Germany Day 10

Sept. 19, 2011. Good grief I was just attacked by the shower! It is one of those shower heads attached to a hose, and I laid it across the faucets so I could turn on the water without it splashing outside the doors when it came on. (The shower is teensy, and last night that's what happened.) So when I turned on the water, there was so much water pressure it leapt off the faucets and landed upside-down on the floor spraying out the doors! I slammed them shut, but water was still escaping beneath the door. The only thing to do was open the door and grab the stupid thing as it sprayed me, the floor, the wall, the toilet....get the picture? Once I grabbed hold, it was like a runaway fire hose, careening around the stall and continuing to spray the entire bathroom until I was able to get in and slam the door shut! By then I was laughing so hard I could barely stand, and I'm still giggling about it. I just want my bathtub!

The day began with a lot less excitement! I had a breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, cold cuts, cheese, and bread at the hotel, then walked to St. Francis Monastery to meet our guide Lisa. She is a delightful lady with a wicked sense of humor and a refreshing habit of telling the blatant truth. She was born in Villingen, married and moved to Alaska, and is now back in Villingen but holds American citizenship. She is very proud of her city, and had many interesting stories to tell about its history.

Villingen is a city founded in 999 AD. It was a walled city, surrounded by two walls with a moat between. (I would love to have a moat!) It was a prosperous city, and the walls protected the inhabitants and their property from less-prosperous neighbors. Four gated towers - east, south, west and north - allowed access during the day, but were closed at night. Three of the towers and much of the inner wall still exist. The south tower was dismantled in 1884 to appease disgruntled citizens who lived outside the wall to the south, and felt left out by the rest of their city due to the wall between. The city has been able to withstand many sieges during its history due to its walls, its excellent fresh water supply and its ability to have enough supplies to wait out the invaders. During WWII, more gates were opened in the wall to allow citizens quick access to the bomb shelters beyond the wall.

We toured some of Villingen's most historical buildings - St. Francis Monastery, Benedectine Church, and the Munster Cathedral. St. Francis Monastery was originally built in the 11th - 12th century. Throughout its long lifetime, it has played many roles from barn to barracks to refugee housing to its current use, a concert hall. The building has amazing acoustics, and has hosted many symphonies and choirs, including the Vienna Boy's Choir. The Benedectine Church is the proud owner of a Silbermann Organ, rebuilt after the original was destroyed in WWII. Munster Cathedral is a breath-taking example of Gothic architecture, completed in the 13th century. Some damage was sustained during the war but has been repaired however, Lisa has never forgiven the loss of the bells, confiscated for ammunition for the war. She felt it was sacrilegious to use church bells for such a purpose. I agree!

Other highlights from our tour included some of the 27 fountains in the city, St. Ursula Convent which is now a public school, the lookout's tower who waited for the mail and had food and horses ready (like the pony express!) and the statue of Graf Berthold who founded the city in 999. We had a nice discussion in front of the fountain with a statue of Naroo the fool and his essential part of the Fastnacht carnival and parade. Some free time for lunch followed, but I had such a big breakfast food didn't even sound good. Deb and I browsed the shops until it was time to pile in the vans for the next leg of our tour.

A short distance outside of town is an old artesian spring marked by a carved wooden dragon, Dragon Spring. People still come to fill their water bottles here, even though the water has not officially been tested for safety. We had a short look, a quick drink and an even shorter ride to a Medieval castle ruins. It required a short uphill hike, but the sun had peeked from behind the clouds and it was an enjoyable walk. Kirneck Castle was built in 1185 not for defense but to collect tolls in the valley. Most of it was torn down in the 1800s and the stone used for roads, but a small corner is left and I enjoyed this little remnant of times gone by.

We were not done walking yet! Our next stop was Triberg, where the Gutach river plunges from the plains into this valley creating the highest waterfall in Germany. The rain that had been threatening all day finally began, but it was more of a heavy drizzle so we didn't let it stop us from climbing to the top of the falls. We rested a few times on the way up, which took about 30 minutes. Well, we weren't really resting - we were taking advantage of photo opportunities! And it was a very photogenic climb - the view and the cascading water were simply beautiful!

In Triberg, at the bottom of the falls, the deep valley forms a basin just wide enough for a small town. Triberg has the largest collection of Black Forest-related souvenirs (including cuckoo clocks) and wood products for sale anywhere, and is a very popular tourist destination. I did my part for the local economy, buying a few souvenirs for friends and family back home. One shop had a wonderful display of hand-carved Fastnacht masks, which I wanted in the worst way but couldn't afford at the prices that were as frightening as the masks - 300 to 500 euros apiece! It had stopped raining but turned cold enough to see your breath by the time we were ready to leave.

Back to Villingen, but wait! Not yet! We stopped at Germany's version of Wal-Mart, Kaufland. They have everything, including a tiny Halloween section. We bought snacks and essentials, then stopped for dinner at a restaurant on the outskirts of Villingen. Exhausted, we arrived back at the hotel just before 10 PM. Then I had my traumatic experience with the shower, and had to eat one of my Snickers before I could type up this journal! ;-) Now that I'm beyond exhausted, it's time to get some rest. Guten abend, no that's not right anymore because it's after midnight! Guten morgen!