A Walk Down Memory Lane

One of the things Elder G has looked forward to with this mission in Germany is to revisit the cities he served in over 50 years ago when he was a young man.

We knew he had changed over the years, so we wondered if the cities he had lived in would have changed as well.  Neustadt an der Weinstrasse was the very first city that he served in during the fall/winter of 1963.  Although Elder G didn't keep a journal, his mom kept his letters, and we had brought them with us.  One of those letters had the address of his house on it, so we plugged that into the GPS and headed out. The city's name (Neustadt [New City] on the wine street of vineyards) preceded our entry into this beautiful city.

  

The Garmin surprisingly took us right to the very street in front of the very house in which Elder G spent his first six months in Germany!  Although many neighboring vineyards were replaced by numerous apartment buildings, the house and a few other single-family dwellings still remained.

  

As we were taking a few pictures, a man approached us.  He ended up being the current owner who has lived there for 10 years.  He, too, has a renter in the upstairs bedroom where Elder G and a companion had stayed years ago.  The two men had a nice 5-minute visit, which is pretty good since Elder G was speaking German!  This was really a high point for his day--to revisit (and to find still standing) his first German residence.

From there we headed downtown to the old city center.  Elder G had forgotten how awesome and quaint it is!  I felt it was every bit as neat as Rothenberg, just smaller.

There were plenty of cobble-stone streets, half-timbered houses, and beautiful architecture

to make the old city so appealing.

One very unique aspect of the town center is the singular cathedral, dating from 1705, with two separate chapels--Catholic and Protestant.  It started Catholic, became Protestant after the restoration, and changed back and forth several times until it was finally divided to contain both religions under one roof.  "Quius regio, euis religio. Whose region, his religion," quoting one of the missionaries who served there with Elder G 50 years ago.

Here you can see the two differing spires depicting the two different faiths

rising from one building .

Any guess as to which interior belongs to which faith!

Yet another awesome church!

 

Too bad the area is too small for me to back up enough in order to get the whole tower in!

Unfortunately, it was dusk and getting dark as we were set to leave this

wonderful, enchanted town!

As we were leaving, we happened upon this group of "actors" who were most likely getting ready for their roles during the "Night Watchman's Evening Tour."  Looked like they were having a great time!

We checked our Garmin to see if there was a nearby castle and actually found one close by.  The winding, mountain road was uninviting, but we pursued--only to fine the castle is now a private residence or business.  Still, it was neat to check it out. 

I couldn't get over the HUGE, towering tree!  

Unfortunately, I could only capture the bottom fourth!

Although not getting to walk in or around the castle was a disappointment, the view seen from the castle drive was totally worth every narrow minute of it! 

Since there was still some daylight left and one more castle listed on the Garmin, we headed off 9 more kilometers to see it.  It, too, was closed (since it was now after 6 p.m.),
but it was still another adventure.

Although it doesn't compare to other castles that we've seen so far, it was still exciting to be on the grounds of one.  This is the second time we've experienced a wedding taking place on castle grounds!  Kind of exciting.  Unfortunately, I didn't venture into the scenic area
where the reception was taking place.

As we drove down the hillside from the castle, we said our goodbyes to the beautiful 

vine-covered city of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.

 

Marienburg Castle, A Post Script to our Denmark Adventure

Although my post regarding Denmark was the longest ever, it was incomplete!  There was still more story to tell.  However, since I figured most readers were "counting Zzzzs" by then, I figured I'd end it there and have to do an extra post regarding the final leg of our trip.

The last leg of our return to Frankfurt--dampened by the tediously long 5-hour-drive-to-find-a-hotel-in-the-busiest-travel-time-of-the-year!!!--found us determined to upgrade our attitude by finding at least one more wonderful, historic site before returning home.  By chance I noticed a road sign indicating a castle nearby, and we took the next exit.  I must state here that sometimes these castles are neat, and other times they are mere ruins or some type of dorky residence improperly labeled a castle!  In other words, just because it's titled a castle,
it may be a true "wild goose chase."   ("Wild castle chase?")

I think the gods must have been smiling upon us after the long night before, 

because we certainly found a castle to remember!  

Marienburg Castle 

http://www.schloss-marienburg.com/en/

was a 40th birthday present to Marie, the wife of King George V of Hanover, in the mid 1850s.  They only lived in the castle a short time before the Prussians took control, and they left, seeking exile.  It was vacant for over 80 years, which explains its excellent condition.

I thought we'd died and gone to Disneyland!  Anyway, it was such a pleasant surprise to stumble on a bona fide castle that we hadn't even researched first!  It couldn't have been more perfect! 

Beyond this entrance is a huge courtyard, surrounded on all four sides by the castle.

There was a restaurant, caterers were setting up for a wedding, 

and there was even an ice cream vendor on the grounds. 

We were able to take a tour of many of the rooms.  Although the tour was in German, we wore headsets and were able to listen to an English recording regarding each room.  It was really well done.  It's just too bad that photos were not allowed as the interior

was just as AMAZING as the exterior!!!

As we exited, I wanted to point out the thickness of the impressive, fortress-like walls!

Goodbye, fairy-tale castle!

Just when we thought we were finished with an adventure, Elder G had one of his own. As we were in the parking lot, he noticed this antique VW and struck up a conversation with its owner.

The man was very proud to share all the details of its age, etc.

The man had restored the entire vehicle.  The frame dated to 1934; the body to 1961!  Elder G was especially excited to share this "find" with our nephew who collects old VWs.

Elder G was impressed with the car; I was impressed with his ability to converse in German with this man and his wife for 20 minutes!!!  It was a fun ending to an exciting afternoon discovery!