Ulm

I went to Ulm, an hour's drive west of Augsburg, to see a friend, Gregor, who came from Mannheim to see me before I'm gone again. His friend André from Gersthofen joined us. On a sunny but freezing cold day we had lunch and then climbed the steeple (Kirchturm) of the famous Ulm Minster (Ulmer Münster). It is the tallest church in the world, with a steeple measuring 161.53 m.

To our regret the tower was only accessible to the height of 70 m. But we still had a nice view from there, down to the pretty town with the partly snow-covered roofs. The river in the background is the Danube. And look how big the old houses are: some of them have three or even four storeys under the roof alone.

Inside the minster I admired the 15th century oak wood carvings in the choir stalls (Chorgestühl). The town in which Albert Einstein was born is definitely worth a visit if you get a chance to come to southern Germany.

Oh, and the U in Ulm is pronounced not like the English u but like the "oo" in book (IPA: ʊlm). And if you can say this, try to say "In Ulm und um Ulm und um Ulm herum"! ;)