Kronberg im Taunus, Germany – An Overlook
A small town in the Taunus Mountains north of Frankfurt mixes old and new in a quaint little package. Its main attraction, the Kronberg Castle, selfishly occupies the only hill in town. This town offers enough for a great day trip or even an afternoon getaway.
Though there is not much to see from the high perch of the Kronberg Castle, the town below actually has several points of interest. There are of course several places to eat in the historic part of town, most serving the typical German food for this area, though Chinese and other cuisine can be found. Aside from its overlook of the countryside, here is a real overlook of what you will find inside the town.
The Town
The historic town is strangely laid out, but practical, given that there is a castle and a wall surrounding it. Many of the streets are typical for a hillside town and are paved in the Sampietrini or larger cobble stone. Many of the houses are built in the Fachwerk style and are hundreds of years old. Below are some of the sights to see ambling the streets.
There is a modern part of the city as well and it actually represent the modern face of Germany. The houses, apartments and stores have a neat modern appeal to them and ample parking. Anyone wishing to visit these areas only walk as near the closest wall opening, where they may descend into another time in the same place.
The town is at the foot of the Taunus Mountains, which occupy this part of Germany. The mountains are just north of Frankfurt and lie in the state of Hesse.
The Hellhof
The Hellhof was a noble seat built by the Kronberg Knights in the fifteenth century. It now stands as part of a gallery, which was at the time of our visit, closed.
The knights were part of the Teutonic Order and belonged to a rather poor family associated with Walter von Cronberg, a Grand Master and resident of the castle and held the title from 1525, until his death in 1543. Since the building is intimately intertwined with the events and family of the castle, it makes sense that it can be found sitting just beneath a rather steep incline to it. There is a substantial Roman style paved road that one can imagine connected the two at one time.
The Castle
Built around 1220, the castle sits atop the rocky hill of historic Kronberg im Taunus. It has a large main building, a tower and several chambers scattered around on the ground floor that must have served several purposes.
The castle has a commanding view of the town and the countryside. It can also be seen quite clearly by its higher castle neighbors in the Taunus Mountains and also from the Main Valley below.
In the ground floor of the Fünfeckturn, or five cornered tower, stand five wooden steles carved from a storm fallen 150 year old Beech tree called The Uprights. They were carved by Matthais Schmidt in 2018 to symbolize the knights and kings from the history of this old castle. For more on the history of this castle, visit https://www.burgkronberg.de/die-burg/geschichte.
I am ending this blog post with some additional, non-captioned photographs of the castle.
Bacharach, Germany – Model Medieval Town
On a bend of the Rhine River above Mainz sits the small town of Bacharach. Nestled among the varied and many castles of the west bank, its row of buildings and high walls demonstrate historically how important this part of the Rhine was in the Middle Ages.
The walls of the Rhine River valley provide an ample perch for the many castles and fortresses that were built to protect the towns along its banks. The Stahleck Castle sits above this small town and extends it length of walls, turrets and towers around the small community like a net from above. The curtain of walls is formidable in both height and width, being its strongest at river level, where perhaps most of the attacks (if any) would probably originate.
The Town
There is no real center of town, since it is more of a stretch of houses and building along the Rhine. Points of interest include the main street called Mainzerstraße, where all of the shops are located, Blücherstraße which starts at Saint Peter’s church and continues up through the Steeger Tor, a smaller street called the Langestraße which parallels the main street and the beautiful park along the banks of the Rhine.
A main attraction here is the beautifully preserved Altes Haus. It is here where Robert Stolz wrote his operetta Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blühen, or “When the little violets bloom”, which was eventually performed in the Haag in 1932. Aside from that, it is an excellent example of Half-Timber, or Fachwerk framing.
The hillsides in this area are dominated by vineyards, the area being a major wine producer for Germany. There are many Vintners here and many, if not all, sell directly to the public. Unfortunately after taking so long to eat, we were not predisposed to try and visit any of them.
Restaurants
There are several restaurants in town to choose from, all of which appear to serve a mixture of traditional German fare and some Mediterranean. It is probably preferable to find something on one of the side streets, since traffic is still allowed through the main thoroughfare.
Restaurant Burg Stahleck
We choose this restaurant based on its menu and amount of outside seating. Plus we were just lucky to get the last table with its advantage at being in a very strategic corner, in order to view the goings on in town.
Bacharach is indeed a great place to spend a day or afternoon. The combination of the town, the banks of the Rhine and Castle above it provide more than enough to do for anyone in the area looking for a day trip.
Dreieichenhain, Germany – Fachwerkhaüser Allesamt
I considered a title in English, however none appeared fitting to me, or at least to my ear. The above essentially translates to Timbered Houses All or all of them. Most, if not all (I didn’t take a census) are built in this style, at least within confines of the ring wall.
The exemplary example shows all the features of a timbered or half-timbered house in this region of Germany. In fact, Dreieichenhain lays on a three thousand kilometer (appr. 1800 miles) long Deutschen Fachwerkstraße of timbered framed houses in Germany. This virtual road runs through Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Hessen, Thüringen, Bayern and Baden-Württemburg. This town lays on the portion from the Rhine to the Main and Odenwald.
As you walk along the Fahrgasse, the main street in Dreieichenhain, there are several signs explaining the history and method of this type of construction. In typical German fashion, each timber has its own name and in many cases they may have multiple names, depending on their actual purpose.
These include the Rähm or Rähmbalken for the top beams and Schwelle or Grundschwelle for the beams located on the bottom. Echpfosten, Eckstiel and Eckständer may all be used as names for the column posts used for the corners of the buildings.
Here are some additional examples of this construction practice, which many tourist find to represent the idyllic German town. All of them have very restrictive auto and driving rules, many of which require you to park outside the town and walk in. Though we parked outside the town and walked in, the walk was rather short, even though there were two small traffic circles that we had to walk through. While doing so we discovered the town also has its own parking area a few hundred meters from one of the town gates.
Aside from the interesting houses the town is surrounded by the typical Roman wall. This wall has only three gates, through which anyone approaching or leaving the town must pass. The rest of the wall is sparsely populated by lookout towers. The wall is also supplemented and takes advantages of some the buildings in the town to supply part of its construction. For example the church and several stone buildings that were incorporated and included in the wall in order to remain part of the town proper.
The Ruins
Near the Untertur entrance are the ruins of the Burg, or castle, which was rather small, but probably adequate for a town of this size.
The castle has had a lot of work on it to stabilize its structure and to make it safe for tourists to enter. There is not much to see, but you can enter the ruins and discover the old main hall chimney and other construction items of interest.
Below is another view from outside the ruins and one of the main hall with chimney.
Restaurants
La Table
Though actually a restaurant, it appears as a rather quaint little boutique coffee shop that sells amazing cakes and desserts. We stopped at La Table for some refreshment, after we had completely discovered what this little town had to offer, and what the local weather kind of forced us into sitting under some kind of cover. Our attempt to sit outside under the coffee shop’s awning was dashed, when what started out as a shower turned into a full blown thunderstorm. We persisted in our belief, along with another cute little old lady from town, that we would be able to sit it out under the awning. But soon enough it rained harder and harder and then the wind picked up and drove us all inside.
Luckily, most of the other guest had been driven home by the inclement weather so there was plenty of seating for the rest of us inside, including the little old lady who turned out to be quite the chatterbox. So we ordered up some glasses of Martini Rosso, Prosecco, and hot chocolates along with some cake and had a nice little Kaffeepause out of the rain and eventually hail.
Above a parting shot of the castle’s water source from the nice little town of Dreieichenhain on the Deutschen Fachwerkstraße.
Bolzano – Museums And Castles
Continuing our adventure in Bolzano, we found it has a number of good museums and many castles to visit, actually one of the denser areas for castles in Europe. We were lucky enough to have time to see two great museums and one of the better castles. If you are ever in Bozen/Bolzano, these are all great places to visit.
Museums
Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum
The South Tyrolean Museum of Archeology is the present home of Ötzi, the five thousand and three hundred year old man that was found frozen in an alpine mountain pass.
Visitors will learn who made the discovery and how, as well as many keen facts on the later removal and care for the iceman. It is amazing how many artifacts were found along with the body, all of which can be seen in the exhibits. Ötzi himself is viewable from a portal of glass, though which you can see most of the details of his frozen form. The room keeps him at the conditions in which he was found on the mountain-top.
Naturmuseum Südtirol
The South Tyrolean Museum of Nature is a rather small museum that provides a good educational foundation for the natural areas surrounding Bolzano. You can learn about all of the habitats and ecology of the forests and fields of the neighboring countryside, as well as its geology and climate.
There are many hands-on exhibits for children, most of which are still accessible with the proper attention to hygiene, in this time of pandemic.
Castles
Schloss Runkelstein
If you walk from Bozen/Bolzano to the castle, you will note that it is not just a thirty minute walk, but rather more like forty-five minutes.
Probably one of the larger castles in the area, with a location right next to the Talferbach, one of the many rivers (what we would call a stream in the States).
Schloss Runkelstein was built in 1237 near the road that north of Bozen up to the Ritten plateau, or Ober-Bozen. This was to avoid the Eisack river gorge. However, the road eventually passes through this very gorge and on through to the Brenner pass, making it a valuable piece of real estate for trade. It was actually built as a fortress to protect the local population. Not until the 14th and 15th centuries was it then converted by aristocracy into a castle.
The castle contains great stories about Tristram and knights of the round table. There are several very good frescoes to enjoy and some very interesting period architecture. With any good castle, this one will take about forty-five minutes to hour to thoroughly discovery all it has to offer, including the views.
Our next blog will detail out hiking trip to Ober-Bozen and the Earth Pyramids.
Merano – Tyrolean Bliss
Salzburg – Home Of Mozart
Salzburg is the name for both the state and capitol of Salzburg. It is also the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arguably a genius and the most accomplished musician and composer of all time.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also lived in Salzburg, along with his family. One can visit the Mozart Wohnhaus, which today is a museum. The cost for entry is around 12€ per person, 10€ for senior citizens. There are also family and group rates. The fee comes with an audio guide which is filled more with music than biographical data. The museum has quite a collection of artifacts from his life, especially numerous letters he wrote to his wife. One can go through the entire six rooms in less than an hour.
While in the museum you will learn some interesting facts about the composer, for example his stature. He was on one and half meters, or fifty-eight, fifty-nine inches or about five feet tall. I guess what he lacked in height he gained in his ability to play and compose extraordinary pieces of music. Worth a visit if you have the time.
A Walkable City
Salzburg is by every measure, very walkable. The city also enjoys a very robust electric bus system and plenty of alternative forms of transportation, including bicycles, electric personal scooters and even river boats.
Mirabellgarten
The Mirabellgarten in Salzburg is a great place to take some time back from walking and the general hustle and bustle of seeing the sights. It is located toward the river Salzach on the East side of the city.
The garden belongs with the Schloss Mirabell, which is an imposing structure and site. It has ample seating and benches along its borders to sit and enjoy the flowers and its grand fountain, the Vier-Elemente-Brunnen.
Hohensalzburg Fortress
The Hohensalzburg Fortress sits atop the Festungsberg, or fortress hill, of Salzburg. It has a commanding view of the city and the countryside. Apparently build in four stages it became a formidable fortress in its hayday.
For around 12€, the basic entry pass get’s a trip on the fernicular rail to the top and back and entrance in to most areas of the castle, excluding the bishop’s quarters. The entire reason for even having a fortress is to command military might in the region, the fortress has several rooms around this theme.
There is also a Marionette or Puppet Museum on the premises. It has several works by a famous Puppeteer Master and several diorama around their history and use. A very interesting museum for the younger audience.
The remainder of the fortress includes the history of the actual structure, how people lived inside its walls and the involvement of the church in it’s operations. Here are some additional scenes from the fortress.
Finally, residents of Salzburg are often referred to as Stierwasher or “Bull Washers”. This epithet comes from a tale out of the Siege of the Fortress during the great Peasants’ Uprising. Apparently the fortress was staring to run out of food and one soldier had a great idea. He took the bull that was left and painted it a color, then he went down and show his enemies the bull. He did this for several days, painting the bull a different color each day. At some point the enemies decided the fortress still had too much food and they would never be starved out, so they retreated and left. A happy ending, I guess, except it took the population several days to wash all the paint that had accumulated on the bull, giving them the name Bull Washers!
Kapuziner Kirche Und Kloster
The Kapuziner Kirche and Kloster sits atop of Salzburg, with an amazing overlook of the city. There is a short climb to get up there, but once there, the overlook is great.
Unfortunately, we had a rather rainy morning when we ascended to take our photographs, but they still came out pretty well.
Restaurants
While in Salzburg we visited the following notable restaurants.
Gasthof Alter Fuchs
The Gasthof Alter Fuchs is a typical Austrian restaurant, serving typical cuisine for the area. They have, “die beliebten Klassiker der österreichischen Küche“, or the most beloved classic of Austrian cuisine, Wiener Schnitzel and more on the menu.
Everything we ordered was delicious and with wine and water it all came to less than 50€!
Sternbräu Biergarten
The Sternbräu Restaurant and Biergarten is billed as delivering authentic Austrian cuisine. Their menu seems to be full of unfamiliar items, for example Salzburger Nockerl, and many favorites like Bratwurst. A very busy and large place that seems to have many servers, but even so, you may find service a bit slow.
We were hungry, so had a rather big lunch that included wine, water and the items shown above. Budget-wise, this place is a bit more expensive than some others, so be prepared to pay a small premium for wine and perhaps even beer. Our entire lunch came to 69€.
Cafe Tomaselli
Apparently one of the places for a drink to go in Salzburg is Cafe Tomaselli. They also serve breakfast and some other small things like ice cream. We stopped here for a quick drink and found the prices fair and drinks very good.
We ordered an Iced Coffee with Vanilla Ice Cream and a Campari with Soda and the bill came to 11.60€
Gasthof Wilder Mann
Another great place for lunch is the Gasthof Wilder Mann. The Eintopf, or soup we can say is fresh and first rate. We had the Vegetable Beef Eintopf, which came with a lot of beef, yellow and orange carrots and thin spaghetti noodles. It was spiced just right and delicious.
We also order water, white wine, a Mixed Salad with Chicken, coffee and schnaps, and our bill came to 44€.
Rapallo – Tiny, But Rich In History
Part One
The tiny seaside city of Rapallo is remarkable in many ways, as a port, as a main stop on the Pisa to Genova train line, as a city that has many ancient Roman, Etruscan and other historical features, and as a tourist point of interest; where one can just relax and enjoy the sun while eating great Ligurian food.
We began our stay checking into the four star Hotel Astoria Rapallo along via Antonio Gramsci. Built in 1903 in the Victorian Liberty Villa style, it is well taken care of by its current owner and management couple, who cheerfully greeted us as we entered. The views from our seaside room were what we imagined, as were the cooling breezes that ran through the room when we open all the windows, clean and refreshing. Even though they come equipped with air-conditioning, it is always nice to open the windows to get fresh air, especially in the early morning.
Rapallo is an active port for fishing, leisure and travel (via ferry or other means to destinations along the coast.) Unfortunately, while we were here, the ferries were still not running, due to the restrictions in place on account of the virus. So, we were not able to visit Portofino as we had hoped.
The Historic Center
As with all older cities of any size, Rapallo has a historic center, albeit small, which one can wander through to shop or to catch a meal.
Some of the main attractions here include the church, or Basilica of the Saints Gervasius and Protasius.
The Porta della Saline
The only remaining gate of the ancient city walls is the Port of Salt, or Porta della Saline.
There are of course plenty of narrow and inviting streets in the old town that suck you in with their capillory action.
Hannibals Bridge
Built in the second century, the ancient bridge from the Roman period, called Hannibals Bridge, can still be seen and enjoyed. Though cordoned off to travel, it still is an imposing and impressive sign of the Roman’s architectural and construction abilities.
The Castle Of Rapallo
Anyone looking out into the gulf will sooner or later notice the small castle sitting off the coast directly in front of the traffic circle (or roundabout), Piazza Giovanni Battista Pastene. This is the Castello di Rapallo, an old castle built in the 1550s in response to attacks by Turkish pirates. It is still in fairly good shape, but while we where there, temporarily closed due to Covid restrictions and construction in the vicinity.
The Brotherhood Of White
A Brotherhood of White, also known as the Great White Brotherhood and the Universal White Brotherhood, has a sect or presence in the city. In a part of the historic center, a structure exists that apparently houses this old eighteenth century order of people of enlightenment. The signs are there, if you are looking for them.
The Gulf Of Tigullio
The Gulf of Tigullio is very large and extends from Portofino to Zoagli. It is always nice to walk along the Port of Rapallo in the early morning or in the evenings to enjoy the fresh air and beauty of the gulf itself. There are many inlets, bays and coves that one can explore along the way, some with road access, others a bit more difficult.
Rapallo To Montallegro
The cable car from Rapallo to Montallegro and back is a treat. Though some might consider it an expensive treat, at 8€ a piece for a round trip; we thought it a fair deal. The views in and of themselves are more than worth the ticket price. There is not only a basilica waiting for you at the top, but also a restaurant with amazing views of the city and surrounding countryside.
Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Montallegro
The sanctuary at the top of the hill in Montallegro is actually a basilica. Called the Basilica and Sanctuary of our Lady of Montallegro, it is both impressive and still functioning.
Casa del Pellegrino
There is a cafe, bar and restaurant some ten or so minutes walk from behind the basilica. It is not only the start of one of the hiking trails that wanders through the area, but also provides an excellent view of the gulf and port of Rapallo. Since the cable car runs every thirty minutes or so, we took advantage and spent an hour here, taking on refreshment and admiring the view while enjoying the cool air coming up the mountain slopes.
Cable Car From Montallegro Back To Rapallo
Here are a few videos of our trip back down the mountain. If you are ever there, a word of caution for those with any fear of heights, you will be suspended very high in the air. It may not be for everyone, unless you maintain your look inside the car on ascent and likewise on the return.
Part One
Part Two
La Spezia – Harbors No Secrets
A rather active port on the Ligurian Coast is the port of La Spezia. Not typically known as a tourist hot-spot, it is noted for several museums, churches and other sites worth seeing, if you visit. With one day in our itinerary to investigate, I came away with the opinion that if you have other things in your own itinerary to see, then it’s probably not worth a stop. There are plenty of old city centers around and this one was rather unremarkable.
As can be noted by some of the photographs above, this port is heavily used by the Italian Cruise Lines and Navy. While here, we noticed several cruise ships moored, since their use is restricted during the virus outbreak. The port is also heavily used by commercial fisherman, as well as leisure craft. The city is very walkable, especially down by the water where they have a very excellent Lungomare.
That is all for La Spezia, our next stop is Rapallo, about thirty minutes North of Moneglia, via Sestri Levante. Another port town, but more for leisure craft and very close to Santa Margherita. Our Ligurian journey continues…
Moneglia – Strolling The Lungomare
Having the benefit of staying in such a small town for a little more than a week, gives one the flexibility of being bored and looking for things to do. Of course I say this from the perspective of retirement and our slow travel mentality, where it’s all about kicking back, taking it easy and having the time to actually get to know a place, instead of driving through it to claim, “I was there!”
The Leisurely Stroll
An often overlooked, under-used method of relaxation, that I might add is rarely used in the States, is the stroll. In fact, the lack of use of this word in the common venacular there, or everyday speech, testifies to the American’s reluctance to actually taking one. Americans are often too busy and too self-absorbed to consider a nice, long, uncomplicated relaxing walk. If you stay long enough in Moneglia, or probably any city or coastal town in Italy, you should take one of these, they can be mind clearing experiences. The Germans have an excellent word for it, schlendern, to stroll or amble and when correctly pronounced, actually sounds relaxing. The Italians however, probably invented it with their passeggiata, which actually means a bit more, but is still actively practiced today.
Our stroll along the Lungomare was relaxing in the extreme. The surf, which was fairly rough at the time, was pounding the coast. Where the beach was lined with stones, one could hear the strange and unusual sound of the rocks clacking against one another as the water washed over them and drew them back toward the sea. Add to that the perfect temperature, somewhere in the low seventies, and a stiff breeze, and you have all the ingredients for a great walk.
The Tower Of Villafranche
Along the Lungomare is the Tower or Fortress of Villafranche, or what is called today the Parco Castello di Villafranca, a broken down remnant of an old fort that is no longer used nor kept up. It has signs that it had been taken cared for until recently. Now it just appears to be a memory destined to fall back into the hillside from which it arose.
There are still some interesting things inside to see, nooks and crannies, here and there. The outside is more or less a maze of unmaintained stairs and paths. A good place for a relaxing picnic lunch, to read a book or just relax and unwind; there are some benches where one can sit and enjoy the sound of the waves and the horizon.
Ristorante Bistrot Julia
The restaurant Bistrot Julia is a small, unassuming place that is not much on menu, but definitely big on taste. This place, during normal times, would be crowded, so get reservations if you are planning a visit, we just happen to be fortunate enough to enjoy it in a more relaxed state.
Based on a rating we found to be rather high on the internet, we decided to give it a try. Having not had a very good steak in a while, we were both surprised to find a Tomahawk Steak for two on the menu. It took some discussion with our waitress and all of two seconds to make up my mind what I wanted to order. After a very short negotiation with Patti, our wine and steak were ordered.
Needless to say, when a chef does not give you a choice on how you want your meat cooked and it comes out looking like this, you know you are in for a good meal. Paired with a very good local Nebbiolo, the steak and potatoes went down with very little argument. Our appetizers were Baccala on crushed vinegared olives, also very good. We would both highly recommend a stop at Bistrot Julia, if you are ever in Moneglia. First rate food at a fairly good price. They also will dispense wine from any unopened bottle of wine they have, as long as it’s under 24€. A fine enticement to get you to try new wines not necessarily served by the glass and you only pay for what you drink. With our steak, priced at 6€/hg (hectogram), and coming in around one kilo we walked out with a 97€ bill. Some might say that a bit steep, but I have paid far more in the States for steak and dinners for two as a whole and they were no where near as good. Enjoy!