Prologue: The title is a german tongue-twister. It means “In Ulm and about Ulm and all around Ulm”. I never really appreciated how funny the expression was until I saw it in writing.
Some of us are mustering our best Einstein hairdo imitations, while others are just enjoying Glühwein. I’ll leave it to the reader to discern who is who, never mind that I am visibly holding a Glühwein mug.
Ulm is notable for being the site of the tallest church in the world (for now…Barcelona), the birthplace of Albert Einstein, and the home of one of the greatest names in German Baroque music. Ulm is included in the German Faculty’s list of day trips for the Reutlingen program, and is easily my favorite of them. Rachel and I stopped here during the “Christmas half” of our time together in December-January, and was definitely a highlight, even upstaging Prague in terms of enjoyment (probably helped by the sniffles that had plagued us by the time we got to Prague).
Einstein = one stone. Puns that money can buy.
Ulm itself is quiet and mature, even with the excitement of the Christmas market and the holiday shopping that were underway when we arrived. The city is situated in the heart of Swabia, where the Danube goes from Baden-Württemberg into Bavaria. It isn’t particularly geographically exciting, though on a clear day, one can see the Alps from the top of the Minster. Rachel and I did not have such luck, but we enjoyed the view nonetheless.
The Danube (Donau), viewed from the top of the Ulmer Münster. Or maybe from like halfway up.
With its prime location on the Danube, Ulm has a lovely little fishing quarter. Great place to get some fish (surprise) in the restaurants, but also a good place just to escape from cars in a medium-sized city. Plenty of pedestrian bridges spanning streets and streams, lots of people walking dogs – very romantic. Being winter, it was also cold when we got there, so we skipped being sappy and cute, and dove right into the warmth of the Christmas Market.
The fishing quarter is in here somewhere, but the buildings are so close together that they obscure everything that makes it wonderful. Our B&B was also in here somewhere, I think, but its name and location are all but forgotten.
There is nothing about the Christmas market in Ulm that distinguishes it from other Christmas markets. It doesn’t have the medieval flair of Esslingen, and it lacks the magic of the first one of the season. However, it does highlight a very important point: When you study abroad, it’s worth studying abroad in Germany for the Christmas markets alone. Christmas was invented by German pagans a long time ago (oversimplification), and you really get a special appreciation for the holiday by experiencing it in Germany. This also highlights another point: If you’re set on studying in Germany, but are flexible on the semester in which you go, it’s definitely worthwhile being there for the Christmas markets. Having been abroad for the entire year, I can say without a doubt that Christmas is the time to be here. That is, unless something incredible/local happens here in May or June, but if it does, I have yet to learn about it.
Christmas Market in Ulm. Even with the high person density, there’s something magical about Christmas markets that makes them desirable places to be.
Climbing the Münster is a definite must do. If heights aren’t your thing, there’s plenty to see and do inside as well. In addition to the usual amenities of your typical Gothic cathedral, the Ulmer Münster also features very progressive stained glass installations, and has columns is reminiscent of rows of large trees in a forest. While most gothic cathedrals feature light and airy architecture, this was a particularly striking example. Probably just the lighting.
Memorial to holocaust victims in the Ulmer Münster. One of the many examples of fairly progressive stained glass found here.
The openness of the Ulmer Münster’s nave.
I have it on good faith that Valpo’s President Heckler also likes Ulm – one of his favorite places in Germany. That’s all the recommendation anybody should need.
This is part of a few posts I’m doing on my very favorite travel destinations. We’ll call it “Part Ulm,” because that sounds enough like a number if you don’t think about it at all.
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