First time in Germany: No hassle in Kassel!

Three of the five countries on this adventure are countries we’ll visit for the first time: Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Our first stop in Germany was Kassel. Jeff wanted to visit Kassel because his paternal grandmother is from there. She died decades ago and he has no connection with relatives there; he just wanted to go. Kassel’s main claim to fame is that it was the home of the Brothers Grimm.

We’re glad we went! We loved Kassel. It had some interesting things to see and an upbeat, modern vibe.

But first, we need to talk about the apartment where we stayed. It was amazing! As is common in European cities, it was located in a building with a business on the ground floor and a nondescript entrance with a plain elevator and stairwell. But as soon as we opened the door to the apartment on the fourth floor, we were blown away!

Seriously, we could live here.

Dave says, “I! NEED!! THIS!!! BED!!!! As someone who suffers from GERD and sometimes benefits from elevating my upper body, this is perfect!”

As much as we loved the apartment, we did get out. The apartment was conveniently located near the downtown area, with nearby shopping, museums, restaurants, and great opportunities for people-watching. 

The first night, we arrived after 6:00 due to a train delay, so after procuring provisions from a grocery store, we visited a small storefront Italian restaurant near the apartment. The pizza was delicious!

So was the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream we enjoyed for dessert.

The next day, we enjoyed a visit to the Neue Galerie. It had a nice collection of fine art from German masters who are not as well known in the US as Dutch and French artists. The building that houses the museum was restored in the mid-70s after having been bombed during World War II.

Dave especially admired the work of Johann Martin von Rohden (1778-1868) for his almost photographic realism and attention to detail. As usual, the photo doesn’t do it justice.

The gallery had modern art too. They had a few examples of furniture that had been made into musical instruments. It’s difficult to see the strings in the chair backs, but you can see the tuning keys at the top.

They had a row of statues that were stunningly beautiful. The texture and detail made the fabric look almost real.

One floor of the museum was dedicated to Documenta, an exhibition of contemporary art that takes place in Kassel every five years. It was founded by artist, teacher, and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 to bring Germany up to speed with modern art, banishing and repressing the cultural darkness of Nazism. Each 100-day exhibition of Documenta features over 100 artists and attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees.

The permanent exhibit at the museum contains pictures and examples of the works presented at each of the Documenta shows, along with a timeline of world events from 1955 to the present. This world events timeline was interesting on its own, and it enabled us to place the works in the context of the eras in which they were created. 

We took this photo in Park Karlsaue, a large urban park near the museum.

This photo of buildings across the street from the museum shows how the old and the new coexist side by side, which we saw often in Kassel. It felt like an old and new city at the same time.

We had an hour to explore downtown Kassel before it was time for dinner, so we walked up and down the main street as the locals were gathering at the tram stops for their journey home. We spotted an almost-familiar brand.

We walked through City Point, a four-story urban mall, to see what was there.

Okaaay…

“Wir suchen dich” actually translates to “we are looking for you,” but Dave couldn’t resist. Yes, he’s juvenile. And no, we didn’t join the fun. 

Then it was time for dinner. We chose Alex, a restaurant on the main street near the museums, with plenty of outdoor seating for people-watching. It was delicious!

We could have stayed another day or two in Kassel. Perhaps we’ll return! If we do, we will stay in the same place if at all possible.