Musings on life and times
My first inspiration for this challenge was to find saturated colour in nature.
Then I remembered an amazing, dust storm, quite unusual for Sydney. The air appeared to be saturated with red dust when we awoke one September morning in 2009.
Naturally this led my thoughts to a decent thunderstorm, when everything is saturated within minutes – literally!
We are only in the first month of spring. Yesterday, after a long dry winter spell, we experienced temperatures over 30C and strong north westerly winds. Some parts of outer Sydney suffered several bushfires. One or two homes were lost and a few injuries incurred. It suggests we may be in for a long danger period this coming summer, especially for those living near ‘the bush’.
While the fires were well to the west of us, the smoke added ‘heat’ to the setting sun.
I wish I could claim credit for catching the bird in full flight!
In an earlier post, I mentioned our good fortune with local guides. Choosing the red group was again a ‘win’, when we were greeted by Arthur.
There had been one or two showers in the area, so we left the ship well prepared with umbrellas and rain jackets. Arthur introduced himself and suggested he was so confident that the rain would hold off, that he was leaving his umbrella behind on the ship. Here he is, not five minutes into the tour.
Fortunately, Arthur’s knowledge of Koblenz was much better than his weather forecast! Below, we see Arthur explaining a piece of modern art, Daumen (Thumb) outside the Ludwig Museum of contemporary art.
Koblenz is located on both banks of the Rhine at the confluence with the Moselle river. Here, the German Corner and its monument to William I on horseback, is found, and this is where our tour began. (Our ship was actually moored in the Moselle about 100 metres from the German Corner). Founded in 8 BC by Drusus as a military post, it has been an important city for over 2000 years.
So, to our guided walk, in the rain, with the wonderful Arthur as our guide. Below left is the monument to William I on horseback. Nearby is the 1981 monument to commemorate the former prime minister for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate who grew up in Koblenz, Dr. Peter Altmeier (below left).
From ‘the corner’, there is a good view of the cable car that carries people across the Rhine to the castle opposite (below)
Our first glimpse of the Basilica of St Castor is from a walled courtyard (below left), while the full view from the square shows interesting design and decoration (below right)
The Jesuit Square was rebuilt after WWII and now includes a memorial to the anatomist and physiologist who was born in Koblenz, Johannes Müller (1801-58) on right in the scene above. We were naturally warned about Schängelbrunnen (the spitting fountain, below). While his aim is consistent, the frequency is irregular!
There was just time for a look inside St Florins church, which dates from the 12th century.
The ‘old shop and dance house’ facing Florin’s Market now houses the middle Rhine Museum. A feature is the clock tower. The story goes that a robber baron in the 16th century was caught and on his way to his execution said “Erect a memorial for me and it will bring you luck!” At the gallows he rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the spectators. This is the reason for the name eye roller which is found in the old shop. The eyes move back and forth in time with the clock’s pendulum and every half hour and on the hour, he sticks his tongue out.
Some of the best views of Koblenz were captured as we ‘set sail’ for Cologne. The rain had stopped, the clouds clearing and the light was excellent. The memorial to William I was much easier to capture from the river, as was the castle on the opposite bank of the Rhine.
Auf Wiedersehen und danke, Arthur. Born 1944, the same year I was born. He in war torn Germany, me in far away Melbourne. A caring and gentle man. Thank you for showing us a little of Koblenz.
