Castle Untour, Spring 2003
by Gini & Chuck Knueppel, Alpharetta, GA
Once upon a time...
Wednesday, June 4
When we arrived in Munich, after a sleepless overnight economy class flight and a groggy hour connecting from Frankfort, we were feeling like anything but characters in a fairy tale. But two hours later when we arrived in the tiny village of Sommersdorf and saw Schloss Sommersdorf for the first time, "happily ever after" smiles began.We’re castle freaks — ruins, restored as museums, or even elaborate imitations — we’ve viewed them in the UK, Spain, Italy. No rusty sign pointing to an empty moat and a drawbridge has ever been ignored! But this one is different. It is surrounded by a real moat; it has a wall all around, and a big wooden gate. And we’re actually going to live in one of its towers!
Our host, Baron Dr. Manfred von Crailsheim, smiles as he steps out of the garden. "Call me Manfred," he says, "let me help you with the luggage. I’m so glad you’ve come when the roses are blooming at their very best."
We went straight through a charming courtyard, with flowers everywhere and climbed a short way up a spiral stairway to the door of our Carola apartment.
Pictures of Carola don’t convey the degree of coziness, spaciousness, and beauty that surround us. We walk into a small entryway, with a modern bathroom at the side, and enter the roomy kitchen. Two vases of roses and a tempting apple strudel decorate the cheerful room. A compact unit — 2 electric burners, stainless steel sink, under counter fridge and a dishwasher, with a chopping block topped cabinet at the side. Toaster, coffee maker, electric tea pot, and a microwave oven are on a side table.
More roses are in our beautiful living room and bedroom. The former has both a color TV and a CD player with a stack of wonderful classic CDs. The furniture is comfortable, floors are adorned by antique oriental rugs, and thick white walls keep the interior as cool as any air conditioning system could possibly do. On the bedroom wall opposite the window are bookshelves stocked with an interesting assortment of hard back and paperback books.
All advice about reducing the effects of jet lag say to stay awake at the destination until bedtime in that zone. After stowing our clothes in the large armoire, we really tried. But nap attack took over, and after an hour of sleep, we both felt much better. I had a post nap favorite "untour moment". . .waking up to see the afternoon sunlight dappled by the waters of the moat and reflected on the ceiling overhead.
Went to the gasthaus in the village for our evening meal — pork cutlets, potatoes, and a lovely fresh spring greens salad — in a dining room inhabited only by the bartender and 4 old guys playing a vigorous (loud!) card game at a table in the corner.
Back to the castle for dessert — half of Frau Schmidt’s apple strudel. At bedtime, we were serenaded by a raucous critter lullaby from the moat. . .frogs, ducks, and who knows what other night singers.
Thursday, June 5
It’s 6 a.m. Silence. . .a few birds twitter sleepy antiphonal good morning notes to one another. . .a cool breeze drifts in the open window. . .the warm duvet is a cozy nest. Then. . .a LOUD church bell! It rings for 5 minutes.
The Evangelical (Lutheran) church now belongs to the village parish, although it is an original part of the castle and just across the moat on the castle grounds. Following long tradition, the bells ring at 6 (and several other times during the day) Monday-Friday and then to summon folks to worship before each Sunday service. The weekday reminders were originally summons (meal times, break times, quitting time, etc.) for workers in the fields. For us, a wakeup call with no snooze button.
At 9:30, we went a few steps up the spiral staircase to Manfred’s beautiful apartment. We met our fellow Untour-ers, Bill & Rita from Texas and Bill’s cousin, Herb, from upstate New York. Had a bountiful candlelight breakfast and Manfred gave us a thorough orientation. In addition to two detailed booklets (one about housekeeping in the castle and the other a lavishly illustrated guide to all the attractions to see in this part of Bavaria) he gave us maps to local recommended restaurants, the best routes to various nearby villages, towns and cities, etc. During the following weeks, we depended heavily on these wonderful resources.
Even though our German vocabulary is limited to "please," "thank you," and "we speak only American," we did fine at the grocery store, which is nearby on the outskirts of BURGOBERBACH. The only mistake I made was to purchase a couple of instant meal packets (like hamburger helper type of meal — add water, etc. Realized later that my inability to translate German directions made it difficult to know how much water, how long to cook, etc. Not worth the trouble. Pasta and spaghetti sauce in a jar work the same way in any language!
As always, this first full day in a new country was an adventurous day rich with learnings from our mistakes:
I launched out without changing my sturdy walking shoes without remembering that thin soled sandals simply don’t cut it on cobblestones.
Having one less map than we needed (left at the apt. with my other shoes!) meant that an intended short drive to 3 nearby towns meant that we didn’t recognize all the names on signs. Since our sense of direction was still foggy, we took a lot of wrong turns.
Country roads are marked with yellow signs, autobahns with blue, and in town signs are white. All are very detailed and at almost every corner. Helpful, when you are going slowly enough to read them, and when you’ve gotten used to the words enough to recognize what you’re looking for.
Serendipity is fine after one is used to the surroundings, but on this first day it would have been better if we’d looked harder at the maps and made a modest plan before we started. This serendipity experience was too long.
Any bird viewing our car from above would have labeled us as loopy tourists. We got thoroughly lost and did a lot of loopy doubling back. We even ended up in the one place Manfred had warned us about — blocked off streets in ANSBACH, where a very large bicycle race and rally was going on over several days. Huge traffic jam — and us with no clue about where we were headed.
All was not lost, though. In the course of our naïve meanderings, we did stop in a few places we found. We learned quickly that the white sign to follow toward the old part of town would point to Altstadt.
Inside the walls of old WOLFRAMS ESCHENBACH we wandered into an ornate Catholic church with some very nice art work, then crossed the platz (town square) to a delightful little Café Parzifal for a cup of coffee and a shared slice of delicious cheese cake. We sat outdoors right in front of this town fountain.
In the next town, MERKENDORF, the large Lutheran church had a simple wood paneled interior but the altar was very large and topped with over life- sized wood sculptures of angels and lots of fresh flowers. This 15th century church was scarred on the outside with pits from weapons in both the 30 Years War (16th C.) and WW II.
After further looping about, we found ourselves at a recommended restaurant in NEUSES, the Landgasthof Braunes Ross. Good dinner and some lovely Franconian wine.
Friday, June 6
I woke up this morning with a very clear sense of the past — the 6th of June, 60 years ago was D-Day. . .the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. It seems ironic that we are in Germany, so near to NUREMBURG, which is so closely associated with the growth of the Nazi movement as well as its downfall. Powerful memories for those in our generation.We had heard of the museum exhibit in the former Nazi Congress Hall and decided that this would be a good day to see it. Wrong.
"The best laid plans of mice and men. . ." was the quote of the day, as it turned out. First, we sailed past the autobahn exit that would have connected us to Autobahn 73. The next exit led to "Messe" — large open grounds and parks where there were campers, tons of young folks with back packs, and an enormous traffic jam. Signs everywhere—Rock in the Park. When we got to the Documentation Center (Congress Hall) the entire area around it was blocked off, with no parking available. Obviously, a weekend long rock concert event was in the works and Nurnburg was no place to be until after the Pentecost holiday!
So we followed the map to A-73 and headed north toward Bamberg. Hunger pangs took over as we got to the exit for the smaller city of ERLANGEN, so we stopped there for lunch. Followed the signs for "Centrum" and as the streets got narrower and narrower discovered a number of side streets loaded with cafes. In the shade of a huge umbrella, we lunched on spaghetti at an Italian trattoria presided over by a friendly Greek gentleman who depended on his German-speaking waitress to translate our American order. Multilingual laughter all around and wonderful people-watching.
BAMBERG was a happy destination for the day. By now we had learned to find a parking garage instead of an open lot, where hours are more restricted. Thank goodness for international symbols! The information office was right next to the garage, so we got a city map and walked into the old city. The Town Hall is right in the middle of the Regnitz river, with rushing water all around. We crossed the bridge and took a long walk through the old city. The church of the Upper Parish was small but more ornate than the larger Dom (cathedral) but both were in impressive surroundings. Lovely weather for a walk.
Easy trip back to our castle home (Autobahn 73 & 6) for a light supper and the other half of that great apple strudel. Time after supper to stroll around the castle grounds and admire the full blooming roses.
Saturday, June 7
We had seen signs advertising a "Trodelmarkt" for today, so drove to nearby ORNBAU to see what this was all about. Think the largest yard sale or flea market you can imagine. The entire center of the village was packed with people, tables, and a wild assortment of displayed merchandise — everything from tacky blouses for 5 Euros to antique china, electrical wiring, place mats, and old things like typewriters and meat grinders.Unseasonably hot and humid weather didn’t dampen our enjoyment of the great people watching, but didn’t inspire us to buy anything, either.
Headed to DINKELSBUHL, but decided not to tarry there. Jammed with people and parking lots all marked full. (See later commentary about holidays abroad.) So we headed up the road to FEUCHTWANGEN, and that proved a wise choice. In the main marktplatz, we had a lovely noon meal at a shaded table outside the Hotel Europa. While we were enjoying our roasted new potatoes and sauerbraten, a wedding party walked by.
After lunch, we caught up with the same bride, groom and friends at the "kircheplatz," where they were gathered to celebrate and throw rice after the ceremony. This beautiful large evangelical church has a smaller church right next to it. After the wedding party left, a lady who was sweeping up the rice told us that both churches belong to the 8,000 member congregation of St. Johannes. On a Sunday morning, the main service is held in the larger church and the other service held next door. This very active congregation has 5 pastors on staff.
Thunder and the threat of rain sent us back to our car and a looping trip back to Sommersdorf, with a stop in OETTINGEN for an iced coffee. We’ve become rather addicted to this cool treat — strong black coffee over vanilla ice cream and with a swirl of whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top.
Pentecost Sunday, June 8
Summoned by the church bell next door, we went to our first Lutheran service in Germany. (Back home in Georgia, our granddaughter Sarah was being confirmed today in our own Epiphany Lutheran Church.)This simple country church has whitewashed walls, a wooden barrel vault ceiling (wonderful acoustics!), and a small altar with a crucifix and many flowers. The organ is in a small balcony at back.
An attractive woman pastor led worship. We were able to hum along with the hymns, recognized both the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer so joined in with our English version, and felt quite at home even though we didn’t understand any of the rest. Because Pentecost is a major church holiday, we were surprised that the service was very short (45 min.) and didn’t include Holy Communion. Another surprise was that after the benediction the pastor said "Auf Weidersein" and left the church without greeting people at the door. Nobody spoke to us, either before or after the service, either. They smiled, though.
When we strolled back into the castle courtyard, we encountered the next stage of what was the weekend long birthday party of Manfred’s twin 4-year-old granddaughters. Long tables with 30 places and a bounteous breakfast buffet were there for an assorted crowd of 4-year-olds, siblings, and parents. Everyone was having a great time — and judging from the laughter around the swimming pool, this would continue all weekend (Saturday through Monday).
We went to the Gasthaus Krone in nearby BURGOBERBACH for our noon meal and enjoyed it very much. They have a very nice non-smoking room and a very peasant waitress who not only spoke English but also provided us with an English menu when we asked for it.
Had the grand idea to drive to KELHEIM for a boat ride on the Danube. If we had taken Manfred’s advice to go via the autobahn we would have been able to do just that. But by deciding to meander the scenic way through villages, we got to the dock an hour after the last departure. Our only reward (before returning on the autobahn!) was an iced coffee on the platz of the old town.
The drive wasn’t wasted, though. The area around the Danube (Donau) looks quite different from the mostly flat farmlands around Sommersdorf. As we drove south we went through more and more forests and finally fund ourselves in a lovely green valley with large cliffs on one side and the river on the other. Hundreds of folks were on the bicycle paths that lined the river and were beside the roads. All the roads, even the 2 land ones, are in great shape and well signed. . .a real pleasure to drive.
A loud and windy thunderstorm came at bedtime, and cooled the apartment and us very rapidly. Very welcome relief from the heat!
Monday, June 9
Having learned our lesson on Sunday, we decided to drive the autobahn to WURZBURG and do our meandering on the way back.By the time we found a parking garage in the Altstadt (old city), it was time for lunch. . .of course! We got an English menu, but realized it was much shorter than the German version (someone’s idea that those who speak no German have limited taste buds?). I ordered Bavarian ravioli, with "spinage, potatoekakes, und salat," and enjoyed a surprise when the ravioli were large — about 3" x 3" — and deep fried! Good and ample meal. As usual, I tried to get plain water and got the mineral variety. Did read a tip in Eating Out in Germany that stirring such bubbly water with a spoon releases the carbonation and makes it taste the way I wanted, and that really does work.
Nearby was a very large church, which was not only unusual in its exterior colors, but also the shops built all around into the base of the church walls. Mostly pricey boutiques.
After lunch we followed the signs to the top of a cliff overlooking the city to a huge fortress called the Marienberg. When we reached a parking lot outside the walls, we thought we’d gone as far as allowed, so parked. Were somewhat dismayed to find a long uphill cobblestone walk inside the walls — where we were passed by cars going to another lot at the top!
The museum inside a building at the top was worth the walk. It has a very thorough collection of items from prehistory to the 18th century. All arranged in large, well-lit galleries with bilingual (German/English) explanatory signs at the beginning of each room — what the room was used for when it was a fortress, the historic period of the exhibits, and pointing out the two or three most outstanding pieces. It was both an art gallery and an artifact museum, with related items grouped together (like musical instruments, manuscripts, and portraits). A very creative ambience.
One large room had a collection of large wooden sculptures by the master Tilman Riemenschneider. One pair of figures — Adam and Eve — had an accompanying painting of the same by Lucas Cranach the Elder.
In an adjacent room was a collection of exquisite small wooden sculptures by an amateur, a soldier from the town barracks who supplemented his poor wages by carving these lovely groupings of biblical subjects (nativity, crucifixion, etc.) br>
Another favorite room was the "Garden Room," full of large stone statues one might have found in the formal garden of a wealthy person. We particularly enjoyed a pair of lovers flirting with one another; the figures were whimsical, full of action, and looked like the wind was rippling their clothing.
We left Wurzburg, again following the river Main through Markt Breit to IPHOFEN, a pleasant village in the middle of the wine area of Bavaria. Stopped in a beautiful little "weingarten" connected to a rather large hotel. Didn’t order wine, but our favorite iced coffee. The refreshing end to a delightfully cool day (both in terms of the weather and the sightseeing!).
A Few Post Scripts
Holidays ~ In any country, a bank holiday of any kind is wonderful for the residents (a day off) but not as convenient for tourists. Everything is closed except eating places and some tourist sites. Crowds and lack of parking space is the norm. Liked weekdays much more.
Driving ~ We appreciated the well maintained autobahns because everyone (including truck drivers) follows the rules and stays in lanes except when passing. Loved the vistas, minus billboards. Descriptive words of both roads and the countryside — "manicured" and "well planned."
Enjoy the simple life ~ Nothing better than keeping an open and friendly face and attitude, plus a sense of humor! We were surrounded by welcoming, friendly smiles in spite of our linguistic illiteracy. Occasional inconveniences needed to be chalked up as adventures and remembered as normal everyday stuff instead of as frustrations. Mistakes were almost always because of our own ineptness.
Tuesday, June 10
A relaxed Untour morning — reading in the apartment plus grocery shopping and some extended time with the journal; welcome after our long drive yesterday. Untour means no bus schedules or guides with clip boards!Went into ANSBACH for lunch. Found a parking garage and thought we knew the way to the Martin Luther Platz where the information center is located. Got lost again. . .we are masters of the pedestrian wrong turn. . .but a nice young woman in a small hotel not only gave us directions but gave us a city map.
Had a pleasant outdoor lunch before we checked out the church (not as impressive as some) and the Margrave Museum. The latter was small and might have been interesting but did not have any explanatory material (brochure, signs, or...) in English, so we didn’t get anything much out of it. A very nice elderly lady at the desk was obviously very proud of her museum and spoke enthusiastically in German, but spoke no English, so we smiled at each other a lot without any understanding.
Decided to save Ansbach’s other attractions for another day and got on the autobahn again. South to ULM, to see the cathedral with the highest spire in Europe.
When you get to Ulm, you can’t miss the spire. But when you’re looking for a parking garage anywhere near you run into a maze of one-way streets, large buildings obscuring the direction you want to go, etc. (In other words, you can’t get there from here!) But when we finally were able to park the car a few blocks from the platz where the church was, it was all well worth the effort.
This huge magnificent gothic church has awe-inspiring stonework that looks like lace, and an interior with beautiful fan vaulting, some frescoes, and a glorious altarpiece.
Directly across from it is the modern stark white town hall.
Wednesday, June 11
Today we went back to Nurnberg, this time to see the exhibit "Fascination and Terror" at the Documentation Center in the old Nazi Party rallying grounds.This proved (as Vance Roy’s trip log said it would) to be a major "must see" of our Untour.
This was part of a large 7 part complex that Hitler planned to construct just south of Nurnberg along the Regensburgerstrasse, a long straight tree-lined boulevard leading into the city. Parts of the complex were the scene of major Nazi Party rallies; parts were never finished. After the war, Allied troops pulled down the Nazi symbols and for many years all of this area deteriorated. Now this museum remains, one field is used for soccer matches, and the rest of the area is a park where concerts (like Rock in the Park) and other events are held.
Inside a vast entrance hall, we picked up English audiphones and set out through the 19 rooms of poster exhibits, newsreel films, and artifacts that chart the rise of the Nazi party in the ‘30s and end with the Nuremberg trials in 1945. It was awesome not only to see the pictures but also hear the sounds of that period in the place that Hitler called, "The most German of cities in Germany."
The building itself sets the mood. Constructed of marble faced red brick, painted grey in some rooms, matching the grey concrete underfoot. With fairly low grey concrete ceilings and black steel pipes separating areas, one could imagine being in a battlefield bunker, an air raid shelter, or a prison. As we listened to the cultivated British voice in the audio phone explaining the captions of the photo exhibits, we could also hear the newsreel shouts of Hitler’s speeches, the roar of his adoring crowds, and the marching boots of the parading troops.
Grey — black — red: the colors illustrating the fanatical story of megalomania. An entire nation indoctrinated with a new religion of hatred toward all who didn’t fit the "pure Aryan" model of Hitler’s ideal. What struck us most were the contrasts: violence & mobs/laughing folk dancers; grinning soldiers hugging pretty women/dead soldiers in the ruins of city streets; well-dressed Jews being herded onto trains/pretty children in concentration camp striped clothing/naked bodies in mass graves. All of the ritual pomp and circumstance, the stately buildings and parade fields were used for liturgical ceremonies dedicated to turning the youthful exuberance and loyal patriotism of the German people into a terrible religion of hatred and death. A grim reminder of a time Chuck and I also lived through — naïve American teenagers serenely unaware that our generation would soon be caught up in a world war.
Like our visit to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, this visit was an important reminder that people the world over have capabilities both sacred and profane. In this country of intense beauty and charm there are roots of terror, just as in our own country. Traveling opens us up to history’s realities, past and present, from the viewpoints of another side of the ocean. Both evil and good are part of human nature; to remember this so vividly forever forbids me from taking life for granted or from treating other people as if they are stereotypes.
We were glad that the museum exhibits were also viewed that day by many very serious German children and teenagers.
Thursday, June 12
Another very hot day. Did an inventory of my remaining wardrobe and realize I must launder a few sleeveless tops. Another domestic morning is in store.A few domestic differences ~Sommersdorf and Atlanta
- Between lean German bacon and an aluminum frying pan, preparing breakfast eggs is not a neat job. Miss my iron skillet!
- German hens must have more calcium in their diet —shells are thick, tough to crack without breaking the yolks.
- Bread here is dense and heavy, mostly brown.
- Lovely cheese abounds, but no cheddar.
Drove to Dinkelsbuhl, now free of tourist crowds and even blessed with parking places on the streets of the old city. This is (according to the guide book, pg. 10) the "German House...one of the most beautiful half-timbered houses...[whose] façade belongs to the greatest achievements of the late Renaissance." All the window boxes were full of bright red geraniums. Just down the street was the catholic church of St. George, with elaborately carved pews and a beautiful high altar. We enjoyed strolling the streets and seeing the beautiful walls as we drove away.
At 6:30 pm we met Manfred and our fellow Untour-ers Bill, Rita, and Herb in the castle courtyard and enjoyed what all others writing about the Castle Untour have described as the highlight of their visit.
Manfred took us on a "castle tour" with his added narrative about the family history and the building and occupancy of this wonderful place. Restored with the necessary plumbing and electricity modern folks require, it still exudes the charm and mystery of the past, including basements and sub basements, underground passageways, turrets, and a crypt with mummies. Manfred’s apartment is full of beautiful antiques, including a large number of oriental rugs he’s acquired over the years at auctions.
Our candlelight dinner was outstanding — a salad, followed by a main course of homemade noodles, red cabbage, and the most tender venison, with ice cream and fresh fruit for dessert. We then retired to the living room for coffee, schnapps, and conversation.
Friday, June 13
Went to Ansbach again, this time to view the palace of the Margraves. br>We purchased tickets and were given an English script to follow on the conducted tour, which would be in German.
This led to a phenomenon we’ve often observed on European airlines and in other places where a native language is first spoken then repeated in English. We call it the "inverted ratio syndrome" — the native language goes on for paragraphs or pages of speech, followed by three sentences of English. As we followed the few sentences of description in our script, the guide went on and on about the rooms we were seeing. What we saw was lavish. Walls covered with brightly colored silk or hand painted tiles, intricate chandeliers, plasterwork, gold, rococo ornamentation, and allegorical paintings on the ceilings. Furniture was sparse, but interesting. One of the few original furnishings was a cradle carved in 1712 for an infant margrave-to-be.
Across the street, a long low Orangerie (building for exotic plants) and very large and ornate formal gardens outside. Had lunch in the café inside — a room lined with tiles like those in the palace.
On our way back to the car, we stopped at St. Gumbertus church. Had an unusual interior color scheme — painted all in grey and white. The interior arrangement has several unusual configurations, too. The organ is at the rear, surrounded by 4 balconies. At the front (seen here) the elevated pulpit is directly above the altar. At the left, an enclosed box with the initials of the margrave and his wife mark the place where those folks could worship in private.
A locked grillwork gate behind the altar led to an older chapel with an elaborate altar and some old stone panels at the side.
One mark of modern vibrancy was a corridor and some side chapels next to the nave, where children’s education was obvious in some charming drawings, dioramas, and writings as well as a delightful model of Noah’s Ark with stuffed animals peeking out. br>
We drove to Heilsbronn, where we again experienced "you can see it but can’t get there from here" as we wound our way through winding streets to find the small road going to the church. This building was an interesting architectural mix of Romanesque origins plus gothic additions and restoration combining both. What was of major interest were three margrave tombs. Very elaborate, very different from one another, and highly decorated with angels, crests, and even a griffin or two!
Down the road was a Lutheran religious center — maybe a seminary — which obviously had a strong music program. We stopped a little while to listen to an orchestra rehearsal.
Saturday, June 14
Woke up musing about the pattern of this Untour (as well as others we’ve enjoyed):Day one ~ jet-lagged, excited, mostly lost — finding a place for the evening meal a major task.
Days 2 & 3 ~ learning all the how-to stuff: shopping, driving, reading signs, planning day & revising when A doesn’t work; most of all, to learn from many mistakes!
One week later ~ more definite agenda —places yet to see & those to return to; comfortable with car; bored with some menu items, more willing to avoid English menu. Villages, churches, etc. begin to look alike.
Four days before you leave ~ (today!) Watching food supplies, want to come out even on milk, butter, etc. Feelings mixed — things you still want to see, stirrings toward home, comfort with castle being "home."
Manfred’s weekend entertaining continues! On this lovely summer day, long tables are again in the courtyard and a happy group of adults and children are enjoying breakfast. We smile our good mornings as we head out the gate to return to NUREMBERG.
What a lovely day we have in this city, too. First of all, we drive directly into the Allstadt and find a parking garage very close to the old church of St. Lorenze. This garage even had an elevator. At the street level we realized that all of this area is a pedestrian mall, with an interesting combination of rather large modern department stores, smaller stores and bakeries, as well as the ancient attractions. Lots of people enjoying the shopping, but not too crowded to be comfortable. And for us wrinklies, benches to perch on whenever we began to tire.
We went into the grand old church and sat in the back while a baptism was taking place at the front. We listened to wonderful organ music and watched all the action, especially that of a large number of children who were being involved in the festivities.
Lunch was next. Across from the church at the Lorenzer Cafehaus [Konigstrassee 17] we sat outdoors and had one of the best restaurant meals we’ve enjoyed so far. . .grilled trout with parsley potatoes and salad. I had "eistee" which tasted all the world like southern sweet tea.
While we were eating, we noted an unusually large number of police units, especially near a blocked off area around an underground station. A helicopter was circling high above, too. Had no idea what was going on until we walked toward the German National Museum and saw a rather modest demonstration (crowds, banners, etc.) going on nearby.
The museum is large and well worth a visit. The old part of the building — its architecture, a 12th century monastery cloister now houses the national library (closed on Saturday) — blends into the very modern portion in a very interesting way. You enter through the modern portal.
No English audiphones are available, but we were given a convenient diagram of the building, and some of the major works had labels in English. This museum also displayed paintings, sculpture, and related artifacts together. Another must see.
As we left the museum and headed back toward the church platz, we were aware that the scene had changed. Now there were hundreds of police units and every few minutes another one would head toward the cordoned-off area we had noticed before. Within that contained area was a very large crowd of screaming people waving large banners, throwing things, and making ever louder noises. Police were in riot gear.
It was one of those situations where you are curious and want to watch and at the same time sense potential danger and want to leave. We couldn’t seem to find out what the demonstration was all about (never did) and the increasing noise convinced us to leave.
Right outside the city the rain started, and within minutes was coming down in such torrents that trucks were pulling over to park. Since our wipers couldn’t move fast enough, we found a turn off and did likewise. During the next 30 minutes of unrelenting rain we were also pelted with hailstones.
It was a big relief to get back on the road again, find a sign to the A-6 and be on our way west toward home!
Sunday, June 15
Today’s excursion (on a cool and sunny day) reminded us of the farm museum we visited in Belgium. The Frieland Museum on the outskirts of BAD WINDSHEIM is a large outdoor area where an assortment of farm and village buildings have been brought and re-assembled. Some buildings date back to the 16th century.Most of the cottages have similar floor plans — a living area with table and chairs, heating stove, and sometimes a sofa; adjoining bedroom with a partial wall, so the heat can spread; simple kitchen with stove and storage shelves; and the animal barn just down the hall. There is clear evidence of class/wealth differences. The most "elegant" have painted woodwork, curtains, and pictures on the wall. Some have 2nd and/or 3rd stories for additional sleeping space.
The weaver’s cottage has a loom in the living room, and the wine merchant has a large barrel vaulted cellar for barrels of aging wine. No need to commute to work in those days.
We enjoyed a light lunch on the grounds and took particular delight in the people watching. This is obviously a favorite family destination on a Sunday afternoon, and it was great fun watching all the children explore these buildings.
When we got home after eating supper in Wolframs Eschenbach, we found Manfred’s guest book on the stairs at our apt. entrance. Right now we’re feeling very sad about leaving tomorrow. We had decided that we wanted two days to see Munich before we left at that airport.
As I lay in bed that night, listening to the now familiar crittur lullaby from the moat, I had a sudden memory:
In the 1st act of the musical Once Upon a Mattress, a dripping wet princess appears and someone asks her, "The drawbridge is up; how did you get in here?" She replies, "I swam the moat." At this, every head on the stage turns toward her and all of them say, "YOU SWAM THE MOAT?"
I giggled at the image I got and once again thought, "I really don’t want to leave here!"
Monday, June 16
Bird song and silence,cozy in "our" apartment. I don’t want to leave this truly unique place, with its 600 year old history and modern hospitality and charm. Manfred, his family and friends, with their delightful little ones — laughter and zest for life surrounded us like a perpetual party with everyone welcome.The church bell will soon ring and we’ll get ready to leave. Munich had better be a great place. I don’t think it can top Schloss Sommersdorf. I’m going to miss even the church bell.
After a pleasant 2 hour ride down the A-9, we found the Hotel Ibis, where we’d made reservations. It’s located on a busy but pleasant boulevard (lots of trees) in a nice neighborhood. The hotel room is clean, modern, air conditioned, and totally without the charm to which we’ve become accustomed.
We found out that the "airport shuttle" is in fact not a free bus which pulls up to the hotel entrance but a fairly pricey fared bus which loads at a stop a block away. Decided not to try juggling our bags to that conveyance at 6 am on Wednesday. Called Hertz and they assured us that we could drive to the airport and return the car easily at that time on Wednesday.
When we headed out to find lunch and after that the old city, we felt like country folks newly arrived in a very confusing city! Not only were we in a major traffic jam within blocks of the hotel, we were also confused by a variety of one-way streets and so much street construction that major blockages (and jams) were common. We decided to check out the Deutsches Museum because the map location seemed a bit easier to reach than other sights, finally found it and a parking garage 3 long blocks away.
The museum —of science and industry — is located on an island in the middle of the Isar River. Like almost every major building in Munich, the museum is gigantic. It has an enormous number of exhibits, so we were able to sample only a few of them. We particularly enjoyed the maritime part — ship models of every kind and size. One demonstration that was great fun featured a variety of examples of electrical power.
A great courtyard outside the main entrance has benches where we slow of gait can find rest, and we took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy watching a number of groups of young people. It was a gloriously cool breezy day. . .a 70s F temperature like what we had though would be typical of Bavaria at this time of year.
Had dinner in our hotel dining room — not another soul in the room, which is not a hearty endorsement. Ok food, not outstanding.
About 8 pm, the street outside the hotel was closed up and then completely filled for the next 2 hours by people of all ages roller blading past. We found out the next morning that each Monday a section of the city is blocked off for "Blade Night."
Tuesday, June 17
Woke up thinking, "I hate duvets!" Having a sheet-enclosed blanket like this at the castle was fine, because the temperature usually cooled off during the night to make it a cozy nest. But in an air conditioned hotel room this rather heavy duvet was much too warm, and of course there was no top sheet to substitute so I had a restless night.Breakfast made up for it. This hotel knows how to do a breakfast buffet — everything one could possibly wish for, including lovely crusty rolls with soft white centers (like Italy!), the very first light, non dense bread we’ve had in Germany.
We took a pleasant 2 block walk to find a bank with an ATM. Passed two very large flower shops (roses galore right next door), a yard filled with a large variety of cemetery statues, some very whimsical, and a promising looking restaurant,
We decided that we would take a dress rehearsal ride to the airport so that we would be ready to tackle the drive early in the morning tomorrow without incident. After the 25 minute drive, we felt much more confident about knowing where the car rental drop off point was and decided that we wouldn’t have to drop me off with the bags at a separate place.
Back in Munich, we found our way to the massive central train station — under construction, of course! — and purchased tickets for a bus tour of the city sights. By this time we had decided that driving was just too tiresome. So we sat on the upper deck of a large bus and listened to a guide explain all the huge buildings. This city reminds me of Berlin; like Berlin, it had heavy destruction in WW II and much of it is restored. Sights of interest are so far apart that we were glad we hadn’t even tried to do our previous practice of driving to the "Allstadt" for a walking tour.
We decided that although Munich obviously has many sights to see and interesting things to do it was for us not a particularly welcome change from our idyllic experience in Castle country. So our notion of taking two days to see it hadn’t been as enjoyable as we’d expected. We probably would have been wiser to wait to come to Munich until Tuesday.
Had a good dinner at the Italian restaurant down the street.
Wednesday, July 18
Thunderstorm during the night and the morning drizzly and grey. We had an uneventful drive to the airport, deposited the car at the rental spot, and made our way into the airport.Our check-in through security systems (2) went smoothly and we were at our gate well before time to board. Munich airport is much smaller than the one at Frankfort, and more convenient. Wish we’d requested a direct flight there from Atlanta so we wouldn’t have had the endless miles to walk in Frankfort.
More security to go through in Frankfort and the long walks. Thank goodness much of the way was covered with moving walkways. Got to the gate with no time to spare — boarding had just begun — but we got ourselves settled in short order and had an uneventful flight.
As always, it’s more complicated to enter the US than any place in Europe. Even passport control requires 2 waits in line! The ultimate idiocy was having to go through a security gate (with shoe removal and x ray) on our way out of the airport! Silly, since we’d gone through so much security in two other airports. Did they think we had something in our luggage to terrify our suburb? Love our country, but I think bureaucracy is sillier than ever.
. . .happily ever after. . .