Idar-Olberstein

Hello, all! Or as they say in Germany, “hallo, wie gehts?”And that’s pretty much all I’ve learned so far. I have had the great pleasure as of late to finally experience a new German town: Idar-Oberstein. As compared to the normal intensely sleepy town that we hibernate in on layovers, this city was a breath of fresh air.

For any flight attendant coworkers reading this: I definitely enjoyed staying there. There were many options for food, from kebabs to an amazing German restaurant (we thought it was a brewery but turns out they don’t actually brew their own beer there, they just have the placed decorated as such) across the hotel. Still, trust me, the schnitzel with a dark beer sauce and potatoes was to die for. I’m still drooling over it. There is apparently also a watermill, for anyone that enjoys a nice hike, although Per and I couldn’t actually find it without directions so you might want to grab a map first. The main center has everything that you would need: grocery stores, bars, and a public bus route that takes you to, get this, a train station (where you can get to Frankfurt from) and even more stores, restaurants, and bars. Hooray for having options again!

On our layover there, and as we have grown accustomed to doing, Per and I went on a long hike to explore the area. Well, first we took the bus to the train station and then we commenced the walk to the “Felsenkirche”, a church literally built into the mountain. The hike is a bit steep and since it’s winter it was the tiniest bit slippery, but overall it was manageable for someone that never works out (me). Heads up, the church is only open after March in time for the excellent weather, but it is worth the walk and if you continue you will eventually reach Fort Bosselstein and Oberstein Castle where you will witness the beautiful scenery of multi-colored German houses and windy roads. There is also a gemstone mine, as the town was once one of the leading gemstone cutting centers of the world, that you can tour, although I discovered that too late! Next time! If you don’t get to do that, don’t fret, you can still find gem jewelry stores all over the town!

We spent the day walking around the castles, photo taking, coffee drinking, and just talking about everything and anything. I am probably Per’s #1 fan now. This man continues to surprise me (as does his tolerance of me!) Here’s to hoping that we get to fly together a lot more now. Who else is going to go on daily hikes with me!?

Have a great day/night, yall!

Xoxo Mary