Getting Acquainted

• We almost literally bumped into Jan and Diane after exiting the elevator of our hotel, the Le Meridien. As hoped, all of us had made it to Nuremberg on schedule. It was a happy and auspicious beginning to our adventure.
  
  After settling in, we were ready for dinner and a get-acquainted stroll into this historic city none of us had ever visited. We walked into the huge Central Railway Station, just across the street, the largest in this part of Bavaria. (Had we the time, this place would have been very helpful for daytrips to other cities by rail.) Out the other end and around the corner, we quickly found our destination, the Osteria del Centro.
  
  Energized by a delightful dinner there, we were soon admiring the Nuremberg State Theater:

  

  This imposing edifice, circa 1905, is dedicated to all types of opera, ballet and stage theater. Despite visions of wandering for hours, however, our sleep shortfall soon had us back at the hotel to discuss the next day’s events before retiring to real beds.
  
  Our in-depth tour of Nuremberg began the next morning. (It was preceded by a hotel breakfast buffet that would set a lofty standard for those thereafter.) With Viking supplying the bus and tour guide, our first stop was Nuremberg Castle. This portal provided our entrance:
  

  

  
  Construction on the complex that’s visible today began about 1200 AD. This castle was one of the most important fortified imperial palaces of the old Holy Roman Empire. Although the castle was extensively damaged in WWII and restored afterward, its most prominent feature, the Sinwell Tower, remarkably, was unscathed by the war:
  

  

  
  Indoors, we toured the imperial apartments, the double chapel (royalty above, court staff below) and a museum of weapons and castle history. Outdoors, we had access to the courtyards and rooftop views over Nuremberg’s Old Town:
  

  

  

  

  
  In a separate building that contained the Deep Well, we watched a memorable demonstration. A video camera and light were lowered slowly to the water surface, 150’ below, while the live video played on a monitor, giving a spectacular view of the descent. By means of this well, water was always available to the castle occupants, even in times of siege.
  
  Only one garden is preserved at the castle of the many that once existed:
  

  

  It was a handy backdrop for capturing a euphoric moment after leaving the organized tour:
  

  

  
  Downhill from the castle, we were soon looking at the 15th-century Albrecht Dürer’s House, seen here in an Internet photo:
  

  

  The famous German artist lived in this building from 1509 to 1528. It is now a museum dedicated to his life and work; he was especially famous for his printed maps.
  
  From an upper level of that museum, we had a view of the Tiergärtner Tor, a small but perfectly preserved medieval square (from which the preceding photo was taken):
  

  

  Our lunch spot was on this square with the castle looming overhead.
  
  Refreshed, we strode off to explore more of the Alte Stadt (Old Town to us). Nuremberg has been famous as a toy manufacturing center since medieval times. So, it was no surprise to find a Toy Museum near its center. A wide assortment of traditional and modern toys can be enjoyed on its four floors:

  

  
  Bisecting the old town, the Pegnitz River meanders gently on its way:
  

  

  Romantically-inclined couples commonly use the river’s bridges to announce the permanence of their relationship. They buy a padlock engraved with their names, clip it to a bridge’s cable and throw the keys into the river! Presumably, the padlock --- like their relationship --- remains in place forever:
  

  

  
  Once covered in white plaster, the White Tower (Weisser Turm) was part of the city walls, dating back to around 1250:
  

  

  When the tower was no longer needed as part of the city’s defenses, a clock was added. Today, the tower serves as an entrance to the Metro station underneath.
  
  On the opposite side of the tower is the Marriage Carousel Fountain (Ehekarussell), a controversial work built in 1984 in a pedestrian shopping area. The fountain is a cynical portrayal of married life from courtship to death:
  

  

  

  Based on a 16th-century poem called “Bittersweet Married Life”, the sculpture attempts to describe the sweetness and tribulations of marriage. As you circle the fountain, you see a couple progress from beautiful, happy youngsters into older people with attitudes, finally turning into skeletons at each other’s throat. Methinks, however, if marriages were usually this dreadful, there wouldn’t be many.
  
  Back across the Pegnitz is a fountain of quite a different stripe. The Schöner Brunnen (which means beautiful fountain) is a 14th-century creation in Nuremberg’s main market square:

  

  Standing almost 60’ high, it has the shape of a Gothic spire. Two brass rings embedded in the fence surrounding the fountain on opposite sides are said to bring good luck to those who spin them. Good luck in finding them.
  
  The fountain is adorned with 40 colorful figures, including the four Evangelists, Moses, seven Prophets of the Old Testament and many characters well-known when the fountain was built but long since forgotten:
  

  

  
  Two modern characters seem to be hoping for a total of 42:
  

  

  
  We visited all three of the main churches in the Old Town: St. Sebaldus, a 13th-century creation; the Frauenkirche from the 14th; and St. Lorenz, finished in the 15th-century. The largest and most easily photographed is St. Lorenz, depicted in the photos below:
  

  

  

  

  In front of the church, a colorful weekend market brightened the day ...
  

  

  ... and brightening THAT market were these two young ladies:
  

  

  
  For anyone keeping tabs, the photos and narrative above are an amalgam of three days’ activities: Friday, Saturday and Monday. Whatever we may have missed will have to wait for our next visit.