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Published: June 12th 2017
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View of Wartburg from our hotel window
If you are able to zoom on this picture you can see it at the top of the hill. We have been very busy since leaving Amsterdam and I just have not taken the time to update the blog! Car rental in Amsterdam was close by our hotel and went very smoothly with the help of a nice gentleman with a brother living in the US. The drive from Amsterdam to Eisenach took about 4.5 hours and was pleasant and straightforward. For those of you who haven't experienced the German Autobahn, it is quite an experience! Most of the time there is no speed limit and if traffic conditions allow, some drivers take full advantage. We cruised at about 130 kph (about 80 mph) and were often passed by cars which made it seem we were standing still. Thankfully, German drivers are very disciplined and move to left lanes only to pass and then quickly move right. God forbid if you stay in the passing lane and someone comes up behind you wanting to pass. Lots of flashing lights and honking horns!
Our hotel was right in the historic part of town and seemed historic itself. Very "dated" as they say but charming perhaps out of the sixties. Many of you may know that the area where Bach lived
Home of Johann Ambrosius Bach
Sebastian Bach's father lived and worked here until 1674. The family then moved to another larger house where J.S was born. Unfortunately, that house no longer exits. and worked (Thuringia) came under control of the Soviet Union after WWII. This may have been "good news - bad news". The good news is that not much development was done so a lot has been preserved. And according to our guide, the Soviets were very accommodating in allowing the East Germans to continue to practice their religion and maintain their churches. On the other hand, much of the architecture of recent buildings looks very Soviet Bloc. Also, according to our guide, the citizens were not allowed to learn English. Consequently, we found most people, even in the hospitality businesses did not speak English. But, we certainly got by. We were just spoiled by Iceland and Amsterdam where everyone spoke English.
The next morning we met our guide, Eva Hedwig, who showed us around the historic part of the city. Eisenach is the city of Bach's birth and where he spent the first ten years of his life. As most of you know, Martin Luther also has a strong connection to Eisenach. This is the 500th anniversary of the posting of the 95 thesis by Luther in 1517 and there are major celebrations all over Europe. Luther spent some
Luther House
House where Martin Luther lived while he was a student in Eisenach student years in Eisenach and then was "imprisoned" in Wartburg castle by the local duke which saved him from being executed. So, the Eisenachers are having a double celebration this year.
J.S. Bach was baptized in St. Georges church. He only lived in Eisenach until he was ten so there is no evidence that he ever performed here. However, given the active musical family into which he was born (his father was head of town music, uncle church organist, etc.) it would not have been surprising. The young Bach certainly got his musical grounding here.
As most of you know, I am very interested in J.S. Bach and his music. One goal of this trip is to visit all of the places where he lived and worked. Luckily, he did not travel far and, with one exception, all the locations are withing about a 100 mile radius.
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