Monday, October 27, 2008

Over The Pond – Part Four

Bridges, Castles and Raptors – and Steffi Graf.

Friday, August 29th. We were treated to the luxury of a leisurely day in our dash across Europe. We were to enjoy Roland’s hospitality for another day, affording us the luxury of a leisurely pace knowing that we really had to be nowhere except where we were until tomorrow. Tomorrow was to be a long day with an early start. We would pass through three countries tomorrow, but today we could relax.

As we lingered over German breakfast (think filling – German’s really enjoy their food) I learned more about where I was.

Brühl is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar District named for the confluence of those two rivers. The former fishing village along the Rhine has become a satellite of a growing Mannheim and lies directly to the south of that city. The municipality of Bruhl is home to approximately 14,000 people many of whom work in Mannheim. Brühl is the hometown of former tennis player Steffi Graf.

The Rhine River is famous for it’s castles. Brühl would seem a perfect base camp for an extended Rhine castle tour. Had we ventured north from Bruhl we would have discovered Burg Frankenstein but our travels were to take us in another direction to another castle on another River.

Led by tour guide Roland, our first stop was Heidelberg.
In 1907, archeologists discovered a human jawbone near Heidelberg. Researchers dated the jawbone at approximately one million years old giving evidence of the earliest confirmed life in Europe. This discovery was dubed “the Heidelberg Man”. Heidleberg is not quite that old though. Based on ancient documents, 1196 is acknowledged by historians as the founding date of the city of Heidelberg. Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, and Heidelberg’s library, founded in 1421 have cultivated a decidedly academic flavor to this city. The romanticism of Old Heidelberg makes tourism a significant industry for the 140,000 people who call Heidelberg home. The most recognizable images of Heidelberg are the old bridge over the Neckar River, the ruins of Heidelberg Castle and the largest river tour boats I have ever seen.

We parked the bikes at the rivers edge near the bridge and set out on foot to explore Heidelberg. Once off the bikes, I walked around, starry eyed like every other tourist, content to allow the collage of images to wash over me like waves. There would be time for introspection and analysis later. Now was a time to just soak up the history, romance and old world culture of Heidelberg. The narrow streets, market place, city plaza, ornate buildings - homes to both ancient artisan guilds and centers of higher learning - spreading across the backdrop of Heidelberg Castle was the ideal medium in which to nurture this rather esoteric mind set. There I was once again thinking,” I can’t believe I’m really here. If I’m dreaming, then let me dream a little longer – don’t think; just feel.”

We did not explore the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. Instead, after an hour or so of site seeing, we mounted up again and headed a short distance east along the Neckar River to Burg Guttenberg.
Burg Guttenberg (or Guttenberg Castle) dating from around 1200, has been continuously lived in, hence escaping the destruction which has occurred to many similarily dated German castles. The current Baroness von Gemmingen (18th generation) could be your museum tour guide if you’re lucky. You can tour the kitchen, the torture chamber, a spinning room and the tower among other sights. Gie and I spent an hour discovering the many secrets of the castle museum finally culminating at the top of the imposing tower which afforded us as spectacular view of the surrounding castle walls below and beyond those the idyllic Neckar and Muhlbach valleys.

Possibly because the holiday season was nearing the end, our castle tour was self guided which allowed us to explore at our own pace. In addition to the castle tour, four of us (Phil, Harry, Gie and myself) enjoyed a German Falconry show on the castle grounds featuring an assortment of vultures, eagles, owls and falcons. Expert handlers put them through their paces demonstrating the dexterity of these amazing raptors.

Around mid afternoon, we saddled up again. Following back along the gentle curves of the Neckar River, we made our way, after a short stint on the Autobahn, to “Casa Kohl” back in Bruhl. Roland prepared another wonderful meal – enjoyed naturally with the requisite amounts of wine and beer.

This night was not to be a late one as tomorrow was to start early and was scheduled to be a long day. We would be pulling long Autobahn hours getting to motorcycle nirvana in the Bavarian region of Germany, then the Czech Republic and finally ending up in Austria. Packing for an early morning departure was more the order of business than partying. By midnight, not a creature was stirring; just a whole lot of snoring.

Good night, John-Boy. Good night, Mary-Ellen.

Good night Roland and thank you for your outstanding hospitality.