Bad Homberg

After visiting Schlosshotel Kronberg, we drove to Bad (short 'a' sound) Homberg (about 20 minutes / northeast of Kronberg) to visit several historic sites.  First on the list was Kurpark.  This is a beautiful park which was originally laid out in the mid 19th century.  It contains the hot springs which brought fame to Bad Homberg.  This meant that a spa town was created which brought in famous people for cures.  One such person was King Chulalongkorn of Siam who built the exotic Siamese Temple.
The spa gained fame when Edward VII of England (then Prince of Wales) showed up wearing a new hat style which was quickly dubbed the homburg.  Also located in the park is the onion-domed Russian Chapel built by another patron and member of the royal family, Czar Nicholas II.
The Castle (Schloss) was built on the site of an earlier medieval fortification, of which only the 14th-century White Tower remains.  After all this sightseeing on this brisk, cold day, we decided to find a place for lunch and a chance to warm up.  Since it was a national holiday, many of the restaurants were closed, so our choices were limited.  We almost went with a Turkish cuisine, but Laura nixed that idea.  After wandering around, we went with a choice (not of my making I want to add).  We actually found a Pizza Hut which was open.  Relucantly, I followed (head down).  But, it was actually a good choice because:  a) we warmed up, b) the food was not greasy like the one in the states, and c) I was able to practice my German when we ordered.  I ordered what I wanted and clarified our drink order in German.  Whahoo....Little victories!  Also to note is that we rounded up our total when paying and left no tip on the table because that is considered an insult.  The staff are paid much better and you just add what you want to the total when paying.  The kids found some entertainment along the way too!  During this day, we saw many families out walking even though it was a pretty cold day.  In the center of the town, they closed off some of the streets to pedestrian-only traffic.  Along the way there are lots of shops and restaurants.  We even found a Woolworth which based on the each letter in a block logo seems to indicate it is the same as in the United States, but we didn't go in to check.
After lunch we headed about 2 Km away to see the Saalburg Roman Fort.  It was built in 120 AD and could accomodate 500 men.  Yes, that's right 120 AD!  It was meant to protect the Roman Empire from barbarian invasion.  Kaiser Wilhelm II rebuilt the fort as the Romans originally left it.  Unfortunately we couldn't go inside as they were closing, but we did get to walk around it and see the moat, entrances, and wall structure.  We also were able to view up-close the original walls and structures.
The last place we were able to visit was Hessenpark (an open-air museum) located near Neu Anpach.  Again, that was mostly closed up, but was lighted and we were able to walk around and see the town square around which were buildings connected together.  These building came from all over Germany.  It represents the world in which the Hessians lived in the 18th - 19th century.  There are 135 acres in total.  Since it was mostly closed up for the winter (and evening) there is obviously a lot more to see.  Maybe next time?!