Pictures from Germany - Konstanz

Hello again from my usual late-evening spot in the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Singen, Germany! It's been a long day, but a very nice one ... we caught the regional train at 1:00 PM, and met up with our endlessly patient and wonderfully knowledgeable tour guides - Agnes's cousin Anna and her daughter Lea - for a walking tour of the beautiful border city of Konstanz. Once again, the weather was fantastic and we had a great afternoon exploring the city, which lies directly on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and straddles the border between Germany and Switzerland. Here are a few of the 153 pictures I took in the three hours we were there (that's about 50 pictures per hour, or a bit under one per minute ... I'm slipping).

We start off with two pictures of buildings along the edge of the Bodensee ...

And ...

At the harbor was a huge statue of "Imperia" that slowly turned in a circle to watch over the boats ...

According to the plaque on the base, the statue is nine meters tall, weighs 18 tons, and was sculpted by Peter Lenk, inspired by a story by Honore de Balzac about the Konstanzer Konzil. In her right hand, she holds a caricature of the Pope, and in her left, a caricature of the Emperor. Just above her and to the right is a zeppelin, flying from the nearby zeppelin station and museum at Friedrichshafen. Here is a closeup of the statue that shows the figures in her hands ...

... and here is a better view of the zeppelin ...

We decided we just have to have a ride in one of those on our next visit!

We enjoyed lunch at a cafe near the lakeside promenade, and then we set off to explore the rest of the town. How could I not enjoy an afternoon in the company of three such beautiful ladies ... ?

The city of Konstanz is full of beautiful old buildings, many of which have been lovingly restored and proudly show the year of their original construction. They feature the same ornamentation and beautiful murals that we saw in many of the older buildings in Tuebingen and elsewhere in Germany. Here are a few examples ...

I want some cool gargoyles on my gutters at home ...

And finally,

In addition to all the other things I learned today from Anna and Lea (who lived here for five years as a student), I now know that:

1. A "Reusche" (as in the image above) is a woven fish trap; and,

2. The name of the city is pronounced "KON-shtants." I was actually pronouncing it correctly without knowing what I was doing.

I wanted to get a photo of the front of the Rathaus (City Hall), which is covered with beautiful murals of events in the history of the city, but the street was too narrow and the building too tall for me to get a decent picture. This is a photo of the interior courtyard, which is almost equally beautiful and is, according to Lea, a popular location for weddings ...

As it happens, Lea has some experience with this courtyard, having sung in an opera performed on an elevated stage which would have been directly above the spot where I shot this picture. The ladies in this family are enormously talented, and I bask in their reflected glory.

Well, I'm afraid that's got to be enough for now. It's nearly 11:00 PM, I'm bushed, and Agnes's parents will be expecting us early tomorrow morning. These relaxing vacations are going to be the death of me yet.

Have a good day. More on our travels and adventures in Germany tomorrow. For those of you who are my Facebook friends, there will be more pictures posted once we get home.

Bilbo