Sunday, April 17, 2011
Furth im Wald, Germany
Again, coffee from good old Bernie, brought once again by Jan.
Picked up by Shane and Sonja at 11:00am and we were off to the Dragon Museum. It is on the main floor of the tallest building in town, an antideluvian crenallated clock tower a block off the city center.
The whole main floor is a tribute to dragondom and the eternal battle between good and evil. It is a huge and rich display, full of history and old posters (for example from 1907) advertising the event far and wide. Yes, it is big business for the town. There is too much to tell, anyone reading this will just have to come with us next time and see for yourself.
Next, down to the dragon's lair where we found 'the old dragon', replaced now by the electro-mechanical monster we saw yesterday. The old guy is low tech, for sure, he had a tractor inside him for propulsion rather than articulated arms and legs. But he's still plenty fearsom. To kill him, the knight simply stabbed him in the tongue with a lance. A dozen performances a year in the two weeks of dragonfest, two on Saturdays, and they patched up the tongue at half time sort of like taping up the star quarterback. The dragon never missed a fight, and he never won. Nobody said dragons were smart.
We also saw the head of the Grandaddy Dragon, still scary but way low tech now. And also hanging there in the lair was a Chinese dragon, the kind you see at Chinese new years. Maybe Furth is twinned with some city near Shanghai. Don't know, don't quote me.
Then way up the tower, at least a hundred thousand steps, low ceilings, it took forever. Hell, Pisa or St. Paul's was easier. At last at the top, the view went forever and was spectaular in the late morning sunshine. The Czech border was visible very nearby, as was acres of Czech countryside beyond. Everywhere, low rolling hills, treed hilltops with green, green, as green as Ireland fields below. This alone was worth the whole trip, it was grand.
At last, down the head-bumping staircase to the bottom and out into the sun. Looking up, did we really climb that??? Yes. Now back to the car for the short ride back to the Altmann Schloss (Altman Castle, Sonja's family) for ... trout? I'm wriggling about now, trying to get out of this gently, the sound of the club battering the skulls still loud in my memory, the blood, the lifeless eyes. Ah, suck it up Fuhr, you pussy. Eat it and shut up, I say to myself.
Sonja's mom, Edith, had done a spectacular job with the fish poached individually in foil with lemon slices, and boiled potatoes and saurkraut salad. Who could say no, certainly not me. I cut the head and tail off mine while they were still covered in foil, the acusitory fish-eyed stare hidden from mine. Scraped off the skin, dug out the long tail bone, tidied up the mess I made inside the foil and covered it up, without looking, and put it back on the serving dish as suggested. Then, I tucked in to lunch with gusto ... the potato and the salad that is, which were superb. Jan finished her fish portion and, shame on me, I unobtrusively slid my fish onto her plate. She glared at me, the fish's stare would have been easier to take, but said nothing so as to not make a fuss. Maybe if I hadn't seen or heard the murder from two feet away I would have been better. Oh well, a pussy I remain.
I tried manfully to get out of the next trip, a drive to Regensburg about an hours drive north of Furth. Wimpy today, aren't I, Nothing doing with the other three so I was belted in and off to the Czech Republic for gas (cheaper there, lower taxes I suppose) and then off to Regensburg. The highlight for me was seeing the Danube River, which flows in four channels through the town. It isn't blue (the song Blue Danube may have been true a hundred years ago, but progress takes its toll) but it is swiftly flowing and pretty. And, what the hell, it is the DANUBE for crissakes.
There's more, Jan may tell it, the first coffee house in Germany, the first Bratwurst restaurant in Germany, and from personal experience, damn good ice cream.
At last, back to Altmann Schloss to make pizza for dinner. Pizza??? Yeah, Shane volunteered to do dinner tonight. No fish.
I helped cut things up, sous chef stuff, Shane was the head chef, and a great job was done by all, helped by the bottle of wine consumed by the unter and uber chefs. Great feed, and we were joined by Franz briefly as he was heading out. He called us 'friend' and made it clear that we were welcome anytime in his home. We were all touched, he meant it and speaks no English so it was a lot for him to say.
We were joined by friends of Sonja and a great party ensued, which Jan and I finally left at about 9:30pm. Home, again exhausted, this time Jan and I walked ourselves home. Tomorrow, Munich, or Munchen to the locals.
