Aschaffenburg

A big blue sunny sky greeted us this morning. It didn’t take long before we moved the van into a shady area of the stellplatz. We could hear the river barges, only metres away, at work on the River Main but blocked from view by the large trees - not a problem because they were our protection from the sun.  

We had our breakfast and ventured into Aschaffenburg before it got too hot. We crossed over the bridge of the River Main to reach the centre of the town. From here we had wonderful views of the Johannisburg Palace. 

This red sandstone Palace is claimed to be one of the most significant and beautiful Renaissance buildings in Germany - many have claimed this about other buildings as well in our travels! The setting and the enormous size certainly puts it up there - we’ll leave it to the experts to determine the other claims! 

The history of Aschaffenburg reflects that of many other towns in Germany. Conflicts over the past 500 years have had a severe impact on the town on each occasion; The Peasant War of 1525, the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), Napoleonic War and WWII. In 1945 there was great destruction when the Americans attempted to take the town. The Palace was greatly damaged but rebuilt in a short time after 1945. 

Other sights around the town worth seeing were, dare I say it, the ancient Abbey Basilica of St Peter and Alexander- founded back in the 10th century, and for 800 years the Archbishop of Mainz had the control of the town and area. There were some interesting pieces of religious art worth seeing. 

The Löwenapothete (Lion Chemist!) was an old central German half timbered house dating from the 15th century but destroyed in 1945. The building was rebuilt in the same style in the early 1990s. 

The former residence of the Counts of Schönbonner help form a very picturesque central area along with the Basilica and the Löenapotheke.  

The morning, or more truthfully, the rising temperature, was catching up with us so we headed for the shelter of the trees and Hilton. 

We later drove into Frankfurt where we met Dirk and Brigitte. In the evening, we went out for dinner to a Mediterranean restaurant where we enjoyed wonderful food and company. 

Returning to Brigitte and Dirk’s home we finished the evening by being served Brigitte’s “Baby Cake”, a German cheese cake, made specially for the birthday celebrations! Thank you Brigitte!

A call from both James and Maddie made for a completely enjoyable day.