Advertisement
Published: September 26th 2013
Edit Blog Post
So our blogs may be spaced strangely, but we have been very busy trying to snap photographs between the raindrops in Coburg, Bamberg and Wurzburg. We are, however, enjoying the gingerbread from Nuremberg, a product that they are well known for.
Our days in Coburg were particularly enjoyable due to the proximity of our parking stellplatz to the old town. Just a few minutes walk and we were thru an ancient gate and into the area of half-timbered houses, fountains and statues, market platzes as well as the Ehrenburg Schloss, the beautiful gardens and old and beautiful churches We took full advantage of sun on our first day in town and spent the remainder of our days, running in and out of shelters from the rain and visiting indoor venues.
My favorite experience was several hours in the Doll Museum, a collection in 30 rooms of over 1000 dolls and memorabilia from 1800-1956, including the grandmother of the Barbie Doll. A fire last December in nearby buildings threatened the collection and the firemen assisted in rescuing the valuable dolls, toys, carriages, clothing, tea sets and tea dolls as well as dolls from all over the world, from a fire
that was within 20 meters of one wall. The water damage has been repaired and the glass cases for all, enables visitors to enjoy and photograph these treasures.
As we walked around the churches on the sunny day, church bells were ringing to celebrate 2 weddings near the Schloss Platz.
Our final day included a windy and rainy visit to the Fortress above the town. A private bus makes the climb up to the massive structure easier The 4 floors of a collection of over 300,000 tin pieces was amazing. They are all handcrafted and hand painted to represent times in history through out the world, battles, expeditions, court functions, weddings, etc. These presentations are in huge dioramas, shadowboxes, small and large vignettes, with handcrafted backgrounds to fully display the phenomenal talent and skill of the tin crafters.
Our visit to Bamberg was facilitated by having a campground 4 minutes from the major bus route that took us to the Old City and information office. We visited the Cathedral (Dom), and found our way to a huge Rose Garden that overlooks the city. We found that like our former trips to Europe, you can tell if a
building or structure or statue is very important, it may be covered with scaffolding or entirely unavailable due to restoration, reconstruction or need for same. We were however able to join a tour of the Residenz of the Duke and Duchess, now known as the New Palace. All visitors must be a part of a formal 1 1/2 hour tour, that is entirely narrated in German. Placards in English, French and Italian gave the basic information, but our guide was fluent in English and made an effort to let those of us who spoke English have some information as the group was moving from room to room. The tour was very well done and the visuals hardly need explanation.
CAUTION: if a local says " oh the bus, market, whatever is just a bit down or up !the road, an easy 15 minute walk" RUN! Well, actually don't run, just nod graciously and prepare to HIKE or use a motor scooter or bike or MH. Some of our most energetic outings have been a result of following those directions.
Although 80% of the buildings in Wurzburg were destroyed by bombing in 1945, the city is amazingly restored and
the streets and roads are as convoluted as any we have seen. But the public transportation system is simple, on time and keeps novices from battling traffic patterns. The #9 bus goes from one tourist highlight to another on a "jump on and off" system to enable walkers to more easily see all of the 'sights'. A walking tour map is easily followed to the primary sights.
One of our first sights was a connected Baroque church and a building with awesome Rococo exteriors. As mentioned before, it sometimes becomes difficult to find church entrances amid all the commercial enterprises at the base. This was not true at the Dom or St. Killian Cathedral, that is the fourth largest cathedral in Germany, one of the many buildings burned out in the bombing in 1945. Some of the original stucco remains, but modern craftsmen have returned it to it's former elegance. continuing work until 1989.
Nearby the Residence Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is an amazing and vast complex, originally commissioned by two Prince Bishops. The immensity and glory of the buildings and gardens leave all to wonder at the ability of these cities to literally 'rise from
the ashes' as Wurzburg and Dresden , as an example, have. The State of Bavaria now owns most of the buildings that were originally royal properties as well as other significant buildings in the Bavarian cities that we have visited. The gardens are spectacular in themselves and we saved our touring for the Fortress on the Hill. We do have a DVD of a tour of the interior and it is narrated in English.
The Fortress Marienberg towers over the city and was originally a Celtic stronghold that has evolved over the centuries as a residence for the Prince Bishop and now houses 2 major museums and is open to the public and accessible by car or the touring bus.
As we returned to our Campground in Estenfeld we made up for our bus tripping all day, by a strenuous 25 minute hike up the hill. No rain fell today, so we are dryer and warmer and will move on to Rothenberg.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.064s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 12; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0304s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb