German Life
I could probably spend three weeks describing the two weeks we on vacation in Germany. I want to say thanks you again to my dear ol’ dad, who traveled with a band of relatives (me, my wife and our two “adult” children – I use that term loosely) to many places in the Fatherland. His understanding of the geography and language was invaluable – even if we did get lost once or twice. Still the trip was great (wunderbar!).
I suppose I should take the trip into bits and pieces for the blog. There’s too much to put into one and I need to organize my thoughts. So, let me start at the beginning – with a visit to Nuremburg. The link above will take you to the city web site.
Day One
We visited the old city (Alt Stadt), including the old city wall from medieval times. As Americans we get excited if we find a building that has been around for 200 years or so. The walls of the old city were over 500 years old. Nuremburg was one of the cities that was on the limes (pronounced “lee’-mess”) line. That was the line of demarcation between the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes to the north. At various points in the wall (second in length only to the Great Wall of China) openings were provided to allow for foraging raids if the enemy was to attack. Eventually these openings became gates through which commerce passed. Cities grew. Such was the case with Nuremburg. On one particular bridge is a column erected in commemoration of the triumphs of Caesar Augustus. Now, that’s old!
When we arrived it was the last day of the Spargel Fest (Asparagus Festival). Asparagus in Germany is white not green. It is not a different type of plant. As the plant grows, it is continuously covered in dirt to prevent the sunlight from reaching it. This way no chlorophyll blooms and the plant is white. We enjoyed some of the fare and washed it down with a beer – the beginning of an activity that became second nature over the time we were there. Water comes in bottles and costs more than beer or wine. So, when in Rome (or Germany, in this case). . . .
After a walk to Albrecht Dürer’s house it was time to find our lodging for the night. As a drizzle tempered the excitement of the day we drove to a Gasthaus (literally “Guest House” – like a bed & Breakfast) for the night. The owner was a wonderful woman who took the time to make us dinner – and fetch several rounds of beer – before we retired into bedrooms in the third floor of the house. We slept with the window open and enjoyed the cool night air in this wonderful new – old world we had found.
One word before ending this blog about the war.
During the last year of World War II, the Allied forces sought to demoralize the population and eradicate the infrastructure by carpet bombing the residential areas of German cities. The demoralization effort failed but it had the effect of leveling most of the major cities – including the very old buildings that had been around for centuries. The German people took what was left, sorted through the rubble and rebuilt from memory. Many of the buildings are in effect replicas of the originals that were destroyed. Some were never rebuilt – like Albrecht Dürer’s studio. A few were left untouched – like the Rathaus. It was there, in the city meeting house, that the Allies held their trials and convicted the Nazi war criminals. For all the destruction that the war left in its wake, the rebuilt city is beautiful. We found this over and over again. From ashes, life rose again.
I suppose I should take the trip into bits and pieces for the blog. There’s too much to put into one and I need to organize my thoughts. So, let me start at the beginning – with a visit to Nuremburg. The link above will take you to the city web site.
Day One
We visited the old city (Alt Stadt), including the old city wall from medieval times. As Americans we get excited if we find a building that has been around for 200 years or so. The walls of the old city were over 500 years old. Nuremburg was one of the cities that was on the limes (pronounced “lee’-mess”) line. That was the line of demarcation between the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes to the north. At various points in the wall (second in length only to the Great Wall of China) openings were provided to allow for foraging raids if the enemy was to attack. Eventually these openings became gates through which commerce passed. Cities grew. Such was the case with Nuremburg. On one particular bridge is a column erected in commemoration of the triumphs of Caesar Augustus. Now, that’s old!
When we arrived it was the last day of the Spargel Fest (Asparagus Festival). Asparagus in Germany is white not green. It is not a different type of plant. As the plant grows, it is continuously covered in dirt to prevent the sunlight from reaching it. This way no chlorophyll blooms and the plant is white. We enjoyed some of the fare and washed it down with a beer – the beginning of an activity that became second nature over the time we were there. Water comes in bottles and costs more than beer or wine. So, when in Rome (or Germany, in this case). . . .
After a walk to Albrecht Dürer’s house it was time to find our lodging for the night. As a drizzle tempered the excitement of the day we drove to a Gasthaus (literally “Guest House” – like a bed & Breakfast) for the night. The owner was a wonderful woman who took the time to make us dinner – and fetch several rounds of beer – before we retired into bedrooms in the third floor of the house. We slept with the window open and enjoyed the cool night air in this wonderful new – old world we had found.
One word before ending this blog about the war.
During the last year of World War II, the Allied forces sought to demoralize the population and eradicate the infrastructure by carpet bombing the residential areas of German cities. The demoralization effort failed but it had the effect of leveling most of the major cities – including the very old buildings that had been around for centuries. The German people took what was left, sorted through the rubble and rebuilt from memory. Many of the buildings are in effect replicas of the originals that were destroyed. Some were never rebuilt – like Albrecht Dürer’s studio. A few were left untouched – like the Rathaus. It was there, in the city meeting house, that the Allies held their trials and convicted the Nazi war criminals. For all the destruction that the war left in its wake, the rebuilt city is beautiful. We found this over and over again. From ashes, life rose again.
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11:45 AM
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