Paderborn in a small town on the way to Hanover. It’s known for its beautiful Catholic cathedral – The High Cathedral of St Mary, St Liborious and St Kilian belonging to the archdiocese of Paderborn. The church is built in the late Romanesque and Gothic styles and is at the centre of the town above some springs, called the Pader Springs.. and well, you gotta stop for lunch somewhere! So why not choose a town with a famous medeival cathedral!
The cathedral is dedicated to three saints – namely, the Vigin Mary, St Kilian and St Liborious of Le Mans. Liborious is also the first patron of the city and his bones were brought from France to Paderborn in 836 by Emperor Louis the Pious – as part of what was a traditional relic dispersion. Relics were sent to various regional diocese to provide places/things for parishioners to pay homage and tribute to, and to make pilgrimages to see. I find it rather interesting that the remains of revered saints and religious personages were taken and scattered all over the countryside; the only other group of people who had their remains separated and sent to the four corners of any given kingdom in the medieval period were traitors and high criminals. Figure that one out!
Paradise Portal, done in the Romanesque style, c.1160.
The Paradise vestibule and Paradise portal are in the southern extension of the church. Built in the second half of the 12thC it is now twice as large today as it was in the 1860s. It has been used as a resting space for pilgrims on their way to the Santiago de Compostela, and there are many similar porches on French churches and cathedrals at other pilgrimage churches en route to Santiago.
The Cathedral was rebuilt from the 11thC, along with the Ottonian Imperal place in the region with large vaulted ceilings. The vaults of the Paderborn Cathedral are surprisingly uniform, given its window configuration doesn’t appear to possess the same symmetry… there’s some architectural trickery going on here.
Sadly, there wasn’t a lot of information around the church to explain objects to visitors. But on the other hand, it’s possibly because it’s more of a working cathedral and not a heavily toursited area, so that’s a bonus for the locals.
A decidedly non-medieval looking pulpit. Fair guess to say it was a later addition.
A Bishop Badurad had a crypt built into Paderborn Cathedral, which dates back the 1100AD. Although it was redesigned in the 13thC it remains on of the largest hall crypts in Germany – which is surprising because it doesn’t seem overly large compared to the sorts of crypts you see in France and Italy?
Under the altar of the crypt is an ebony shrine containing the relics of Saint Liborious (in the small box above – we couldn’t access that area).
On the opposite side of the crypt is an anteroom to the Bishop’s Crypt, which is decorated with mosaics from 1935. Though modern, the mosaics create a beautiful space around a gravestone which contains the replics of a Bishop Meinwerk; past the anteroom is the actual crypt of all the Paderborn Bishops. It is this unusually mosaic’d crypt that attracts most visitors to Paderbornerdom. It is actually quite beautiful, and has a decidedly art deco style to it.
At the centre of the Bishops’ Crypt is a Pieta, which is flanked left and right with two enormous bronze plates listing all the names of the Paderborn bishops right up to the 20thC. The bronze plates start with names of Bishops all the way back to the 900s, and the bones of all the previous bishops rest in a collective grave in the floor. It’s incredible to see this historical record going so far back.
The Chapel of St Joseph dates to the 14thC and was initially dedicated to the Three Magi.
The town of Paderborn is really quite cute and very sleepy. The centre of the Marktplaz has a fountain called the Neptunebrunnen Fountain, reminiscent of the Neptune fountain in the centre of Gdańsk. This fountain was originally built in 1730 by Johann Theordor Axer and reconstructed in 1979 by Joseph Rokis.
I love the details in medieval buildings surrounding the Marktplaz… very cool medieval rainbow mosaic.
Onward to Hanover…
Checked into our hotel and immediately went looking for a beer hall… we had decided to skip lunch as we spent too much time in the Cathedral, which put us on the hunt for Hanover’s best currywurst and jagerschnitzel!
Angus was very happy with his wash – my schnitzel was nice, the mushroom sauce was good, but not Heidelberg good… I am going to get mightily sick of the piles of fried potato that comes with every meal (I don’t eat them). Thankfully, we are here smack dab in the middle of erdbereen season – so there’s fresh strawberries everywhere for very cheap! They tasted even better than they looked if that is possible.
Cologne Cathedral is enormous! Like most important cathedrals and churches in Europe, it was built on very early Christian sites. In this case, on the site where early Roman Christians met in Cologne around 300AD. The building as it exists today wasn’t started until the high gothic era – around 1248, and unlike many other cathedrals that took hundreds of years to complete, the build plans never changed.
It’s hard to imagine that everyone who worked on the construction of this magnificent cathedral all knew that they would never live to see the endeavour completed. The plan to build the cathedral was started in 1164, when there was an agreed upon transfer of some relics to the town. In 1225, the planning for a bishop’s residence and pilgrimage church were established, and the prior building (from the 9thC) was demolished. In 1248 the foundation stone was laid.
In the 1360s building work slowed down, as the foundations were completed and some areas of the cathedral were already consecrated and put to use as a church. It wasn’t until the 15thC that the south steeple was completed at a massive height of 58m tall. Around 1530, work on the cathedral came to a halt all together as most of the ground floor, the nave, the choir, transepts and two lower storeys became usable.
And it pretty much stayed in that condition until 1794 when the French Revolution troops invaded and the archdiocese of Cologne was abolished. The cathedral was temporarily used as a fodder storage room and also as a makeshift prisoner of war camp! It wasn’t used as a church again until 1801, and the archdiocese wasn’t reestablished until 1821.
Construction eventually resumed on the cathedral in 1842 to be finally completed in 1880 – and all still to the exact same plans that were laid out in 1225! Which is just unbelievable when you think about how difficult it is to get a committee of five people to agree on how a fucking bus shelter should be built these days… let alone be able to keep an enormously intricate build of this calibre, going to the original plans and specifications for over 600 years and generation upon generation of architects, stonemasons, builders and who knows how many other masters and craftsmen, involved. It’s simply amazing.
In WWII, Cologne was reduced to rubble, and the cathedral was severely damaged by numerous bombs. Entire bays of the vaulted ceilings were collapsed and various windows were blasted out. One bomb tore an enormous hole in the western facade and destroyed a supporting buttress which was hastily stored up with makeshift bricks. Due to the construction techniques though, the bulk of the cathedral was able to withstand the shock of the blasts and vibrations. At the end of the war, it stuck out of a massive field of debris and destruction, looking largely undamaged compared to the rest of the city.
These windows were created in 1884, and based on a designed by Johannes Klein. Six of the eight windows were destroyed in WWII and remade in the 1990s.
This picture does not come close to conveying the sense of enormity and proportion this cathedral has. It feels as big as the Hagia Sofia, or the Florence Cathedral, the only other medieval cathedral that I remember feeling this overwhelming sense ginormity is possibly St Peter’s in the Vatican.
Altarpiece of St Claire, c.1350-1360. Oldest existing retable that contains a tabernacle for holding the sacraments. Originally came from the former Franciscan convent of St Clare and has resided in Cologne cathedral since 1811.
The ‘swallows nest’ organ was built in 1998 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the Cathedral.
Crucifix of Gero (because… donated by some Bishop Gero c.976). At over 1000 years old, and considered one of the first larger than life size sculptures of the midlands, it represents Christ in the moment of death, through which mankind was redeemed. The Baroque altar was added in 1683 by Canon Heinrich von Mering. The Crucifix was said to be miraculous, and has been especially venerated over the centuries.
Statue of Grace depicting Our Lady, decorated with jewellery – also known as the Schmuckmadonna (great name!).
I just can’t get over the scale of this place.
Altarpiece of St Agilolph carved timber and painted. Antwerp c.1520. From the former collegiate church of Our Lady at the Steps (St Maria ad Gradus).
St Heribert’s Shrine, c.970. Heriberto was born in Worms to Count Hugo and Tietwista – his maternal half brother was Heinrich, Bishop of Wurzburg. Silver, gilded, gold, precious gems and enamel, Cologne. It is under glass and has a rope around it so it ws difficult to photograph – but stunning enamel work!
St Christoper statue, Tilman van der Burch, c.1470.
Intricate mosaics cover 1,350sqm of the cathedral floor and are based on designs by August Essenwein – and created and laid 1885-1892 by Villeroy and Boch in Mettlach (believe it or not!). Villeroy and Boch… not just overpriced crystal!
The Altarpiece of the City’s Patron Saints – originally created c.1445 the triptych is attributed to Stephan Lochner, Cologne. The central panel portrays Adoration of the Magi flanked by St Ursula and her companion, St Gereon, partron saints of Cologne.
Altapeice of the Magi, Wilhelm Mengelberg, c.1892.
From the crypt below the cathedral:
Visitors are able to climb the 533 steps into the south steeple for amazing views over the city of Cologne. It brings you to 100m above the ground…needless to say, me and my bung knee didn’t make the climb, but Angus did.
The Cologne Cathedral is truly impressive; it’s no wonder it was included in the original 1978 listings of World UNESCO Heritage sites. It was declared endangered in 2004 as there were plans in place to build several high rise buildings close to the Cathedral, but it was delisted from being endangered in 2006 when city planners thankfully came to their senses and put a limit on the height of modern buildings near the cathedral. It would have drastically altered the city skyline had they built up right beside it.
Some clever fundraising… hearts with the flags of all nations. For some reason, people can’t help themselves but pop some coins onto their own flags. The American heart even had a bunch of USD$1 notes plonked on it.
The Cologne Cathedral also has a rather impressive collection in their Domskammer / Treasury, which was an amazing labyrinth of tunnels underground at the back of the cathedral.
Reliquary monstrance. Cologne, c.1500. Silver, copper, gilded, rock crystal and glass.
Reliquary of the Cross from St Mary ad Gradus. Constantinople, mid-end of the 12thC. Figures, wings and ornaments, Cologne, c.1240. This reliquary was reset in the late Romanesque times with pieces of a Byzantine relic casket containing pieces of The Cross.
Shrine of St Engelbert. Goldsmith: Conrad Dulsbergh. Casket Designer: Jeremiah’s Geisselbruhn. Relief Designer: Augustin Braun Cologne, 1633, silver, partly gilded.
Reliquary of St Vincent de Paul, c.1800, silver, gilded.
Reliquary of the Cross with spectacle-glass. Workshop of Hans von Reutlingen, Aachen, 16thC. Silver, gilded, spectacle-glass.
Statue of a deacon holding a reliquary of King Melchior. 16thC, Cologne. Silver, gilded, glass reliquary, bronze, partly gilded, silver plated, precious stones.
Hammer and trowel, Wilhelm Pullack, Cologne, c.1842. Silver and ebony. These tools were used by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussi when he laid the foundation stone for the completion of Cologne Cathedral on 4th Sept 1842.
Shrine of the Magi, Cologne, late 12thC. inner wooden construction of the sharing, oak, glass, copper, gilded.
Reliquary Monstrance with links from St Peter’s Chains. Cologne, c.1500, Silver, copper, gilded, rock crystal and glass.
Necklaces/Collars of the Mayors of the city of Koln Cologn, 1954-1955. Gold, niello gold and silver gilded on bronze and garnet.
The Domskammer really feels like you’re walking around in a medieval vault.
Left: Crosier of Philippus Cardinal Krementz, Archbishop of Cologne (1885-1899) – Unknown artist, Rhineland, 1868, silver, gilded and enameled. Centre: Crosier of Herman Jospeh Schmitz, Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne (1893-1988), – Peter Oediger, Krefeld, 1893, silver, partly gilded and enameled. Right: Crosier of Hubertus Theophilus Samar, Archbishop of Cologne (1900-1902) – Gabriel Hermeling, Cologne 1892, silver, gilded, enamel, precious stones.
Left: Chalice Franz Christoph Mederle. Augsburg. c. 1750. Silver, gilded. Right: Chalice, Augsburg, late 18thC. Silver, gilded.
The Lamb of the Apocalypse. Johann Heinrich Rohr, Cologne, c.1774-1780. Silver, brass, partly gilded.
Monstrance. Franz Christoph Mederle, Augsburg, 1749/51. Pendants: c1516. Gold, silver, gilded, and precious stones.
Necklace c.1657. Donated by Archbishop Maximilian Heinrich as jewellrey for the Schmuckmadonna. Christian Schweling, Cologne, gold, enamel, previous stones
Matching bracelet – also by Christian Schweling, Cologne, c.1657.
The Sumptuous Monstrance. Christian Schweling, Cologne, c.1657/58. Destroyed in 1975 when theives broke into the Treasury and reconstructed by Peter Bolg 1978-1987 using original pieces. Gold, silver, gilded, enamel, rock crystal, precious stones, pearls.
Epitaph of Jakob von Crzny, Brussels, c.1518. Bronze, gilt, brass and enamel.
Bust Reliquary of St Gregory of Spoleto. Cologne, c. 1500. Silver party gilded, gold ring with precious stone.
Bust Reliquary of St Sebastian. Franz Wusten, Cologne, c.1875. Silver, partly gilded, enamel, precious stones.
Reliquary of St Walburga. Wilhelm Sittmann, Cologne, c.1765. Silver Gilded.
Reliquary. Johann Heinrich Rohr, Cologne, c.1766. Silver, gilded.
Two Angels as Candleholders. Cologne, c.1500, Brass, silver, partly gilded.
Left: Censer, Rhineland, c.1500, silver. Right: Censer, Cologne, late 16thC lid, 20thC charcoal holder and foot. Silver.
Chalices all from Cologne. Left: 15thC silver/gilded. Centre: early 14thC, silver/gilded. Right: late 15thC, silver/gilded, enamel.
Monstance, Cologne, c.1400. Silver, gilded, enamel, mother of pearl. Donated to the Cathedral by Maria Theresia Schaefhaueun in 1846.
Electoral Sword: c.1480-90. Sheath: c.1515-1547. Cologne, Silver, partly gilded, enamel, steel, velvet. Gothic Bishop’s Crosier: Cologne, c.1322. Silver, partly gilded, enamel. The bishop’s crosier and the electoral sword are the symbols of spiritual and secular authority of the archbishops of Cologne. The Crosier is from the consecration of the Gothic Cathedral Choir in 1322. The sword from the reign of Archbishop Hermann von Hessen (1480-1508).
Details of above:
Chalice with paten and spoon. Heinrich J Wilma. Düsseldorf, c. 1893. Silver, gilded, enamel, precious stones and pearls.
Chalice with paten and spoon, Franz Wusten, Cologne, c.1888. Silver, gilded and enamel.
Altar braid from the High Altar of Cologne Cathedral. Cologne, completed prior to 1518. Silk, and gold threads. The altar braid was believed to have been bestowed by Dean of the Cathedral, Friedrich von Simmen-Sponheim. The coats of arms of his parents are appliquéd onto both ends of the braid.
Fragment of the canopy of the Madonna of Milan, Cologne, c.1280/90. Limestone with traces of colouration.
Four apostles of the jamb of the portal of Cologne Cathedral, c.1375. Limestone Behind: Saints Andrew, Peter, Paul and John. Front: Angel with a bell, St Catherine, a Prophet.
Detail: the Prophet.
Prophet from the reading desk in the choir of the cathedral. Cologne, c.1300. Tuff with colouration.
Grave goods from a Frankish woman’s tomb. Located under the inner choir during renovations in 1959 were these objects belonging to a young woman of approximately 28 years old. Personal objects were burning with noble perons at that time and included these lavish jewellery items.
Rosette brooches. Gold, garnets. Frankish.
Strap tags from cross garterings. Gold and garnets.
Bow brooches, gold, garnets.
Spherical pendant. Gold, rock crystal or moonstone. Frankish.
Six Capitals – Master of the Laacher Samson, Cologne, c.1200. Limestone.
Dalmatic and stole from the Capella Clementina. Paris, c.1742. Silver fabrics, gold embroidery.
Pluvial and five mitres of the Capella Clementina, Paris, c.1742. A forty-four piece trousseau of silver fabrics and gold embroidery. These splendid vestments were ordered in Paris by Clemens August von Wittelsbach, Archbishop of Cologne on the occasion of the coronation of his brother, the Emperor Karl VII – 12th February 1742.
Chasuble and mantle of the Capela Clementina, Paris, c.1742. Silver fabrics and gold embroidery.
Pectoral Cross and ring. Johann Bernhardt Clausius, Frankfurt AM, c.1769. Silver, precious stone.
Burse with the Virgin on the Crescent. Germany, late 19thC. Silk, gold and silver threads.
Cope of the Angels Vestements. Germany, c.1713. Silk, gold and silver threads.
Book Cover, Johann Franz Weissweiler, Cologne, early 18thC. Silver.
Book of Hours, Early 17thC. Leather, silver, gilded, iron.
St Peter’s Banner, Wilhelm Mengelberg (design), Minna Peters (worked), Neuss, c.1899. Cotton, silk, gold and silver metal threads, glass stones and pearls.
Magi’s Banner. Wilhelm Mengelberg (design), Minna Peters (worked), Neuss, c.1899. Cotton, silk, gold and silver metal threads, glass stones, pearls.
Chasuble with coat of arms of the Hirzelin Family, Cologne, c.1480 (appliqué work). Ground cloth replaced in 1963. Silk, linen, gold and silver metal threads.
Pluvial brooch with a figure of St Hubert. Gabriel Hermeling, Cologne, c.1892. Silver, gilded, enamel.
Crosier: Belonging to Johannes Cardinal Geissel (Archbishop of Cologne 1842-1864). – Made by Gabriel Hermeling, Cologne, c.1862. Silver, gilded, enamel. Mitre: Belonging to Johannes Cardinal Geissel (Archbishop of Cologne 1842-1964). – Unknown artist, Lyon, c.1850. Silk, gold, glass stones .
Magi’s Chasuble. Joseph Grossé, Bruges, c.1901. Silk, gold and silver thread.
1) Mitre of Joseph Hammels, Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne, 1924-1944. Germany, c.194. Silk, gold threads, glass stones. 2) Bishop’s ring of Antiochus Cardinal Fischer (Archbishop of Cologne 1903-1912), made by August Witte, Aachen, c.1904. Gold and precious stones. 3) Crosier of Peter Josef Lausberg (Auxiliary Bishop in Cologne 1914-1922), made by Leo Moldrickx, Cologne, c.1914. Silver, enamel, precious stones, ivory, pearls.
Large Plate, Friedrich Toussaint, Aachen, c.1900. Silver, gilded, enamel.
Dalmatic, Peter Hecker (design) Cologne, c.1922. Erica Freund (embroidery), Cologne, c.1927. Silk, gold, threads, steel, pearls and glass pearls.
Pluvial accessories. Peter Heckler (designer of the cope) Cologne, c.1922. Erika Freund (embroidery), Cologne, c.1927. silk, gold threads, steel pearls, glass pearls.
After the cathedral and the amazing Domskammer – we made sure to take a break and visit the famous Peter’s Brauhaus for pork knuckles and schnitzels! Of course. It was a really cool place, great facade on the building and they have a massive overflow dining area across the road, up the street a little and in the square – which was packed at the moment due to all the football fans that are here for the 2024 EuroCup but aren’t using the Fan Zones.
We managed to get a table inside.
I wanted to see the stained glass ceiling, and I did, but it was packed with people and it was impossible to get a photo of it without snapping all these folks mid-forkful, so, below is a pic I unscrupulously stole off the internet.
Naturally I went for a schnitzel, which was such a polite portion of food compared to Angus’ enormous pork knuckle dinner! So much potato though – didn’t eat any of it. I’m going to look like a schnitzel by the time we leave Germny… the cuisine here is not ideal for someone who doesn’t like sausages and refuses to eat bread or potatoes.
Totally forgot to take an ‘after’ picture – he demolished that thing!
Aachen was I think originally a spa town? It is mostly known now for the stunning Aachen Cathedral and its Domschatzkammer (treasury). I’ve wanted to see both for years now, so was glad of the opportunity to break up our drive to Cologne with a stop through Aachen.
On first inspection, the cathedral looks pretty ‘normal’ on the outside, but the interior is unlike any other medieval cathedral in central Europe.
Charlemagne began the construction of Aachen Cathedral in approximately 796 AD. The design and construction is credited to Carolingian architect Odo of Metz. The date it was finished isn’t exactly known, but it was consecrated by Pope Leo III in 805 AD. Charlemagne was buried in the chapel in 814. The chapel has a storied history of pilgrims, and damage… including significant damage during a Viking raid in 881 and subsequent restoration in 983AD.
The Aachen Pilgrimage is one of the great Christian pilgrimages – comparable to those of Jerusalem, Rome and the Santiago de Compostela. Four significant relics are believed to reside in the Aachen Cathedral, which ave drawn pilgrims since 1239AD… including, the swaddling cloths of the baby Jesus, the loincloth of Jesus, a dress worn by the Virgin Mary and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist! That’ll get them medieval tourists a running!
The mosaic ceilings in here are incredible!
During World War II, Aachen and the cathedral were heavily damaged by allied bombing attacks and artillery fire. Thankfully most of the cathedral’s artistic objects had been removed for more secure storage during the war, and the underlying basic structure of the building survived the bombings. Large parts of the 14thC choir hall and altar were destroyed beyond repair. A reconstruction effort was undertaken and over the next 30 years, an estimated modern day €40 million was spent to restore the cathedral.
The octagonal central nave of the cathedral was erected as the chapel of the nearby Palace of Aachen. It was built c. 796-805 and was modelled on other contemporary Byzantine style buildings – like the Little Hagia Sophia in (then) Constantinople. The design influence is very recognisable. The span and height of the Charlemagne’s chapel remained the largest of its kind in Northern Europe for over 200 years.
The intricate mosaics are simply breathtaking!
In the centre of the octagonal chapel hangs the Barbarossa Chandelier, which was made c. 1165-1170, on the order of Emperor Frederick I and his wife, Beatrice. The chandleries was a sacerdotal offering from these patrons in honour of Mary, Mother of God, and simultaneously represented a tribute to Charlemagne.
Looking up from the floor through the Barbarossa Chandelier…
This cathedral isn’t as large as many other grand cathedrals, but everywhere you look there is intricate mosaics and gorgeous designs adorning the walls, ceilings and even the floors. It’s visually quite arresting.
The Cathedral’s main chapel with its Golden Altar piece – known as the Pala D’Oro, which was built in 1020.
The golden Pala d’Ora today forms the antependium of the high altar and has 17 gold panels with reliefs completed using repoussé techniques. The centre has Christ as the centre of the world, and he is flanked by Mary and the Archangel Michael.
The Marienschrein (the Shrine of Mary) is the primary reliquary in the centre of the main chapel. It was bestowed upon the Cathedral around 1220 and consecrated in 1239. This is where we are told the objects believed to be ‘contact relics’, are housed – the swaddling clothes of the baby Jesus, the loincloth of Jesus, a dress of Mary’s and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist. The Marieschrein is one of the most important goldsmith’s works of the 13thC and records indicate it became an object of great interest and pilgrimage almost immediately. The casket has been variously handled by many pilgrims, and used in many processions sustaining quite a bit of damage over the centuries… it was refurbished in 2000 and has been en vitrine ever since (bar a yearly inspection and cleaning).
The fabulously golden pulpit is called the ‘Ambon of Henry II’. It is in a shape built by Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor and is heavily decorated with antique bowls, ivory carvings, chess figures, reliefs of various evangelists. The ambon was moved from the octagon to its present place in 1414. It is considered a significant artwork of the Ottonian period. I love it when there are lots of information plaques about – you can learn so much, but it does make me wonder how much I’m missing at sites with less info.
So shiny! And stuffed full of large gems.
The Shrine of Charlemagne is located in the rear of the main cathedral. Ever since 1215 this shrine has held the mortal remains of Charlemagne (who karked it in, like, 814 and was canonised in 1165). The emperor’s bones are surrounded by depictions of 16 of his successors.
Everywhere you look there are beautiful motifs and decorations… pelican.
St Nicholas’ Chapel built c.1474 – it is two stories high and contains a large rosary window.
Stepping outside the cathedral, it takes a while for your eyes to adjust to the light – and also there’s a slight disbelief that this outwardly innocuous building could contain such amazing decorative arts. It’s somewhat surreal.
Around the corner (literally) is the Aachen Domschatzkammer – the Aachen Treasury, where all their lavish and famous artefacts are housed. The Aachen Cathedral Treasury houses one Europe’s most renowned church treasuries – a unique collection of precious works collected across the long history of Aachen Cathedral. There are objects from the late classical period, the Carolingian, Ottonian, Saturnian and high gothic periods.
Left: Charlemagne with a miniature of Our Lady of Aachen Cathedral, Rheinland, Aachen c.1460., oil on wood. With the rise of heraldry in the 12thC, Charlemagne is depicted wearing the heraldry of France and Germany, even though such devices would not have been in use during his lifetime. Right: Charlemagne, by Wilhelm Schmitz, Aachen 1886, painted wood sculpture. Wearing Frankish clothing, a crown, orb and sword – this figure originally adorned the Altar of St Peter.
Charlemagne from the Ambon of Henry II, Master goldsmith Franz Anton Cremer, Aachen 1816/17. The relief is designed on a copperplate engraving from 1632 after the original Ottonian Ambon was damaged during French Occupation (1794-1814).
Vessel for Holy Water bearing designs of ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries. Ivory, precious stones and gilded silver, silver and bronze. West German/Lorraine, c.1000 with later handle added in 1863.
Golden Book Cover, depicting the Virgin Mary with Child and scenes from Jesus’ life. Ivory panel Byzantine, 10thC. Rhineland production – gold, precious stones, enamel, antique engraving, gems and ivory.
Winged Altarpice, with the Mass of St Gregory flanked by saints and the Virgin Mary and Child. Central Shrine of oak, sculptures lime or poplar. Hildensheim, c.1525.
Cope brooch depicting patron saints Anthony and Mark. Gilded silver, pearls, precious stones, enamel. Hans von Reutlingen, Aachen, prior to 1520.
Ostensories. Guilded copper. Hans von Reutlingen, Aachen 16thC.
Reliquary, guilded silver and rock crystal. Hans von Reutlingen c. 1515.
Chalice and Paten. Silver-gilt and engraved. Aachen, 15thC.
Monstance, gilded silver, with diamants. Hans von Reutlingen, Aix-la-Chapelle c.1520.
Winged Altarpiece depicting a Passion of Christ. Master of the Aachen Altar, Cologne, c.1515-1520. oil on oak.
Pouring Vessels – aquamantile in the shape of a lion. Cast bronze, Rhein-Meuse region, c. 1170-1180
Pouring vessel – aquamanile in the shape of a wreathed bust. Case bronze, gilded. Aachen, c.1170-1180.
Altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion of Christ and a kneeling benefactor, Count of Sayn. Master of the Legend of Georg, Cologne, c.1460.
Enamel panel with Christ in his Majesty. Guilded copper and enamel. Meuse Region, c.1180, converted into a Cope Brooch with he addition of filigree work in 1870.
Crux Gremmata- Cross of Lothair. Wooden core, gold, gilded silver, precious stones, pearls, enamel. Rheinland – possibly Cologne? – last quarter of the 10thC. Pedestal added later c.1370-1399
Relief Panel with Jesus’ birth, baptism in the River Jordan. Ivory, Meuse region c.1100.
Chapel Reliquary with the Virgin Mary and child, Charlemagne and St Catherine. Silver, mostly gilded, pearls, previous stones and enamel. Aachen mid 14thC.
Reliquary Bust of Charlemagne with Crown. Contains a piece of the skullcap of Charlemagne. Partially gilded silver, precious stones, antique engraved gems, enamel crown. Crown: Possibly Prague (?) prior to 1349. Bust: Aachen, after 1349.
Chapel Reliquary with Christ together with the Saints John the Baptist and Stephanus. Gilded silver, precious stones, enamel. Aachen c.1370-1390.
Arm Reliquary of Charlemagne – contains the ulna and radius from the right arm of Charlemagne. gilded silver, enamel. Lyon, France, 1481.
Reliquary Pendant – Pectoral Cross of Charlemagne. Gilded silver, precious stones and pearls. Liege, Belgium, 12thC.
Lucas Madonna, pilgrims token – casting stone and cast. 17thC.
Proserpina Sarcophagus – depicting the abduction of Proserpina. Marble, first quarter of the 3rdC AD.
Capps Leonie – Cope and Coronation Robe. Silver velvet, silk, gold and silver thread. Gilded silver rosettes, 100 silver bells without clappers, pearls and precious stones. Location unknown, constructed prior to 1349, altered 1520.
Chasuble of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux – Priest’s Garment. Blue silk, pearls, embroidery, gold/silver embroidery. Aachen c. 1170/80. Ground fabric renewed 17thC.
Cupboard Panels c.1881-1918. Oil on timber. Left: Saint Victorious was a Roman military offical – depicted with a crown sceptre and imperial orb. Centre: Saint Wenceslas (903-935) promoter of the church and consolidated Christianity in Bohemia. Right: Saint Leonardus, lived c.500AD. Depicted as an abbot with a tonsure, chasuble and crosier.
Silk embroidery – Virgin of Mercy, depicting benefactors of Mary of Burgundy and Emperor Maximilian I of Austria. Silk, gold and silver embroidery on linen. Brussels before 1473.
Crown of Margaret of York. Glides silver, pearls, enamel, precious stones. England. C.1461.
Icon, Virgin Mary with Child. Tempura on wood. Andreas Ritzos, Crete, early 16thC.
Statuette Reliquary – Virgin Mary with Child, silver, partially gilded, amethyst. Aachen c.1280.
Cope Brooch, with the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. Gilded silver. Aachen early 15thC.
Adoration of hate Child Jesus in the holiday night. Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1520, oil/tempura on wood.
Cope Brooch with the Annunciaton to the Virgin Mary and the Saints Christoper and Cornelius and kneeling benefactor. Gilded silver, pearls and enamel. Aachen or Cologne – c.1360-1370.
Life of the Virgin Mary of Aachen – Eight panel paintings with depictions of the life of the Virgin Mary. Master of the Life of the Virgin Mary of Aachen, Cologne, c. 1485. Oil on oak.
Ornamental Necklace. Necklace: gilded silver, enamel, pearls. Pendant: gold, enamel. Paris or Burgundy, c.1400-1450.
Altar of Fralkenstein – winged altarpiece with Virgin Mary and Child, the saints Mathew, Erasmus, Mary of Egypt and on wings, benefactors Kuno and Werner of Kalkenstein being commended to Saints Peter and Paul. Tempera on canvas covered wood. Aachen, early 15thC.
Enthroned Virgin Mary with Child, wooden sculpture – oak with 19thC painting. Rhine-Meuse region, early 14thC.
Reliquaries : rock crystal, precious sonnets, antique sardonyx, cut onyx, translucid enamel All from Prague, c.1360 Left: Reliquary for a Girdle of Christ Centre: Reliquary for a Girdle of the Virgin Mary Right: Reliquary for the Scourge of Christ.
Disc Reliquary with relics and scenes of the Passion of Christ. Gilded silver, pearls, rock crystal, precious stones, translucid enamel. Vienna c. 1340-1350.
Simeon Reliquary – Reliquary with the Presentaiton of Jesus at the Temple. Gilded silver, precious stones, enamel, stone cuttings. Aachen, c.1330-1340.
Shring of Saint Spec – Relic Chest with relics of Saint Spes/Speus. Wooden chest, ivory, gilded copper, gilded silver. Southern Italy c.11th-12thC. Metal straps: Aachen, c.1165-1170.
Shrine of Saint Felix – relic chest with relics of St Felix. Wood, silver, enamel. Italy, 11thC.
Reliquary of Saint Anastasius- Reliquary for the skull of Saint Anastasius. Partially gilded silver, niello. Antioch, c.969-970.
Heraldic Chest of Richard of Cornwall – Wooden chest with 40 enamel medallions. Cedar with red glaze, gilded copper and enamel medallions. Limoges, France, c.1258.
Painting in gold work frame. Virgin Mary with Child in an Eastern Orthodox style. Painting: Tempura on wood. Frame: Gilded silver, enamel and previous stones. Hungary, c.1367.
Wow, Aachen sure delivers on the fine medieval decorative art pieces. I loved every bit of it… yes, I am aware no one else is going to want to read through all this, but one day I’ll go back through it all.
We chose to go to Luxembourg today via Metz. Two reasons really, 1) I wanted to see the Metz Cathedral which is supposed to be quite something and 2), Angus has never been to France, so he wanted to stick his toes onto the other side of the border.
Metz Cathedral is the main seat of the bishopric of Metz, Catholic, and is dedicated to Saint Stephen. The Catholic Church in this area dates back to the 4thC, but the current cathedral was *only* built in the early 14thC – *only*? Like that is a short time ago! Hello?! Australians here, buildings, architecture and artworks are never more than 200 years old where we come from! Six hundred year old cathedrals aren’t *only* anything, in our minds.
It has a gorgeous stone facade.
The Portal of Christ entrance, which was the main entrance to the Cathedral until the 18thC. This was originally a Gothic designed entrance, but over time it languished unmaintained, until the 1700s when it was completely redesigned and rebuilt in a later style.
Metz Cathedral has a distinctive yellow coloured stone, that is mined locally. It is called Jaumont stone and is rich in iron oxide, which gives the stone a glorious golden hue. It is said that even in foul weather, the Cathedral photographs well due to the warm yellow limestone used in its construction.
The Portal of the Virgin is an entrance facing the Place d’Artmes and was used as the main entrance of the cathedral until the 18thC. It was built in 1225, and had become quite dilapidated and covered over (presumably by vegetation… the brochure didn’t make it very clear what had covered it over?). The sculptures were created by Augusta Dujardin and were restored in 1885; apparently recent research has found pigments in trace amounts that show the sculptures were painted in red and green, orange and blue hues. It sounds like it was extremely colourful and would probably have been really garish to our modern sensibilities.
Just above head height are these delightful details in the stone work… love them! The pelican looks more like an eagle, but c’est la vie.
The Nave of Metz Cathedral one of the tallest in France (3rd tallest or something), and it is all done in a fabulous Gothic style – finished between 1486 and 1520. The cathedral has long been nicknamed “The Good Lord’s Lantern”, (La Lanterne du Bon Dieu) due to it’s simply enormous square footage of stained glass which comes in at a whopping 69,920square feet of glass! Or 6,498sqm for those not using ‘Murican Freedom units.
It’s hard to make it out – but the entire walls leading up to this stunning vaulted ceiling appear about 50% stained glass.
The bulk of the glass is done in Gothic and Renaissance styles by master glass makers Hermann von Munster, Valentin Bousch and Theobald of Lixheim… or no doubt, designed by them dudes and actually executed by a bunch of their forever nameless apprentices.
A Roman 3rdC bath holds pride of place just inside the main doors and it is primarily used for baptisms.
So much glass!
The walls of the church are lined with these discreet, heavily carved timber confessionals.
In keeping with the Good Lord’s Lantern theme of the church – there is also more modern artistic glass work here done by Charles Laurent Marechal (Romantics period), Roger Bissier (a Tashist), Jacques Villon (Cubist… yuk!) and Marc Chagall and Kimsooja. It’s truly spectacular how they’ve tied in all this beautiful old work with these creations with modern artist.
It’s weird to see such modern decorative art techniques side by side with obviously medieval design elements, but the overall atmosphere of the cathedral is really stunning. The construction itself was a huge and very long undertaking…
Sadly, the famous Metz covered markets were closed today. Mondays in Europe, suck.
After the Cathedral, we wanted to see some of La Cour D’Or Museum, which is supposed to house some of Metz’s most interesting local Merovingian artefacts. We ran into some immediate hiccoughs; the museum is created in an old monastery and the curators/designers decided that the medieval collections belonged in the medieval cellars under the buildings (at least four floors down and back up again – not in the least bit accessible and my bung knee hated so many flights of stairs). And we also had a lot of info lost-in-translation… mainly because there were none. Translations that is. I’ve tried to record what I could, but a lot of this is just going to remain vague.
The Gallo-Roman galleries were particularly poorly labelled, nothing that wasn’t in French and many objects with no placard at all! From what I could read these objects ranged from 1stC BC to 3rdC AD… which looks about right to my exisiting knowledge base.
House gravestones, all found locally from Roman periods.
House Gravestone, limestone, c.3rdC BCE, local origin.
No idea, not a sign, plaque or info sheet in this room.
From what I could gather this room was curated to centre on representations of various Roman gods, but given the eroded state of the pieces, it was difficult to make out which gods were being depicted.
Altar to Mogontia, Gallic goddess and healer of springs, limestone 1st-3rdC AD.
Mithra’s Relief, Gallo-Roman period, limestone. The large Mithraism relief was designed as an architectural decoration in which the framing of small layered scenes plays a key role around the central scene. Gods and a sacrifice scene in the centre.
Below: Metalworking has existed in Lorraine (the region Metz is located in), since the Iron Age. While the Gauls worshipped Belisama, the goddess of metal craftsmanship, in Rome, the cult of Vulcan, god of fire and patron of blacksmiths, was growing in this area. Some metal deposits were found in the Vosges, north of Lorraine and the southern Sarre region. Minerals were extracted and processed in workshops from ingots. There were around a a dozen of these workshops in Gallo-Roman times in the Mediomatrici region.
Remains
Merovingian beads, most of the of indeterminate provenance.
Round Cloisonnee fibula. 6thC, silver and garnet. Houdreville.
Merovingian Belt buckle.
Merovingian belt buckles.
Bucket, Merovingian style. Modern reproduction.
Merovingian beads.
Reliquary box, lid lost. 10th-11thC, cetacean bone.
Saint-Arnoul Elk Horn, c.1000AD (possibly older).
Reputed to have come from the ancient Saint-Arnoul Abbey in Metz, (subsequently owned by a Metz collector, a Parisian antique dealer, a Russian Prince, Tsar Alexander III, then a Dutch Banker), the elk is carved with a frieze incorporating lions, snakes, dragons and hybrid vcreatures in intricate scrollwork. According to Metz historians, the elk horn was believed to have been suspended from the vault of the funeral chapel of Emperor Louis the Pious (814-840), and believed to have been a symbol of power for the son and successor of Charlemagne.
The museum is built into a sprawling old monastery, it is enormous to get around.
Relief map of the city of Metz, c.1829-1850.
Underground cellar space housing GalleoRoman sculpture, sarcophagi and carvings.
After our wander through the museum, we had to find some lunch – at a French cafe of course.
Angus choosing a Poulet Cordon Bleu, and I went for the Steak Tartare! And of course, when in France, champagne with lunch.
The Cathedral dominates the town here, every direction you turn, you get another amazing view of it’s beautiful yellow limestone facades.
Stopped for a baguette (so Angus could make himself a proper jambon beurre later) and saw these cute chocolates – didn’t buy any, because chocolate, but thought they were cute.
Fort de Queuleu
Memorial to the Resistance and Deportation, inaugurated on 20 November 1977, when the fort became the property of the city of Metz.
Fort de Queuleu was built in 1868 when Lorraine was still under French rule, as part of a fortification system southeast of Metz. While construction was interrupted during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), it was continued and improved by the German Empire between 1872-1875 after they conquered the area and renamed it, Fort Goeben. It was then part of the first line of ring defence in the fortifications of Metz. It wasn’t operational during WWI as it had no strategic purpose and saw no military action at that time, but it was repurposed as a detention centre during WWII to house, detain and interrogate members of the French Resistance.
When the local Moselle valley was under German control during WWII the fort was being used by German occupiers as an internment camp (S Slonderlager) to house members of the French Resistance. The fort was called the “Hell of Queuleu” and while it wasn’t a concentration camp per se, it was used as an interrogation/torture centre for captures and arrested members of the Resistance.
Between 1500 and 1800 people were detained at Queuleu, and put under the command of one, Schutzstaffel Hauptscharfuhrer Georg Friedrich Hempen. 36 people died at the fort, and only four managed to escape via a ventilation shaft. Many well known resistance prisoners were held there – Joseph Derhan, Jean Burger and company. Almost all of the prisoners that were held there were transferred to concentration camps as the American forces approached Metz in 1944, and the fort was evacuated entirely by 17 August 1944, with people moved to Ravensbruck, Struthoh or Schirmeck.
This appeared to be a (rather disturbing) art project from a local school. It’s a Jewish child cuddling a teddy bear made entirely out of bullet casings.
Outside, Fort Queuleu now seems primarily repurposed as, dare I say it, some sort of summer camp where school kids come to recreate and get a bit of uncomfortable history smashed into them. There are accomodations here, hiking trials, playgrounds and all sorts.
Thus endeth out day in Metz, and onwards to Luxembourg we went.
Got up bright and early this morning in the hopes of getting a head start on both the heat and the bulk of the large tour groups who might be heading to Angkor Wat today. Angkor Wat has been on my, ‘Things to do Before I Die’ list for a long time, and while Bangkok is roughly 5-6 hours away, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try and come see it while I was here. I had a dreadful night’s sleep, mostly because I had my alarm set for 06:30 but for some reason I could hear chirping birds at around 02:30 and at 04:21 and at 05:17… and it sounded exactly like the bird chirping alarm Mr K uses on his iPhone. Either they got weird arse birds here that chirp all night, or the air conditioning system has some weird-arse rattle that sounds like birds chirping. Doesn’t really matter which… the result is the same.
Anyway, popped down for a quick breakfast and to grab some more $$$ from the ATM (stupid thing wouldn’t give me what I wanted last night), and then waited to meet Mr Rolex and Long. They arrived a few minutes early and we were on the road out of town heading out to Angkor Wat by 0:720.
The weather was thankfully overcast and barely 29C (but ‘feels like 35C’, already) which made for some lovely moodily lighting conditions – mind you I couldn’t help but think there’s no way I would want to live in a place that has heat haze at 07:00 every day and it’s not even full summer!
The Angkor Wat temple complex is a mixed Hindu and Buddhist temple that covers and enormous space in the ancient Khmer city of Angkor. It’s like 400 acres or something, so there was no way anyone can see it all in one day. It used to be at the centre of a busy and populous city, and was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god, Vishnu. A King named Survavarman II started the construction on Angkor Wat in the 12thC and it is understood to have taken 37 years to complete. Much of what is known about the early life of the temples comes from information etched into stone dedication plaques. Towards the end of the 12thC it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple, and there are many places where the motifs of the two philosophies exist side by side.
While never totally abandoned, the temples of Angkor Wat were left neglected by the end of the 15thC as people left the city that surrounded and supported the temples. Suggestions are that this exodus was caused by extreme and lengthy drought conditions or unrest between the Khmer and their constantly warring neighbours, the Siamese. Archeological finds have never uncovered the usual domestic items that are ordinarily found in a populous city area, so it seems more probable that people left in an orderly fashion. These exquisite ruins were largely unknown to western explorers until well into the late 19thC, when they became of interest to French missionaries, naturalists and explorers and this directly led to the French forming a protectorate over Khmer. To gain control over the land and this important archeological site, the French invaded Siam (Thailand) and then remained in control of Cambodia from about 1863 for the next 100 years. Having said that, no one here seems to identify much with the French language or culture anymore, so that particular colonisation effort doesn’t seem to have taken much root.
These colonnades that cover provide privacy screens over many of the temple’s window areas look like they’ve been done on a lathe they are so uniform and perfect. However Long tells me they were more likely all hand carved without the use of an any type of spinning rig.
Throughout the complex are multiple representations of devatas, which Long described as nymphs… I swear we had a two minute conversation before I understood the word he was trying to pronounce was, ‘nymph’ as his accent is thick and he sometimes has a tendency to put emphasis on the wrong syllable making ‘nymph’ sound more like ‘ninephf’. There are depictions of ‘vanadevatas’, which are forest spirits or nature spirits, ‘gramadevata’ which are village or domestic spirits and gods, as well as devatas of river crossings, caves, mountains etc… I had him write these ones down to avoid confusion! Carvings of the devatas are scattered along walls throughout the inner buildings of the complex an each carving is very intricate with the devata adorned with individual jewellery, clothing, and facial features making each of them unique.
The early 20thC is when the ruins started to see some restoration and reclamation from the trees and jungle that had started to encroach on these ancient and magnificent buildings. In the modern imagination, the romance of the old temples fighting to stay upright among enormous tree roots is part of what draws people to visit, so Long was saying the restoration committees were constantly balancing the desire to maintain the structural integrity of the buildings, with the unusual aesthetic of the buildings having been encroached upon by the jungle.
Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953 and has had proper control over the Angkor Wat temple complex since then. In 1992, UNESCO named it a World Heritage site. Restoration work has continued on the site since French and German archeologists took an interest in the late 1800s. The work was disrupted though during the Cambodian Civil War and when the Khmer Rouge had a stranglehold on the country in the 70s and 80s.
Apparently these two war theatres didn’t actually cause that much damage – the invading armies stripped the temples for timber and there are some bullet holes evident in the stonework and bas reliefs here and there, but the bulk of the vandalism and damage evident in the complex is the result of Thai art thieves during the ‘80s and ‘90s – they stole nearly every head off every statue and much of it is presumed lost or sold into private collections.
Along either side of the main temple walls are 94m long bas relief friezes. They have the most inordinately intricate carvings depicting various Hindu gods battling diverse demons. Long was able to name many of these gods and demons and tell me stories of several of their encounters that were depicted, however it was an awful lot to take in and probably requires significant reading to jog my memory on which stories he was referring to. As a piece of art, it is absolutely stunning and I doubt I’ve ever seen a more significant or labor intensive piece in all of western culture.
It was so hot, even in the shade, but we must have spent 20 minutes walking along this frieze with Long keeping up a fascinating commentary with stories of the gods riding their chariots, dragons and peacocks as they went to fight the in-fant-orry of the monkey demons.
The second area we visited was the Tonle Om Gate which is one of the major entrances to get to the Bayon Temple. It is lined on the right with demons and on the left with gods. The demons with their twisted gnarly mean faces make quite the contrast with the smiling, serene and calm visages of the gods.
From here we went to Bayon Temple. This temple was built in the 13thC by Jayavarman VII, so it is a younger construction than the main temples of Angkor Wat, however it was built in only six years and the workmanship appears to have been less sturdy than the major Temples of Angkor Thom. This temple is believed to have been built to honour the memory of the King’s mother, his wife and his son.
There is much more stone laying around in this temple – archeologists having been unable to restore constructions to their original situations due to the more severe deterioration. It’s like a massive jigsaw puzzle that will probably never be finished. All these temples were constructed without any mortar or cement type processes, which makes them especially impressive. Great piles of stone have been gathered and stacked up in a mish mash of walls and middens they make no sense and will unlikely ever be able to be replaced in their original spaces but they make gorgeous textural installations in their own right.
After this we made our way around to the most famous part of the Angkor City temple complex – Ta Prohm. This is Angkor Wat as it sits in popular imagination thanks to films and documentaries. Long was repeatedly telling me that ‘this spot’ or ‘that spot’ was where something was filmed in the movie “Tomb Raider” – but I have never seen it, so it was neither here nor there to me. He also informed me that the studios paid USD$10,000 to flood the site for the filming so that the large moat areas would look like they did when they were originally built. A paltry sum for Hollywood to use a UNESCO World Heritage Listed area as a playground, in my opinion.
This place is absolutely spectacular – it is now so inexorably intertwined with the jungle that they couldn’t possibly attempt to remove the trees that are providing support for the temple in many parts. The preservationists are having to work with the trees that are hundreds of years old to maintain stability in the structures, and there are many areas that are roped off as unsafe for visitors.
I took so many photographs that I totally lost track of what I had and hadn’t captured. There was just so much to see – and it’s a strange sort of paradise. Thankfully the place was also rather quiet compared to some major tourist sites and I managed to get quite a few photos without too many people in them. This is absolutely the Angkor Wat of National Geographic magazines and tourist brochures and was just as spectacular as I had anticipated!
On the way back out to the van, there was a group of musicians set up playing for charity – on closer inspection, it turns out they are a band of landmine victims raising money and awareness for families and others impacted by land mines. Cambodia still has a major problem with land mines, particularly in the rural and border areas. This is the unhappy legacy of over three decades of war in the late 20thC… there are over 40,000 amputees in Cambodia, and over 1000 mines are still being found every year, which is one of the highest rates in the world.
After visiting Ta Prohm, it was time to head back to town to grab a bite for lunch, and then start my transit back to Bangkok. It was at this point, when I joined Mr Rolex in the minivan, that I could feel my knee absolutely throbbing from the bashing I had just put it through with all these steps and on so much uneven terrain. Long managed to get me some ice to put on my knee for the drive – which amusingly was just one huge chunk, but it helped!
So it was time to say ‘goodbye’ to Long, and hit the road with Mr Rolex and go hurtling back towards the border. I had taken some extra cash out of the ATM at the hotel to give to Long – without his excellent English and steady efforts to make sure I understood him, I doubt I would have learned as much on this little side trip, as I have. I may have given him the largest tip I have ever given to a guide (or anyone for that matter), and handed him an envelope with USD$200 in it – which will make very little difference to me, but possibly make a huge difference to him and his family. I Googled later and discovered that the average tour guide in Cambodia before Covid was earning around USD$300-400 a month, so I gave him a couple of week’s pay and suggested he spend it on English lessons for his sons – he had told me at the floating village that he was determined his boys would be fluent in English, as it was the key to a better paid life in any field in Cambodia.
Mr Rolex and I had our drive back to the border in a more easy silence this time – it was quite unnerving yesterday being driven into the unknown with someone whom I was unable to communicate effectively with! But today it feel far more comfortable, and Mr Rolex picked me up a refreshing ice cream when he stopped for fuel… normally I’d avoid this much sugar, but after this full on day hiking the temples in the heat (it got up to 43C!), I totally felt that I had earned it!
Part way through this drive, Mr Rolex made a stop so we could use the toilets… and I was like, good plan – I’ve been hydrating like a MOFO all day. At least I thought it was a good idea until I saw this:
Oh noes! I’ve never had trouble with squat toilets before, but I’ve never tried to use once since I tore the meniscus in my knees and was subsequently diagnosed with ‘sever osteoarthritis’ which runs in the family apparently. Le sigh… and then of course I have totally and utterly over done it today. Ended up having to do the world’s weakest hover pee. lol… but what do you do?
Then it was back to the border and back through the process of being handed from one stranger to another until I was collected by another driver to head back to Bangkok… and of course this driver spoke almost zero English also! My years of learning French and German were of zero use to me on this adventure, and even Google translate wasn’t of much use for some reason… and he was hopeless! Mr Rolex was a very safe and even handed driver – this guy, whose name I didn’t catch at all was all over the place! He was changing lanes constantly, braking late, talking on his phone, watching a video on another phone that was mounted on the dash, all the while making this weird sucking on his teeth noise, and he got totally lost once we got back to the city taking at least four wrong turns each of which added to our arrival time according to Google Maps in the back. Oh, and drinking beer while he drove… nice!
We did eventually get back to the Shangri La in once piece – oddly this guy didn’t get a tip from me. Hmmm. Wonder why? I’ve never been so relieved to walk into the hotel lobby to hear someone singing the Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, very off key with a thick Asian accent! What a crazy day!
