Hannover and Bonn, Germany, June 30 - July 3, 2014

We broke our drive to Bonn by spending Monday night near Hannover, a city neither of us had visited before.   The next morning we drove to the nearby Herrenhausen estate, the seat of the Electors of Hannover, who succeeded to the British throne 300 years ago with the death of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch.  The notable gardens there were the special love of the redoubtable Electress Sophie, friend of Leibnitz and granddaughter of England’s James I, who would have become Britain’s queen had she lived another two months.  Instead her son succeeded Anne as George I.

 Herrenhäusern Gardens

Electress Sophie in her garden

Reaching Bonn late Tuesday, we enjoyed the hospitality of Christoph Hinz, a good friend from Todd’s work on maritime affairs in the OECD and UNCTAD in the 1980s.  Bonn’s weather was so good we were able stroll through hills in the Eifel region outside the city. 

 With Christoph at an Eifel Cafe

With Christoph's friend Roswitha in Bonn

Another highlight of our visit was a tour of the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, close to Bonn, where we learned that Ernst had spent a significant period in Arizona as evidenced by some arresting surrealist landscape paintings in the museum’s collection.  Brühl’s other claim to fame is the Baroque Augustusburg Palace, which served as the venue for major diplomatic receptions during Bonn’s salad days as the capital of West Germany.

 Between Max Ernst sculptures outside Brühl museum

Augustusburg Palace

Bonn’s food and drink were first class, but the settings for our meals were even better.  Christoph was kind enough to take us to a wine garden for one dinner and, the next evening, to Rolandsbogen, a restaurant with a sensational view of the Rhine valley.   Siegfried was not to be seen, however.

Wine garden, where the owner's friendly goats grazed among the diners

Rhine valley from Rolandsbogen restaurant