A pleasant, bookish, Interlude...

This week my life is taken up with some important work commitments. It makes me wish I were still on holiday... 

Today however, something rather special arrived in the post.  

A little purchase I made on e-bay.

Here it is:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

It looks fairly ordinary doesn't it?  

An ordinary, brown, leather covered book.  

Ordinary size.  

Ordinary shape. 

No illustrations . . .

But wait!

Once you open the cover and begin to read, then you are 'transported', because this is no ordinary book my friends.  This is in fact the 2nd edition (1836) of "The Manse Garden" by The Rev. Nathaniel Paterson.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

And what a book it is!

On the surface it is a book about gardening on a smaller scale, to counteract the many books written about gardening that were aimed at the wealthy, landed gentry: people with a small army of gardeners to attend to their desires.  

Dr. Paterson's audience are those members of the upper and affluent middle classes, who have a smaller plot to work with and a 'man or two' or perhaps even a 'gardener's boy' to assist them.

But it is the writing, the poetry of words, that makes this book a thing to treasure.

The first part of the books speaks of trees.  Here I have transcribed the first paragraph for you:

"Of all the trees of the forest, the native holly is the most interesting and beautiful.  Whether young, as a shrub in the garden, or old, as a lonely tree of the mountain, its glowing fruit and glossy leaves, gleaming in the winter sun, prove the delight of all eyes.  It allures to its own hurt the mischievous schoolboy; it is the laurel of Burns, and the sanctuary of the singing birds.  Shielding its songsters from the hawk, it shelters them in the storm, and feeds them with its fruit when other trees are bare.  It does one's heart good to see the humble blackbird picking a red berry amidst the falling snow."

Already you, the humble gardener, are falling in love with this tree, and he hasn't even got to the technicalities of planting it yet!

The book covers all aspects of gardening, written in a style that is at once both informative and poetic.

And then there are the unusual and sometimes exotic lists of the various varieties of plants - some of them sounding like the stuff of fairy tales.  Take this list of fruit trees that can be grown against a wall:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Some of course we know such as the May-duke Cherry, but I can find no record of the 'Green Pear of Yair'.

I have even consulted my 1788 copy of 'Every Man His Own Gardener', where all sorts of unusual varieties can be found - but it isn't there. 

I wonder what it looked like and if it still exists! (Perhaps you know?)

I do love a book that raises questions and tantalises with possibilities. . .

I have read only the first few pages of this book as I am saving it to take with me on my journey to Budapest on Thursday (I must attend a working conference on school libraries). I want something to look forward to at the end of the day as well as to while away the journey.

I have of course dipped here and there and I know I am going to enjoy listening to Dr. Paterson although his views on cucumbers are interesting to say the least!

I love books.  

I really love old books.  

And I have a feeling that particular one is going to be among my favourites.

PS

You can read a short biography of Dr. Paterson here.  He sounds like an interesting chap.

Visiting Q'burg (part two)

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Quedlinburg is situated in an area known as the Harz Mountains.  Here, in former times, belief in witches was widespread and they were greatly feared.  Not far away, near to the town of Thale, is the 'hexentanzplatz' (witches dancing place) where it was believed they met to plot and plan and I guess, to dance.  The Quedlinburgers feared the witches and we were told that they covered their houses with numerous signs to ward them off.  These can still be seen today, carved in to the woodwork:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

..............................

Interestingly, Quedlinburg is not just a 'mediaeval town'.  It has some fine examples of the Art Nouveau  (called Jugenstil in German).  This front door is an example:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Meanwhile, at the rear of our hotel stands a large, old, house in a fairly typical Quedlinburger street.  It was in a very sorry state.  I would love to have been able to take it over, do it up and live in it!

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

The outside of the house looked sturdy enough although a sign on the wall stated that it was marked for 'redevelopment':

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

 The inside had been gutted:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

The state of this house saddened me.  I am sure it had an interesting history and situated as it was, beside one of the streams that flow through the town, it had a pleasant aspect.  What a shame that it was sitting there, a shadow of its former self:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

We were busy walking about and exploring the old town when joy of joys, just around the corner from a mustard shop, I spotted a large amount of conkers just waiting to be collected:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

I picked five or six and with them safely in my pocket we went for a rather pleasant meal at a local restaurant.  After that it was time for bed, having had a full and rather interesting day.

Our second morning in Quedlinburg saw blue skies and the sun shining down upon us all:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Having settled our account we took our bags to the car and then went for a last walk around.  We had a mission in mind: to visit the castle/palace and the abbey church, both of which sit high on a hill overlooking the old town:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

It was here at Quedlinburg, according to legend, that Henry of Saxony, nicknamed 'the Fowler', was offered the crown of Germany in about the year 919.  A plaque on one of the houses commemorates this event:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

When Henry died his wife Matilda (St. Matilda of Ringelheim) asked his successor to grant her the land now known as Quedlinburg so that she could build a royal abbey there to serve as Henry's sepulchre.  This request was granted and the resulting buildings are here for us to view today.  This is the palace:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

From that point on, Quedlinburg was ruled by a series of abbesses, starting with St. Matilda herself.  She would later be buried there, at the side of her husband.  After the Reformation in Germany, the role of abbess was taken on by various protestant princesses, although their role was secular rather than overtly religious.  As a result the convent was transformed into a palace of some splendour.  This one of the Drawing Rooms within the palace, containing a selection of what is termed 'Biedermeier' furniture:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale

 I am rather partial to chandeliers.  I could easily have taken this one home with us:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale. 

Here is a shoe belonging to one of the later secular abbesses of Quedlinburg:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

And here is a page from one of the books on display showing a Dodo and an 'Indian Pig' which looks to me like a guinea pig:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale

 This rather nice settle caught our eye:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

 As did this empire day bed:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

From the palace we moved on to the abbey church:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

The abbey church sits opposite the palace, separated by a small courtyard.

In the 1930s it became somewhat infamous due to the nefarious activities of Heinrich Himmler and the National Socialist Party.  If I understand things correctly, Himmler secretly believed himself to be the reincarnation of Henry the Fowler and decided to raise him up for the people as a sort of German ideal, because he had subjugated the Slavic peoples of the time.  Wanting to go one step further, Himmler and his associates made plans for the eradication of Christianity within Germany.  This would then be replaced by a new religion centred around the National Socialist Party. Quedlinburg was to become the headquarters for all this and in preparation, the Lutheran clergy were evicted and old Henry's body was disinterred, then reburied with all the paraphernalia that accompanied the National Socialist Party and its stark beliefs.  The War however interrupted these plans and once it was over, the Lutheran Church once again took control of the site and Henry was once again disinterred and then reinterred.  I am not sure what happened to St Matilda during all this carry-on but within the abbey crypt is a very interesting exhibition that documents it all.  Interestingly Himmler's tomb was not totally destroyed but rather broken up, along with the eagle emblem that accompanied it, and retained for posterity:

Here is the 'Himmler' tomb, with the lid broken asunder:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

And here is the National Socialist eagle, also broken up, while one of their candlesticks has been wrapped in barbed wire:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Should these National Socialist 'relics' have been kept or destroyed utterly?  At first I felt affronted that the old king's remains should had been treated in such a way by Himmler, but then I reasoned that it is good that such things are kept, to show posterity the lengths that dictatorships can go to.  Plus, it all forms part of the history of this place - both the good and the bad.

The interior of the abbey church itself is rather barren but it does have a very nice museum that contains the abbey treasures including some things that had been stolen by an American serviceman at the end of World War II and only recently returned.  No photographs were allowed but on display is a 1st Century alabaster urn said to have been used by Our Lord to turn water in to wine at the Wedding of Cana!  Here is the Church interior:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

I did like this door handle, cleverly fashioned into a curly-tailed dog jumping through a hoop:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

The site makes for some nice photographic opportunities as we looked back down on Quedlinburg:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

The old part of Quedlinburg, together with the abbey church and the palace, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is easy to see why.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

This Photograph was not taken by Kirk Dale, it was taken by AGA.

There was just time for some short reflection on what we had seen before we were back in the car and off on the next leg of our journey - but more of that later. . .

I hope you enjoyed this second part of our journey to Quedlinburg!  I have tried to give you a flavour of what it is like to visit.

Visiting Q'burg (part one)

Last week we took a short motoring holiday into the middle-ish part of Germany.  Having assembled everything needful - and not necessarily needful - we set off.  We had planned to leave at about 8 in the morning but ended up setting off at around 10 o'clock instead.  But it was Sunday so the roads were relatively quiet, especially as it is the rule here in Germany that no lorries are to be on the road on Sundays.

Ratingen. Essen. Bochum. Dortmund. Unna. The towns and cities flew past as we followed the sinuous autobahn; snaking its way eastwards.  

After a while we were able to turn off, and take a more genteel, meandering way.  A stop for a mid morning snack was followed later by lunch and then even later by afternoon tea.

Built up areas gave way to fields and farms which in turn gradually gave way to forest and steep inclines as we entered the Harz mountains.  

This photograph was taken by Kirk Dale while we were having lunch

There was the occasional heavy downpour of rain, followed by long periods where a truculent grey sky looked moodily down upon us.  Would it rain for our entire trip?  Or would the weather be gentle with us?
Music-wise, we were accompanied most of the way by Jean Philippe Rameau and his wonderful overtures but we entered Quedlinburg (our journey's end) to the triumphant strains of William Boyce's sparkling Symphonies.

The first time we went to Quedlinburg it looked like this:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale when it was freezing cold!

It was freezing cold and the town was encased in deep snow which made for a difficult drive to the hotel, as the snow ploughs seemed to be on a 'go slow'.  The car was often bogged down and it was AGA's job to get out and push because of course I had to stay inside (in the warm) and steer . . .  It is hard to stroll about seeing the sights when you are cold...

This time however, all that was forgotten because Quedlinburg looked like this: 

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

We stayed in a very nice hotel which is situated in the middle of the Old Town:

This photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

The rooms shown by the windows below the writing on the wall were where we took our breakfast each morning.

Quedlingburg is a town that can be visited in a day.  A two night stay is all that is needed really, unless you are going to use it as a base for exploring the region.  This is what a lot of people do.  We, however, stayed for two nights.

Quedlingburg is old.  It was in existence from at least the 10th century.  This has led to its rather higgledy piggledy appearance.  Roads are all over the place.  Houses are all over the place.  Each new corner or curve in the road or alleyway leads to something new to discover.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale. 

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Quedlinburg is a town that struggles.  AGA and I got the impression that there was a great deal of unemployment and hard times for a lot of people.  This is old East Germany and one wonders whether all the money that pours in from the more affluent western parts of the Country as part of the Reunification tax that we are contribute to, really helps build the infrastructure to improve lives.  There were a great many empty houses in the town.

A potted history in a building fragment: The unrepaired damage to this abandoned house shows layers of time.  Originally the house was quite well to do with a wooden frame filled in with bricks laid in varying patterns.  Later on it was successively plastered over and at one time looks to have been painted yellow:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

19th Century and early 20th Century Quedlinburg was very fashionable and on the outskirts are many mansions built as retreats for wealthy people, such as this Greek Revival house:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

I like this next building.  Somewhat off the tourist track it sits abandoned and somewhat dilapidated.  But when it was in its heyday it must have been quite a sight!  Dating from an age where ornamentation and individuality were the order of the day, it is very different to the uninspiring and somewhat clone-like minimalism we often see today.  The sign tells me that this used to be a bakers and cake shop, operated by A. Hubis.  I expect that he/she was very proud of the frontage once it was completed:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Everywhere one is surrounded by history.  This house was built in 1562:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

We visited the somewhat severe church of St. Benedict-by-the-market, siting in what is roughly the middle of the town:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

 It looms over the surrounding houses and looks rather grim but inside is another matter:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

No flash photography was allowed inside so the photographs are somewhat grainy.  I did like this wood carving of what I take to be Our Lady, dressed a la Tudor:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

 And here is King David (dating from 1663) playing his harp:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

I also liked this simple little sketch painting of Noah's Ark, executed within an ornate Baroque cartouche:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Of course, when one is seeing the sites there needs to be time for a sit down and some reflection.  What better place in Quedlinburg is there to go than this café named for Roland (companion of Charlemagne):

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Reclining inside among large cushioned settles, we drank large cups of hot chocolate.  AGA's is on the left.  He had his served with a huge dollop of marzipan which you can just see beginning to sink.  Mine, on the right, is 'au natural' with cream and cinnamon:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this first part of my post on Quedlinburg.  I decided to split things up so it wouldn't get too long.  Now I can work on part two!