A short drive from O.K.'s village brought us to the small town of Oberkirch. We parked the car in a shady spot near the church and then walked up to Schauenburg, a ruined castle overlooking the town.
Approaching the castle:
Views from the castle:
A veritable flower garden had naturally grown on top of the thick walls:
St. Ulrich - I don't know why he carries a fish. He does not look exactly happy, does he? The statue stands in a little shrine let into a wall.
All that exploring and climbing up and down walls in the summer heat made us thirsty! Just below the castle, there is a café/restaurant. We took the last table that had some shade from the large umbrellas - the only seats left empty were those in the sun.
One last glimpse back on our way down. Another beautiful Sunday, and I so did not feel like getting on the train that evening! But all went well, no delays or cancellations this time, and I was home as planned just after 10:30 pm.
Schauenburg was built in the 10th century. It was abandoned in the late 17th century, and stones from its ruins were used in other building projects, as was the usual way back then. You can read more about the castle and its history here on wikipedia.
The impression of Schauenburg that this post leaves is that there was no one else there. What a magical place with a splendid view! Perhaps St Ulrich had just caught that fish with the rod he is holding in his other hand and was showing it off to his mates - all the other saints.
ReplyDeleteAnd the book he is also holding is probably a cook book with recipes for fish.
DeleteThere were other people about; small groups, families, couples, but I managed to avoid having them in my pictures. I guess it is busier there when it is less hot.
I like ruins, although I often prefer them a bit overgrown and "romantic". I had never heard of St. Ulrich, but I imagine the fish is something to do with his death and martyrdom. I must say I'm scratching my head though wondering what that could be!
ReplyDeleteHe has his own wikipedia entry here, but it does not say anything about the fish.
DeleteI found the following elsewhere on the internet: One Friday, a messenger was given a piece of meat from Ulrich's table as travel provision. When the messenger wanted to use the meat as proof of Ulrich's sin (to have meat on a Friday), the meat had miraculously transformed into fish.
Love these photos - my favorites are the flowers growing over the castle walls. Thanks for sharing this wonderful trip! Google says St. Ulrich prayed over meat that then turned into fish so he could eat the meal on a Friday when he had to abstain from meat. Odd miracle.
ReplyDeleteHello Ellen - I believe this is your first comment on my blog. Welcome, and thank you for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteThe flowers on the walls were fabulous, they were my favourite part of the ruins, too, followed closely by the overgrown rooms.
I read something similar about meat turning into fish, see my reply to Jenny Woolf.
What beautiful pictures! I love the ruins of the castle. You're so lucky to have places like that to explore in your country. I was going to google St. Ulrich but Ellen beat me to it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer! I love going on such trips, ruins, castles, monasteries - give me old crumbling walls, and I am happy!
DeleteSee my reply to Jenny Woolf's comment; what I found is a little different but along the same line.
How intrepid of you to wander about in the searing heat. The weather in the UK is the only thing I prefer to Germany. I could neither take the heat in summer nor the cold in winter now.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I fully agree with you on ebooks and paper books. I have lots of ebooks waiting to be read (I often buy the 99p ones on bookbub) but there are some books (more non fiction nowadays) which I prefer in proper books.
Thank you for picking up on my former post, Friko. Nice to know you and other readers of my blog see it the same way.
DeleteSome of the ascent to the castle was rather hot and steep, but once we reached the edge of the town and were among the trees, it was fine.
Such an interesting ruin and your photos when enlarged are great of the views across the landscape.
ReplyDeleteWhat is that drink Meike? The color is perhaps enhanced by the umbrellas - they appear orange too.
Tough going on foot these hot days - we were out to lunch today and couldn't wait to get home and back in our cool house, exhausted just walking through the mall parking lot!
I was hoping readers would enlarge the pictures to get a better impression of the views! The panorama photo is O.K.'s, he is good at taking these.
DeleteThe drink is Aperol Spritz, one of our favourite summer drinks. The colour really is like it appears in the photo, as the basis for the drink is Aperol (bitter orange liquor). Very refreshing!
Another lovely weekend together....I love ruins. I love flowers. I fear the flowers on top of the ruins will not help them remain standing....I found this strange story about St. Ulrich and fish: https://svfonline.org/st-ulrich-jul-4/
ReplyDeleteI guess the flowers' roots don't go in all that deep; the trees growing out of the walls in one of the towers are probably more dangerous to the walls, but the place is well looked after.
DeleteA strange story about Ulrich, indeed! Thank your for finding it for me.
You mentioned that St Ulrich didn't look happy. I'm not sure that I can ever recall seeing a saint depicted as being happy.
ReplyDeleteYou're right - one should think they were especially happy, what with being so wrapped up in their faith and certainty of having God's blessing and all that.
DeleteAh, Aperol Spritz... it is so popular here! Yes, when I was younger I also could stand the heat better, but now I don't dare go out when it's above 35. I can't believe you are also having temperatures in the 30s there. The scirocco here brings dust, sand and humidity, so it's hot and stuffy, really unbearable. And when it comes it normally stays for a week or more. Terrible! I like looking at your pictures and reading your reports, you are very good at writing, and as I always say, since I don't travel I love to read about travelling. I travelled too much when I was young, but at that time it was much easier to travel, simpler. People were well mannered, there was never any chaos at the airports or train stations...now it's a nightmare to take a plane, ship or train, or even a bus!
ReplyDeleteAperol Spritz was first introduced to me almost 10 years ago; it was very popular then and there seems to be no end to it :-)
DeleteIn one town in Germany, the thermometer went just above 40C two weeks ago, and it came up,to 38 here that hottest day of the year so far.
Yes, travelling can be stressful, therefore I am glad that my blog provides you with a stress-free way of seeing other places!
I meant, when it's above 30....I wouldn't dream of going out when it's 35 or anywhere near it!
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have no choice, such as in going to work...
DeleteWhat stunning views from that place! I always loved visiting old ruins, I guess they tickle my imagination somehow... ;)
ReplyDeleteSame here, Monica - I do have a thing for abandoned/ruined/neglected places.
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