When I'm in Germany, it's mostly to visit my family. If you're a bit familiar with German culture, you should know that any celebration, especially birthdays and family reunions, is planned with great attention to detail and ahead of the date. Well, the last weekend of my time in Germany last spring coincided with the birthday of my cousin Lissy and everything had to be ready by the time all the family members arrived from the different German cities where they live. Two of my uncles live in Berlin, one of them in the south and the other one near Frankfurt. So, preparation mode was on and everyone had a chore to do before the party!

But I had one last wish. I wanted to visit Marktbreit am Main, a town in the district of Kitzingen which is not so far from Wurzburg, where I live when I'm in Germany. I had seen a picture of the Malerwinkel on the cover of a local magazine and thought it would be a nice day trip. It rained the entire day, but it was still nice to stroll through the charming cobblestone alleys and narrow streets of a place that has its importance in medicine for example.

While walking around town, I stumbled upon Alois Alzheimer's house, the man who first identified the symptoms of what we now call Alzheimer's Disease. With its roughly 4,000 inhabitants, this quaint Bavarian locality was an important marketplace during the 17th and 18th century because the shortest way to the Danube from the Main river (which ends in the Rhine) started here. Who would have known?

It was a lovely day and a great way to relax before party weekend.

The river Main flowing through Marktbreit.

Sculpture in the river.

Marktbreit architecture.

Fachwerkhaus (a typical timber-framing construction) with the symbol of Franconia, one of the five regions that compose Bavaria.

Main street in Marktbreit.

No spring weather, but at least spring flowers.

A different shot of the main church.

I loved this house because it looked abandoned, yet there were flowers decorating the entrance.

More details of the same house.

A house in Marktbreit.

Alleyway.

Birthplace of A. Alzheimer.

There was this group of people riding old models of bicycles. It added that 'stuck-in-time' touch to this city.

Yup, they go about  town in their vintage bikes and clothes.

They see me rollin' they hatin'