Rudesheim and the Rhine Cruise

We arrived in Rudesheim along the Rhine river in the evening after a very busy day in Eisenach. The hotel was unanimously voted our least favorite. Cramped, hot, and somewhat surly service on our arrival were no doubt brought into sharper relief by exhaustion. And then there were the trains. Yes, a train every 15 minutes all night. Oh yeah, we had a HUGE rainstorm complete with with lighting, thunder, and 40 MPH wind. A restful night to be sure...

Tired, but determined, we headed to our guides favorite watering hole, "The Rudesheim Schloss" It was a true highlight of the trip. A fun band played while we sipped beer and wine in open beer garden. We were early so we had our pick of tables. With 30 minutes the crowds rambled in, the dancing began, and shots of schnapps began to flow.

Our group heads to dinner


OK. Six shot glasses glued to a board, filled with schnapps, 1..2..3..Prost! Everybody drinks. You do the math.


Here is what happens, people get happy and start to talk to one another. Peggy was WONDERFUL this evening. She made friends from Canada and everywhere else. What a blessing.



Yes, Line dancing in Germany


Everybody gets in the fun. The guy lifting his drink to his mouth seems to be saying "Americans, the misbehave EVERYWHERE!" I was persuaded to join the dancing No, I don't have pictures and you don't want to see them anyway.

The next morning we boarded our board for a morning cruise down the Rhine. I don't have a picture of our boat because we had a little trouble getting everyone to the dock on time. Actually, the ones we were waiting for ended up beating us to the boat because we waited for them on the wrong side of the train tracks!
Here is what we saw on our incredible journey down the Rhine.










A pair of swans with their chicks plied the waters off one of our stops along the river.


Yep, they build right in the middle of the river. If I remember correctly, this was a tax house.

Here is the famous Loreley, a 120 meter rock situated at the narrowest and deepest part of the river. Many boats met their end here. The legend goes that a beautiful woman would sit upon the rock singing her alluring songs. The mariners would be drawn into the rocks hoping for a glimpse of her beautiful form.

After the cruise, we ate some of the only bad food we had on the trip.

Eisenach

We rose early this morning and boarded our bus to Eisenach. As you pull into town the overwhelming presence above the town in the legendary Wartburg Castle. After Luther has been convicted at the Diet, Frederick the Elector arranged for Luther's friends to stage a fake kidnapping and spirit him away to the castle far from the reach of Papal agents. The Elector, a shrewd politician, was able to stall those seeking Luther's head giving time for the movement and support to grow.
As you can see from the photos, the Castle is truly spectacular and has been largely rebuilt and restored. As one sits on the the rampart the incredible solidity and permanence of the place is palpable.


Wartburg Castle

As you enter the the Castle and enter the courtyard you pass through a huge gate made of stones several feet deep. The view from the courtyard sweeps across the countryside. From here, any enemy approaching the town from any direction would be easily spotted.



The Castle Courtyard





The tour begins in a room filled with some of the original capitals for the top of some of the oldest columns in the Castle. This original capital dates from the original construction in 1067


Original Capital from 1067


Our next stop was the Knights Room. If I remember the guide's info, only about 12 knights used this room at any given time. Some knoghts might sleep here, or simply pass the time away waiting for the next dragon to slay

Knights Hall

Adjacent to the Knights hall is the dining hall. This simple, but attractive room features a wood beam ceiling as opposed to the vaulted ceiling in the next room.



Dining Hall

An outdoor hallway leads to our next stop. An interesting feature of the this columns is that they are not marble or granite, but a tube of mineral deposits left in the water systems of ancient Rome. It polishes like marble.




One of the great stories in the Castle is St. Elizabeth. Betrothed to King Ludwig IV at the age of 4, she was brought to the Castle at a very young age. She missed her home in Hungary, but her rather ugly husband tried to placate her. Her chambers were very ornate and painted with beautiful paintings (none of which survive) Over time she turned her attentions to helping those in need, feeding the hungry, and caring for those in need. As the legend goes, one day she was carrying bread to the poor, her husband, who did not care for such folly confronted her. She assured him that she was simply collecting flowers. He demanded to know what she was clutching at her breast. As she unfolded her arms, the were only roses to be seen. Ludwig and Elizabeth had three children. When Ludwig did in the crusades, Elizabeth dedicated herself to the order of St. Francis.


Elizabeth's Chamber

Elizabeth's Chamber was redone in mosaics depicting her life some time in the 19th Century. It is very colorful and quite overwhelming.


The Chapel


The Minstrel's Hall

A huge painting on one wall depicts a colorful scene of the minstrels contests common in earlier eras. Minstrels would compete against each other in music and comedy to gain the favor of the judges.


The Minstrel Hall has an amazing view!



The Great Hall

The original hall on the second floor was too much too small to accommodate the larger parties later monarchs came to enjoy. A whole new floor was added to make sure every one could be gathered for the great times. The room in now regularly used for concerts and other formal affairs.


The last room we visited was the room in the area of the castle where Luther worked on his translation of the New Testament into German. The information outside the door noted that nothing of the room is original to Luther's time except perhaps the whale vertebrae on the floor.

We then headed off to the Luther House where Luther stayed while a young student in Eisenach. It should be called the Cotta House. Luther lived here as a young student and was fortunate to be taken in by Mrs. Cotta who invited him to stay with them as a lodger in exchange for lessons for her children. He was happy and fulfilled in this house. The current exterior structure dates to the 16th and 17th Century but encloses the original exterior.


Anna in front of the Luther House

Our final stop in Eisenach was the Bach museum. Alas, no pictures are allowed inside the museum, but is a wonderful stop to make. A gifted musician played period instruments that might never of had a chance to hear any other way. There are many instruments and samples of original music in the museum.

Eisleben

This morning we began our tour in the beautiful city of Eisleben. Here we saw the home where Luther was born, St. Peter and Paul, where he was baptized, along with St. Andrews church where Luther preached his last sermon. Luther loved this town and was always happy to return here anytime he could get away from Wittenburg.
Like Wittenburg, Eisleben is getting ready for the Luther celebration in 2017. As so often has happened on this tour, some of the sites were closed. I know a few days have gone by but I don't seem to have pictures of the houses where Luther was born or the house where he died. We were able only to see them from the outside. In fact, I can't seem to locate any of the Eisleben photo. If I find them. I will post them later. Sorry!

We then traveled to Erfurt where we met our guide near the square adjacent to St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Severin's Church. Both are amazing structures and are built right next to each other hogh on a hill about the Markplatz.


St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Severin's Church

The Cathedral is quite amazing. One is greeted at one of the portals with sculptures depicting the wise and foolish wedding servants.

Wise servants looking smug with their full jars of oil


Foolish Servants Feeling bad about the whole affair

The interior is overwhelming. It is difficult to convey the scale and grandure of these old churches. Yet, many of these huge structures worship only a handfull on Sunday.

The Sanctuary


This very modern looking sculture is from the 11th century and was my favorite part of the church.

St. Severin's is only steps away from St. Mary. Of course, St. Mary is the Cathedral church and only used for special occasions so you have to have another huge edifice right next door


St. Severin's Organ



WE walked down the hill through the charming city onto the Markplatz where we were greeted by...

A beautiful square complete with a Baroque home. In truth, the entire area was destroyed in WWII and modern buildings were built to replae them. these are facases added later to bring back charm to the square.


Erfurts smallest house

We also caught a glimpse of Erfurt's smallest house. it is only 6 feet wide. It now serves as a stairway for the house on the other side.


We also toured the Augustinian Cloister where Luther entered the Augustinian order. The c;oister is now protestant and has three protestant nuns who run the place including the little cafe. There are rooms you can rent here for a quiet retreat.

The Cloister Courtyard

It was here that Luther presented himself as a candidate for the Black Friars of the Augustinian Order. He worshiped in the chapel and was received into the order in this room.

The Chapel


We then moved to St. Augustine Church where, in a famous moment, Luther prostrated himself before this altar and made his final vows as a priest. Our guide told us that one Lutheran Pastor who was leading a group prostrated himself on the tombstone in front of the altar and invited his parishoners to photograph him. I thought is sounded a little narcissistic.

St. Augustine Church Altar


St. Augustine Nave

We ended the day in front of the Luther Memorial where we took this group picture. If you look closely you will see that some local teens joined in the picture for fun! (they are on the left)

Last Evening in Wittenberg

To end our wonderful experience in Wittenberg we ate together in a restaurant in the basement of the Schlösskirche. Our guest speaker for the evening was Frau Skirl from the former ELCA Wittenberg Center. The Center was closed recently due to financial constraints, but she continues its mission to provide programming and assistance for Lutherans traveling to Wittenberg continues. The food was excellent and the company divine. However, we would pay for all this frivolity and relaxation tomorrow.



Frau Skirl


Carl and Friends

Monday in Wittenberg

Today we hooked up with our tour guide Dieter who showed us three main sites of Wittenberg. We began in Luther Haus, located near the the hotel. The house was gifted to Luther as a place where he could teach, live, and share his life with his beloved wife Katy and his children. Today, the house is a wonderful museum where students of the Reformation and people of faith can be inspired by the paintings of Cranach, an original Luther Bible, and the odd papal bull.



On entering the house, one finds quotes from Luther and his Seal painted on the beams and ceiling.
The courtyard is wide and open to the sun. In the center is a bronze statue of Katharina von Bora, Luther's wife. Katharina was a forceful and faithful woman in a truly man's world. She refused to be cowed by tradition or thoughts of a "woman's place" so common in her time. She ran the house with an iron hand. GIven Luther's lack of interest in business, it was good that his companion was disposed to good management and a willingness to demand payment from Luther's students so that the family could survive! She ordered the door below for Luther's birthday.

The door

Inside the house, one may tour the refectory, or place where students took their meals, Luther's bedroom, his parlor where he sat with his students around a rough table, and a sitting room the door of which Tzar Peter signed the door frame. Luther's little parlor, located near the bedroom sometimes held over 50 students crammed together around this small table drinking beer and arguing theology. Some of those students wrote down what Luther had to say, which later became the "Table Talks" volume of Luther's Works. It is one of my favorite volumes.

Luther's Actual Table

We then walked down the strasse and viewed from the outside Melanchton's house, Cranach's home, and the home of a fairly strange alchemist who did not do much of anything but managed to get a plaque on his house. Our tour guide noted that this plaque in particular gave him hope that some day he too would be similarly venerated.


Kirche St. Marien, or the Town church was next. We stopped first to view a curious cornerstone located high on a corner of the church.


The Judensau

The Judensau depicts a pig with Jews sucking at its teets and a rabbi looking up its arse. Luther, a product of his time, thought the scene appropriate as Jews refused to believe in Christ.


The Holocaust Memorial

Fittingly, a holocaust memorial has been established just below this stone. The St. Marien congregation unveiled the memorial on November 9th, 1988, fifty years after the Third Reich began pogroms against the Jews. It depicts four slabs trying to cover the cross, yet the cross squeezes up between the cracks refusing to be supressed. A cedar tree, visible in the background symbolized peace and growth. The Judensau remains as a monument to a time of terrible violence, and a reminder of how carefully we must proceed into our future.


Baptismal Font and Altar

The interior of the church is quite beautiful. Note the large altar painting(again by Cranach) which features Luther, Melanchton, and Cranach at the last supper. Many thousands of Lutheran Pastors have been ordained at this altar.


We then trooped to the Schlöss Kirche where Luther served as preacher and teacher. It is an imposing edifice.



The large tower with Ein Feste Burg inscribed was added in the 1800s and is not part of the original structure.

The Tower


The original doors upon which Luther was said to have posted the 95 theses were destroyed in a fire. These bronze door with the theses inscribed replaced them.


The large church is still in use today and is quite impressive. Luther's tomb is located just under the pulpit, a fitting resting place for a pastor so engaged in the Word of God and so passionate in his preaching.


On the other side of the aisle, Phillip Melanchton's tomb rests near the lectern. A scholar of Greek, and interpreter of scripture no doubt lies easy where the word is read.



The large stained glass windows are ornate but not overwhelming. A bronze Baptismal font is plenty deep to immerse a baby, Luther's preference for baptism. During summer is was a refreshing dip, but in winter it was so cold that one bishop instructed that heated stones were to be placed in the font to make the experience more comfortable.

The rest of the day was free to shop or just enjoy the beauty of this wonderful city.