Romantische Strasse

I can’t remember the last ‘road trip’ that Perry and I took that wasn’t directly related to a move or a specific destination. This spring, Perry had 15 days of leave which he had to utilize prior to the end of the government fiscal year. What a great opportunity for a road trip.

After a little research, I decided upon the Romantic Road through Germany.  Based upon a medieval north/south trade route, it winds itself through western Bavaria.

The challenge here would be convincing an aviator, who knows the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, to relax, slow down and ‘smell the roses’, so to speak. The road itself is only 300 km long. I planned to take 3 days to travel this distance.

Wurzburg is the northern-most city on the route. Historically, it was part of the duchy of Franconia, ruled by bishop princes until Napoleon ended the power of the church in 1802. Two major places to visit are the Residenz and the Festung Marienburg.

The Residenz is considered one of the most important palaces in Europe and a masterpiece of the baroque era. It was completed in 1781, after 60 years of on and off construction.  As a result of a devastating air raid on March 16, 1945, the residence was almost completely burnt out and only the central building with the Vestibule, Garden Hall, Staircase, White Hall and Imperial Hall survived the inferno. The 20 million Euro restoration project was started in 1945 and was completed in 1987. The Residenz was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981.

       Some views of the gardens at the Residenz.

The trees reminded me of little gnome trees. Each tree truck has a carving attached to it.

Across the river Main, towering above the city, is the Festung Marienburg, another UNESCO World Heritage site. The Franconian fortress, constructed in 704 AD, contains the Mainfrankisches Museum. A must-see exhibit is a collection devoted to the Gothic master carver, Tilman Riemenschneider.

Siding with the wrong faction during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1545, he was imprisoned and tortured, dying in 1531. His incredible works are found up and down the Romantic Road.

Creglingen, a small Bavarian town on the route, is the location for the Herrgottskirsche. Built in 1389, on a sacred site, it contains the Altar of Maria. The entire piece consists of 8 panels, with the larger centre panel dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary. The artist also included himself in the work in the lower right panel.

Next stop on the route is Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a completely intact walled medieval city. Rothenburg held a special significance for Nazi ideologists. For them, it was the epitome of the German 'Home Town', representing all that was quintessentially German. Many of the citizenry were sympathetic to National Socialism and in October 1938, Rothenburg expelled its Jewish citizens, much to the approval of Nazis. In March 1945, as defeat became eminent, the US forces were directed not to use artillery in taking the city and contrary to Hitler’s orders; the local German commanders surrendered the city. Both sides appreciated the significance of the city.

At the centre of the city is St Jakobskirche (St James Lutheran Church). It contains another of the Gothic works of Tilman Riemenschneider, the Altar of the Holy Blood.

For authentic Rothenburg ob der Tauber fare, one should have ‘schneeballen’, which are egg dough fried and then either sprinkled with powdered sugar or covered with chocolate.

I tried this version in Rothenburg and it was adequate. However,there is a version in Schwangau at the base of Neuschwanstein Castle which is filled with ricotta, deep-fried and sprinkled with icing sugar. I inhaled two of these. They didn't survive long enough for pictures!

Our second night was spent in Colmberg. Slightly off the Romantic Road, it was well-worth the diversion. The castle Burg Colmberg dates back to 1150. It was built by the Counts of Hohenlohe, and was later renovated in Gothic style. We could see the castle from 1 ½ km away and as we got closer, we realized that was our hotel. We had a room on the third floor with a magnificent view of the countryside.

The exteriors have been preserved and the interior is decorated with antiques. The castle was a maze of hallways and rooms, including a small chapel.

Front entrance/courtyard at Castle Colmberg

The following day, we continued south. Around three in the afternoon, we could see the Alps in the distance. How magnificent. Our destination was Schwangau, the home of two castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, nestled in the Bavarian Alp foothills. Our quaint hotel was 1 ½ km from the castles. We could see Neuschwanstein from our hotel room.

We headed to the castle early the next morning. It was spring break in Germany and Belgium, so we knew it would be busy with tourists. A guided tour took us through the Royal apartments and the servant quarters. King Ludwig II started work on this castle in 1869. It was never completed.

We were not permitted to take pictures inside the castle. That is always disappointing. The interiors have often been compared to Versaille. An unfair comparison, I think. Where Versaille is glamour and gilt, Neuschwanstein is regal and rich.

King Ludwig II was enamoured with the works of the composer, Richard Wagner, and the Singer's Hall (below left)was built as a venue for his works. The photo on the right is the Queen's Chamber at Versaille and is a contrast to the dark, richness of Neuschwanstein.

That afternoon, we headed back to Belgium, this time a more direct route, with an overnight in Saarbrucken. Overall, a great trip, “even if there weren’t any military cemeteries”. Oops.

My Problem & How I Solved It 1

One of the most challenging parts of military moving is window coverings. And when I say that, I mean the fact that ‘chances are’ the window sizes of the previous house will not match up with the window sizes of the new house. Consequently, mil wives tend to hoard curtains and drapes, just in case.

This particular ‘problem’ recounts the most recent issue with living room windows in our Belgian home.

This living room has one LARGE end window and two LARGE sets of patio doors at opposite ends of the room AND 10 foot ceilings. Using two sets of 95” drapes purchased many years ago in Greenwood, I had the patio doors covered. The trick was that third window. Exhaustive scouring of the Sears catalog rendered nothing. 95” drapes are only available in the designer section. Not for a three year stint!

One thing that I noticed while searching was that the Belgian stores carried all kinds a panels in all kinds of colours, in all kinds of styles (rod pocket, tab top and grommet) and really, really long (280cm).There was potential for creating my own solution. After purchasing some panels in the right colours and drapery tape, I set out to put all those skills that Mrs. Purves taught me to good use.

Rather than remove the metal grommets, I opted to leaving them on the bottom. It would help to weight the drapes.

The first step would be to attach the iron-on drapery tape to the 'bottom' of the panels and then fold it under. Next step was pinning in the pleats, based upon the size and number of the Sears drapes. And then stitching them in place, with a good pressing.

The last step was to iron in the centre pleat and tack it in place. With a thorough pressing they were ready for hanging.

Unable to find a matching fabric, I opted to use 2 colours of panels that matched the original striped drapes, a burgundy and a khaki. And if the need ever arise, I can remove the pinch pleats, hem and have two sets of panels.

The final product. A suitable substitute, I think.

My Problem & How I Solved It 2

A few months ago, a friend and fellow blogger described a project that she created to solve a problem that she had with the clutter and disorganization of her jewellery. At the time, I thought it was an ingenious idea but was much larger than I would ever need. I don't have a lot of jewellery but really could use something to organize my shepherd hook earrings.

It wasn't until I stumbled upon this small standing picture frame at Makro (Belgian Costco) that I was inspired to create a smaller version.

Tools of the project included some window screen (I asked for "0.5 metre" and got 1.5), a cutting mat, some flat wooden dowelling, a ruler and your husbands Ginsu knife (don't ridicule him when he tele-shops at 3am, it might come in handy some day).

I removed the glass from the frame and cut a piece of screening to match the size.

Now, using the Ginsu, I cut the flat dowelling to size, giving me a piece for each side. These things work really well as saws!

I place the screening in the opening, laid a bead of sticky craft glue along the inside edge of the frame and then imbedded the dowels in the glue.

Now I reassembled the frame, sans glass, and waited for everything to dry.

The final project, with earrings in place. And still lots of room to add more!

Thanks, Donna - Queen Without A Country - for the inspiration.

67 Years

Today marks the 67^th anniversary of the passing of Merrill Perez Lloyd. He is my third cousin and the closest relative to have died in WWII. Like most Canadians who gave that ultimate sacrifice in the world wars, he is buried near where he perished, in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, in Nijmegen, Netherlands. It is a short, 2 hour, 240 km drive from where I now live in Belgium.

Most of those buried in GROESBEEK CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY were Canadians, many of whom died in the Battle of the Rhineland, when the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division took part in the drive southwards from Nijmegen to clear the territory between the Maas and the Rhine in February and March 1945. Others buried here died earlier or later in the southern part of the Netherlands and in the Rhineland.

Wanting to know a little bit about this distant relative, I researched his name through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. (http://www.cwgc.org). This is what I found.

Rifleman MERRILL PEREZ LLOYD, who died on February 26, 1945
Service Number: F/7471 Age: 24
Force: Army
Unit: Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, R.C.I.C.

Additional Information: Son of Perez Merrill Lloyd and Eva Verba Lloyd, of South Waterville, King's County, Nova Scotia; husband of Lenora Blanche Lloyd, of South Waterville; father to Garnet and Grant.

            Commemorated on Page 535 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.

His name is four from the bottom on the left

Further research took me to the history of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, written by W.T. Barnard. Originally a militia regiment, I believe my cousin may have enlisted through Camp Aldershot, which was a large training depot during the war. Records indicate he was K/A (killed in action) and based upon that and the date he died, I was able to pinpoint the exact battle in which he was killed.

Briefly, Allied forces entered the Netherlands on 12 September 1944. Airborne operations later that month established a bridgehead at Nijmegen and in the following months, coastal areas and ports were cleared and secured, but it was not until the German initiated offensive in the Ardennes had been repulsed that the drive into Germany could begin.

Operation Blockbuster, as it was named, called upon the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (QORC) to push back the enemy troops that were well-entrenched at the Schlieffen Line. At 4 a.m. on the morning of 26 February 1945, the barrage began. It was very difficult going and the casualty rate was very high. Ultimately, the battalion would be successful with all objectives met by 3 o’clock that afternoon.

A quote from the history of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada

            “Thus, in the face of the most violent opposition, the battalion had performed its allotted task. There is no doubt that, in the long history of the regiment, studded as it is with memorable engagements, 26 February 1945 will rank as the date of one of its finest achievements. The fighting was Homeric and to emerge victorious the battalion had to rise to great heights. That it did so is a tribute to the leadership shown by everyone from Corporal to Commanding Officer and to the magnificent elan of the riflemen. “

Turkish Delights

Work recently took Perry to Izmir, Turkiye. Izmir is located in the west on the Aegean Sea. I opted to tag along.

We arrived in Izmir late Tuesday afternoon. The conference and spousal program would start the next morning. I would have two days to consume as many Turkish delights as possible. Fortunately, the 'menu' had been predetermined.

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Some of the security detail

Our group of 13 spouses, with the same number of security personnel (required by the attendance of an American 4* general wife) started out by bus at 830. Our security detail ensured we didn't stop at any red lights.

Our first stop was at the final home of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus. It is widely believed that she was brought there by Apostle John and she lived there until her Assumption.

The location came to light at the beginning of the 19th century, when Anne Catherine Emmerich, a bedridden Augustinian nun in Germany, reported a series of visions in which she recounted the last days of the life of Jesus, and details of the life of Mary, his mother, including the location of the house.

The site contains a small shrine. We were able to light candles. A spring on the site is reported to have healing properties, and visitors are encouraged to make wishes for health, good fortune and happiness.

 

Second course was a stop at the ancient city of Ephesus.  Archeologists have been able to uncover the ruins of a number of buildings and streets. The city has been under the control of both Greeks and Romans over its long history and each civilization has contributed greatly.

Visible ruins include the Library of Celsus, the agora, latrines, a brothel and an amphitheater capable of holding 25,000 spectators.




This open-air theater was used initially for drama, but during later Roman times, gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage. We stood on the stage and 'tested' the acoustics. The sound reverberated and was amplified throughout the whole theater.

Arcadian Street is situated between the Harbour Baths and the great theatre. One of the three main streets in the city, it stretches half a kilometer. Entering from the port, traders and sailors would first arrive in this street, so it was designed to impress with marble slabs and colonnades.

Our group spent about 2 hours here touring the ruins. We had a knowledgeable Turkish young woman, named Selda who guided us.

The main course was leather. Our hosts had arranged a visit at a leather fashion house, where we were entertained with a fashion show and then an opportunity to browse the line. The manufacture of leather goods is a billion dollar industry in Turkiye.

 Dessert was ‘served up’ at a ceramic factory. Again we were afforded a demonstration and then given free rein of the show room. I found two pieces to purchase – a large platter (loved the red) and a wall plate depicting The Seven Churches.

 

And after all that 'food', a nap was required. Where else but at a government-sponsored carpet weaving school. Keeping traditional skill alive. It was incredible to watch. One of the key markers of quality is the number of knots per square meter. Naturally, a silk carpet would have a higher knot count and the price would reflect that. The hours spent creating these masterpieces certainly justifies the high cost.

This was our final stop for the day. We would have the following morning at the Kemeralti Bazaar.

The entrance to the bazaar is marked by the Clock Tower. It was built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversay of Abdülhamid II's accension to the throne. The clock itself was a gift of Wilhelm II of Germany.

The streets of the market are narrow and crowded with a constant barrage of vendors hawking their wares. Sometimes, almost overwhelming, especially if you made eye contact or were identifiable as foreigners.

A lunch committment cut our market visit shorter than we would have liked, but I managed to return to the market that afternoon with Perry and one of his colleagues and was able to share the Turkish shopping experience, Turkish tea and all, with the two of them. We returned from Turkiye with some leather and 2 small Turkish carpets.