Having never been to the former capital of West Germany, I had high
expectations of the city, given its history - not to mention the fact that it
is the birthplace of one of Germany’s most famous sons, Beethoven. And it was to be Beethoven that was the focus
of our bonny weekend in Bonn, as we were lucky enough to be there for the
famous Beethoven festival!
Blink and you’ll miss it!
As always with work familiarisation trips, there just isn’t enough
time to see and do everything you’d like to.
The Saturday morning, our first full day in Bonn having arrived at 11pm
the night before, saw us taking the tram to nearby Königswinter. Situated approximately half an hour’s tram or
boat ride away, Königswinter is a charming little suburb of Bonn. Much more traditionally German than the
former capital, after our obligatory hotel inspection, we took the time to
undertake a little ‘Stadtbümmel’ through the town to get a feel for the
place. My colleague and I were struck by
how quiet and peaceful the town was, especially for a Saturday.
As most people seemed to be enjoying a Stein of beer, or a glass of Prosecco,
which appears to be the most popular of wine choices in Germany at the moment,
we decided it was high time that we joined them in this relaxing approach to a
Saturday morning. Having already spotted
a gorgeous looking restaurant perched high above the Rhine, with a terrace
overlooking the river, we enjoyed a glass or two whilst taking in the
commanding views of the Rhine Valley.
Had duty not called, I could have quite easily whiled away an hour or
two sitting there in the late September sunshine; perhaps with a good book,
perhaps just people watching!
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| Enjoying a little glass of Prosecco gespritzt with Aperol! |
Bonn in all its Beethoven glory
After journeying back to Bonn, and stopping for a very, very quick
look at Museum Mile en route – which I have to admit I was a little
disappointed with, having expected it to be more like Museum Island in Berlin,
but finding it to be a stretch of busy road with little character – it was time
to meet the crowd who would become our travelling companions.
Our official day then began with a Beethoven themed guided tour, which
would eventually take in his birth house and the Chamber Music Hall. Bonn’s old town is typically German, with an
impressive cathedral and market square, presided over by Beethoven. Our guide told us an amusing anecdote of how,
when the seat of the government officially moved back to Berlin after German
reunification, students draped Beethoven in a banner stating, “You can all go
to Berlin....but I’m staying put!”. The allure
of the city clearly had the student’s hooked!
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| Bonn Cathedral |
Classical music philistines?!
The Beethoven Festival was, of course, to be our main focus of the
weekend. After a fabulous dinner in a
restaurant overlooking the river, which included three differently flavoured soups
served in three espresso cups – something I’d never seen before! – it was time
for the concert. We were to be treated
to a performance by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, with the first half being
an ‘orchestral painting, colour intensive’ piece by Witold
Lutosławski, Symphony
No. 3.
I must admit, I am not an expert in classical music by
any stretch of the imagination, but this piece really did go over my head!! It seemed to have passed the other audience
members by too, as, very audibly, someone in the gallery made if quite clear
their feelings on the matter with a loud, shouted, German expletive just before
the interval!
After a quick champagne refuelling, it was time for
Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 – something which was much easier to follow, and I
could certainly appreciate!
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| The Bamburg Symphony Orchestra |
Relaxing
on the Rhine: the perfect Sunday
Sunday dawned bright and early, and after a hearty
breakfast, we set out for the Rhine.
This time, we cruised to Königswinter on board the Moby Dick. It was just the relaxing start we needed, and
was soon followed by an equally relaxing ride on the town’s little road train
and then a trip on a traditional cog railway, the Drachenfelsbahn, up to
Schloss Drachenburg.
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| The Moby Dick |
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| The Drachenfels Railway |
This was definitely my highlight of the weekend, with
the castle rising high into the air, gold and splendid, and set amongst well
manicured grounds which must look magnificent in the summer. Our guide was knowledgeable and amusing,
entertaining us with stories of Mr Spinach and his fake organ recitals to
entertain his guests in times gone by. The
Rhine is a stunning region of Germany, and Schloss Drachenburg is just one of
the many castles which dots its landscape, adding an air of regal charisma into
the already beautiful landscape.
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| Schloss Drachenburg |
All in all, Bonn wasn’t at all what I expected it to
be – I thought we would see and hear more of the history of its role within the
FDR, but then we were there for a Beethoven themed tour, so perhaps this is
something that could be explored on a return trip. However, I wasn’t expecting the charm of
nearby Königswinter, and particularly the splendour of Schloss Drachenburg; so
perhaps one shouldn’t judge Bonn by its cover; perhaps we should look beyond
the obvious, and uncover the gems that await us on the Rhine.
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