I had an amazing time in Germany, researching medieval Konstanz and Freiburg, exploring city museums, hiking the Black Forest, and visiting Hildegard of Bingen’s abbey. ‘The Book of Gothel’, my novel-in-progress, is annotated to bits. Below is a gallery of some of what I saw while I was there!
Inside the Hotel Barbarossa, where I stayed in Konstanz.
The Bodensee at twilight.
The St. Mark and St. Mary Cathedral at Reichenau.
The cloister at Reichenau.
The ruins of Castle Hohentwiel outside Singen.
Storm rolling over the Black Forest.
Forest History Trail in Freudenstadt.
The Nahe River in Bingen.
“Hildegarten” exhibit with plants from Physica.
Eibingen Parish Church and Hildegard Shrine in Rüdesheim.
The St. Hildegard Abbey and vineyard.
Inside the St. Hildegard Abbey Church.
Drawing of historic Bingen at the Museum am Straum.
Actual cellar of Hildegard’s abbey, the rest of which was destroyed in 1632.
Oldest inn standing in Germany, where I stayed in Freiburg.
Freiburg Cathedral.
Schlossburg Hill, once home to Freiburg Castle.
Names of the Dukes of Zähringen, the once rulers of Freiburg.
I have to thank the wonderful Sustainable Arts Foundation for the grant that enabled this trip! If you’re a parent artist or writer who needs time to create or money to research a project, they are an incredible organization! I can’t say enough good things about them.
