Day 10 Worms and Frankenstein

The site at Bad Durkheim was really attractive. It is arranged on a central spine with offshoots on either side with room for 6 caravans. Each offshoot is named after something to do with wine. We were next to the lake in Ortega.  Ortega is a grape variety used for white wine; it is named in honour of the Spanish poet and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset. 

September is the time for the ‘Wurstfest’ in Bad Durkheim. Oddly enough there is no real sign of Wurst, or sausage or any kind, but plenty of sign of wine.  We naturally had to purchase a few bottles (Portugieser, and Spatburgunder) tocontribute to its success.  There was a very big fair in town but unfortunately the weather on some days was not ideal for going to the fair.

Near Bad Durkheim is the unlikely village of Frankenstein which has nothing much in it apart from a very solid German railway station and a memorial to those killed in the war.

Worms on the other hand is one of the oldest cities in Germany and for a time hosted the parliament during the Middle Ages. It is famous for being the inspiration for Richard Wagner's Opera "Der Ring Des Nibelungen.’ And for ‘The Diet of Worms’

The Dom St Peter is one of the largest late-romanesque cathedrals in Germany. It was built between 1171-1230. Particularly memorable here were the five stone reliefs from the gothic cloister that no longer exists.

Dom St Peter,Worms

This magnificent church has four round towers, two large domes, and a choir at each end. The exterior is imposing; the impression produced by the interior is one of great dignity and simplicity which is heightened by the natural color of the red sandstone which it is built.
The church's original windows were destroyed by bombing in 1943.
The cathedral is 110 m long, and 27m wide and 36 m including the transept. The height in the nave is 26 m; under the domes it is 40 m.

In 1521 Luther was summoned to Worms by Charles V to a conference to explain himself.. At this ‘Diet of Worms’ he refused to retract his beliefs and was banished to the outer parts of the Empire. He took refuge in Wartburg Castle in Eisenach where he translated the bible into German. Luther’s basic position was that ‘we cannot earn forgiveness for our sins through our deeds, only God’s mercy justifies us.’ This idea led him into conflict with the Church – indulgences, acts of atonement, confession, the role of priests as mediators etc. He nailed his 95 Theses to the doors of Wittemberg Cathedral and thus set the stage for the Reformation and the Thirty Years War.

Day 9 to Bad Durkheim

Kreuzberg to Bad Durkheim went without a hitch. Having set up we went into Bad Durkheim. It's a very small town in the Rhineland with very little to comment on. After setting up we went in, had a look around, had a coffee and came back. The fair was on so the roads were all blocked.

Day 8 Cologne.

Today the sun shone brightly. The cathedral in Cologne is a real gem; in particular the stained glass windows are extraordinary. I’m not clear how they escaped the bombing when the whole of the centre of Cologne was really badly affected. There are postacrds and other tourist things that have phtos of the destruction of Cologne; it was pretty complete. There was not much peace visiting the cathedral though because it was so busy. Our first attempt was foiled by a service beginning so we went off and had a coffee. When we returned it was possible to look around but with little pleasure.

Cologne coffee and cakes - very nice

There are a lot of Romanesque churches in Cologne in one of which is buried St Albert the Great which I came across by accident. This is really only of interest to folks in Hemel - St albert the Great is one of the primary schools.

It was well worth visiting Cologne and there is a lot that could be said. It’s a busy, bustling city, full of life but hard to get to grips with in a few hours. The cathedral was the main attraction and that was achieved.   However you get used to visiting places when there are very few others around!

Moving south tomorrow so a certain amount of packing was required this evening to make it easier in the morning.

Day 7 Ahrweiler

A quieter day today.  We visited the Roman Villa at Ahrweiler. This is an a group of Roman houses found by accident when road widening in Ahrweiler was being undertaken in 1980. The whole excavation is housed in a building and walkways permit the visitor to see the work and research that is being undertaken.  Some fine mosaic and other artefacts are on display. This was a good find and completely unplanned.

Late lunch on the way back at a restaurant ‘Der bunte Kuh.’ Excellent schnitzel and a little local wine.

Days 5 and 6 Bonn

The campsite is in a valley in a very small village called Kreuzberg. It is a couple of miles from Mayschoss which I first visited on the school trip thirty years ago. It takes about 20 minutes into Bonn.

Today I started with ‘domestic admin’ then in the afternoon went to Remagen made famous by being ‘The Bridge Too Tar.’ It’s on the way to Bonn and seemed like a good thing to do. The bridge itself fell down causing the deaths of a number of American soldiers. Today there are just the two massive structures on either bank of the Rhine, one of which has been turned into a ‘peace museum.’

After that to the suburb of Endenich, Bonn. I wanted to see the house in which Schumann spent the last couple of years of his life. It now houses the Bonn music library. Ain the 19th century the house was owned by a doctor who was trying out new techniques for treating the mentally ill without the use of violence and punishment. Schumann went there voluntarily after a failed suicide attempt by jumping from a bridge into the Rhine; but he was rescued by some fishermen in a boat. Eventually he died of pneumonia.

The Schuman house in Endenich, Bonn

From there to the old cemetery in Bonn. The main interest was the grave of Clara and Robert Schumannn which Brahms was instrumental in setting up. Also there is Beethoven’s mother. That was hard to find because it is in disrepair and the name on it does not refer to her as Beethoven’s mother but by her unmarried name.

Weather a bit dull but no rain.

Jackie has given Giles time off for good behaviour. I picked him up from the airport on time at 6.30 pm.



Day 6

Still a bit dull. Went into Bonn via the villages initially rather than the motorway. The way of cultivating vines here is completely different from Italy and France. They are cultivated on what seem like vertical slopes of the mountains. God knows how they pick the grapes or work the vineyards. We stopped off at Ahrweiler which is a lovely walled village. Difficult to describe other than a typical small German village in this area, very colourful and interesting to wander around.

The aim in Bonn was the house in which Beethoven was born. It is in what is now a commercial quarter surrounded by modern shops. Inside though it is arranged as a museum with paintings, artefacts, manuscripts and instruments associated with the great man. It was really informative but it lacked atmosphere as a house in which people lived. There is no furniture, it’s all given over the museum.

We visited the other main sites in Bonn including the Minster church where Beethoven went for his Latin and Greek lessons, just a stone’s throw from his house.

Bonn is really a small city which is probably feeling the lack of being the capital city. All the government offices and parliament have now moved back to Berlin leaving Bonn a bit stranded.

Giles can’t resist a bargain in a shop. Purchased a set of CDs for 10 euros including Pete Seeger, the Weavers and the Almanac singers. He ’s looking forward to playing them to all his friends when he gets back. I’ll stick to Beethoven!

Day 4 Ghent to Bonn (Kreuzberg)

The predicted rain duly arrived. In the late evening there was thunder in the distance but it was an unusual thunder – it really was like the sound of distant bombardment. It made me think how awful if must have been in the trenches – the noise and being constantly wet and filthy min the mud with no chance of a wash. Ghent did not suffer destruction during the First World War in the way that Ypres to the south did. The front line ran around Ypres which was thoroughly demolished. It also had its cloth Hall which now houses a museum to the War. Ypres is now rebuilt but it was impossible to rebuild on the scale required to reproduce all that had been there. Hence the historic centre of Ghent is so attractive.

The rain started around 10.00 pm. It kept going all night but stopped finally around 6.00am which gave me time to get sorted out and be reasonably dry. After a cooked breakfast of bacon, egg, toast etc I was on the road by 10.00 am. There was a brief ray of sun as I joined the motorway at Ghent but it soon disappeared. It was a pretty grey journey – busy around Antwerp but otherwise straightforward. Again an attempt at sunshine nearing Cologne but it did not last.

Each country has its own character. There was a spell through Holland where everything seems so precise, simple and straightforward. Suddenly even the landscape has changed to become flat and expansive. Germany, on the other hand is seriously serious. The landscape is more like the UK in the area between Aachen and Cologne with signs of heavy industry and an enormous power station outside Cologne with a complicated network of electricity pylons and cables.

Navigating the motorways is pretty straight forward really. Although the ring roads and intersections are complicated – like spaghetti junction - you are only concerned with your bit of it and it’s fine as long as you follow the signs for where you want to get to and ignore everything else. In fact the problem is not the motorways it’s the bit near the end of the journey that’s difficult. I knew that there would be a problem finding the campsite here in Kreuzberg because the map and the google satellite picture didn’t match up. It turns out there are roadworks and new tunnels etc. I missed the turn for the village and had to go a further six miles with no chance to stop or turn around. It is single carriageway, no overtaking, and a river on the right. I finally made it though and set up properly this time –everything unpacked properly , awning up - the works.

It is raining again. But the weather forecast is for better weather tomorrow afternoon.

Statistics:

Number of coutries covered today: three – Belgium, Holland, Germany.

Number of miles covered so far: 551

Day 3 Ghent

The campsite is on the edge of the village of Overmere. It does not have international renown. But it is noted for one thing and there is a statue to commemorate the fact outside the local church:

'Here began the Boer war 1798'

That’s not ‘our’ Boer war, it’s one they had here against the French – an uprising of the Overmere farmers against the French occupants. After the riot here things went from bad to worse and grew into the Boerkrijg – The Boer War or war of the Farmers. Perhaps there were Boer Wars all over the place.

Day 3 was fine. Drove to the Park and Ride and then the whole day in Ghent. The old part of the city is very proper, orderly and colourful. I saw all the main features. The Belfry has a great view of the city. It is attached to the Cloth Hall which is a lovely building but not used any more. It is where over hundreds of years commerce in the textiles industry was conducted in Ghent. It cannot be used any more ‘which is a real shame’, to quote the young lady selling tickets at the entrance. ‘It only has one exit and can’t be used on the grounds of safety in an emergency.’ ‘How many emergencies have there been in the last 600 years,’ I asked her. She didn’t know. ‘Thank you, Brussels,’ I said. ‘Ah yes.’ She said wistfully, ‘Such a shame for such a lovely room.’ She was right.

Rain predicted so I have done the major tasks in preparation for leaving for the Bonn area tomorrow.

Thought for the day: The Ghent Theatre is beginning a new season. Its slogan is ‘Optimism is a moral duty.’ I’ll go along with that.

Statistics:

Miles driven today – very few. Total now 353. On the subject of driving I suggest that someone proposes to the Pope when he arrives that he create a new saint – twice: St. Tom: St TomTom for services to the geographically challenged.

Weather mild to warm in the afternoon. Possible storm on the way.

Incidentally the big bottles of Leffe were €1.50 in the SPARsupermarket. Now that’s not to be sniffed at.

Day 2: Ashford to Ghent

A superb morning – sun shine, scarcely a cloud, light dew. Up early, packed and in Dover for 9.15 am A farmer had been out early with his cows and the road was covered with ‘cowsh’ which splattered all up the front of the clean van. It was wonderful dropping down into Dover with the calm silver sea, not a breath of wind and the sun shining. All the planning paid off; the route from Calais to Ghent was a pleasure to drive though a bit busy around Ghent itself. This site – Groenpark – is ideal; trees separating pitches into sections, and plenty of green grass.


I toyed with going into Ghent this afternoon but rejected it in favour of relaxing with a glass or two of Leffe in a proper Leffe glass lent to me by the owner of the campsite. Now that is what you call civilised. Ghent can wait till tomorrow.

Why Ghent? Apart from the fact that it’s on the route I want to go on it contains a painting. In fact it contains many paintings one of which I visited with GH a few years ago: The Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Hubert and Jan van Eyck. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece)

The other painting which I wanted to track down was one I first saw in 1962 on a school trip. Aged 9 at the time this painting is the only thing I recall; it made a real impression. It turns out that it’s not in Ghent at all, but now in the Groenige museum in Bruges. I think it may have been in the Town Hall where the courts are as a reminder to the magistrates to do their job fairly. Unfortunately it is not on view at the moment because the gallery is preparing for an exhibition starting in the future. The painting is The Judgement of Cambyses by Gerard David. (1460-1523). It’s worth a look.

The story of this painting starts with the Greek historian, Herodotus. He tells the story of a corrupt Persian judge, Sisamnes, who accepted bribes that affected his decisions in court. The king, Cambyses II (reigned 529-522 B.C.), son of Cyrus the Great, had a way of dealing with corrupt judges. In a nutshell King Cambyses had his throat slit and then flayed off all his skin, and he covered the chair on which Sisamnes had used to sit to deliver his verdicts with his skin. You can read the whole story here. (http://www.harris-greenwell.com/HGS/FlayingFalseJustice) Sisamnes is definitely not happy in this painting. May have been having second thoughts about the wisdom of his actions.

Perhaps there is something we can learn from this story and apply today. It is a gruesome tale and may have had a formative influence on my wilder thoughts about how to punish offenders of all sorts effectively! But that’s another story.

Statistics:

Countries passed through today: three. England, France and Belgium.

Miles done so far: 280

Day 1 - Coventry to Ashford

Rob’s Grand Tour began at 10.00 am on schedule. The final preparations involved packing the remaining equipment and last minute safety checks. It all went without a hitch. If there were a Rob’s Grand Tour Award (RGT) it would have to go to Gina and Mart for their unstinting support and help in getting me and everything else sorted out. So thanks to them for all that as ever.



This first section, Coventry to Ashford, was uneventful. The site is small and correct with everything that is needed. Set up was minimal and just enough functioning to get through to Sunday morning and a quick departure. There is a nursery (plants not kids) attached to the site and the chap working in it kindly gave me a couple of handfuls of tomatoes and a lettuce. So thanks to him. Also spoke to a lorry driver, Ray, who gave some useful info on the merits of France v Austria as the best route back. His advice was to avoid Austria unless there is a reason to go there. The Austrian police can be a bit of a pain, it seems. There is a reason to go so we’ll have to see. He reckons the road either side of the Mont Blanc tunnel is steep and best avoided. The roads either side of the Frejus tunnel are gentler so that sounds like the favoured route. The good news is that staying in the large Service areas is not a problem for truckers of caravans and there are good shower facilities etc. However, the ‘aires’ or motorway parking areas are best avoided at night. So that’s good news.



The sun is shining and the birds are twittering in the background.

In conclusion Day 1 over.

Stats: 130miles completed.

Thought for the day

Merleau-Ponty, the French philosopher, said , 'You cannot see what you don't look at.' That's a pretty useful idea for someone embarking on a long trip. I'll try and stick to it.

Why 'a Grand Tour?'

The idea is straightforward. The gentry used to do the Grand Tour in the 17th and 18th centuries. They went off to improve their minds by studying clasiscal antiquity and the Renaissance and have the chance to mix with the foreign gentry abroad before coming back to rule. They got as far as Venice, Rome and beyond and generally had a good time. My Grand Tour will mainly have a musical and history theme. I plan to wander down through Germany via Cologne, Bonn, Heidelberg, and Munich aiming for Vienna and Salzburg. Then head off to Venice via Trento, Bologna and Ravenna.  In the past they took years perhaps; I'm planning just two months this time. It may be a lot to fit in. We'll see.

The main focus will be the classical composers from Mozart and Haydn onwards - where they lived, where they worked, and their music.

The blog is just a diary really.  I'll combine it with a scrapbook and lots of photos.

The intention is to add to it whenever the wifi is working. No wifi, no blog.