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.