Today was to be a greatly rewarding experience -- to see magnificent castles along what could be called “castle alley.” Many of the castles were "robber-baron" castles, extortion stops — built by princes back when there were 350 independent little states in what is now Germany. Towns grew rich when the merchants had paid their duty. Along this stretch, there were customs stops about every six miles. I videotaped quite a few of the majestic castles and included map sketches of the Rhine to help identify them by name.
The powerful Rhine has long been treacherous to navigate. Boats generally pass on the right. Since downstream shipscan't stop or maneuver as freely, upstream boats are expected to do the tricky do-si-do work. Large triangular signals, posted before troublesome blind bends in the river, warn of oncoming ships. Each triangle covers a segment of the bend — the lowest triangle being nearest.
They warn of approaching ships. If the bottom side of a triangle is lit, that sector is empty. But if the left side is lit, there's an oncoming ship in that sector.The most dangerous bend in the river swings around a rocky bluff called the Loreley. Because of reefs just upstream, many ships never made it safely past the Loreley — and the rocky cliff remains steeped in myth. Sailors blamed their misfortune on a Fräulein — so wundarbar — whose long blonde hair almost covered her body.
This legendary siren flirted and sang her distracting song from this rock. Located near the rock is a statue of the famous lady. To help us visualize the flirty lady, Rolf donned a woman’s dress and blond wig and paraded around the lounge.
Just down river from the Loreley is the pleasant town of St. Goar, founded in the 6th century by a monk famous for his hospitality. According to legend, early sailors would stop here for a rest and a prayer of thanks after surviving the seductive and treacherous Loreley.
Rheinfels castle sits like a dead pit bull above St. Goar. Once the biggest and mightiest castle on the Rhine, Rheinfels rumbles with ghosts from its hard-fought past. While it withstood a siege of 28,000 French troops in 1692, the French finally destroyed it a century later. Today this hollow but fascinating shell offers the best hands-on ruined castle experience on the river.
The Debussy docked at a charming city of Boppard (map), affectionatelyknown as the “pearl of the Rhine.” Because of its importance as a cultural and historic center for the middle Rhine region, this area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Church St. Severin was magnificent both inside and out. Its twin towers date to the 13th century.
Excellent wine has been produced here on the surrounding slopes for the best part of 2000 years, as vines were introduced here by the Romans, who also left impressive archeological remains that witness to thetown’s former importance. I concentrated on the ruins from a 4th century Roman fort here.
In the afternoon (2:45 pm), we loaded up in buses for a visit to Rheinfels Castle. Rheinfels, the largest ruined castle on the Rhine, provides a wealth of information regarding the art of fortification, particularly during the Late Renaissance period. It became the family seat of Count Dieter V of Katzenelnbogen and the scene of lively cultural activities. The castle was built it in 1245. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Hessian landgraves converted the building to form both a residence and a fortress. From the ramparts there was an excellent view of neighboring Burgmaus Castle. Rheinfels stood impregnable against a siege by French troops in 1692, but was later partially destroyed by the French Revolutionary Army in 1797.
Our three GCT tour guides caught our attention with a historical skit. We visited the ruins and the castle museum, which is full of historic exhibits and includes an excellent model reconstruction of the original castle. The huge wine cellar with an immense barrel vault was being visited by students so I caught them on video as they exited. The subterranean passages of the fortress were also highly impressive.
After dinner in the lounge our three guides performed a song that led us in a game of “nasty questions,” and they were nasty. We were divided into groups for the competition with the leading three groups performed against each other for the final prize. If our group would have been in the final three, I was all set to introduce our act with an impersonation of Rolf. “Ladies and gentlemen (brush back hair) we have 19 optional tours for your enjoyment, but I do not recommend any of them. However, you may still participate in our other great possibilities, like take a train to Vienna, or tube down the Mosel with the captain, or watch our lovely ladies do their chorus line routine... I give you the No-Brainers...” But fate (and low test scores) dictated otherwise.
Day 8, March 23, Thursday CRUISE THE MOSEL/BERNKASTEL
Our day started with scenic sailing on the Mosel River. Then our ship docked at Bernkastel, one of the prettiest towns in the Mosel Valley. Actually, Bernkastel is two towns, its sister town, Kues, sits on the opposite bank of the Mosel. I started the video with a shot of the Debussy and then across the river to the Burg Landshut, a castle overlooking Bernkastel.
Bishop Heinrich von Finstigen built the castle in 1277. His successor extended and rebuilt parts of it, which later became a residence of the Archbishop of Trier. A fire in 1692 reduced the castle to ruins, but a cafe here now utilizes the site.
Since we were on the Kues side of the river, we had to cross over the bridge to Bernkastel. From the bridge
I videoed St. Michael’s Church. Its tower originally belonged to the town’s defenses, and the church itself was begun in the 14th century. .
We walked past the church to a square with an interesting fountain, where our guide gave a brief talk. We proceeded down Moselstr to another fountain, the Fountain of Bears on Graacher Str.
From here we walked past half-timbered buildings to the Market Square and the beautiful Renaissance style Rathaus.
The buildings around the square present perfect examples of medieval German domestic architecture. In the foreground of the video is the Fountain of St. Michael. Stocks attached to one of the buildings reminded us punishment meted out in an earlier time.
We stepped outside the old city walls to observe the grape plants growing up the steep incline and facing the sunshine. The surface slate radiated warmth for the plants as well as to enhance the distinctive taste of the Mosselle wines. In front of us Graacher’s Tor and the street we had just been on leading out of the city.
This gate was formerly part of the 13th century fortifications. Our walk continued on the Hinterm Grabben outside the city to The Doctorkeller. Here we entered an underground passageway that led to a big wine cellar. Chairs were set up for our “red dots” to relax and sample various tasty Mosel wines. We were given an opportunity to purchase bottles of the locally produced wines, but I waited and purchased some Lauerburg Riesling Spatlese (1999) for 4 euro instead of 10 euro from a nearby wine merchant. After returning to the Debussy, I settled down in the lounge with a nice hot chocolate (free and available anytime) and looked out for a parting glance of Bernkastel.
Day 9, March 24, Friday TRIER (TREVES)
Today we toured the beautiful town of Trier (map), the oldest town in Germany. There were settlements here in the third millennium before Christ, and the Roman Emperor Augustus founded a thriving city here in 15 B.C. It evolved into one of the leading cities of the empire and was promoted to Roma Secunda, “a second Rome” north of the Alps.
Fittingly, we started our morning tour by passing the old Roman bridge (Lower left on map), which had served as a river crossing since the 2nd century,
... and then stopping at the palatial Kaisertherme (Imperial Baths). The bath complex consists of hot-water baths, a huge hall housing a semicircular pool, and two smaller pools. Our first area of exploration was the east apse of the caldarium, which in the 11th century was turned into a fortification and in the 12th century converted into a corner bastion of the medieval city fortification. From here we went down to the basement to walk a vast, labyrinthine network of corridors constructed to provide maintenance access for the heating system. The extent of the passages gave some idea of the backbreaking slave labor necessary for the system.
Our tour bus now took us over to the imposing Porta Nigra (“Black Gate”), a towering Roman gateway built around A.D. 200.
This is the largest surviving city gate from ancient Roman times, and for the empire it served not only as a means of protection but also as a symbol of strength and power. The first view on the gate on the video is from the city; the second from within the gate, and the third from outside the city. The building really is not black. The name reflects the pollution stain that covers the lighter stone.
From here we continued our city walk, pausing at the House of Three Magi. (Dreikonigenhaus on the city map). This beautiful highly decorative building dates from the first half of the 13th century and represents the style of old dwelling towers as can be seen at Regensburg and in some Italian cities.
Our assigned meeting place for red dots was at the Main Market, one of the most magnificent squares in all of Germany. Here we admired the central St. Peter’s Fountain built in 1595, built by the Renaissance sculptor Hans Hoffmann. The spiritual message symbolizes the four cardinal virtues of Justice (sword and scale), Fortitude (a broken column), Temperance (wine and water), and Wisdom (snake and mirror).
END OF TAPE ONE (30 minutes)
We returned to our ship for lunch and were allowed free time to further explore Trier map). The GCT shuttle service dropped me off at the same station so I started with the Courtyard of Simeon’s Collegiate church and the cloisters built next to Porta Nigra. The college courtyard is the oldest existing two-story cloister in Germany. On the video is an illustration of Porta Nigra as Simeon’s Church about 1660, which shows the Porta when it had been transformed into a double church. When Napoleon came this way, he ordered all the architectural changes to be removed and the original roman core restored (1804-1817).
Another claim to fame for Trier is the city’s status as the birthplace of Karl Marx (Karl-Marx-Haus on Brockenstrasse in the Old Town). Although I did not go to the birthplace I did video the house on Simeonstrasse where Marx had lived.(the dwelling in the center), according to our city guide.
On the other side of Market square stood a church sandwiched between houses that our guide referred to as The Market Church (photo right). The formal title is St. Gangolf’s Church and it dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The first view is the actual front of the church (with an indented statue of Christ). The second is a side view where the church rises behind the houses on the market. Two stories were added to imposing Gothic tower around 1500. The third view (after a panning of the Market Square buildings, including the commanding Gothic Steipe) is of the opulently decorated baroque portal from 1732 with the statue of St. Gangolf.
Leaving the Market Square and heading down Dietrichstrasse I visited the Frankenturm (Tower of Franco), built in the twelfth century. This “tower” is typical of the fortified stone houses built by wealthy merchants during the Romanesque period. Named for its 14th century resident, Franko von Senheim, the tower contains the medieval family’s living quarters. I zoomed in on the Great Hall window of the Tower.
Constantine the Great lived in Trier for years at a time. The vast brick Aula Palatina, also known as the Basilica and used as a church, dates from the time of Constantine (310 AD).
The huge hall that remains (believed to be the throne room) gives some idea of the grandeur of the original palace. The interior is overwhelming with undivided space has gigantic dimensions. The central heating was installed below the floor and heated by five furnaces still visible. Today the basilica serves as the main Protestant church in the city.
The nearby Roter Turm, or Red Tower, built in 1647 and reconstructed in 1968 serves as the bell tower for the Protestant church. It is considered one of the best creations of the late Manneristic style. Between the bell tower and the Basilica stood the Gate to the Electoral Palace.
My attention was then drawn to the beautiful 13th century Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche), the first example of the French Gothic in Germany and constructed 1235-1260 with the spirit of the late Romanesque style. Immediately across from the church was the Kesselstatt Palace commissioned by the baron of Kesselstatt in 1740-1745.Next to the Liebfrauenkirche, and connected by a narrow passage way was St. Peter’s Cathedral, which represents one of the largest early Christian examples of dual church buildings. Parts of this impressive cathedral date to the fifth century. The cathedral is a weighty and sturdy edifice with small round windows, rough stonework, and asymmetrical towers, as much a fortress as a church. The interior is also unique, combining baroque furnishings with gothic vaulting and archways. The treasury contains the alleged seamless robe of Christ; so fragile it was last displayed in 1959.
Instead of taking the shuttle back to the ship, I decided to walk because this would allow me to see the old city walls up close and to see more architecturally pleasing buildings on Nordaleestrasse. That evening GCT had scheduled a folklore group to perform in the lounge. Among the numbers was one that had them flying. The evening closed with audience participation and Bernice joined in the fun.
Day 10, March 25, Saturday LUXEMBOURG/ TRABEN-TRARBACH
This morning I joined an optional day tour to Luxembourg (map), the tiny nation that whose territory comprises less than 1,000 square miles. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy located between Belgium, France, and Germany. Here, the everyday spoken language is Letzebuergesch, which symbolizes the national identity of the people.
First our motor coach took us to see the Battle of the Bulge Cemetery. German forces occupied Luxembourg in May of 1940, and its liberation (primarily by American troops) began in September of 1944. The Battle of the Bulge began with Hitler’s desperate attack through the Ardennes to attempt to drive out the Allied forces. The resulting battle, called “the greatest Americanbattle of the Second World War” by Winston Churchill, raged here from the 16th of December 1944 through the 28th of January 1945 (map).
200 men from the 10th British Corps were killed in this action, the U.S. (8,447 killed, 46,170 wounded, 20,905 missing or imprisoned) and Germans (10,749 killed, 34,439 wounded, 32,487 missing or imprisoned). All suffered tremendous losses. The German casualties were buried in a nearby cemetery. At this American cemetery long rows of white crosses (and some Jewish stars of David) reminded us the great sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price. Here rest 5,076 solders of the Third Army. The rain added to the somber mood. George Patton who had led (prematurely) men into battle here died in an automobile accident in December of 1945. As he requested he was buried with his men (photo and marker to the right), although the gravesite was moved to a separate area here to accommodate the many visitors.
We drove on to the city of Luxembourg and entered the Altstadt via F.D. Roosevelt viaduct (map).
The oldest part of the city that we visited is actually on a high plateau whose steep cliffs plunge into the beautifully landscaped valleys of the Alzette River. Our walking tours led by local guides started at the Place de la Constitution(#30)
... and headed to the Cathedral of Norte-Dame (#51) or Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin (1613-1621) with its richly decorated portal of baroque style.
The interior with nice stained glass windows had a nice atmosphere.
Our guide spent considerable time at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Memorial. Apparently she was well like in Luxembourg and well respected worldwide during World War II. She became a close friend of FDR while in exile during the war.
Close to the memorial was the “residence” of the Prime Minister, a kind of Downing Street site. Only here, this was more like an office with the PM residing elsewhere.
From here we went to the Grand Ducal Palace, or the Palais of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
The oldest part dates 1572, the middle part from 1741-43, in baroque style but transformed into Renaissance style in 1891. Note the guard in the guardhouse with an automatic weapon.
Then to the Place d’Armes, also named “Parlour of the City,” completed in 1671 where we admired the City Palace or Cercle municipal, with the seat of the tourist office (the big red “I” on the map). Our lunch was in a second story restaurant that afforded a nice view of the Place d’Armes.
At this juncture I added a picture of a famous artwork we saw in Luxembourg. The statue has the enormous body of a woman in the most eccentric colors, created by Niki de Saint Phalle.
I sought out the Congregational Church, built 1739-1794 with a richly decorated portal of baroque style. Fortunately the church was open. The stained glass windows were exceptionally beautiful, something like the Pre-Raphaelite quality. I noticed a poster promoting the anniversary of Pietistic Philip Spener. Time was up, so I ambled over to our waiting bus at Place de la Constitution (picture).
As we toured Luxembourg, the nonparticipants sailed down the Mosel to Traben-Trarbach a central location on the Mosel, halfway between Koblenz and Trier, and headquarters of the regional wine trade. Our motor coach caught up with the docked ship (map). Aboard the Debussy I videoed the 14th century Grevenburg Castle on the Trarbach (east) side of the river, as well as the waterfront of Trarbach.
The next slated activity was a brief walking tour that took us over the bridge to the Trarbach Bridge Gate (1898), an example of Art Nouveau design.
Later on we came across the romantic Art Nouveau Hotel Bellevue, designed in 1903 by noted architect Bruno Moehring.
GO ON TO 2006 RHINE & MOSEL RIVERS PART III
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