03-12-2011 Idar Oberstein & Bernkastle Kues-A Castle Double Hitter

This is the Felsenkirche built in the Mountain and the Schloss on top.








































This is a Jewish monument to families that were deported from 1933-1945












This was a very interesting day. Last night, Bro. Whirthlin, the Director of Physical Facilities in Europe and our boss, invited us to go with him and his beautiful wife plus two other couples, the Gerratts and the Boones on an outing. We were going to the Gem capitol of Germany. Every store in Idar Oberstein sold gems and jewelry in one form or another. The town was interesting, built in 1320, it lies within a deep narrow valley which is cut through volcanic rock. The backdrop for Idar Oberstein is a huge mountain with a church carved into the side of it. There is a very interesting story attached to this church.

In the 1400's two brothers who were Earls and Knights lived in the castle(Schloss Oberstein) which is located on the top of that mountain. One of them found out his brother was in love with Bertha, the same girl he was in love with. To get rid of his competition he pushed his brother out a window and he fell on a cliff below killing him instantly. To make a long story short, he married Bertha, she took off and he was left to grieve the loss of his brother. To repent of his sins, he built a memorial or a church which he called the Felsenkirche on the side of the mountain at the very point where his brother's body landed. They say he knew when God had forgiven him, because a new spring appeared near the church. That is a real Grimm's Fairytale if you ask me. It does make a beautiful backdrop for the town however. I have included a few pictures. I could not hike up this one, it was 240 steps, so me and Sister Gerratt sat at a cafe and had chocolat, which was the best I ever had, lots of whipped cream and cinnamon on top. After sitting for quite a while we decided on pommes frites (French fries). By the time everyone got back we were not hungry for lunch but we went anyway. After lunch we had a spaghetti ice. I don't know if they have them in the states or not but they are outrageous. Shaved ice cream to look like spaghetti, strawberry topping to look like sauce and grated white chocolate to look like cheese. We shared, and it was even better that way. Off to another Castle adventure.















This is a picture of cloths hanging on a line outside the Castle
















After leaving Idar Oberstein we traveled 27 miles to a place called Bernkastle Kues. Now that was a truly beautiful ride along the Mossell River which Elder Walters says originates in France. It is known for its many vineyards. It is also a well known health resort. It is actually Germany's largest town in land mass. It has a very wet climate which makes it an ideal place for growing grapes. The earliest human habitation here was in 3000 BC. The Romans controlled it for a while and then the town of Bernkastle was built in the 1100's.

The castle itself has never been renovated so you see it as it actually was. In the courtyard they have a quaint little restaurant which overlooks the Mossell River and the town of Bernkastle. The vineyards go on and on forever. I could only walk up to the castle, which was a nice little hike but let Elder Walters and part of the group hike the rest of the way up into the tower where he took additional pictures from the top. I can't believe I made it all the way back which was actually going up hill and that was on a cobblestone path. You can't believe how hard it is to walk on cobblestones. Everything is so uneven. Your feet and ankles get tired. Just doing a little griping I guess. Elder Walters does fine however. He makes up for what I can not do.

This town is a must see at Christmas time. On December 4th of this next year, there will be a celebration where swimmers will carry a torch along the Mossell River and pass it to one another until they reach the Marktplatz. I have to see someone crazy enough to dive into the icy waters. We will be going here next Christmas. This town has 41 half timbered houses which are all decorated up and they have things to eat and buy for Christmas. Another interesting fact is that on May 9-11, 2008 Bernkastle hosted the Boy Scouts Intercamp Camporee for Scouting Counsels from the U.S., Canada, Czech Rep, Germany France and other European countries, interesting, as I thought Germany did not have a scouting program. On our way back we stopped for some treats while we traveled for 2 plus hours home. Oh and don't miss seeing the statue of the boy getting his proper spanking. I guess they don't believe in sparing the rod and spoiling the child at this place of business. Early to bed to be ready to teach our class on Sunday.