and you see styles here that you don’t see elsewhere (such as “Rauchbier” (or “smoke beer”)). I’m not a big fan of beer, but the ones produced by the locals are very good! Especially the “Rauchbier”, which I love! I don’t know if Jon Snow drinks beer, but he should try at least the famous RothBier (The Red Beer). This beer beer has a strong aroma of toffee apples, and it’s also very bitter for a German beer. It’s not very carbonated (like a lot of beers in this part of the world), and it’s incredibly refreshing. So, you just have to pick one of the beer pubs that you will find in the Old Town around the castle and start tasting the local beers. Of course you should eat first the famous bratwurst, that will be served with Sauerkraut (Sour Cabbage). I recommend you to try the Altstadthof Pub, in the middle of the old town (up the hill near the castle), which is very cosy and friendly.

I’m sure you will enjoy every minute spent in the Old Town of Nuremberg! Even if you won’t meet Cersei or Jon Snow, this city still looks like a citadel from Game of Thrones. Yes, I know, I’m quite obsessed with this series. But who isn’t?

LOve,

P.S. Regarding the death of Jon Snow, that marked the end of Season 5 of GoT, one popular theory is that Jon Snow is not Ned Stark’s illegitimate son, but rather the son of Ned’s sister Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. On her deathbed in the Tower of Joy, Lyanna asks Ned to promise her something – fans speculate that this could be a request to bring up her boy as his own. The theory – summarised online as R+L=J – would make Snow a Targaryen, nephew to Daenerys Targaryen. After Daenerys emerged unscathed from her husband’s funeral pyre, some fans hope Snow might have a chance of resurrection during his own cremation if he really is a Targaryen with a mystical connection to fire. But this is just a theory, from many many others.

HellO, WOrld!

In sfarsit, suntem in Septembrie! Winter is coming! Mda, dar inca mai avem de asteptat vreo 8 luni pana vom stii daca Jon Snow a murit cu adevarat sau nu. Sper ca producatorii Game of Thrones sunt constienti ca incertitudinea asta face nefericiti milioane si milioane de telespectatori. Iar eu nu stiu cum o sa mai rezist pana in Aprilie, cand va incepe sezonul 6 al GoT! Cred ca asta e si motivul pentru care vara asta am fost ocupat mai mult cu explorarea unor castele din Europa, in loc sa ma bronzez pe niste plaje spectaculoase. Sincer, nu ma mai recunosc!

Iar cel mai impresionant castel l-am gasit in Germania: Castelul Imperial din Nuremberg. Il puteti numi si Casterly Rock, pentru ca Nuremberg inseamna in germana Rocky Hill, iar castelul e ridicat pe acea stanca, deci…. Desigur, nu o sa vedeti picior de Lanister in cetate, pentru ca sunt ocupati cu filmarea celui de-al 6-lea sezon din Game of Thrones, insa veti descoperi aici unul din cele mai vechi castele imperiale din Europa. Asta pentru ca Nuremberg a fost capitala “neoficiala” a Sfantului Imperiu Roman de Apus, unde se tineau marile intalniri ale Dietei (un fel de Parlament medieval al Germaniei). Iar din 1356, conform unei Bule de Aur emise de imparatul Carol al IV-lea, fiecare imparat ales al Germaniei trebuia sa organizeze prima sa dieta in cetatea Nurembergului. Asta a facut ca orasul sa devina nu doar un centru politic important, dar si unul comercial, ceea ce l-a facut in scurt timp unul din cele mai bogate din Germania. Asta se vede si in constructia castelului, care este urias! Inceputa in urma cu aproape 1000 de ani, cetatea a suferit modificari succesive, fiind afectata de incendii si de viziunile diferite ale conducatorilor orasului. Insa cel mai puternic a suferit in al Doilea Razboi Mondial, cand a fost bombardat si distrus aproape in intregime. Acum a fost reconstruit dupa planurile initiale si arata senzational! Iar o veste buna este ca, daca aveti in plan sa vizitati Nuremberg, puteti sa va cazati chiar in castelul imperial! Asta pentru ca acum, in una din cladirile sale, functioneaza un Hostel.

Dar ce mai puteti face in Nuremberg, dupa ce vizitati Castelul Imperial? Puteti sa incercati sute de variante de bere, pentru ca in Franconia, regiunea in care se afla Nuremberg, sunt nenumarate berarii artizanale, ce produc mii de sortimente din aceasta bautura. Unele dintre ele sunt inedite, cum ar fi RauchBeer – berea cu gust de fum. Recunosc ca nu sunt foarte mare fan al berii, insa berea afumata mi s-a parut geniala! Nu stiu daca lui Jon Snow ii place berea, insa ar trebui sa incerce macar RothBier (Bere rosie), ce are un gust usor de mere caramelizate si este un pic mai amara decat berile obisnuite. In plus, nu este nici atat de acidulata, insa asta e specific tuturor berilor artizanale fabricate aici. Desigur, nu puteti sa beti bere fara a manca inainte celebrii carnati cu varza sarata (Bratwurst und Sauerkraut). Alegeti unul din nenumaratele pub-uri din Orasul Vechi si cereti meniul de bere. O sa aveti de unde alege, asa ca experienta poate dura cateva ore. Eu va recomand Altstadthof Pub, care e la doi pasi de Castelul Imperial si are o servire foarte prietenoasa.

Sunt sigur ca o sa va placa foarte mult toata aceasta experienta, chiar daca nu o sa va intalniti pe stradutele din Nuremberg cu Cersei sau cu Jon Snow. Insa©el putin, cetatea o sa va faca sa va simtiti ca un personaj din Game of Thrones. Da, stiu, cred ca par teribil de obsedat de serialul asta, dar cine nu e?

LOve,

P.S. Referitor la moartea lui Jon Snow, circula un zvon care devine din ce in ce mai puternic. O teorie foarte populară este că Jon Snow nu e fiul nelegitim Ned Stark, ci mai degrabă, fiul surorii lui Ned Stark și Lyanna Rhaegar Targaryen. Pe patul de moarte, în Tower of Joy, Lyanna ii cere Ned să-i promita ceva – iar fanii speculeaza ca aceasta ar putea fi o cerere prin care il roaga pe Ned sa spuna ca băiatul ei este de fapt al lui. Teoria – care circula online sub formula: R + L = J – ar face din Jon un Targaryen, nepot al lui Daenerys Targaryen. După ce Daenerys a apărut neatinsă de rugul funerar al soțului ei, unii fani spera ca Jon ar putea avea o șansă de a învia în timpul propriei incinerari dacă el este într-adevăr un Targaryen si are o conexiune mistică cu focul. Insa aceasta este doar o teorie, una din multe altele. Adevarul il vom afla in Aprilie. 2016.