18Oct – Bonn, Germany

We are in Bonn, Germany today.

I know Bonn mostly as the capital of the former West Germany from the (first) Cold War. New to me, at least before this trip, Bonn was also the birthplace of Ludwig von Beethoven. (“Well, imagine that.”) So I wasn’t prepared for the numerous Ludwig sightings we would encounter as we explored this town.

The day did start out spectacularly. The sunrise was a work of art. Thankfully, Peg photographed this image which manages to capture most of the beautiful colors of the dawning day. (And, sailor’s warnings about red skies be damned, it was gorgeous.)

Our first Ludwig came shortly after we began our walking tour with our local guide. We approached a controlled crosswalk and who do you think gave us the Go Ahead but the maestro himself.

Our group continued making our way into the city, past the Opera House (where a production of Young Frankenstein–or, in German, Frankenstein Junior–is on the schedule) to the street and house of Herr Beethoven.

After hearing some background on the composer’s life and his experiences growing up in a house and neighborhood replete with musicians (his father and many neighbors were members of the Prince-Elector’s orchestra), we headed to the Marketplatz.

The walk took us past the Church in the Name of Jesus just down the street from Ludwig’s house. It is an example of the so-called “Jesuit Gothic” style, built in Romanesque style but featuring Gothic elements juxtaposed with Baroque details. One of its towers can be seen in the above photograph of Ludwig’s street.

The market square was a nice space with the Altes Rathaus (old city hall) at one end and the new city hall at th’other. There’s an obelisk fountain in the square’s center that has existed in some form since the 1500’s.

And we can’t escape Bonn’s favorite son. Positioned at the base of the Altes Rathaus steps is a life-size likeness of the man just begging for a selfie. I obliged, of course.

However, what I found to be the most thought-provoking “monument” on the square was actually underfoot in front of the Altes Rathaus. In May, 1933, students from Bonn University burned books considered hostile to Nazi ideology. On 2013, the event was commemorated in the cobblestone pavement with the placement of a large plaque and the embedded bronze “spines” of over 50 book titles and authors persecuted for their contrary opinions. The memorial is called Lesezeichnen or “Bookmarks.”

Our guide then took us to Bonn University’s main building, the former palace of the Prince-Electors. Things here were a little hectic and about to get more so. They are embarking on a 10-year renovation of the building and everyone will have to clear out. But for now, there are still classes and offices within.

Entering from west side, we proceeded to walk through the building’s central courtyard and back out through the former palace’s entrance on the east facade. Before us lay the Hofgarten, a large green, grassy expanse belonging to the university and a frequent venue for rallies and demonstrations over the years.

We waited while a few of our group answered nature’s call, then proceeded to our next point of interest, the Bonn Münster (Cathedral.)

But first, if one is not aware that the Münster is located on the edge of Bonn’s shopping district, an artist has provided us an amusing visual reminder that we’re on the divide between heaven and commerce.

The Bonn Münster

The basilica was built on the gravesite two martyrs, SS. Cassius and Florentius, the patrons of Bonn. According to legend, they were beheaded for their religious beliefs and/or their refusal to follow orders to execute some Christians. The two have been commemorated with a large sculptural installation behind the building.

Leaving the basilica, we entered the Münsterplatz where we met Julia and parted with our local guide, all under the watchful eyes of…who do you think…Ludwig again! (We can’t escape this man!) There, surveying the bustling Münsterplatz from atop his pedestal in front of the former Post Office, stood Ludwig von bidding us a pleasant journey.

Of course, our day was far from over. (We hadn’t even had lunch yet!) Rob, Peg & I entered the Galleria Kaufhof department store, initially to use the facilities. However, I found myself completely charmed being back in the environment of an old-time, multi-leveled department store again. It felt like home.

After “doing our business,” Rob and I checked out a few items in the Men’s Department before rejoining Peg on the ground floor. We continued to the lower level — a grocery & gourmet store much like Macy’s Cellar — where she found the spicy mustard tubes she was seeking as a gift souvenir.

For a minute, I truly wished that I was fluent enough in German to be able to spend hours perusing the stacks…and know what I was looking at! Of course, visiting the bookstore was pure nostalgia for me, both as a former worker in the extinct Higbee Book Department and as a frequent customer of the equally extinct Borders Bookstores.
Oh, and returning to the reason for our visit, I was directed by a kindly salesclerk to a full-on table display of Jane Austen’s complete canon of works in both soft- and hard-cover versions. My quest was successful.

There was one more stop on the agenda. Peg needed to find an Apotheke (drugstore) for some cold medication. En route, who should we run into but Traudel, warming a plaza bench as her two walking companions shopped in a nearby children’s clothing store.

Our meeting led to a discussion of mustard, food and bratwurst; and, before you know it, she and I were at a street meat vendor’s vehicle and she was ordering a small Lieberkäse sandwich for Rob and I to try. It was really yummy–the meat was a kind of high-end amalgamation of bologna and braunschweiger–but the whole experience was nearly tarnished by my dropping a Euro coin into a cobblestone crevice and failing repeatedly to retrieve it. Meat Man to the rescue! He came out of his food truck and used a toothpick to pop out the stubborn coin.

So it was back to the ship for lunch and a lazy afternoon before we leave for The Netherlands after dinner.

But wait!

Tonight’s dinner was not just another indulgence in gluttony. We had a minor celebrity in our midst…or at least a kaiser for the day. It was Michigan Gregg…and today was his birthday! Wisconsin Kurt picked up a birthday card which everyone signed. And then, on cue, the dining room lights dimmed and the Program Directors, the ship’s Captain and the dining room staff paraded through the room, sparkler ablaze, singing a not-the-one-you-expect “Birthday” song until they came full circle and reached our table. The mini Roman candle (a substitute for an open flame) was ignited and the cake placed before our honored guest as the singing and congratulatory applause reached a cressendo.