The town itself, and the landscape as you drive up, is dominated by the HUGE Speyer Dom (or Speyer Cathedral). The cathedral, built primarily between 1030 and 1061 (with some additions in the 11th and 12th centuries) stands over 71 meters high and is considered a a major turning point in European architecture. I am always amazed by the size and scope of a 1000 year old building:
Today we had the fabulous good fortune of arriving while the organist was practicing--the sound of those amazing instruments in the spaces they are meant for really adds to the ambiance. As European churches go, this one is fairly basic inside--it predates many of the lighter and airy architectural features. It is still intersting inside, and the space just feels so BIG:
Visiting the church is free, and for a fee of 3.50€ you can also go down into the crypts (which are well lit and really not very creepy feeling):
A short walk down the pretty main street ends at the old city gate:
Continuing a bit further there are two lovely later era churches complete with lacy stained glass windows (at least one of the churches is usually open when we are in Speyer, but today both were closed), I love the iron gates around the one church--they always make me think of the scene in The Sound of Music when the kids run up to the Abbey gates wanting to see Maria:
The residential portion of town is also lovely and fun to wander around:
Behind the cathedral is a lovely big park area with a mini golf course, lots of art work, wide open spaces and paths out to the Rhine river:
We finished our day by looping through the fall fest/carnival which was set up on the edge of town. I love the juxtaposition of the new, modern rides and the old cathedral spires.
--Hadley
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