A walk in Bamberg

For nearly two hours we had climbed, taking time out for toilet breaks and tea. The seven hills of Bamberg were a challenge.

We transgressed upon the old massive monastery, now an old people’s home. Alas, no beds were available, only locals need apply, so we proceeded to the sanatorium further up the road and shared tea with a few of the inmates who were out on day leave with their supervisor. Now this is an experience not many would have had in this historic city. No busloads of guided tourists here.

I was in search of a church, one that had been pointed out to us as worthwhile when we were on our two-hour guided tour back in the town.

The hills seemed to meld into one another as we alternatively climbed and traversed the hillsides until a forest trail led us to a significant building.  It turned out to be an old castle, rejuvenated a few times but still with a magical profile.  Well, magical, until we came upon a picture of the bear. He had been captive in a sunken concrete enclosure for over thirty years before he died in 1982.

His stuffed carcass was behind some bars adjacent to the photo.  Even in death he was captive.  It all seemed rather sad.
This reminded us of the story our guide had imparted to us about a wild bear that had been seen in Germany two years ago.  The first for thirty years.  They did what you would expect. They shot it; but that was only the beginning of the tale.

After the public outrage died down a little, the Italians claimed it was an Italian bear and demanded reparation.  The Germans countered with what it had cost them in terms of frightening the public and the cost of shooting it. The Italians coughed up and now have the stuffed animal somewhere in Italy. 

I wonder, can stuffed bears mate?  It seems to be the only way we might save them!

The guided tour yesterday was excellent. Victoria, our guide, had a lot more knowledge than she imparted to us in the two hours we had. Things like where the flood levels were recorded, how they measured things in the old days and the marks of the stonesmiths were details that you normally wouldn’t notice.

I have time off now while Rosemarie has gone………………wait for it……………shopping!

We are both well and the food and restaurants have been first class, especially last night when we dined at a new outlet and ended up chatting with a German guy who is getting finance together to make a movie on Australia. He plans to spend 6 months trekking around and hopefully we’ll get to spend some time together while he’s over in Oz.  I also mentioned I’m interested in doing a book……..who knows.

While we were at the restaurant our landlady from our hotel also shouted us free champagne even though she was sitting at another table. Who said the Germans aren’t generous!

Have you gone for a stroll in Bamberg? Let us know about your own experiences in the comments section below.