Postcard: The Royal Treatment

The one thing at the top of my list for this recent river trip (and other trips I want to make in Germany): see castles!

Not only did we see palaces and castle/fortress ruins in many of the cities we visited, but we spent several hours one day sailing down the Rhine, gazing back and forth at castles on both shores.


Heidelberg, Germany

Fun Facts: The Heidelberg castle was the domain of prince-electors, who elected the King of the Romans (who was then crowned by the Pope as Holy Roman Emperor). Each prince-elector who lived in the castle added his own space to distinguish himself from his predecessors.

The castle has been a tourist attraction since the early 1800s, and is home to the largest wine cask in the world.

Panoramic of the castle near the entrance

Panoramic of one of the interior castle walls

Tower destroyed by gunpowder explosion.
The castle has also been severely damaged by lightning strikes.

In the basement of one wing you find the
world's largest wine cask. The railing you see
above is for a dance floor on top of the cask.

Wertheim, Germany
Fun Facts: Construction on the Wertheim fortress began in the 12^th century, and expansion continued till the 17^th century. It was built to house the counts of Wertheim, and was privately owned by noble families until the town bought it in 1995.

Würzburg, Germany

Fun Facts: The palace of the Würzburg prince-bishop took 60 years to complete, and features an unsupported vault ceiling with one of the largest frescos ever created. Despite heavy damage to the rest of the palace during World War II, the ceiling survived due to the intervention of an American soldier.

The palace was restored through images and eyewitness accounts, and includes many original furnishings. Of its 341 rooms, only 40 are open to the public.

Photography isn't allowed inside the residence. Here's a view of the front.

Here's a view of the back of the residence with a small portion of the beautifully landscaped gardens.

Rhine River, Germany "Castle Pong"

Fun Facts: There are more than 40 castles along the Middle Rhine, which is also home to vineyards and the infamous Loreley (Lorelei) rock.

Pfalz Castle (yes, it's in the middle of the river)

Ehrenfels Castle

Katz Castle (unfortunately, my photo of "Maus" Castle was too blurry)

Feelings: It turns out there is such a thing as "castle fatigue." Later in the trip, I was more content to view castles from afar if there were other things in a town to see, or my priority became climbing to a castle to see the view rather than see the castle itself. 

Thankfully, with a little rest, that fatigue has lifted. I'm ready now with my list of other castles I want to see around Germany!

Postcard: Medieval Madness

A lot of the cities we visited on our recent river cruise had elements of medieval history scattered throughout. But two cities in particular captured the imagination in that regard.

Regensburg, Germany

Fun Facts: Home to Germany’s oldest bridge and world’s oldest sausage kitchen (12^th century), as well as the world’s oldest golf ball and club (1525).

Site of the historical sausage kitchen. Apparently Regensburg and Nuremberg
have had an ongoing battle about their sausages. I've had both,
and I have to say I like the Regensburg wurst better.

Lovely David and Goliath mural
on the side of a building
in downtown Regensburg

Feelings: Our time in Regensburg was like a picture of ancient Germany come to life. First we had a guided tour with a city native, wandering through courtyards that led to alleys that led to narrow streets, all filled with old homes and local shops.

Then we attended a cuckoo clock demonstration and learned about the construction and history of the clocks and the figures decorating them. 

The evening ended with a concert from a local Shanty Choir, who sang sea-faring songs in English, German, and French.

Rothenburg, Germany

Fun Facts: Following a defeat in the Thirty Years’ War, and further decline during the Black Death in 1634, the city was left without money or power—a major factor in preserving its 17^th-century appearance. 

Rothenburg is also home to the Schneeball (snowball), a ball of deep-fried dough covered in confectioner’s sugar or chocolate.

Feelings: Hands down, Rothenburg was my favorite city. Of the whole trip. It’s like it was tailor-made for me: beautiful architecture in a walled, walkable town, delicious lunch in a moody restaurant with armor hanging from the stone walls, a Christmas Museum, a Medieval Crime & Punishment Museum—what more could a girl want??

The Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum
was a four-floor journey through
instruments of torture, descriptions of offenses,
discipline, law, religion, and superstition
in the Middle Ages 

The Christmas Museum included the origins/locales and history
of  different types of ornaments, depictions of St. Nicholas and
Santa Claus, elaborate tree stands, and Weihnachtspyramiden. 

Postcard: Time Travel

Rather than take you through my recent river trip city by city, I thought I’d talk about it using themes. 

One thing that's always fascinated me in Europe is how different villages/towns/cities handle the past vs. the present. With so much rich history around, this is no easy task. 

On this trip, it was interesting to see some places that really cultivate a celebration of their past, some that isolate it, and others that find a way for it to coexist with the needs of the present. 

Here are just a few examples.

Bamberg, Germany

Fun Facts: The entire old town area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bamberg is also known for its lace and a special variety of smoked beer.

Typical architecture in Bamberg old town

View of old Bamberg up to Michaelsberg Abbey

The old Rathaus in Bamberg

Feelings: While the old town area is a nice capsule of 11^th-century architecture, to me it seemed just like that--a capsule. It was isolated from the rest of Bamberg, so it felt populated by too many tourists in too small a space. 

Embracing my tourist status, however, I did have a sip of Larry’s Rauchbier (tasty) and now have a small fan made of Bamberg lace.

Koblenz, Germany

Fun Facts: Koblenz sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers, and dates back to a Roman fortification in 8 BC. (!) It is also the origin of Max und Moritz (forerunner to The Katzenjammer Kids) and Struwwelpeter stories.

Lovely architectural details in Koblenz

The Church of Our Lady in Koblenz deliberately
reflects very different architectural styles,
and part of it sits on an old Roman fortification. 

Example of a functional old architectural detail in Koblenz--images of a home's
residents grace buildings so those who can't read know who lives there. 

Feelings: I think of Koblenz as “that quirky” town we visited. To me it had the most seamless blending of old and new, and a great sense of humor represented by many statues that told the tales of characters throughout the town’s history.

The video below is an example of that humor. The clock face represents Johann Lutter von Kobern, who was falsely executed as a robber in the 1500s. Lutter's eyes roll with the movement of the clock, and each hour he sticks out his tongue when the clock chimes.

Vienna, Austria

Fun Facts: “The City of Music” is actually an island, surrounded by the Danube, Old Danube, New Danube, and Danube Canal. It’s also home to Wiener schnitzel, Sachertorte, and the world’s oldest Ferris wheel.

Vienna: An imperial palace!

Vienna: A 21st century skyline!

Vienna: a city straddling very old and very new.

Lovely Viennese architecture

Feelings: After being immersed in so much history along our river trip, sailing into Vienna was a jolt. The river bank opposite our ship was all glass skyscrapers, curves and concrete, but a trip into the core of the city revealed beautiful old churches, architecture, and palace grounds. 

It felt like there were two Viennas, both beautiful in their own right. But my heart belonged to some of the more modest and decidedly less modern cities and towns along our route.

How the Other Half Lives

Unfortunately, this is not a rags-to-riches tale. Instead, it's the start of my understanding of all of those cruise ships that flood the docks of the Elbe downtown.

This ship was home for 15 days: the MS River Harmony

River cruises are big business. Hamburg has an annual festival welcoming them to town, with booths along the river and celebratory events.

Last year when I learned about it, I avoided the river. I did not want to be caught up in the throng of wide-eyed tourists, trying to capture the measure of a town in mere hours.

But that's exactly what I've been doing for the past two weeks.

Here we are leaving the waters of Amsterdam and starting our
journey along 3 rivers, a couple of canals, and 66 locks.

My trip was not along the Elbe, but on a Rhine/Main/Danube riverboat sailing from Amsterdam to Vienna.

The cruise was a celebration of my mother's recent retirement, so it was nice to be able to drag Larry away from work, see my family, and be reunited with family friends from our long-ago time living in Germany.

Angela raises a glass for the yummy beer
we had at the abbey in Weltenburg--
the oldest brewery in the world.

That was already enough to make it a great vacation. But it turns out that a whirlwind tour through the history of towns along the river (though exhausting) was informative, exciting, and inspirational. And I met some wonderful people on the trip--passengers and crew.

My parents enjoy shots in a
traditional German restaurant in Rudesheim.

Despite appearances it wasn't all about drinking--
we had a lot of decadent meals and desserts reflecting
the towns we were visiting. :)

The Pratts, the Todhunters, and the Mellons

Over the next little while, while the weather here in Hamburg tries to make up its mind between muggy summer and chilly spring, I'll share my version of "postcards" of the places I've been on this trip.

I hope you enjoy the ride!

Around Town: Statues

As I wander around Hamburg admiring the architecture, I've also become a bit obsessed with capturing images of the city's many statues.

Some are just visually appealing to me, while others give me an excuse to look up the famous German personage or event they represent.

These are some of my recent favorites:

St. Pauli - Otto von Bismarck Memorial
This 115-ft. high monument to Germany's first chancellor
is in a pocket park between Planten un Blomen
and the Reeperbahn. 

HafenCity - Klaus Stoertebeker.
Not only is it cool to have a statue
depicting a legendary pirate,
but I like the strength you see here,
especially considering that he's bound
and awaiting his execution. 

Downtown, St. Nikolai Church - Angel on Earth
 "Take my hand and let me lead you back to yourself."

Klein Flottbeck, Botanical Garden
"Adam plunders his paradise."

Downtown, in front of the Rathaus
Memorial to poet & essayist Heinrich Heine
The panel below the statue is an image of Nazis burning books.

This panel on the back side of the Heine memorial depicts
the destruction of the original memorial statue.

St. Pauli, Fish Market area  - "Madonna of the Seas" memorial
"The eternal sea, the ships are no longer,
and the simple men do not return to their days."

St. Pauli, outside Planten un Blomen park
This wooden statue has different
representations of nautical living,
including a mermaid.

St. Pauli Fish Market

Altonaer Balkon, "Fishermen"

Altona, "Der Stuhlmannbrunnen"
A huge fountain featuring two centaurs fighting for a giant fish, surrounded by spraying lizards, a Nereid, and a Triton.