Miltenberg, Lower Franconia, Bavaria

Port number 3 of the Grand European Tour on the Viking Skirnir, November, 2024

 

Judging from the fountain that greeted us just outside of the public restrooms, the folks in the town of Miltenberg (pop. 9400, more or less) have a sense of humor. Note: Miltenberg residents are referred to as "group pissers" by the people in the surrounding towns. 

Alter Marktplatz

Town Square

I am always fascinated by the way Europeans blend modern shops with medieval structures

This statue indicates "Here is a Catholic settlement"

Memorial brasses set into the sidewalk in front of the houses where Jews lived and were taken away by the Nazis. The brasses tell when they were taken and when/where they died in the death camps. 

Built in 1333

The same building as above; you can see how the oak beams have warped over the centuries as the building has settled

Hotel Zum Riesen/Inn of the Giant/The Giant Hotel

Said to be the oldest in Germany

Built in 1411, according to our tour guide; but I found places online saying parts of it date from 1158

Elvis Presley stayed there when he was in the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany

Old Town Hall, sandstone building from the 14th century

It is still used for cultural events and concerts

Yellow building now housing a butcher shop, Miltenberg. 

Note, as pointed out by the tour guide: During the witchcraft trials, butchers (and bakers) were never accused of witchcraft--possibly because they were so essential to the townspeople.

Germany has over 1000 kinds of sausage and 3000 kinds of bread.

This Time of Year: Rain and Terror and Grief and Small Joys

Me to feed store guy this morning: "Got a bit chilly last night, right?"
Feed story guy to me: "Sure did! Almost had to turn off the air conditioning!"

We grinned at each other and had one of those moments where you share nice feelings with someone you hardly know. In this case the feelings were because 1) we've just about made it through another sizzling summer and 2) we're heading into months and months of pleasant weather.

Unlike the guy who runs his a/c all night, I just sleep close to an open window and around 3AM had to get up and rummage around for the light cotton blanket I'd put away last spring. Nice chilly sleeping weather.

We're still making our way through the monsoon season, which means (at least this year) that we have lots of rainfall and everything here in the Mesilla Valley is nice and green. The weeds are outrageous, of course, but I just try to think of them as fresh salad greens for the chickens.

The garden is out of control; all planting plans have been lost in the mists of last spring. It was way too hot all summer to venture out to do any weeding, since there was never a morning early enough to beat the sun. The plants that couldn't stand the heat frizzled up and the plants that made it through to this rainy time of year are romping all over the place.

Take a look at these morning glories--they love everything about this time of year. However, they have embraced and dragged down my poor sunflowers; and I'll bet no one can see the tomato plant that has been completely overtaken. It's somewhere under there on the left, but I lost sight of it last month. No matter--it was my first time to plant a Sweet 100 cherry tomato and it was a whole lot less than successful. Tiny nasty-tasting tomatoes that even the chickens didn't want.

The four o'clocks are still happy, although their brief daily blooming time is more like six o'clock (AM), so for most of the day they are closed up.  All through the garden are the volunteers--giant clumps of marigolds and columbine that just appeared, and a small field of self-seeded zinnias out in front of the house. 

Forgive me. All the babbling about this and that is really my way of whistling in the darkness of a very scary world, full of cruel tragedies--Barcelona terror attack today, Charlottesville Nazi marchers and the death of a young woman a few days ago. The specter of white nationalism in my own country is a nightmare. 

So, I've chosen to talk about flowers and weather and the small joys to be found in my own backyard, where hidden seeds spring up into something beautiful. I really don't know what else to do at this moment. 

The Flag Pin Controversy

Here is a quote from a blog that I just found. To read the rest of this post, please go to the wonderfully-named Don't Tell the Children.

I am fascinated by this outbreak of American flag pins in men's lapels. What does it mean? How did the movement get started? I suppose it must be a means of identification: as in, "I am an American citizen" as opposed to "I am an Egyptian citizen" and that is helpful to dispel confusion. What happens if you are a man, in a suit, and don't have an American flag pin displayed in the lapel? I have heard, although I did not see this, that a reporter on TV asked a candidate why he was not wearing an American flag pin - ( I heard that this reporter was that sweet-faced George Stephanopolis). The implication must be that if one does not consistently wear a flag pin, one must be a terrorist sympathizer. Is this what George Stephanopolis meant?

...Wearing ribbons and other insignia to show your backing of a particular cause (usually health related) is not new but the negative connotation of this one (Where is your flagpin?") is new. We are all Americans, so there is nothing identifying those wearing them from the rest of us unless they are "super-Americans." Not since Nazi Germany has the wearing of a badge, or not wearing a badge, meant trouble. Remember how brave it was for the King of Denmark to wear a yellow star to show that he and his country were one,and if the Nazis took any Jews they would have to take him?? That was a lapel pin that meant something.

Postscript from clairz: I was interested to find that the story of King Christian of Denmark wearing the yellow star in support of his country's Jews is not true in its specifics, although true in spirit, according to snopes.com. In checking further, I found that the children's book by Carmen Agra Deedy that I am familiar with is named The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark.