And now, to Torgau. (And Torgau only: my post lengths seem to be spiraling out of control, so Berlin is up next.) From Heidelberg, we took the six-hour train ride northeast to Torgau, which was a lovely ride, and really didn't feel that long. (Especially since we had to change trains twice, which keeps one on his or her toes.) Dad had spent some time in Torgau in 1990, right after the wall fell, in order to help a previously secret East Germany church figure out how to be not secret anymore. His account of that trip sounds both chaotic and almost miraculous, and he wanted to go back just to see if we could find that church again. He set our expectations low--"There's really not much there!"--but we went anyway, and what a fascinating little place. The old town in Torgau is absolutely beautiful...clean, old, and oh yeah: THERE'S A CASTLE. A nice big one, with bears in the moat. Torgau was also the meeting point of the American and Russian armies during WWII; the site of Wehrmacht and Russian prisons; both the birthplace and burial place of Martin Luther's wife, Katharina; and the home of Luther's first Protestant chapel. Very, very interesting little town, and utterly devoid of the tourist crowds we'd seen everywhere else. Just don't go in expecting everyone to speak English, 'cause they probably won't. (Yaaaaay for my terrible, limited German skills!)
Sadly, despite our best efforts (i.e., lots of Internet research and traipsing all over the town center, and checking in at the barely-English-speaking tourist information bureau), we could not find that little church. We have no idea what happened to it, which was certainly a letdown for Dad, but also for Mom and I, since we've heard the stories about Dad's trip to the former East Germany for so many years. But I think Dad was happy to at least get to sort of retrace his steps around the city, and it was really a nice surprise to find that the city was so interesting, and so quiet. What I found interesting was that the historic center was completely clean and beautifully restored/preserved, while the outskirts (in this town, a five-minute walk away) were a bit dilapidated...but I have a thing for fading grandeur, so I took lots of pictures of intriguingly crumbling buildings.
In the center, on Market Square, with the Rathaus at the left.
Beautiful medieval street leading towards the castle.
The castle! (Built throughout the 15th and 16th centuries.)
Crest over the castle entrance.
Bears in the moat! According to castle signage, bears have been kept here since 1425. This guy made himself comfortable in what appears to be his regular sittin' place.
Interior castle courtyard, facing back the way we came in.
Martin Luther's first Protestant chapel is in the castle, too. He designed it, then consecrated it in 1544, creating essentially the first ever Protestant church.
Exterior tower facing the Elbe River. Fairly monumental and built in 1534.
...and then this. In German, it's called der Grosse Wendelstein, or "big spiral stone," but in English we'd just call it "crazy amazing." It was originally built between 1533 and 1536, damaged in wars thereafter (...naturally!), and basically in a state of constant restoration, maintenance, and study ever since. Another German Renaissance masterpiece, and built without a central support. Also, it's just really pretty.
View of the staircase in the inner courtyard.
Looking up the center of the staircase from the ground floor.
On the stairs...there were three little landings inside. Love the curves. So dramatic.
Outside the center:
A little Art Nouveau right around the corner from our hotel.
It could use a little cleaning and restoration, but I love it.
Giant, entirely asymmetrical building across the street from our hotel. Built into a long row of apartment buildings that had absolutely zero unifying style. Fantastic.
Big door, little door. Not sure why, but I loved these.
Check out these details, too.
Obviously, there was some serious money in this city, at some point...most likely during the early 20th century. It's very quiet, and, in places, somewhat run down, but really an interesting and lovely place to visit. (And we didn't even have time to go see the exhibit on the Wehrmacht detention centers or the super ornate weapons and costumes of the 16th- and 17th-century Electors' bodyguards. Sigh.)
Well...I would post another photo or two of Torgau and environs, but the first evening we were there, I left my camera in the hotel room and eventually regretted it, so I took my remaining photos of the city (monument to the Soviet/American armies' meeting at the Elbe, a cute kitteh, dinner near the castle, etc.) on Dad's camera. But, as I'm still waiting for the remainder of my photos to be posted on Google+ (...ahem...), suffice it to say that we had a lovely meal at Bärenschenke (overlooking the castle's terraced rose garden...beef and venison in brown gravy, sweet red cabbage, and potatoes for Mom and Dad; trout with potatoes for me; and cherry and peach sundaes for dessert), and some killer pastries at Steinecke. (Which I did manage to get with my own camera.)
Mmmmmm...berries in season.
These have fruit on them...that makes them good for me, right?
Ooh, and also, the breakfast buffet at our hotel was compact, but spectacular: they had around 10 meats (everything from familiar salamis to crazily-colored pressed loaf-things), at least 6 cheeses, several breads, fantastic fresh-strawberry yogurt, several cereals, homemade jams, our own giant pitcher of coffee, and--my favorite--breakfast brownies with little bits of what I think were cocoa nibs in them. YES, PLEASE. (And when I walked in, the 80s pop mix playing in the background was on a Rick Astley song. Best breakfast buffet ever.) Two thumbs up for the food in Torgau.
Next up: Berlin. At long last.
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