1922 Europe Journal, Part 22: Koblenz, Cologne, Leipzig

Friday, August 4, 1922 - Coblentz/Koblenz

“Left Wiesbaden at 9:30. Bought our tickets to Coblentz [Koblenz] and thought we might stop there but changed our minds and went on to Cologne. Had a fine day for the trip. Met Mr. and Mrs. Texas again. Also met some nice young boys. They had been with a party but broke away a few days before. Had been lost ever since as one expressed it. Hunted the Rhine Valley for Willie Schmity’s. Got a real thrill over the U. S. flag at Koblenz. Saw Die Lorelei, a high rocky cliff - 12 echos.  

Reached Cologne about 5:30, got a taxi and started to hunt a hotel. Went to the Continental and the Dom. Finally got two small rooms at the Belgischer Hof.”

[Koblenz (also spelled Coblenz) is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutches Eck (German Corner) and its monument (Emperor Wilhelm I on horseback are situated. As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Druses about 8 BC, the town celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1992.]

[The Lorelei (German Loreley) is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea.

Lorelei is also the name of a feminine water spirit, similar to mermaids or Rhine maidens, associated with this rock in popular folklore and in works of music, art and literature.]

Saturday, August 5, 1922 - Cologne

“We started to see Cologne by visiting the Cathedral. It is a wonderful, gothic building. In some ways, nicer than the one at Milan, and in other ways not. When we came out of the church, we caught a rubberneck wagon about the city. Had a guide who talked in three languages at once. Had lunch at a wine restaurant. Visited a couple of museums before lunch.  

Shopped after lunch. Went to a bank and got only 640 [marks] on the dollar. In the evening we went to a cafe - heard some nice music.”

[Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day.]

Sunday, August 6, 1922 - Leipzig

“Got up at 6:00 - R. went to mass. Took the train for Leipzig [Germany] at 7:50. The twelve hour trip was uneventful - had to make one change. Reached Leipzig at 7:10 [p.m.]. Went to the Hauffe Hotel [?] - got rooms there. For once we didn’t have to hunt [for] rooms. Didn’t get a warm reception in the dining room, so we hunted up a restaurant and had supper.”

1922 Europe Journal, Part 21: Heidelberg and Wiesbaden, Germany

Tuesday, August 1, 1922 - Heidelberg

"Got up at 5:00, ate breakfast, W.’s and my chocolate was cold - a leak in the thermos bottle. Left Nüremberg at 6:50, headed for Heidelberg. Reached there about 1:30.  Went first to the Europayischer Hot [hotel?] where we wired for rooms. They had none for us, but sent us to the Grand, where we had a whole flat in one room. Had two rooms and bath. One of the rooms had enough furniture to furnish a whole house. We felt real elegant.  

Went for a walk after lunch. Saw the chief points of interest in the town. The University, St. Peter’s church, the Church of the Holy Ghost. We also window shopped. In the evening, we rested until nearly 8:30 before we went to dinner." 

[File under Early History of Heidelberg: “Heidelberg Man” was discovered in 1907 near Mauer. He is determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe - dating to 5th century BC.]

[Heidelberg University played a leading part in the era of humanism and reformation and the conflict between Lutheranism and Calvinism in the 15th and 16th centuries. Heidelberg's library, founded in 1421, is the oldest public library in Germany still intact. A few months after the proclamation of the 95 Theses, in April 1518, Martin Luther was received in Heidelberg, to defend them. In 1537, the castle located further up the mountain was destroyed in a gunpowder explosion. The duke's palace was built at the site of the lower castle.]

[[The Church of the Holy Spirit is the most famous church in Heidelberg, Germany. It stands in the middle of the market place in the old center of Heidelberg not far from the Heidelberg Castle.] 

Wednesday, August 2, 1922 - Heidelberg

"Had a grand sleep last night in our million dollar room. Went to the bank this morning - got 700 marks on the dollar. More shopping - window and otherwise. 

In the p.m. we got a car and went for a ride. Stopped at the Students’ Prison and saw the room where the students used to be imprisoned for punishment for various pranks. In each room the walls were marked and painted full of pictures and names.  There were also photos of the boys who had been imprisoned in each. Bismark’s nephew was in one. Von Bernstoff in another. We also went up to the castle. It is situated on a hill overlooking the Neckar River and the city of Heidelberg.  The castle itself is in ruins.  Parts are being restored.  

In the evening we went to a concert at the Victoria."

[The Students' Prison is located at the back of the Old University in the "Augustinergasse". From 1778 until 1914, students were imprisoned here for so called "Kavaliersdelikte" (meaning minor transgressions which were kind of fashionable among otherwise honorable gentlemen inscribed at the Heidelberg University, most of them being members of student fraternities).]

Thursday, August 3, 1922 - Wiesbaden

"Wastie and I went to the bank this morning and got 800 marks on the dollar. We left Heidelberg at 12:00, just 3/4 of an hour late.  

Came to Wiesbaden, where we looked for a place to sleep. After being turned away from about six hotels, we found a double and a single at the Hotel Wilhelma. Later in the p.m. we got another single. Drew for rooms and I drew the best one. The others are attic ones. We saw the Kaiser Frederick Baths this p.m., then went for a ride to Verobey. Visited the church at the top of the hill.  The ride was lovely. Through the woods a good share of the way. Went to another hotel for dinner. Thought we wouldn’t care to eat here. In the evening, we went to the Kursaal and heard some good music. Had hoped to see the Russian Ballet, but that was postponed until tomorrow night, when we shall be in Cologne."

[Since the days of the Romans, Wiesbaden has been famed for the healing effects of its 26 thermal springs, making the city the ultimate benchmark of any spa town.]

[A Kursaal, also called Kurhaus, is a typical architectural element of the spa architecture of the 19th Century. The name was for Kursaal building with comparable features and functionality included in European seaside resorts, which often casinos are affiliated. The name Kursaal is common, especially in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In France such buildings usually called casino.]

1922 Europe: Passion Play

One more catch up image. My grandma got a small booklet with the entire text of the Passion Play and this is the cover:

The booklet also lists the cast names and has a diagram of the theater. The first inside page is stamped with the date they saw the play - July 23, 1922. I can't imagine how amazing this must have been!

1922 Europe: Blue Grotto

I previously posted the ladies' trip from Naples to the Blue Grotto and Capri. I had not yet scanned the postcard set from Capri, so here is the lovely Blue Grotto:

1922 Postcard: La Grotto Azzurra

My grandma's notes from July 11, 1922:
"We stopped first at Sorrento, then went to the Blue Grotto - that is a beautiful little grotto near Capri. We got off the boat here and got into little rowboats, in which we went into the grotto. It is like a large cave. We had to lie down in the boat when we went in the opening (because it) is so low.  Inside the entire cave is the loveliest blue I ever saw.  We landed at Capri a little after 12:00 (Noon) and had lunch at once at a little eating place looking out over the bay. It is lovely there. Our guide gave us the best of service and saw to it that we were well taken care of.” 

1922 Europe Journal, Part 20: Nüremberg

Saturday, July 29, 1922 - Nüremberg 

“Didn’t have breakfast until about 10:30, then got tickets for a sightseeing trip for the p.m. Went through a large gothic church. Don’t remember the name. After window shopping for a while, we stopped at a cafe for lunch. Got light refreshments, but heard nice music.”

[The “large gothic church” could be St. Lorenz. St. Lorenz is dedicated to Saint Lawrence and was badly damaged in WWII. It is one of the most prominent churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.]

“Started on our ride at 2:45. Had a four horse team on a large tally-ho effect. Met J.N.K. and his father again. W. and I had to sit with the driver. Stopped at the church we had visited in the morning. Also at St. Sebaldus church, which is the largest Protestant church in Nüremberg. In it is the oldest pipe organ in Bavaria. We also stopped at an old castle - the oldest in Nüremberg. Here we saw a museum which contained all instruments of torture imaginable. It was here that the iron jungfrau. It was used to put to death political offenders. In the evening, we went to the Apollo theater. Saw a vaudeville show. It was very good. R. went to the Winter Garden with Mr. Price, one of the Englishmen of the day before.  More love at first sight. Gosh! Another bath before I went to bed - two today. I scarcely know myself.”  

[St. Sebaldus Church is named for Sebaldus, 8th-century hermit and missionary and patron saint of Nuremberg. Construction began in 1225 and was completed by 1275. The church suffered serious damage in WWII. Johann Pachelbel served as organist here from 1695-1706.]

[Nuremberg Castle is comprised of three sections: the imperial castle (“Kaiserburg”), some buildings of the Burgraves of Nuremberg (“Burggrafenburg”), and the municipal buildings of the Imperial City at the eastern site. The castle does not appear in documents until 1105.]

[An iron maiden (German: eiseme Jungfrau) is a torture device consisting of an iron cabinet with hinged front and spike-covered interior. It is now thought that this is fictional and created as a hoax in 1793. However, several stories of torture boxes appear in medieval times.]

[The Apollo Theatre opened in July 1896. It experienced vaudeville in its heyday. In the 1920s, jazz came to the Apollo. It was destroyed by bombing in January 1945, was restored poorly, then finally closed in 1954. After briefly becoming a shopping area, it opened in 1961 as the Apollo cinema.]

Sunday, July 30, 1922

“We were awakened at 8:15 by a knock on the door. I opened it, expecting to see L.and found a man there. He began to jabber at me and of course I didn’t know what he wanted or who he was. After some time, I got the word passport and realized that he wanted to know if we had our police permit. We showed him that we had gotten one in Münich and he went away satisfied.  R. went to mass at 8:00, then we had breakfast at 9:00 and W., L. and I went to church at 9:30. We attended the church we visited yesterday - the largest Protestant one in Nüremberg. On our way home, we stopped at a city art gallery and spent nearly and hour there.  

In the p.m. we went out to the Tiergarten. Enjoyed walking about, looking at the animals and having the natives stare at us. Came home and took a nap before dinner. Then played bridge in the evening.”

[Tiergarten Nürnberg is listed as the city zoo. The tradition of zoos goes back to the Middle Ages. The Nuremberg Zoo was founded on 11 May 1912. After the Nazis seized power, the zoo had to give way for the Reichsparteitagsgelande (Nazi Party) and was closed in February 1939. It was almost totally destroyed in WWII then rebuilt at the end of the 1950s. Today it is one of the largest European zoos.] 

Monday, July 31, 1922

“L. and R. went to the museum this morning. W. went and got a manicure while I wrote letters. We hope to get our laundry back so we can leave this p.m. It didn’t get here until too late for the train. We mark time in the p.m. In the evening we went to the movies - rotten music. Went through the ordeal of paying our bill in the evening.  Had breakfast brought to our room.”

1922 Europe Journal, Part 19: Nüremberg, Germany

Thursday, July 27, 1922 - Nüremberg 

“We broke the news to L. and R. this morning that we were going on to Nüremberg. They were somewhat surprised, but didn’t blame us at all. We left at 11:50 and reached here at 3:30 [p.m.].  

Had an uneventful journey. Sat with some English people on the train. When we reached Nüremberg, we went to the Bombergerhof Hotel, where they had just one room left - it was not overly clean or pleasant. Had dinner there. Ordered soup, steak and potatoes. Cost about 20 cents apiece. After supper, we looked around for another hotel. Went over to the Grand - it was full, but the man said he might be able to give us a couple of rooms for tomorrow night. Then we stopped in at a cafe where we ate ice cream and listened to the music. It rained hard in the afternoon, but was pleasant this evening. I murdered a flea before retiring.”

Friday, July 28, 1922 - Nüremberg 

“W. woke up with a bed bug bite. That made us decide to move if we could get rooms elsewhere. We went over to the Grand for breakfast - had ham and eggs, tasted good. They had two vacant rooms - one with a bath. Both were very pleasant and we decided to take them.  

Went through the museum then went back to the hotel and checked-out. Told them the rest of our party had rooms at the Grand and we wanted to be with them. The porter carried our stuff over and here we are. Went through the National Museum. It is quite different from the French or Italian museums or art galleries. At 3:30 we went over to the station to meet the girls. They had met up with two young Englishmen on the train. Had highly interesting times with the young Germans the night before. Love at first sight and in a foreign land is exciting, to say the least. Went for a walk, then had dinner and went to bed. W., R., and L. all indulged in baths. I washed my clothes and did a little pressing.”  

[The Germanisches Nationalmuseum contains art from pre- and ancient history up to present time. It describes itself as “the largest museum of cultural history within the German-speaking region and one of the most outstanding museums in the world”.]

1922 Europe Journal, Part 18: Munich

Monday, July 24, 1922 - Munich

“We woke up and found that it was pouring rain. Got ready for breakfast at 7:00. We had to be ready to leave at 8:00.  Took a bus to Munich. Thomas took us to the bus station in the rain. We stood around for nearly an hour. Finally, our bus appeared and we found Dr. and Mrs. Blaine. The drive was beautiful. The rain stopped after an hour and we had the top put down. Stopped at a little village where we bought some pocketbooks.  

Reached Munich about 12:30. Tried to get rooms at the Hotel Wagner, but couldn’t, so we came over to the Reichsadler where we have very fine accommodations. In the p.m. we did a little shopping and looked the town over a bit. Went to the theater in the evening, saw an operetta, had front seats.” 

Tuesday, July 25, 1922 - Munich

“Got up about 8:30 and were all ready for breakfast before L. and W. were out of bed. After breakfast we went shopping. Got a pocketbook and a fur. R. got a fur coat. Had lunch, then started out again. L. got a shampoo in the morning - paid 9 cents for it. Bought gloves and silver chains for our pencils - the latter cost 25 cents. Went to the theater again with the Drs. people. Saw a comedy.  I guess one would call it a musical comedy. Had a lot of good laughs over it. Said good-bye to Dr. and his wife, as they expect to leave at 7:00 in the morning. They are lovely people and we certainly enjoyed being with them.”

Wednesday, July 26, 1922 - Munich

“Did some shopping again this morning. At 1:30 we got a car to take us around the city. The driver pointed out things of interest.  Two soldier boys rode up on their bicycles and followed us for some time. We talked with them and they gave us their cards and asked to come to see us. At 8:00 they showed up at the hotel. They were young Prussian boys who were attending a military school in Munich. We enjoyed talking with them. They took us out to a cafe. R. and L. made the hits with them. They had to be in by 11:00, so we walked up to the school with them. It was a short distance from our hotel. They wanted us to stay over in Munich another day.  R. and L. were anxious to stay, so W. and I decided to go on the next morning just the same. We knew that the boys would be glad to have us out of the way.”

Nymphemburg Garden, Munich

Nymphemburg Garden, Munich