June 3, 2007
The Yale women's basketball team's 10-day tour of Germany is now more than half over. Day Six involved a lot of traveling, as the team left Bad Reichenhall in the German Alps and headed to Lepizig, almost seven hours away. Along the way, they stopped in Nuremberg. Melissa Colborne and Ashley Carter got together to document today's experiences.
Today we took the long bus ride to the medieval city of Nuremberg. During the four-hour bus ride, Stephanie was nice enough to bring us up to date on the series Prison Break. Also, there were some very intense and heated games of Catch Phrase. Upon arrival at the city, we met our tour guide, an older woman named Lo. She not only taught us about the historical background of the city, but also looked out for our well-being, as she constantly reminded us to stay off the red bike paths.
We started off learning about the city walls, which are unique in that there are three of them, making it nearly impossible to invade the city. The five-sided castle was the site of the first Diet of the Holy Roman Empire. This aspect of the city made Nuremberg a focal point for Hitler's plan of German domination and the recreation of the Holy Roman Empire. The influence of the National Socialist Party can be seen in a Coliseum-like structure that was intended to be used by the Party, but was not finished in time for its intended purpose.
Besides Nuremberg's importance as a central medieval city and its involvement with the Nazis, the city is also the birthplace of Albert Durer, one of Germany's most famous painters. He is well-known for his paintings "The Praying Hands," rabbits and a self-portrait. His house has been turned into a museum of his work and blends in with the other half-timber artisan houses traditional to the area. These houses were in contrast with the beautiful stone houses of the city's patrons, who in particular supported the churches.
We then visited a famous church, St. Sebold, that is a popular site for tourists for a few reasons. This Lutheran church contains the relics of a Catholic saint because it was established before the Protestant Reformation. Later we visited the city center and the team took more pictures with the wooden soccer players than a famous jeweled orb and crown (for Nenye and Ashley E's case, figuring out how to ditch the tour and get some fries at McDonald's).
After our tour, we walked around the city and met up to get back on the bus to continue our journey to Leipzig. Little did we know that we would be stuck without any means of entertainment due to electrical problems with the bus. So here we are, outside a gas station while the bus is being repaired, writing about our day!
Melissa & Ashley C