The Gritty Virtual Assistant

This past weekend our mission was to go to Lahr, Germany. Lahr is a quaint little village that my dad had fond memories of when he was in the Air Force and stationed there back in the 60s. He asked me, if we were ever in the area, to stop by there and take pix of the city, a few landmarks and some of the places he used to frequent.

There was an extreme cold snap going through most all of Europe, but the weather was so beautiful you almost didn’t notice the cold. Of course, it helps to be all bundled up warm and snuggly.

It’s only about a two hour drive on the autobahn from Mannheim to Lahr. We left at 8:30 am and got there in time to stop in at the information office before it closed. The ladies there were so nice and helped Rob’s mom locate all the spots I wanted to shoot for my dad on a map they gave to us.

Although it was still morning, we didn’t get to go into too many places. This being one of the small towns, it’s the custom where shops typically close at noon on Saturdays. Some places (like restaurants) will open back up a few hours later, but most are closed the rest of the weekend.

We did catch a delightful bookstore before it closed, and I was able to get a few books on the history of the city for my dad, which was nice. But darn it–I wasn’t able to catch any souvenir shops open long enough to find my polyresin city magnet for Lahr (I collect these from all our travels).

We strolled over the downtown streets.  I just love how the cities here are all built in a circular fashion. Everything you need is always within walking distance. The streets and alleys meander this way and that; you never see what’s coming up next and turning every corner and curve is an adventure.

Here are some shots of the downtown shopping district:

I just love the little details you always find on the homes and buildings in Germany. This is a little doodad for holding down the shutters:

One of the landmarks on my dad’s list was the Storchenturm (Stork Tower), which was built in the 17th century. Storks mate for life and at one time there was a pair who nested at the top, but we were told it’s been empty for many years now.

Our luck was great as one of the few pubs/restaurants that stayed open was right across the street. We had the most delicious meal here and the owner was quite a character. He spoke English very well, which he told us he learned when he lived for many years in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The beer, needless to say, was stupendous. They pulled it straight from the kegs which are hooked right up the taps.

By the way, here’s something you should know if you ever travel here and like to partake of a brewski now and then… Every region is known for its own kind of beer. Only beers brewed in certain regions can legally be called that particular region’s kind of beer.

When you travel to different areas, it’s the polite custom to order that region’s particular brews (we generally ask for whatever their region’s pilsner or ale is). It’s considered extremely rude to ask if they have another region’s beer. Don’t ever do that! LOL

After filling up on yet another wonderful repast and a couple beers, we decide to walk up one of the hills out of the shopping district and into one of the tonier residential neighborhoods.

After that, we headed to the hotel that the ladies on the information center recommended to us, the Dammenmuhle.

Wow! What a treasure this place was. They sure didn’t steer us wrong and we definitely plan to return again. It’s more bed and breakfast than hotel. It’s billed as being on the outskirts of the Black Forest, although truth be told, it’s not really that close, but it is in its own little isolated forest wanderland, complete with its own lake.

The entire hotel consists of the main building with office, dining hall and ballroom along with three or four outbuildings each of which has its own design. All the buildings surround the little lake, along with some storage facilities and animal barn. The lake even has its own island and at night is lit up with bright, multi-color globes and little white tea lights.

In the summertime, you can rent canoes. But in the winter, when it’s freezing cold as it is and the lake freezes over, people and their children play hockey and slide and ice skate on it.

Here’s the hotel during the day:

One of the dining halls (they had all kinds of wonderful old paintings and furniture and other artifacts):

I loved this chair:

One of the mangers:

They had a few darling little animals (even a mama llama and her baby):

Here’s the frozen lake during the day:

You can see how cold it is… This is a creek. You know it’s cold when running water freezes!

After taking a little nap, we headed back out to the lake where some kids and families were skating:

Below is the beergarten where you can warm up with some gluhwein or a beer. It was extra festive that night because we are still officially in the Fasnacht (Fasting Tuesday, which is like our Fat Tuesday) season leading up to Ash Wednesday.

The ballroom all lit up with the crystal chandeliers aglow. They had some kind of party going on, but we didn’t crash it. We opted instead to watch all the crazy shows on German cable tv.

(By the way, I don’t know why, but the Germans seem to be about twenty years behind the music scene and are OBSESSED with our old 70s and 80s pop music!)

Here’s the view of the lake from our private patio. We had the very top floor rooms, which were just gorgeous.

Here’s a shot of the night sky (there was a full moon that night) with one of the colored globes making for an interesting photo:

The next morning we had a big buffet for breakfast. The Germans don’t eat a whole lot for breakfast. It’s commonly just a little bread of some kind and maybe some fruit. The hotel had all kinds of yummy, healthy stuff to choose from.

You remember I mentioned Fasnacht (Fasting Night). This is like our Fat Tuesday holiday, but it lasts much longer. It begins on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (November) and lasts up to Ash Wednesday in February.

Generally after Christmas, you start to see more and more groups of people dressed up in matching themed costumes, and there are parties going on all the time. This group was supposed to be a bunch of Cossacks:

Funny, but not so funny, story… the chef and the owner visited with us over breakfast. The chef pointed to a group travel bus outside and said that one of the partiers was found passed out in front of it in the early morning hours. Apparently she had wandered outside after everyone else was asleep, perhaps to smoke a cigarette, and ended up with barely a pulse!

Luckily, someone found her in time, but it’s no joke to be outside in that kind of weather drunk off your ass. You can die in a heartbeat. But they got her all warmed up and she was okay they told us.

Our plan for Sunday was to go to Strasbourg, France, and see the cathedral there. Along the way, the extreme cold made for the most hauntingly beautiful shots of the countryside and farmlands:

We hit France at about 11:30 am or noon (somewhere around that time):

Strasbourg is in the state of Alsace and at various times in history has been alternately German, then French, and back and forth. Much of the architecture and culture is originally German. It is now part of France again and decidedly French although much of the population speaks a dialect that combines both German and French. It’s not uncommon for people to have a French first name and German last name.

Strasbourg was just lovely. I felt so at home here. It was really nice to actually be able to read things for a change and even use a little of my very rusty French!

Here are some shots of what I would say is the city center:

Look at that gorgeous iron work!

And the sculpural ornamentation!

Look at this crazy skinny little building sandwiched in there!

We bought some roasted chestnuts from one of the little cart vendors you see here and there:

We had lunch at this lovely place called Le Gruber:

Rob’s mom and I had this delicious coq au vin dish. Rob had some kind of big ol’ sausage with sauerkraut which was good also.

Rob’s dad had an Alsacian pizza which is supposedly renowned worldwide. I can see why… it really was to die for. The crust is done very, very thin (like the Italians do) and is covered with this special cream type sauce with the teeny diced ham and tomatoes (or whatever you are having on it) sprinkled over the top.

Here are some shots inside:

A French beer:

A couple four-legged friends:

After lunch we headed for the main event of the day… the cathedral!

There just are no words to explain the awe you feel in the presence of these structures. It’s a very visceral reaction.

You almost can’t even comprehend the details. See how each and every little sculpture and carving is a completely different scene:

Here are some interior shots (sorry they didn’t come out better):

This is where the organ is located:

These are the steps up to the pulpit:

This is the amazing astronomical clock. It’s the one picture I am just dying didn’t come out well. I even tried to take a movie, but it was just too dark. I so wish I could better share how amazing this thing was:

Rob and I climbed to the top of one of the towers. You get there via this windy, enclosed, spiral cement stairway which opens up at various levels along the way (very claustrophic). Here are some shots on the way up:

See these marks in the next two shots? They are mason’s marks. Each mason had their own symbol (you could even say “brand!”) he would carve into any piece of stone he was responsible for laying. I thought that was so interesting. We spotted these inside the staircase.

Sundial:

They had graffitti even back in the olden days! Notice how neat they were back then even while they were defacing church property.

And then you would find these odds-and-end, sneaky little details like this little puppy… Who know why it’s there. Does it have any historical, symbolic meaning? Was it a particular mason’s brand? Or was it just someone having some fanciful fun? We didn’t find out, but who cares? We were just grateful that it exists in the world.