We rose this morning to a sunny day and a view from our window of Hercules. We are staying in two rooms – which is nice – but breakfast is not included. So we crossed over to the bahnhoff next door and had donuts and bread at a cafe.
We then caught a streetcar straight from the bahnhoff four stops up the road to Schloss Wilhelmshohe park. After a quick stop at the station there for toilets, we headed up the hill to the castle. The girls wanted to go straight up the grassy slope, while we adults took the side pathway and we met again on the side. Amber was jealous that we got to use stairs. I could tell from the start that the flowers and trees were going to be in full bloom. The only downside was that it was a bit cold when clouds blew over and at one point it even rained just a bit. But the clouds blew over by noon and it warmed up nicely.
We skipped the castle – which isn’t that great inside – and went straight to the park. I was pleased to see that the same tree – a maple – that had been trimmed to grow along the ground was still there after 20 years, and the girls had fun climbing it.
In yet another stroke of good luck, the waterworks were on schedule today. Since they started at 2:30, we first went to the Lowenburg castle ruins. It may be silly to build fake ruins, but they are beautiful, and are old enough now to be sort of respectable as aged ruins anyway. The gray stones were covered in moss and worn, and it looked great.
We quickly explored a couple of the towers, and then played hide and seek with the girls in the maze hedge outside the castle. Lots of fun. On one side was an arch walk made of trained trees, and at the end of it was a hillside view down the mountain and to the city below, and beyond the city farms and fields, and tree covered mountains in the far background. A beautiful view – the only things missing would be snow covered mountains or the ocean.
Outside the maze there was a field with about a hundred sheep and goats grazing. More rural beauty. From there, we headed up the hill. Judy wanted to go straight up by road, so she went on her own while we cut across the hill in a zigzag route that took us past the various reflecting pools and lakes and streams. Even though the waterworks had not yet begun, there was already some water flowing through the streams.
After a couple of zags, we went straight up the center of the hill, climbing the steep grassy slope until we reached the food area at the base of the steps. We ate brats and looked for Judy but could not find here anywhere. With the waterworks almost ready to start, I ran all the way back down to where we left her by the sheep to find her, but could not. I then ran all the way back up the slope again, which wasn’t easy having just eaten. I called Phyllis to learn that she and the girls had climbed partway up the stairs, so I went up to meet them. We then finally had the idea of calling Judy, only to learn that she had already climbed all the way to the top. We told her to walk down, and at that moment the waterworks began.
Because it was closed almost the entire time I lived in Kassel, I had only seen them once before in my life. The girls climbed out into the area where the water would flow, watching it slowly come closer. Kaitlin started to get nervous as the water approached, while Amber wanted to wait until the last minute to get out of the way.
The water reached us, and passed us, and we climbed down to follow it. We walked down the slope to the Devil’s Bridge, and arrived in time to first hear, and then see, it come crashing under the bridge and over the waterfall. We were able to get right up by the stream where it fell onto the rocks.
From there, we walked over to the (fake) aqueduct where the water flowed, and then to where it fell over the edge two stories to more rocks below. Finally, we walked down to the bottom pool to see the geyser.
We played a bit on the lawn in front of the castle, and then walked back down to the streetcar, and from there back to our hotel.
Everyone else stayed at the hotel while I went back into town to see my old haunts. Unfortunately, they discovered that everything closes early on Sunday, and they were forced to eat McDonalds from the train station.
Meanwhile, I jumped on a bus that I thought waas going to Hollandischer Platz, where the university is, but turned out to go all the way to the next town, in the countryside. Luckily it ended at a street car stop and I was able to ride that back to the university. The campus was closed and the buildings locked, but I was able to quickly walk through the area. I remembered a few details – the bricks, the doors, the library entrance – but I was struck by how much I did not remember at all. I did find the Mensa, the site of my first day, and the confusing cafeteria, and the terrible food. Scary time, though I think I was too hyped up at the time to admit it to myself.
From the university, I walked back up the street to the festival and ate another bratwurst and coke. I then walked towards the river. Even though I’m pretty sure I must have seen the area many times before, so much of it seemed new. And wonderful.
First, I happened upon a sort of hillside wall garden, about four stories tall, with stone steps winding through flowers and bushes and trees, overlooking the park in front of the Orangerie. I then crossed through that park and walked along the canal closest to the river. Halfway down, I crossed a bridge over the river and entered what turned out to be a nature preserve. There were boats in the river – paddle boats, crew rowers. On one bank were little cafes and beer gardens, and the other bank was the preserve.
Partway into the preserve, there was a bird viewing blind overlooking a bird island sanctuary. I saw swans, ducks, and then a heron flew in and I watched it walking through the muck by the shore. I then walked on to a transition area to a park area filled with footbridges, small lakes, swimming beaches, barbecues, a ping pong table, and another cafe. I recognized it as the area where I used to swim, and even think I found the beach where I went skinny dipping with all of the Americans on my last day. Watching the families able to enjoy the parks and lakes, able to get there by street car, even able to get a bite at the cafe, I was really envious. There is really nothing quite like it that I’ve seen in the US – certainly not in Phoenix. We have parks and barbecues, of course, but they aren’t very convenient. They aren’t integrated into the city the way these were.
Anyway, from there I headed through the FKK – the nudist area – but saw no one. I then crossed a bridge over the river again, and came across a brick bike path. A sign next to it explained that it follows the river for 200 miles and was a designed to be an ideal path for families to use because it was flat and passed from town to town. Once again, I was jealous. How wonderful to jump on a train with bikes with the family, then ride back along a paved path by the river, stopping to eat and sleep in towns along the way! Again, nothing like this in the US. We do wilderness better than anyone in Europe, but I think Europe does nature better. There are more people here, and they’ve been here longer, and they believe in high taxes and government services, and the result is that everything is gardened, nature designed for humans to use.
I crossed a section of the Orangerie park, then walked up Schone park, which connects the river area with where I used to live at Kohlenstrasse. Once I discovered it, I used to walk this park at least twice a week. It’s long and skinny, with a series of lakes carved out of a stream, and ducks and swans.
By luck, though, I stumbled onto an area of private gardens – gardens with little houses where Germans who live in apartments go who want to garden. It’s like a little village. And the gardens were spectacular, in full bloom, fruit on trees, every little detail designed to the hilt. Maybe the most perfect gardens I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t think I was supposed to be there, but I went through anyway and took tons of pictures.
Once back at Kohlenstrasse, I said my goodbye, got some water and chocolate for Phyllis and the girls, and returned to the room for the night.
Tomorrow we move on to Munich. It’s really hard to leave this place. I didn’t know how good I had it when I lived here before, but at least in the summer, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.