Amberg walks - WARNING: This is a rather bizarre selection of walks. It's that kind of town.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Germany (a quick visit) this month. We spent a little more time in this lovely walled city. The walks and collected images below may not make good sense. We were only here for 4 days. We walked to clear our heads and to find ice cream, and to visit with each other.


Walk up to the Pilgrimage Church Maria Hilf * (and the walk down):

The onion domed steeple of the church rises above the woods and overlooks the city.

Some of this walk is a narrow roadway. Some of it is a path. People are often walking with their puppies. MC runs up this hill. I take frequent breaks to rest and take photos. (looking uphill)

In places there are huge trees on one side and forest on the other. (looking downhill)

I thought this path might lead up to the restaurant. It ended in a fence. I did find German stinging nettle. Ouch!

The woods are so lovely. (Do we all think of Robert Frost when in the woods? **)

 

Tiny flowers blooming in the woods.

My eye was drawn to tiny red specks moving underfoot. A number of these beetles were busy. (Milkweed bugs)

These milkweed bugs are really small.

We are almost to the top. I wish I could capture the incline. It is pretty steep.

I have seen this wood covered in snow.

The church.

View of the walled city below from the patio of the restaurant.

The rest of the group went down the hill while I stopped in the sanctuary for a while. It is one of those beautiful painted churches.

Beautiful painted vaulted ceiling of the church.

The statues are terracotta

A view of the steps up to the church.

There are a couple of paths from the church to the town. One includes the way of the cross. The stations are over 8 feet tall. I walked from the last to the 6th (Veronica wipes the face of Jesus).*** I then realized I was on the path to town, not to MC's neighborhood. I found a connecting path - missing the remaining stations.

Elaborate station on the city path.

One is supposed to walk the stations or "make" the stations from 1 to 14, not from 14 to 6. I do think it a strange coincidence that this was the one I was determined to see and it was where I had to turn off to the other path.****

I had gotten a little lost as the woods block the view of one path to the next. Then I noticed a field of wildflowers peeking through a hedge. I remembered the field from the walk uphill and knew it was time to turn or I would end up far from my destination. It probably isn't a challenging hiking area once one had wandered through more than a couple of times (talking to family members and not paying attention).

Field of yellow flowers seen through a hedge - my clue to turn.

A plain wildflower at the edge of the path.

On the way back downhill. This was so much easier! [MC runs this hill. He is young and in shape - and crazy.]

I arrived home in time for the next thing - and before the family sent out the search party.



Around town - but not in the moat:

Amberg is weird (not Austin weird, but "different."):

This stuffed bear sent bubbles out into the market square. Children stood below and chased the bubbles.

Weird graffiti.

More weird graffiti on a cigarette machine. Yes, a cigarette machine is attached to a wall in the city center.

This was hanging near a door - made of poppy seed pods, wood and yarn. I am not sure what it was for...perhaps just a decoration.

I could say a couple of things...instead I will let this speak for itself.

"Urban knitting" or "yarn bombing" along the river (Knitting is big in this town - they sell yarn in the grocery store and have many yarn stores in the old walled city).*****

More "yarn bombing"

Series of knit sweaters for railing along the Vils

Sculptures and such:

Many of the houses, churches, and other buildings in town have small niches containing "patron saints." Some buildings have saints painted on the wall (this is not unusual at all in Bavaria).

There is also public art that I love - The Readers (at the library) and The Venus of Amberg (at the edge of the city wall in a flower garden.

Other items probably should be included in the weird Amberg section. Whatever.

This guy looks more soldier or city father or union member, than saint.

Saint Peter probably (he often bears the keys to heaven)

I got this one - Madonna and child

Venus of Amberg (This is a small statue on a pedestal). I photographed her last visit as well. The limestone is starting to age/weather.

I find the Venus to be very compelling.

This painting is quite  damaged, but Our Lady I suspect by the colors of her clothing.

This crazy elf/gnome belongs to MC's neighbor. I love this little guy.

Perhaps one of the patron saints of wine making or winemakers? I suspect there are a few.

I have no clue what this means, but I liked it.

This is for my taxidermy loving YC. I think it is a godeerbird or a deeropherd or some other concoction. We Texans have our Jackalopes and Amberg has this part deer, part gopher (or squirrel), and part bird. It lives in the window of a knife shop.

Hand-crafted frame for saint (window of antique store)

Two of the Readers.

The third Reader.

Signs:

The more I travel, the more I understand European signs. But then some, well...

Don't do anything here.

OK - follow this series...

1. Women and children must walk in the street because we need to park our equipment here.

2. Woman and child run over (because they were walking in the street).

3. Men get to use this special crossing (I guess so they don't get run over)

This was DH's interpretation anyway.

Sign for the local Mexican restaurant - Chilli's

OK. I know this was above too, but I love it. Maybe it is some kind of sign.

I am clueless about this inscription except that it indicates the building was built in 1526, maybe.

This is a clear indicator or "sign" that the place is secured. They either don't want you in or don't want you to leave.

How many inland cities have mermaids to hold the street sign. (And there is that woman and child again!)

This carving is in the city wall....something from 1560 to 1760.

The marker on the church where I attended Mass. This is how I know it is St. Martin's Church.

I don't know what this sign says. It is in the small church that is never open, but was open the last day we were in Amberg.

The address marker for the smallest hotel. It is an 8 made from wedding rings. The story is that this "house" now hotel was built by a man who wanted to marry. The law at the time required property ownership. So he built a tiny house in an alley between two other buildings. It is indeed tiny. Then the young lovers sold it to another couple and so on and so on...enabling each successive couple to marry. It is a sweet story.******

There were to be other walks, but what can you do in less than four days? I may have the opportunity to expand on these walks. I guess we will see.


NOTES:

*Wikipedia calls this Hill of Our Lady Help of Christians. The church was built

**The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. ~Robert Frost.

*** In elementary school one year we acted out the stations. I played Veronica and wanted to play the part well. I don't think I had any lines. Maybe I got to say, "Lord!" Anyway, I got the part and went home to make my veil (the tradition is that Christ left his image on Veronica's veil). I think that piece of sheet with "pencil-colored face of Jesus" is in this house somewhere. It is not, however, included in the wikipedia images - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_of_Veronica

****http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stations_of_the_Cross

***** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

****** http://www.neatorama.com/2011/09/25/the-smallest-hotel-in-the-world/#!bt7S43