Our Continuing Journey – Page 5 – Lover of Wine – Travel along on our adventures

October 11, 2023

A New England Color Tour and Adventure – Newport Rhode Island

For a number of years, I have wanted to attend the Newport Jazz and Music Festival but alas I have not been able to put it on my schedule. While I have known Newport Rhode Island is much more than a just a music venue, I really hadn’t thought about it much. OK, I remember the America’s Cup Race was held there for many years (until the Cup was lost to Australia in 1983) but beyond that I didn’t have a clue about the history of the place.

Clearly, I didn’t take this picture but it does give you a lovely view of a good portion of Newport.

Our adventure today was to visit Newport – a drive around with a local guide and time to tour The Breakers. Founded in 1639 Newport was one of the most import port cities in the North American Colonies during the 18^th century. Commerce included the importation and sale of enslaved persons as well as manufactures of whale-oil candles, rum and fine furniture. The Revolutionary War didn’t help the place much and the entire area declined after the war. In the mid 1800’s things began to improve as it become a fashionable summer resort favored for its temperate oceanside climate.

During the late 1800’s – The Gilded Age – Newport gained prominence as leaders of finance and industry (the 1 percenters of the time) from New York and elsewhere built ever larger ‘summer cottages’ and enjoyed a glittering social life of dinners, sports and lots and lots of parties. By the turn of the century, these cottages included European-inspired places with servants to support them during the 8 to 10-week summer ‘season’.

Dwight D. Eisenhower used the house as his summer residence during his presidency in 1958 and 1960.

The Vanderbilt family seemed to particularly like Newport building several ‘cottages’ include The Marble House (1982) and Breakers(1895). Others included a Nevada silver heiress, Theresa Fair Oelrichs who built Rosecliff in 1902 . Our focus for our tour was on The Breakers – which is considered the grandest of Newport’s summer “cottages” and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial pre-eminence in the Gilded Age.

The Grand Staircase and a view of the area from the balcony.

Neat little fountain under the Grand Stairs

My lovely Janeen by one of the lamps in the entrance area

However, prior to getting to the Breakers we did drive around the city and in particular the spot where the Jazz and Music Festival is held. Once we finished our couch tour, we were dropped off at the Breakers to allow us to explore this property.

The Breakers was built between 1893 and 1895 as a summer residence for Cornelius Vanderbilt II. He purchased the property for $450,000 and he commissioned the creation of the ‘cottage’. This 70-room mansion, with a gross area of 138,300 square feet and 62,482 square feet of living area on five floors, and was designed by Richard Morris Hunt in the Renaissance Revival style; the interior decor was by Jules Allard and Sons and Ogden Codman Jr.

Concerned that the prior house, on the property, had been destroyed by fire, Vanderbilt insisted that the building be made as fireproof as possible, resulting in a structure composed of masonry and steel trusses, with no wooden parts. He even required that the boiler be located away from the house in an underground space below the front lawn.

The interior was created using marble imported from Italy and Africa and rare woods and mosaics from countries around the world. The project was completed in 1892. When completed, it was the largest, most opulent house in Newport area. Upon his death, the property went his wife who outlived him by 35 years whereupon she left it to her youngest daughter Countess Gladys Széchenyi.

This was one of several bathrooms – all about the same size. They include a “sits” bath on the right side of the room and the tub had 4 taps – 2 for fresh water and 2 for salt water.

In 1948, Gladys leased the high-maintenance property to The Preservation Society of Newport County for $1 per year. It is now the most-visited attraction in Rhode Island, with approximately 450,000 visitors annually as of 2017.

The recent HBO series – The Gilded Age – filmed a portion of their program in The Breakers.

After we finished our tour of the property, we were the last ones on the bus, we headed out to Vermont where we might actually see some fall color!

October 10, 2023

A New England Color Tour and Adventure – Martha’s Vineyard

While we had lived in New England for several years, we never made it to Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard sits in the Atlantic just south of Cape Cod and has been a longtime New England summer colony and vacation spot. For our adventure, today, we took the ferry from Woods Hole to Edgartown on the Island. We departed by Ferry from Woods Hole.

Over the years, Martha’s Vineyard has been the vacation home of any number of the ‘rich and famous’ including Barack Obama (where his daughter worked as a hostess at one of the restaurant over the summer), Carly Simon, James Taylor, Meg Ryan, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Bill Clinton and many more have called Martha’s Vineyard home. However, during our visit we didn’t see anyone of note.

Once we arrived, a local guide joined out group to talk about the Island and give insights into its history.

The guide, a 15^th generation resident of the island, certainly had a lot of stories but not much real history was shared. While her stories were “entertaining” she spent way too much time talking about what here grandfather told her and not nearly enough time about the general history of the Island.

However, it was a pleasant day with stops along the way.

A light has been here since the late 1700’s – Gay Head Light

After our adventure around the island, we were brought back to Edgartown for lunch and a bit of free time. When it was time to return to the ferry, our bus driver had to take us to another docking site since Oak Bluffs was closed due to wind & waves. The ferry was loaded with global workers(construction workers from Brazil) returning to Falmouth on the Cape, as well as tourists and visitors.

Some of the shopping areas of Edgartown

Oak Bluffs – another village on the island

Once we were all back on the coach, we made our way back to the ferry for our return trip to Woods Hole and our hotel.

No trip to New England can be complete without having Lobster! That evening’s dinner, which was booked as a beach lobster bake at the hotel, was in fact that opportunity. Moving the feast inside meant food other than lobster arrived more quickly, but all who savored sweet lobster meat were satisfied.

September 16, 2023October 5, 2023

An Adventure Awaits You

Over the last several years, I have been blogging about our various adventures. I think the earliest blog is from seven years ago! Since than we have had a variety of adventures and you have been able to travel with us via our blog. There are sure to be future adventures and future blogs. However, here’s an opportunity for you to be part of our blog and have a wonderful time all on your own.

OK, here’s the deal, I have decided to take my family on a River Cruise November 2024, and now I have created a “group” which means savings to anyone who wants to join the party. We are going on a Christmas Market River Cruise next year, 2024, with UniWorld called Christmas Cruise – Rhine Holiday Markets. While I know this is over a year away, if you are at all interested in joining our group, a reservation should be made ASAP. Making a reservation now, meaning placing a deposit, will guarantee you a spot and you would be getting the group rate!

As this will be a Group Rate, it is best to speak to the travel person who is helping to coordinate this adventure for specific costs and savings available. As part of the ‘group’ you would be qualified for an additional $300 off per person. There is no additional cost for a single booking a double cabin on this trip if booked before the end of September.

The actual dates are November 25, 2024 departure from Cologne Germany going to Basel Switzerland ending December 2, 2024. Travel arrangements would be on your own, but my travel person would be very happy to help with your arrangements.

There are several room types and we are using the French Balcony but there are other less expensive options (Classic) and an even more expensive option (Deluxe Balcony) and locations are best viewed on the website (link below).

Right now, we have 9 cabins booked already – the more the merrier and the greater the savings. If anyone wants to join the group, I would ask you contact Jessica Causer at 703-762-5053 or email jcauser@mccabeworld.com at McCabe World Travel in McLean VA. That way you can take advantage of the group discounts. Be sure to say you are part of the David Lee group. A deposit needs to be placed ASAP with final payment not due until July of next year.

More information about the cruise, and cabin locations and descriptions is at:

https://www.uniworld.com/eu/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/rhine-holiday-markets/2024-basel-to-cologne

This way you too would be part of the blog and be able to share your experiences with all your friends. You are more than welcome to reach out to me if you have any questions I can answer.

September 8, 2023

Alaska Adventure – Butterfly Farm & Butchart Gardens

It was in August of 1970 that Janeen and I were last in Victoria BC and visited the Butchart Gardens. All those years ago, we were very different people – married a year, no kids, living in Riverside CA and driving a Jeep pulling a home- built camping trailer on vacation to Seattle with a side trip via ferry to Victoria. At that time, I didn’t know what a GARDEN person Janeen would become or how critical it was to visit gardens when possible. So, as this Alaska Adventure had an opportunity to get to Butchart Gardens it was a no brainer to sign up.

Unfortunately, our ship docked late in the day so the actual excursion didn’t even start until about 6:30 in the evening making the trip a night time adventure. As part of the excursion, there was a tour of a Butterfly Gardens, which was the first stop.

Victoria Butterfly Gardens offers a unique opportunity to wander through a tropical environment to the beauty and wonder of various butterflies along with poison dart frogs, tortoises, iguanas, flamingos and several free flight birds. When we entered the building, there were glass cases with a variety of smaller butterflies and insects so you can get a up close view while they scurried along.

Going through the double doors into the tropical jungle brought us to the butterflies and other amazing things.

We have been in several butterfly habitats and this would range in the mid-size range but being located in Victoria made it very special.

Butchart Gardens started its life as a limestone quarry. Robert Pim Butchart (1856–1943) began manufacturing Portland cement in 1888 near his birthplace of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. He and his wife Jennie Butchart (1866–1950) came to the west coast of Canada because of rich limestone deposits necessary for cement production. In 1904, they established their home near his quarry on Tod Inlet at the base of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. It seems that for a number of years, Butchart had a virtual monopoly on the production of concert at a time when construction was moving quickly – and thus he had a few extra dollars lying around to allow his wife to be creative.

In 1907 Isaburo Kishida, a sixty-five-year-old garden designer from Yokohama, Japan, came to Victoria at the request of his son to build a tea garden for Esquimalt Gorge Park. This garden was wildly popular. Several prominent citizens, Jennie Butchart among them, commissioned Kishida to build Japanese gardens for their estates before Kishida returned to Japan in 1912. Thus started the transformation of the quarry to a world class park with multiple gardens.

Sunkan garden, downloaded image clearly one I didn’t take

In 1909, when the limestone quarry was exhausted, Jennie set about turning it into the Sunken Garden, which was completed in 1921. They named their home “Benvenuto” (“welcome” in Italian), and began to receive visitors to their gardens. In 1926, they replaced their tennis courts with an Italian garden and in 1929 they replaced their kitchen vegetable garden with a large rose garden to the design of Butler Sturtevant of Seattle.

Italian Garden – another photo I didn’t take

Janeen was delighted to find many Tom Carruth cultivated varieties (someone she knows from the Huntington Library in San Mario, CA and who is a world class rose breeder). In 1939, the Butchart’s gave the Gardens to their grandson Ian Ross (1918–1997) on his 21st birthday. Ross was involved in the operation and promotion of the gardens until his death 58 years later. Ownership of The Gardens remains within the Butchart family; the owner and managing director since 2001 is the Butcharts’ great-granddaughter Robin-Lee Clarke.

As we walked around, nightfall was complete and the wonderful views we were hoping for were not possible.

The Dragon Fountain

However, there was lots to see and plants flood lit along the way.

In addition, there was a concert going on so we had a lovely musical soundtrack for most of our journey.

Pictures I took of the Sunken Garden – note the moon in the middle picture

A quick visit to the huge gift shop and back to our coach we went.

This was the final stop on our Alaska Cruise. Overall, our ports of call were more interesting than anything on board the ship. The ship was HUGE with over 4,000 passengers, shops, shows and other entertainment opportunities – none of which we took advantage of during our time at sea. Yes, we did have a couples massage and Janeen had a spa treatment or two but generally we aren’t big ship fans. Furthermore, we didn’t see any glacier so I’m not certain there are any left in Alaska! OK, I know they are but we didn’t get to take the Mendenhall Glacier – which was one of the main reasons for going to Alaska in the first place! So, another adventure for sure to this part of the world is on the list. Our next adventure is a Fall Color tour in New England later this month. More Blogs to come!

September 5, 2023

Alaska Adventure – Skagway

After arriving in the Port of Skagway, we disembarked and climbed aboard a coach for a ride to the train station to take a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway.

Built in 1898 as a way to expedite travel during the Klondike Gold Rush, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad is a three-foot-wide narrow-gauge railroad that climbs from sea level to almost 3,000 feet in the first 20 miles. An engineering marvel, it features two tunnels and travels over sky-high trestles and bridges. Considered an impossible feat, the railway was completed in 26 months by blasting through the mountains with 450 tons of explosives. The 110-mile railroad was officially completed when a final golden spike was hammered into place on July 29, 1900, in Carcross, Yukon. The route continued operation until 1982, and in 1988 was partially revived as a heritage railway. In 1988 it was purchased by Carnival Corporation & plc, the parent company of Princess Cruises, and has been delighting riders ever since!

It has been fully restored with comfortable passenger coaches featuring large picture windows and are pulled by diesel locomotives.

As we travelled along, there was narration provided highlighting the scenic views and historical significance of the train.

While there were beautiful views, the overcast skies kept the sun from shining limiting the grandeur of the vistas we could see. However, there was beauty all around with waterfalls, mountains and lakes but alas, no roaming herds of animals to see.

The train starts Skagway and makes its return trip after a stop in Fraser British Columbia. After having our passports checked, by Canadian officials, we started back to Skagway.

The train does a loop so we weren’t seeing the same vistas on the return trip. Naturally, when we reached Skagway, US Customs officials made sure we all had the proper passport to return.

A quick ride in our couch, brought us to Dredge Town where we panned for gold! Dredge Town is the site of a gold rush era operation that was in operation until the late 1950’s.

Our guides, dressed in character, showed us how the dredge operated and how individuals panned for gold (and still do) along the stream beds of the region.

After being taught by the “crusty old prospector”, we gathered our pan and began to swish and swirl in our own pool of water!

After doing all the gyrations, we ended up with about 8 or 9 gold flecks in the bottom of the pan.

After taking our treasure to the assayer, we learned we had $39 worth of gold!

After learning the value of our treasure, we ventured over to the dining hall for a smoked BBQ lunch including ribs, chicken and various side dishes.

Our day complete, and $39 richer, we went back to town and rejoined the ship.

September 2, 2023

Alaska Adventure – Juneau

Prior to arriving in Juneau, our ship went up the Endicott Arm towards the Dawes Glacier. Endicott Arm is a 30-mile fjord that snakes through the Tracy Arm-Fords Wilderness Area. At the head is the majestic Dawes Glacier.

Motoring along towards the Dawes Glacier

Taking out ship up the fjord was not easy – although the depth along the valley walls is quite steep and thus very deep.

Fog drifting along down the valley and over the river

It was hoped that as we got closer to the Dawes Glacier we would be able to see it – but weather conditions did not work in our favor – while we got about a mile away from the face of the glacier, it was completely hidden behind the low hanging clouds!

There were various drifting blocks of ice along the way but nothing so big to be a concern. So, the Captain turned the ship around and headed towards Juneau

Juneau with the mountains as a backdrop.

Juneau is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. The Greater Juneau Borough municipality is larger by area than both Rhode Island and Delaware. Downtown Juneau is nestled at the base of Mount Juneau and across the channel from Douglas Island. As of the 2020 census, the City had a population of 32,255, making it the third-most populous city in Alaska after Anchorage and Fairbanks. Juneau experiences a daily influx of roughly 6,000 people from visiting cruise ships between the months of May and September.

The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau, though the place was once called Rockwelland then Harrisburg (after Juneau’s co-prospector, Richard Harris). Juneau is unique among the 49 U.S. capitals on mainland North America in that there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of the state or North America.

The absence of a road network is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. This in turn makes Juneau a de facto island city in terms of transportation, since all goods coming in and out must go by plane or boat, in spite of the city’s location on the Alaskan mainland. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet (5 m), below steep mountains about 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,100 to 1,200m) high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow; two of these, the Mendenhall Glacier and the Lemon Creek Glacier, are visible from the local road system. The Mendenhall glacier has been gradually retreating; its front face is declining in width and height.

We had not signed on for any excursions for our port of call in Juneau – which was very disappointing as we didn’t get to the Mendenhall Glacier (so NO proof there any glaciers in Alaska as far as I’m concerned). Once we escaped the ship, we walked around the city a bit and window shopped. There are clearly several interesting spots along the way. Red Dog Saloon has been provided food, drink and entertainment since Juneau’s mining era and continues today serving the hungry locals and tourists.

Further along the road we found Tracy’s King Crab Shack serving king crab legs by the ton! They serve four different kinds of crab – Red, King, Snow and Dungeness along with battered shrimp and a variety of sides.

We ventured in and I order the ‘small’ order of Red King Crab while Janeen ordered the Crab Bisque.

We looked at the possibility of taking the Mount Roberts Tram to the top of the mountain but the line seemed to be at least an hour long so we did a pass.

Clearly there is a lot to do in Juneau but our visit was a bit disappointing as the two major highlights – Mendenhall Glacier and the Tram up the mountain would have been enjoyable – so another visit to this place needs to be on the agenda.

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023

Alaska Adventure – Ketchikan

If you have taken an ocean cruise, on a larger ship, you may have seen the on-board art seller Park West Gallery. This art seller is on many cruise lines and we ran across them when we were on our first ocean cruise in 2019. At that time, we purchased several pieces and over the last couple of years bought a couple more. As a result of those purchases, Park West Gallery offered us a “free” Alaska Cruise on Princess. We have booked an Alaska cruise several times and had to cancel for one reason or another. So, when they offered up the trip we said yes. On our prior bookings we had included the land portion but for this it was only the sea part of the Itinerary that was offered. We figured “why not” and thus we found ourselves heading to Seattle for departure on Discovery Princess this past week.

Let me state at the outset, we are NOT big fans of large ships. Our trip through the Panama Canal was on the smallest ship in the Princess Fleet with maybe 800 passengers. This ship, the Discovery Princess, is one of the newest in the fleet and carries over 4,000 passengers. Needless to say, we don’t really care for all of the things that they offer – unlimited eating opportunities, casino, various craft activities, pools and lots and lots of drinking so there won’t be much about the actual Cruise – but there will be some discussion of the several excursions we have taken that got us off the ship.

Ketchikan, Alaska, is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage—a network of waterways that snake through some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world—Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture.

Due to our thriving, century-old commercial fishery, Ketchikan is known as “The Salmon Capital of the World” and they are proud of their fishing culture and passionate about providing opportunities for visitors to catch and/or otherwise enjoy the best seafood on the planet.

The year-round population of the City is maybe 10,000 with another large number seasonal workers coming in to support the tourist trade – from about April to the beginning of October. As we walked around the town, which didn’t take very long as there isn’t much to see, there were various shops selling all the traditional souvenirs and jewelry. When I asked several people if they were local, the consistent answer was “no, I just come for the season”. Several people said they follow the cruise ships – winter in the Caribbean and summer in Alaska. Most, if not all, of the shops close up (including boarding up windows) at the end of the season

Our first excursion, after docking in Ketchikan, was on a small boat ride where we were guaranteed eagle sightings, eagles’ nests and views of the Totem Bight State Park along with some other interesting views from the water. Once off the ship we boarded bus for the 20-minute trip to the boat we had an interesting narrative about Ketchikan and the history of the place. Our bus driver was actually a resident and certainly provided some interesting commentary about the City.

On board, we were offered a beverage (coffee, hot chocolate, water) and the use of binoculars and the trip began! Our Capitan, a 5^th generation local, guided us out and pointed out various points of interest including

Of course we had to do the traditional Life Safer Picture

We had the option of sitting in the heated main cabin or enjoy the open-air observation deck – we chose the open-air deck! It wasn’t very long before an eagle was sighted – seems with the white neck, they look a lot like a golf ball sitting in a tree – at least from a distance.

As we got closer to them, they become recognizable for sure. While I had hoped to see them diving for fish in the water, they were usually stationary and only twisted their neck as we motored along.

There was one that took flight and I was able to grab a quick shot.

The entire area is part of the Tongass National Forest which covers a good portion of this part of Alaska. Along the way, we were able to see the totem poles and clan house of Totem Bight State Park from the water.

Additional views from the water of colorful cabins and unique homes round out this breathtaking seascape houses were quite interesting – remember, all of this area is an island and thus most transport is via boat or float plane.

Along the way, we were offered sampler plates with salmon spread, crackers, bull kelp pickles, artisan chocolate and assorted beverages which were enjoyable for sure. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any moon jellyfish, whales, deer or other animals as we motored along. We did see some seals but that was about all for marine life. However, even though we didn’t see much wildlife, the time on the adventure was well spent and enjoyable.

The seals took to the water as we venture close to their resting place.

The narrative provided was informative and included some historical points of reference including the history of The Guard Island Lighthouse – a 100-year-old beacon to safeguard the ocean going sailors.

All-in-all it was a nice trip and one we enjoyed very much. If you find yourself looking for something to do in Ketchikan I would suggest you check them out. https://lighthouseexcursion.com

Because there is such an influx of out of town help, they have a shortage of housing. One of the solutions was the use of a retired ferry – docked by where we joined our tour boat trip.

Once off the boat, we got on the bus and back towards the Ship or to walk around the town of Ketchikan. As we had several hours, we wandered around looking at the various shops and up to the river that runs through – where the salmon run.

While we did see salmon in the river it was not as great as it might have been a couple of weeks ago when the river was teaming with salmon on their way up.

Heading back to the ship, we noticed these lovely mosaic banners hanging from posts.

Back on the ship we relaxed and got ready for our next adventure.

July 20, 2023

Mainz – Wiesbaden and the Reason we visit.

For several years, our oldest son, Jason, had been applying for a work position in Germany. As you may know he accepted one and moved the family to Wiesbaden -Mainz about 14 months ago. While we have visited a couple of times previously, here we are again enjoying their hospitality and getting to visit with our two grand girls.

This visit was particularly enjoyable as we got to attend the oldest Banshee’s 8^th birthday party.

This year’s party was at a place called Clip ‘n Climb an indoor climbing arena for ages 4 and over. Banshee #1 invited 5 or 6 of her school mates to the party – several who had previously been to this place and were well versed in how things worked. Banshee #2, being just 4, found things to do but didn’t scale the heights as her sister did.

Cake, pizza, a chocolate #8 and slushies were enjoyed by all for a fun afternoon birthday.

Everyone had a great time and lots of cake and pizza

The next day, we piled into two cars and headed out to Hof Schauferts. This is an organic farm with a brewery and restaurant. Our visit was timed for lunch, which was quite enjoyable sitting outside with a lively breeze blowing. Visits to the pigs and pony were fun as well as a quick walk around the place. We didn’t find the brewery but we all sampled beer for lunch.

One day, Terri (daughter-in-law), Janeen and I went for lunch along the river. Mainz is right at the confluence of the Main and Rhine Rivers – and clearly a spot where the river has been vital to the development of the community. We had actually been to Mainz before on a River Cruise but it has been several years ago since that trip. After lunch, I decided to walk home and found this memorial to the almost 500-year-old tradition of rafting on the river. Rafting along the river was not easy taking a lot of stamina and self-confidence.

The last raft trip took place in 1964 but it is clear that rafters have left their mark along the shore over the centuries.

One day we made cookies – and of course had to sample the dough

Our visit was only 10 days or so but it is always wonderful to see our grand kids in their space and see how they have grown since we last saw them.

We are now back in Virginia so no blogs for a while – Alaska in August is coming!

July 18, 2023

Cultural Resources of Mainz

While our grandchildren are in school, we continue to explore some of the cultural resources of the city. Today we are going to the Landes Museum – also called the Mainz State Museum. It is a museum of cultural history and is located right in the center of Mainz. The baroque building was originally a horse stable and later became a modern glass and steel structure with an inner courtyard designed for presentations or relaxation. Not only is it home to one of the most important collections on cultural history in the state of Rhineland‑Palatinate, it also opens up for a range of cultural events.

The extensive collection on the history of art and culture extending from the beginnings of culture to modern art. The collection clearly reflects the varied aspects of cultural and social history over the millennia in a unique way.

Mainz was founded by the Romans in the 1st century BCE as a military fortress on the northernmost frontier of the empire and provincial capital of Germania Superior. It became an important city in the 8th century CE as part of the Holy Roman Empire and was the site of the Electorate of Mainz and seat of the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz, the Primate of Germany.

This early history is represented in the Museum by a series of eight full-figure sandstone reliefs representing the seven electors and the Roman-German king. These were originally on the external building of the Kaufhaus am Brand, which was completed in 1317 in the center of Mainz.

Johannes von Nepomuk, around 1750 Lindenholz The from Bohemia Johannes von Nepomuk, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Prague, was thrown into Moldova in 1393 by order of King Wenceslas and drowned, because he had steadfastly refused to break the confessional secret. His statue, set up in 1693 on the Charles Bridge in Prague, was reproduced many times. — Johannes von Nepomuk

Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder Haina (Hessen) 1722-1789 Kassel portrait Christian Carl von Closen on Haidburg, 1762 oil/canvas Tischbein, member of a large Malrsippe was discovered by the Kurmainzer Minister Graf Stadion. After studying in Paris and Italy, he went from Mainz to the court in Kassel in 1753, where he was able to develop an influential activity. — Johannes von Nepomuk

Once again, we had a museum almost to ourselves – yes at the beginning there was a school group but they left soon after our arrival.

Two pairs of figures (love couples) from the house Korbgasse 8 in Mainz, around 1320/1340 Yellow sandstone with traces of old version According to the sources, these “love couples” were located in 1905 on the facade or courtyard side of a Mainz patrician house in Korbgasse No. 8. Originally, they probably served as jewelry for window sills.

The collections showcase: Prehistory, Roman times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque period, graphics from the 16th to the 20th century, Dutch painting, 18th-century porcelain, 19th-century painting, Judaica, city history, Art Nouveau glass and modern art.

There are numerous temporary exhibitions on art, culture and history, including contemporary history, that complement the extensive collection.

We wandered through the Museum discovering new areas as we went along. As we are not German speaking tourists, we had to use our cellphone for translations of the descriptions around the artwork.

Bernhard Kraus Offenbach 1867-1935 Mainz fountain of youth, before 1918 glass mosaic, partly painted, lead glazing The motif of the fountain of youth fits perfectly into the time of Art Nouveau with its longings for the origins and the designs of social utopias.

Time to say goodbye. The memorial head wants to go home. Once this bronze stood on an altar in honor of a deceased king in the Kingdom of Benin in today’s Nigeria. The memorial head is one of the estimated over 4,000 brass and ivory works that British colonial troops robbed during the conquest of the Royal Palace in February 1897. Via Lagos, Berlin and Stuttgart, the bronze came to Mainz in the collection of Johannes Gutenberg University in 1971. Since 2020, the memorial head has been waiting to return to Nigeria. Time to say goodbye!

Once we had explored most of the museum, we stopped into the Café for a quick lunch and of course the gift shop for appropriate souvenirs of our visit. Once we were back at the Lee’s home, we relaxed and started preparations for the Clip&Climb birthday festivities on Saturday celebrating first grandgirl’s eighth.

July 16, 2023July 16, 2023

A Very Im-Press-ive Museum – Gutenberg Museum

We all take for granted the printed word – books, magazines, newspapers and all those other printed things. However, the ability to create multiple copies of a book was extremely difficult and time consuming.

Books were so valuable they were often changed to the table to prevent theft.

Say you had a copy of a Bible, in the mid 1400’s, and you wanted to make a copy for a friend. Not any easy task. First you had to find a source for the paper (usually vellum as paper as we know it wasn’t around yet), ink and binding materials and then you had to get started on the copy.

A wax tablet made of wood and covered with a layer of wax. Using the stylus you could etch into the wax a message, drawing or something you want to remember. When you needed to ‘erase’ what you had, you used the other end to smooth off thee wax. An early a reusable and portable writing surface.

Once you found all the materials now you need to find a scribe. A scribe had to be familiar with the writing and how to use writing when making a copy of something. The scribe had to make sure that all the lines were straight and the letters were the same size in each book that they copied. It typically took a scribe as much as fifteen months to copy a Bible.

So, along came a guy named Johannes Gutenberg. Born in Mainz Germany at the turn of the century, as in 1400, he developed a technique of moveable type that resulted in the creation of the printing press as we know it today. While he wasn’t actually the first to develop the technique, he was the first to make it a reasonable process. The Chinese had developed printing but their process involved carving all the letters out of wood or clay and with the vast number of characters required made the ‘alphabet’ several thousand pieces! Gutenberg only had 26 characters to deal with so, a much easier process.

Lots of different characters required for the Chinese printing process.

Gutenburg was a German craftsman and inventor and originated a method of printing from with movable type. One of the important things he invented was thought to have included the development of a metal alloythat could melt readily and cool quickly to form durable reusable type. He also created an oil-based ink that could be made sufficiently thick to adhere well to the metal type and transfer well to vellum or paper, and he created a new press.

Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It took over 6,000 of these to make the Gutenberg Bible.

He likely adapted his first press from those used in producing wine, oil, or paper, thus the ability to apply firm and even pressure to printing surfaces. None of these features existed in the European technique up to that time. Gutenberg’s printing press was considered a history-changing invention, making books widely accessible and ushering in an “information revolution.”

This is a recreation of what Gutenburg “might” have used as his press.

One of the printings that he is most famous for is the Gutenberg Bible. The printing of this book contains 1,286 pages – with 300 pieces of unique types used in the printing and each page containing approximately 2,500 individual pieces of type. It is estimated to have taken three to five years to complete the entire print run of 180 Bibles and each book weighs an average of 14 pounds!

The fancy colors were all added after the printing was completed.

Insofar as we were in Mainz, it seemed like the thing to do would be to visit the Gutenberg Museum. The Gutenberg Museum is one of the oldest museums of printing in the world and was created in 1900 – almost 500 years after he created the printing process.

The goal of the museum was to exhibit the writing and printing of as many different cultures as possible. Clearly, they have been successful with this as there are lots of interesting exhibits to see and discover along with a number of printing presses including one that is thought to be a recreation of the original press he used in the 1400’s.

There were a number of printing presses on display – some in operation, others just for show. A demonstration of the original printing press was done periodically during the day.

There are no know actual paintings of Gutenberg – this one depicts him as a magician.

A Book Chair at the entrance to the Museum

So, if you haven’t figured it out we are now in Germany. Specially we are staying with our son and his family in Mainz – Wiesbaden. This is our final port of call on our current adventure and we will be here for a week or so. However, our adventure has included learning about Gutenberg’s life, the printing process and visiting this very enjoyable Museum. If you are in Mainz, I would urge you to stop in. If you have, please make a comment and share your experience too.