Blogs from Thuringia, Germany, Europe

Nachdem wieder eine erfolgreiche Woche zu Ende gegangen ist, habe ich am Samstag die Anlage Mittelbau Dora besucht. Dazu bin ich durch den Harz nach Nordhausen in Thüringen gefahren. Ich war dann dort zuerst im Museum und habe auch meinen Nachmittagskaffee getrunken, bevor ich an einer Führung teilgenommen habe. Wir waren dabei am alten Appellplatz und sind danach in die Stollenanlage. Diese ist wirklich sehr sehenswert. Am Ende bin ich wieder zu meinem Auto und durch den Harz zurück gefahren.... read more

Aamupalan jälkeen kävelin asemalle, ja ostin Weimariin menopaluulipun, johon sisältyi myös kummankin kaupungin paikallisliikenne. Jatkoin junalta Weimarin keskustaan bussilla. Kiersin keskustassa kävellen. Tarkeni t-paidassa. En käynyt museoissa. Pikkukujalta löytyi ravintola jossa söin lounaan, kun salaattipöytä sisältyi hintaan. Otin toisessa paikassa kahvin ja pullaa terassilla. Ohi meni ryhmä opiskelijoita, joilla oli erikoista ohjelmaa. He muodostivat kuvioita. Kävelin joen toiselle puolelle. Minun piti käydä katsomassa linnamuseo, mutta se oli suljettu. Kävin sitten Goethe-Stiller-arkistossa, joka oli vielä ilmainen. Vähän vilkaisin heidän alkuperäisiä kirjoituksiaan. Kävelin asemalle. Palasin klo 16.30 lähtevällä junalla. Tein vielä kiertoajelun ratikalla. Keskustasta löytyi vielä kivoja ravintoloita, joihin voisin palata. Kävin ostamassa vielä iltapalaa Tegutista. Myöhemmin ... read more

Some people prefer the Bratwurst. Others like the wines of the valleys around the Unstrut and Saale rivers. And there are people who are interested in celebrities like Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Mendelssohn and Luther. We come for all three of them. One problem: we had just one week. That is far too little for such an overpowering supply of culture. So we had to make a selection. Eisenach Eisenach sits at the western edge of Thüringia. It's a little village where Maarten Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach once lived. We took our old bikes and drove to the sacred spots of the past, shaking and trembling over the cobblestoned roads. At least you have to suffer a little as a pilgrim. In the Georgenkirche at the Marktplatz Luther used to preach. It's a simple church not ... read more

Up until now, we have been visiting smaller somewhat provincial cities and towns. What a change to arrive in Leipzig! It is the third largest city in Germany with a population of about 540,000 and over a million in its metropolitan area. It is also the fastest growing city in Germany. It was founded on trade and in Bach's time was an even more prosperous city relative to other German cities of the time. Bach and his family must have been overwhelmed after spending six years in tiny Kothen! We stayed in a lovely, recently remodeled VRBO in a beautiful neighborhood about two miles from the city center (Zentrum). Our daily walk into the old part of town took us through a beautiful park and over the Elster river. Once again, we were blessed with beautiful ... read more

The main purpose of this part of the trip is to visit the various cities and locations where J.S. Bach lived or worked. As I have mentioned, most of these places are within a relatively small area of Thuringia. Our travel logistics did not allow us to necessarily visit them in chronological order. I will try to give a brief outline for those who are interested. He was born in Eisenach March 23, 1685. Both of his parents died within months of each other when he ten years old. He then went to live with his older brother Johann Christoph who was organist at St. Michaels Church in a small town called Ohrdruf. Christoph was a student of Johann Pachelbel. Sebastian certainly got his basic musical training in Eisenach but he really developed his keyboard skills ... read more