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Sabtu, 13 Juni 2015

architecture , baroque , castles , churches , Germany , history. , Rhine River , sight-seeing Tidak ada komentar

CASTLES ON THE RHINE AND A VISIT TO A MEDIEVAL TOWN

Posted by Cek, on 12.37

On my return home from Greece last October, I stopped for a few days in Mainz, Germany to visit my friend Patrick. I told him I'd like to see some of the Rhine Castles and he had arranged with his friends Wolfgang and Jurgen to drive us to several sites. We hopped on the train at Mainz and rode to a town nearby where Patrick's friends were waiting.

It happened to be a rainy day, but that wasn't going to stop us from having lots of fun. We drove along the scenic river enjoying the views of vineyards that grow up the steep banks and river boats plying they way upriver.Even in the rain the scenery was beautiful.

Patrick, Jurgen and Wolfgang, my tour guides.

Rhine vineyards

Our first stop was the Sooneck Castle, built on the ruins of a Medieval castle by Prussian princes as a neo-Gothic hunting lodge. The castle was constructed in 1282, destroyed in the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689, and acquired by Frederick William, Crown Prince of Prussia and his brothers in 1834.

Sooneck Castle

An amusing little Russian guide named Leo greeted us as we entered and showed us through the various castle rooms. He explained all the artifacts on display from the long-bow hunting equipment to the bedrooms, which weren't actually slept in but more for show.

Our Castle guide, Leo

bedroom

dining room

crossbow for hunting

It was still raining when we left the castle but the weather began to clear by the time we reached the picturesque little Medieval town of Bacharach located where the Steeg Valley meets the Rhine Valley at a juncture near the old Roman road, Aosonius Way, which connected Mainz with Trier, branching off from the Roman riverbank road. The area was first recorded settled in 1094 bu probably was inhabited from antiquity.

old gate entrance

craftsman and his art

In the Middle Ages the town of Bacharach was an important outpost on the Middle Rhine, an economically prominent site as a place of transfer, trade and warehousing for wine and timber. We entered through a gateway in the original stone wall of the city. It was like stepping into a picture book, with quaint timbered houses and narrow streets, obviously these days a popular tourist site.

The Church of St. Peter

Interior of Church of St Peter

Located in the centre of Bacharach, the Church of St. Peter is dated between 1230/40 but has gone through numerous changes and renos. It has a baroque style sacristy and is one of the most unique examples of Romanesque architecture on the Lower Rhine. The Church is surrounded by courtyards and open-timbered houses, many from the late Middle Ages. The town's post office tower dates from the early 1400s.

Above the church stands the ruins of the Chapel of St. Werner dating from the early 14th century and above that, stands Stahlick Castle, a fortified castle dating to the 12th century.

Before heading off to explore Stalick Castle we stopped in a quaint restaurant for a typical German meal of veal schnitzel and beer.

On our way to Stahlick Castle

Stalick Castle, towers over Bacharach

Today Stahlick Castle is used as a youth hostel. There were children frolicking in the courtyard wearing capes and sparring with pretend swords.

http://www.jugendherberge.de/en/youth-hostels/bacharach390/shortportraet

On our trip back we stopped at the ruins of another castle overlooking the river, where there is now a first-class hotel and restaurant built in its place.

View of the Rhine River

Remains of old castle

The views along the river were magnificent even through the mist. In spite of the weather, we had an excellent day exploring and enjoying the sites along the majestic Rhine.

Sunset

Town View

Rabu, 23 Juli 2014

archaeology , churches , Egypt , museum , tourism Tidak ada komentar

CAIRO, OLD AND NEW

Posted by Cek, on 19.03

Rooftop View?

Minaret

Park

What about Cairo? Did I feel any danger there? In spite of the two revolutions and the pending elections at the time I was there, and the spate of unfavorable media coverage about Egypt, travel warnings from embassies, that has diminished their tourism by 90%, I felt absolutely no sense of danger. In fact, there was good security in place everywhere. And what impressed me so much was the people. I have never met such gracious, generous, friendly people anywhere before. Young, old, men, women and children approached me and my travel companions on the street with smiles. �Welcome! Where are you from? Welcome to Egypt!� You know the saying �Walk like an Egyptian?� Now I know what it means. These are proud people, open and friendly, who walk with a noble stance, proud of their country and heritage and greet you with welcoming smiles.

Linda and some lovely young ladies in Old Cairo

The only real �danger� I felt in Cairo was the traffic. They drive like maniacs, weaving in and out with no regard for lanes or right of way, always with their hands on the horns blaring their way through the chaos. I learned not to look out the front of the van window after several heart-stopping moments. Our driver, Magdi, was an expert and managed to get us everywhere safely. I�d highly recommend the services on land and river offered by the Escapade Travel who offer professional, friendly service. www.escapadetravel.com.eg

Cairo is the capital of Egypt, and the largest city in the Middle East with a population of about 7 million people. Of course there are areas of the city that look run-down. One area in particular with blocks and blocks of half-finished apartments that we were told were part of the corruption, and built on land not designated to be developed for housing. And of course we didn�t see everything, just a glimpse.

River View?

Cairo�s modern �downtown� is on the east bank of the Nile. It was built under the influence of French architects and there are many beautiful mosques as well as Copic sights to see. There are other more affluent suburbs of the city. On the west bank of the river are the great Giza pyramids and farther south the archaeological sites of Memphis and Saqqara.

It isn�t a city that I, as a female solo traveler, would want to venture to although I recently met a Canadian woman who has been teaching there for seven years and loves it. I�d certainly not hesitate to return to this marvelous country in the company of a tour group. A couple of people in our group did go out exploring one night to Tahrir Square which was the focal point of the revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak, and today is the usual place for demonstrations. (Usually on Fridays, we were told by the Egyptologist, because that is a �day off� in Egypt.) They took a taxi and wandered around, went to a restaurant for dinner and back to the hotel. No problem.

Tahrir Square

My room at the Fairmont Nile City was on the 19^th floor overlook the river so it was quite relaxing to enjoy the beautiful view and pleasant surroundings. There was a lot to do in the hotel including the relaxing lobby where you could order drinks and snacks and watch a large video screen of musicians playing that gave the feeling they were right there in person. The service at the hotel was superb and the staff most congenial and friendly. There is a pool on the roof of the hotel where I spent one afternoon swimming and tanning. There is also a spa and fitness centre, casino, exquisite dining rooms, bars, movies and shopping area. www.fairmont.com

Sunset View from my 19th floor room

Very cozy accomodations

Treats left in my room

Relaxing before dinner

The music video in the lobby

Desserts!

A tastey seafood appetizer plate

All kinds of seafood

and desserts!

The chefs

Rooftop Pool

We were taken on several excursions while in Cairo. Of course the main interest for me was the Egyptian Museum located right near Tahrir Square. This was the only place I really noted a big army presence but it was all very unobtrusive, parked on the little side street by the museum. During the revolution in 2011 people broke into the museum and stole some of the precious artifacts as well as damaging others. So there is a lot of security at the museum. It contains the world�s most extensive collection of paranoiac antiquities. I saw the King Tut exhibit when it was in Seattle but those treasurers were insignificant compared to what you will see on display here: magnificent golden chariots, precious jewelry, and countless other incredible treasures as well as coffins, mummies and other artifacts from prehistoric through the Roman periods The museum houses approximately 160,00 objects in total. We were told they plan to build a new museum so that more of the treasures can be displayed.

In Old Cairo we visited several churches including the oldest Greek Orthodox Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue which dates from the 9^thcentury and is the oldest Jewish place of worship in Egypt. We also visited the 4^th century Hanging Church which is built on the bastions of the ancient Roman wall and �suspended� above the level of the Nile. In one of the oldest Coptic churches in Egypt we entered the crypt-like area below where there is a small room that is supposed to have been where Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus found shelter when they fled to Egypt. Old Cairo also had an excellent bazaar for buying souvenirs, some very expensive and others modestly priced including furniture and jewelry.