Wed 20.Sep.2017
Nürnberg, Germany
Nürnberg - heart of Franken (eng. Franconia), and the best stepping stone I know between
Frankfurt to the west, and Saxony and Bohemia to the east. Bohemia?!? I haven't tried it, but
Nürnberg appears better-connected to Prague, Czechia (3 hrs bus) than to Dresden, Germany (5 hrs train),
though the distances on a map are similar! Also a good springboard for the West Bohemian spa towns
like Marienbad and Karlsbad.
To say nothing of a charaterful, historic city in its own right!
A few days in Nürnberg have become a welcome part of my routine for getting between points west and east.
A frieze over shop windows.
Market stalls on a bridge over the river Pegnitz, in the heart of the medieval city.
A residential area in what probably was once a separate village. Walking distance from the center,
but a long walk, along the Pegnitz. I used it some for exercise.
Public sculpture:
The Ship of Fools (Das Narrenschiff) in the heart of town.
Nearby. I don't know the name of this one.
The aptly-named Beautiful Fountain (Schoener Brunnen) in Main Square.
Causes me some frustration, because I have never managed to do it justice in photos.
Under a Bridge.
There used to be a small homeless camp here. This appears to be some kind of memorial to them.
I have no idea what became of them. The fact that there is this memorial sounds hopeful as far as it
goes.
From the top of the same bridge, actully a dam/causeway over the Pegnitz.
Dancers.
(Goodness a photo can be misleading. This one makes the dancers look almost like they are fleeing
something. 'Tain't so, folks!)
Cottonwoods - or woodcotton.
Cottonwood snow along the Pegnitz.
How many cities do you know that have turned their rivers into concrete drainage ditches?
(Think Los Angeles River.) Not Nürnberg. The Pegnitz is cultivated like the treasure it is.
Soothing for the soul in just a few minutes walk!
Leaving Nürnberg. looking back.
In a city on a river, the oldest city gates might naturally be bridges.
Looking back into the city from the Hangman's Bridge ...
... and from the Stueben Gate Bridge (or the tunnel under it).