Oct 27, 2019

‘Walking Woman’ Sculpture at the Bad Homburg Train Station

A little while back, I took the S5 train from Bad Homburg to Oberursel. When I first saw the sculpture, I had to take a double look. When I looked closer, I was really touched by its beauty.

The art work ‘Walking Woman’ by the British artist Sean Henry was part of his Blickachsen (line of sight) Exhibition in 2013.

The city of Bad Homburg acquired this art work for € 100.000, and of course, some found reasons to oppose this purchase.

What I like about her:

She has neither handbag nor smart phone. But based on her stride, she knows where she’s going.

Jan 14, 2018

The Current State of Mainberg Castle

A stateside reader, who plans on visiting Mainberg Castle this summer, inquired about its current state and whether the castle would be open to the public.

Based on various sources in the media, the castle is in urgent need of repair and restoration. The current owner, the real estate agent Ms. Renate Ludwig, bought the castle in 2005. She and her initial partners were in the process of running a restaurant there, until fire safety regulations deemed the castle not safe enough.

Now the castle is for sale on the internet, but there is no private investor to be found.

Price: € 3.850.000 €
Lot size: 15.646 m² (168.400 ft²)
Floor space: 4.716 m²  (50.700 ft²), 50 rooms

Interested? Then view: Mainberg Castle for Sale

 In November 2017, the State of Bavaria authorized public funds of euro 700.000 to provide immediate help as the castle has been classified to be in danger of collapse.

At first, a team of experts checked to see if the deterioration stemmed from the underground tunnel, which was built during the Sachs Family reign during WWII. Their results further stated, that the tunnel itself would  not be the main cause of a possible impending collapse. Wear and tear of a 700-year-old castle does run its course.

In 1915, the industrial tycoon Ernst Sachs bought the castle. Then from 1954 – 1960, the castle was owned by Wilhelm Heger, until it had to be auctioned off. The city of Schweinfurt bought it then and in 1982, it changed hands again. This time, the castle was owned Gerhard Eichhorn & heirs, until the current owner bought it in 2005.

Efforts are made to save the castle from its ruin. I wish the state funds would have been available sooner.

The current renovation is supposed to be finished by the summer 2018. Since we are in Germany, please add another two years for completion.

Aug 1, 2017

Odds and Ends of London

This is just a medley of different impressions of London.

St. Paul’s Cathedral charges GBP 18 p.p. entrance fee. We passed on that offer with only half an hour to spare before heading to the airport.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Some alleys lead to more interesting and quiet areas such as this courtyard area off of Fleet Street.

The bottom of the sign says: When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. – Samuel Johnson

Johnson’s Court in London

 

 

Jul 15, 2017

Holidays in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain

For our summer holidays, we chose this little mountain village (population of 303) in Burgundy for its solitude, and that is exactly what we got.

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is a quiet village with few tourists, and it is also listed as Plus beaux villages de France. This was the view from one of the upstairs windows of our self-catering vacation rental. *

Room with a view in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain

The village seen from the valley.

On Main Street, soon after entering through the Port Val, you might want to look up to one of the windows of the houses on the left. She is definitely a piece of art.

This shop was the setting for the movie Chocolat (with Johnny Depp).

This is what we did most days – relaxing, reading, drinking wine, shopping for good things to eat, and mostly lying in the garden, shaded by trees.

* In case you’re interested what vacation rental we had booked, here it is: https://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/flavigny-sur-ozerain/6122857

I can highly recommend it, if you want quiet days and need time to visit yourself.

Jun 7, 2014

Bye, Bye, Schweinfurt

The remaining U.S. troops are soon to leave Schweinfurt for good, signaling the end of an era. For all of you who have served and worked in Schweinfurt, these photos are for you.

The SKF building, one of Schweinfurt’s landmarks as you come into the city. Not a pretty one, but you know you’re almost there.

SKF Schweinfurt

SKF Schweinfurt

A70 to Schweinfurt

A70 to Schweinfurt

Those two towers below, you will surely not miss. But again, they served as landmarks. Years ago, heading to Schweinfurt from Frankfurt with two small children in the back seat, we would lower the car window to let in some cooler air (we had no A/C back then) after we got off the Autobahn.

With that, we’d get a good whiff of country air, then the kids would wake up, see Luke & Duke, and exclaim “We’re almost there!”

Luke & Duke AKW

Luke & Duke AKW

Schweinfurt is surrounded by so many villages with Bierfests and Weinfests. One of our favorite one has always been Wipfeld and its neighboring villages. We love the vineyards, the view onto the Main River, and the quaint little fests of all kinds.

Franconian village, Wipfeld

Franconian village, Wipfeld

Last, but not least. Some of you might miss the Franconian beer. Then dream of this one.

Franconian beer

To all the short-timers out there – listen to this song, when you’re in the mood.

Bye, bye, Schweinfurt by the local band “Royal Riches”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcIwhsUTKtk

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