Orange

Martha Wiley USA - 02-Sep-05

OK, I'll start off by saying I've seen a good few Roman sites over the past several years. So I have to say that Orange was not one that I would recommend. The Ampitheatre is impressive in its way, but I suggest going during the Choregies, which is a week or two of large choral performances that offered here during the summer. That way you could enjoy the music as well as a quick tour before the show. And the Arch de Triomph here is likewise not worth it. Save your time for better Roman monuments in France, at, say, Arles. Still, if you are passing through anyway, you could stop a take a quick look. But don't give Orange more than 2 hours (unless you're here for the music).

Messel Pit

Martha Wiley USA - 13-Aug-05

August 2005

If you like fossils, then call the folks at Messel (06159-717535) to schedule a tour of the fossil pits in German or English. The tour takes about one hour. The paleontologists speak excellent English. The tours are available on weekends from Easter until the end of October.

DON'T go unless you set up a tour, as there really is nothing to see without a guide

Upper Middle Rhine Valley

Martha Wiley USA - 01-Aug-05

31 July 2005, the Upper Middle Rhein was as beautiful as ever. Definitely worthwhile to take a boat along the river, then you can take the train back to your starting point (or, of course, round trip on the boat). You can get off and on the boat (be sure you get the right kind of ticket) and visit various towns/castles along the way. St. Goar was hosting a Ritterspiele (Knights' Festival) this weekend and there were hundreds of kids around, learning how to fight with broadswords and axes, dancing, music (and the ubiquitous wurst and Coke). All the activity made it a little easier to imagine 4,000 people living in the castle during a siege.

Speyer Cathedral

Martha Wiley USA - 26-Jul-05

This also is one of my favorite historic sites in Germany. The cathedral is just so, well, Romanesque! So free of all the gold and curly gew gaws of the later periods. The cathedral has a program of music, so you might be able to schedule a visit around a specific event.

The Christmas market in Speyer was pretty nice, and they also have a pretzel festival every year (Brezelfest) with a parade. Yes, pretzels on parade!

There is a a museum cattycorner across from the cathedral that is worth a visit, too. They have special exhibits: we saw a Jewish history exhibit that was one of the best I've seen in Europe. And stop in for tea at the museum cafe and its neat architecture

Maulbronn Monastery

Martha Wiley USA - 26-Jul-05

Maulbronn is still actively in use, all these hundreds of years after construction, as a school, so parts of the complex are off-limits to visitors. However, enough of it is open so that you can get a good feeling for what life was like in the 12 and 13th century monastery. I like the church especially, but it was very interesting to see the warming room (the only room in the monastery that had heat in the old days) and the dining halls.

We walked around outside the north wall of the monastery and around a small lake which I believe was created by damming a stream during the monastery's period of active use. Good half day trip.