Tag: Koblenz

It Must Be All the Wine

· Leave a comment ·

The people living in the Rheinland, the area on both sides of the middle section of the river Rhine, are said to be jolly, fun-loving, and generally full of joie de vivre. In Koblenz they have a sculpture of two people illustrating a well-known verse of a regional writer who wrote hunourous poems.

  • a market-woman
  • a policeman
Can you imagine a more jocular pair?

The verse is written on a plaque on the ground:
The market-woman to the officer:
"Believe me I'm patient but
My husband has been peed on
by our neighbour's mutt."

The Ragtag Daily Prompt: Jocularity.

Five Questions

· 13 Comments ·

Is maternal feeling confined to humans?

Is it still guarding when people ignore you?

Can we call it cohabitation if we never see eye to eye?

If I can’t see the bottom does that mean the lake is groundless?

Are there non-variegated guinea fowls?

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word.

The women who work at the markets

· 16 Comments ·

This Schifferstädter Marktfrau wheels her beets to the market in front of the Rathaus in Schifferstadt, a town next to the river Rhein in the upper Rhine valley.

This cheerful Maatfrau sits in Koblenz, a couple of hundred kilometres down the river, with her lettuce and potatoes on offer.

And finally, in the heartland of the asparagus growing region, this Spargelfrau sells her wares in Schwetzingen in view of the palace – fitting for this noble vegetable.

Linked to Friendly Friday: Markets.

Hold on!

· 5 Comments ·

2011 rail c

From Koblenz there is a cable car across the Rhine leading up to the fortress Ehrenbreitstein.  For an even better view a huge viewing platform has been constructed up on the hill plateau.

2011 rail b

2011 rail d

2011 rail e

 

2011 rail f

And contrasting this rather large construction, here is a little detail on how to beautify rails – also close to the Rhine but in Düsseldorf.

2011 rail a

Linked to the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Rails.

 

Boys we almost stand in fear of

· 6 Comments ·

The epitome of naughtiness are these two rascals, called Max and Moritz.

Max und Moritz Wilhelm Busch

The poet and illustrator Wilhelm Busch brought their story to paper with his characteristic drawings and accompanying rhymed couplets.  To this day their mischievous pranks delight children and adults alike.  Many Germans can quote part of the story.

It is undisputed that Busch was a direct ancestor of all comic books.  Max und Moritz inspired the cartoon strip Katzenjammer Kids in the US and from there his influence spread.

Max und Moritz Apotheke

Many shops and restaurants are named after them.  Here it is a pharmacy.

Max und Moritz erster Streich

And here a restaurant which is fitting because their first prank involved first killing and then stealing and eating the chicken of a widow.

2011 naughty a

However, chips weren’t invented yet in 1860 when Busch wrote and illustrated the story.

Linked to Friday Fun: naughty.

 

 

 

A policeman, a market-woman, were standing …

· 1 Comment ·

Schutzmann Tschako

Marktfrau

Smiles all round with these two life-size sculptures in the middle of Koblenz in the Rhine valley.  They depict a market-woman and a policeman illustrating an old joke which is written on a plaque in the local dialect (about Norbert’s dog who peed on the leg of the market-woman’s husband).

This is linked to A Photo a Week: smile.

 

 

One German corner

· 8 Comments ·

101 aerial 1101 aerial 3

I was in Koblenz yesterday and in the cable car up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.  In the cabin one has a commanding view of the Deutsches Eck, the German corner, where the river Moselle joins the Rhine.  The corner tip was called Deutsches Eck for a long time but was enlarged and a monumental statue of Emperor Wilhelm I on horseback was erected.  The statue was destroyed during World War II and until German reunification only the plinth remained – meant to be a reminder of the German separation.  A replica of the monument was erected amidst much public discussion in the 1990s.

Public discussion was again fierce when the cable car from the banks of the Rhine up to the fortress was built in 2011.  The area where the Moselle flows into the Rhine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and people were worried that the view was going to be spoilt but personally I think it does not distract from the beauty of the area.

This is linked to One Word Sunday: Aerial.