Bad Munstereifel

As ever, this week’s excursion to Bad Munstereifel had me catching the train. It was a little disconcerting for the train to stop in Euskirchen and then depart but back in the same direction we'd only just arrived! But it was all fine. The train to Bad Munstereifel follows a single track spur line so I guess (and hope, as I write this on the train) that it's one train and one train only.

Apart from some steep hills up and away from the Rhine flood plain, the area around Bonn is surprisingly flat. The journey to Euskirchen is easy going through flat, open plains. Once we leave Euskirchen, the flat land slowly gives way to more undulating terrain that becomes hilly and more closed in. Finally, as we arrive in Bad Munstereifel the valley closes in completely and ends at the town itself. The hills are covered in trees which are now beginning to become more and more green. The occasional house peeks through the trees and the feeling is one of peace and quiet.

This is one of the easier train rides as the train stops at the end of the line in Bonn and arrives at the end of the line in Bad Munstereifel with no changes, you simply sit in the train until it leaves Bonn and then get off when the train line ends.

As you leave the railway station, you walk around a slight corner and are then confronted with this:

It is a medieval gatehouse built into a massive city wall. The effect is stunning; here is olde worlde power. No one comes in here unless the good folk of Bad Munstereifel decide to let you in. Fortunately today the gates are wide open and folks come and go as they like.

I was watching a documentary about the Vikings ravaging England back in the 7th and 8th Centuries. The Vikings were having a great time but couldn't seem to make an impression in the south. For there, the locals had built wooden palisades and, when danger threatened, pulled the local population and their livestock in behind the palisade. The Vikings had no patience for sieges and couldn't penetrate the palisade so would leave the locals alone. Once the coast was clear, the gates were opened and the farmers could return to their land with their animals in tow.

I'm wondering if that was the mentality here? The massive walls of Bad Munstereifel (some of them must be over forty feet high) are intimidating even today.

Once siege engines progressed beyond gunpowder, such city walls like those at Bad Munstereifel became obsolete and invariably the shaped, regular stones in the walls became easy pickings for builders looking to create new houses etc. The walls are slowly destroyed and used as raw materials for next generation buildings.
So to see and visit an almost complete city wall is remarkable in this day and age.

Sadly, for the avid walker/tourist, only 200 metres or so of wall is available for actually walking on. Given that there must be three or more kilometers of wall, this is a little frustrating as walking the walls would be a great way to see the city as the watch would have seen it some 500 or more years ago. The one section that is open however does provide a magnificent vista over the town itself.

As the picture shows, even the inner city is a tribute to the medieval. Some of the buildings show they were built in the early 1600's so there is plenty of history here.
Intriguingly, a stream winds its way through the town. This is charming and beautiful but seems a little odd for such a once heavily defended town. An obvious weakness in the defense, but I would assume there would be wells or cisterns to store water if the supply was cut off. As well, there are obvious recesses for massive portcullis that would allow the water to flow but prevent easy access. Also, there are obvious fortifications for a large garrison near both of ends of town where the stream flows in and out again.

Maybe they knew what they were doing after all J

Today, the stream provides a relaxing back drop for the town.

Bad Munstereifel is now a tourist town. Shops are open on a Sunday - this is unheard of anywhere else I've been in Germany. The shops range from the standard tourist traps to nice antiques to jewelry to general merchandise. As well, there are loads of pubs, restaurants and coffee houses. At Sylvia's recommendation, I've begun writing this at Am Salzmarkt while enjoying a coffee and kuchen. Both are awesome!

With the weather improving almost weekly, I'm sitting outside wearing a tee shirt (no jacket, jumper or coat in sight) and enjoying the sunshine. I even lashed out and paid 7 Euro for a pair of sunglasses.

Bad Munstereifel is delightful. A walled city that has managed to retain its medieval feel. The need for such heavy defence is well and truly past and it now feels as if the walls are saying, 'relax and enjoy!'

'Slow down', they seem to say. 'We have been here for 500 or more years so we understand patience. Slow down and simply enjoy!'

Come to Bad Munstereifel, enjoy a pleasant lunch, explore some of the town, check out the city walls, do some shopping and then finish with a coffee and cake. Take your time and enjoy each moment. You won't regret it.

Bonn Marathon 2012

I headed out to the start of the Bonn Marathon this morning. Having run a couple of half marathons myself, I have to be honest and say how nice it was to stand and watch today, armed only with a camera and warm coffee!

How happy do these first runners look! You can just make out the yellow start barrier in the background of the photo above. The organisation of this event seemed immaculate. I'd guess they had about 1000 runners head out in each wave, so very safe and not too many folks on the road at the very start of their event. Given that each runner has their own timing chip, the actual start time is less important as your time is measured from the start and finish to give you an accurate personal time.

The event is open to wheelchairs, some really slick, low rider bicycles and, as you can see on the right, to the in-line skating brigade as well. These in-line skaters fairly fly along the road too. Their only concern was in the downtown section where the tarmac gives way to the cobbles. The rough surface in Zenntrum comes at the end of the event, so skaters are a little tired as well and there were a few skaters who almost came to grief as they approached the finish line.
I saw the young men coming home in the half marathon finishing in less than 1 hour and ten minutes. Its only when you realise that these guys and girls have run almost 20 kilometres and you see them fairly pelting along the roadway and you think; wow! Just how fit are these young people!??!

Because the event is set in Bonn, then the course is bound to be very picturesque. Runners pass along the Rhine, run across the bridges over the river and get to wind their way through the little laneways that make up the central part of Bonn.
Watching the runners take part was marvellous. I guess we all have 12 months to get ready for the next Bonn marathon; see you there in 2013??

Bonn Rheinauen Flea Market

Everyone loves a flea market! The flea market at the Rheinaue is simply enormous. The market runs on the third Saturday of every month from April to October. Although a little chilly yesterday, the coming of the flea market signals the coming of Spring and Summer.

This market follows the pathways that run for kilometres around the Rheinaue. Stalls are run by everyone, from professional operators right through to families clearing their house and looking to pick up a few Euro rather than through their stuff away.

Similarly, the items for sale range from the new to the very second hand. To be fair, second hand predominates; and some of the offerings are quite 'second' second hand offerings. But there is something for everyone; clothes, DVDs, computer games, furniture, bicycles, musical instruments, CDs, vinyl records (33s, 45s even some 78s), books, comics.
As well, there are plenty of food stalls from crepes to kebabs. It all starts at 8am, entry is free for the shoppers and there is a general positive and happy vibe as people hunt, argue and barter for their bargain.

I picked up a few DVDs for a bargain price but there was so much more to get. I suspect this might be where I pick up my bicycle. Second hand bikes range from 20 Euro for something archaic and broken down up to almost 100 Euro for a bike you could load up with your recently acquired belongings and ride home.

A great morning and a lot of fun, even if you don't happen to buy a thing.



Mechernich, Satzvey and Kommerm

I caught the train to Mechernich (about 50 minutes from Bonn Hauptbahnhof via Euskirchen) for two reasons. Firstly because Mechernich is within the zone for my travel pass so it didn't cost anything (who said I was cheap??) but the main reason was to visit the Roman Villa nearby.

However, the best laid plans of my mice and men do oft go awry; or something like that. For me, I saw the Satzvey Castle from the train on the way in to Mechernich . Damn!

How do you go past a castle and not drop in?

Well, apparently I don't. Never mind that it was a 7km walk back to Satzvey; we're talking castles! Here are some pictures too. What do you think?

It looks lovely doesn't it?

But I think that might be the extent of Satzvey Castle; it looks amazing but I'm not sure that it's quite 'right'. Is it the fact that I was there right on midday when it was opening so it was a little quiet? Was it the selection of shops that were on the premises? I didn't quite get a vibe of history from the Italian restaurant set up in the corner; anyone for some medieval pizza; would you like some ye olde bruschetta with your lasagne?

But the image that captured the visit for me was the advertisement for 'Hexenfest'. A pseudo spell fest indeed! Could be a fun way to spend May Day (check out www.burgsatzvey.de and I'll book tickets for you).

So I think I've decided that the castle might be a great venue for these sorts of events. In fact, September has a tourney scheduled. Imagine this backdrop for duels, jousts and other games? This might work and work well. I forwent the tour as I would have to wait an hour and it was to be in German only.

Having walked this far I also expected to run into the Katzensteins or Cat Stones. But I had trekked up on the wrong side of the railway and couldn't get across. So I came back along the road and had a look. For those who have seen Hanging Rock just out of Melbourne, then Katzensteins is similar but a lot smaller in scale. However, Hanging Rock is always packed with people and it loses it's effect with crowds all over the place. Katzensteins was just me and the rocks; and it was kind of fun to slither and climb through the gaps in the rocks with no noise apart from the odd bird call. So very pretty but also very compact.

Another opportunity is the amazing array of walks available. Trails wander through the forests all over Germany and notice boards are filled with maps describing a variety of trails you can try. These trails are rated on difficulty as well as distance and time required. I took photos of these maps but I will see if I can find a website to download these maps. The walks would be fun and a chance to see another part of Germany.

From Katzensteins I decided to cut back across the train line (yes, I found a way across once I left Katzensteins. I'll know for next time) and head up to Kommerm. I'd read what a beautiful town Kommerm was and thought it might be worth a look.

There is a German saying that translates as 'April, April will do what it will' when it comes to weather. Earlier this month, we had beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the high teens. Today, it is cold and overcast and, when the wind blows from the north, it feels like its coming directly in from the Pole itself. I'll have to check the temperature when I get home but it is miserably cold today,

I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Kommerm way too early in the afternoon. I just needed to get in out of the cold for twenty minutes or so. As I write this, I can feel my ears begin to burn as the blood begins to flow through them again.

Kommerm is simply beautiful.

The town was established in 1229 and it feels like they've been assiduously working to make the town more picturesque since that year. And they have just about got it right :)

The church sits at the top of the town and sets up the view as you walk in from Komerm South. Walking past the church, you can see the road narrows virtually to the width of a small car. Over time, the church and a nearby retaining wall have conspired to have a gap wide enough for coach but barely enough for a car today. But nothing can be done as both church and wall are here to stay.

These mini lane ways and small pedestrian access ways are all over this village. It provides wonderful charm for me as a visitor but must drive the locals crazy; actually, I guess its just how it is and life moves on.
Certainly, as a pedestrian you're kept on your toes as drivers have no hesitation driving up and over the sidewalk when they have to pass another car. They're experts at it too as they got close to me a few times but never actually made contact!

In Kommerm they have maintained the wood and render facades in their original black and white colors. It looks marvellous; especially when you see one where the second storey begins to bow or warp.

This place on the left looks original and, in fact, across the lintel is a statement advising that this place was built in 1721; amazing to think that folks have been living, working, eating, drinking, fighting and loving for all of this time. If these walls could talk ...

Springtime will see this town literally in full bloom; the window boxes will glow with fresh flower color, the streets will ring with parades and even the local markets and, I suspect, a good time will be had by all.

Leaving Kommerm I decided to head back to Mechernich and see if there was enough time to check out the Roman Villa. The walk back was further than I thought; as well, I stumbled across a Trodel Markt; a Flea Market to some and Trash and Treasure to other readers. No matter what you call it, people seem compelled to look in every box of rubbish to find that glimmer of gold. It amazes me we continue to look because we so rarely find anything let alone something of huge and wonderful value. So that wasted another 30 minutes in my day and I didn't find any treasure amongst the trash.

I stumbled into Mechernich and headed across town to the Roman Villa. But I never made it. A combination of time and tired caught up with me. I got to that point where I knew I would miss my train if I went any further. And I also knew that after 25km walking today my tired little legs might not get me back to the bahnhof as quickly as they might have earlier in the day.

A good call as I made it to the station with 5 minutes to spare and I'm writing this on the train back to Bonn.

So not a bad day; Kommerm is a treasure but Satzvey, although not trash does need an event to make the place lift a little.

I'll be back to Mechernich for the Roman Villa and the other Roman places I found out walking around today. There's quite the day trip there; a mini Roman Holiday, if you will.

Sorry.

Have a great week!

Der Innere Schweinehund

I found this statue at the far end of the Museuemsmeille in Bonn; very much at the distant and unfashionable end. I believe this is a creation of the Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot (but happy to be proved wrong). It is entitled Der Innere Schweinehund.
Before we fans of 'Hogans Heroes' get too carried away, I have it on good authority that the expression 'Schweinehund' is not now nor has it ever been a term of abuse in German. In fact, after much discussion, there is no obvious translation (apart from the very obvious, literal translation of 'pig-dog').
So what is der Innere Schweinehund?
Its all about overcoming one's inner demons to do what one knows is right but what one might be seeking to avoid.
Do I get up and go on my 5km run or do I roll over and go back to sleep? I face my Innere Schweinehund and get out of bad.
Do I follow my diet or have that second piece of black forest cake? I stare my Innere Schweinehund down and have a stick of celery instead.
One phrase used is 'activation energy'; the challenge is to find the energy to face my inner demon and do what I know to be the right thing.
Its such a nice idea and I love that it creates such a conversation as well as failing to easily translate from the German into English.
All of this from finding this quite bizarre statue, tucked away and almost neglected at the far end of the Museum Mile here in Bonn.
It goes to prove that you can never be too sure what is just around the corner.
And it's always worthwhile to find the necessary energy to take an extra look; you may find an absolute gem!

Loreley Rock

St. Goar and St. Goarhausen sit on opposite sides of the Rhine and are the two towns closest to the Loreley Rock. St. Goarhausen has the castles Katz and Maus nearby while St. Goar has the Castle Rheinfels looming above it.
Goar was a monk who came to the area back in the 6th C AD and his good works and kindly ways led to people coming to be healed and learn from the good monk.
About six hundred years later, some less kindly and nice gentlemen - sometimes accurately referred to as robber-barons - had other ideas. They had seen the huge traffic along the river and decided a toll on this traffic hold be a nice earner. To assist maintain their strangle hold, they began work on the Berg Rheinfels. About 20 local townships got together to object to the tariff and eventually took their objection to its ultimate conclusion by getting 8000 foot and 1000 cavalry to lay siege to Rheinfels. 14 months later, the besiegers gave up and Rheinfels had earned its reputation for as being impregnable. Over the years it served well even into the days of canon and musket. It was only in the late 1700's when Napoleon's troops took possession and then decided to blow it up that things began to go awry.
All this time later, the castle is in two distinct parts. A reclaimed piece which is now a hotel and the old, blown up ruin which survives as a museum.
I love a good ruined castle so one blown up in 1798 and not really repaired since is about as good and ruined as you can get.
Having arrived on a drizzly day in St. Goar at just before 9:30 I had a delightfully long day to check out as many castles and high points along the river as I could. At some stage I would like to take the cruise along the Rhine as the terrain here is breathtakingly beautiful; the river cuts its way through cliffs that seem to come almost down to the river. The cliffs leave barely enough room for the villages to cling on to. But cling on they do and have, creating mini aldstadts that might be just one or two streets wide.
But since I'm not on a boat today but on 'shanks pony' the challenge will be to get out and up in the 7-8 hours I have before the train takes me back to Bonn.
The first thing I did was walk upstream and check out the Loreley Rock itself. Looming 125 metres above the level of the river, this massive rock wall causes the river to deviate in a narrow S-shape. The narrows cause the currents to run a little quicker and, with the reduction in width, the river just seems to work a little different with the result being that ships have crashed and been wrecked many times over the years. Chatting with some folks over the weekend, even as few as five or so years ago, a collision here caused the river to be closed as wrecked ships were blocking safe passage. The river still is the main route to deliver oil, gas and coal in this region and while the river s blocked there was real concern that they may run out of those essential fuels.
But having seen the castle near St. Goar it was time to head up and check it out. Unbelievable! The best 4Euro I've spent so far.

There is a self guided walking tour which just helps to keep you oriented and make sure you don't miss anything. In spite of the French's best efforts with gunpowder, there remain a lot of walls standing. The embrasures for firing crossbows and then muskets are still in place and provide a real feeling of reality. The top most tower survives and walking to the top to survey the view across the river is magnificent.
The museum has a replica of the apothecary as it may have looked; then the actual ruined space where the apothecary actually existed can be found and it's so easy to imagine the contents laid in to this space.
There are underground mines below the castle walls that we open but portable lighting is recommended. I ducked in to have a look and it was as black as sin and twice as frightening in that cramped (less than a meter in height and width). Too small for this little black duck!
In all I spend two hours just wandering and imagining castle life from the 1200's to the end of the 1700's. The different forms of clothes, weapons, people, languages; the whole spectrum of life and death. I paid the 2Euro for the English brochure for this castle; how could I not?

Lunch was a coffee and two bratwurst in brotchen which I scoffed on the ferry across the river to St. Goarshausen. Now was the time for the serious climb; pounding the steps from river level to the top roof the Loreley Rock. Tough going but well worth the effort in arrival at the top. Of course, when you get to the top, there's car parks, restaurants, play grounds but that's ok. I know I walked and suffered for my view; and what a view! Looking up stream to the narrows of the Rhine or back to the the twin St. Goar villages with their castles, you're simply spoilt for choice. It's times like these when you think maybe it was a good idea to come all this way.

At the top, I found some Rheinsteig signs and decided to follow the trial back to St. Goarshausen. This means I've now trailed thru two of the 23 stages of this massive walking trail. At this rate, I'll be done by 2045.
But the trail brought me to the top of Berg Katz.
This is the second of the castles built and was made simply to capture the tolls being missed by Rheinfels on the other side of the river. Both castles were massive money making machines.
These days Katz is a privately owned hotel so you can't actually get in to have a look around. But I hope the pictures do it justice.

So now its back to the river and the ferry to St. Goar. The last climb was to get to the top of the cliffs behind St. Goar and then have a look at the Loreley Rock from the opposite cliff. How lucky to see these two ships pass one another to show just how tight the fit beneath the rock is.

I look forward to coming back and seeing the castles from a boat but right now, I am keen to get off this train and get back to the apartment and put my feet up. A long day of walking up and down hill but so worthwhile.

The Nazi Documentation Center (NS - Dokumentstations-zentrum der Stadt Koln)

Eerie. That's the most appropriate word for this museum.
It's a fairly nondescript building that is less than 5 minutes walk from the Koln Dom.
But from 1935 to 1945 this was the home to Kolner Gestapo (Geheime Staatpolice) or Koln's secret police; the rightly feared Gestapo.
The building is kept pretty much as it was during the war, right down to the retention of the holding cells in the basement. The air raid shelter, which is at an even lower level, was built before the Gestapo rented the place. So the cells were built above the shelter but underground by the Gestapo to their own specifications.
The upper floors are filled with artifacts and paraphernalia from the late 20's to the end of the war. The images, newspaper clippings and movies track the rise of Nazism and Hitler specifically in and around Koln. There are pictures of Hitler visiting Koln in the early 1930's.
Within the building itself, the stair cases are marble and the banisters are painted black and peeling now so I'm assuming these items are as they were seventy years ago. In the upper floors, the walls and floors have been stripped back to the bare paint heightening the senses; this might actually look and feel as it was.
As the text and verbage on the upper floors are all in German it is difficult to read and understand everything. Curiously, walking along bare corridors to move from room to room or to return to the staircase again bring a heightened awareness; of being somewhere unpleasant and uncomfortable. This is not a nice place.
Moving to the basement brings exposure to the cells. If upstairs is 'not nice' then down here it is diabolical. Here people were held in solitary confinement or crammed so tightly that people were unable sit or lie down. The reports make it difficult to tell which was worse.
The horrors of the Gestapo are well documented elsewhere but here it is the voices of the victims that tear most at the heart. The walls are covered in the victims' images and histories (in German and English) providing simple, compelling and heart rending accounts of what transpired in this basement. The simple fact that most of the questioning and torture was conducted in the air raid shelter so that the screams would be less likely to be heard form the street probably best indicates what happened here.
To open this place as a museum does the German nation a lot of credit; how much easier would it be to close this off and pretend it never happened? To confront the past and to be open in this way speaks to a nation that may not like all of its history (and which countries would?) but is willing to deal with its history.
I took this picture from the street.

On a wall inside, there is almost the same picture; taken from the same angle across the street. Only that picture was taken in 1942. In 1942, this office was responsible for the deportation of thousands of political and ‘racial’ enemies of the state. As times became even more desperate toward the end of the war, hundreds of foreign forced labourers and slaves were hanged in the rear courtyard.

Like I said, eerie.

More info from http://www.museenkoeln.de/ns-dok/

Alter Friedhof - Old Cemetery

Bonn's Alter Friedhof or Old Cemetery remains a peaceful enclave on a plot of land surrounded by busy roads along two sides and the main railway line to Cologne at another end. Outside the cemetery, the roads buzz and roar with traffic and the general busy-ness of 21st Century life. However, walking through the gates of the cemetery seems to let the noise and hububb susbide and disappear. Respect is the word that leaps to mind; the cemetery is impeccably neat. The paths, the gardens and the graves themselves are immaculately maintained. There are graves from the early 1800’s but I would have to assume that the headstones have been updated or renovated as they are so legible and look so modern.

To the left you can see Ludwig von Beethoven’s mother’s grave. Unmarked until 1932, Frau Beethoven’s grave is understated but neat. The headstone reads: ‘Here Lies Beethoven’s Mother. Maria Magdalena Beethoven nee Keverich. 17 July 1787. She was a good and kind mother to me, she was my best friend.’ Beethoven returned from Vienna within days of his arrival to be at his mother’s death bed. The final quote is obviously believed to be Beethoven’s; what good son could say less about his mum?

There are is a small chapel in the centre of the cemetery and a multitude of graves laid in this picturesque setting.

Another famous person buried here is the composer Robert Schumann and his wife.

It is interesting to compare the 2 graves. The Schumanns dominate a central section of the cemetery while Frau B has a small plot against the wall of the cemetery. Compare Frau B's simple headstone with the intricacy of the Schumanns. Neither is better; its just interesting to observe.

Tours are run regularly, which is a good thing as I felt a little intrusive with my camera in hand. But there's no problem as long as you bring the right level of respect. That should be no stretch of behaviour as the cemetery demands respect; respect for the place and the people resting here. Well worth a visit.

March 25 - Schloss Augustusburg

To be honest, my plan for this weekend was to have a day of rest. Last week was five full days of traveling in the UK and Italy and I was feeling pretty tired on Friday night when I made it back to Bonn. On top of that, Western Europe brings daylight savings this weekend so that makes Adventure Sunday an hour shorter.

But spring has sprung, as they say. Today has dawned bright, sunny, clear and warm; basically too good a day to be caught up in worrying about being tired or finishing that report for work or anything else.

So I caught the train to Bruhl. Bruhl lies virtually half way between Bonn and Cologne so I've ridden through the Bruhl station a number of times already and when, you look to the left of the train as it races to Cologne, this is the view.

Bruhl was always the place to come to but would definitely benefit from a visit on the right day. And this Sunday is perfect. I'm sitting here in the parklands that surround the castle itself, the sun is warm on my back, the trees are just beginning to show a hint of the heavy foliage they'll be bearing in a few months’ time once spring is in full effect and the birds are calling! The air is filled with the sounds of so many birds that there is a continuous, unending array of bird calls. So loud they almost drown out the noise of the children. I've arrived just on lunch time and have brought my trusty, crusty rolls and cake in my back pack. The cunning plan is to find somewhere quiet to eat lunch and then tackle the castle itself.

Finding a quiet place is no trouble at all given the extensive grounds of the castle. Trees border the property forming a mini forest that provides the castle with serious privacy. Then, as you close in on the mansion itself, the forest gives way to formal gardens with scroll shaped hedges and ponds. There is even a moat that extends around the castle itself. This is something to behold; something from another time.

Sitting here in the outer forest, with the birds' song a virtual chorus, a light breeze blowing gently from behind and the warmth of the sun (something I was unsure I'd ever see or feel again whilst in Europe) it is hard to imagine a better place to munch ham and cheese rolls. The afternoon beckons at its own sedate and easy pace. There is no need to hurry even though there is still so much more to see at the castle proper.

Wow!

For good or ill, I have walked away from the main palace and headed out to the hunting lodge, Falkenlust. I should have said hunting lodge in inverted commas as Falkenlust looks to be about the same size as Werribee Mansion! This is no shack in the woods. It was built about three kilometers (a 'gentle walk' according to the brochure) from the main palace. The site was selected as it coincides with the flight path of herons; not to watch their fight but as herons are a favorite prey in falconry. A little bit of heron culling in the afternoon followed by evenings of sumptuous meals and wines back at the old hunting lodge. Not a bad life; unless you're a heron, I guess.

But now, having done the tour, I now know this to be wrong. Apparently falcons are a shy bird and not easy to train. Then consider that the falcons would hunt as a team; two birds would harry the poor heron and a third one would then come in and grab the prey. But here's the neat part. The birds were trained to return the heron to the falconer alive who would then place a metal ring on the bird's leg with the name of the falconer and the date of capture. Then they would release the traumatized bird but now badged if it should be caught again. Apparently this level of catch and release is part of the reason it was the sport of the elite.

It's difficult to imagine how well Augustus Clemens must have lived. If you remember, he built the palaces in Bonn and now these here in Bruhl as well, all while being the Cardinal of Cologne, so I'm assuming he had something similar there as well. The extravagance leaves nothing to the imagination; world class architects, painters from everywhere to paint ceilings and walls with amazing frescoes; gardeners to create and maintain acres of manicured gardens. It leaves nothing to the imagination and apparently nothing in the bank balance either. When he was done, Bonn was bankrupt and took years to recover from this extravagance.

But hats off to the local authorities in preserving not just the palace but the grounds as well. Apart from the distant hum of cars and the occasional train, the scale and scope of the park allows you to merrily pretend you’re back in the early 1700's. The paths from lodge to palace appear to be the original tracks with gravel for the horse and cart and pleasant grass for walking. There is a real feel that this could have been how it was; you're half expecting a footman or soldier to escort you off the premises at any time.

Also, hats off to the German authorities who manage these sites so well. €7 gets you entry to both the palace and the hunting lodge and for an extra Euro you get the headphones and an English commentary for each location. Given the magnificence of the sites, this feels like a pittance. This money seems to be re-invested in the sites as well in the form of restoration. There's generally work going on to restore artwork etc.

The palace itself is something of a baroque wonderland. The intricacy of the interior designs is so amazing that it seems to have transformed from intricate to flowery. It's amazing to think that the palace was used until 1996 as the main reception area of Germany as it was the only real location around Bonn (then capital of West Germany) that could handle 300-400 people who might be invited to such a reception. It's amazing to think that this also happened at masked balls going back to the 1700's. More than 200 years of continual service as one of the region's most beautiful locations for such receptions.

The palace was built on the site of a medieval castle and every effort was used to maintain as much of the original building to reduce costs where possible. The last of the medieval walls was lost in 1911 and now all that remains of the original medieval is underground in basements.

But it is the detail in the artwork, sculptures and even the objects in the niches that really catches the eye. This extends into the gardens as well.

Sorry there are no pictures as none are allowed in the palace itself. In fact the only way to get into the palace is to be part of a tour group.

I'll need to check the distance from Bonn to Bruhl. Ideally this would be a great bike ride for a day trip. Conveniently, the parks are open to the public and people just seem to come and spend some time walking through the forests around the palace. The thought of riding up with a packed picnic lunch, relaxing and having a bit of a snooze or a walk through the township of Bruhl might be fun. It was today as the there was a street market in the main streets. Cleverly, there were some shops open and these shops had their wares flowing into the streets. For those shops that didn't open, other folks had brought their own wares and tables, so the streets were a continuous market place. A lot of fun with a lot of people just soaking up the day.

I have now found Bonn's second hand bike shop; the wonderfully named 'Klingeling'. Now that the good weather has arrived, it makes sense to get a bike sooner rather than later. I'll just need to find a place to keep it off the street.

So there you go. Schloss Augustusburg is definitely a great day trip from Bonn. For those who like notable buildings or beautiful gardens or a pleasant walk in the fresh air, then you can't really go wrong.

March 18 - Rolandseck

A little travel tip for the easily confused. Bruxelles-Midi is the main railway station in Brussels. It's another name is Brussels-Zuid. Brussels-Central is a completely different station and Central should not be confused with Midi or Zuid.
Or so I was told; obviously I wouldn't be that much of a tourist to make such a rookie mistake ...
I've had a couple of interesting travel days. Train to Neuss (via Dusseldorf) was a piece of cake. Neuss is pronounced just the way they pronounce 'Nice' in 'Kath & Kim'. We were there for a sales conference and it was quite the opportunity to meet and greet a whole lot of people. I wandered about, chatting and engaging as best I could leaving the main players with the good and positive messages. We took lunch outside and the sun came out and, for the first time in a month, I was actually warm and took my coat off. It was 'noice' in Neuss!
That evening we drove to Brussels to visit a factory in Tisselt; a small suburb in the Brussels industrial zone. Quite a neat operation and we had some great discussions about the business and what benefits could come from some of our collective experience and knowledge. This brought on a pretty vigorous discussion but alls well that ends well and we left with exchanges of hand shakes and business cards.
So coming up to 7pm on Friday night and I'm back on the ICE train (Inter City Express for those who enjoy their three letter acronyms explained) heading back to Bonn via Cologne for the weekend.
For those who recall me bagging Dixieland Jazz last week, I did make the concession that I would head back to Sonja's in Friedrichstrasse (for you GoogleMaps freaks). According to the website, there was to be a special Wednesday night with some boogie-woogie music. But I had learnt my lesson from Sunday afternoon. The gig was supposed to start at 7:30 so I arrived at about 6:45. By this time there were still seats available but only at the bar. So I grabbed a stool and ordered eine bier, this time with a little more savior faire. Buoyed by this success I noticed they had bar meals going as well so I ordered Schnitzel Goulasch. While this was going on, a bloke started chatting to me and I answered in English. God bless him, he spoke enough English for us both. Like so many folk in Bonn, he sings in a choir. Actually two; one is for more senior folk aged 55+ and they sing 'modern songs'. I never really got to understand what he thought was modern because he then said that every three months they got together with another choir but this choir has members aged 18-25. The two choirs then perform a concert together singing songs they have been practicing separately. The delight in his face as he was telling me about their performances; how there was so much laughter and enjoyment as the two very different choirs shared their music; how the audience would stand, clap and then dance to the music. It was lovely!
I made the mistake of asking if he played an instrument. He did play guitar and banjo in (you guessed it!) a Dixieland band. I managed to smile and say how 'noice'. Actually, having tried to play a bit of guitar myself I could empathize with him about how challenging the chords would be in Dixieland. For that half moment, his face fell for the only time that evening. He held his somewhat gnarled left hand up and told me how heart broken he was when his doctor told him that he would have to stop playing guitar.
But as quickly as it fell, his smile returned and he told me how he was now learning piano and how passionate he was about boogie-woogie piano. He'd ridden his bike in from Poppelsdorf (about 5-6km) just for the performance.
With that the Goulasch arrived and the piano player sat down and began to play.
It was great! The Goulasch was like a dark meat soup that was so hot! Hot from the pot but also from the paprika running through it. The little room had now filled up so that it was packed with maybe 50 people listening. So it was warming up with the latent heat of people, but every couple of minutes I was compelled to remove my coat and then the jumper I was wearing as the heat of the soup relentlessly left me a sodden little puddle at the bar. Not even a couple of beers and some brown bread were enough to put out the growing fire.
In the meantime, this piano player was bouncing along playing his tunes. For Allan and Helen, he actually looked a little like our now sadly departed Andrew Halmos. And could he play!
As luck would have it, my new friend and I thought there was to be a bass and drums as well but it was just the piano player and our spot at the bar was right behind him.
So I swiveled on the barstool between my soup and watching this guy's hands bounce wonderfully around the keyboard. Albert (I'm pretty sure that was his name) was watching him like a hawk, trying to work out the riffs and the timings. Albert seemed to spend half his time studying and the other half shaking his head and telling me how he could never play like this.
But almost as soon as he decided he could never play like that well, he was straight back to watching and studying. We clapped along to the faster songs and, like the rest of the crowd, we applauded delightedly at the end of each piece.
Wednesday night at Sonja's has a bit of a regular gig happening so I think I might keep my eyes peeled and head down for a drink and a cheap meal. It was a good night!
Sunday now and I thought I'd catch the 66 tram to its terminus in Bad Honnef. I did want to check out Rolanseck and Grafenwerth as I had already seen them with Nina who was showing me around as part of my orientation visit a couple of weeks back. I decided to walk up to Bad Honnef centre as it was getting on toward time for a coffee and I thought I'd find a bakery and fill up with some portable lunch - bread rolls and scroll of some kind would get me thru the day I hoped.
Believe it or not, there was a trash and treasure market happening in the town city hall square (or Rathausplatz, as they say here). If you could close your ears, it was as if you were at the local suburban market in any town in Australia. Cars and trailers were backed into position and goods were laid out in tables or bed sheets on the ground.
For Rob, I saw German Zane Gray paperbacks. I know Rob's dad was a big fan of the paperback western.
For my dad, I was watching a guy going through a box of 'junk' (although Dad has a special definition of junk, hence the inverted commas above) and it was so familiar. The guy looking to buy was trying not to look too interested as he checked every single item in the box. And the guy selling the 'junk' was watching like a hawk and you just knew no matter whatever the buyer held up, it was going to cost 1 Euro and you knew the whole box had only cost 2 Euro for the whole thing! So strange to watch this playing out when I'd seen it happen so often more than 22 flying hours away back in Melbourne.
So the half hour I spent checking out the market was just good fun. I'd have been there longer if I had enough German to read their second hand books.
So filled with coffee and with lunch in the pack, I headed back to the river. The trip from the main railway station in Bonn to Bad Honnef takes about 30 minutes. The tram spends about half of this time underground and the rest On the surface. But the last 6-7 stops are all on the surface and follow the Rhine with only a paved walk/bike trail between the tram and the river. It is very picturesque and gets you ready for how restful and pretty Bad Honnef really is. A genuine village just 15km from Bonn.
Just a quick walk over the bridge near the station gets you to the island of Grafenwerth. Set up with a Biergarten, Nina told me this is one of the places to come when the weather improves and the trees are green. Open playing fields abound, the pub is well set up for many people to sit outside and enjoy a quiet, sunny afternoon with the river on both sides. The smaller inlet has rowing boats and pleasure craft while the main channel has the barges and tankers running their standard route; the cargo must get through!
But nothing was open today so I'll put this one into the memory bank and make sure to get down here in the spring or summer time.
The other place Nina had told me about was Rolandseck station. Built in the 1850's, it is something of an iconic structure and has attracted folk with an artistic bent since that time. Today the basement is set up as the Arp Museum. Dedicated to Hans Arp, one of the founders of the Dada school back the early 1900's. It was about then that my eyes began to glaze over a little; rather than pretend to be interested I'll be terribly honest and say that the building looks marvelous and I'm sure Herr Arp is a genius but his genius was a little lost on me.
I did walk up to the top floor of the station and found the Rolandseck Restaurant. This is one of those special places to dine, apparently. As I wandered up I noticed their specials of the day had no prices beside them. I took this to mean that if you were to dine here then the price would be unimportant. Apparently, this is the case. Come to the restaurant, enjoy the food, the ambience, the view and work an extra week to pay for it. Might be me one for the 25th anniversary Pete?
To get to the Rolandseck station, you have to catch a ferry across the Rhine. This is still a bit of fun for me and hasn't become the chore it obviously is to the locals. Half way across the river you can see another part of a collapsed medieval castle way up on the hill.
Once I'd stumbled around the station for a bit, I headed up to the ruin. I know hills make great fortification sites but the always seem to pick the highest, steepest gradient to plonk them! And our German friends have no hesitation in cutting paths that seem to run directly up the hill rather than in nice easier switch back style path ways. I guess the good part is the climb might be tough but it is over quickly. As ever, the views from these vantage points are breathtaking. There has been a mist over the region for the last few days but today had a bit of a breeze flowing and, with any luck, the pictures will show clear views of the river and Bad Honnef.
Here's the view from the river looking up to the arch. I love that the arch is called 'Rolandsbogen'; it's a tough climb so maybe only bogans should try it?!



What do you think?I tried one image to look through the arch and see the Drachenfels castles (medieval and 19th Century) off in the distance.

 

I struggled back down to the river, the ferry and then back on the train. This picture shows the ferry half way across the river looking back from the arch.

Just another lovely day. It is neat to be extending my range; this time using the tram system.
I would like to get a bike but I have found that Germany doesn't import a great deal of anything from China. All the bikes are German made and are absolutely wonderfully engineered but the down side is the cheapest new bike I've seen is around 500 Euro. But I have found a second hand bike shop near the University and I might head there and see what they have to offer for something a little more affordable. Having a bike would be fun and seriously extend my range around town, especially along the river as it is pretty flat along there. The second hand bike shop might be due for a visit next weekend.
Talk to you soon!