Storming the Castle: just another summer's day

Be sure to scroll down for more photos and enlightenment

Burg Lichtenberg is a cozy little castle, high on a hill overlooking the city of Kusel.  Don’t worry if you haven’t seen it yet.  It’ been standing guard over the valley since 1200 and is not likely to disappear soon.

The neat thing about Lichtenberg is that it’s useful, which is more than you can say for most things built in 1200.  From spring through fall there are festivals.  Also a restaurant.  Also a youth hostel.  No end to the possibilities.

Last weekend was an herb fest, complete with garden ornaments, plants for sale, the obligatory beer and wurst, plus guided herb tours around the castle walls and an explanatory visit to the castle’s own herb garden.

I forget to mention the three-piece band, with middle aged musicians playing and singing John Denver favorites in German and English. Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. ( his real name) translates well, or at least the emotions do.  Everyone can understand the yearning to go home to West by-god Virginia, or Rocky Mountain High…speaking of herbs.

I learned a few things during the semi-walk around the castle walls.  Camille tea comes from little, white, daisy-like flowers, which I would have known had I paid more attention to the picture on the packaging.  Supposedly, you can also brew a strong batch and use it to heal skin ailments.  I recommend letting it cool first, but hey, you’re your own boss.

The lady who led us around was the college professor who knew too much for our own good.  Apparently, leaving any tidbit out would have been a sin against all of academia.  My mind started to drift when two herbs took the first thirty minutes.  I started to chew weeds and paw the ground. We’d traveled ten meters and it was a loooooog way around the castle walls.  I regretted my lackey hadn’t brought a tent and provisions.  Plus, the soliloquy was in German, so I could only catch every other word:  good, tea, good again, etc.  I yearned for the Cliff Notes.  Time to break ranks and sprint for beer.  Got to the beer stand and put the golden-coldie to my lips just in time.

Next weekend is a much bigger, Medieval Festival, with even more food booths, knights in armor, complete with squires and horses, sword fights, and winsome ladies in flowing gowns.  Beer.  Wurst.  Sunshine.

If you miss that one (and why on earth should you?), I’m sure there are others coming up.  But, if they offer a tour around the castle walls, drag a keg with you.

Not Evil, Medieval – All’s Fair at the Fair

Lichtenberg

Leather mask, handmade, hand painted

Entry to the castle

"Spinning wheels got to go 'round..."

I know the question that’s burning in your soul.  You there. Yeah, you, the one waving your hand like a battle flag.  What does medieval mean???

Medieval is usually spoken of (in polite society, e.g. those that don’t still eat with their hands and throw bones at the yapping dogs) as the time between antiquity and the Renaissance. So put the years between the fall of Rome and when the lights came back on, from about 476 A.D and the fall of Constantinople in 1453.  There was no light switch.  More like a lingering sunrise that took a couple of hundred years.

But, we usually don’t think of the Middle Ages that way.  We picture knights, fair ladies, jousting, feasts, colorful tents. We overlook lords and serfs, a complete lack of physical hygiene, rotting teeth, women’s bodies worn out from having a score of babies, and death by the age of 45.  Hollywood does wonderful things to reality.

Camelot!  Hey, that’s the ticket.  Utopia, mostly, except for evil knights, etc.  Ok, let’s go with Utopia, the quest for the Holy Grail and stuff like that.  We’re talking gooooood times.

I went to a place like that on Saturday at the 6^thannual Medieval Market at the Lichtenberg Market near Kusel.  (Burgstraße 12, 66871 Thallichtenberg).  Lots of lords, ladies, colorful tents, great food and a host of ancient handicrafts.  Friendly crowds.  In short, the Middle Ages, as they should have been.  Jugglers.  Sword fighting.  Blacksmithing.  Leather crafts.  Shoes with turned up toes.  Damsels in long dresses, with pretty smiles and braided hair.

This market is gone until next year, but look around and ask at any tourist office and you’ll be steered to another Camelot.  Well worth the drive, for the pageantry, a view from a castle, seeing friendly force of arms, and best of all a belly full of handmade sausages and old-fashioned mugs of ale.

Pizza - a medieval favorite...

Farewell to the Fair

Saarburg A Quaint Little Venice

Saarburg and the castle

Little Venice

restaurants and shops in the heart of old town

the gorge and mill wheels

gotta have some weizenbier, wheat beer

rahm schnitzel

marsala wine - perfect ending

Old Bell Foundry

inside the foundry

view from the castle

What can you say about Saarburg without mentioning quaint, beautiful, interesting, old, ancient, castle, church, food, waterfall, gorge, and historic?  Turns out there’s a lot.

For one thing, Saarburg is sometimes called the little Venice.  Nope, no gondolas staffed by Italian gentlemen carrying poles and wearing funny hats.  But, the old town center is remarkable.  Beautifully arched bridges span the man-made tributary of the Saar River, diverted to power an old mill.  The mill ground many things, most notably grain until recently, when it was turned into a museum.  The water still flows, however, and the mill wheels still turn lazily.  Amble through town.  Take your time. Restaurants spread delightfully into the main plaza. Sip a beer or wine at an outdoor café, right next to a deep gorge and cascading stream.

You have to leave the heart of the town and stroll down a narrow cobblestone lane to find it, but don’t miss the old bell foundry that produced church bells for centuries, in fact until 2002.  As you walk, note the centuries-old, colorful fishermen’s homes on either side.  Coming out of the city proper, and after passing through another small plaza, you’ll see the foundry museum.  Some of the bells on display weight upwards of two and a half tons! Every wonder how bells were cast, or how church bells are consecrationed?  You’ve got your chance. The bell company still produces resonant tones from iron and brass, but in a more modern environment.

Saarburg is one of those jewel towns you can’t wait to take your friends to, so pick your friends carefully. The view from the castle is remarkable. Count Siegfried of Luxemburg, built the castle site in 964 and parts of the original works remain.  Take the winding stairs to the top for a splendid view of the Saar.

            Saarburg is what I call ‘low pressure’ touring.  Leisurely train ride.  Slow paced, quaint village.  Interesting museums you’ve never thought of.  Learning things you never knew you wanted to know.  In short, a delightful day with friends.