A Visit to the Burg Frankenstein (a Fortress from Roman Times)
During summertime many visitors come to this castle for outings, sightseeing, great dinners in a romantic setting and for unforgettable concerts. The castle grounds were lighted with floodlights and the view to the south-west, across the fertile valley of the “Bergstrasse” (mountain road) was awesome and one could see in the distance the river Mosel with hill after hill of beautiful grape vines, producing one of the finest Riesling wines in Germany.
The streetcar brings the visitor from Darmstadt all the way along this fertile valley to the old, beautiful city of Heidelberg. On the way there are stations one can get off to venture by cable car up the hill to Castle Frankenstein.
It was a beautiful summer day in June, close to my 12th birthday and my sister Friedl was fourteen years old. Our mama suggested we get tickets to the summer concert at Frankenstein Castle. It was a concert with overtures from famous operas, mostly Mozart, and the conductor was the world renown Herbert von Karajan. One of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, von Karajan ruled over the Berlin Philharmonic and European classical music for more than three decades.
The cable car took us up to the castle ruins of Frankenstein, right to the large courtyard. The setting there was mesmerizing with all the floodlights shining against the rock formations, ruins and this most beautiful courtyard. The stage was all set up for the orchestra, and the guests were finding their seats and in anticipation of a wonderful concert tonight were ready. The music was beautiful and touching and Herbert von Karajan gave it his all to engage the audience fully.
After the concert ended, my parents, Friedl and I had reservation in the restaurant, outside the castle walls in a beautiful wooded setting, with a welcoming entrance and courtyard, many flowers in colorful, large flowerpots, tables laden with groups of candles burning, giving this outdoor setting a romantic atmosphere to evening dining under the stars. The dinner was superb, and we all enjoyed it. Our parents had praise for the excellent year of the wine they had chosen. It was a Riesling Spaetlese (late harvest) from the Mosel valley, not far from here. The dinner we all chose was a beautiful presentation, like Still Life, large tiger prawns in a fragrant lobster sauce with fresh shallots and fresh dill, chopped. It was a special treat on a summer night with our dear parents in historical surroundings, never to be repeated.
Food for tummy and soul.
I was enchanted by this story, right from the start, with the beautiful picture of Castle Frankenstein. As Ilona begins her story, I can imagine the two young ladies and their parents, traveling to the concert and arriving at the beautiful courtyard, to hear the musicians, led by a master conductor. The wonderful meal at the restaurant sounds like the perfect ending to the outing. Thank you Ilona and Marcie, for this delightful trip to Heidelberg!