Felsenmeer [the sea of rocks]

We went off the beaten track to find this place.  What you see is referred to as a felsenmeer.  We use this word in English (although it comes from German) to refer to an outcropping of rocks often found near the tree line on a gentle slope.  These have been polished by glaciation and weathering and were broken up by constant freezing and thawing of water seeping into the rock face.  We actually came to this place to see an ancient quarry used by the Romans since about 200 AD.  Scattering amongst this rock debris are signs of stone mason's handiwork strewn over the hillside.  To see the whole site required a rigorous hike.  I was up for the it.  I continued on in search of other signs of stonework deemed not suitable for transport off the site.  I found this one near to the top of the ridge.  After looking at this I decided I wouldn't want to haul it down either.  This one was made in the 4th century. It is 30.8 feet long and weighs 27.5 tons.  This was miles from anywhere and now so was I.  I began to feel guilty as Arendje was waiting for me two or three kilometers below.  The stone masons must have known what they were looking for, as what I thought  were excellent pieces of granite were abandoned, obviously flawed in some way.  

At the Information Centre at Felsenmeer, we spoke with the patrons and they told us some places to see nearby.  The highlight was a place called Heppenheim to see the old Rathaus.  This is the heart of wine country.  The square was empty when we arrived, unusual for a Saturday afternoon.  Of course it is November and the tourists are long gone.  I was able to take this unobstructed picture, which is a rare shot.  This beautiful medieval city was enchanting with its 17th and 18th century wood frame houses.  Some were quite a bit older.  We went to visit a 19th century Catholic church which had an excellent collection of stain glassed windows.  I think the Catholic Church should give us an honorary membership as we are devoted attendees in every community we visit.  We did not stay very long here however, as we had a couple of other places to see and by this time we had both worked up quite an appetite.

       This warranted a picture.  It was outdoor train set with a collection of old style fire hydrants.  I was not sure what the connection was, but it made for an interesting stop.  The church is right behind me in the background.  If I were to live in Germany, it would be in a town very similar to this.  I must be a romantic at heart.  We both seem to enjoy our Saturday jaunts. Certainly some things are beginning to reflect elements familiar to previous sites, yet it seems to capture enough of the history to give it an enduring appeal.  If you look carefully at the half timbered house, on the lower right it shows a bombed out portion, as was the lot for much of Germany in the last days of the Second World War.

    Auerbach Fortress   was constructed in the 13th century and there is folklore (Gina for you) attached to this site.  It was built to protect the property of the very powerful and rich monastery Lorsch.  This fortress has two walls.  The outer constitutes  a defensive perimeter.  Once past the first, there was still a stronger and bigger inner wall to negotiate.  It was impressive as well, in that it occupied the summit of the largest hill in the region.  The view was a full 360 degrees especially from the vantage point of the uppermost guard tower which we both climbed.    You can see it in this picture.                                                                                     

This last picture of a pine tree growing right in the walkway of highest part of the fortress.  On 18 October 1356, a huge earthquake shook the Rhine Rift. The donjon (central tower) collapsed, and crashed onto the eastern and southeastern buildings. In they years thereafter,  a period of rebuilding and expansion took place.  In place of the east-tower a bastion, an approximately four meters thick quarter-circle shaped wall construction was built. The bastion, the first facility of its kind in Germany, was to protect the castle from stone cannons from the northeast. Probably the north- and south-tower were also raised. We climbed the north tower, right behind where this picture was taken. In the eastern corner of the inner courtyard of the castle the former well is recognizable, which was hewn 62 meters deep in the rock

Wiesbaden: meadow bath

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Geothermal activity is at the heart of why this city was developed at the time of the Romans.  The early discovery of  hot springs, is the heart of what is today the city of Wiesbaden [which translates into 'meadow bath'].  The Kockbrunnen (hot fountain) was first mentioned in 1366.  From the vantage point of this photo, we could see steam eminating from four different sources.  The temperature of the most famous sodium-chloride thermal spring is 66 degrees centigrade and gushes 346 litres of mineral water per minute.  It was a cold, damp day when we took this picture and the thought of sitting in a hot pool about that time was very appealing.

I have been scanning the internet for places to find world famous artisans of cuckoo clocks.  This one we almost walked by without noticing.  It is a store front and billed as the largest cuckoo clock in the world... a little more than what I need.  Inside the store were a significant collection of finely crafted cuckoo clocks.  They were not cheap, many of them in the range of 300 to 1000 Euros.
This clock was mounted in 1946 and made for a most engaging eye catcher for local shoppers.

The Black Forest is the source of the world's most famous craftsmen in this most fascinating form of art.  Next summer we will take a trip to see some of the factories where they are made and see if our budget can handle a modest clock.  The factories will ship it in a kit form to Canada and thus avoid the 19 percent tax attached to most items.

These are two different vantage points of the same church.  It is called the Lutheran Market Church and was built from 1852-62 as a Gothic Revival Basilica with three naves.  Germany is the home of Marin Luther and his footprint is found throughout Germany.  It is the tallest structure in the city and has a dominating presence.  The statue is of a young William of Orange I.

This church with five golden cupolas was built as a sepulchre for the mortal remains of the wife of Duke Adolf, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Michailovna and her baby.  The Russian Cemetery was laid out in 1856. The famous painter Alexej Jawlensky is buried here next door in the adjoining cemetery.

The attention to detail and the ornate design work in the interior reflect incredible skill and craftsmanship.  The story behind this edifice is a sad one and worth the time to read.  Just follow the link.

I don't think I will tire of seeing the churches here. They have appeal on so many dimensions. To imagine the work and dedication that went into these structures and on the other hand, the sacrifice, speaks to the feelings that generate such devoted attention.  Some clearly are from the well spring of greed and sophistry, while others testify of the spiritual yearnings of earlier times.

Our last stop on this dreary day was to the ruins of a castle called Sonnenburg established around 1200 AD.  A German king resided here in 1292.  Now it is only a shadow of what it once was.  Overcast skies seemed to further add to the stark remains.

Arendje took a number of pictures. I  wondered what she was doing.  She appeared to want to capture the feeling we both felt as we tried to take in the scope of the castle's perimeter.  That was hard to define given development in and around the site.



From a view at the highest point of the ruin next to the keep pictured to the right, we watched a soccer game going on several hundred feet below.  I wonder if scenes like this were repeated through the centuries.

Since the destruction of the castle, houses have been constructed in and against the ruins.  I contemplated on whether the current inhabitants sense the paradox.  They are living in part of a structure that holds so much history behind it.

These pictures of course only represent a small part of what we saw today.  We were both a little cold and wet before we called it a day, but the inclement weather allowed a perspective we might not have acquired otherwise.          

Hanau - Parks and Fairy Tales

Pull out your book of fairy tales.  We are going to take you on a magic journey with the Brothers Grimm.  Our first stop is Hanau, just a short trip from Frankfurt. The old town square of Hanau boasts a monument to the Grimm brothers.  We picked a Saturday morning when the market was bustling with people.  We circled around for about twenty minutes and finally decided we were wasting valuable time, so we plugged into our GPS the Grimm Museum and started off, not realizing it was taking us to another city; we carried on anyway.  The brothers were born in Hanau.  We will have a chance to visit it again.


You have to know a little about the Brothers Grimm to appreciate the flavor they put into their collection of stories.  I have included a little background from other sources:

" Their early childhood was spent in the countryside in what has been described as an "idyllic" state.  When the eldest brother, Jacob, was eleven years old, their father, Philip Wilhelm, died and the family moved into a cramped urban residence.  Two years later, the children's grandfather also died, leaving them and their mother to struggle in reduced circumstances.  It has been argued that this is the reason behind the Brothers' tendency to idealize and excuse fathers, leaving a predominance of female villains in the tales—the infamous wicked stepmothers, for example, the evil stepmother and stepsisters in “Cinderella.”  However, this opinion, ignores the fact that the brothers were collectors of folk tales, not their authors."  

Alsfeld  was our next stop and it has to be the most picturesque town we have seen to-date.  Around every corner  was a street full of timber-frame houses with dates like 1504, 1525.  It was like being back in the sixteenth century.  The Rauthaus  was worth the trip alone.   The pharmacy across the street has operated as such for several centuries.  How is that for a local drug store.   The narrow cobble stone streets, with these two and three story houses still occupied with families carrying on their daily activities, reminds us of how in many ways, time has not changed the routines of life.


On one street, there is a fountain presided over by a goose girl in a costume of the period which was noticed by the Grimm brothers and inspired them as to how to describe Little Red Riding Hood.  As we took our walking tour, I wondered what it would be like to be surrounded by this history.  Houses that have been continuously occupied for hundreds of years.  Most bottom floors now house quaint shops appealing to residents and      tourists alike.

We had to hurry to stay on schedule so we were off to Kassel, a city of 200,000, about two hours from Frankfurt.  This city promised to provide a varied array of architecture, art, folklore and Greek artifacts.  The highlight had to be the Museum of Art.  The huge museum housed what has to be the finest collection of art in Germany.  The city had many museums, one of which was the oldest museum in Europe.  We saw the works of many masters including Rubins and Rembrandt, with the prize of the collection, one of his masterpieces, depicting Israel blessing Ephraim over the birthright son Manasseh.  The first floor was Greek art and artifacts, the second housed the works of Italian masters, the third Dutch artists and finally the fourth, many of the most famous artists, including Rubins and Rembrandt.  After Versailles, it is the best collection in Europe.

We spent two hours on the Park surrounding the museum site.  With the leaves in full colour and 868 acres to explore I was game to go, Arendje not so much, so I hiked up this steep slope to see an old castle called Lowenburg.  It is unique, as you will see by the previous link.  The Landgrave also built the  museum as his personal residence.  He was a true romantic and his designs for the park, castle,  water falls, numerous gazebos, green houses and the capstone a huge statue of a Hercules on top of a ridge.  I hiked to the top, without Arendje.  She preferred to stay below and cheer me on.  Most went up by bus via a park road.  In the summer time, it must be pretty spectacular as they have cascading falls come all the way down the front .

This last picture was a two kilometer hike down from the Hercules statue.  The trees in the park contained many that were two hundred years old or more. There were some majestic oaks, elms, fir, cedar and maples. the colour and pungent odor of fall in the air made it a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Wurzburg - Of Celtic origins

The Romantic Road is what inspired us to consider a trip to Wurzburg . The more we researched the city however, the more we realized it warranted a visit all on its own.

Wurzburg goes back to Celtic times around 1000 BC. The fortress refuge on the hill served as sanctuary during times of war for the early Celts. Wurzburg in the northern most city of Bavaria. These people refer to themselves as Franconians and maintain their unique folklore and cultural traditions. The city gained its renown around the 7th century with its first bishop, St. Burchard. In subsequent centuries Prince Bishops, so named because investiture of titles increased their wealth and influence, when they granted favors and allowances to well-to-do nobility. The palace above is an example of one such Prince Bishop's wealth; he built this magnificent Wurzburg Residence. In addition to the splendid architectural features (Balthasar Neumann, architect] it contains what is said to be, one of the largest fresco's ever produced.

A Venetian artist, G.B. Tiepoli left Venice only twice. Once was at the bidding of this wealthy Prince Bishop and he painted a 6400 sq. ft depiction of the four continents known at the time, on this self- supported vaulted ceiling. The entire palace was built from 1720-1744 and represents once of the best examples of Baroque architecture of the time.

We went from church to church. Each one representing a different time period. It was a Saturday so the market in the town square was bustling with people. [Allan hustled me out quickly and without time to spend any money.]

Wurburg is a university town, so it is full of young people, adding to the energy and vitality of this happening place. The university was established in 1585. This building is classic renaissance style and constitutes the theological college and assembly hall. Here was where X-rays were first utilized and it is the home of 13 Nobel Prize winners.

All of Bavaria holds promise for future visits. Nestled away along the Romantic Road are quaint little towns with a flavor and feeling unique to Bavaria and its colorful people. They love their festivals. May through June is packed full of interesting events and exhibits. They all require two and three day time span to fully appreciate. that will have to wait till spring. In the meantime, we will stay closer to Frankfurt.

Schloss Hotel Kronberg

When intelligent money meets the history of royalty, we acquire a collection of art, architecture, fine craftsmanship and the splendor of a magnificient structure maintained close to its original state. Tucked away in a beautiful pastoral setting is the Schloss Hotel. Built in 1889-1894 this palace near Kronberg was the creation of Empress Friedrich, (Victoria). She married Friedrich III, later to become King of Prussia and German Emperor, more commonly known as Kaiser.

Victoria was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria born in 1840 at Buckingham Palace. The couple became engaged in 1855 while Frederick was on a visit to Balmoral. Victoria was just fourteen, while her future husband was a young man of twenty-four. The marriage was both a love match and a dynastic alliance. The Queen and Prince Albert hoped that Victoria's marriage to the future King of Prussia would cement close ties between London and Berlin, and possibly lead to the emergence of a unified and liberal Germany. At the time of their wedding, Londoners chanted "God save the Prince and Bride! God keep their lands allied!"

When Friedrich finally came to the throne, he reigned for only 99 days. Victoria, had the castle built in memory of her late husband in the hills near Kronberg, not far from Frankfurt. As a talented and gifted artist in her own right, she was a patron of the arts and learning, She surrounded herself with beautiful tapestries, fine china and porcelain, classic works of English literature and sufficient of her own sketches and artwork to belie the creative intelligence of this gifted lady.




Throughout her married life and widowhood, Victoria kept in close touch with other members of the British Roayal Family, particularly her younger brother, the future King Edward VII. She maintained a regular correspondence with her mother. According to the Royal Encyclopedia, some 3,777 letters from Queen Victoria to her eldest daughter have been catalogued, as well as more than 4,000 from daughter to mother. Many of her letters detailed her concern over Germany's future under her son. Victoria was diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer in 1899 while visting her mother at Balmoral. She suffered excruciating pain during her last years. In the fall of 1900, she died in her German estate. The Germans of Kronberg had become very fond of her, albeit she could still not speak their language after many years in Germany.

Bad Homburg and the castle

Bad Homburg is about 15 minute drive from Frankfurt. It purports to be the wealthiest city in Germany, due in part to the financiers of Frankfurt who reside here. Over the last couple of centuries it has been a favorite summer residence of royalty. There are apparently 8 mineral springs located in and around the area which have attracted the likes of King Edward, Dostoyevsky, German emperors and numerous others. The mineral springs are particularly acclaimed for their health generating waters. The arts are also given their due attention, with regular classical concerts and art exhibits.

The city's origins go back to the 12th century, having gained favor, in addition to its mineral springs, for a picturesque setting. It wasn't until the 19th century that Bad Homburg took on special significance however, with the construction of a royal palace and a beautiful garden which encompasses it.

After touring the grounds, the baroque style gates and the exterior of the complex with the keep dominating the central court, we decidedto take a guided tour (in German unfortunately) of the royal suites and were treated to a display of furnishings of the finest craftsmanship available at the time. I do not have pictures available as photos were not allowed. Trust me on this - it was impressive. I was particularly impressed with the inlaid wood carvings that made up much of the furnishings in the rooms. Rooms were generally spacious with ceilings of 12 feet or more. In addition, there were almost life size paintings of members of the royal family and important guests throughout the residence. Although one could hardly describe their accommodations as spartan, for all the amenities of their time were there, it still had much to be desired. I will stick with the 21st Century, thanks!

On a personal note, we are beginning to feel grounded in this beautiful country. We just purchased a GPS, a much needed accessory. The work is starting to feel manageable and my stress levels have subsided as a consequence. I have approximately 95 missionaries I am working with to varying degrees out of a pool of 4,000. The missionary work schedule, the demands of an additional language, a foreign culture, being away from home and living 24/7 with someone who may be quite different from them all, imposes stressful challenges to some. I do however, enjoy working with them very much. They appreciate the help I provide and seem to enjoy the personal attention directed their way. The working arrangements are excellent, the resources are first class and I work with a team of very competent individuals. Arendje is becoming familiar with the support she is able to provide and I value her time and willingness to work so closely with me even in my somewhat scattered state. We take our Saturdays to recoup and regroup. In summary, the work is very rewarding and the setting, in the heart of Germany, could not be more ideal.

Cruising the Rhine: from Koblenz to Boppard

We almost got our self royally lost, but luck was with us and we made a few fortunate turns and found our way to our intended destinations. There is a confusing array of autobahns here and without a GPS, getting to where you want to go is hit and miss. That will be our next big purchase. This week we settled on a Saturday venture to Koblenz, with the intent of taking another Rhine cruise, this time heading south, to see more of the sights from the vantage point of a boat.

Koblenz, from the Latin "at the merging" of two rivers, in this case the Rhine and Mosel, is strategically located and became the focal point from which various forces either rallied or established fortifications to defend against invading armies. A fortress city since the time of the Romans, first under Juluis Ceaser, and a few years later under Drusus. A bridge was built about 49 AD, parts of which are still visible. For centuries thereafter, a host of would-be conquerors, including the Franks under Charlemagne, took control of this region. The town was sacked and destroyed by the Normans 892. Thereafter, the French, Swedes and various ecclesiastical leaders, under the auspices of the Holy Roman Empire, controlled the city and surrounding area.
I certainly wanted to see the fortress but we were pressed for time and opted for the cruise instead--perhaps for another time. Our cruise took us from Koblenz to Boppard and back, a total of three hours. Just Arendje and I took on this trip. The first castle was Schloss Stolzenfels. This castle defines the artistry of the romantic period. The chapel is resplendent. Our pictures included a shroud around a portion so I included these to give a visual sense of this gem of the Rhine.

Along the way we saw a number of small communities, some with only a few houses and others with quite an enclave of residences with their church dominating the landscape of the quiet but picturesque villages. The adjacent hills on the east side of the river are covered in well tended rows of grape ines. Hardly a spot was bare.

Over the town of Braubach is the castle of Marksburg. It is the only medieval castle of the Middle Rhine that has never been destroyed and is also one of the principal sites of the Unesco Rhine Gorge. The castle was built to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities. It was built about 1117. In 1283 a Count Eberhard bought it and through the 14th and 15th century, the high noble counts rebuilt the castle constantly.

I realize I need to learn so much more about the architecture, art and history of the areas in order to better appreciate the elements that shaped the cultural heritage of the people. This part of Europe appears to have been at the center of ongoing clashes in bygone eras, much like the Middle East is today. This is one of the reasons it is so fascinating. The tough, proud demeanor of the German psyche must have been shaped in part at least by the turbulent interchanges with other peoples over the centuries.