Bamberg, part 1- Germany Trip Blog Post #9

I know I sound like a broken record, but Monday, May 11, was another day to visit a delightful town in Germany.

It was a one-hour drive from our hotel in Würzburg to the village of Bamberg.

 First, we strolled passed Klein-Venedig or Little Venice along the river. As at many other towns we visited, the medieval fishermen's houses were colorful and somewhat whimsical. 

Our tour guide, Elsa, led us through the winding, uphill streets of the town up to the Bamberg Cathedral. The original church was founded in 1002, but it later burned down. The current Romanesque cathedral was built in the13th century.

 

It was yet another huge and fascinating building.

Inside too.

Here’s what I found to be the most fascinating part. Less than an hour drive from my house is Saint Kunegunda Catholic Church and I always wondered what that saint’s story could possibly be. Elsa told our tour group her interesting story, but I won’t share it all here (as if I remember it all).

She was born in the year 975 and even though she wanted to be a nun, she married King Henry in 999. Supposedly their vows were never consummated and it was a marriage of companionship only. Both Cunigunde and her husband Henry II were later canonized. Their remains are entombed in the Bamberg Cathedral.

Called the New Residence, this was the home of former princes and bishops of Bamberg. Not sure why Bamberg doesn’t have a place called a castle or a palace, but that’s what I’d call this large, ornate building. (I'm also not sure why this is the only picture I have of it.)

The Rose Garden behind the New Residence.

 

I think that’s enough for today. On to the rest of the village tomorrow.

Trying Not to Muddy the Waters

             Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, New King James Version)

The apostle Paul was one of the most prolific writers of the New Testament. Besides many other books of the Bible, he wrote the Book of Romans, which I wrote about last week. (And I’m sure that all of you read the 28^th chapter as I had asked you to.)

All of these books were letters which he wrote to different churches of the time, to give them advice and encouragement. But just how many of these did he write?

Traditionally, it was thought that Paul wrote the first thirteen letters of the New Testament, starting with Romans. Over the years, scholars have disputed some of them; I don’t know why. I feel that they were all the inspired words of God, so how important is it to know which human being penned them. But for non-believers or those who are on the fence about the Holy Bible, it might give them ammunition to dispute all of Christianity. I’m not going to go there. I know what I believe. I’d like you to believe the same, but I’m not going to argue with anyone.

Okay, sorry for the ramble. Moving on.

I’m not going to spend the next thirteen weeks going into each of these letters, aka books. I will leave that to you. Instead, here are a few good verses from some of those books, nuggets to hang onto, maybe even memorize.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, New King James Version)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, New International Version)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:6-8, New King James Version) 

(Oh, those books most attributed to John are: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus,  and Philemon)

Würzburg – Germany Trip Blog Post #8

As I already mentioned on Wednesday’s post, Sunday, May 6, we left Ulm, Germany in the morning and first stopped at the town of Rothenburg. After the bus ride there, several hours wandering the beautiful streets plus eating lunch, and then another bus ride to the city of Würzburg, I was pretty much shot.

It was 3:00 in the afternoon, but we still had the walking tour of Würzburg ahead of us. I powered through, took way too many pictures, and remembered very little of what our tour guide told us.

But with a palace like this, what else can a person do?

The Würzburg Residence is a baroque palace, commissioned by Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn in 1720. He died before the outside was finished in 1744.

Much of the elaborate building was destroyed during World War II, but it was rebuilt from 1945 to 1987. To finance that as well as upkeep on a structure this large, our tour guide told us that many of the spaces have been renovated into apartments for rent. Can you imagine living there?

The formal gardens are extensive and beautiful.

The only place we went inside was into the Chapel. It was positively breathtaking.

Then we walked down the several blocks which made up Old Town.

And lastly crossed the Old Main Bridge before meeting up with our bus to take us to the hotel where we stayed for our last three nights of the trip.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Germany Trip Blog Post #7

Sunday, May 6, Mother’s Day, we checked out of our hotel in Ulm, Germany and boarded our bus for the one-and-a-half-hour drive to Rothenburg which overlooks the Tauber River (hence the full name Rothenberg ob der Tauber). 

The city was founded in 1170 and is surrounded by multiple remnants of ancient city walls.

It was one of the places we visited which hadn’t suffered major destruction during WWII, supposedly because of its beauty. Only 32% of the town needed to be repaired or rebuilt after the war compared to up to 90% of some of the cities.

So many buildings, with so much history, but I just can’t grasp it all this morning. So, you will just get to view the pictures.

The Book of Romans

God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same: Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:22-24, New Century Version)

So, to recap. The first four books of the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Book of Acts is the fifth book, and I talked about that a little last week. This brings us to the next series of books, which are twenty-one letters, also called epistles, written by several different followers of Jesus to members of the new churches. The first of these letters is The Book of Romans, one of the most read books of the Bible.

Why is that? Because it gives the clearest, yet most complete study of the tenets of the Christian faith.

The Book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul in approximately 57-58 AD, and was meant to give direction, encouragement, and guidance to a church of new believers in Rome. At the time Paul wrote to the Roman church, believers there were living in relative peace and weren’t yet being persecuted for their faith. But as with any church, this one still needed to hear the what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus really meant for them.

And I can’t tell you that as well as Paul, so here are a few passages from that epistle.  

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. (Romans 1:16, New Living Translation)

We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan. (Romans 8:28, New Century Version)

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21, New International Version)

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12, New International Version)

I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children. For creation was condemned to lose its purpose, not of its own will, but because God willed it to be so. Yet there was the hope that creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:18-21, Good News Translation)

 Last week, I told you that you should read the Book of Acts. And I’m pretty sure that none of you did. That’s ok. How about this week just read the 8^th chapter of Romans. It is considered by some to be the best chapter in the Bible.

Oberammergau – Germany Trip Blog Post #6

After our visit to Linderhof castle, we got to wander around the quaint village of Oberammergau, in the middle of the Bavarian Alps.

The town gets its name because it is in the district (gau) of the upper (ober) River Ammer.

No pictures of that river, just lots of shots of the beautiful, detailed fresco-painted buildings or Lüftlmalerei.

The paintings depict fairy tales, religious scenes and designs that look 3-D. And they are everywhere you look.

There were also pretty flowers in bloom on many street corners.

We had lunch at the Hotel Alte Post. It was first established as a hotel in 1612, as the Lowen or lion. Records show that in 1783 it also held the post office (hence today’s name Alte Post or old post office). It’s been called that since 1864. The same family has been running it since 1896.

I had the Bavarian meat loaf.

When the waitress set it in front of me, it sure didn’t look like what I expected. But, oh, it was soo good! Zehr gut!

Probably the thing that Oberammergau is most known for is its Passion Play. The entire town’s population takes part, as actors, stage hands, etc. It came to be in 1634, when the residents vowed that if God spared them from bubonic plague, that was sweeping the region, they would perform a passion play every ten years. Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 production had to be canceled but was held two years later. In 2030, the Play will be back on track, and I’m sure the town’s folk are already making preparations behind the scenes.

Then we had to leave, and drive through the peaceful countryside back to Ulm.