Germany – Page 21

Second Day – Solo in Germany

September 4, 2015 JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Frankfurt, Germany

In 2015, I visited Frankfurt by myself because John was too busy with his company. I really wanted to go right at that time, early September because that would allow me to help celebrate my sister’s 50th birthday and my mother’s 80th birthday at the annual family reunion hosted by Klaus’ family. I would only stay a little over a week and managed to see different family members every day. My calendar was packed! Unfortunately, I didn’t take any notes, and some of my photos were lost along with my phone (always back up your phone!!!), so it is difficult to fill in these entries so much later with so little to work with.

On my second morning in Frankfurt, I headed to my mother’s again for a visit. This time, I decided to take a stroll down to the Main and across the Eiserne Steg.

Caroline Wise in Frankfurt, Germany

This was my best attempt at a selfie. The weather was nice enough not to need a sweater, even though it was early.

Frankfurt, Germany

I then walked across the Romerberg, back towards Zeil and Konstablerwache.

Frankfurt, Germany

I remember looking for a mailbox and finding one here at Liebfrauenberg.

Frankfurt, Germany

This is the view from upstairs in Zeil Gallerie, a shopping mall on Zeil, looking West. This was one of the few places I found in Frankfurt that had free WIFI and I stopped here a lot to chat with John.

Later that day, while visiting my mother, it turned out that her eye infection was getting much worse. Stephanie and I decided to bring her to the emergency room at the eye clinic and they admitted her. This took most of the rest of the day because the waiting room was packed.

First Day – Solo in Germany

September 3, 2015 JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise in Frankfurt, Germany

I landed in Frankfurt! What a relief after almost missing my connecting flight in D.C. because I thought I’d have to change terminals, which ended up not being true. I was the second last person to enter the plane before the doors closed! Continuing on that theme, in Frankfurt, I thought my bag was lost in transit for probably 10 minutes until I realized that the lonely black bag circling the baggage carousel was actually my red bag, flipped upside down. Somehow, I had never noticed that our bag wasn’t red on all sides. I texted John the good news while I was still able to use the airport WIFI.

Frankfurt, Germany

Since I landed at around 7.30 in the morning, I had told my sister and brother-in-law not to pick me up from the airport and headed towards my mother’s apartment using public transport. On the way, I bought my first day-ticket for public transport at the RMV store at Hauptwache.

Frankfurt, Germany

Afterward, I went for a walk past Hauptwache Cafe to the nearest post office to buy stamps. Businesses were just opening and I was amazed to see that the street cleaners are still using old-timey brooms made with twigs instead of leaf blowers.

Frankfurt, Germany

I had promised John I would write a card every day, and I already had one ready to go, which I had picked up at the Phoenix airport.

Frankfurt, Germany

Next, I strolled down Zeil towards Konstablerwache. Before I hopped on the train to Bornheim, I took a good look at all the fresh local produce for sale at the market.

Frankfurt, Germany

This is Saalburgstrasse. My mother’s house is the somewhat bluish one about four houses down on the right. Considering it had been cloudy when I landed, I was happy to see blue sky.

Jutta Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

My mom was so happy to see me. We had a lot to talk about and eventually decided to celebrate with a slice of plum cake at Café Eifler at the corner of Saalburgstrasse and Berger Strasse. I love plums (specifically, damson plums), and plum cake was very much in season and on offer everywhere. I ended up eating a slice just about every day I was in Germany.

It got late when I finally got to the Engelhardt’s, where we looked at their vacation photos (they had just returned from a trip to Japan!) and then fixed up my bed in the attic, where I sadly went to sleep by myself.

The Last Minutes

April 29, 2013 JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Grasping for details, wishing for another week, uncertain if we used our time the most effectively, I’m not ready to leave Germany. Faced with tomorrow’s reality of boarding a British Air flight to London before our non-stop to Phoenix, Arizona, I am looking for those things I somehow overlooked. I know this is an act of futility, but I cannot help but fall into nostalgia for the past month, and so I wish to live it all over again. Instead of taking the train we would normally travel on our way to Jutta’s apartment, we opt for a bus that will take us on a different route; maybe I’ll see something I missed. In fact, it works; the bus we have boarded is a hybrid with a display showing us what is powering the bus and what is being charged or powered during braking. Damn, this now has me wanting more time to explore the roads yet untraveled.

Would you like fries with your hotdog? Just after arriving in Germany and one of my first blog entries recounting those days, I shot a photo of two Frankfurters; I think the designer of that wiener had a hand in producing the French fry guy.

More than a few times, Caroline and I have stopped at Kamp Bakery on Bergerstrasse for one of these brie, lingonberry, cucumber sandwiches on a full-grain, oat, and raisin roll that has us wanting to bring a couple of dozen back to America. This is the perfect breakfast sandwich, well, a close second to pork belly sandwiches anyway.

Here in ‘our world, ‘ breakfast requires dessert, and Kamp delivers again. This seemingly average pastry is not as simple as it looks. This yummy treat is an erdbeer plunder (pronounced Airt-bear ploonder – strawberry Danish for us English speakers) and is one of Caroline’s favorites. Although the strawberry cream puff we shared in Fulda was in a league of its own.

From breakfast and the last visit to Jutta’s apartment, it was time for a final visit to Jutta in rehab. Only two hours we’ll get to spend with my mother-in-law, we have a date at 1:00 with an old friend of Caroline, anyway, two hours should be enough to say bye. Of course, there’s never enough time between family and friends when goodbyes are so long between hello’s, but we have a busy day and we know that we cannot relive the thousands of moments we have already shared during the previous four weeks. We had brought my computer with us to share some of the photos I’d taken, and then it was hug time. Followed by more hugs and the deepest gratitude from Jutta that we’d come over here to cheer her up during her recovery. With more hugs and waves goodbye, Caroline and I were again underway, this time to go visit Biggy The Chameleon and her caretaker.

Caroline Wise and friend in Frankfurt, Germany

Meet Angela (pronounced Angeela – not Anjeela); she’s the caretaker extraordinaire of the amazing Biggy; and a good friend of Caroline’s. With more than 18 years between the two having met last, the chemistry still runs strong between these two. If you want to know why they are posing with bananas, I suggest you think long and hard about what two young women over 25 years ago might have been talking about that required bananas. With only two and a half hours to catch up on the conversation, the women talk fast. Angela has finally met the love of her life (besides Biggy) his name is Ruben. He is a hot and zesty Spanish man who not only cooks using utensils from heaven, but he has fully melted his heart into Angela’s. We look forward to meeting him on a future visit to the States, that’s if Angela can pull herself away from visiting him every chance she gets. No time is ever enough when old friends find themselves to still be friends. As quickly as the three of us hit it off, we needed to move down the road. With big hugs and wishes to see one another again, we tried and tried to leave, and then, out the door, we were called back one last time. Angela presented Caroline with a mini-Biggy in toy form. Downstairs, our goodbyes were still not over. Out of her window, Angela waved goodbye for the next two minutes until we turned the corner on our way to the train. For all I know, she may still be waving out the window, tears rolling down her cheeks, and…..Nah, I’m sure she went back to her flat and started showering more love on Biggy The Chameleon.

Update: the reference to the bananas was left alone, but for discretionary reasons, I had to remove the original image.

Looking for details, I found some more. These are stolpesteine (stumbling stones) they are supposed to stop you as you “stumble” over them. After grabbing your attention, you are supposed to read the stones and give thought to what has been shared. In this case, the stolpesteine are at the Judengasse area (old Jewish quarter) and make note of people who came to an untimely end during World War II. It appears that the entire Zuntz family was murdered, four of them at Auschwitz.

Our walk from Konstablerwache through the former Jewish quarter was intended to take us to a nearby bembel shop. Bembel’s are the traditional Frankfurt apple wine jugs. My mother, at the last minute, meaning last night at midnight our time, asked if we could bring her a small flower pot. We had just finished packing, so I told her, “Of course not; we can’t bring you a bembel pot at the last minute; our bags are full.” But she is my mom, so we go anyway and decide we’ll just bring another bag with us and fill it with other stuff we were going to leave behind.

And the little details keep coming on. This one is embedded in the U-Bahn (subway) floor, a medallion between squares to give the floor a unique look. Each of the markers is different, and all of them are interesting.

One more ride on the U5 richtung Preungesheim (direction Preungesheim). This was our old train that we’d take two stops from Konstablerwache to Glauburgstrasse nearly every day when we lived here. We are on it this afternoon for the last visit to another favorite place that has already shown up a couple of other times here on my blog this month.

Eis Christina. I just had to have another Spaghetti Eis (spaghetti ice cream); you’ll have to read a previous entry for details on what spaghetti ice cream is. We split a Maxi portion; what else? The day turned sunny after a cold, damp start, and so half of Frankfurt showed up at this popular ice cream shop. Back in the ’90s, this place was a tiny shop a couple of doors up the street. After winning a couple of “Best of Frankfurt” awards, they needed to move to a much larger shop. Even with all of the extra seating (there used to be about none), they still have every chair filled with a dozen more people milling about eating their ice creams.

Klaus spent a good part of the day making dinner for us, a great departing treat for Caroline and me. Actually, the preparation started last night when he made the Bolognese sauce for the lasagna he would serve us tonight. When we got home from our day in the city, the house smelled delicious; it did last night, too. After nearly an hour’s wait, dinner was ready. The five of us collected around the table. Klaus served up his masterpiece, and then there was nothing left to do but enjoy his super-lecke (yummy) dinner. None of us can believe that it’s already been nearly a month since we flew into Frankfurt Airport, just five days after Jutta’s fall. While the girls continued their conversation, I headed upstairs to start working on this blog entry before trying to get us to sleep at a reasonable time for our early departure back to the airport.

It’s already 9:00 pm when this sunset unfolds. In Frankfurt, sunsets are a rarity, as in the inner city, one is surrounded by buildings in all directions. Up on Stephanie and Klaus’s third floor, I have a perfect view into the distance (over roofs, of course) to be witness to this nearly perfect sunset and the end of our time in Germany, for now.

Heading For The Exit

April 28, 2013 JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

This is how I feel today, Ausfahrt frei halten! Do not block the driveway! We are about to pull out of having parked ourselves in Frankfurt and don’t need to have anyone blocking our way; yes, we do.

This small sign is attached to a large wall, actually a small segment of what remains of the Staufermauer – old city wall. Built around 1180, the sign notes that this section was rebuilt in 1711 after the adjoining Jewish ghetto burned down.

We were on our way to the former location of the Jewish ghetto and a museum that has been dedicated to this part of Frankfurt’s history. This sketch by Peter Becker from 1872 titled “Hinterhäuser in der Judengasse” is part of the depiction and uncovered ruins that had been the small corner of Frankfurt where Jews were segregated over the centuries.

During excavation for a new building, the foundation walls and basements of the old Jewish ghetto were uncovered. It was originally the plan to simply build over them, but protests helped create the situation that the city and builder agreed to build a museum as a memorial to the dark history of Jewish isolationism that occurred not only in this city but in cities across Germany. Many of those people who walked the narrow streets and alleys in this compact, unsanitary ghetto were murdered during World War II.

This model in the Judengasse Museum depicts the cramped quarters Jews were forced to live in. Not only were they living with overcrowding due to the tiny area, but they also had little access to clean water and were often victims of crime and exploitation. In the 1860s there was a lifting of the ban that prohibited their travel. Many Jews tried leaving for what was thought were better lives in other cities, but that would all be crushed 70 years later with the onset of war.

There are a number of artifacts on display that were excavated during the archeological dig that ensued following the decision to protect the ruins of Judengasse. Another display features a few remaining parts of the old synagogue that was destroyed. It starts to become depressing here seeing items that had been handled by people who may have been marched out of their homes and deported, only to be murdered at the hands of people filled with rage and politically motivated hatred.

There are a couple of Mikwe (ritual baths) that were uncovered and are now viewable as part of the museum. Sadness accumulates while looking in and walking upon the stone passages that had once been used by people who unceremoniously were taken away and their memories buried along with their tortured souls. I need to get out of here.

Next to Judengasse is what remains of the Jewish Cemetery. During World War II, it was destroyed but following the war, it was partially restored and set as a memorial to honor those who died here. While walking along the wall, I came upon this marker, noting that Dora Kirchhoff, once a resident of Judengasse died during the war. Kirchhoff is a variation of the spelling of my maternal family name. One other interesting factoid I learned while here, the houses in which Jews lived had symbols on the outside of their homes; this often led to what they would take as their last names. The house with a red shield on it (Rote Schild) became Rothschild – yes, that Rothschild.

The good old Hamburger Royal with Käse – a quarter pounder with cheese can be ordered in Frankfurt on these automated kiosks to save you the time of standing in line. Of course, we ate at McDonald’s in Germany; it’s the Hamburger Royal, after all.

With less than 24 hours to go, we finally get a group picture, even if it’s a little cramped. From left to right: Katharina Engelhardt, Caroline Wise, Jutta Engelhardt, Stephanie and Klaus Engelhardt, and John Wise. Had we had another set of hands in the garden that could have snapped our photo, I would hopefully not loom so large over on the right side, but these self/group photos are a difficult task.

From visiting Jutta, we continued on the 12-train line out to Schwanheim for a visit to one of Christian Engelhardt’s favorite restaurants. He was Caroline’s paternal grandfather, and I needed to know what an old German guy thought was great food, as I have come to know that this man loved food, something he and I have in common.

The place of our pilgrimage is called Frankfurter Hof Seppche. Staying with the theme of trying Frankfurt specialties, we start the meal with händkase, and Caroline opts for another apple wine. I ordered the giant plate of meat with roasted potatoes and mushrooms and loved it. The grüne sosse just seems like the perfect meal for Caroline, and she orders it for the last time during this visit to her home country.

Leaving Seppche, we take notice of their great sign, a Bembel surrounded by a wreath. Back when I lived in Germany, I thought German food was boring. Nothing but boiled flavorless foods, oh, how I was wrong. I suppose I should reevaluate a lot of my perceptions and prejudices I entertained back in my 20s and early 30s, but today, right here, right now, is not the time as I race the clock to finish yet one more blog entry.

Back on streetcar number 12 for our return to Frankfurt. How long before our next visit? I hope it’s not another 18 years.

Winding Down

April 27, 2013 JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Seventy-two hours to go before we depart on our return to America. Time is short. What hasn’t been done by now won’t be. That isn’t to say there is nothing to do. We won’t sit still twiddling our fingers. Matter of fact, we would have headed north tomorrow to Köln (Cologne) and then over to Venlo, Holland, but a cold rain has set in over central Europe, so we’ll hang out and keep Jutta company. During the early day today though, we have some chores. First up was buying a guitar case for a guitar owned by Caroline’s grandfather. Having the car today instead of taking the train creates huge delays, as finding parking is never easy if there isn’t a nearby parking garage. By the time we get to Bergerstrasse, we’re both super hungry. On the way to pick up a sandwich through the Saturday open-air market, I spotted these strange-looking berries that I wasn’t sure if they were raspberries or strawberries. Turns out they are an old-fashioned type of strawberry not cultivated for mass consumption anymore. Maybe they’ll make a comeback with their incredible flavor, which is not 100% strawberry. But they are expensive at $6.00 for two small handfuls of the super sweet-tasting berries.

Weeks ago, I wrote of my being enamored with pork-belly sandwiches, with only a couple more opportunities to delight in them; this was my choice for breakfast today. During this time, I’ve nearly become friends with one of the ladies who works here at Erich Zeiss Metzgerai (butcher). While I fetched my meal, Caroline was back over at Bäckerei Kamp (bakery) getting a full-grain dark bread sandwich with brie, cucumber, lettuce, and lingonberries, also a favorite of ours. She also picked up a couple of slices of strawberry cake that we were taking to share with Jutta.

Having found a great parking spot, we were loath to leave it. Instead, we dipped into the U-Bahn tunnel to catch a train. We were also testing the idea that instead of taking streetcar #12 all the way to southwest Frankfurt, maybe it was quicker to take the subway part of the way and then pick up the streetcar. The verdict is out as it felt about the same, nor do we have any empirical proof that could sway the jury.

Jutta’s certainly feeling much better; her first question for us upon our arrival was asking if we’d like to take a walk outside. She hadn’t realized that the temperature had dropped into the cold and that it was currently raining. Instead, we walked over to the dining room of the rehab center and grabbed a pot of coffee and some forks as we sat down to chat over some yummy strawberry cake.

For the next hours, we bounced around the conversation and shared details of yesterday’s trip to Strasbourg, France while Jutta recalled her visits. While she’s been so very happy to see, she’s also encouraged us to get out and see a few things; we obliged her with those trips to Wattenmear, Denmark, Lübeck, Magdeburg, Lünaburg, Dresden, Eisenach, Bautzen, Görlitz, Poland, and Prague. Before we know it, time has flown out the window, and we have to get moving to finish the remaining chores. We bid Jutta adieu and walked back to the train stop without the duffel we intended to pick up, though we didn’t realize that until just before arriving back at Jutta’s apartment. Part of our intentions today was to test pack; without that bag, we’ll have to postpone. So it goes.

After packing up what we could at Jutta’s into plastic bags and putting the guitar in its new case, it was after 6:00, and we were getting hungry. Thought about stopping on the way back to Stephanie and Klaus’s but decided on one last return to the Lahme Esel restaurant. Good thing we didn’t go directly there because after asking the Engelhardt’s if they’d like to join us, a call was made for table availability, where we found out that there was nothing until 9:00. Okay then, a late dinner it is. Caroline opted for the Grüne Sosse, and I took the meat fantasy plate. My dinner was the Bäcker-Schaufel or Bakers Shovel, and a shovel of food it was. Two pieces of pork steak, rump steak, hamburger steak, sausages, bacon, fried potatoes, mushrooms, and a salad. I have to say it again: twenty years ago I thought traditional German food was kind of boring, but when this trip ends I’ll be doing my fair share of missing this style of cooking as my opinion has changed greatly. Oh, how I love German food.

Strasbourg, France in a Day

April 26, 2013 JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Speyer, Germany

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until seven years after the trip. It should be noted that this was a huge mistake. Sometimes after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip or even during, I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

Wait a minute, I’m not ready to go home. With just a few days left in Europe and having already been on a few road trips, I thought we could squeeze in one more. To have spent a month here and only visited four countries felt wrong; I just knew that if we could hit a fifth, I’d feel complete. So, after a whole day back in Frankfurt, we got back in the rental car and headed south. The first stop on our way to France was in Speyer, Germany.

Speyer, Germany

Ten years before Christ, some Romans camped here, but back then, Speyer didn’t exist, and it really was only a camp along the Rhine River. One hundred sixty years later, there was an official Roman village going by the name Noviomagus. But then the Roman Empire crumbles and some Teutonic Nemetes move into the area and call their settlement Civitas Nemetum. By the 5th century, that village was destroyed. For nearly 200 years, nothing much happened until the 7th century when the city of Spira rose on these lands. By 1030, the town of Speyer needs a cathedral and work gets underway, and we are deep in the Holy Roman Empire. Soon after that, a Jewish community was established, but by 1349 it was destroyed.

Speyer, Germany

And that, more or less, brings us to today. Okay, there is that part of the Holy Roman Empire going on for another 500 years until the Napoleonic Wars brought that to an end in 1806, but this isn’t some kind of history lesson. We are tourists out for ice cream and lounging in the sun as soon as we visit some churches. First up was St. Joseph’s Church, but we didn’t go in there because it wasn’t built until 1914 and we don’t visit churches that are under 200 years old.

Speyer, Germany

Oh, this looks promising: the Gedächtniskirche der Protestation or, in English, The Memorial Church of the Protestation. Started building in 1893 and was completed in 1904; too bad about our requirements for the 200-year-old thing, nobody can be expected to make the effort to visit two churches and not go in at least one of them, so here we go.

Speyer, Germany

Great, we couldn’t enter The Memorial Church of the Protestation, so we went back to St. Joseph as by now we really needed some church. Hmmm, it looks adequately old to me. Now it’s time to go make my protestation to the local authorities.

Speyer, Germany

Right on over to City Hall, and wouldn’t you know it? They were closed! Lucky for them, I was going to go on the Internet and write the worst review ever of Speyer when someone on the street, seeing our need for the kind of relief that only a visit to an old church can offer, directed us over to the Speyer Cathedral. But first, some history lessons.

So, if you’ve paid attention to this journey across Germany, you’ll know that almost a week ago, we were visiting the Wartburg in Eisenach looking for signs of Satan in the room where Martin Luther threw his inkpot at the appearance of Herr Böse Teufel a.k.a. The Evil One. Oh, I didn’t share that part? I guess I’ll have to go update that part of my blog because there were other details, like how when we didn’t find the devil, his buddy Mephistopheles showed up and momentarily possessed Caroline, Exorcist style, but the rest of the details will be found in my update over there. I swear.

Anyway, that’s not in any way the history I was looking to share. The city of Speyer, back on the 19th of April 1529, was the site where six princes and representatives of 14 Imperial Free Cities petitioned the Imperial Diet to lift the Imperial ban on Martin Luther and called for these Catholic blokes to allow the evangelical faith to do what it wilt. Crowley later came along and changed that quote to “Do what thou wilt,” but my understanding is that these things are connected, or was it when Caroline was possessed that the Dark Prince channeled this nonsense?

Speyer, Germany

Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen. Hopefully, by now, you aren’t wondering if anything is true and asking what is permitted. Of course, once in the life of my blog, I needed to reference this line from William Burroughs, who was quoting Betty Bouthoul’s 1936 book The Master of the Assassins: “Nothing is true, everything is permitted.” The astute reader, having dealt with my prior musings about defenestration, the Roman Empire and its Holy version, World War Zero, demons, classical music, wetlands, yarn, and a ton about food, is probably asking, “Are you including this literary reference for any particular reason?” And my answer is a resounding “No!” I need filler for this blog post because, as my disclaimer says above, this is written seven years after the event and I’m pulling from aging memories. What would you have to say about a 1000-year-old church built in the Romanesque style if this was your blog?

Speyer, Germany

Well, isn’t this quite royal and majestic?

Speyer, Germany

No time for altars when we can be rewarded with visiting the crypt where eight German Kings are entombed, with four of them having been crowned Holy Roman Emperors by the Pope. Due to ridiculous privacy laws in Germany, I’m not allowed to show their coffins, so here’s some empty corner of the crypt instead.

Forest near the French Border in Germany

Down this road is the home that the 1997 movie Funny Games was based on, but this is as far as we got. If you’ve not seen that incredibly painful thriller, and I’m not talking about the lame 2007 remake, which was lame like the 2013 remake of OldBoy because the 2003 version of OldBoy from Park Chan-wook forced you to wash your eyes with bleach after seeing it and while I’m at it, Serbian Film was another one of those WTF did I just watch and is it even legal? So why didn’t we go further down the road to satisfy our interest in the macabre? Because this isn’t the road and the movie wasn’t based on a true story, I just liked looking into the forest here.

Forest near the French Border in Germany

Have you figured out that my wife likes creepy crawlies?

Caroline Wise and John Wise entering France from Germany

Speaking of creepy crawlies, here we are entering France.

Strasbourg, France

The car is parked, and we are on foot, ready to explore as much of Strasbourg as time allows. From here, we cross over the waters that originate in the Rhine River to enter the Grand Island.

Strasbourg, France

Not a monument, not a church, just a corner that looked interesting.

Strasbourg, France

I love these kinds of views built before the need for wide, straight, long streets for cars. I could live here.

Strasbourg, France

How many hundreds of years has this been accumulating grime and wear?

Caroline Wise in Strasbourg, France

It looked very unfamiliar, so this just had to be lunch. We split it and I can’t tell you anything else about it except I see cabbage and sausage.

Bakery in Strasbourg, France

Nobody goes to France and stays away from sweets.

Caroline Wise in Strasbourg, France

Nobody.

Strasbourg, France

Streetside flowers…

Strasbourg, France

…and rows of bicycles. Now we just need some pain (bread).

Strasbourg, France

Should you pick up a hint of Germanic influence here, you’d be correct, as Strasbourg is right on the border, with most people here also speaking German.

Strasbourg, France

The famous Kammerzell House, built back in 1427 is both a restaurant and a small hotel. On the list to return to and stay a couple of nights.

Strasbourg, France

Started 998 years ago in 1015, the Strasbourg Cathedral reigned as the tallest building on earth for 227 years until 1874 when a church in Hamburg, Germany, grabbed the title.

Strasbourg, France

Majestic.

Strasbourg, France

When we consider that these churches built a thousand years ago were done so by hand, I suppose it’s easy to understand why a cathedral such as this could take 424 years from start to finish. To those of us living in the 21st century, it’s inconceivable that a building might require 17 generations of people to have come and gone before the doors finally open for business. To gain a bit more perspective, it is as though your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was there when the first stone was laid down.

Strasbourg, France

Sculpture of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives in the transept of the cathedral.

Strasbourg, France

One hour, one visit, and in this time, I must bring in all that I may ever see with my own two eyes. How fortunate I am to have photographs to jog the memories of the exact conditions that were found in the Strasbourg Cathedral on the very day I was here with Caroline. I don’t believe any of it will look quite the same for anyone else who has visited or will visit in the future. For the past 8,742,500 hours, this place of worship has stood here, and of those millions of hours, I get but one.

Strasbourg, France

There’s no denying the iconography of the church is poetic and often beautiful, even in tragedy.

Strasbourg, France

Two photos above, your gaze takes you into one corner and then to the other side, and looking back, there is so much that is different. What would things have looked like at dawn in here had we been able to visit and wait for the sun to rise? How about this evening when we’re driving home? What was the atmosphere during sunset? In two days, it will be Sunday, and the environment will again be something altogether different. I wish I could have hung around.

Strasbourg, France

This is the third astronomical clock that has been here in Strasbourg Cathedral. The first one, built in 1352-1354, was dismantled between 1572-1574. The second one was being built on the opposite wall of the first with a golden cockerel surviving from the first clock, most of this clock is preserved in the Museum of Decorative Arts right here in Strasbourg. The third clock, which we see today, was started in 1838 and wasn’t ready for business until the summer of 1843.

Strasbourg, France

I can’t help but get lost in the intricate details that abound.

Strasbourg, France

I want to drag every corner, every statue, every perspective, and every smell home with me.

Strasbourg, France

While the cathedral is nearly 1000 years old, the city of Strasbourg celebrated its 2000th birthday back in 1988.

Cheese Cave in Strasbourg, France

This is Maison Lorho and is almost up there with the cathedral for being a place of wonder. When we walked in, blowers over the door created an air curtain to maintain the environment inside this shop. This is effectively a cheese cave. How strange it is to my American eyes to see cheese of so many types and so much of it unwrapped, waiting for buyers. We didn’t leave with so much as a sample as we had no intention of buying any. We have 72 hours left in Europe, and cheese is not one of the items that will travel very well over the 14 hours we’ll be in transit between Frankfurt and Phoenix. We dream of this shop and nearly cry when seeing the poor selection at Whole Foods, which is still far superior to any of our grocery stores. Even the average grocery store on the side of the road between Montreal and Quebec in Canada has a better selection than what we find in Arizona. I think Americans are closet cheese haters unless we are talking about the individual yellow slices wrapped in plastic we call cheese.

Strasbourg, France

Cafe De La Chaîne D’Or has been here since 1522 and is on our radar for that return visit. The Alsatian specialties on the menu have me drooling while I write this, just as the sauerkraut specialties on the Kammerzell House menu were doing to me as I was writing that.

Update: as of late November 2023, the cafe has permanently closed.

Strasbourg, France

Sure, the sun would have been nice, but glistening cobblestones have their own touch of magic.

Strasbourg, France

The money shot was found right here at the intersection of Petite France.

Strasbourg, France

On our way, we chase steeples while also taking the time to see more of the Grand Island here in the center of Strasbourg.

Strasbourg, France

This is the Renaissance tombstone of Nikolaus Roeder von Tiersberg, who died in 1510; he’s also the person who gifted the Sculpture of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives we saw earlier in the cathedral. I should point out that we are at St. Thomas’ Church.

Strasbourg, France

Quite the ornate Mausoleum of the Marshal of Saxony here in St. Thomas’. I’d never heard of him, but to the Germans, he was Hermann von Sachsen; to the French Maurice de Saxe, but at his core, he was the son of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. You can learn a lot about history by visiting the old churches in Europe.

Fast Food in Strasbourg, France

A stop at Super Hamburger on Rue Des Hallebardes, where they feature “Famous Sausages,” was our ticket for some fast French street food. With this final stop, it was time for the two-hour drive back to Frankfurt.