Nuremburg - Visiting my Sister

Sunday August 9th

Letter written Weds August 12, 1964 mailed in Munich

Dear Mother

Ever since I left Marseille it has been cold and rainy. They don't ask to see your ticket as often here. From the Spanish border to Marseille, I didn't have to show it at all.

When I arrived I found that my sister had mis-read my letter and expected me to be here until the 17th. She was crushed to find it not so.

My sister and my niece

I'm sorry I haven't written since I got to my sister's but of course I always have more time to write when traveling. My BIL liked the cannon I bought him in Valencia as my sister's present from Spain and she is saving the Toledoware that I brought from Toledo as her Xmas present.

BIL met me at the station, which was a blessing, and then I had breakfast and showered and unpacked and they went to church.

Then he babysat with my niece while my sister took me sightseeing in Nurnberg. We saw the clock, fountains and castle.

This was one of the first places that my sister took me when we were touring the city. The figures represent the six virtues love, faith, hope, bravery, patience and humility, crowned by the figure of Justice. The Fountain of Virtue dates from the time of the Renaissance between 1584-1589

Justice and the coats of arms of the city on the top of the fountain

According to the cached version about this fountain on the City of Nuremberg page

In 1589, the iron caster, Benedikt Wurzelbauer, completed the Fountain of the Virtues (Tugendbrunnen), commissioned by the City Council of the Free City of the Empire who had intended to demonstrate their stature in the world. Six allegories of the three theological and the three cardinal virtues with their attributes are placed on a round platform: Faith with a cross and a chalice, Love with two children, Hope with an anchor, Courage with a lion, Moderation with a jug, and Patience with a lamb. Above the figures, cherubs carry the two coats of arms of the City of Nuremberg. The seventh virtue, Justice, stands on the top of the pillar with blindfolded eyes, a sword and a crane as a symbol of alertness. The fountain marks the spatial boundary of Lorenzer Platz towards Königsstraße.

My father's photo of the fountain in 1962

My photo in 1964

side view

For some reason, I have a photo of this statue. I thought he was the man who invented the pocket watch (from his pose) or else was a distant relative. I appear to be wrong about both.

Hans Sachs was born in Nuremberg on 5 November 1494. He was was a German meistersinger, poet, playwright, and shoemaker. As a child he attended a singing school and Latin School. When he was 14 he was apprenticed as a shoemaker. After the apprenticeship was over, he traveled a bit and ended up in Wels Austria. The Emperor Maximilian took him to Innsbruck. He later went to Munich where he apprenticed to be a meistersinger. In 1516 he came back to Nuremberg and remained there for the rest of his life. He married twice - once to Kunigunde Creutzer who died in 1560, and then after she died he married a young widow named Barbara Harscher. He has no known children. He died 19 January 1576.

Statue of Hans Sachs

He was an ardent admirer of Luther and in 1523 he wrote in Luther's honor the poem beginning “The nightingale of Wittenberg, which is heard everywhere” (German: Die wittenbergisch Nachtigall, Die man jetzt höret überall), He wrote over 6000 pieces of various kinds- including at least 4200 Meistersongs. Other writings included poems, Carnival plays, fables and religious tracts. His Meistersongs were not published, being intended solely for the use of the Nuremberg Meistersinger school, of which Sachs was the leading spirit. His fame rests mainly on the “spoken poems”. He was the leading character in the Wagner opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868).

Woodcut of Hans Sachs

Gooseman fountain

Gooseman Fountain

My sister took me to visit the Kaiserburg castle

Courtyard from the Kaiserburg Castle tower

which she told me had mostly been reconstructed after WW II. Apparently only the Roman double chapel and the Sinwell Tower remaining entirely intact. The Luginsland tower had been completely destroyed.

Interesting roof windows from tower

View from the top of the castle

Sinwell Tower from the courtyard

She told me that the reconstructed part was used as an old folks home, but Wikipedia says it is a youth hostel. The exhibition in the castle was redesigned in 2013 (after my time) In any case, I climbed the tower and took photos of the city from the top of it.

My sister's photo of me entering the castle wearing the skirt I bought in Lisbon

Also we made a train reservation to Naples at the Furth station. Then home and had dinner. We went to bed early.

Oh, I forgot to say that we went back to the G's (my sister's former landlady before she moved to quarters) on Sunday night and had a very sumptuous cake and coffee with ice cream in it. We looked at their pictures.

The landlady speaking German said something to my sister about my being tall (She had met my parents and they and my sister are both shorter people) and my sister explained that it was because I was her OLDER sister.

Postcard of Robber baron Eppelein von Gailingen mailed August 9, 1964

I bought a postcard to send to my children which depicts the legend that in 1372, the robber baron Eppelein von Gailingen escaped death on the gallows when his horse leapt into the castle moat. It is said that at this certain place the imprints of his horse's hoofs are still visible in the fortification wall

Dear Daughter

I saw your uncle this morning at the train station and he was a sight for sore eyes. Today your aunt and I went to see this castle and tonight we have a party at the G's. We saw pictures of their trips and your cousin made friends again with Struby, their dog. We have several rolls of film from Portugal back, and they are pretty good.

Love, Mummy.

(Ed note: This postcard, which she wrote August 9th has a 6 cent stamp for airmail - picture of a castle in Nurenberg and it postmarked August 12th in BALTIMORE! Whether it wasn't canceled in the APO mail and Baltimore obligingly did it, I don't know. It is a US 6 cent stamp)

Monday August 10th - Nürnberg

Monday we did some shopping and a little more sightseeing and my sister did several loads of wash and a few pieces of mine went in with hers.

Clock on Frauenkirke - 14th century Gothic

Church steeple

top of Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain), a 14th-century fountain located on Nuremberg's main market next to the town hall and is considered one of the main attractions of the city's Historical Mile. The fountain is approximately 19 meters high and has the shape of a Gothic spire. The two brass rings embedded in the fence surrounding the fountain on opposite sides are said to bring good luck to those who spin them

My sister too a photo of me with the rings, but I don't know where that photo is.

Top of building

St Sebaldus church-it is one of the most important churches of the city, and also one of the oldest.

Statue of Vanity on church

Back of statue on church

Street with Durer's house (?)

Hospital of the Holy Ghost from a bridge

Ducks

Canal reflection

Bridge and reflections

Reflections of bridges

Fishmongers

Fishmonger

Hangman's house

Artist sketching Hangman's House

Statue of horseman

Monday during my niece's nap, we looked at our Spain and Portugal pictures. She had four of Spain and Portugal and I just had three of Portugal. I was down to my last three rolls of film, so I bought five more rolls at the exchange.

I also looked to see what was available at the exchanges and mailed some film. We were having a hard time finding sheperd's capes in other than green or brown. They were not in style this year.

We also made my reservation back from Italy, and changed money and she bought her series concert tickets.

My sister called several friends to come over for fondue. I helped cut up the meat, etc. We had a nice talk.

Shopping Tuesday August 11

Tuesday a.m. my sister called about 15 stores to round up the available stock. We then had a tour through a toy factory with a Girl Scout preview group which was something she couldn't postpone. She also had a conference at night.

Me on the right; and my sister and other GS leaders

Me in 1964 on right with Girl Scout leaders

I read her description of the trip to Portugal and am glad to see it was so well written up. If the letters have sold you, wait until you see the pictures. We are duplicating some because one of us was always holding my niece, which made it hard to take pictures. We have having about 25 duplicates made.

Wednesday August 12

This morning I called my cousin and told her when I would be back in Frankfurt and she offered to drive me to the airport.

Sister's family in front of their quarters

We also wrapped six packages for mailing. I really went overboard here. They are

1) Airmail to D which has a drindle of different design from the other one and larger too and some Austrian braid and some 50 cent wooden toy trains for gifts at Xmas.

2) Regular mail (and all the others also) A red coat sweater for D and a mouse in monk's clothes from Paris and some more trains

red coat sweater

3) to the Baby - another dirndle package

dirndle

4) To Bob - a sweater in brown to match D's red one, and a wooden pull toy for the baby from Lisbon.

5) and 6) Two shepard's capes and a small red one for the baby and a larger light grey with a red lining for D.

I also bought myself one in matching light grey with a maroon lining. I am "wearing" it home as it cost too much to ship. I think that's all I bought here in Nurnberg.

Me in my new cape waiting for the train

My sister put up a lunch for me this afternoon. She also gave me birthday candles for the children as her birthday present to them. My present to my niece was a pull toy like I got the baby, and my present to her was a gold pin from Portugal. She gave me the Scout card and Bob the receipt also.

In a couple of hours I will be in Munich to change trains and then I will mail this and a thank you note to my sister.

Love RA

Australian Alps from the train