A couple weeks ago I got cabin fever and decided I needed to head out on the highway for a Sunday afternoon drive. With the assistance of, "Daytrips in Germany's Rhineland," a gift from a colleague in the U.S., I selected Michelstadt as my destination.
According to the book and some online research, Michelstadt is located in Odenwald, a forest area that straddles several German states, including Hessen, Baden and Bavaria. It seems unclear whether the name means Odin Forest (Odin being a Nordic god) or Forest of Odes (I know, you're wanting to write another ode right now, aren't you?). Anyway, Michelstadt itself is a medieval town dating back to at least 741 AD. There is a castle complex that is part of the town wall, including a tower that was apparently used to house thieves.
One of its Michelstadt's better known features is its town hall which is just beyond the town wall. When I visited it, the town had erected a rather small ice rink in front of it where kids and parents were having a nice winter afternoon. While I didn't try out the ice rink itself, they also had some coffee, bratwurst, and crepe/waffle stands nearby. I highly recommend the fresh waffle with powdered sugar. Yum!
I wandered quite a way out of the city to see the Fürstenau Castle. It is apparently a private residence so it's not open for viewing, but it was still interesting to see from the outside. It was unclear to me whether the building that is directly across from it (which was quite old looking and huge) was part of the castle or if it is just "the neighbors." It is also not far from a little river with a dam and what apparently used to be a mill of some sort.
Anyway, a nice little trip even on a cold winter day. And it finally answered the question for me of what the special Odenwald trains are that pass through the Südbahnhof near my house that are different from the Deutsche Bahn trains. Now I know....
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