Thurn and Taxis, the Prince of Mail Delivery

Thurn and Taxis is, oddly enough, a family name. The Thurn and Taxis family created a postal delivery system in the 16th century. It was so successful and efficient that it spread from Regensburg through all of Germany, and soon on to a very large percentage of Europe; into Spain, France, and several other countries. In fact, the family ended up being granted royalty status at the level of Prince, no less, and became very wealthy. Thurn and Taxis has a living prince in Regensburg today, although he has no authority to any throne, in fact the family has had a princeship but has never been in line for a throne.  They must have been better than the US Mail, who could be granted the Earl of Losing Stuff. I'm not in line for any thrones either. I would like to be known henceforth as the "Duke of Travel" please. Thurn and Taxis was a short walk from our hotel and the Cathedral. The Hotel Kaiserhof am Dom and the Cathedral were also great highlights of the trip to Regensburg.

The Thurn and Taxis family has been philanthropistic to Regensburg. They built a beautiful park for the city during the 16th century that is still very active today. It is a long, beautiful park with a lot of water fountains, flower, trees and nice wide walkways. It was busy and peaceful every time we went to it. Members of the family are still living in the Thurn and Taxis castle and are still very wealthy.

Their odd last name being comprised of three separate words is from strange adaptations of a formerly French name into German. If the tour of Thurn and Taxis is not enough for you, you can also buy the board game on Amazon. I know you and the kids have been dying for a board game about medieval mailmen, so here it is, just in time for Christmas.  Next time you see your letter carrier, try to imagine him or her in chain link (instead of their underwear like you usually do.)  But seriously, I am actually going to buy it. One of my favorite board games of all times (and I am a huge gamer) is the Settlers of Catan, which was invented by a German.

   

I for one will never begrudge a family wealth when they give back to the community in such meaningful ways. I volunteer for the opportunity to be a philanthropist billionaire, and will gladly apply and interview. I think if every billionaire in this world would be a philanthropist, the world would be a much better place, and people would have better lives. The Thurn and Taxis castle also has an interesting story. It was actually an old monastery; St. Emmeram's. St. Emmeram's monastery, a Benedict monastery founded in 739 at the grave of Saint Emmeram.  The monastery was an early major Christian and theological library by the 13th century. In 1812, the monastery was dissolved and the family bought St. Emmeram's Monastery. It was henceforward referred to as the Thurn and Taxis Castle although it is not at all a castle in a classical sense; it is more of a palace. It is an old monastery with extensive buildings and grounds converted into a palace. Medieval Christianity is rich in this city.  We saw several gorgeous ancient churches dating back many centuries and even a few that were established over a millennia ago. In fact, we stayed across the street from the centerpiece of the town, St. Peter's. It can be seen from any point on the riverfront, and most if not all of the old downtown.

Thurn and Taxis Castle

Thurn and Taxis Castle

St.Peter's Cathedral is the big church that you see in all the downtown photos of Regensburg. It is the biggest focal point of the city. The church started around 700 AD and was built on the north wall of the Roman fort that started Regensburg. Like so many medieval churches, this one went through many upgrades and additions, fires and repairs. Baroque renovations occurred in the 17th century. From 1828 to 1841 the cathedral went through Neo-Gothic renovations by order of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The towers and their spires were built from 1859 to 1869. The building was completed in 1872 and took close to 600 years for completion.  (I also have a few home repair projects that are likely to take me that long at the rate I am going.) Standing next to the church is overwhelming. This massive Gothic structure does not convey it's overbearing omnipresence sufficiently in pictures. The courtyard and road that encircles the church are lively and active 24 hours per day. It is one of the major focuses of the old medieval city.

The Hotel Kaiserhofam Dom is right across from St. Peter's. "Am Dom" means "at the Cathedral."  It is a short walk from the hotel many beautiful Platzen (plural for courtyards), including the most famous, the Platz by the Rathaus (town hall). Personally, I was especially appreciative of Petra, a nice woman at the desk with whom we had a very nice conversation about healthcare in America vs. Germany. The service at the hotel was outstanding. The staff were all consistently friendly and competent. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Asheville -- The Weirdness

Asheville is one of my favorite places in the world. I had the great pleasure of living there for 14 months. I lived downtown, and every day I would walk around the city after work. Asheville is always fun. There are buskers everywhere. Musicians, jugglers, mimes, magicians all frequent the corners. There are countless great restaurants serving unique offerings and farm to table fresh and local menus.

The weirdness of Asheville is one of my favorite aspects of the city. For example, people will randomly wear costumes for no particular reason. These fellows appeared on one of my walks. Maybe "appeared" is the wrong word choice. I saw them suddenly. They did not magically appear, although nothing would surprise me in Asheville. Three nice young men in costumes for no apparent reason. There were no comic-cons or any other events that would make people come out in costume. People do not need a reason to be weird in Asheville. The weirdness is widely accepted and not judged.  Apparently, Gumby, Samus and the Assassin's creed guy are about to walk into a bar. There is a punchline waiting to happen here, but it's going to be waiting for a long time. It's such an odd assortment. Reminds me of a nightmare I had once, where I was stuck in an elevator for eight hours with Bob Dillan, Ozzy Ozbourne and Donald Duck. We were arguing politics and Nuclear Physics.

I ran into this one young woman who was on a crusade to discourage drunk driving. I asked if she was with SADD or MADD or some group. No, she was just out there alone, promoting sober driving.

Clearly, the beer wagon was less interested in sober driving. Up to eight people pedal this wagon around town while drinking BYOB. Don't worry, a professional and sober driver is at the head of the wagon to keep things safe.

Gumby and his posse are next to the chalkboard wall of "Things to do Before I Die" which gets filled up and cleaned off every day. Here is a better view of it.  People from all over the world write their hopes and dreams on the board. It is said that if you write your dreams on the wall, sprinkle it with Kombucha, and spin around three times chanting "Dave is awesome" that your wish will come true. Okay, I am kidding, no one ever said that, I was just hoping to make a video of you doing that. 

I have about a dozen favorite places in Asheville. One of them is White Duck Taco, with its exotic taco menu. I have tried them all (not all at the same time). They are all delicious except the Pork Belly and Watermelon. Sorry, I just don't get Pork Belly. It's a hunk of pig fat. I think the Surgeon General said not to eat hunks of pig fat. Pretty sure if you saw a tub of pig fat in the store, it would have a label on it "bad for you and tastes disgusting." Every single other taco they have is fantastic. They have great deserts, beer on tap, and wine. They are also in a great location, in the heart of downtown, with outdoor picnic tables in addition to plentiful inside seating. Staff is friendly and courteous.

Another favorite place is the Skybar. Skybar is a 5th 6th and 7th story bar, on the outside of the building. Three floors of outdoor decks, overlooking the city and the mountains. It is actually just an old fire escape turned into a bar. I guess if there is a fire now, you have to throw your beer on it. It is a great place for a drink! They have delicious exotic drinks along with local microbrews. Asheville is "Beer City," after all,  having won several contests for their microbreweries. The Skybar offers several local beers. They also offer unusual recipes such as the "Rum Raisin" with Kraken spiced rum, Krupnikas honey liquor, five spice simple, coconut milk and cream, walnut bitters and bruleed raisins, or the "Winter Sun" made with Brokers gin, wild orange simple, house-infused cardamom energy tincture, gin-barrel aged orange bitters, with a splash of soda. The only way to get there is by the elevator staffer. This is not a self service elevator. Rather it is an old fashioned elevator run by a staff member who accepts tips and gives candy. He or she also offers explanations and guidance on what to expect at the top.

Another great thing about Ashville is the buskers. You will find people playing electric violins, didgeridoos and xylophones. I have seen drums, guitars and accordions. I have watched passerbys stop to dance, and I have been that passerby. I have seen magicians, mimes, jugglers, and people making balloon animals. (I had a balloon pet once, but it had a horrible temper and blew up at me). All performers of notable excellence. There are so many busker there during peak season, that by the time you are out of earshot of one, you encounter the next.

This is the first of several  posts on Asheville. We have much more to explore, and in more detail. 

Alte Kapelle, Medieval Majesty and Awe

During our honeymoon planning, we discovered the Alte Kapelle, and it immediately became one of our top destinations. "Alte Kapelle" is German for "Old Chapel." It should be called the "Old Awe-Inspiring Mind Blowing Beautiful Chapel," but that would be too long in German. 

Door from Narthex to Sanctuary

While the church was established in the 7th century, it's décor and architecture is much more modern, including elements of Gothic, Baroque and Roccoco. This is due to several phases of decline and revitalization, rather than 7th century time traveling architects, as you might think. Gothic influence is seen in the large vaulted ceilings. It is also seen in the emo teens wearing black fingernail polish, lipstick and clothing.  The Baroque and Rococo periods are seen in the décor. As I always say, if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it, none the less, there were Rococo-era enhancements as well. I was disappointed to learn that rococo was not a hot chocolatey beverage. Rococo is a late-Baroque period of architecture and art, and was exquisitely detailed and ornate.

 

We almost missed our opportunity to see the church. Alte Kapelle was high on our list, but unplanned variables kept diverting us away. We wandered the city, ran across other things on our list, and took time to savor the things we found as we came across them. I think that is the best way to travel: with a list of objectives but no agenda.  Take advantage of spontaneity, be in discovery mode, live in the moment.  Some of the best things in life are discovered happenstance.

We looked for it, but got distracted and detoured, saw other great sights, and decided to go back to the hotel. As we were heading back we stumbled across the Alte Kapelle. It was subtle. We were walking past it and almost did not notice it. The exterior is quite drab, non-descript, and it looks like nothing special at all. There were crowds, no big signs, and the courtyard was quiet. But we had this sudden urge to stop and read the sign on this drab building, when we realized what it was.

Alte Kapelle Exterior

We went in, took a few pictures, walked around in awe, then sat in a pew to pray. There were not many people inside. There was a humble elderly gentleman in the back pew praying, and two families praying in pews in the middle of the church. The families left. We were sitting, too mesmerized to move. Finally, I stood up to go take pictures at the front. That's when the man in the back approached me. My German is not very good, but I understood he was telling me the church was closing. I thanked him, and he recognized my American accent immediately. So then he explained in English. The church was not supposed to be open at this time. He unlocked it so he could go inside and pray for awhile, but it was not supposed to be open, and he had to leave, and had to lock it up. He was very kind and considerate and clearly felt bad in asking us to leave. But I did not feel bad at all; he was responsible for locking up this beautiful church. Rather, I felt blessed that we happened to be there at the right time to see this Regensburg highlight. I was grateful that this parishioner allowed us to be in this great church, and I thanked him. "Vielen Dank, Vielen Dank." Shaking his had. "Die Kirche ist sehr schön."  (Thank you very much the church is very beautiful.)

The man in the back pew is the kind parishioner that let us in

One of the amazing things about seeing these old churches is to stop and think about the fact that day after day, year after year, decade after decade, century after century and on to millennia, people have stood in that building and worshiped. Millions have stood and prayed and paid reverence to the creator.  Millions of souls through the centuries have gone to this place searching for God, trying to find meaning in their lives. The depth and history and layers of faith and prayers make it a holy place. All this spiritual energy imbues something deep and powerful and transcendent. You can feel a palpable reverence when you step into these ancient European churches, especially if you enter with a reverent frame of mind.