Romance of the Rhine & Mosel, 2006 - 16 days
The narrative follows the portions videotaped.
This crise-tour was taken with GCT (Grand Circle Travel). Our ship, the Debussy, was launched in 2000. The Debussy has a capacity of 120 passengers in 60 cabins. 117 passengers were on this particular cruise. Fred’s cabin 320 (an upgrade) was located on the soprano deck
Day 1 March 16th, Thursday
After a comfortable night at Baymont Inn, I left my snow-covered car (park & fly arrangement) for the airport via hotel shuttle. As expected, almost all flights were delayed considerably because of the snow, so I asked permission to fly an earlier flight. That flight was delayed too, but I still reached Chicago at my original appointed time.
Flight details: UNITED AIRLINES, UA 1147 From: MINNEAPOLIS ST PL, MN (MSP) To: CHICAGO OHARE, IL (ORD) Aircraft: BOEING 737-500 JET Flight Time: 1 hr 22 m LUFTHANSA, LH 0431 To: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) Aircraft: BOEING 747 Flight Time: 8 hours and 0 minutes From: FRANKFURT, GERMANY LUFTHANSA, LH 3810 To: BASEL MULHOUSE, SWITZERLAND (BSL) Flight Time: 45 minutes
Day 2 March 17th, Friday BASEL (BALE)
Basel arrival in the morning. Map.
A Grand Circle representative met us at the airport and assisted with our transfer to the pier in Basel, where we met our river ship.
On the river bank where we were docked stood an interesting fountain featuring a strange birdlike creature that was the symbol for Basel.
From my room I could see the Altstadt of Basel with its imposing cathedral tower.
Photos shown below taken of Basel are from the public domain of Wikipedia. Then switching the video to my room, there was a nice array of complimentary fresh fruit on the table. Those of us who arrived early had a light lunch on board and the balance of the day was at leisure. We could ponder the magnificent Rhine River. At Basel the river turns north and enters the Rhine Graben, a flat-floored rift valley lying between the Vosges Mountains on the west and the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) on the east. Strasbourg, France, a focal point for merging water routes from the Paris Basin, is located at the valley's northern extremity. With the junction of the Main River at Mainz, in Germany, the Rhine's seasonal regime becomes more stabilized.
In the early evening, we gathered for an introductory briefing about our Grand Circle ship and safety procedures. A welcomed “welcome drink.” was then served in the lounge. As we relaxed in the lounge we could see the Basel skyline on the horizon.
For the first time we met tourist guide Rolf -- who personally welcomed us aboard.
Day 3, March 18th, Saturday BASEL, SWITZERLAND
After breakfast, attend an Orientation Briefing. Our Program Director went over the details of our upcoming trip and answered questions. Before departing our ship, I videoed a map of the Old City and the route from our ship to the various key sites.
We boarded a streetcar for the ride downtown. Our “red dot” group followed Yolande for a walking tour. Yellow dot people were assigned to Greta and blue dots to Rolf. Basel architectural styles were quite interesting. A few buildings were quite different, as was one featured here with plates plastered all over a wall. This unusual creation was the work of a Polish artist, depicting released stress from thrown plates.
Even more entertaining was the nearby Tinguely Fountain of the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely who used scrap metal and pieces of everyday junk to build bizarre contraptions. The water basin freezes a moment of modern chaos as iron sculptures parodying human foibles maniacally spew water.
I considered our next site the most important one in Basel -- the Munster or Cathedral.
Our first encounter was the Munster cloisters with an imposing statue of John Calvin by the entrance. This was fitting because the Swiss reformer shaped the theology of Reformed Protestant Switzerland. At the Reformation 60 altars and the church relics were removed from here. Since then the cathedral has been a Reformed parish church. Our walk through the cloisters was brief, but it gave us a feel of the earlier times. During the Middle Ages, the clergy held their many processions here. The cloisters were also a graveyard and stones lined the walkway.
Our guide stopped at a park-like area behind the cathedral where we had a commanding view of the river and the opposite bank. Switzerland’s second largest city has a split personality. On the one hand, giant, modern chemical concerns and pharmaceutical companies dominate the city. On the other, a network of narrow alleys weaves together the city’s medieval architectural heritage.
The Munster presides over the river and the Altstadt in a towering conglomeration of red sandstone, stained glass and sprouting spires. The 12th century Munster stands on the site of an ancient Celtic town and Roman fort. The rear of the cathedral embraces the Romanesque style while both the gothic and Romanesque are more in evidence in the front side and the spires. The red sandstone façade features hundreds of figures in various acts of piety ranging from trumpet playing to dragon slaying.
Behind the altar, gilt Latin inscriptions memorialize the life of Erasmus, the renowned scholar and staunch Catholic.
Although well known for his satires against abuses in the church, he remained Catholic, even after his beloved Basel joined the Reformation. When he died, the city set aside dogma to give him a proper Catholic burial in this Protestant cathedral.
The burial place of the famous Humanist (died 1536) was located on the left side of the cathedral under an impressive memorial. Before leaving the church I taped the neo-Gothic (1857) stained glass windows and the pipe organ complex.
Next stop on our walking tour was the Renaissance Rathaus at the lively Marktplatz, more evidence of the city’s medieval architectural heritage. The very red Rathaus, erected in the early 1500s to celebrate Basel’s entry into the Confederation, brightens Marktplatz with a blinding façade adorned with gold and green statues. Not only was the exterior facade impressive, but the interior courtyard with its interesting frescoes (even of dogs) was worth viewing as well. Before leaving the busy Marktplatz with its array of surrounding architectural gems, a poppy flower caught my eye.
Back on the streetcar we headed for the Debussy. Soon after our ship departed we encountered our first of many locks to lower us to the next level on the Rhine. We were on our way to Strasbourg (map).
We were now officially welcomed onboard to meet the ship’s crew at the Captain’s Welcome Drink. Since we were now in France, the ship sported a red, white and blue flag in the front of the ship. Formally dressed crew members served champagne and fancy snacks. Then the quite-young captain welcomed us aboard. When I returned to my room, I found an invitation to the Captain’s table for dinner -- preceded by drinks in the library. Our small group of Inner Circle Members was thus honored for our many tours with Grand Circle.
Day 4, March 19th, Sunday STRASBOURG, FRANCE
This morning we were to enjoy a sightseeing tour with a glass-covered boat along Strasbourg’s canals around the Grand Ile. Strasbourg has been strategically important since ancient times. It became a free imperial city in 1262, and then was occupied by France in 1681 and Germany in 1871. France recovered the city in 1919 after World War I.
The early portion of the canal was quite tranquil with local fishermen along the banks. Our first major site was the Palais de L’Europe where the European Parliament meets. Soon appeared the famous spires of the Cathedral of Our Lady. To the south of the Cathedral was Palais Rohan, often called the “mini-Versailles. ” It was built for the Cardinal Rohan in 1704 and today houses a gallery and three museums.
Half-timbered houses reminded one of the tax incentives that led people to have a smaller ground floor with overhanging upper floors.
Then we approached a set of locks at Petite France.
On an earlier trip Annette and I relaxed here with a lunch and beer from the local pub (“Restaurant” on the right hand side in the video) and watched tour boats in the locks below.
Petite France is the name given to the area around the various arms of the River Ill. The Tanner’s House dates to 1572. Our tour craft continued to the four great defensive towers and the nearby “Vauban Barrage” (Terrasse Panoramique) before changing course. The Vauban Barrage was built in 1681 in order to reinforce the obsolete mediaeval fortifications.
Under the 13 arcades of this bridge the floodgates could be closed and the southern front of the city flooded, thus keeping it safe from attack.
The boat tour concluded at the Palais Rohan (right) in the town center.
From the Palais, we walked with GCT to visit the Cathedral of Our Lady, one of the finest of Europe’s great Gothic cathedrals. The east end was begun in the 12th century. Its lofty single spire dominates the city. The cathedral became the tallest building in the world when its single spire was added in the 15th century, a position it was to hold until Ulm Cathedral in southern Germany was completed. We walked around inside while a mass was being celebrated. The austere gothic interior was in stark contrast to the ornate exterior.
Located on the northwest corner of the square in front of the cathedral, the Maison Kammerzell is considered to be the best half-timbered house in Alsace. It belonged to the rich merchants throughout the centuries. The ground floor is from the 15th century, the upper level date from the 16th century. Nearby was a little man cranking up an organ grinder that played catchy carousel melodies.
Mission accomplished in Strasbourg, we walked over to Place d’Austerlitz to meet our waiting shuttle bus. En route to our ship we came across carnival preparations for the season. Resting comfortably back in my room I watched swans floating around outside my balcony window.-
At a little past 5 pm GCT hosted a party for the Inner Circle Members. Again we were treated to drinks and fancy fare. Two Way, Mary and Ruth sat with me and shared in the refreshments. Ivana was our gracious waitress in costume that evening at dinner. Dessert was worth a picture. An accordion player strolled around providing dinner music
Following dinner, we were serenaded with traditional chansons (French songs), which reached their peak in the 16th century. Music was provided by an energetic accordion player called Armand Jehleand a romantic lady singer who had a fascination for baldheads.
Day 5, March 20, Monday STRASBOURG/BADEN-BADEN
Early this morning we could visit Strasbourg some more (free shuttle) or relax onboard. Since I had visited Strasbourg before I chose the latter. Besides, we had a scheduled Exclusive Discovery Series Event scheduled for 11 am in the lounge. The Black Forest, we were soon to drive through, is known the world over for its production of intricate cuckoo clocks. We learned onboard about the art of making these fine timepieces.
After an early 11:45 am lunch buffet, we departed for Baden Baden on a scenic motor coach ride through the Black Forest. Higher elevations brought about more snow cover. . We soon visited the spa town of Baden-Baden, nestled in the thick, deep green forests.
Our coach driver let us off near the Evangelical Stadkirche.
Clients such as Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Napoleon III, Berlioz, Brahms and Dostoyevsky made Baden Baden a sophisticated playground. More recent clients have included characters from Barbara Streisand to Yasser Arafat.
The center of activity here is the Lichyentaler Allee, the promenade lining the banks of the Oosbach River (affectionately called the “Ohs”), which runs through the center of town. At the north end of the Kurpark are the buildings of the Kurgarten,including the classical Kurhaus. Behind its white columns and façade is the Spielbank, the oldest casino in Germany (1838). It has been in operation for more than 200 years. Although we did not indulge in wagering here, we did look around and make use of the restrooms.
High above town was the 12th century Old Castle of Hohenbaden. To the right and above the Romerplatz stands the Renaissance castle, Neues Schloss, built in 1479 by the margrave of Baden Christoph I to replace the 12th century castle.
Our next stop was at the Trinkhalle for a tasting of the warm mineral waters, thought by many to have restorative powers.
Roman legions discovered the underground springs when they settled here in the 1st century and named the place Aquae. The loggia of the hall is decorated with Frescoes depicting Black Forest legends.
In front of the Trinkhalle was a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I. Our guide thought this ironic because it was the Kaiser who in 1871 outlawed gambling and brought distress to the casino. The grounds of the area were covered with lovely little flowers that seemed to sprout up like dandelions.
After our guided walking tour we could do some exploring on our own, and possibly spot one or more millionaires that reside in this exclusive resort area. I did find a nice statue of Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of William I.
Our meeting point was McDonald’s; after which we walked to our motor coach. Leaving Baden Baden we passed through a long tunnel. Our cruise ship was waiting for us at Greffern.
Before dinner, our program director gave an informative port talk as we cruised toward Speyer Dinner was served by staff dressed in costumes. After dinner we bet on “horses” (choice of one out of five horses), which moved spaces to the roll of an oversized dice (di?).
Day 6, March 21, Tuesday SPEYER
Today our included city tour was the city of Speyer, a city rich in church history. Three incidences stand out.
1) In 1076, emperor Henry IV embarked from Speyer, his favorite town, for Canossa. He had been excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII because of the Investiture Conflict.
The "Investiture Conflict" developed out of the desire by secular rulers to expand their authority by having church officials be dependent upon them for their lands and their religious offices. This had the desired effect of increasing the power of the state, but only at the expense of taking power away from the church. Naturally, the pope and other church officials were not happy with this situation and fought against it.
Gregory demanded that Henry appear in Rome to repent of his sins. Henry convened a meeting in Worms where German bishops loyal to him labeled Gregory a "false monk" who was no longer worthy of the office of pope. Gregory, in turn, excommunicated Henry - this had the effect of making all of the oaths sworn to Henry were no longer valid.
Henry couldn't have been in a worse position - enemies at home would use this to ensure his permanent removal from power and all he could do was seek forgiveness from the Pope Gregory. He reached Gregory at Canossa, a stronghold belonging to the countess of Tuscany, while he was already on his way to Germany for the election of a new emperor. Dressed in the poor clothing of a penitent, Henry begged for forgiveness. Gregory, however, was not ready to give in easily. He made Henry stand barefoot in the snow for three days until he allowed Henry to come in and kiss the papal ring.
Actually, Gregory wanted to make Henry wait longer and beg for forgiveness at the diet in Germany - an act that would be even more public and humiliating. However, by appearing so penitent Henry was doing the right thing because Gregory could not appear to be too unforgiving. Nevertheless, by forcing Henry to beg forgiveness at all he effectively demonstrated to the world that the religious leaders had authority over secular leaders.
2) In 1096, during the First Crusade, the Jewish community of Speyer was massacred.
3) In 1526 at the Diet of Speyer, interim toleration of Lutheran teaching and worship is decreed. In 1529 at another Diet of Speyer, the Lutheran states of the empire protest against the anti-Reformation resolutions (hence the term Protestantism.)
Our walking tour began as a trek toward the famous Romanesque Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Stephen also known as Kaiserdom (construction beginning in 1025).
It was the largest building in Christendom when completed in 1061. Helmut Kohl liked to bring international guests here -- including Bill Clinton and George Bush senior.
Our first view of the Cathedral was from a distance. Then a side view, followed by a close-up of the Garden of Gethsemane Monument in the churchyard.
Next is the beautiful front view. In front of the cathedral is the Domnapf (1490), a stone basin that was filled with wine at the induction of a new bishop. Then just up the steps to the porch like area, I videoed a statue of the king Henry IV.
The interior was outstanding and views include the altar and the pipe organ.
Downstairs is a crypt where German royalty rests -- including the famous Henry IV.
The church is now Catholic, but there is a Lutheran Museum “next door.” And down the street is an impressive Lutheran Church Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Trinity Church), which dates from 1701-1717. The baroque interior was very beautiful and unique. Multi-balconies. The decorative organ was placed over the altar to indicate that music was central to the Lutheran church and worship. The pulpit, situated on the side of the church had a carved pelican on top of the canopy. The bird was feeding its young from the blood from its breast, signifying Christ’s sacrifice of blood. The pews were situated like doubles, with pairs facing each other. The purpose of this arrangement was to allow people to face the front altar, and then when the sermon started, to switch around to face the pulpit.
Then we concentrated on the exterior of the church. An independent bell tower structure (right) was part of the church complex.
On the main thoroughfare, the city constructed a monument of what appeared to be a wandering stranger that should be taken in. At the base were German words for Hebrews 13:14. A fountain graced the city square where the beautiful Rathaus stood out prominently. Naturally, there was a McDonalds. As we left historic Speyer I stopped for a shot at the old city wall, which at one time stood at the banks of the meandering Rhine River.
Although it was raining. a number of us Circlers joined GCT this afternoon for an optional Vineyard Jamboree, a tour through the scenic German countryside to Freinsheim, in the heart of the Rhine-Palatine wine region. We rode in a horse-drawn covered wagon at a leisurely pace, getting a wonderful view of the vineyard landscapes in this part of Germany. We had a little sing-along as we drank locally produced wine. Afterwards we enjoyed coffee and cake at the winemaker’s home, the Weingut Kreuzhof. After refreshments we had an opportunity to buy wine directly from the winemaker -- Riesling white wine for three euro per bottle! Then a brief walk over to the Freinsheim Altstadt.
As our ship sailed down the Rhine we passed Worms, not far from Speyer. On the video I have a picture of the historic Cathedral of Worms that hosted the meeting, the Diet of Worms, where Luther defended himself against the Holy Roman Emperor. That event in 1521 helped change the face of predominately Catholic Europe by the Protestant Reformation that followed. The original schedule GCT Rhine/Mosel cruise had Worms as a designated stop, but this had been recently changed to the city of Speyer.
A young energetic magician provided that evening our entertainment in the lounge. He made extensive use of audience participation. On the video, he is doing magic with Bernice’s ring. Later on the magician performed magic with a female assistant and a guest from Oklahoma. Somehow, under cover, he managed to remove a jacket from the guest and place it under the ropes of a completely bound woman. Good show!
GO ON TO 2006 RHINE & MOSEL RIVERS PART II
After a comfortable night at Baymont Inn, I left my snow-covered car (park & fly arrangement) for the airport via hotel shuttle. As expected, almost all flights were delayed considerably because of the snow, so I asked permission to fly an earlier flight. That flight was delayed too, but I still reached Chicago at my original appointed time.
Flight details: UNITED AIRLINES, UA 1147 From: MINNEAPOLIS ST PL, MN (MSP) To: CHICAGO OHARE, IL (ORD) Aircraft: BOEING 737-500 JET Flight Time: 1 hr 22 m LUFTHANSA, LH 0431 To: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) Aircraft: BOEING 747 Flight Time: 8 hours and 0 minutes From: FRANKFURT, GERMANY LUFTHANSA, LH 3810 To: BASEL MULHOUSE, SWITZERLAND (BSL) Flight Time: 45 minutes
Day 2 March 17th, Friday BASEL (BALE)
A Grand Circle representative met us at the airport and assisted with our transfer to the pier in Basel, where we met our river ship.
Photos shown below taken of Basel are from the public domain of Wikipedia. Then switching the video to my room, there was a nice array of complimentary fresh fruit on the table. Those of us who arrived early had a light lunch on board and the balance of the day was at leisure. We could ponder the magnificent Rhine River. At Basel the river turns north and enters the Rhine Graben, a flat-floored rift valley lying between the Vosges Mountains on the west and the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) on the east. Strasbourg, France, a focal point for merging water routes from the Paris Basin, is located at the valley's northern extremity. With the junction of the Main River at Mainz, in Germany, the Rhine's seasonal regime becomes more stabilized.
In the early evening, we gathered for an introductory briefing about our Grand Circle ship and safety procedures. A welcomed “welcome drink.” was then served in the lounge. As we relaxed in the lounge we could see the Basel skyline on the horizon.
For the first time we met tourist guide Rolf -- who personally welcomed us aboard.
Day 3, March 18th, Saturday BASEL, SWITZERLAND
After breakfast, attend an Orientation Briefing. Our Program Director went over the details of our upcoming trip and answered questions. Before departing our ship, I videoed a map of the Old City and the route from our ship to the various key sites.
The Munster presides over the river and the Altstadt in a towering conglomeration of red sandstone, stained glass and sprouting spires. The 12th century Munster stands on the site of an ancient Celtic town and Roman fort. The rear of the cathedral embraces the Romanesque style while both the gothic and Romanesque are more in evidence in the front side and the spires. The red sandstone façade features hundreds of figures in various acts of piety ranging from trumpet playing to dragon slaying.
The burial place of the famous Humanist (died 1536) was located on the left side of the cathedral under an impressive memorial. Before leaving the church I taped the neo-Gothic (1857) stained glass windows and the pipe organ complex.
Back on the streetcar we headed for the Debussy. Soon after our ship departed we encountered our first of many locks to lower us to the next level on the Rhine. We were on our way to Strasbourg (map).
We were now officially welcomed onboard to meet the ship’s crew at the Captain’s Welcome Drink. Since we were now in France, the ship sported a red, white and blue flag in the front of the ship. Formally dressed crew members served champagne and fancy snacks. Then the quite-young captain welcomed us aboard. When I returned to my room, I found an invitation to the Captain’s table for dinner -- preceded by drinks in the library. Our small group of Inner Circle Members was thus honored for our many tours with Grand Circle.
Day 4, March 19th, Sunday STRASBOURG, FRANCE
Under the 13 arcades of this bridge the floodgates could be closed and the southern front of the city flooded, thus keeping it safe from attack.
From the Palais, we walked with GCT to visit the Cathedral of Our Lady, one of the finest of Europe’s great Gothic cathedrals. The east end was begun in the 12th century. Its lofty single spire dominates the city. The cathedral became the tallest building in the world when its single spire was added in the 15th century, a position it was to hold until Ulm Cathedral in southern Germany was completed. We walked around inside while a mass was being celebrated. The austere gothic interior was in stark contrast to the ornate exterior.
Mission accomplished in Strasbourg, we walked over to Place d’Austerlitz to meet our waiting shuttle bus. En route to our ship we came across carnival preparations for the season. Resting comfortably back in my room I watched swans floating around outside my balcony window.-
At a little past 5 pm GCT hosted a party for the Inner Circle Members. Again we were treated to drinks and fancy fare. Two Way, Mary and Ruth sat with me and shared in the refreshments. Ivana was our gracious waitress in costume that evening at dinner. Dessert was worth a picture. An accordion player strolled around providing dinner music
Following dinner, we were serenaded with traditional chansons (French songs), which reached their peak in the 16th century. Music was provided by an energetic accordion player called Armand Jehleand a romantic lady singer who had a fascination for baldheads.
Day 5, March 20, Monday STRASBOURG/BADEN-BADEN
Early this morning we could visit Strasbourg some more (free shuttle) or relax onboard. Since I had visited Strasbourg before I chose the latter. Besides, we had a scheduled Exclusive Discovery Series Event scheduled for 11 am in the lounge. The Black Forest, we were soon to drive through, is known the world over for its production of intricate cuckoo clocks. We learned onboard about the art of making these fine timepieces.
Clients such as Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Napoleon III, Berlioz, Brahms and Dostoyevsky made Baden Baden a sophisticated playground. More recent clients have included characters from Barbara Streisand to Yasser Arafat.
Roman legions discovered the underground springs when they settled here in the 1st century and named the place Aquae. The loggia of the hall is decorated with Frescoes depicting Black Forest legends.
Before dinner, our program director gave an informative port talk as we cruised toward Speyer Dinner was served by staff dressed in costumes. After dinner we bet on “horses” (choice of one out of five horses), which moved spaces to the roll of an oversized dice (di?).
Day 6, March 21, Tuesday SPEYER
Today our included city tour was the city of Speyer, a city rich in church history. Three incidences stand out.
1) In 1076, emperor Henry IV embarked from Speyer, his favorite town, for Canossa. He had been excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII because of the Investiture Conflict.
The "Investiture Conflict" developed out of the desire by secular rulers to expand their authority by having church officials be dependent upon them for their lands and their religious offices. This had the desired effect of increasing the power of the state, but only at the expense of taking power away from the church. Naturally, the pope and other church officials were not happy with this situation and fought against it.
Gregory demanded that Henry appear in Rome to repent of his sins. Henry convened a meeting in Worms where German bishops loyal to him labeled Gregory a "false monk" who was no longer worthy of the office of pope. Gregory, in turn, excommunicated Henry - this had the effect of making all of the oaths sworn to Henry were no longer valid.
Henry couldn't have been in a worse position - enemies at home would use this to ensure his permanent removal from power and all he could do was seek forgiveness from the Pope Gregory. He reached Gregory at Canossa, a stronghold belonging to the countess of Tuscany, while he was already on his way to Germany for the election of a new emperor. Dressed in the poor clothing of a penitent, Henry begged for forgiveness. Gregory, however, was not ready to give in easily. He made Henry stand barefoot in the snow for three days until he allowed Henry to come in and kiss the papal ring.
Actually, Gregory wanted to make Henry wait longer and beg for forgiveness at the diet in Germany - an act that would be even more public and humiliating. However, by appearing so penitent Henry was doing the right thing because Gregory could not appear to be too unforgiving. Nevertheless, by forcing Henry to beg forgiveness at all he effectively demonstrated to the world that the religious leaders had authority over secular leaders.
2) In 1096, during the First Crusade, the Jewish community of Speyer was massacred.
3) In 1526 at the Diet of Speyer, interim toleration of Lutheran teaching and worship is decreed. In 1529 at another Diet of Speyer, the Lutheran states of the empire protest against the anti-Reformation resolutions (hence the term Protestantism.)
Our first view of the Cathedral was from a distance. Then a side view, followed by a close-up of the Garden of Gethsemane Monument in the churchyard.
The church is now Catholic, but there is a Lutheran Museum “next door.” And down the street is an impressive Lutheran Church Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Trinity Church), which dates from 1701-1717. The baroque interior was very beautiful and unique. Multi-balconies. The decorative organ was placed over the altar to indicate that music was central to the Lutheran church and worship. The pulpit, situated on the side of the church had a carved pelican on top of the canopy. The bird was feeding its young from the blood from its breast, signifying Christ’s sacrifice of blood. The pews were situated like doubles, with pairs facing each other. The purpose of this arrangement was to allow people to face the front altar, and then when the sermon started, to switch around to face the pulpit.
On the main thoroughfare, the city constructed a monument of what appeared to be a wandering stranger that should be taken in. At the base were German words for Hebrews 13:14. A fountain graced the city square where the beautiful Rathaus stood out prominently. Naturally, there was a McDonalds. As we left historic Speyer I stopped for a shot at the old city wall, which at one time stood at the banks of the meandering Rhine River.
A young energetic magician provided that evening our entertainment in the lounge. He made extensive use of audience participation. On the video, he is doing magic with Bernice’s ring. Later on the magician performed magic with a female assistant and a guest from Oklahoma. Somehow, under cover, he managed to remove a jacket from the guest and place it under the ropes of a completely bound woman. Good show!
GO ON TO 2006 RHINE & MOSEL RIVERS PART II
