The More than Middling Middle Rhine

Loreley

This was our second trip down this stretch of river and this time we were prepared for what we were going to see. In short there are an oodle of castles along this part of the river simply because it was a great place for trade and thus a great place to conquer. Of course our day was nippy, so the crew came around with hot chocolate that could be fortified with a liqueur from the region. It would have been rude to turn down their offer, so I didn’t…twice.

Rocking around Rudesheim am Rhein, Germany

Eagle Tower, a fortification

A bit further down the river from Heidelberg was our next stop. This is the gateway to the prettiest stretch of the Rhine River and the center of the winemaking area; the streets of the town are literally lined with taverns! There are also oodles of half-timbered houses along cobblestone streets. We opted to wander on our own rather than taking an organized tour. The weather was a bit warmer making strolling along window shopping a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

Hiding out in Heidelberg, Germany

For some reason Heidelberg always makes me think of Hummel

Forested area near Heidelberg

figurines. But rather than ceramics, this is the seat of Germany’s oldest university and the cradle of the German Romantic movement. Which leads me to another misconception: I never think of romanticism in connection with Germany. However, the city has been a center for the arts throughout the centuries causing UNESCO Creative Cities Network to designate it a ‘City of Literature’. What I do correctly associate with Heidelberg, and particularly its university, is scientific research and especially the Max Planck Institutes of Biology and Medicine, Chemistry, Physics and Technology, and Human Science.

Being in Budapest

Parliament Building

Each morning on the Danube was beautiful, but this day was special. We were awakened to a wonderful view of the House of Parliament with the rising sun’s rays on it. Although it was close on to 5:00AM, it was hard to go back to sleep with the stunning scenery sliding by. Budapest was officially created by merging Pest, Buda and Óbuda in 1873. But back in the first century BC the Celts built the first town that would become a portion of Budapest. This was a densely populated settlement with potteries and bronze foundries, and perhaps a trading center. Romans colonized an area immediately west of the Danube, using the natural thermal springs; the new baths in Budapest reminded me of those in Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic. By 106 AD the city had become the

Exterior of a bath house

capital of the province Pannonia Inferior and the headquarters of the governor and a significant military force. Of course this means that it was frequently involved in wars along the Danube. A parade of conquerors made the city their headquarters from the 5^th century AD through the Middle Ages. Buda and Pest started their development in the 12^th century because the French, Walloon, and German settlers worked and traded under royal protection along the Danube. The history of Hungary followed the path of Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria with prosperity, and the flourishing of the arts followed by wars and destruction; in some instances Buda was a leading in others Pest was preeminent.

Bratislava Byways

One of the first things we saw when we docked at Bratislava was a UFO.

UFO Bridge

Actually it’s a restaurant on a bridge that looks like a flying saucer. Slovakia, where Bratislava is located, became its own country in 1993 and has been on its way to establishing itself as a world leader in economics and politics. To that end it has participated in the European Union, NATO, the Eurozone, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Although this is a very forward looking country, it has not lost its links to its past. The area we visited was just as charming as the other small towns we saw along the Danube.

Mincing in Melk and Dancing in Dürnstein

Cruising down the Danube brought us through some lovely country with

Castles and churches along the Danube River

scenic towns, churches, and castles in various stages of disrepair. This is a swiftly moving river, which really surprised me since I had always imagined it as a languid, barely moving stream. Around the towns were vineyard covered hills, thick forests, and a few outcrops of rocks. All in all it was a charming trip through an amazing riparian landscape. The two small Austrian towns we were off to explore were a step back in time to the days when the church was not only the religious center, but the guardian of the law, culture, and government. The religious leaders were also involved in business, with the church being able to levy tolls and people bringing goods up and down the river.

Melk is the home of a massive baroque Benedictine monastery named Melk Abbey that was founded in 1089. It houses the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau as well as those of several members of Austria's

Top L to R: Melk Abbey, Spiral staircase
Bottom L to R: Library, View from the Abbey

first ruling dynasty. About 100 years before, Margrave Leopold I used the area around Melk as a barrier between the Magyars to east and Bavaria (see Along the Rhine) to the west. This kept marauders at bay and the town remained relatively safe until about 1938. Where the abbey currently stands was originally the Babenberger castle; it was given to the Benedictine monks from nearby Lambach by Margrave Leopold II in 1089. The abbey was successful and in the 12^th century the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, a monastic school, was founded; their monastic library quickly became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection and the production of manuscripts. Because the abbey was so well known, it has survived political threats during the Napoleonic Wars; however, the abbey and the school were confiscated by the state just after annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany (Anschluss) in 1938. The school was returned at the end of World War II and now is a co-educational institution from almost 900 students.

The views of the river and town from the abbey were spectacular, as was

Left: Walking in the gardens (by Tony Chin)
Center T to B: Smelling the roses (by Tony Chin), Crows
Right: Rabbit

the abbey, itself. Although we were not allowed to take pictures inside, there were postcards with images of what Barb and I were most interested in, the library. These manuscripts are hundreds of years old and badly in need of curating to protect the moldering pages and cracked covers. Once outside, we discovered that the gardens that are attached to the abbey were quite fanciful. The lawns had been decorated with imaginary creatures, and the hedges had ceramic birds that made us smile. The rose bushes made us want to see if they smelled as sweet and the hedges made us want to take a walk.

Down in town the streets are as rough and narrow as they were when the town was built. A visitor trying to park a van was caught between two

Left: Down the steps into town
Center T to B: Ceramics, Melk
Right: Yarn shop

buildings, a giant flower pot and a tree. Some town folk and several visitors gave him lots of advice. After about 15 minutes of machinations he successfully parked the van and received a round of applause. Meanwhile, several of us were adding to the fiscal stability of Melk. Barb and I found a potter who had some delightful goods; she had to take a crow home and I needed just one more bowl. We also found a yarn shop and even though it was hot and humid we bought yet another few skeins of the fluffy stuff. There were lots of other interesting shops we visited, but nothing else came back to Texas with us, so it was back on the ship and on to our next port of call: Dürnstein.

This small town is in a well-known wine growing area and is one of the

Day and night views of the castle

most-visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region. The town was first mentioned in manuscripts in 1192 when Dürnstein Castle became infamous as the prison for King Richard the Lionheart. Duke Leopold V suspected that King Richard ordered the murder of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat in Jerusalem, so he captured him and gave him to Emperor Henry VI. Of course, this angered Pope Celestine III who excommunicated Leopold for capturing a fellow crusader.

Down the hill and near the center of town is Stift Dürnstein (Dürnstein Abbey). This Baroque monastery was created in 1410 and reconstructed at the beginning of the 18^th century. Since 1788 it has belonged to the Herringburg Augustinian choristers who have maintained and renovated the structure as needed. The Augustine exhibition and views from the Danube terrace made this a wonderful place to visit. We were turned loose to wander through the abbey by ourselves, so we took the opportunity to poke into all of the rooms and go out onto the terrace. There was a winding staircase that was blocked off with a flower pot, but that was about the only place we didn’t explore.

Exterior and Interior scenes from the abbey

The town is tiny, but there are lots of picturesque shops, interesting streets, and great views. We wandered up and down, literally, since this is

Top L to R: Vineyard, City gate
Bottom L to R: View from the terrace,
Narrow streets

a very hilly town. One of its highlights was an artist who made jewelry from rocks polished by the Danube. There were also people making their own candy, wine, and schnapps out of apricots, and while these were interesting, they simply wouldn’t fit in our luggage.

Bratislava is the topic of next week’s blog – stay tuned!

Purple flowers along the street

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Magical Maastricht

Maastricht, the capital of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands and the birthplace of

Hell's Gate built in 1229

the European Union, is a really nice city. It straddles the Maas River where the Jeker River joins it, providing lovely views of the river from the many bridges. Maastricht is much smaller, cleaner and nicer than Amsterdam although it has its full complement of bicycles; fortunately, the riders here are much more polite. This is a very historic town with 1677 national heritage sites within its borders, and although we didn’t see them all, we enjoyed many of them. The town still has a part of its original wall, connected to Hell’s gate, which dates from the 1200s and is the oldest city gate in the Netherlands. Early on Maastricht was conquered by the Romans, but later became a religious center and finally an industrial city. It was also the site of this year’s International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) 44th Annual International Conference and the 17th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship. Hearing the research at these meetings is always enlightening, as is getting to speak with the people conducting the studies. It’s also a lot of fun to reconnect with folks I haven’t seen in a year and to meet new people interested in how learners use the library resources.

Towns along the Mosel

Faust Gallery

Bernkastel, Trier and Luxembourg were the last three places we stopped before heading into Paris. In many ways they were the same as the other towns we’d visited: a long history, relics of medieval architecture, and winding streets. In other ways they were quite different.

Along the Rhine

Low bridge!

The captain of our ship referred to the Main River as a ‘creek’ with innumerable locks that had to be negotiated, keeping the passengers from enjoying the upper deck most of the time. The Rhine, in contrast, is a deeper, broader river with a few low bridges that require the wheelhouse to be lowered, but allowed us to spend our time enjoying the upper deck. A few times I thought I might be able to touch the bridge girders; they were just a bit beyond my reach.

Peeking in on Prague

The next series of Near-Normal Traveler Blogs reviews our tour/cruise with Viking. Since I’d

Alexej on the right

not taken a formal tour of anywhere in years, I had a bit of adjusting to do. First, and happily, I wasn’t in charge of anything. Second, and irritatingly, I wasn’t in charge of anything. In this episode we were taken around the old area of Prague by an excellent local tour guide. Alexej had been speaking English and doing tours for about 20 years – since she’d been in high school. When she began taking her required foreign language courses, the only language provided was Russian. However, midway through her junior year, Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic; the students in the language classes refused to learn any more Russian and demanded to learn English. Luckily, their teacher spoke English and could comply with their wishes. That summer Alexej’s mother got her hired by a tour company and she’s been leading groups ever since.

Underground Art

Russian Soldiers Plaque
at Red Square

Art is everywhere in Moscow, from the churches to the squares to museums to the subways. And examples of foreign and domestic dance, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, stained glass, architecture, and you name it are easily accessed. Before I actually went to Moscow I thought that there would be very little in the way of modern art available in museums because for many years art had to be ‘State approved’. I also thought that the only music and dance would be traditional varieties, including the Bolshoi Ballet. Both of these misconceptions were quickly dispelled once the Near-Normal Travelers started wandering about. Our only real disappointment was that none of us got to go to

Wowzers

Epitaph at Hawkshead

On every trip there are some things that really stand out. Although I got to check three places off of my ‘bucket list’ (St Melangell’s shrine, Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm and Gallery, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter), there were other places that we went that were surprising, moving, and unforgettable.

Rannoch Station is the end of the line: for the railroad and for the ‘B’ roads. What’s out there are the moors. When I was in grade school we read a story about a young girl who lived on

Sunrise on the moor

the moors in Scotland and that sparked my imagination. That vision of the moors was further fueled by Sherlock Holmes stories and movies. However, I was completely unprepared for the reality of the Scottish moors. First I had no idea that they would be surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Aren’t moors supposed to be low-lying bogs oozing mud and bugs? Well, there were bugs and bogs but there was no mud. We were told to be extremely careful hiking out onto the moors because they can be quite unforgiving, taking the lives of unsuspecting or careless hikers each year. When I stepped down onto the thatched vegetation water oozed up and as I took another step there was a sucking sound threatening to pull my shoe off of my foot. As the evening approached, we

Moor deer

watched from a rock that had been around for a few thousand years the last train cross the trestle and a herd of deer head toward their nightly feeding area. Looking across at Loch Rannoch it was easy to believe that we were the only people on the moor that day. Except for the trains (four a day), the only sounds we heard were birds songs; no traffic, no human voices, no sirens. There are six full-time residents here, with tourists flowing through the area in the spring, summer and fall. Gorse, a beautiful but prickly shrub, is common on the moors, as are all sorts of lichen and heather. I was hoping that the heather would be in bloom, but we were a few weeks early. Two days after we left, it snowed on Rannoch Station. I’d go back in a heartbeat!

Like the moors, the Isle of Skye was ruggedly beautiful. Animals and people who live there have to be hearty. The wind blows, it rains water just short of ice, and the temperature never gets

Highland Cattle

really warm. But the air is clear and waterfalls plunge off of cliffs into the sea or down the side of mountains covered with brilliant yellow blooming gorse. Black faced sheep with thick, plaited wool wander at will eating the lush grasses. Farmers keep a healthy strain of cows with long shaggy red hair, Highland Cattle. Like the sheep, they can withstand cold, rain and wind. This is a very interesting geologic area. There are peaks, plateaus, and valleys that were formed from volcanism and glacial movement leaving stunning craggy areas covered

Waterfall near Kilt Rock

with verdant grass. Also in this area are dinosaur trace fossils; Ornithopods, Megalosaurus Cetiosaurus and Stegosaurus called the Isle of Skye home. What I don’t understand is why anyone in this windy area would wear skirts or kilts of their own accord. This is another part of the world I would return to with no hesitation. 

Highland Sheep

Without a doubt Rosslyn Chapel was the most interesting and beautiful of all of the religious sites we visited. Built in the 1400s, William St. Clair had intended for this to be the start of a huge cathedral.

Rosslyn Chapel

However, the relative who inherited the chapel and land was not particularly interested in completing these plans and literally slapped a wall on the end. During the reformation, the St. Clair family decided to abandon the chapel rather than tear out all of the catholic related art, although angry mobs came in and ripped out alters, statuary, and other catholic relics. Inside, there is seemingly no spot that is not exquisitely carved. The carvings were to function as a visual guide to the Bible. There is the story of the Garden of Eden, the seven deadly sins as well as the seven virtues, the angel of death carrying people into the hereafter, fallen angels, devils, Moses with the 10 Commandments, and so forth. There are also ‘green men’; these male faces have plants growing from them. Somewhere along the line the family St. Clair split, adding Sinclair as a family name and the chapel began to be restored. These restoration efforts were short-lived and Rosslyn Chapel fell back into ruin. This changed in the 1840s when a young woman viewed the ruin and proclaimed it a ‘gem’ that should be restored. Fortunately, this young woman was one who people listened to, Queen

Rosslyn Castle

Victoria; and standing in an alcove is a Madonna that looks surprisingly like her. The restoration work continues to the present. The metal roof that had been in place covering all of the Chapel since 1997 had just been removed so we were able to see the entire exterior. We thoroughly enjoyed the 25 minute lecture our docent gave about the Chapel, and we really liked being greeted by the resident Chapel cat, Michael. Down a trail through a cemetery and around the middle of a hill are the ruins of the Rosslyn Castle. The walls are under restoration but there is a house that is occupied by descendants of St. Clair/Sinclair. There is lavish vegetation with lots of walking trails going all the way down to the town of Roslin.

These three amazing places will stay in my memory and fire my imagination for years to come.

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Playing Scottish Chess

Dashing lords, ladies in waiting, knights in armor, hot and cold running servants: what else could you expect from castles? Actually, none of these. There are castles that are trimmed out in the finery that was Scotland in antiquity, but most are ruins or partial ruins. In general, castles were built in defensible areas for the protection of the royalty and those who worked for them. This means that they are on top of hills and/or surrounded by water, cliffs or at the very least vast stretches of flat, clear land. The only moat we saw was in Fort George and it couldn’t be flooded unless the tide was at its highest.

Venturing out to Dunvegan Castle meant experiencing the wind, rain and cold that is supposed

Dunvegan Castle

to be typical of the Isle of Skye. The castle has been continuously occupied since the 13^th century, so wandering through these rooms provides a great glimpse into the past. The family heritage is obvious in the art collection that includes paintings, ceramics, jewelry and household furnishings. There are also several acres of formal gardens, which in mid-April were not quite ready for visitors. However, the daffodils, growing everywhere like weeds, and the gorse (another weedy hedge) were beautiful. From the castle you can see the Loch Dunvegan, which opens into the Sea of the Hebrides; on the day we visited it was a slate grey churning froth that discouraged anyone from getting on any sort of boat.

Thatched Huts

Before and after the construction of castles, people on the Isle of Skye lived in cottages. The Skye Museum of Island Life is a great example of these dwellings. These are the antithesis of living in a castle, although castles aren’t much warmer. Although the sun was beginning to shine, the wind chill drove us inside as much as possible. These cottages held examples of fabrics, tools, household materials, and machinery that were typical of the 18^th century. One of the comments on the guest book was obviously from a child. He/she wrote, ‘I liked everything except the fake people were kind of scary.’ On a hill above the cottages is a cemetery in which Flora MacDonald, who risked her life to save ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ is buried. She was an exceptional woman who took risks throughout her life, immigrating to the United States but eventually returning to Skye in the 1780s.

Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle, near Inverness, was repeatedly sacked and rebuilt until 1692 when it was blown up to keep the Jacobites from using it. One of the interesting facts about Urquhart Castle is that there were no Urquharts ever living there. Urquhart is a region of Scotland for which the castle is named. What’s left of the castle is absolutely stunning because of its location. From the top of a rise you can not only see the remaining tower, but Loch Ness. There are still plenty of castle parts left to crawl around on, including the main gate, dungeon, grain drying area, tower house, dovecot, chapel, stable or blacksmith area, great hall and a kitchen. You can also see the privy used by the guards in the gate house. After climbing around for a while and wandering down to Loch Ness, we were sure we spotted something in the water following one of the tour boats. Alas, we have no pictures of Nessie; perhaps we should have used a different map.

Visitors aren’t allowed to wander freely inside Inverness Castle simply because it is now the

Inverness Castle

site of the High Court, council offices, and Sheriff’s Court of the shire. However, the exterior is spectacular, particularly at sunset and at dawn. The grounds are open to the public and my favorite part, the slope from the castle down to the water is easily visible with its thick covering of daffodils. The River Ness runs through Inverness and provides a pleasant walking area in front of the castle, through the city then down to the Loch. Along the way are public and private gardens, places to eat, and a few shops. This whole area seems to be much less frenetic than many of the other tourist stops in Scotland.

The most extensive castle we visited was Edinburgh Castle. Built in the 900s, this castle has housed royalty for hundreds of years. Mary Queen of Scots bore her son in this castle and was, to all intents and purposes, imprisoned here. There are three military museums with an

St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

assortment of interesting armaments, uniforms and historic information; each is small but is packed full of information. The National War Memorial puts into perspective the sacrifices Scotland families have made for peace around the world. The Prisons of War show how conditions for prisoners have changed over the years, one set of sleeping conditions reminding me quite acutely of some of the field trips I’ve taken. The Crown Jewels exhibition was interesting in that it showed how the ornaments were made, how the monarchs were crowned, and how the jewels were hidden in times of crisis. The Stone of Destiny, important to Scottish history, is also in this exhibit. As we climbed up and down towers, scrambling over old walls, battlements and other tourists, we stumbled on to a group of people showing raptors to the visitors. These birds of prey have been used for hunting since the middle ages and are now being protected since their numbers are decreasing. One of the treats, other than the views of Edinburgh from the ramparts, was eating in the tea room; great food, quiet atmosphere, and good service. We planned to be there about three hours but stayed all day.

While most of the castles in Scotland housed nobility, St. Andrews Castle was the residence of

St. Andrews Castle

some very powerful churchmen.  The first castle was probably built on this site in the 1200s, but as with most castles, fell and was rebuilt many times over the years. Beneath the castle are a mine and a countermine that were dug to escape the siege in 1546. This was the time of the Protestant Reformation and anything that remotely appeared to be Catholic was ripped from church structures and destroyed. This castle is also the site of a ‘bottle dungeon’ into which prisoners were dropped. It gave me the willies just to look down through the grating. However, the grounds are beautiful particularly with a

Pipers

bagpiper playing nearby. The castle faces the North Sea, with nothing to stop the Arctic wind but a few low walls. Even on a day when the temperature is in the mid-50s, there were people playing in the water at the foot of the castle walls where the inhabitants from ages past went down to bathe, catch a boat or sit in the sun.

Listed under ‘things I wish I’d known about before I went to Scotland’ is the Explorer Pass. This pass pays for itself if you visit four of the 78 historic attractions listed. We’d have made a concerted effort to see more castles (although one of my fellow travelers shudders to think about one more castle) and known about some sites that are not shown in guide books.

©2013 NearNormal Design and Production Studio - All rights including copyright of photographs and designs, as well as intellectual rights are reserved.