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Lake Constance On October 2-10, 2006, the ObjectivistTravelers took another stellar trip, this time to Lake Constance, Germany, and the surrounding countries of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. Though many may not realize the historical importance of Lake Constance (the second largest freshwater lake in Europe), in ancient and medieval times it was an important link in the trade routes through Europe. The area also played a significant role through centuries of strife between nobility and commoners and through the Protestant Reformation. And as a bonus, the beauty of the area is remarkable!
The town of Stein am Rhein had many buildings with elaborate pictures painted on their fronts.
We also saw this ancient (and enormous) wine press.
Rhine Falls is Europe's largest waterfall and the source of the Rhine River. We took a boat out to the little island in the middle.
The main attraction of Mainan Island is a huge arboretum. Of course, they had the traditional arboretum peacock! There was also a butterfly sanctuary with many specimens that were unusual to us.
In St. Gallen, Switzerland, the merchants of the town would often build extended windows to impress their neighbors with the fact that they had the money to do it. Of course, this turned into a one-upmanship game over time, with elaborate results.
Isn't this Austrian view amazing?
So many other experiences on this trip had to be left out due to space constraints. Let us just close, as did our elegant Moroccan style ending banquet, with this image of the belly dancer who entertained us and then taught several of us some very useful moves! Be sure to travel with us next time - these trips are not to be missed.
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base for this trip was the picturesque town of Konstanz,
Germany. A guided walking tour gave us the flavor of
the town.
We
enjoyed a visit to Arenenberg Castle, a Napoleon museum.
Napoleon III, the last emperor of France, lived here from
1815 to 1838 with his mother, Hortense, the heiress of
Napoleon Bonaparte. We got a great understanding of
the extensive Bonaparte family tree, which included several
Napoleons and Louis's, along with some history of the
intermarriages and intrigue of royal France and Europe.
Lindau
was founded in the 9th century and served as the center of
trade between Bavaria, Italy and Switzerland for centuries.
During the Middle Ages, wealthy merchants built grand,
gabled houses on the town squares. This is the view of
the picturesque and historical city from the lighthouse,
which rewarded anyone willing to climb all those stairs.
Of course, John did!
One
of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the
Barocksaal, Stiftsbibliothek, the beautifully decorated and
carved Baroque Library of the monks of St. Gallen. We
were treated to an up-close view of books handwritten over
1,600 years ago which looked as fresh as if they were done
yesterday. These were some of the library's collection
of over 130,000 books and manuscripts dating from the 8th
through the 15th centuries. We were all just as
thrilled as Cathy was when she was able to read some of the
books to us, deciphering the beautiful medieval handwriting
and the Latin of the time.
Another
fun destination was Appenzell, Switzerland's yodeling
headquarters and also a town known for its cheese, pear
bread and chocolates. We visited a cheese factory and
then they served us cheese fondue for lunch.
Delicious!
