Konstanz Finale

Just being silly…a crazy American! I am standing on a bench at Konstanz’ downtown lakeside park. In the background is the famous Peter Lenk sculpture of “Imperia”, courtesan to the Pope who she holds in one hand, and the Kaiser who she holds in the other. I am playing her double and it looks like I am conducting…My last day in Konstanz was a full one, thanks to my wonderful hosts Hannes and Dorothee. We began our day at the garden island of Mainau. It is a botanical heaven. Surrounded by lake it has a wonderful climate for growing all sorts of plants. They have even grown some California redwoods. Here are some photos taken on Mainau.

The roses were doing very well.

A famous landmark–a stairway of water.

And again from the top.

A beautiful shaded stairway.

More roses.

The palace and chapel at the top of the hill. This island is owned by a member of the Swedish royalty.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we visited the butterfly house. Here are a couple of closeups.

 

But this was just the first part of the day. In the late afternoon we did a LONG walk along the lake and through the center of the oldest part of the city. Here is a grand old hotel. The woman sitting on the wall is a statue.

Part of an old monastery, which is now a luxury hotel…the Island Hotel.

Here again is the harbor of Konstanz (without me). An old lighthouse and a Konstanz steamer flank the notorious courtesan Imperia. Imperia turns around on a turntable.

I love the avenue of sycamore tress along the lake. They prune them and keep them short in order to make a wide canopy over the promenade.

Imperia. You can probably see why there was a firestorm surrounding her when she first went up.

One of the old gates to the city, the Schnetztor.

And here I am standing outside the Schnetztor, where I posed for a photo once before in 1972.

A tearful goodbye to dear family and friends on the train to Luzern, Switzerland.

Kissed by a Butterfly

There is a butterfly house on the island of Mainau, right off the coast from Konstanz, Germany. We were there today and it was very crowded. I think I was the only person there who was wearing open toed shoes. This butterfly found my toes and wouldn’t let go. He (She?) walked around on my foot and would occasionally fling her wings wide open. Only then could you see their vibrant turquoise blue color. It happened so fast that it was impossible to catch. Then she flew away among the crowds and came back to alight on my foot again. I was chosen and kissed by a butterfly. I will continue the story tomorrow as I head on to Luzern, Switzerland on the train.

Around the Lake

There is a narrow extension of the Bodensee that points northwest like a finger from the city of Konstanz, Germany. This body of water is called Überlingersee after a town on its northern shore. We drove from Konstanz along the southern shore almost to the “finger tip” to the town of Bodman. Everything was so green from the daily rains. Our reason for visiting Bodman was to see the studio of the sculptor Peter Lenk, whose controversial statues are seen all around the lake and in all parts of Germany. The studio is private but there are sculptures standing all over in the yard. Here are a few:

I believe that I am standing next to Eve, because I notice she has an apple in her hand.

A very beautiful forest scene on our drive.

We found a wonderful lookout over Ũberlingersee at the Gasthaus Haldenhof.

We took a part of the Autobahn on our way driving back eastward toward Meersburg. Here is one of many green bridges which are built for wild animals to cross the roadway.

We stopped for Mittagsessen in the beautiful resort town of Überlingen, which gives the lake its name. Here is one of the original Tors (gates) in the city wall.

Inside the Cathedral of Überlingen.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Gasthaus zu Krone, which also had a sculpture by Peter Lenk, this one of a dying Napoleon.

Lakeside in Überlingen, with approaching storm.

Beautiful flowers in yet another lovely lakeside town, Unteruhldingen.

Here again you can see the high water.

Finally we ended our tour taking the Meersburg ferry across the lake to Konstanz.

Approaching Konstanz.

I don’t have time to write much, but I hope you enjoy the photos.

Evening Walk/German Hospitality

After the rains and a nap Hannes and I went for a walk up the hill to the nearby water reservoir, revisiting another location from 1971. My Lowa hiking boots are great.  Back in 1971…

 

And some other views…

From the roof of the condomium building…

My cousin Hannes.

Back home Dorothee prepared a lovely Abendessen.

Dorothee is a wonderful cook and is mistress of her kitchen.

Hannes and Dorothee.

Regen und Rest

Rain and rest. We began the day with big plans, but the weather had other ideas. In the morning we drove along the Seerhein, the Rhein River as it flows from the Bodensee into the Untersee to the west. There was light mist or rain as we pulled into Gottlieb, Switzerland. This is a beautiful historically restored area as you can see from the window and the side of the building. I didn’t realize that I had been here before. See two views of this building, one taken today, and one in 1971. You will notice many more cars on the sunny day.

 

 

Here by the Untersee Hannes and Dorothee are standing near very high water. The frequent rains have made the lakes swell in size.

 

The rains have also been extremely kind to the plants and flowers, especially the roses, which are currently in full bloom.

When the weather is bad, it is a good time to visit old churches to stay inside. Here is the interior of a chapel on the residence of Napoleon’s nephew, who came to live in Ermatingen, Switzerland, canton of Thurgau.

Next we drove over the dam lined with ancient poplars to the island of Reichenau in the Untersee.

Here was the ancient church of St. Georg, who fought the dragon. This church was closed to preserve the paintings on the walls.

We did, however, visit the old monastery on the island, and we could enter here. A very beautiful church interior.

The painted arches drew my attention because they resemble so closely the painted arches in the mosque in Cordoba, Spain.

A crypt cover for one of the previous bishops.

A small side altar.

Outside the stone pavement was wet from the persistent rain.

Nearby we stopped to buy fish, and here was a fisherman hard at work on a dreary day.

 

Then we gave up on our exploration to return home, where we spent the afternoon talking about our family tree, sharing old photos, and taking a blessed nap. I’m still fighting jetlag.

Cloudy and Cool in Konstanz

Here I am a bit blown away by the gusty winds in Konstanz on the Bodensee in Germany.  Believe it or not there were two girls out swimming in the lake. They said the water was quite warm. The winds were cool and strong out here on the Hörnle, a piece of land that sticks out into the lake. You can see the buildings of Kreuzlingen, Switzerland behind me. But first admire the photo of my suitcase that caught up with me this morning at my hotel in Zurich. I said “Baby, I’ve missed you!”

In spite of oversleeping, I managed to get to the train on time, and had a very pleasant hour long ride into Konstanz.

It was very overcast and we drove around to various locations. Here is my cousin’s sailboat “Woge” moored at the marina.

And here I am with my cousin Hannes who I have not seen in 33 years. We’ve aged a little.

Here is Hannes’ wife Dorothee who posed in this very colorful setting by the lake.

Here she is again posing with one of the unique Peter Lenk sculptures seen in places around the Bodensee.

Another sculpture, this one said to be the artist’s wife.

Then we wandered through the old city of Konstanz.

Buildings here date back to the Middle Ages. We had dinner at the one on the left. Notice all the bicycles. People  ride bikes all over in Europe.

A painted building.

The city Maypole.

My lovely hosts, Dorothee and Hannes.

Good news!

The suitcase arrived this morning, and I am now safely in Konstanz, Germany with my cousin and his wife. This will be my home for several days! Thanks for all the good wishes!

Comparative Temperatures

Today I planned a long hike with my dog. The sky was clear at 7 A.M., but we’ve had a lot of rain lately. I checked The Weather Channel online. The forecast for St. Louis was

Sunny, High of 62, low of 41. Fantastic hiking weather.

Then I thought, I wonder what the weather is like in the places I will be traveling this summer. I checked that out too.

 

I’m landing in Zurich, Switzerland.

Cloudy, High of 56, low of 41. 20% chance of rain. A little cooler than here.

I’ll be a tourist in Luzern, Switzerland.

Cloudy, High of 54, low of 39. 80% chance of rain. Cooler and wetter.

I’ll be visiting my cousin in Konstanz, Germany.

Cloudy, High of 57, low of 39. 20% chance of rain. Cooler than here.

I will visit my college friends in Munich, Germany.

Cloudy, High of 59, low of 40, 10% chance of rain. Slightly cooler than here.

My Dolomite hike will start in Bolzano, Italy.

Partly cloudy, High of 75, low of 43, 40% chance of rain. Warmer than here, but dropping at night.

Ortisei, Italy, our first two nights in the Dolomites.

Mostly cloudy, High of 59, low of 36, 20% chance of rain. Cooler than here, cooler than Bolzano.

Colfosco, Italy, our second two nights in the Dolomites.

Mostly cloudy, High of 43, low of 33, 20% chance of rain. Winter’s back!

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, our last two nights in the Dolomites.

Mostly cloudy, High of 59, low of 34, 20% chance of rain. Cooler than here.

I will visit my host family (1973) in Salzburg, Austria.

Light rain, High of 60, low of 38, 70% chance of rain. It always rains in Salzburg.

Assessment: The temperatures are not that different from those in my hometown, except in the mountains where it is substantially cooler. (All temperatures noted are in degrees Fahrenheit).

Swiss Geography

Learning a bit about the areas I will visit this summer. I’ve always loved maps and geography, and this one of Switzerland is illuminating. There are basically three geographic areas in the country: the Jura, the plateau, and the Alps. The Jura, a sliver taking up about 10% of the land area, is in the extreme west and northwest. Dinosaur bones have been found there dating from the Jurassic period. Thus the name. In the middle is the plateau making up 30% of the land area. Two-thirds of the Swiss population live in this area. Traveling through it you are always in sight of man-made structures. The business and government of Switzerland takes place here. I will land in Zurich and spend some time in Konstanz on the Bodensee, both of which lie on the plateau. The remaining area is the mountainous and more sparsely populated Alpine region, covering the remaining 60% of the land. This is the region devoted to tourism and the reason people come from all over the world to visit Switzerland. Luzern is here. A very picturesque and historic gem of a city located on Lake Luzern. I am looking forward to making that my hub while I am in die Schweiz.

Cousins…way back then.

1981, St. Louis, MO.

1975, Island of Mainau near Konstanz.

1973, on the Untersberg, Salzburg, Austria.

1972, Konstanz.

1971, Konstanz.

Hier sind wir. Just a selection of photos of Hannes and Rosemarie from the 1970’s and 80’s.  Hannes came once to visit my family in the Midwest.  Before that I made four separate trips to Europe. We have been corresponding for that long. This summer after 38 years we will reconnect and take photos to join this collection.  So much has happened.  That was the spring.  Now it is autumn. We have both lost parents and now we are the elders.  Ups and downs, highs and lows. I got married, had two children who are now living their own lives, and later I got divorced.  Hannes got married and he and Dorothee are enjoying their retirement now with a lot of exotic travel. 2013 will be a good year. And part of the reason for this post is to learn how to insert more than one photo in a post. I think I succeeded.