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!