A couple of months ago, I wrote this post: From Friday to Monday, the rich heritage of Würzburg. It was fun making it even with the photos being taken during a gloomy day. Today, I would like to show more faces. I think. This is a story of Illuminati and my family. But the two are not connected, as far as I know.
As you might have noticed, my mom and brother were visiting a couple of weeks back. This was the time when I was not really posting anything. That is because I wanted to give them my undivided attention. I had a lot of fun during this time and I got to enjoy my own free moments. Take a breather. I really needed that to recharge. In the two weeks that my family was here, we went to Legoland, the castle on the hill, the Cathedral, Residence, and around Würzburg city(there is much to do and see here).
I will share some interesting things I learned about Würzburg Residence in my last visit to its garden.
I start with this picture once more(every other snap is fresh). The one with an Illuminati symbol. Turns out that the whole of the secret society originated from the area I live in. Bavaria, Germany. I was surprised when my boyfriend told me this. But it all made sense. Why the Illuminati symbol can be found in multiple places in Würzburg city. Not only on the Palace/Residence but also on churches and other buildings in the vicinity.
It is interesting to find out about things that I did not know before. For example, Illuminati originated in the now German area. I always assumed that the society had no borders, but everything starts from someplace, right? A quick google search and a read through wikipedia and I found out that Illuminati was created to fight the elite power(religion at the time) and injustices done by the rich and powerful. It also aimed to eradicate superstition. Funny, huh?
Right behind that door, that the Illuminati sign is set up above, there is a church. It is the most spectacular thing that I have seen in the city of Würzburg. There are more than 60 religious buildings in the city but I have seen none yet that have been sculpted this marvelously.
It was a warm day when we visited the place. There was a squirrel running around and a cat sneaking. Birds jumping and looking for food. I mentioned in my first post that the movie ''Three Musketeers'' was filmed here. And here is a link to its IMDB page. The movie was okay. The palace scenes pretty neat. After all, the Residence was built taking Versailles as inspiration.
We did not go inside the building this time (I had been there recently and my mom has seen dozens of palaces before). The interior is beautiful but limited in accessibility and it resembles many other palaces built in the same time period. We did, however, visit the Egyptology museum on the premises. It operates on donations and has some amazing pieces to check out. I might even draw some inspirations from it. For my stories.
Now, this is my favorite picture of them all. This is taken from the castle garden. On a wall. The garden itself is not as overflown with roses and flowers as other gardens but it is kept neat and beautiful. There are fountains and pathways. A long arch that is decorated with statues of babies. Usually playing. Some of these works have lost body parts with time and moss is taking over others but they still look beautiful. I and my brother walked on top of the defense wall while my mother sat downstairs, on a bench. To catch the sun. There were not many people but enough to be noticed. It was early Spring, though so we did not feel like it was crowded. Most benches were empty as people in this part of the world love walking.
The more impressive parts of the garden here are the various walls that go above each other. The garden is sculpted nicely but those walls bring a feeling of grandeur. Standing on them or walking on the top levels makes you feel like going back in time and putting some tights on them men. :D I love imagining that I am in a different century. Puffy dresses and horse riding through the cities and forests... Those are things that I would like to do and see.
Here is one of the walls. I do not think I would jump from it. It is pretty high and injuries might ensue. In some places, there were no protective railing because they were not meant for walking. But I and my brother decided that we were good. Once in a while it is great to walk on the ledge(It was not really that dangerous). My brother walked all across the premesis. From where the wall was starting, just 10 centimeters above the ground. And to where it reached three and more meters in height. You can see in the picture that the wall is not straight. It goes up and the highest point is in the middle, right in front o the residence.
There are also some bushes that hadn't yet sprouted green leaves at the time when my mom and brother visited. I haven't seen the garden in summer. I bet it is beautiful and I think I will take some time to visit it during the warmer months.
In the pictures below you can see that second level of the garden. The palace grounds are quite big but we did not go much further. However, there is a park that you can walk around in. The grounds surrounding the palace were the inner circle of the town once upon a time when there were walls everywhere. Now just the treeline tells you were the palace grounds once ended.
I would invite all of my readers to stop by my place and explore Würzburg with me. Or on your own.If you get the chance. It is a wonderful city with a rich heritage. There are many things to see and the residence is not the only grand thing to observe. A medieval castle on the hill might impress you. The best view of the town is where the Cathedral is. The wine bridge is for those that want to lounge in sun and drink wine or eat ice-cream. Yes, even ''BIO eis''. Or the regular one. I can show you this one great place... But you will probably notice it yourselves, there is always a line of people waiting there. To get marvelous ice cream.
Würzburg is my kind of city. There are places to see and places to shop in. Great food places that offer anything and everything. My favorite horse lives there. And the streets are never quiet. You will find people commuting, artists creating, and musicians playing their jams. I like it here even if I want to go home one day.
Feel free to tell me about your favorite city. What should I visit if I like Würzburg? Is there a similar place? Let me know :)
My family saying ''hi''. Still in Würzburg but showcasing a different castle
Thank you for dropping by!
Have a great day! Today, tomorrow and forever.
Linda.