Duesseldorf Digest and Bonn Blog: Adventure Time

Monday, June 24, 2019

Adventure Time

On the way back from Norderney, I stopped at some UNESCO Heritage Sites in Northern Germany. First was Bremen. This was my FAVORITE. St. Peter’s Cathedral was just breathtaking. It has a museum attached to the back that is basically a crypt for some of the priests that were the people’s favorite. The stain glass windows and murals on the ceiling are indescribable. I could just sit for hours and take in the history. There was also a basement room that had a holy water bath hand sculpted and one of the most beautiful organs I’d ever seen. Town square was also just incredible. The history in Bremen’s architecture is not something you can really describe, it’s something you must experience. The Town Hall Square is 360 degrees of gothic style buildings and sculptures. Bremen is also known for the Brothers Grimm sculpture and designs. If you aren’t familiar with this tale, I’ll put a link with the pictures. Finally, I had a picnic in the park before I left. This park was HUGE. I literally spent 3 hours walking around and only saw a third of it. There’s a petting zoo INSIDE the park. So cool. Bremen took the cake for my favorite places on this trip back in terms of experiences and historical sights.

Next stop was Hannover. Not going to lie, this place was not my favorite. I’m glad I went but I probably won’t be back. Hannover is a pretty city, it’s just HUGE. It’s the capital of the state of Lower Saxony so it is very historic, but it also had the worst slums that I’ve seen thus far. I went to the New Town Hall and accidentally snuck into an art exhibition, so that was super neat. I also went to the Aegidienkirche Church. It is a Romanesque church built in 1163 but bombed in 1943 during an air raid on the city. Its ruins now stand as a memorial for the people that died during WW2.

Last up was Muenster. This place had THE BEST food, let me tell you. But fun fact, Muenster cheese was NOT made in Muenster, Germany… It was introduced in Munster of Alsace which is now part of France and not named Munster anymore… Also, if you ask someone in Muenster, Germany where it was made they will roll their eyes and not respond and then you will have to Google it and feel like a complete idiot (I am indeed telling you this out of experience). But after I left a small piece of my pride at the train station, I got to see St. Paul’s Cathedral and St. Lambert’s Church. Both were just incredible. The Gothic city square is 365 degrees of historical architecture, and I was simply blown away by the beauty. I’ve decided that my favorite thing to do in Europe is to go into cathedrals and sit in a pew and people watch. I know that sounds creepy, but there’s something serene and therapeutic about the air in a cathedral. It’s not something you can describe in words. I sat in St. Lambert’s Church for about 2 hours and just admired the stained glass windows, and the (massive) organ, and the woodworked stage. Things aren’t made like that anymore, and it takes time to appreciate the time and effort people put into building a house for the Lord. It’s not just construction, it’s artwork. Muenster will also always be special for me because in St. Paul’s Cathedral I lit a candle for my grandmother, Dianna. This is my Mom’s mom that passed away when my mom was still young. I never got to meet her, but I’ve heard so many stories. I stayed for another hour after that and just felt the air. I know I’m sounding like a crazy person, but I’m telling you, the energy in a cathedral is just peaceful. If you have anxiety, just go to a 300+ year old cathedral and people watch… Instant cure. (I am not a trained physician so take this with a grain of salt people)

It was a great adventure, the long weekend. I got to see so much history and the diversity of Northern Germany! What a time to be alive.