Schenkenberg Natural History Museum

Thinking about taking in a natural history museum conjures up stuffed animals, lots of bones, rocks and of course dinosaurs.  Well, that is what we saw.  In this museum I wanted to take in more than what I typically do given the language barrier, hence I spent a little extra and rented an English audio device, to better appreciate the exhibits that captured my interest.  Like many of the others we visited, this museum was huge, with a multitude of displays covering every aspect of natural history - in fact it was too much.  Two or three hours in such a place exhausts the mental energy to take in the visual images and to process the accompanying imaginative cognitions the displays generate.
The first hall we entered was of birds, both small and great, from all parts of the world.  I wanted to stay there; those of you who know of my interest in birds can understand.  To see the rare Andean Condor, the western hemisphere's largest bird was particularly interesting for me.  Seven thousand square meters containing 5,000 individual exhibits with hundreds in the bird hall alone.  A few standouts for me included a royal albatross, another giant of a bird, the cinereous vulture and the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world.  The other exhibits were equally impressive.  An Alaska moose which was well beyond the size of any moose I have seen, a Siberian brown bear, a rhinoceros, a gorilla,  an anaconda and a giant pangalin all provided a perspective of size that only proximity can permit.
Another hall had almost perfectly preserved animal specimens from a unique geological formation, combining sedimentation, subterainean gases, and low oxygen levels known as the Messel Pit .  Here were found miniature horses with skin and hair and fossilized stomach contents, and insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and plants.  By virtue of its unique composition, its age (49 million year-old site) it has been added to the World Heritage List.  It is not very far from Frankfurt---another place for us to visit.
This museum warrants a second visit.  I will probably do it on my own, when more time is available.  We continue to enjoy the company of the Taylor's on our more recent excursions. They are great company and are mobile enough to keep pace with our rather torrid pace.

We wanted to show the Taylor's Bad Homburg, which we have visited on two occasions already.  It comes highly recommended for a number of reasons. In the spring and summer we plan on making regular visits to the gorgeous park that surrounds the schloss.  This time we noted that we had not taken the opportunity to visit the church.  I figured we couldn't have an entry without a church represented.  We were glad we made this visit.  It is an evangelical church.  It was constructed in the late 19th century.
Now to appreciate this church, it to must be seen.  It was impressive enough on the outside to garner our attention, but it was the inside that captured the senses and our imagination.  The gold you see is actually a mosaic of tiny (i centimeter) tiles that cover the dome of this church providing a glistening colorful display  that is quite unlike anything we have seen to date.  Just imaging the time and effort that went into this work of art is mind boggling.  The tiles begin at shoulder height and continue upward to leave a spectacular display upon the senses.
Here again, our church attendance is climbing to what must be Guinness levels. We were in three churches this week. There are few more we have yet to visit.  Stay tuned!