menopausebarbees
... the tales of two sisters

Dana lives in Seattle, and Tracie lives in Germany. We are businesswomen, writers and humorists. We write about life, dating, and today's modern women.

Ulm…Ulm…Ulm…

Ulm…

Ever heard of it? It sounds similar to the chant that removes negative blocks, but it has nothing to do with chanting.

I’m actually referring to Ulm, Germany. Last week, I was invited there to give a reading and presentation from the German version of my book, “Einen Herzschlag entfernt. A thoroughly enjoyable four hour train ride from Cologne, Germany where I live, my anticipation rose as the train got closer to my point of destination as I had no idea what to expect from this town of 120,000 people whose city was founded around 850.

Was I ever surprised! This charming city is clean, quaint and is home to some of the friendliest people you ever want to meet!

With it’s founding dating back to 850, needless to say, Ulm is steeped in history. It is amongst many other points of interest, the birthplace of Albert Einstein and home to the Ulm Minister–(Ulmer Münster) the Lutheran church known for having the tallest church steeple in the world. I visited the church and it is jaw-dropping. There are 768 steps to reach the top and I was told that at the very top of the staircase, there is barely enough room for one person to turn around. I LOVE this kinda stuff! And I would be totally remiss to not mention the fact that the Danube River runs through the city. The Danube is the second longest river in Europe flowing through ten countries. Staring at this natural flowing waterway and the church and surrounding city from my hotel room that the sponsors of my presentation had arranged for me, (thank you to Achim Wendt and the Stadtgesichter/Cityfaces), I just marveled at the fact that I’ve seen this same river in Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary. Sometimes we seem so small in the wonders of our universe.

I didn’t have much time to stare out the window as I was in a mad dash to see what I could discover in this town and anyway, as my sister and co-blogger Dana would say: “It’s time for lunch.”

So after leaving the church I headed in the direction of the Old Town. I planned to have lunch and discover some city treasures there. I wasn’t disappointed. Making my way along the cobble-stoned streets, I fond myself in the Fisherman’s Quarter and looked up to see that I had stumbled upon the crookedest hotel in the world according to the Guiness book of Records: Hotel Schiefes Haus Ulm. Originally built in 1406 (!) this former home and now hotel, is in a word, stunning! And it just so happened that this landmark building was being cleaned that day. In order to clean it, the maintenance man had to set his ladder up in the Blau creek on which this building partially sits. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Take a look at the hotel website–it’s in English and German: http://www.hotelschiefeshausulm.de/home-en.html.

Ulm…Ulm…Ulm…

*Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Incompatible-Nature-Tracie-Frank-Mayer/dp/1537201298

*DE Amazon link: https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/3775158057