We are still staying in Wiesbaden but spent most of the day in Mainz which is technically a different city and Bundesland (state)but is so close it is part of the same S-bahn system. For that matter so is Frankfurt- the starting point of our travels.
This morning we brought a soccer ball with us so that we could play a little on our way to the train station. We had scouted out a particularly flat and wide open park the other day. Though the pitch was a bit muddy, we had a great time running around. I am not sure that the Germans were impressed by the level of play but we were laughing too much to pay them much attention.
On arrival in Mainz we headed for the Altstadt. Along the way we passed a Schiller monument. Which was nice, but as far as we can tell, Schiller has no particular connection to Mainz, except for this monument. The North end of Schillerpatz had a much more interesting sculpture. Several sculptures had actually stood in its place - one was torn down by Nazis because it was built by a Jewish artist, the other was torn down because it was built by Nazis. The current one is from 1967 and commemorates the Fasching or Carnival season.
The start of the season in Mainz is officially declared from the balcony of one of the mansions/palaces on the square. It starts November 11th and continues through to the beginning of lent. Though Mainz reportedly has one of the most enthusiastic traditions, we didn't get to experience it as they tone down Fasching to celebrate Advent.
We have certainly gotten a great look at Advent as today marked the sixth official day that the Christmas Markets have been open and we have been to markets in six different cities. Each has its own particular style. Mainz was crowded, with a much higher vendor to food ratio than the other markets. Despite the celebration of Black Friday going on in the States, we did no Christmas shopping today. We did enjoy some traditional foods: roasted-candied almonds, Schneebälle (strips of dough formed into loose balls then baked and covered in an assortment of sugars, chocolates, and nuts), and some new types of sausage.
Mainz does have a cathedral, started (turns out none of these cathedrals are ever truly complete as they are under constant renovation) over a thousand years ago. Though it is beginning to feel like the last thing we want to see is the inside of another church, we dutifully poked our heads inside this one. We were rewarded for our efforts with some very interesting sculptures. The clear winner in our book was a crucifix in the catacombs that depicts Jesus being removed from the cross.
The overall winner in Mainz was the Gutenberg Museum. Stepping into the vault to view two of the original Bibles that Gutenberg printed was breathtaking. Equally chilling were the hand-copied Bibles that preceded these. The museum had a couple of printing presses manned by guides who explained the printing process from the creation of the individual punches and their assembly into the press through to the final product. We also found the history of printing pictures to be interesting. The displays showed how a picture was turned into a negative impression in wood, copper, etc. so that it could be copied over and over. We found this process to be mind boggling. Because we were clearly in the Gutenberg Museum in Gutenberg's hometown we were surprised to see the Asian printing wing which describes how the process of printing originated centuries earlier in Asia.
We returned back to Wiesbaden for some homework time, a swim at the pool and a late dinner. Day 24 marks the midpoint of our journey and we have closed our circuit of northern Germany. From here on we are headed to points South - essentially making a big figure 8. It is hard to believe that we have other lives beyond this wild adventure. We are so deeply immersed in travel that it feels as if that is all we have ever done. The boys are quite proficient travelers; they conduct themselves well on the various methods of transportation, they have learned to read the maps, schedules, and train information boards, and they manage all of their own gear.
The start of the season in Mainz is officially declared from the balcony of one of the mansions/palaces on the square. It starts November 11th and continues through to the beginning of lent. Though Mainz reportedly has one of the most enthusiastic traditions, we didn't get to experience it as they tone down Fasching to celebrate Advent.
We have certainly gotten a great look at Advent as today marked the sixth official day that the Christmas Markets have been open and we have been to markets in six different cities. Each has its own particular style. Mainz was crowded, with a much higher vendor to food ratio than the other markets. Despite the celebration of Black Friday going on in the States, we did no Christmas shopping today. We did enjoy some traditional foods: roasted-candied almonds, Schneebälle (strips of dough formed into loose balls then baked and covered in an assortment of sugars, chocolates, and nuts), and some new types of sausage.
Mainz does have a cathedral, started (turns out none of these cathedrals are ever truly complete as they are under constant renovation) over a thousand years ago. Though it is beginning to feel like the last thing we want to see is the inside of another church, we dutifully poked our heads inside this one. We were rewarded for our efforts with some very interesting sculptures. The clear winner in our book was a crucifix in the catacombs that depicts Jesus being removed from the cross.
The overall winner in Mainz was the Gutenberg Museum. Stepping into the vault to view two of the original Bibles that Gutenberg printed was breathtaking. Equally chilling were the hand-copied Bibles that preceded these. The museum had a couple of printing presses manned by guides who explained the printing process from the creation of the individual punches and their assembly into the press through to the final product. We also found the history of printing pictures to be interesting. The displays showed how a picture was turned into a negative impression in wood, copper, etc. so that it could be copied over and over. We found this process to be mind boggling. Because we were clearly in the Gutenberg Museum in Gutenberg's hometown we were surprised to see the Asian printing wing which describes how the process of printing originated centuries earlier in Asia. 
We returned back to Wiesbaden for some homework time, a swim at the pool and a late dinner. Day 24 marks the midpoint of our journey and we have closed our circuit of northern Germany. From here on we are headed to points South - essentially making a big figure 8. It is hard to believe that we have other lives beyond this wild adventure. We are so deeply immersed in travel that it feels as if that is all we have ever done. The boys are quite proficient travelers; they conduct themselves well on the various methods of transportation, they have learned to read the maps, schedules, and train information boards, and they manage all of their own gear.
I was wondering how long it would be before you admitted to tiring of churches. I like the description "dutifully poked our heads inside..." In my experience, those obligatory inspections with low expectations tend to pay off in the end. Steve
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