Closter Eberbach, Wiesbaden

I visited Cloister Eberbach today. It is a beautiful former cloister, well-maintained and in a deeply wooded area. Founded in 1136, the monastery - deconsecrated in 1802  - is where the renowed film 'In the Name of the Rose' was filmed.

If you are in the Wiesbaden / Rheinegau region during the summer months, be sure to check out the Rheingau Music Festival.  The festival holds classical, jazz and contemporary music concerts in a number of beautiful settings – cloisters, castles, palaces, villas, etc. Many of these concerts are sponsored by major banks and corporations, as a result individual tickets are sometimes scarce. So, if you plan to be in Germany, check their website and purchase your tickets early.

I have been to several of their concerts at Cloister Eberbach – both classical and jazz.  If possible, try to attend a concert in the afternoon – especially when the sun is shining. Bird (swallows and stone martins) live in the transept. When the sopranos sing during a classical concert, the birds sing along and around  fly  in the transept. Jazz does not seem to affect them!!

They also have a great restaurant and wine celler.



 

 

Wiesbaden Bibrich Park - feral parakeets

Bibrich is also known for its feral parakeets.  Yes, you read it right.. feral parakeets.  They are green in color – like a normal parakeet - but about the size of a small parrot.  They are strong, graceful and beautiful to behold. They fly in what appears to be a single flock.

But the other birds which live in the park and people who live around the park and have fruit trees, absolutely, hate them.  The parakeets are bigger than most other birds and quite aggressive. As a result, they eat all of the food that the smaller birds would normally eat. Moreover, there are a number of cherry trees in the neighborhood. In cherry season, the parakeets sit in the trees and eat all of the cherries. A flock can clean a tree, seemingly, within minutes.  That is bad enough, but the real problem is that they destroy the trees while they are eating. Instead of simply eating the fruit, one will  grab the branch with its claw, and then eat the fruit  from the branch. When it is done, it throws the branch down to the ground.  It is quite comical to watch (if you are not a home owner!!) … a little like eating a corn dog on a stick.

Wiesbaden - lots of people in Germany ride horses

Many people in Germany have horses and ride. Equestrian events are quite popular all over Germany. May and June are prime months.  One of the most important event takes place in Wiesbaden next week. The tents are all set up… they were there, I was there, but the show was not there… sorry no photos. Just a photo of the castle from the front...

 

 But, as I drove along a back road outside of Wiesbaden, I did come upon the staging / warm up  area for another local  equestrian event.  Oddly enough I never did find the site of the actual event.

Wiesbaden - castle at Bibrich park

I took a walk on the grounds of the castle in Bibrich. You might remember in a previous posting, I told you about the storks which were nesting on the roof of the castle which were startled and flew away when the classical music started? Well this is the lawn on which I was seated.

 

Biebrich (Wiesbaden) - The storks are all busy

It is sunny and warm today, so I decided to go for a walk along the Rhine. In Biebrich (a district on the outskirts of Wiesbaden), there is a stork preserve. As often as I have walked there, I have never seen a stork… not to mention that their nests are too far away to be seen by the naked eye.   But sometimes, as you drive along the nearby local roads when the farmers have recently planted their fields… you can see the storks in the fields.

Stork nest on electric tower.. outside of the stork preserve!!

 

One time, I was at an evening concert on the back lawn of the Biebrich castle. The first piece was a bit bombastic (probably Beethoven). As the orchestra started to play and the trumpets trumpeted, the drums rolled and the music started… several storks which had been nesting in the rafters of the castle took flight.  Imagine… sunset…. pink sky… great classical music … storks!!!