AMAZING GERMAN MEDIEVAL TOWN - NOT destroyed in WWII! // Esslingen, Germany

Esslingen is one of those rare towns NOT destroyed in WWII and still has some of its medieval qualities preserved! This was recommended to us to some of our viewers to check out so when we were driving home from Ulm and saw we were passing by, we really wanted to check it out. We need to go back when we know more about this place but it was a beautiful and fun city to wander around in on a beautiful Sunday afternoon 😊
Esslingen am Neckar, Germany - February 2020
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❤️Aubrey was a Speech-Language Pathologist, Donnie was a graphic designer, but we both had a dream to travel the world and experience cultures. After three years of being married and dreaming about if something like this great adventure would be possible, we decided to quit the rat race and take on the world. We sold everything we had, quit our jobs, and took off! After 9 months of aimless and nonstop travel, we now get to fulfill our dreams of living abroad as expats as we move to Germany!

[@PassportTwo]

Our list of places to visit has grown so long because of your help! You have been great to share amazing places. Here our new question, what are some very non-touristy specific events, holidays, or sites you recommend?? Things that you may not be aware of unless you live here?? 😊

[@torbenluddecke6288]

I can not tell you now what are not so good places but I can recommend you to have a look at Hamburg I live in this beautiful city myself it is also said that it is (the most beautiful city in the world) and has a very large port

[@PassportTwo]

We have only done a day trip in Hamburg but we really want to go back to explore it a lot more!

[@daybyter]

Did you already visit Neustadt/Weinstrasse? Could do a trip to the elmsteiner tal with the kuckucksbähnel. www.neustadt.eu/Tourismus-Wein/Aktiv-Natur-UNESCO-/Kuckucksb%C3%A4hnel Back in the days, doing a trip through the elmsteiner tal with the motocycle was great (it's closed now at weekends). Or a trip along the rhine on the B9. Did you already visit the gelterswoog? Or walked around blechhammer and vogelwoog? Or did a bicycle trip through the lautertal?

[@michaelgrabner8977]

Funfact in medi eval times just 2 institutions had the privilege to measure time to organize the people´s day either the church or the town officials respectively just those time measurements were valid...that´s why old Rathäuser have a clock....Regarding to valid measurements privileges in the medi eval times for instance the Viennese Stephansdom has also the medieval valid measurement for an "ell/cubit" at the frontwall where then medi eval bussinessmen could remeasure their bought cloth for instance...here is a photo link de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Ma%C3%9Fe_und_Gewichte_(%C3%96sterreich)#/media/Datei:Wien,_Stephansdom,_Elle_--_ as you can see there were 2 different ones - one for "stuff" = "Tuche" which was 776mm and one for "linen" = "Leinen" which was 896mm. And because of the Habsburger also were rulers in Spain that socalled "Viennese ell/cubit" was valid for a long time in Spain and their colonies overseas as well...in Barcelona respectively in Catalonia even till the end of the 19th century.

[@rebeckavogel6480]

Just one little detail. Esslingen am Neckar is not a village. It is a "Große Kreisstadt" or in english a large district town. Hence the "ES" on the licence plates. TL;DR Esslingen is big, villages are way smaller.

[@derwoixxer5424]

The Christmas market in Esslingen is definitely worth a visit too.

[@PassportTwo]

That’s what we’ve heard! Definitely on our list 😊 Thanks!

[@rainerknuth]

Der Weihnachtsmarkt in Dresden ist ebenfalls sehr schön, besonders der historische Weihnachtsmarkt.

[@chuuei1729]

I lived in esslingen for 10 years, and you're definitely right to say you have to come back later :) There are fests all over the year, Erdbeerfest, Zwiebelfest, Frühlingsfest, Herbstfest, but my two favorites: "ES funkelt" where the whole inner city is decorated with lights and you can shop until midnight. And of course the quite famous Christmas market which has an medieval part right next to it with no artifical lights, open campfires, artisans showing skills from the past etc. and all that between the old buildings. That's really super cool. And if you visit it again and it's clear weather, try to go to Flugplatz Jägerhaus, the view from up there is way better than you had from the castle, since you can not only see Esslingen but the whole Neckar valley down to Stuttgart. It's awesome and only some minutes away from the inner city. And i'm impressed you found back after visiting the inner city for the first time. The first year i was totally lost in all the small alleys and ended up more often than not on the wrong side of the inner city :)

[@PassportTwo]

Nice! We are writing all those down to try and make it to some of those. Sounds like an amazing place to have lived for so long 😊 Thanks for the recommendations! You have been very helpful 😃

[@michellemarie915]

Wer wohnt auch in Esslingen 😊😅

[@freddywaffles8067]

Grob überschlagen 94.000 andere Menschen?

[@mogwaii5669]

My family left in the early 1800's lol

[@pumbaacca]

You might check out the tiny town of Büdingen near Frankfurt. Its medieval core is almost untouched. It's also one of the few places where the complete city wall survived the centuries. The town isn't well known, there are more or less no tourists. Castle Ronneburg and Gelnhausen (by car just a few minutes away) are also worth checking out.

[@PassportTwo]

Very cool! Nobody else has recommended this place yet so we will add it to our list 😊 Thanks!

[@Aigiline]

Its so weird to see my hometown on youtube. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@PassportTwo]

haha, we loved it! You live in an amazing part of the world!

[@Aigiline]

@@PassportTwo if you ever come back and need a guide hmu! :)

[@KendallByrd]

I’m an American living in Esslingen. So glad you found and enjoyed it. Hope you do make it back. Christmas Market is pretty amazing.

[@PassportTwo]

Nice! Ya, we keep hearing about the Esslingen Christmas market more than any other one so we will definitely be there this winter to check it out I'm sure.

[@DVargas0711]

This town is absolutely gorgeous! Every single time we visit it, we found new things! I had just read in the comments some people recommending going to the fests, something that I will absolutely do! Thanks for the content! 😃

[@robertpihl3556]

I like the fact that you actually exlore the areas around, because I don't do that even on my hometown of Stockholm.

[@PassportTwo]

Well, we have found that hometowns are different for some reason. We really didn’t explore around ours either back in the US but there is something about being in a new place that makes us what to get out and explore! 😊

[@RustyDust101]

While Rothenburg ob der Tauber is tourist central, it is still amazing. It's also not too far from your location (appr. 2 hour drive, I'd assume).

[@PassportTwo]

Ya, it’s on our list but we haven’t visited it yet. We did visit nearby village, Bacharach, and loved that though! Thanks for the suggestions! 😊

[@jayeff6712]

And while you are there also check out Dinkelsbühl. It is not embeeded in vinyard hills like Esslingen, but the old town beats Esslingen hands down.

[@lorenzsabbaer7725]

but rothenburg was destroyed totally and is build back up again after the war for the tourists

[@ubrodi1]

If you want to go to Rothenburg, I have an appointment tip. There are several folk festivals in memory of the Middle Ages and the 30 Years War (1618-1648) where many people in old costumes perform an old market and reenactment take place. Examples: www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/veranstaltungen/master-draught-rothenburg/ www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/veranstaltungen/imperial-city-festival-rothenburg/ This year there will probably be a lot of cancellations :-(

[@emilehrhardt]

My childhot was in Esslingen and I am so happy you see the butiful town where I live when I was a child

[@PassportTwo]

Nice! It was a very beautiful place to visit!! 😊

[@tobyratcliffe4534]

Glad I found this channel. I am hoping to move back to Germany in a few years. I was in the Ramstein area from 01-03, and have been missing it ever since.

[@PassportTwo]

Nice! I’m guessing prior service? Seems to be so many people who were stationed here and then come back here to live 😊

[@tobyratcliffe4534]

@@PassportTwo Yes. I did my 20, and now I am almost done with my education degree. I would come back sooner but I want to get a couple of years teaching experience before I try and teach for DoDEA.

[@PassportTwo]

Wow, thank you for your service! Good look with all of that, sounds like a great plan!!

[@mogwaii5669]

Love this. My family came from Esslingen. And of course they owned vineyards. Even a plaque using the families name still on a building there

[@derekinstuttgart3810]

Glad you had a chance to visit Esslingen... ive lived here for 30 years and i love it here.... enjoy your time in Germany

[@PassportTwo]

You are a lucky person 😊 Esslingen is very Special!

[@mogwaii5669]

I am a descendant of the Rauschnabel family. Generations of my family lived there, some still do. I hope to visit there one day... Beautiful

[@QUEENofHEARTZ1973]

​@@mogwaii5669I bet your family knew my grand parents

[@QUEENofHEARTZ1973]

@derekinstuttgart3810 do you still live in Eisslingen

[@derekinstuttgart3810]

@QUEENofHEARTZ1973 yes since 1988 I've been here in Stuttgart.... 10 min to esslingen from my house

[@Al69BfR]

If you like medieval cities, you should give Marburg a try. It‘s part of the Deutsche Märchenstraße (German fairy tale road) and has a beautiful old town and an even more beautiful castle.

[@kerrineilson597]

How fun! You guys are so lucky to be able to take little drives to such amazing places!

[@PassportTwo]

Ya, we really do feel blessed! We are excited to finally get out and do random little road trips and explore more like we originally had the intentions of doing when we moved here 😊

[@maruhto3508]

I was fortunate enough to study in Esslingen. Now I live around 30 minutes away and pass it by train every time I go to work (before the pandemic, anyway)

[@cindyrichelderfer7625]

Great video!!!🥰 Thanks for sharing with us!!

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much!! Glad you enjoyed 😊

[@furzkram]

Narren - fools Zunft - guild Has to do with carnival time. Can you guess it now?

[@PassportTwo]

Does it have to do with trying to scare away evil spirits or something?...haha, still don’t know! 😂

[@furzkram]

I think it's best to send you to Wikipedia, if there's English pages they're usually only fractions of the German ones, if so then rather run the German pages through Google translate. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnevalsumzug

[@Svennybaerchen]

@@PassportTwo de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrenbaum kzbin.info/www/bejne/epixqJyja7p9bc0

[@furzkram]

I missed to link to this general article in my last answer. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karneval,_Fastnacht_und_Fasching

[@derinquisitor]

At 8:03 you can see the little flaw in the historic clock of the townhall where the Roman numeral for four has been mistaken - instead of IV it shows IIII. Btw if you guys like Esslingen you should give Tübingen a try but don't come before April so you can take a tour by punt boat on the Neckar river, then walk to the Hohentübingen castle and across the old city. You might want to combine that with a tour of Schloss Lichtenstein and Schloss Hohenzollern (both lavish castles) and if you are into shopping visit what is dubbed "Outlet City" Metzingen.

[@PassportTwo]

Woah! Didn’t even notice that! Thanks for pointing that out and all the great tips 😊

[@RobClass1]

On the Candy tree you can also see the coats of arms of the various clubs from Esslingen. These are associations that revolve around the topic "Fasnet". A regional adaptation of the carnival. Most clubs have many traditions and go out in a costume. The costume represents old witches or other medieval creatures. These are symbolically driven out of the city during the carnival period.

[@MagnificentGermanywithDarion]

Awesome find for sure. Esslingen looks like a very beautiful city that had remained intact. I loved the views through the vineyards, the wall, the Rathaus, etc. I have just now placed this on my to-do list for my next trip to Germany. Sometimes the best things are done unplanned for sure. BTW, I am still learning this because I am a planner but at the same time very spontaneous lol lol lol :).

[@PassportTwo]

We are very much planners that are learning to not plan and go with the flow sometimes as well 😅 Sometimes leads to great stuff like this!!

[@MagnificentGermanywithDarion]

@@PassportTwo Absolutely, going with the flow sometimes brings many smiles.

[@Allmight_Kitty]

You missed the melodies that play in the old Rathaus. (Had to google it: 8.02, 12.03, 15.02, 18.02 und 19.32 Uhr) It's quite a sight since also figures move around.

[@antonioanker2958]

Schwäbisch Hall is also in that area and very Beautiful.

[@PassportTwo]

I googled this expecting just a building called "Schwäbisch Hall" and didn't realize it was a whole town! Thanks so much for the suggestion, we will add it to our list to check out 😊

[@Tryfwnnn]

I LIKE THAT HE SAY "Village" 😔

[@smartcookie40]

You missed the Esslinger Glockenspiel at 12 noon they have that glockenspiel at the alte Rathaus

[@michellemarie915]

You have to come to the Christmas market in winter because people from all over the world come because he is so famous. I know this because I have been living my whole life in Esslingen

[@PassportTwo]

Ya! This is on our list to do this winter hopefully! 😊

[@itsmunii9400]

well...i do feel very flattered by you presenting my town

[@omayrasanchez2877]

If you like small medieval looking villages surrounded by beautiful nature I recommend *Schieder-Schwalenberg*! Even most Germans have never heard of it, there isn't anything big and special there, but it's just an adorable little village that looks like a few hundred years old. Probably nothing worth spending a lot of time traveling to, but definitely worth a stop if you're passing by anyway and just taking a walk around the town and surrounding nature! And as a Bonus, there's a lot of history to discover in the area around it (Detmold/Lippe... that's where the Teutoburger Forest is, where the Varusschlacht happened, the famous battle that the united Germanic tribes won against the Roman Empire - one of the most defining moments in German/Germanic history. Also aside from visiting places you should definitely read up on that one since you're interested in German history. Cool story and a important event that had a big influence on all cultural development afterwards). And since you've mentioned you want to go to Bonn during the cherry blossom season, I can get you a discount in the best AirBnb apartment right in the famous cherry blossom street if you're interested ☺️🍒🌸 (no strings attached, I just like your videos and would support you if I can, but I don't have the means to donate money)

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much for all of that! 😃

[@QUEENofHEARTZ1973]

It's pro Pronounced ( Ice ling en ) Eisslingen My grand parents home town I miss playing with my brother in the vineyards my grand parents lived on Scumannstraßße ❤ I used to love going to church with them, so beautiful inside the church

[@QUEENofHEARTZ1973]

Idk if he is still alive, maybe, but eisslingen had a clock shop where the old man used to make Hand carved real wood coo koo clocks of all sizes, if his shop still exists check it out, they were so beautiful when i saw it as a child, and how the ladies in eisslingen would gather at the fountain to get their club soda water ( dont drink it, i didnt likeit as a kid, and o dont drinkit as an adult ) only drink it if u like club soda water

[@klauskleber5154]

If you are interested in half timbered houses you have to visit Quedlinburg. It's a town in the "Harz" area where i live and it have 2000 half timbered houses there. Wenn ihr an Fachwerkhäuser interessiert seid, müsst ihr Quedlinburg besuchen. Das ist eine Stadt in der Harz Region, wo ich lebe, und dort sind 2000 Fachwerkhäuser. One text in english and the German translation for you to learn. ;)

[@PassportTwo]

I wusste nicht, das “half timbered houses” heißen “Fachwerkhäuser” auf Deutsch. Danke schön für das und auch dein Empfehlung 😊

[@kathom67]

Yay, you visited my home town! ^^

[@PassportTwo]

And an amazing hometown it is! 😊

[@beverleylocke4207]

I recently moved to Esslingen. A great place to live and visit. Come back for the Christmas market!

[@PassportTwo]

That is what so many people have told us we need to do. It is on our Christmas markets list 😊

[@katinka5468]

Hope you mention Hengstenberg and Esslinger Wolle 😁. But it is not the town anymore I know from 1979 to 1986. The best time in my life 🥳😆.My mother is still living in Esslingen...it changed a lot..

[@ritschratsch7394]

im a nurse in the hospital in esslingen and i was trying to spot it in the scenic shots... think i did ^^

[@PassportTwo]

haha, nice! You can get a pretty good view of everything from there!

[@RobClass1]

Nice Video from my hometown :)

[@peppistr7220]

Love this city... Living there😊

[@ezekielatueyi8016]

Nice video Hope to visit Deutscheland someday

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks! We LOVE Deutschland so we would encourage you to 😊

[@wichardbeenken1173]

Its a May pole, which is common in southern Germany as well as in southern Sweden. Germans call it „Maibaum“ literally translated as May tree. In Swedish its called “Maistång”, which may be really translated as May pole. However, in contrast to Germany, where it is erected on first of May (if not stolen before by the neighboring village) and stands the whole year, in Sweden it is erected only for the midsummer celebration in June.

[@juliakramer3168]

ich weiß es wäre eine lange fahrt, doch solltet ihr euch auch mal die wunderschöne stadt goslar ansehen. sie ist wunderschön und sehr alt (erste erwähnung im jahre 976). wenn ihr zeit mitbringt solltet ihr auch ordentliche schuhe mitbringen, denn es ist eine bergbau stadt und man kann den rammelsberg besichtigen (auch im sommer warme sachen anziehen es ist kalt so weit unter der erde) und wenn ihr hier seit besucht auch die luchse in bad harzburg an den rabenklippen :) lohnt sich auf jeden fall funfakt ... goslar hat den sechst schönsten weihnachtsmarkt in ganz deutschland :D

[@kiddracoify]

wine season ist mostly august, september and october. Then you could also visit the region around the river Ahr, which is Germany's most nothern red wine region. There will be many often hystorical festivals called Weinfest in the towns, to celebrate and taste the wines produced there.

[@PassportTwo]

Nice! We actually haven’t heard of the Ahr river. Thanks for the info! 😊

[@jonathanwatkins222]

Just a small tidbit of german language infos: - a in german is pronounced like ah in english; just think about what the dentist ask you to say with the tounge depressor in your mouth :) - e in german is pronounced like a in english when your receiting the alphabet. - i in german is pronounced like e in english when your receiting the alphabet. - o in german is pronounced like the sound from boat; oo sounds the same (like by boat) - u in german is pronounced the same as in english, but without the leading y sound. - ä is also written as ae and is pronounce like the english a in ate. The double points are called Umlautes. - ö is also written as oe and is pronounces like when you might say the er in "Er, I don't know", but don't stress the r sound too much. - ü is also written as ue and is pronounced similar to the german u, but not as hard and coming more from the back of the mouth. Try listening to a german pronounce it and practice ;) - ß is also witten as ss and ist pronounced like s, but more sharply. - eu is pronounced like oi in oil. - äu is pronounced the same as eu. - au is pronounced like ou in ouch. - ei is pronounce like th i in Ike ("I like Ike"). - ie is pronounced like the e in eagle. - sp is pronounce like in english sh-p. - sh does not have the same sound as in the english language, each letter is pronounced seperatly. - sch is the sh sound from the english language.

[@OxKing]

Dinkelsbühl is also a nice little town. We were driving by by accident and stopped there because it looked nice and we want something for breakfast. It was amazing. Almost as nice as Rothenburg ob der Tauber but not well known. Another small town i want to visit some day is Monschau.

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much! Dinkelsbühl is on our list of places to visit. Excited to see it even more after the way you have described it 😊

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Have you visited Alpirsbach? Gengenbach, Baden-Baden, Altensteig, Triberg, Zwiefalten, Blaubeuren...

[@PassportTwo]

Of those listed we have visited Gengenbach and Triberg, but we visited other towns in that area as well! Such an amazing area! We made a few videos of those places last summer but I can't remember exactly which ones we filmed 😊

[@wolsch3435]

Especially the smaller towns in Germany didn t suffer airforce strikes in WWII, and if they survived city planing in the 50s and 60s You can find a lot of beautiful pearls all over Germany. If You can manage, visit Wolfenbüttel (south of Braunschweig), Celle, Hameln, Wernigerode, Meissen, Stade for example.

[@PassportTwo]

Awesome list!! ALL will be added to our list. Thanks so much for the information and suggestions 😊

[@swanpride]

Well...let's change this to "smaller towns in rural areas". In NRW, a lot of smaller towns just got obliterated. It was less about seize and more about the strategic position.

[@wolsch3435]

@@swanpride die kleineren Städte wurden meist zerstört, wenn sie an der Frontlinie lagen. Das war meist 1944/45 der Fall. Wenige wurden aber vorher für "wert befunden" durch die britische oder US-Luftwaffe bombardiert zu werden. Aber auch da gab es Ausnahmen wie z.B. Halberstadt. Von den Großstädten wurden nahezu alle durch Flächen-Bombardements schwer getroffen. Die Ausnahmen hier sind z.B. Halle und Regensburg. Nach dem Krieg vervollständigten die deutschen Stadtplaner das Werk der Zerstörung.

[@rayvogensen2983]

You can see how efficient the Germans are in their signage for tourists. Things that in other countries (Spain and Portugal for example) wouldn't be considered of interest are often not pointed out. The Germans make seemingly unimportant sites become interesting. As a tourist I think that is marvelous.

[@DSP16569]

There a (depending on the german region) a lot of undestroyed villages in Germany. Mostly little villages (Dörfer). In my region (Eifel at the border between northrhine-westpfalia and Rhineland-palatine) we have Monreal, Monschau, Old Town of Altenahr, the Towns at the river Mosel and some additional little vilages at the Eifel (mostly the villages close to the border to belgium but far away enough to not be part of the fights.

[@PassportTwo]

Great tips! Thanks so much. Someone else just recently recommended Monschau to us. We have added these to our list 😊

[@f2karin]

Das ist ein Maibaum. Und die Flüsse sind ein Zusatz für Orte die öfter vorkommen. Es gibt zum Beispiel Linz an der Donau sowie Linz am Rhein.

[@PassportTwo]

Danke schön für die Informationen 😀

[@eagle1de227]

Nein! kein Maibaum! Es ist ein Narrenbaum!

[@f2karin]

Eagle1de was is denn das schon wieder

[@theorganguy]

@@f2karin Karneval, Fastnacht... klingelts jetzt?

[@f2karin]

theorganguy I kenn nur Fasching.

[@felixhafe]

I live in Esslingen for my whole Life and you Just visited. Nice Like it

[@PassportTwo]

Nice!! You have an amazing city 😊 We really loved it!

[@ayla3918]

omg I can't believe you're in my home town this is incredible!

[@PassportTwo]

haha, your home town is incredible! 😆

[@adoptedowl]

The Neckar region (river) has very famous "Steffelen" (Swabian dialect for stairs), which are super steep vineyard hills on top of chalky rocks above the Neckar river. They're so steep that there are no machines that can work in this terrain, so that during vine season, seasonal workers from all over Europe come to collect the grapes. During summer, it get's as hot as in Tuscany here, which makes the wine grapes very sweet. I'm looking forward to your more blooming experiences once this weird warm winter is over.

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much for the information! We will definitely try and check this out. Sounds beautiful! 😊

[@adoptedowl]

@@PassportTwo The main part is situated between Stuttgart and Heilbronn along the Neckar river banks. During summertime, you can do a boat tour and get off any station to take a hike in the vineyards and eat there, too.

[@hape3862]

Maybe sometimes you go a bit further than Ulm to Augsburg? It's the second oldest town (after Trier) in Germany, founded 15 BC by Caesar Augustus. It is one of the rare Renaissance-Cities northern of the Alps and has a wonderful old-town with many many channels, which date back to the Romans and into the Middle Ages. The water system in Augsburg has been declared UNESCO World Heritage just last year. Don't miss our cathedral! It has two of the oldest bells in the western hemisphere and the oldest stain glas windows in the world! Augsburg was home of some of the richest families who ever lived, like the Fuggers, the Schaezlers and the Welsers, to whom belonged the whole country of Venezuela for a while!

[@PassportTwo]

Woah!! That sounds so cool and we have never heard of that. We will definitely add this to our list 😊

[@hape3862]

@@PassportTwo But don't expect timber-framed houses (that's a thing of the Middle Ages)! We have Renaissance- and Baroque-Palazzos instead. 😎 OH, and I forgot the "Fuggerei", the oldest social housing project in the world!!!! It occupies its own quarter of the old town.

[@lulliasunshine]

The pole is a sign that it‘s carnevaltime - or as we say in Esslingen „Fasnet“. It‘s part of the schwäbisch-alemannische Fasnet (Swabian Alemannic carnival). All „Fasnets“ Groups from Esslingen hanging on that pole (the signs). The members of the groups are called: Narren. An the name of the pole is: Narrenbaum.

[@PassportTwo]

Awesome, thanks so much for the information! So many people have been getting it confused with a Maibaum it seems like. Appreciate you clearing it all up 😊

[@wirtzhosting]

In the city occupied by U.S. soldiers on April 22, 1945, 60 houses were completely destroyed during the Second World War, 75 heavily, 260 moderately and 1236 slightly damaged.

[@PassportTwo]

I guess that’s what the information we found meant by “nearly entirely preserved” instead of “entirely preserved” 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

Bad Wimpfen is a nice little old medieveal town, too. Even Mark Twain visited it once..

[@PassportTwo]

Oh, nice! Nobody has suggested this one to us yet. We will add it to our list 😊

[@JakobFischer60]

The pole looks like a may pole with signs of all the craftsmen of the town. However that is normally more common to Bavaria.This one shows signs of Narrenzünfte (fools guilt) like furzkram comments, and I suppose it is set up for the carnival season, which just ended Feb 26 with ash wednesday. I think it should make fun of the bavarian may poles.

[@PassportTwo]

Gotcha! We also saw this is Ulm for sure and we think one other place but can’t remember where it was...thanks for the possible explanation 😊

[@Kivas_Fajo]

I'm from Stuttgart, next to Esslingen. We have May poles as well. Their errection is always combined with the may festival on May 1st.

[@derinquisitor]

Incorrect. It is way too early for a Maibaum (May tree) which, as you can tell by the term, is erected on May 1st or the days before. This pole is a "Narrenbaum" (fool's tree) and is associated to the regional carnival customs which are focussed around and maintend by the various fool's guilds (Narrenzünfte). Those coats of arms are actually those of the local fool's guilds who are shown celebrating the fool's tree's erection in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKKUYXavqrSFq7s#t=1m10s

[@eagle1de227]

@@Kivas_Fajo No Maypole. It's a "Narrenbaum"

[@halestone1]

Guild not guilt

[@DullyKrautheimer]

I really like you and your videos guys! Especially for your open minded attitude and curiosity. You probably saw more interesting places in Germany than me at this point:) If you want to visit Munich one day, let me know. It would be a pleasure to show you around! Big up!

[@PassportTwo]

Wow! Thanks so much! We really are glad you found us. Thanks for the invite! 😊

[@Fannie1985]

My Hometown 💖

[@PassportTwo]

Nice!! It was amazing, really loved it 😊

[@Rsama60]

My hometown. And yes you missed a lot. If you need a tour when you come back let me know. Now I live not far from you.

[@PassportTwo]

Cool! Thanks so much for that 😊

[@peppistr7220]

1:55 I was on an tower there... Making an film with and local club about Esslingen at terraces

[@Trampelschrat]

Oh, You've been to Esslingen! 👍

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, we have now!

[@TrangleC]

Not too far from Esslingen, there is a small village called "Cleebronn". The village itself is nothing special, but right next to it, nestled into the vineyards and forests, there is a legendary, tiny amusement park called "Tripsdrill". It is kind of like a "6 Flags" or Disney park, but really tiny, with only a dozen or so rides. The reason why I recommend it to you is that it is, as I said, nestled into vineyards and the park itself has a strong wine production history theme. They have animatronic displays showing how wine was produced 200 years ago and even the rides have corresponding themes, like having the boats in a wild river ride shaped like traditional wine barrels and stuff like that. Most also have fairy tale themes. They also have one or two pretty good restaurants, where you can have wine tastings and traditional regional food. In the forest right next to the amusement park, there is a animal reserve park, where you can walk around next to deer, sheep and other animals and feed them right from the hand. It is a place that offers and conveys a lot of local and regional ambiance and tradition, in a beautiful landscape. It kind of gives you a condensed, Disneyland version of what traditional life in South-West Germany was, but it has the advantage over Disneyland that it is not a interpretation made by foreigners, but made by the people who actually grew up with those traditions and is thus more authentic and feels less artificial. Also, nearby Cleebronn, you'll find other attractions, like a town called "Besigheim", which is dubbed "Germany's most beautiful wine town." It basically is like a miniature version of Esslingen. And when driving towards Cleebronn/Besigheim from Rammstein, you'll pass a city called "Sinsheim" on the Autobahn. It is home to one of Germany's biggest and most famous technology museums. They have a big collection of aircraft, old cars, trains and stuff like that. You can see the aircraft displays from the highway. They even have a "Concorde" and as far as I know, they even managed to buy one of the retired Space Shuttles from NASA. It kind of is Germany's, maybe even Europe's biggest roadside attraction. In case the current health crisis has blown over till summer and we're not all dead or starving, I recommend you'll check those places out. They surely would make for some nice video material in summer, when the vineyards are lush.

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, lets hope we’re not all dead! Those are really cool recommendations and all unique ones we haven’t heard before. Will check them out! Thanks so much! 😃

[@TrangleC]

@@PassportTwo You're welcome. You can check out the Tripsdrill website and see for yourself whether it is a worthwhile destination for you. I would give you the link, but I think KZbin doesn't like when I do that. I just thought, since you talked about going back to the vineyards in spring or summer in this video, maybe combining that with a visit to an wine themed amusement park might be interesting to you. Also, Cleebronn is at least a little bit closer to Rammstein than Esslingen. There is another nearby attraction I forgot to mention. In another small town near Cleebronn, that one called "Beilstein", they have a regionally famous castle on top of a hill full of vineyards. That castle is smaller, but a bit more conventional and picturesque than the one in Esslingen, I'd say. They have a famous bird of prey show on that castle, where they let different kinds of eagles, buzzards, hawks and other birds of prey fly and perform for the audience. The town of Beilstein is a bit weird though. Apparently it is home base to some weird "Amish"-like religious sect. From what you hear that cult originally comes from Canada and kind of took over the town in the 60s and they can be recognized by wearing oldfashioned but blue clothes. I don't want to promise you a oddity though, because although I often heard people talk about all the infamous blue people walking around in Beilstein, I only saw one lady wearing a blue dress and a blue hat once when I drove through the town.

[@QUEENofHEARTZ1973]

Maibaum pole is set up at end of april to welcome may end ofwinter and begining of new life, the images and such on it are & is to tell a story about the town/village and surrounding areas & to celebrate the history during the festivals of music and good food and fellowship & such

[@aka99]

I have some very non-touristy sightseeings. altschlosspfad--> wandering and red sandstone, tiny grand canon color. Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay 360 m Länge second largest hängebrücke germany. Kaiserdom in Speyer, Karlsruhe Schloß and Ludiwgsburg Schloß. Baden-Baden is the casinotown of germany. Worms is nice. Mannheim was planed, like New York the same way. Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Reichsburg Trifels and Burg Landeck (Pfalz). French City of Straßburg is touristic but very nice. Amerian military cemetry in Saint Avold, just behind the border of Lumxemburg-Germany is the biggest american cemetery of ww2 in europe. More than 10000 graves. Many germans from southwesterngermany emigrated to the Unites States. You should try out Met and in autumn Federweißer. There is much more to explore, but thats it for the first. Under the town of Oppenheim is a huge Labyrinth from medieval times. I suggest you go to the Cathedral in Speyer when the bells ring. The same goes with the Cathedral of Straßburg. Hope the bells will ring when you are there. So you can hear it live. If you dont think it is not that big deal, listen to some bellsclips of Straßburg and Speyer in youtube ;-) Not one bell, but all bells together.

[@xyzxyzxyz386]

Das am Brunnen sollte doch ein Maibaum sein oder

[@poppycalliope]

Such a stunning place I I loved this vlog 😍 just came back from Germany and uploaded a travel diary too ❤

[@PassportTwo]

Glad you enjoyed 😊

[@Terminator10064]

My City ^^

[@joergfro7149]

Duisburg-marxlohe is a must see too

[@PassportTwo]

Great! Nobody else has recommended this one yet so we will add this to our list 😊

[@johnd.rogers]

@@PassportTwo If you wanna get molested/stabbed/robbed for sure. Definitely avoid going there.

[@Josh1888USU]

You two should check out Heidelberg. Really cool old castle on a hill there.

[@PassportTwo]

We have actually done Heidelberg a couple of different times since it is so close to us and we love it! It also made it on our "Top 5 Christmas Markets in Europe" list we made in December 😊

[@jfhappy1110]

If you want to see medieval style German villages, you need to go to East Germany. Apart from a few exceptions, e.g. Dresden, cities have not been destroyed in WW2 or been reorganized in the past 50ties, as there was no money . But many of those places have been restored in the recent years beautifully. Visiting these places feels like a journey through centuries.

[@PassportTwo]

We haven't been able to visit very much of East Germany so we really want to do that soon. Thanks for the suggestions! 😊

[@gerhardkraider]

You should visit during Advent, and got to the medieval Christmas market, it´s spectacular!

[@PassportTwo]

That’s what we have heard! We definitely have it on our list to do so 😊

[@MegaMrEva]

Esslingen ist not a village guys. 😊✌️

[@mina-ok2un]

You must visit Erfurt or Monschau

[@heinzi5955]

Hallo i am from the area. I definitly will say if you are in the south check Tübingen and Castle Hohenzollern. Look in Google or Wikipedia and you will see this is a must to visit.

[@PassportTwo]

Tübingen is on our list to check out but we haven’t added Castle Hohenzollern yet! Thanks for the suggestion 😊

[@dl5136]

Another great city is Tübingen, which was also not destroyed. Since its a traditional university city, it is more lively.

[@PassportTwo]

Great, thanks so much for the suggestion!! 😊

[@gabrieleboecker8058]

Hi guys. I live in Esslingen and loved this film. As to that pole, you must have been here in May. It's a so called Maibaum. Here's a short history: www.thelocal.de/20190430/germanys-most-bizarre-may-1st-celebrations-may-day-maypole. You should come again to wander the vineyard trail. The various vineyard owners have their stands with their wines and small snacks for tasting. It's fun. Or in summer when all the flowers are in bloom and you can take a canoe trip on the Neckar. So, please come back again and enjoy.

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much for the link! This was actually just 2-3 weeks ago at the beginning of February 🤷🏻‍♂️ They also had one at the same time in front of the Rathaus in Ulm. We will definitely be back 😊

[@gabrieleboecker8058]

@@PassportTwo Oh okay. That's strange. See what I can find out. Sent your video to our grandkids in the States. They'll love it.

[@PassportTwo]

Oh wow, how cool! Hope they enjoy it 😊

[@gabrieleboecker8058]

Okay, now I know what that pole is and the one in Ulm as well. You were here during Fasching, the German Mardi Gras. The pole has the names of all of the various Mardi Gras clubs represented in Esslingen.

[@arojaff3304]

I live in esslingen

[@PassportTwo]

Nice! Amazing place 😊

[@TitoVelluto]

you asked in the video (8:00) what the pole in front of the old rat house is. it is a so-called fool's tree, which is set up for the carnival. www.linguee.de/deutsch-englisch/uebersetzung/narrenbaum.html Unfortunately I had to use a translator, because my English is very rusty... Many kind greetings from Esslingen 😁✌

[@PassportTwo]

haha, kein Problem! Ich kann auch deutsch lesen 😊 danke für die Informationen!

[@99fishgutt]

as soon as you get back to esslingen make sure to visit the "unicorn" "einhorn" that is a tavern in busi8nes since around 1380- they serve wine that grows right behind the house!- hint: one of the vinjards you admired!www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant_Review-g641898-d955792-Reviews-Weinkeller_Einhorn-Esslingen_am_Neckar_Baden_Wurttemberg.html

[@PassportTwo]

Great suggestion!! 😃 Thanks so much. We will definitely do that!!

[@mountainthegoat3268]

They drove past my school

[@PassportTwo]

No way! That's awesome. haha, you live in a really cool place!! 😊

[@mountainthegoat3268]

Thanks! 👍🏻

[@dawidwilczewski9401]

There actually was a great fire that destroyed a big part of the old village, even the old Rathaus was burning I think you also missed one of the best places in esslingen, little Venice :D

[@PassportTwo]

Oh really?? When was that? Like we said, we need to do more research and make a better trip back sometime 😊

[@VicGrimes]

you should visit one of the oldest cities of Germany, Neuss. Best time would be during the Schützenfest at the end of august.

[@PassportTwo]

Perfect tip! We will add both of those to the list. Thanks for the suggestions 😊

[@corpi8784]

The german south & soutwest &southern parts of west are what constitutes the german wine country: Franken, Baden, Würtemberg, Pfalz, Saarland, Mosel,Ahr and Rheinhessen/ Mittelrhein/Rheintal up to the south of Bonn.

[@PassportTwo]

I lived in Bonn with a German family during a study abroad program in college and somehow wasn’t aware of this region! So glad to have discovered it now. Thanks for the further clarification 😊

[@corpi8784]

@@PassportTwo It begins south of Bonn ( south of Bonn-Mehlem specifically) along the Rhine valley.

[@swanpride]

Once the weather is better, you might want to do a tour down the Rhine...a lot of castles (proper ones, which actually served as a defence at one point) are located there, and a lot of opportunities to taste wine. Don't miss out on St. Goar. Not because of the Lorelei, but because its just a beautiful piece of Germany.

[@kalamari8243]

I think you guys would really like a weekend trip along the mosel in summer. its full of vineyards and hundreds of old historical buildings and castles and its also not so far from you away. between trier and koblenz. for me personally the "moseltal" is one of the most beautiful regions in germany. www.die-mosel.de/gebiete-moseltal/FamsetGebiete.html

[@PassportTwo]

Perfect! We will look into doing this 😊We have been to Trier multiple times, and love it. Also, a lot of people suggest Rhine trips, but we haven't really heard the Mosel too much. Thanks for the amazing suggestion!

[@kalamari8243]

@@PassportTwo you are welcome! maybe you heard about "Cochem Castle" already, but its the best example why a trip to that region is def. worth it! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochem#/media/File:Panorama_Cochem.jpg

[@AP-RSI]

Haha, you just drove by my place (Rheinstetten bei Karlsruhe). A nice place to visit is Bad Herrenalb.

[@PassportTwo]

No way! Really?? Haha, small world 😊 thanks for the recommendation!

[@TheScherenschleifer]

Have you visit Maulbronn? If not, you will love it.

[@PassportTwo]

We have not yet, but we will add it to our list. Thanks for the suggestion!!😊

[@calise8783]

I live in Ulm! lol

[@PassportTwo]

Heck yeah! LOVED our visit to your city 😊

[@peterpan8147]

You two are total darlings! I wish I could spend a day with you! Smootch

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, thanks for that! 😊

[@WatchBear]

The “g” is silent when making the “ng” sound. Besides that, congratulations! You found the most beautiful town in Germany.

[@PassportTwo]

Oh! Did not know that. I go to German class every single day, 4 hours a day, and have been for the last 5 months. Still can't get pronunciation down. haha

[@WatchBear]

@@PassportTwo Never mind, I try to learn French for half a year, and can't pronounce shit. Did send you a mail to the address you show in this channel. Try out my website for photos of nice towns. No, it's not spam.

[@barras18]

You need to soo Rotenburg ob der Tauber

[@PassportTwo]

We've heard from a lot of people we need to see it and a lot of people who say it is too touristy haha, we need to go and figure that out for ourselves! 😊

[@janpracht6662]

If you like medieval towns, you should have a journey through Lower Saxony State (Niedersachsen): Goslar is an UNESCO world--heritage town, Hameln with its half-timbered houses (and the famous legend "Pied Piper of Hameln" ), my hometown Hildesheim (medieval market place, destroyed in world war2 and originally rebuilt from 1984-1989 and some great old churches), Celle (with over 400 half-timbered houses).

[@PassportTwo]

The only one you mention that others have recommended is Celle, all the others are completely new to us 😊 Looks like all are pretty close to each other as well and we could make an easy trip to visit those. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@janpracht6662]

@@PassportTwo Lower Saxony offers a lot. Also hiking in Harz or Lueneburger Heide is beautiful. Nice to see are also the towns Goettingen and Bad Salzdetfurth (near Hildesheim).

[@nilsflemming4868]

pls go next time to altbach

[@thenotoriouslef]

i live in the center of Esslingen , u walked near where i exactly live at 1:12 .

[@PassportTwo]

Oh wow! Small world! Haha

[@andibuletten6206]

Come and visit Koblenz. A beautiful city in the middle of Cologne and Frankfurt. A lot of history (Koblenz was founded more than 2.000 years ago). Castles, fortresses; the rivers Rhine and Mosel... das "Deutsche Eck". Festung Ehrenbreitstein... A lot of vineyards. Just google it👍😉

[@PassportTwo]

We have heard of the Deutsche Eck but haven't gotten to visit it yet! Thanks for the suggestion, it has been added to our list 😊

[@andibuletten6206]

@@PassportTwo The summer time is very nice in Koblenz. A lot of Festivals, like Rhein in Flammen (rhine in flames or burning rhine). But also the Horizonte Festival, the ancient City, churches, old buildings... and of course the wine😊👍

[@Pewtah]

I recommend these two (edit: three) non-touristic, but interesting places: the city Calw and the Fahrzeugmuseum Marxell (vehicle museum). Calw is the birthplace of the famous poet Hermann Hesse and has a museum and festival about him, was founded in approx. 1,000 AC, medieval impressions, not destroyed during World Wars, located in a beautiful landscape. Like "Esslingen in small". Then you drive further to Marxell and visit the Fahrzeugmuseum, a "paradise" for automobile lovers. It is a private museum, so don't expect any well-done informations, but the old and very old cars are stunning. When I was there as a child it was difficult to get me out of that place :-) Fun fact: Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile, had had a little factory in Marxell. Mind the uncommon opening hours: fahrzeugmuseum-marxzell.de/oeffnungszeiten.html In addition I recommend to take a hotel in the next town Karlsruhe, which is a "young" city, founded in approx. 1712(?), and has nothing medieval, but baroque/classisizm architecture. It is also the birthplace of Carl Benz. Worth to see are the castle park in the center of the city, the ZKM zkm.de/en and the Turmberg tower with a breathtaking view over the city, to France, the northern Rhine area and northern Black Forest, accessible via public transportation and the Turmbergbahn, the oldest running funicular railway in Germany. As you can see on a map the three recoomended places are in one line and well placed for a day trip from Esslingen/Stuttgart to Karlsruhe, with visiting Karlsruhe in the next day.

[@PassportTwo]

Awesome! Just based off the pictures on Google Calw in particular looks really really cool. We have also had a few other people say Karlsruhe is particularly neat. All are easily within a day trip as well from where we live. Thanks so much for all the great suggestions 😊

[@TMAItalia]

Germany looks amazing, how is the weather there? I would love to connect 🤗

[@PassportTwo]

Totally depends on where and when you are in Germany! In our region, in Rhineland-Pfalz, it has been a pretty mild winter with temps staying above 0 most of the time but around October clouds move in and we pretty much stay gray and rainy for 9 months of the year...haha, but when it is sunny it is extremely beautiful! 😊

[@WatchBear]

The weather is awful but still better than in England.

[@janinebutscher4806]

My Home ❤️

[@99fishgutt]

if you want to revisit ulm i suggest the fishermans tournament(no fishies hurt in the process) it is ajousting of fishermen on their boatssee link: tourismus.ulm.de/web/de/feste-und-veranstaltungen/fuer-kunst-und-kulturliebhaber/fischerstechen.php

[@PassportTwo]

We have heard about this and do really want to go back for that! Thanks for the link! 😊

[@furzkram]

Frankfurt am Main - pronounce like "mine" instead of "Maine". But drop the "e".

[@PassportTwo]

Ya, I’m just learning German so still working on pronunciation...thanks for the help! 😊

[@furzkram]

Yeah I know, I'm following you guys for a while. Thus when I realize some english word sounds like how some german word SHOULD sound, I'll bring up the example. No worries, you'll be German faster than you might think. Btw, Goethe Institut is a really good choice for learning the language. Try to achieve the B2 certificate - and once you're there, you'll think "why stop now, let's do it all the way through to C2".

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, gotcha! Thanks for that 😊 maybe! I’m going through a local VHS right now and I’m in B1 and after B1 is a test for a certificate. Most people are stopping there but I think I still have so much more to learn...thanks for the recommendation for Geothe!

[@furzkram]

By the way, while learning the language in a serious way, after the initial confusion is gone, you'll be having more and more moments when something "clicks" in your brain ... and after a few if those "clicks" you'll be asking yourself why the english language doesn't have some of these features. And then, the moments when your brain finds it more natural / logical to apply german grammar rules than english ones, or even prefers german words / terms over their english counterparts - that'll be priceless.

[@PassportTwo]

I’m excited for those moments because right now, I’m asking myself “why does German have 4 cases?” “Why do the gender everything?” Etc 😂 but i already have started to evaluate English and see the wird things in it that would be hard to learn as well. All very interesting!

[@Kiraisjustice4ever]

Ich würde euch empfehlen, dass ihr im Sommer nach Passau fährt. Es gibt dort sehr viele schöne Sachen zu besichtigen wie z.B. ein Dackelmuseum oder die Glasscherbenvilla. I'd recommend you going to Paau over the summer. There are quite a few beautiful things to look at. E.g. the museum of dachshunds or the "manoin made of scattered pieces of glass"

[@PassportTwo]

Von Passau haben wir noch nichts gehört. Danke für dein Vorschlag!! Wir nehmen es in unsere Liste auf 😊

[@Kiraisjustice4ever]

@@PassportTwo it is a city full of students. It is called the "Dreiflüssestadt" (three river city). There are many things to do, especially since Austria is only 10 minutes away by car. Ich studiere dort auch selbst.