One of my roommates is dating a German who lives one state over from Bavaria (where we live), in Baden-Württemberg. He lives in a town called Ulm, and my roommate often escapes here on her weekends to spend time with him. I have heard stories of this quaint town for months, and I finally managed to spend a night in Ulm after our roomie trip to Belgium. 

Ulm doesn’t draw a big crowd, which somewhat surprises me because the city is home to the Ulmer Münster, a beautiful church with the largest tower in the world. I suppose this would take a very specific search to discover, which is perhaps why few people know about it, but the 768 steps inside the tower lead to a beautiful view of the city.

Ulm hugs the Danube river, which is the second longest river in Europe, running through ten different countries. After we climbed the church tower, we walked along the river and I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to ride my bike along this path through all ten countries.

Apparently my roommates boyfriend knows someone who has attempted this, and the path eventually looses lackluster. 

We were lucky with the weather on this day, and after wandering the city for a bit we settled on the other side of the river, in Neu-Ulm for lunch. Neu-Ulm is actually in Bavaria, so we walked back and forth between two states eating lunch in one, and exploring another. The view from Neu-Ulm is what brought us to the other side.

Also, can we talk about how creative Germans are with naming cities? Ulm…and Neu-Ulm. 

One of my favorite thing about Germany is the architecture of their houses. They look like gingerbread houses out of a fairytale. I often feel like I am back home in Washington here in Germany, but then I visit a town or an open field of green hills and am quickly reminded I am in fact in Germany.

Speaking of fairytale, the Fisherman’s Quarter in Ulm is a must see. It’s small, but mighty. I felt like I was in a scene out of Snow White walking around these streets. I got my first taste of fall in this area, when I stumbled upon a building with pumpkins next to it.

I am so glad this trip to Ulm worked out, I don’t know when I would have gone otherwise. I would certainly return, and I now see why my roommate loves spending her weekends here (aside from her boyfriend of course, who was kind enough to host us!) A worthy stop on any German road trip, and be sure to climb the church tower!

Q: Would you climb the tower?