Rudesheim
During
that blistering hot summer in Europe we arrived in Rudesheim mid-afternoon
where it was 104 degrees. The town is small and probably best known for the
enormous 35-foot high stone statue of Germania, the female symbol of the
unification of the German Empire in 1871. It towers 1000 feet above the town of
Rudesheim, but it was just too hot to make the steep hike up to it.
It only took a short while to walk
the small city before we visited the music instrument museum. It was much
different than expected but interesting. There were many player pianos,
carnival organs, and gramophones on display. The thick walls of the old
building kept it a bit cooler than outside.
There was no air conditioning
anywhere in town. Other than the usual souvenir shops there were few shops.
After the museum we sat at a sidewalk café enjoying a chilled soda while dreaming of ice and something really cold.
Europeans simply do not understand cold.
Since we were eating in town that
evening we decided wile away the afternoon in town and meet at the restaurant
on the cobbled wine alley Drosselgasse at dinner time. The restaurant was very hot with no cross
ventilation. Ceiling fans would have been nice, but are not common. A small
band played good music, but it was so loud it eliminated any dinner
conversation. The food was fair at best, and the service very slow and
inconsistent.
We anticipated and looked forward to
the cool comfort of our air conditioned river boat cabin!
Wertheim
This is where Galileo
thermometers are made. In fact they are made nowhere else in the world. See
post of June2
The castle
sitting high up on the hill anchored walls that led from it surrounding the
city like a necklace. Originally 18 gates/towers surrounded the city. We ended
a city walking tour at the Plaza where the attraction was the red sandstone
Angel’s Well, built 1574. From here a fellow and I hiked up to the castle
leaving his wife and my travel buddy sitting by the well.
It was a
fairly easy walk. We walked most of the stairs up and the path-ramps down. The
view from the top was spectacular. These are Germany’s second largest castle
ruins. After the castle was destroyed a new one was built below, and now that
300-year-old castle is the city hall.
The tower
clock at the 1383 Gothic church is rather unusual. The tower was added 40 years
later. On the town side is a normal clock with both minute and hour hands so
workers would work to the last minute. But only an hour hand is on the clock
facing the castle, as the rulers were only interested in the hour, not the
minutes.
I need to
gather the info from all the unusual clocks I’ve seen in my travels and do one
comprehensive post. One day when I have the time to search through the mountain
of diaries!
Having made
several European river cruises I’ve really enjoyed the small towns along the
way. Unlike big cities , you have time to really see the town, learn its
history and visit with the people, who without exception, I’ve found friendly
and anxious to tell us about their hometown.
