Germany 1988 — Jack and Linda Hoeschler

3/31 - arrive; 3/31-4/1 - Rhine Tour; 4/1-4/3 - Köln; 4/3-4/6 - Eifel & Mosel; 4/6-4/7 - Saarbrucken; 4/8-4/9 - Baden, Black Forest, Freiburg; 4/9-4/13 - Bodensee; 4/13-4/15 - Swabian Jura, Ulm, Sch. Hall; 4/15-4/18 - Wurtzburg.

3/31-4/1 - A drive up the Rhine; Due to flooding we have to duck up to the hills as the flooded streets block the scenic routs; The Rheingau section, Kedrich church closed. Eberbach Abbey, lovely presses stark Romanesque church.. Cistercian; Jophannesberg Castle, Riesling home of Metternich lovely palace nicely reconstructed chapel; The Loreley section: Niederwald monument (good view of Bingen), Loreley, can't get to.

Rhine view from Marksburg

4/1 - Marksburg, on the Loreley section of the Rhine tour

After Marksburg we continue up the Rhine through Remagen (Albert Funk there in WWII) and to Bonn (home of Dennis Russell Davies). We see Beethoven's house, Munster, and drive around government an university areas and diplomatic residential areas. Drive through lovely Köln suburbs and into Köln where we park car (so busy with Good Friday holiday) and find our lovely hotel by instinct. Onb Easter Sunday we get call from Lenz (Hueg relative) saying they'll meet us in Saarbrucken.

We spend 6 hours at the Wallraf-Richartz (Traditional) and Ludwig (Modern and Contemporary) museum. Stunning.

We then tour the cathedral, watch the skateboarders and the watchers, and walk around the Old City: Rathaus, Roman ruins and churches. Extensive war damage. Walk along river and across bridge. Charming city though hotel girl says "It's a Catholic city so nothing happens." Fine concert halls.

April 3, Easter Sunday. Köln, Aachen, Eifel. We go to high mass in Dom (music nice but not great) then head to Brühl with palace cum tour guide who explains every detail of these empty Baroque rooms! Then to Aachen. Aachen (Aix la Chapelle), the town of Charlemagne. First to the 8th C. Dom built by CM (his throne and remains are in Dom). 936-1531: 30 princes here crowned king of Germania (lost to Frankfurt the coronation rights-rites). We see Benediction at the Dom.

Aachen street; Marvelous puppet fountain; We leave Aachen after a pleasant walk around and head through Brand to Kornelmünster. Lovely churches (well-kept graves!) and stream and buildings. A pleasant afternoon. Then on to Monschau where we spend the night. Our landlady claims she's going to sell het hotel and retire to the States with the strong Mark!

4/4/88 - "Dear Fritz, We have had a nice time touring through some quaint German towns but we have both said that we miss traveling with you and Kristen. The weather has been much better this year than last when we were here. It drizzled the first day but has been nice otherwise. I want to take you and Kristen back to Cologne. They have a wonderful Gothic cathedral, the highest building in Europe and some great shops and museum. I've been thinking as well about your Scout schedule and hope you will push yourself to get some of those last badges. Love, Dad." From dinner. Ok food, but the next restaurant down the river looked like the one!

We hear a lovely high mass cum music here for Easter Monday; At Monschau we begin Eifel Massif route, first stop Kommern fresh air museum.

We eat lunch at the museum (I order Bratwurst mit Phosphät and don't understand at first why my phosphate soda doesn't come! We then drive (after several hours surveying Eifel housing) to Bad Munstereifel, walk around here, quite charming. Then follow our route to Ahrweiler, exquisite but no time to get out and walk around the river promenade. To Nurburg (and Nurburgring (fancy race car track) to Daun where we go to see the volcanic Maars (it's getting dark), inky around the lakes, dim and slightly spooky. We pass Niederburg, beautifully lit (not nearly so exciting the next day) and settle at a spa at Manderscheid for the night.

April 5, 1988. Not wanting to miss an important route, we head over and up to the Mosel Valley, joining at Marienburg. See the Zell, Starkenburg, go through Kröv and Ürzig, then stop for a while in Bernkastel-Kues (2 cities) before we land for the night in Trier.

St. Nicholas Hospital and winery; We then drive down the Mosel to Trier where we stay at the fine Villa Hugel. Much rain so stay inside and have a superb dinner. Weather is fine the next day, 4/6; Roman baths.

The cliff between Trier and Saarbrucken.

Our piece, introduced y Stephen in German, well received, followed by post-concert 'Deutch Treat' dinner! We had set up our own reception so used food for next day for Saarbrucken tour.

4/7/88 - A tour of Saarbrucken with lovely guides - picnic at Cloef

After a picnic at the Cloef [scenic spot] we go to the Roman villa at Nennig with its lovely mosaic floor. Then on to learn about ceramics at Villeroy Boch with a look at their concert hall and castle, all at Mettlach on the Saar River.

"4/8/88. Dear Ann and Karen, We are working our way slowly down the Western border of Germany from Cologne to Lindau. The weather is good, the small German towns are pretty much the way they should look according to Linda and the natives are all friendly. Stephen Paulus is traveling with us from Saarbrucken and it sounds like all the Höschelers are planning to bring [Roeso?] relatives from miles to meet us. The news sounds a little slow these days, especially when I try to read it in German, so hope all is well with you. Jack" We leave Saarbrucken 4/7 and spend night in lovely Annweiler where we eat Italian and sleep Pensione. Next day is foggy/rainy so we skip Trifels and head to Baden Baden where we stroll the Allee and take the waters.

Hall where Berlioz debuted; Along the Lichtentalerallee; Monastery at Allee's end.

We tour modern and Roman baths then drive through a snowy Black Forest where we can barely see the sights through the fog. Spend night in a Black Forest style inn.

Frieburg, das Münster with its high airy spire

Freiburg gates.

Staufen, just outside Freiburg. Pink building is Gasthaus Löwen where Dr. Faust was taken by the devil in 1539. We continue our Michelinroute through the mountains to St. Blasien Benedictine abbey founded 9th C. Monks left in 1806.

In its crypt lie Hapsburgs' remains. The Bodensee Uberlingen for a stroll. Along the lake to Birnau. We find a Pension Elisabeth in Meersburg for the night. Have a fish dinner in town.

April 10 is White Sunday (1st Communion day) in Meersburg

...and in other towns along the Bodensee; St. George's, Höscheler family church in Wasserburg.

Höschelers who died in war; We buy flowers then have a lovely lunch at Wolfgang's. Give gift books, eat, then take Stephen Paulus around town, then to train to Köln. We then see model train exhibition, then go to hotel.

Family reunion cum winetasting at Ulrich Höschelers in Nonnenhorn.

Henrich ? Ulrich; Pauline, almost 90; Local tourist brochure; Some of wine we drank

April 11, to Meersburg

After boat ride from Mölnau we tour Meersburg

April 12, to the Pfender & mountains with Heinrich & Friedericke

The opera set at Bregenz, Austria; A bike ride with Annelise to Nonnenhorn to say farewell to Ulrich & Rosa then back for a lovely dinner; Wolfgang's house.

April 13, We leave Lindau in the rain and take off through Schwäbisch country to wend our way to Wuurzburg. First stop, Wangen, a lovely town. We walk through in the rain through Ravensburg to Weingarten, a huge Benedictine monastery; St. Martin at Weingarten. We have a grand Chinese lunch

More of Weingarten. Inside the Basilica, the largest Baroque monastery church in Germany; a drop of X's blood is famous relic; Abbey, founded for women in 10th C., taken over by men in 11th C., monks left in 1806, returned in 1922.

Wolfegg im Allgau, another Benedictine compound, Renaissance schloss and 18th C. church. The to Bad Wurzach im Allgau (not worth the detour).

Ochsenhausen, another Benedictine monastery in our quest to see 'em all (!) along the Baroque Strasse. Then on to Ottobeuren.

April 13-14.

Library Hall, lovely. April 14 - To Wiblingen, another Benedictine Kloster (near Ulm), have a delightful tour of the famous library hall.

4/14/88 - Ulm, home of Protestant cathedral, tower is world's highest; Town Hall.

Fisherman's Quarter in Ulm; Ulm, birthplace of Albert Einstein. A pleasant walk along the Danube; The crooked house in the canal being straightened.

Schwäbisch Hall, From Ulm we head through Schwäbisch Gmünd where we look at churches and have ice cream. In S.H. get a room over a bar and head to Gross Comburg, the Benedictine monastery

S.H. at sundown.

April 15, Off to Würzburg to visit Peter and Margitta Wormbrer who stayed with us about 10 years before; We first go to the Hohenloher Museum (Freilandmuseum) outside S.H. but closed; Stuppach Church; Lunch in the abbey near the Hohenlohe on the Jagst River; We stop in Stuppach to see this llovely Madonna by Grünewald.

4/16/88 - After tea/coffee on afternoon of 15th w. P. & M. we go to the oldest W.B. church Kapelle, a pilgrim's church with life-size Stations of the Cross. then to our lovely hotel. Saturday AM, Off with M. to Marienberg with its museum; View from Marienberg (Kapelle in background)

Wurzburg from Marienberg; In the afternoon we go with P. & M. to the Residenz; Neumann staircase with Tiepolo fresco, protected by American officer after Britsh and U.S. firebombed Wurzburg in 1945. Due to this 'saving' guard lets us see private rooms.