A Full-time Life

LUXEMBOURG CITY

 

Musee de la Banque

 

It was green!  That's the first thing I remember about Luxembourg City, the Capital of the country by the same name.  (And we needed a taste of nature at that point in the journey.)   Our hotel (booked just a few days before our arrival, rather than months in advance as the earlier three stays had been) was not in mid-town, but it was a very nice place to stay and we were able to use the excellent city bus system to get where we wanted to go.   

 

View from inside the tunnel.  

 

 From the bus stop in the center of the city we walked across a bridge and down steps and through tunnels to arrive at  Parks de Petrusse -- a lovely green park under the old ramparts originally built to protect the city.

 

Bock Casemates

 

A fortified castle on the Bock promontory built in 963 was the beginning of the city of Luxembourg.  Ring walls (called casemates) were added in the 15th Century which eventually turned the city into a well-defended center.  The fortified city could shelter thousands of people.    Today 17 kilometers of tunnels remain, on  different levels with staircases inside the rock face. 

 

View of the City from the walkway.

 

 We walked down the stairs and miles of paths down below  -- loving the quiet and and green -- there was water and bird song.  The Park is one of those magical places that seem like you are miles away from civilization but really you are in the middle of the City.   

Happily, there was even an elevator on the lowest level of the park, which we rode back up to street level.  It had begun to rain a little and the elevator (magically?) opened right next door to a tavern    A great place to wait out the rainstorm. 

 

 

Adolphe Bridge

This beautifully restored iconic bridge has great views from the walkway on top and is great to look at from below.

 

Underground art gallery at AM Tunnel

The artists:  Till Aydin; Anna Ney; Sophie Hoffmann

 One of the tunnels houses an Underground Art Gallery.     The exhibit we saw was  of photo collages.    I confess, the display had me immediately thinking of linking to Mosaic Monday.  So this is a mosaic of mosaics!!  

 

Palais Grand Ducal

 

We had only a day and a half to spend in Luxembourg -- it was a rather long rail journey  from here to Amsterdam (our next and final stop), but a lovely one through more beautiful green countryside.    There was no English translation on this train though, so we had a couple of fun adventures on the way -- apparently at one point the train was diverted due to construction and the transfer point we had on our ticket was changed.   Along with one other passenger we stayed on the train because the sign was different from what our ticket said.  Eventually a gentleman from the train came in waving his arms and we finally got it through our thick heads that we had to go somewhere and get on another train.  

 

 

 This would be funnier snapshots if they actually showed either of us racing to the correct platform lugging our suitcases up and down escalators  and asking anyone who looked like they might speak English if we were going the right way.  (People were helpful -- and obviously we did make our connecting train.)

 

 

 

This one is a view of the Luxembourg countryside from the train window as we began our journey to Amsterdam (before the mix-up, but the whole journey was quite lovely and the slight hiccup gave us something we are still laughing about).    We are glad we spent some time in this pleasant green country! 

 

LINKING this week to the following, with thanks to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; TUESDAY TREASURES;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

 

GHENT BELGIUM

 

 

Even if I didn't have pictures to remind me, one thing I would always remember about Ghent is how absolutely stunning this city is by night.  

 

St Nicholas Church

 

It is a great city in broad daylight as well of course and we enjoyed the old town and visited as many of the historical places as we could.

 

Ghent, St Michael's Bridge 

It's a very walkable City -- our lodging was about two blocks from this main Canal Street.     There are several colleges and Universities here and that always makes for a vibrant City.   

 

Ghent by Night

I took so many pictures; the city was magical by night.   And so we were not surprised to learn after the fact that the Ghent Light Plan has received international acclaim.   It was designed to provide environmentally-conscious lighting while at the same time displaying the city at its best.

 

St Bavo's Cathedral

 

We visited St Bavo's which is home to a 15th -Century painting called The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (no inside pictures.)  The Cathedral altarpiece is by Jan Van Eyck and is considered  his masterpiece.   There are numerous other paintings and sculptures as well and four organs.     As part of the tour, we listened to a talk about the altarpiece.  It is hard to imagine parishioners attending regular Sunday services here -- because during the tour, it seemed more like a fine Art Museum than a Church.                                   

 

 

 

 

It was a busy city, but we had the feeling that most of the people enjoying the pleasant days were local -- (except for all of us on the Cathedral tour. )

 

Gravensteen Castle

This 11th Century building in the Center of town has been a Castle, a prison, and a torture chamber.  Kids were using the grounds for picnics and playgrounds and sunbathing during the days we were there!  

 

 

Except for the  night before our flight back to the States, our stay in Ghent was the last place where  "The Travel Planner" had booked lodging before we left for our River Cruise.  Between our last night here and that final night,  we had four days  left to  play!    Why not, we thought,  see the last of the three countries of Benelux?  So,  from our room in Bruges,  Bill booked a hotel room in Luxembourg City for  a couple of nights and then  a couple more in downtown Amsterdam, since we had seen really nothing of that City except for the ship dock.   

We had loved Belgium  and almost hated to leave -- but looked forward to the next and last two chapters of our journey! 

 

 

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  TUESDAY TREASURES;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

BRUGES, BELGIUM

We were impressed with the train we took from Amsterdam -- our first inter-country train ride.  (Thankful for the European Union... it must have been so much more difficult when you had to show your passport at every border.)   We had to transfer at least once, maybe twice.  But all announcements were made in at least three languages (including English) and there was an electronic reader in each car, also in  each language.  So it was a piece of cake to get to our  next destination -- beautiful Bruges Belgium.

 

 

Bruges is the capital of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium.  We loved seeing those beautiful buildings -- and  (to nobody's surprise) we loved the Canals. 

 

Grote Markt (Market Square)

Bruges has one of the best preserved medieval areas in Europe as most of its architecture from that period is still intact. 

 

Church of Our Lady

 

We took a (self-guided) tour of the Church of Our Lady, a beautiful stone Church that took two centuries (from the 13th to the 15th) to build.  At present it is undergoing a restoration, nearly completed, but some of its art treasures are not available for public viewing (they have been moved for safety or are covered with dust protectors).   

 

 

We came with no expectations, so we were happy with what we did see.  Each aisle of the large church has small altars with paintings and woodcarvings and there are the usual crypts of royalty.

The picture on the lower left is part of a 14th or 15th Century mural which was discovered under many layers of paint during the restoration..   The panels showed better in person than they did in my photos .. we could make out details.  I found the process for saving these works of art to be fascinating.  The sign in my photo below explains that process and interprets the representations. 

 

Enlarged photo of sign explaining medieval paintings being restored

I'm happy that there are experts who know how to save these treasures.

 

Bruges City Hall

 

One evening while we were wandering about admiring more of the medieval architecture, we saw people entering the courtyard underneath the famous Bell Tower -- and we let ourselves be carried along with the crowd.

 

Thirteenth-Century  Belfry of Bruges and Carillon which was added in the 16th.

 

We  had stumbled upon a free carillon concert -- just on time for good seats.    We learned that the City still employs a full-time person to play the 47-bell instrument, which dates from the sixteenth century.   University music students were also taking part in this evening's event,  a mix of light classical and pop standards.   

 

 

Here is a night view of the Church of Our Lady as seen on our way back to our home-away-from-home after the concert.

What a beautiful evening!  

 

Night or day, Bruges was a beautiful City and we were happy that we were able to spend some time there.   We could easily have spent longer, but there were other places to go!   On the third afternoon of our stay we took another train to another city in Belgium... which is another post.  

 

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities.  With thanks to all of the hosts.

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; TUESDAY TREASURES;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

KINDERDIJK AND (on-our-own again) in HAARLEM

We arrived at Kinderdijk (The Netherlands) in mid-afternoon on the last full day of our River Cruise.  This charming town is a living historical museum with  19 still-functioning windmills.  It is the only place in the world with so many windmills so close together. 

 

 

 Built in the 18th Century, the Kinderdjik windmills harnessed the power of wind to reclaim land from the sea, making it possible to cultivate and settle the area as well as to prevent flooding.  All 19 remain in working order today.   The area has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We enjoyed a short talk about the history of the area  and a guided tour of the windmills including a re-creation of the original living quarters inside one that is open to the public.   (People do live in some of these windmills -- the original structure and function must be maintained.)   

 

 

That night was our final one on the Viking Skirnr -- the  boat docked at Amsterdam at 4 the next morning.   The ship's staff handled final disembarking  with great efficiency.    Because we were staying in The Netherlands, we were the among final group to disembark.  We had time for the on-board breakfast buffet and coffee... and time to wonder how we would adjust to not being able to count on breakfast and coffee automatically appearing every morning as soon as we were ready for it! 

 

 

Haarlem, The Netherlands

We were called when our Taxi was ready at the dock; our luggage was brought out by the staff.  And -- just like that -- we were on our own in The Netherlands!  I'd say 'back to the real world' except we were in a whole new and beautiful country -- not at all our usual world!   Off we went to Haarlem where "we" (meaning the travel planner of the family, not me) had booked an Air B&B.    

 

Top left:  the street marker is on the corner of Scheepmakersdijk,  where our  Haarlem "home" was located.  Upper right and lower left pictures are outside and inside the B&B.  Center picture is the city gate, a remainder of the wall that once surrounded the city.  Lower right is a neighborhood  Canal.  

Back at home before the trip we'd actually thought of Haarlem as a suburb of Amsterdam and had pictured ourselves taking the train into the big city several times during the days we had booked at our B&B.   But, to our delight, we found Haarlem to be a perfect city on its own.  We fell in love with it -- and had no wish to leave during the time we had booked.

 

 

We walked the canals and narrow streets every day,  found the neighborhood shops and cafes delightful, enjoyed people watching,  and  explored every nook and cranny we could.  We felt comfortable just living on our own (for a change at this point).  Even making morning coffee is a small  adventure in a new place.  (Especially coming right after time on a cruise.)

 

 

This is just a little hand-made sign that someone had put in their apartment window -- but  I liked the sentiment (even if it is not quite grammatically correct).     The City was full of life, busy without being frenetic.   A perfect place to re-adjust to real life after the somewhat un-real existence on the cruise ship.

 On that same street there was an office for "Expat Services" so I assume that's the reason for the English sign.  Almost everyone we met spoke excellent English, but most signs here were in Dutch (as of course they should be). 

 

 

   We loved the open air cafes, whether they were downtown or along the canals.   And of course we enjoyed looking at water and boats.  

 

 

 

We read that there are at least two bicycles for every person in The Netherlands.  Above are some of them -- parked at the Haarlaam Train Depot.  We've heard and read that some pedestrians are intimidated by bicycle riders.  We didn't have any problems either here or later in Amsterdam (we did go back to spend a few days there at the end of our time in Europe).  

  

 

In fact, we found it charming that everyone rode them!  Especially the families, such as  the moms, dads, mom-to-be, and even grandparents!    (All snapped while we ourselves were   sitting at  outdoor cafes watching people and trying not to feel lazy.) 

 

 

Our  days in Haarlaam went by too quickly! On the morning of the fourth day, we schlepped our suitcases a few blocks from our little apartment to that train station (unlike getting off the ship -- here in the real world, there were no porters to carry our luggage).  Here we hopped on the "local" back to Amsterdam, where we caught a longer-distance train to the next country we would be fortunate to visit.  

 

Linking to the following sharing opportunities with thanks to all of the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; TUESDAY TREASURES;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

OCTOBER!

 

 

I don't care how many pumpkin-flavored lattes are being sold at Starbucks this month -- to me the wonderful month of October is all about Fall color  .....

 

 

... And  apples.   October is definitely all about the apple harvest!   They are plentiful, ripe, and bursting with fresh-picked flavor.

 

 

 

 

 This  wheelbarrowful  on our favorite back-porch (at our daughter's and son-in-law's)  was just waiting for us to help ourselves.  We barely made a dent in the bounty -- and the trees (in the collage above) were still full and getting fuller.   

 

 

The reds and  golds of the season are everywhere -- even an ancient and long-abandoned lawn chair echoed the color scheme of the month!

 

Grateful for the beauty of everyday.

 

Linking this week the the following:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES;  MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  COUNTRYSCAPES;

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS.

 

PROST! We visit KOLN (COLOGNE)

 

The Skirnr arrived at Koln at 9 in the morning, having left Koblenz at 3 A.M., according to our in-room daily newsletter.  We didn't notice the departure -- by this time in the journey (only a couple days from its end) we were quite used to the motions of the boat.  

We opened our balcony door to watch the landing and saw a Festival Beer Garden set up right across the sidewalk from our room.   People were already having fun (at just 9 in the morning) -- or maybe it was "still having fun"  from the night before, who knows?  

 

 

 

The top two pictures above show how our boat was docked here.  The rather steep gangplank that we walked to get in and out shows on the left.   The lower picture is the beer garden, taken from our balcony.     This docking point was great, because we were able to walk on that sidewalk right into the center of town.  (I think a few passengers might have gotten sidetracked on the way in, right there across the 'street'.  

 

 

We were looking forward to a nice long day in Koln.  After breakfast on board, we headed into town -- which was already hopping by that time in the morning.  We saw a coffee shop called Oma Jan's in the same building as Papa Joe's Bier Salon.  It was a little early to patronize Papa, but we enjoyed a pastry and coffee at Oma's.   (Those happen to be two German words I understand very well, as I've known a few couples whose grandchildren called them Oma and Papa.)        As it turned out, we would visit Papa Joe's later in the day.  

 

 

 

It was pleasant to stroll around the old town watching people .... we stumbled on a wedding right at the busiest corner of the pedestrian mall.   The happy couple had quite a few uninvited guests.   Everyone was waiting until the white "doves" were released.   Someone told me that a man has a business renting out these homing pigeons for events.  

 

 

 

I don't know the significance of the top statue but the bottom (uh, lower?) center gargoyle is said to be mooning a statue that is across the river -- that one is sticking its tongue out.   In addition to being a happening town, it seems Cologne seemed  a bit of an irreverent one. 

 

 

Irreverent in spite of the fact that the twin spires of the 14th-Century Gothic Cathedral dominate  the City skyline.     The Cathedral is one of the few buildings in the City that was spared allied bombs during WWII.    The City is quite a mix of old and new, with ancient Roman ruins right next to modern buildings.  

 

 

 

Ornate and imposing, the Cathedral also has beautiful stained-glass windows, which down't show well at all in this picture. There is a 500+ step tower which leads to a viewing platform (we did not climb it).    It holds an impressive  sarcophagus which is said to contain bones of the Magi (the three Kings who visited Baby Jesus).    

After viewing the Cathedral, we wandered back to the boat   for lunch (which we didn't really need) and a nap, which we did.  It was a  pre-emptive rest, because we had chosen to take an optional evening tour to explore Cologne's food and beer culture -- and we did want to start out wide awake!

 

Cologne is famous for its Kolsch beer.  By law, real Kolsch can only be produced here.  As we walked back to town, our knowledgeable tour guide (a young woman) provided very interesting history of Cologne's signature beer and explained that we would visit four authentic  German brauhauses.  Our first stop was Papa Joe's , the one we'd looked at when we walked around that morning.   As we enjoyed our first glass of Kolsch, we admired the hand-carved and life-sized  mechanical band.   Papa's is a jazz club, but the only music we heard was when the  "band" played traditional German songs.   It was probably too early in the evening.

 

At the second stop, we enjoyed our Kolsch along with a traditional four-course German dinner.  Waiters carried  multiple glasses   in  one hand, while at the same time scooping up empties with the other.     We learned the special way to toast each other with the special Kolsch glasses.  "Prost" is the German word -- as we would say "cheers."  (You clink the bottom of the glasses, while looking each other in the eye -- otherwise it is bad luck.)

 

Beer Mat (coaster) 

 

Kolsch glasses are small, but we learned that they would be refilled  unless you remember to put the beer mat over it.  That is how you signal you've had enough.   Our (I guess unlimited) beer and food was pre-paid since we were on a tour, but normally, the waiter would make a hash-mark on the beer mat for each refill and that is how they know how to charge the drinker.    

 

Prost!  

There were two more tour stops -- at the last one, our guide told us the Brauhaus had been built on the site of Roman ruins --  there were  actually plexi-glass windows in a few places on the floor where you could see bones on the ground below.    I didn't really want  to think about that too much by that point.

 

(This picture has nothing to do with beer.)

Our group  had gotten gradually smaller as  the tour progressed, but we stayed until the end, arriving back at the ship around 10 p.m.  .... The boat left port at 10:30.    The picture above is shortly after we left, motoring past some of the  bright lights of  a more modern part of Cologne..

 

 

 We sat on our deck enjoying the still warm evening as we said Auf Wiedersehen to Koln  ...  and to Germany.  The next morning, the Skirnr would dock in the Netherlands, the fourth country we would see while on this cruise.

 

 

 

 

We had fun in Koln, but as we reflected, we were most grateful for all we had learned at every stop in Germany.  We enjoyed the country so much... perhaps more than I had thought we would.  I really knew so very little about it, even though both of us can trace part of our ancestry to that country.   

 

Linking this week to the following, with thanks to the hosts.  

 

ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

 

 

 

 

CASTLES AND DUNGEONS AND WINE, OH MY

The next couple of days of our cruise were like a fairy-tale!    We had castles and towers and dungeons and beautiful views  ....   and lots of good wine!  (Okay, it was an adult fairy-tale.)

 

Morning view from the boat, Day 11

We woke to another beautiful day on the Rhine River.  Our port of call was Wertheim, the smallest of all the places we'd visited in Germany, but one with as much history as any of the larger cities. 

 

 

It was an important city because of its  strategic location at the  confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers.  The City's royalty built  the Castle (middle picture above)  in the 12th Century, but it was captured and destroyed in the Thirty Years' War.  The ruins are still impressive.    It looks down upon the medieval town center and newer homes along the river banks.  

 

Wertheim also  has its own Leaning Tower.  (Can you imagine Rapunzel in the window up there?)  The noticeable lean is due to 800 years of flooding -- a hazard of the town's location on the river banks.  Markers on the tower and on many other old buildings show just how high the water has risen over the centuries.  (And as we all know from recent years, rising water levels and flooding still continue across Europe.)     

The tower was built in the 13th Century as a lookout, but it also served as a prison for drunkards and "quarrelsome wenches."   Food and water were lowered down to the prisoners who were kept in complete darkness until their release.  (Can you imagine anyone down there in the dungeon?)    

(Amateur photographer's disclaimer here:    I often need to straighten pictures with my editing tool and  I am honestly not sure if the lean on the tower picture is  the real angle or if part of it is due to my shaky camera hand.  I do remember that the lean was quite obvious to the naked eye.)  

 

From the boat -- Day 13

It was a short day in Wertheim -- we were back on the boat by noon and the Skirnr departed shortly after for the next stop.  Some of the more energetic passengers had taken an optional bicycle tour of the city and surrounding hills -- the boat stopped briefly along the way to pick them up.  

 Every single day of this cruise there were interesting sights from the boat  as we traveled, but the next day, which was almost all on the water,  was the most spectacular of all.   These pictures are just a few of the castles and some of the surrounding beautiful scenery that we saw  along this part of the Middle Rhine River.

 

 

We went back and forth between our stateroom balcony and the outside lounge upstairs, where we could see both sides of the river ... trying not to miss a thing.   The views were spectacular wherever we looked.    The program director of the cruise was in the lounge to give us some of the history of the castles we passed.    (Way too much   to include here -- there are many links  to Castles on the Rhine for more information.)  This area would be a wonderful land tour -- some of the castles are open to the public.   (Sigh.  So many beautiful places .....)

 

 

We arrived at Koblenz, the next port of call,  around 4,  and quickly boarded a bus for an excursion through part of the surrounding Moselle wine country.  Grape vines grew everywhere -- on steep terraces, on hillsides,  in front of castles, on railroad right-of-way, and in spaces between more ordinary homes.  We ended up at a small country winery, where we enjoyed hearing from the owner about this wine making region  and his family's long history making wine.   And of course we enjoyed an excellent  tasting experience before heading back to the boat for a 7 p.m. dinner, featuring (as usual) good food and (more) local wines.   

 

 

A beautiful ending to the fairy-tale.

 

 

Linking this week to the following:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  COUNTRY SCAPES;  TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

TRANSITION SEASON

 

It's just beginning to feel like Autumn here in Eugene.

 

 

These colors showed early last week on a short walk from our home to the Willamette River.  That day was warm -- shirt-sleeve weather; screen-door breezes when we got home.     But yesterday we had to turn on heat.    Summer is now officially over!  

 

Washington Park, Portland

Last weekend, we traveled to Portland for a short getaway in the big city.   We hadn't really seen much Fall color here at home by that time.  Portland was a little ahead.     I like watching the seasons change!   Summer to Fall is really the only big change we see these days, because we don't notice a whole lot of difference while we're in Florida.  

 

 

Washington Park, in Portland, is home to the Portland Zoo, the Japanese Garden, an arboretum, acres of hiking and walking trails, and a beautiful rose garden (Portland is known as the City of Roses).  Although so late in the season, the blooms still put on a beautiful show for us. 

 

 

We traveled to Portland via Amtrak and stayed downtown, where we walked (a lot).   We  used the City's excellent public transportation system to get to the Park. It was surprising to us that there were so few people on the square (living room?) downtown.  Especially compared to those where we hung out on our Europe trip  (or even more recently in Seattle.) 

 

 

 Grateful to be here for all the changes that make life so interesting.

 

Thank you to the hosts of the following sites where this post is linked:

 ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;

THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; 

SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WURZBERG (on the MAIN RIVER)

 

Marienburg Fortress

on the Left Bank of the Main River

 Wurzburg is located  on two banks of the Main River in the Franconia region of Germany.    We had the above view from near where the boat was docked.   Franconia is known for its wine and Wurzburg is  home to Germany's oldest and largest vineyard.  (That is a different vineyard in the picture above --  the city is surrounded by them.)        This 13th-Century Fortress  was originally a Celtic fort and then was expanded into a  Baroque residence of bishops .                                                              

 

Two sides of the same sculpture

Our ship-board guide said Wurzburg's pedestrian zone had the best shopping in the region.  We didn't really shop, but did enjoy seeing this  sculpture by Mia Weiss.    That is two views of the same sign -- from each side.   (I'm sorry I didn't measure my steps better; obviously I was closer to the Love side.)    Here's what I found out about it by searching the net:

Since May 2019, several LOVE HATE sculptures by Mia Florentine Weiss have been travelling as ambassadors through various cities in Germany and Europe in support of democracy and humanism in order to strengthen the European idea according to the maxim MAKE LOVE NOT HATE!

The LOVE HATE ambigram by Mia Florentine Weiss, a larger-than-life-sized sculpture in public space, in its mirror-image reading, confronts the extremes of human emotions with each other and animates the viewer to question his or her own point of view by changing his or her perspective.    The mobile LOVE HATE sculpture by Mia Florentine Weiss was to be integrated into a cultural event as a highlight at the respective locations. With the participation in the art action #LOVEUROPE every city commits itself to love for Europe according to the maxim MAKE LOVE NOT HATE!

   

 

Bishop's Residence on the Right Bank of the Main 

 

The Wurzburg Bishops' Residenz  (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is on the other side of the River from the  Fortress.  (Those Prince-Bishops owned a lot of real estate in Germany.)    This one is massive (I was unable to get a picture of the entire structure).    It is a monument to the ways the royalty used their power (and enormous wealth.)    The palace was built between 1720 and 1744.   

No pictures were allowed  inside sadly.... we even had to check our bags at this palace.   The inside was breath-taking.  We remember the famous grand staircase with  the largest ceiling fresco in the world (it is called "The Four Continents -- all the artist knew about at the time).  From the Staircase, we entered the Imperial Hall which had marble and gold decorations and more frescoes by the Venetian painter Tiepolo .  (Disclaimer:  I remember his work, but certainly had to research for his name.)   

There were also beautiful formal gardens and we enjoyed strolling  around the grounds.

 

Kappele Baroque Masterpiece Church

Just a couple more "ordinary" churches photographed in passing .... I couldn't even begin to  show every photo-worthy structure in this City.

 

Neumunster Collegiate Church

 

We had a nice long day in Wurzburg, plus the boat was conveniently docked within walking distance of downtown.   This made it an ideal location for us to fill a regular prescription that Bill needed.  Finding out how to do that was an adventure in itself.   From the helpful local pharmacist we learned the location of a walk-in clinic where he could visit a Dr and (hopefully) get the necessary local prescription.  ... And it worked! 

  

 

High-school German (from oh, so many years ago) gave us the basic gist of this sign:   "Dear Patients:  We don't necessarily see patients in the order in which they enter.  Thank you for your understanding."     But Bill was seen quite promptly and while waiting we visited with local people -- this definitely wasn't a tourist place!   In fact, they really had no way of dealing with people who weren't on the national insurance -- they had no way to accept credit cards and no change.  We ended up paying almost nothing -- and the office manager smiled and was more than pleasant all through the transaction.   We went back to the same Pharmacy and the prescriptions were ready promptly.

Routine errands, made interesting by virtue of our being in another country.  We were impressed by  -- and grateful for -- the efficiency and caring of the staff at the clinic and the pharmacy.  And interested in comparing both to our country.

 

 

It was a beautiful walk along the river back to the Viking Ship Skirnr, our home-away-from-home for this trip. We made it in plenty of time for departure to the next stop.

 

 

 

Linking this week to the following:  Thank you to all of the hosts:

 ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;

THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;   COUNTRY SCAPES;  

TUESDAY TREASURES; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; 

SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  

SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and   FRIDAY  BLISS; 

BEAUTIFUL BAMBERG

Bamberg really was the prettiest town!   

Founded in 902, the many historical churches and  homes mean it still looks like a medieval city.   It's almost like the whole town is an historic work of art.

  

Alte Rathaus (old City Hall)

In the 14th Century, the citizens of Bamberg wanted to build a city hall that served both sides of the town, which is divided by the Regnitz River.    Their solution was to build a bridge across the river and place the Rathaus (town hall) on a man-made island in the middle.  

 

 

Baroque and rococo touches were added to the building in 1746.  The pictures above are the same building -- this part of it is slightly visible in the very first picture  in this post -- on the left corner from the half-timbered part of the building.   From this location, there are beautiful city and river views.  

 

 

It  is probably no surprise to anyone that most of my pictures include river views.  

 

 

Lots of water and boats.  Bamberg has been called "Little Venice".       

 

Heller Haus

 This building  was the birthplace of Joseph Heller, a historian and art collector.  I really don't have much more information about him, but the building is so pretty.  It looks like it is made out of Wedgewood pottery -- or sugar icing!    The statue on the end of the bridge in front  of it is  Queen (and Saint)  Cunigunde, the wife of one of the Holy Roman Emperors and a patron of Bamberg.     

 

 

Another mystery  -- this three-dimensional sculpture  is on a wall on the Mager Building in the old town.  I don't know the significance, but was fascinated by it.

 

Original Schlenkeria Smoked Beer. 

There has to be something silly about every stop -- in Bamberg for us it was trying this strongly smoke-flavored beer at the historic brewery tavern that is its birthplace.    I'll just say that 'trying' was the operative word (for both of us).   Definitely not 'finishing'.  

 

 

These pictures are from our balcony, shortly after we re-boarded the Skirnr.   This was the most bird life we'd seen from the boat.    There were geese, ducks and ducklings,  and several swan families.    It was the perfect ending  to this beautiful day.

 

 

Linking to the following this week with thanks to the generous hosts:

  ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;  OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;   TUESDAY TREASURES ;  SAY CHEESE;     MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   and   SATURDAY CRITTERS