Pfingsten Wochenende (Pentecost Weekend): Bad Bentheim, Nordhorn, Lingen, Moor Museum

Pentecost is a 3-day weekend here. Saturday we had a long, lazy brunch with two of our upstairs neighbors. It rained most of the day and we were glad to have a day to lay low. It cleared at sunset and we had a beautiful bike ride exploring southwest of the Maschsee with ground mist rising from the fields and a crescent moon. Sunday we caught an early train to Bad Bentheim, due west of Hannover very close to the Dutch border. Werner and Inge, old friends from Marburg days, met our train and took us to tour the castle, originally 11th century, but, of course, destroyed and rebuilt many times.

Burg Bentheim

It was a very satisfying castle with all the usual fortifications, dungeons, etc., but also with very beautiful stained glass windows, ironwork, and elaborate wood carvings and ceilings.

Canon

View from Ramparts

Gargoyle over Doorway

Stained Glass Window - Library

Castle Ceiling with Chandelier

 

After touring the castle, we met Werner and Inge's son, daughter-in-law, and the most beautiful grandchild in the world for lunch. I won't post a picture due to privacy concerns, so you'll just have to take Inge's word for it. We all had spargel, a white form of asparagus that Germans go mad for in May. There are spargel stands everywhere. It's good, but also I think by eating spargel Germans celebrate the arrival of warmer weather and May holidays.

Eating Spargel with ham and potatoes

  

After lunch we decamped to Christian and Amira's apartment for coffee, tea, ice cream, and cake + continued admiration of the grandchild. German has a wonderful word, Stadtbummel, which means to bum around the city, just go for a stroll and enjoy the town. Nordhorn is partially an island surrounded by the river and canals. Christian even took us up to the top of Norhorn's "mountain," artificially made with cast-off earth from the weaving/spinning manufacturing industry and only a few stories tall. Nordhorn is very flat and very quiet, pretty much of a ghost town on the Sunday of a 3-day weekend.

Nordhorn Canal Boat



 

We stayed overnight in a youth hostel in Lingen. In the morning, after a very generous breakfast, we also did a Stadtbummel of Lingen. I especially liked these fountains.

Lingen Fountain

Close-up of happy monster with frog on his belly

Lingen Waterwheel Pump



 

 We met Christian at the Moor Museum, displaying the history of peat cutting and the natural history of the local landscape. The pictures below give a good idea.

Cotton grass, Mormuseum

Peat & Birches

 

We got to ride a small train that originally carried peat from the cuttings to wherever it was stored and dried. They had lots of old peat-cutting machines and tools. I love local country museums. All the signs were in Dutch and German, but no English.

Peat-cutting Machine

Special shoes for walking on soggy ground (They also had special shoes for the horses.)

 

All in all, a very pleasant weekend, with time to catch up with old friends as we poked around and explored the local sights. I originally had great plans to go to Venice, the Pyrenees, and Serbia, but so far we've been having a very nice time seeing friends and Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony).