Kassel

Hey Home,

It's been a little while since I've written but I've just had so much to get done PLUS internet is kind of expensive right now because it ain't free!

My hotel in Kassel is nice, not as big as in Mühlheim but the location TOTALLY makes up for that. I'm literally on the main shopping street of downtown and I'm surrounded by many of the museums in the city, including the Brothers Grimm Museum.

I spent the first day getting adjusted. My jet lag is still taking control of my schedule. I can't fall asleep until at least 1 am and I force myself to get out of bed by no later than 9 because of all that I have to do.

Kassel is beautiful and I can definitely tell why it's the Grimm's favorite city. It's very fairytale-esque with big sprawling parks with fountains and waterfalls. I'm trying to imagine it as the Brothers would have seen it. So far I've been to two out of the three big parks and most of the museums. Karlsaue is a palace (now a Science museum) with a Renaissance garden and lots of buildings and walkways and gardens among the grounds. The Orangery is known throughout all of Hessen and much of Germany as being extremely beautiful and it is. There are a few museums in the palace and they were really amazing. My favorite museum from this entire trip is probably the science museum which has exhibits about time and astronomy and other things with relics from as far back as 400 b.c.!

I've also been to Friedrichsplatz and the museums there. One was interesting and that's really all I can say. I walked in expecting to find something like the Field museum in Chicago because that's what the pamphlet said and instead I find a one room exhibit that I'm told was put together in two weeks by local artists (I met the main one) and that it's supposed to be avante garde. It was. I'm still not sure what I was supposed to be looking at though.

I then went to the museum next door which is the Natural History Museum and this, while more child friendly, was interesting in its own way. It had many exhibits with strangely placed animals including a cave with a human skeleton on the floor and then when I looked up there was a bear waiting to maul me. It was a little freaky.

The Rathaus is literally half a block from my hotel and I pass it every day on my way for breakfast at the konditorei (backery). I've also been to the main churches of the area, Brüderkirche, Lutherkirche, and Martinskirche.

Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon at the largest mountain park in Europe, Wilhelmshöhe. It's gorgeous. There are hidden fountains and waterfalls and little pavillions everywhere. The Palace there has a long history and the main building is now a museum housing a classical collection and "old Masters" collection with a large selection of Rembrandts. Another part of the Schloss (palace) has been kept as it looked in the 18th and 19th centuries. I went on a tour of that and even though it was in German, I understood most of it! Which is good, I feel.

The two other important buildings in the Park are an old Castle (Löwenburg) which I haven't gone to see yet because I didn't have time and the Hercules Monument which was built on the very highest point of the castle. I hadn't planned on climbing the mountain but for some reason I decided I would (without any water). Not only is the mountain at a VERY steep incline but for the last third of the climb you have to walk up about 500 hundred stairs. Oh and did I mention that yesterday it reached 95 degrees? Needless to say that by the time I reached the top of the climb, I almost didn't have the energy to take pictures. But the view was so breathtaking that it was worth it.

On my way back down the mountain, (which at this point my legs are shaking from exhaustion and I'm dying of thirst) I found a waterfall underneath a very pretty bridge and it was so hot that I spelunked my way down to the bottom of the waterfall and showered off. I didn't care that I got drenched because it felt wonderful. And the water tasted like the word "beautiful" looks. I even started a trend: A couple of teens came and joined me and we played around in the water for a bit.

Unfortunately the Brother Grimm Museum is STILL under reconstruction so I'm slightly disappointed but I'm trying to rework my project to make sure that I have enough research to go on. I'm not worried.

Till another time!
Em