Day 25: Worms + Stuttgart

We stopped at Worms on our way to Stuttgart today. We loaded our bags in a locker at the train station and spent about three hours exploring downtown. It was strangely quiet for a Saturday morning - although, as the morning wore on, it did get a bit more crowded at the Weihnachtsmarkt, although the rest of town remained quiet. Our first stop was the Luther monument, located on the site of the former building where the Diet of Worms met. The counsel offered Martin Luther a chance to recant his beliefs, to which he replied "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, God help me, Amen". It was actually Frederick the Wise who helped him, by spiriting him away to Wartburg castle while the Diet issued the Edict of Worms, declaring that it was neither a sin nor a crime to kill Martin Luther. In addition to Luther, the monument featured other Reformation stalwarts, like Huss, Calvin, Zwingli, Wycliffe, and Philipp Melanchthon.

A few hundred yards from the monument was yet another St. Peter's Cathedral. This one had been begun in the 600s as a church but really got rolling when Otto II took the helm of the Holy Roman Empire about 1,000 years ago. The coolest feature of this church was an elliptical entry way with two rounded wooden doors. Many of the prominent arch bishops were buried in the floor and walls of the church. Johnny and Nicky sat in one of the pews - we assumed taking a break from the endless succession of churches. However as we finished our visit and called the boys over we discovered that they had been discussing and comparing the art they had seen in the different churches. They were trying to figure out why guys like da Vinci and Michelangelo get so much praise when the works in each of the churches were just as impressive. We will see what they think next week after visiting Rome and Florence. We made sure the boys got a look at this interpretation of Christ coming down from the cross so they have a point of comparison for the Pieta.

Before heading to the Worms Weihnachtsmarkt, we made one last historical stop at the oldest Jewish Cemetary in Europe. Some of the grave markers were nearly 1,000 years old. They were weathered almost beyond recognition. A couple of the stones were so beaten down they looked nearly blank except for the moss which for some reason grew only where the letters had been carved out. We also stopped in the nearby synagogue as the boys have been asking lots of questions about religion and Judaism in particular.
 

We sampled more local foods at the Weihnachtsmarkt and boarded our train for Stuttgart. The ride was smooth. It has been remarkably easy to get around - even dragging four suitcases with us. The stations are conveniently located and the trains have been very reliable.

The Stuttgart train station is undergoing serious renovation (Stuttgart 21). The idea is to put all of the tracks below ground and to convert it to a pass through station. Currently trains pull into the station and then must back out before turning to continue along their course. The original set of platforms have been demolished and the temporary platforms are quite a long way from the actual station. The size of the project is unreal. It seems on par with the Big Dig in Boston in the number of opinions it has generated about its cost and usefulness.

We are staying at a hotel that is know for its winemaking and its koi breeding. We have not sampled the wine yet but the koi are beautiful. One of the fish is valued at $15,000 Euro which in dollars is way too much money for a fish. Downtown Stuttgart is just as we remembered it, although new for us is the Weihnachtsmarkt covering Schlossplatz. We had a great dinner in town, browsed through the market and returned to our Hotel for an early bedtime. Tomorrow is a big day. We look forward to reconnecting with old friends.