Monday, July 30, 2012

Freiburg Cathedral

We briefly toured the Freiburg cathedral, spending a bit more time with the surrounding market day and downing a last couple wursts, but enjoying the cathedral nonetheless.
The cathedral as it appeared in the 1820s


















In July, 2012; sorry about all the trucks; market day was ending



















The construction was largely sandstone and in
need of ongoing renovation



















1295, right?














The usual Last Judgment tympaum at the stern, unusually painted; the Hell
section, of course















Nave view














Altar panel, coronation of the Mother Goddess; alas, I didn't catch the artist's name














Because the putti peering out from under Mary's robes is as cute as any of Rafael's















Speaking of putti, this is only the 2nd cathedral we have seen in Europe that
provided work space for the little ones















Very old medallions in the window here














And a nice sandstone Fall tympanum

Freiburg

We drove on to Freiburg and found the modestly-priced stellplatz, where we stayed a couple of nights. The first was an administrative day--the wash--the second we ventured the 20 minute walk into the old city.
On the walk in, a wild flower lawn at one of the apartment
complexes















Downtown scene


















I like public transportation as much as the next person, but
when the sculpture is entrapped, it's a bit much















In one of the fast-flowing canals, a sculpture, The Crocodile














Soap bubble blowing machine outside a toy store; we're
very attentive to toy stores these days















Frau Merkel lemon press














Market day in the cathedral square; the marble merchant;
when was the last time you saw marbles for sale like this?















One of the beautiful burgher houses on the square














As elsewhere in Germany, outdoor sculpture everywhere














Leaving town the next day, a Goggomobil...cute, small 50s-
ish coupe; when it pulled away, it sounded much like a
lawnmower; further research revealed Goggomobils were
powered by 2 cylinder, 2 stroke engines, capable of 18.5hp;
a very powerful lawnmower; sorry, VW won that race

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Bad Wimpfen

Having concluded our business in Rothenburg obT, we headed south and west, aiming for the Black Forest and then Freiburg, before entering Switzerland to see Basel. We were drawn to Bad Wimpfen by its promise of a free stellplatz, which we found right by the train station, overlooking the Neckar River. Bad Wimpfen turned out to be a beautiful medieval town, something of a resort now, full of more half-timbered houses, towers, a wall, and a major surprise as we strolled about in the early evening.
The Neckar, from Bad Wimpfen, near our campsite



More beautiful old half-timbered buildings


















Thus



And thus, which is actually a local bank, advertising "off- line banking" and
a logo of shaking hands
















The steeples of the city church



I was so proud to get this great shotof the steeples on
a wall of a nearby tower





















And then staggered to see that said tower had been built in 1200








The Blauer Tower








Walls of the fortress, built in 1200, we learned, just following the reign of
Frederick Barbarossa, who had stayed in Wimpfen some years before; part
of his Holy Roman Empire









More of the walls










Secondary tower

















About the fortress








The Kaiserpfalz, same vintage













Impressed by Bad Wimpfen, we drove on the next day on the Burgstrasse,
"castle road," along the Neckar










Taking in a few more castles; but the weather turned ugly, and our drive through
the Black Forest to Freiburg saw mostly clouds and rain

More Rothenburg obT

Some more RobT pix, under the general heading of religion in Rothenburg.
An interesting chapel outside the walls, with very old-looking
frescoes



















And this, the 1298 pogrom memorial stone; unfortunately, not the last such 
event in Rothenburg















In the Franciscan church in town


















This Tilman  Riemanschneider altar panel














One of the several Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas stores, for which Rothenburg is
 most famous















A clandestine shot inside the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas crap
museum



















And, at the main St. James city church


















One of the greatest of all German church carvings,
Riemanschneider's Holy Blood, c. 1505




















A bit closer-up; it is displayed against a west-facing set of
windows, not helpful for viewing in the afternoon...




















Current altarpiece, by Friedrich Herlin, 1466; nice
windows too



















Interior of St. James


















Although Calvinism never achieved great success in Germany, capitalism is
alive and well (in the church gift shoppe); sic transit, Gloria

Rothenburg obT

No umlaut, but always "ob den Tauber." We have been to RobT before, several times. I have always figured it was Germany's answer to Italy's San Jimmy-Johnny (we had been living in Dallas, too long, when we first went to San Gemignano) in Tuscany. We had business in RobT this time, however, with Kathe Wohlfahrt, and so spent an actually pleasant day both within and without the famous city walls. It was but a short drive from Nuremburg in the pleasant Bavarian countryside.
On the main square














Rathaus, with the usual clockwork
foolishness



















Seriously impressive half-timbered old buildings throughout














Plönlein with Kobolzeller Steige and Spitalgasse 














The tour buses were massing for attack at this point, so we
decided to walk some of the walls 















Both inside and outside the town


















Looking back toward town














Passing through a nicely ornamented vineyard














A beautiful park and gardens














More towers


















And towers














And towers