Monschau, Germany

This past weekend, for Justin’s birthday, we visited the quaint town of Monschau, Germany, about an hour away from where we live. Out of all the nearby places we traveled to, this was one of our favorites. The city center is dotted with the traditional timber-framed houses with the dark wooden beams and narrow cobblestone streets. It has a very medieval German feel and looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. If you ever get the chance to visit, here’s an outline of how we spent our day which was near-perfect.

We started our day with a chilly 15-minute walk to a glass studio called Glashutte Monschau. Unfortunately, our coats are still in our shipment, so we weren’t dressed for the 40 degree weather. We managed though. We were very relieved to find the glass blowing demonstration area, which was nice and warm. We sat down for a while and watched the artists work. It was mesmerizing to watch the red hot glass blob get slowly shaped into a beautiful vase. The highlight of this place was that kids can go up to the stove to help blow a glass orb. Teddy got to choose his colors and blow into the tube to inflate the glass. About 10 minutes later, we came back to his cooled purple and green plant-watering bulb. It was only 5 euros for the experience and glass piece, a pretty great deal in my opinion. After we paid for Teddy’s piece, we toured the gallery and purchased a few little figurines and a mug for Justin.

By this point the kids were hungry, so we headed back to a cute restaurant we had seen earlier, Cafe Thelen. The look of this place and the menu itself were very “typical German.” As it was only about 11:40, we were the first ones in the restaurant and had no problem securing a table. I ordered a hot passionfruit tea to warm up and had some delicious tagliatelle pasta in cream sauce. Justin got a sort of pot roast with potatoes and Penny had schnitzel with fries.

Next up was shopping and exploring the city center. I checked off my must-purchase item, a Monschau magnet to add to our collection. Next we stumbled upon a tiny, crowded hat shop. It was small but well stocked with knit clothing, gloves, scarves, and of course hats. Justin bought a new plaid newsboy cap. Penny got a pastel rainbow beanie, and Teddy and I got super warm gloves. From there, we wandered in and out of more shops. We even got a head start on Christmas shopping. I’ll never pass up a local hand-made gift when I see it.

One of the specialties of the area is their mustard mill. The Historische Senfmühle is a bit off the beaten path, out of the city center, but it’s worth a visit. It was built in 1882 and has been owned by the same family for generations. They make their mustard manually between old millstones, just like the old times. There you can try flavors like English Curry, Honey Poppy Seed, Fig, Beer, Tarragon, and Wild Herbs with Garlic. Of course we had to come home with a jar.

We ended our visit with another little walk and a stop at a pastry shop for some coffee and sweets. I chose a pastry filled with cream and cherries and it was perfectly flakey and delicious. If we would have had more time and energy, I would have hiked up to the lookout to see the gorgeous view of the town from above. I’m sure the pictures would have been breathtaking, but we’ll have to save that for our next visit. I’m sure we’ll be back!

Extra Tips:

• I would recommend parking on the street rather than in the parking garage unless you have a very small vehicle. We had some stressful moments trying to get in and out of our parking space in the garage.
• Be sure to have a few euro coins on you for using public restrooms. They are not free.
• I would reorder our events by starting with the mustard store, then shopping, followed by lunch and end with the glass blowing studio. That’s what makes the most sense geographically so you are retracing your steps like we did.
• Definitely get there by 10am or a little earlier to ensure you get parking and get to enjoy the views with less tourists crowding the streets. It seems to get busier and busier as the day wears on.