Germany, part 2.

OK, I said that Tuesday was a blur, but we did get to do some sightseeing, including seeing Castle Favorite (I kid you not; that's really its name) and Old Castle (again, that is really its name, and it is the old castle, as opposed to the new castle). Castle Favorite was a really beautiful building, but we were advised that we probably shouldn't pay the entrance fee; it is a summer castle, and is therefore unheated. And, it seemed, probably unlit, too. They indicated that we probably wouldn't see much inside because it would be too dark. This was the last day of the year that it would have been open, and it was rather late in the afternoon when we got there anyway.



It was cold and foggy and starting to get dark by the time we saw the Old Castle, but that was OK. It was neat anyway, and it beat traipsing through it with tons of Ugly American (tm) tourists. It was in ruins (obviously, if you can see the picture), and in some places they were doing some renovations. Yes, renovating the ruins, but no, not making them into anything but ruins. I suppose they were just shoring them up so that more tourists could enjoy the ruins.

This is an attraction I would highly recommend; it's much worth the price (we didn't pay anything to see it).


On Wednesday, we made a trip to Freiburg. Mitch had research to do, and I had sights to see. The cathedral on the previous post was there (does anyone besides me find it odd that it's called a Münster -- way too close to "Monster" for me), as was the Middle Ages Torture Museum. Now that was a museum. I was extremely proud to have found it as I wandered the streets of Freiburg; I poked my head in and knew that I would have to pay the 3,60 euros to go inside (yes, I used my student ID to pay the student rate, thus saving 50 cents; I am still taking seminary classes, so I didn't feel bad about it, either). I was the only visitor to this museum, which was also nice. That meant that I could take pictures of all the torture instruments and the descriptions thereof. For some of them, I think I would have been just as well off not knowing how they were used.

It was rather freaky going down to the dungeon and hearing the muffled screams and moans of the prisoners down there. Well, as it turned out, the sounds were just taped, but it was a bit freaky, as it was dark inside, and there seemed to be only one exit (back through the catacombs somewhere), and I was the only visitor in there (nobody to hear me scream, and especially nobody who would understand a scream auf English).

But I survived, and after lunch, we went to see the Münster and to go up in the tower (all 207 steps). But, like I said, I already posted a picture of that place.