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Lymington Twinners
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A group of 29 Lymington twinners made their way to Mosbach on Wednesday 29th May, mostly by coach to Heathrow and then by air, but some by car and camper van. We enjoyed the usual very warm welcome from Hans Happes at the airport and from our hosts after a two hour coach drive from Frankfurt airport which took us along the scenic Neckar valley from Heidelberg – a delightful way to approach Mosbach, even if it was a rather grey evening. Supper with our hosts followed, and in most cases this meant catching up on family news. But for a few Lymingtonians this was their first twinning trip and so this evening was about getting to know their hosts.
Thursday morning dawned bright but too late for the Corpus Christi street decorating activities due to start in the early hours, which had been cancelled on the grounds of a wet forecast. It had been proposed that hosts might like to take their guests to see a Corpus Christi procession, but such plans had to change. So each host family entertained their guests in their own way, often by a trip out in the car, and judging by the reports from our LITA trippers, they seem to have covered a wide area between them. A day like this allows plenty of time to pursue one of the main purposes of twinning, which is to increase understanding between people of different countries. Conversations range widely over issues like health insurance and pensions, youth unemployment, solar panel subsidies, taxes, and potholes in the roads. It is always fascinating to discover the similarities, and interesting to note the differences.
On Friday it was a grey damp morning, and heavy overnight rain further south in the Black Forest had swollen the Neckar river so that it was pouring down the valley at speed, carrying minor debris with it and there was a red flood alert issued. We all met at Eberbach pier ready for our intended boat trip downstream to Hirschhorn and a guided tour of the village. But all boats had been forbidden from travelling downstream and were required to moor up safely as soon as possible. The boat operator suggested that those who wished could accompany the boat upstream a relatively short distance to its designated mooring in Lindach, and as the weather had dried up, about half the party decided to go. Hosts arranged to meet them by car at Lindach, and the boat set off upstream, struggling slightly against the fast current and passing through one lock. Arriving without incident at Lindach the boat moored and everyone went home for tea.
That evening we all met at the Krone at Diedesheim for an evening meal. First we were entertained by a ladies choir from Mosbach who sang a mixture of traditional German songs and some English ones. Short speeches and an exchange of gifts followed, then a splendid buffet meal, with salad starters, plus a selection of tasty meat, fish and vegetarian main courses. A table quiz came next, with some esoteric and tricky questions devised by Hans Happes, which demonstrated his love of history and his headmasterly approach. Finally we were offered a choice of delicious desserts prepared by our hosts, before a late night drive back home.
Saturday morning brought news of more overnight rain and serious flooding in the Neckar valley and other parts of Germany. We heard that our landing area of the previous day at Lindach was under water. It continued to rain and our coach journey to Ludwigsburg was along wet roads with views of a swollen river and flooded fields and riverside streets. But when we arrived at the splendid Baroque Ludwigsburg Palace the rain eased a little. After a cup of coffee we enjoyed a two-hour tour of the amazing palace which demonstrates the craftsmanship available at that time but also the exceptional wealth enjoyed by the aristocracy of the period. It is the second largest Baroque palace in Europe (after Versailles) to survive in its original condition. Started in 1704 for Duke Eberhard Ludwig as a hunting lodge, plans changed under the influence of his mistress and it then became his principal residence. A fourth wing was added to the original three, and the whole was completed in 1733.
The sumptuous interiors reflect developing styles, including Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical. There is a charming palace theatre, one of Europe’s oldest, with almost intact stage machinery and decoration. Our guide pointed out the discomforts of life at the palace, where the kitchens were separate for fear of fire so that food always arrived cold, and where small boys had to enter cupboards to feed stoves with wood from the back, so that the Duke’s apartments were not damaged by soot.
Sadly the weather was too damp to make visiting the renowned palace gardens feasible, so Ursula Geier and Hans had instead arranged for an afternoon visit to the Mercedes Benz museum at Stuttgart. Many of the group started with a snack at the café there. We went up from the entrance area in the 'capsule' style lifts in the huge, open inner 'atrium' of the building to start at the top and walk down a long, shallow 'helter-skelter' slope. Everyone had audio guides that contained location software so they responded with information relevant to exactly where you were standing. Along the outer wall of the descending slope was a 'time-line' of historic photos. Each year was identified with politically or artistically contemporaneous matters relating to the selection of cars at that level.
A side floor on a couple of levels featured commercial vehicles (trucks, fire engines, ambulances, tipper trucks, bin lorries) to augment the domestic cars in the main display areas. The bottom of the slope brought us right up to date with the latest Mercedes 'concept' vehicles on show. There was also a steeply banked 'race track' with a number of the Mercedes sports and racing cars displayed. In the café area there was an upmarket gift shop visited by some of us at lunchtime and others after the museum viewing.
An eagle-eyed LITA member spotted one odd detail during the visit. All the cars up to about 1910 or so were right-hand drive. That was not because they happened to be UK exports. This was because, in the early days, drivers needed to keep a close eye on the roadside verge. Thus, being on the right of the car (with cars driving Euro-style on the right, even then) was helpful to avoid crashing off the roadway. As more motor traffic developed, and as the roads themselves improved, the greater risk was from the oncoming traffic, so the switch to left-hand drive was made.
On the way back to Mosbach we stopped at Abstatt near Heilbronn at the Blockhaus restaurant for a substantial and enjoyable evening meal, where the wine and conversation flowed equally freely. The wholly wooden building was set in a small vineyard outside the town. The service was staggeringly efficient and the food satisfying after a long day out. Back in Mosbach we noticed floodwater being pumped from the cellar of at least one building as we walked back from the coach to collect our hosts parked cars.
Sunday morning, being our last day, was of course, bright and sunny. After a fond farewell to some of our hosts (others were to go with us to Frankfurt), we drove by coach to Darmstadt near Frankfurt. The coach driver showed his skills in the narrow streets that led up to the Mathildenhöhe area high above the city. Our visit was to see the Künstlerkolonie or artists colony, founded in 1899 by Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse, which became the centre of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) in Germany. First we had a guided tour of the chief buildings which remain – a few delightful houses in the Jugendstil style, the grand Ernst Ludwig House, which contained the studios for the artists, and the striking Hochzeitsturm or Wedding Tower constructed for the wedding in 1905 of the Grand Duke. Some had been heavily restored following bombing in 1944, while many others were lost. For Art Nouveau enthusiasts, the interior of the largest house, built for displaying furniture produced by Julius Gluckert, was a delight. Most of us then settled down to a tasty lunch in the sun at the Mathildenhöhe café, and some then visited the excellent Künstlerkolonie museum which contained furniture and household effects that came from the houses and were designed by the artists. All too soon it was time to leave for the airport, more farewells, and our happily uneventful return to Lymington.
Thursday morning dawned bright but too late for the Corpus Christi street decorating activities due to start in the early hours, which had been cancelled on the grounds of a wet forecast. It had been proposed that hosts might like to take their guests to see a Corpus Christi procession, but such plans had to change. So each host family entertained their guests in their own way, often by a trip out in the car, and judging by the reports from our LITA trippers, they seem to have covered a wide area between them. A day like this allows plenty of time to pursue one of the main purposes of twinning, which is to increase understanding between people of different countries. Conversations range widely over issues like health insurance and pensions, youth unemployment, solar panel subsidies, taxes, and potholes in the roads. It is always fascinating to discover the similarities, and interesting to note the differences.
On Friday it was a grey damp morning, and heavy overnight rain further south in the Black Forest had swollen the Neckar river so that it was pouring down the valley at speed, carrying minor debris with it and there was a red flood alert issued. We all met at Eberbach pier ready for our intended boat trip downstream to Hirschhorn and a guided tour of the village. But all boats had been forbidden from travelling downstream and were required to moor up safely as soon as possible. The boat operator suggested that those who wished could accompany the boat upstream a relatively short distance to its designated mooring in Lindach, and as the weather had dried up, about half the party decided to go. Hosts arranged to meet them by car at Lindach, and the boat set off upstream, struggling slightly against the fast current and passing through one lock. Arriving without incident at Lindach the boat moored and everyone went home for tea.
That evening we all met at the Krone at Diedesheim for an evening meal. First we were entertained by a ladies choir from Mosbach who sang a mixture of traditional German songs and some English ones. Short speeches and an exchange of gifts followed, then a splendid buffet meal, with salad starters, plus a selection of tasty meat, fish and vegetarian main courses. A table quiz came next, with some esoteric and tricky questions devised by Hans Happes, which demonstrated his love of history and his headmasterly approach. Finally we were offered a choice of delicious desserts prepared by our hosts, before a late night drive back home.
Saturday morning brought news of more overnight rain and serious flooding in the Neckar valley and other parts of Germany. We heard that our landing area of the previous day at Lindach was under water. It continued to rain and our coach journey to Ludwigsburg was along wet roads with views of a swollen river and flooded fields and riverside streets. But when we arrived at the splendid Baroque Ludwigsburg Palace the rain eased a little. After a cup of coffee we enjoyed a two-hour tour of the amazing palace which demonstrates the craftsmanship available at that time but also the exceptional wealth enjoyed by the aristocracy of the period. It is the second largest Baroque palace in Europe (after Versailles) to survive in its original condition. Started in 1704 for Duke Eberhard Ludwig as a hunting lodge, plans changed under the influence of his mistress and it then became his principal residence. A fourth wing was added to the original three, and the whole was completed in 1733.
The sumptuous interiors reflect developing styles, including Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical. There is a charming palace theatre, one of Europe’s oldest, with almost intact stage machinery and decoration. Our guide pointed out the discomforts of life at the palace, where the kitchens were separate for fear of fire so that food always arrived cold, and where small boys had to enter cupboards to feed stoves with wood from the back, so that the Duke’s apartments were not damaged by soot.
Sadly the weather was too damp to make visiting the renowned palace gardens feasible, so Ursula Geier and Hans had instead arranged for an afternoon visit to the Mercedes Benz museum at Stuttgart. Many of the group started with a snack at the café there. We went up from the entrance area in the 'capsule' style lifts in the huge, open inner 'atrium' of the building to start at the top and walk down a long, shallow 'helter-skelter' slope. Everyone had audio guides that contained location software so they responded with information relevant to exactly where you were standing. Along the outer wall of the descending slope was a 'time-line' of historic photos. Each year was identified with politically or artistically contemporaneous matters relating to the selection of cars at that level.
A side floor on a couple of levels featured commercial vehicles (trucks, fire engines, ambulances, tipper trucks, bin lorries) to augment the domestic cars in the main display areas. The bottom of the slope brought us right up to date with the latest Mercedes 'concept' vehicles on show. There was also a steeply banked 'race track' with a number of the Mercedes sports and racing cars displayed. In the café area there was an upmarket gift shop visited by some of us at lunchtime and others after the museum viewing.
An eagle-eyed LITA member spotted one odd detail during the visit. All the cars up to about 1910 or so were right-hand drive. That was not because they happened to be UK exports. This was because, in the early days, drivers needed to keep a close eye on the roadside verge. Thus, being on the right of the car (with cars driving Euro-style on the right, even then) was helpful to avoid crashing off the roadway. As more motor traffic developed, and as the roads themselves improved, the greater risk was from the oncoming traffic, so the switch to left-hand drive was made.
On the way back to Mosbach we stopped at Abstatt near Heilbronn at the Blockhaus restaurant for a substantial and enjoyable evening meal, where the wine and conversation flowed equally freely. The wholly wooden building was set in a small vineyard outside the town. The service was staggeringly efficient and the food satisfying after a long day out. Back in Mosbach we noticed floodwater being pumped from the cellar of at least one building as we walked back from the coach to collect our hosts parked cars.
Sunday morning, being our last day, was of course, bright and sunny. After a fond farewell to some of our hosts (others were to go with us to Frankfurt), we drove by coach to Darmstadt near Frankfurt. The coach driver showed his skills in the narrow streets that led up to the Mathildenhöhe area high above the city. Our visit was to see the Künstlerkolonie or artists colony, founded in 1899 by Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse, which became the centre of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) in Germany. First we had a guided tour of the chief buildings which remain – a few delightful houses in the Jugendstil style, the grand Ernst Ludwig House, which contained the studios for the artists, and the striking Hochzeitsturm or Wedding Tower constructed for the wedding in 1905 of the Grand Duke. Some had been heavily restored following bombing in 1944, while many others were lost. For Art Nouveau enthusiasts, the interior of the largest house, built for displaying furniture produced by Julius Gluckert, was a delight. Most of us then settled down to a tasty lunch in the sun at the Mathildenhöhe café, and some then visited the excellent Künstlerkolonie museum which contained furniture and household effects that came from the houses and were designed by the artists. All too soon it was time to leave for the airport, more farewells, and our happily uneventful return to Lymington.
Other exchange visits with Mosbach:
Mosbach Twinners visit to Lymington 2014
Lymington Twinners trip to Mosbach 2013
Mosbach Twinners visit to Lymington 2012
Lymington Twinners trip to Mosbach 2011
Mosbach Twinners visit to Lymington 2010
Mosbach Twinners visit to Lymington 2014
Lymington Twinners trip to Mosbach 2013
Mosbach Twinners visit to Lymington 2012
Lymington Twinners trip to Mosbach 2011
Mosbach Twinners visit to Lymington 2010
Lymington International Twinning Association
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