I do hope that on the day Maria Antonia (aka Marie Antoinette) visited Ulm, Germany on May 3, 1770, the weather was as beautiful as it is today, Saturday, May 3. 2026. This is the day in 2026 when locals in Ulm left their quilted jackets in the closet and broke out the shorts and t-shirts. The weather is exquisite.

Should you decide to visit Ulm, please make it a Saturday. Ulm has the largest Farmer’s Market , the Ulmer Wochenmarkt, anywhere I have been. Ulm has had city market rights since the 14th century so they know what they are doing. Rows and rows of meats cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers and plants, all beautiful and fresh.

Directly behind the bustling market is the Ulm Minster, a gothic style church, Catholic in origin from its construction in 1377. Around 1530, the citizens of Ulm voted to change to the Protestant faith and it became a Lutheran Church.

The Ulm Minster became Protestant more than 200 years before Maria Antonia’s arrival in Ulm so it is unlikely as an archduchess of the Holy Roman Empire she would have visited this church. I did read that she visited the Wiblingen Abbey located about 13 miles outside of Ulm proper.

Ulm Minster has the highest steeple in the world, rising 530 feet. During my visit, a line of visitors waited to climb the 768 steps of the spire which I’m told provides an impressive view. I was not in that line, but I did spend time admiring the impressive carvings in the interior.

There is a pulpit accessible by a number of steps, placing the priest or pastor above the congregation, similar to the configuration I have seen in small Lutheran churches in Denmark.

This incredible building with its beauty and massive size is actually a parish Lutheran Church. It is also one of the few great churches funded entirely by local parishioners.

I took the above photo because I liked the juxtaposition of modern red chairs against the church stones in place for at least 700 years, I didn’t realize until looking at the photo later that I had captured a microcosm of village life on a Saturday morning: mother and child, a guy relaxing with a mid-day snack, friends chatting and others taking a quiet moment.

After visiting Ulm Minster, I used this gorgeous day to take a walk over the bridge and then along the river path off the Danube.

Each town I have traveled through in Austria and Germany has at least one fountain in their town centers. Ulm has two in very different styles.

I went full tourist and dined at the Einstein Café. Albert Einstein was born in Ulm in 1879 and it’s said he visited in the 1910’s and 1920’s. The Cheeseburger was delicious.

I would love another day in Ulm, but Maria is off to Stokach in the morning, so I will be off as well. Be ready for an interesting train ride.