Day 35 - [R]hine River Cruise (Speyer), Germany

A rainy day in Speyer

Morning view from my cabin porthole

Today was a relatively slow day with only one tour in the day. However, I was feeling quite tired so that suited me. (I am sleeping mostly OK on the ship but it’s not proving to be very restful.) We were met by our guide, Julian, another charming young German man, at the boat and he walked us into the town of Speyer. It was a slow walk and he constantly pointed out landmarks for the walk back, which we were to do on our own. As it was Sunday, Speyer was closed (to all intents and purposes) but we could see the main sight in Speyer, its cathedral. Also, it was raining; off and on when we started and properly by the time I returned to the ship.

Medieval building at the dock; a working pub

Navigational flag pole on the Rhine (a landmark for our return journey)

First glimpse of the cathedral in the distance

Julian was a great guide for this trip. He is an Arts and Literature graduate and so speaks insightfully about the relevant historical stories that lie underneath what we see on our walk. He brings to life the stories behind the statues and colours in the life of Speyer.

Speyer City Gardens	Ferryman statue (important river crossing here in the day)	Eight of the kings buried on the Speyer Cathedral
The cathedral looms ahead	Statues for the cathedral, created by the nazis, so not displayed in the cathedral	Statue of Henry IV battling the wolf of Rome (metaphor for Pope Gregory)

The Cathedral has developed over a long period. Originally a romanesque church, Henry IV put the second layer of vaulting on the original and built the towers. There was a long history of conflict between the Church and the Protestants, who original formed in or near Speyer, so the story goes.

Western face of the cathedral	Southern wall of the cathedral	Eastern end of the south wall of the cathedral
The nave of the cathedral	The organ over the front door of the cathedral	A huge golden crucifix over the altar
The view along the north chancel	Example of the friezes on the north wall	Example of the friezes on the south wall
Details of shrines in the cathedral

By the time we got to the cathedral the rain had set in, not a downpour but a constant rain. Hence, not so many photos outside. Julian recounted the religious-political history of the area while we sheltered in the verandah of the cathedral waiting for the line to enter the church to diminish. Apparently, Speyer was the epicentre of the Protestant movement, led by Martin Luther. The blue building in the corner of the Domplatz outside the cathedral (now a brewery/pub) was where the first diet (council meeting) occurred to decide to enact Luther’s doctrine in the face of the Roman Catholic Church.

Bishopric Administration

The townhall

Corner of the Domplatz showing the building where the Diet was held

Detail of the carvings over the door

Another claim to fame in Speyer is the ‘invention’ of the pretzel. This is a very heavily contested claim in this part of Germany. Speyer is so committed to it that the figure Frederick is shown a lot around town, holding a pretzel. In the carvings over the cathedral door (at left), you can (just) see him represented; second carving in from the left, bottom row, crouched down and holding a pretzel.

After viewing the cathedral, Julian led us down the main street of Speyer, which was pretty quiet because it was Sunday and raining. He pointed out the statue of the pilgrim and explained that Speyer is a stop on one of the camino pilgrimages. He also pointed out that Speyer has some of the ‘stumble stones’ from that pan-Germany art memorial.

St James the Pilgrim	The old market square in Speyer (on a rainy Sunday)	Stumble stones
The guilds of Speyer	Street scene off the main road	The tower over the old city gate

As I was walking back, in the now quite steady rain (my new jacket is absolutely proving itself), I passed the entrance to a fair/festival that is going on in Speyer. Julian had said that these events were almost constant in Speyer and surrounds. I don’t remember what he said the theme of this one was. It looked just like the kind of town show/fair that you might find in any rural Australian setting.

Looking over the festival in Speyer

Another view of the festival

I got back to the ship with no problem, but soaking wet. I changed out of my wet clothes and hung them to dry in the bathroom. Time for a nap, then I spent the afternoon putting together the long blog post for the day before. That process was interrupted/slowed down by the happenings on the ship going on around me, so the afternoon was given over to it entirely. Dinner in the ship’s restaurant (very nice, again) and then into my cabin to watch some more of a TV series on the Vikings that is offered (surprisingly interesting!) and sleep.

(Late posting this as the days have been busy.)

Daily facts: Location: [R]hine River (Speyer), Germany Temp: 11 Weather: Heavy overcast, rain