Partying in Bamberg

There was a blues and jazz fest in Bamberg and the town was full.
Dont know why these boys are in lederhosen; Alan thinks maybe a stag wedding party?

Below, is a German handball team that was staying at the hostel with us.

Michaelsberg and Former Benedictine Monastery; Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany

The warm red and cream sandstone of this church glow in the evening sunset. It dates back to around 1000 and was rebuilt in the 1700s.

The ceiling is painted with botanically correct plants from the Bible, above the gilt statues.
The monastery has been turned into a restaurant and beer museum. Here, one can look out over the Bavarian hills, sip whatever, and enjoy the good life.

Bamberg, Bavaria

Bamberg may not have been as powerful a church center as Würzburg, but it had the same overlay of Italianate Baroque influence - and it survived the war mostly intact. Here is an ornate door of a building on Judenstrasse.

The smoky and very ornate interior of Saint Michaels Church on a Sunday.
This area of Bamberg is called Little Venice and is surrounded by rivers. This modern sculpture is at an area dedicated to the memory of those who died in the War.

The local specialty is Rauchbier/Smoked Beer, made with roasted malt. Alan does his research at a bar called 'Schlenkerla,' the home of the Bamberg Rauchbier.

August 16, 2008: Sand am Main to Bamberg

Once again, we got up early and cycled 30 kms, this time into Bamberg.
Eschenbach, in the cool autumn mist, seemed promising, with a Wagner Brew and pretty flowers.

This wonderful German gentleman stopped and offered to lead us into Bamberg. He introduced us to the sights of the town, told us about the local smoked beer, said that he loved long canoe trips, and then left to go on his errands. He is 77.

Community Garden Portrait, Sand am Main

Zeil am Main Old Haus - 1689

Jörg Hofmann House, 1689, Typical Fright Masks as Symbols Against Bad Spirits.

August 15: Thru the Fields, Shortcut from Würzburg North

We shortened the trip from Würzburg by cycling inland north and cutting off a wide bend of the river Main. We also left the heavily signed bike path and travelled thru farm fields toward Schweinfurt. Below is a farm field of red cabbage, with the plume of the nuclear power plant at Schweinfurt in the background.

Fachwerk or half timbered house in a little village.
An elaborately carved door of a farm Hof/courtyard.
Sugar beets are fairly common fodder crop (Zuckerrübe).

Würzburg: The Baroque and the War

The wealthy church and royal elite brought Italian painters, sculptors, and architects to Würzburg in the 1700s and they created a very Italianate baroque feel to the houses and churches. Here is the interior of the Dom/Cathedral in Würzburg.

The outside has been rebuilt since World War II in a plain facade. The reason for the mismatch in styles is that 80% of Würzburg was destroyed on March 16, 1945.
Here is the rebuilt facade of the Rathaus/Town Hall. Note the rococo gargoyle, the eagle of Bavaria, and the ornate metal work. There is a permanent display here about the fire bombing of the city.
Here is a sculpture at the Stift Haug church - another ancient structure that was destroyed and rebuilt.
The words may be hard to read above the door to this house. They say that the house was built in 1745 and destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt by Adam Endres. 5,000 people were killed in 25 minutes, as petroleum bombs ignited over the city and created a fireball with temperatures of 1-2000 degrees Celsius.

August 14, 2008: Coming to Würzburg

We got up early to cycle into Würzburg. Breakfast was at this small, but very busy, bakery in Zellingen.

The entry to Würzburg was magnificent over this old bridge dating back to the fourteenth century. The baroque statues of saints are from the eighteenth. Here is Saint Killianus, with his sword and bishop hat. The Festung Marienberg (Bishops Fortress) is in the background.
The skyline of Würzburg at sunset. It seems to have been a very powerful bishopric for centuries, although 80% destroyed in World War II and rebuilt after.
We walked up to the fortress at sunset. Here Alan provides scale for the monumental fortress-like walls. There were multiple sets of fortifications around this church-fortress.

August 13, 2008: Wertheim to Karlstadt

The sandstone cliffs gave way to limestone terraced vineyards along the Main. There were industrial areas around Lohr and some picturesque towns.
We passed more than 200 cycle tourists a day, pretty much all German.
This man kindly offered us help in Gemünden. When we asked why the Town Hall had been blown up in 1945 he told us that he lived there and had been 6 years old at the time. The townspeople hid underground and the Allies bombed rail facilities in the town. He told us to investigate the war history of Würzburg, where we were headed. Pretty good to cover all this ground with our German - he did not speak English!