Day 39 - A day spent in Freiburg (Captions now all done!)
We did quite a bit of exploring all over Freiburg, including a trip to attend the local congregation of our church in the morning and a fair amount of riding up and down the river path in the afternoon. Visiting Freiburg was important to us because Erika's father grew up in this area. Erika had been here a few time in her teens so the area included special memories of her father who passed away three years ago. The visit made him feel both closer and further away - hard but also satisfying.
Can you tell we weren't always sure where we were going!
The track shows: Temps were up to 35 degrees while riding. When riding in the shade it once got as low as 28.
Prior to heading out to explore the city, we attended church at a local congregation. Martin lead us there on our bikes. It was only about 5 minutes from their home. During the service Erika was able to follow most of what was said but Marvin was pretty lost. It was fun to hear him sing the hymns in Germany, As the language is phonetic, he did really very well.
Along the river stones have been placed to tame the river and in some places to increase the depth so that people can wade and play. As with other cities, a lovely trail takes you right into town.
Freiburg is known for the small canals, or bachle, that line the city streets. These were historicaly filled with water from the Dreisam and were used to fight fires and to wash waste out of the city. The bruckle date back to the 1200's and still exist in most of the old town.
As we entered the square where the Minster stands we were greeted by the ringing of the cathedral bells. They were lovely and really made me think of my father. We had a recording of the Minster bells ring on Christmas morning and my father would play it each Christmas. One of the wonderful things about church bells in Germany is that on special occasions the Cathedral with start ringing its bells and the other churches will soon follow in response. It is an amazing thing to hear and somehow all those bells playing at the same time seem to work together and truly sound like a celebration of joy.
Like many of the churches we have seen, the Minster is also undergoing refurbishment. I am glad that the effort is made to keep these beautiful pieces of architecture in good condition.
The first time Marvin came to Europe we spent time in the city of Guildford in England where I attended a conference. Freiburg is a sister city to Guildford and the crest is in the cobble stones in front of the Rathaus.
Typical street in the old town. Martin and Alisa told us that it was very quiet because it was Sunday. They had been down town on Saturday and Alisa compared the crowds to what she had dealt with in Buenos Aires.
This church was built starting in 1200 in a romanesque style but change to a Gothic style in 1230. The building took advantage of foundations that were there from the church that had been built there in 1120. If you have seen pictures of Freiburg following the bombing raid of 1944 you will agree that it is pretty amazing that the church survived intact. I have seen pictures of the square where most of the building surrounding the church are rubble while the church still stands.
This 15th century turret now has tram tracks that go through it. I think those who built it would be amazed. For this to happen, the mayor in 1888 insisted on raising the tor instead of demolishing it. In doing so, the height was increased from 22 to 63 meters. The old turret was placed on top and the construction ensured trams could pass through. That was a mayor with foresight.
One of the local museums has a display outside of vineyards and different grape varieties. The first to be highlighted was the Okanagan Riesling; testament to the development and quality of the Canadian wine industry.
After exploring the city we cycled up the Dreisam. The further up we went the more locals we discovered enjoying the sun and the fun of the Dreisam. Many areas had rocks placed to form pools for swimming and paddling.
Cycling back into town we came across another one of the old turrets. This one has not been raised to accommodate a tram line so provides an accurate look at what height the towers were originally.
We really enjoyed our time in Freiburg. It is considered the greenest city in Germany. It also has the most hours of sunshine per year. If I were to come and live in Germany, Freiburg would be my first choice.
Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles) Total: 1,584 km (984 miles)
