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Nuremburg 8.1.1919
We started off this morning punctually
at 8o'clock without mishap and after a good run with only
one mishap, a puncture, we arrived in Nuremburg where we
had to call on the Prisoners of War Dept. for the Army
Corps. and the head railway people.
We arrived at 10.30 (90
kilometres) and went straight to the "Gefangen
Inspection" (swanky me) to see what we could find
out from them and we found out there that the people we
were going to bring away from Beyreuth were sent to
Ingoldstat yesterday and that Beyreuth is now clear
except for three men who are well and who are also to be
sent to Ingoldstat immediately and that will clear
Beyreuth entirely, so under those circumstances, we
decided not to go on to Beyreuth. We then went to see the
railway people and then had some lunch. The Colonel then
wanted to return to Munich but I did not want to return
so I twiddled him around until he decided to stay for the
night and start for Munich tomorrow. One up for your
hubby ... so here we are safely ensconsed at the
Wurtenburger Hof, having spent an afternoon wandering
round the town of Nuremburg.
We started on our round of sight seeing
by going to the Lorenz Kirche, the chief item of interest
there being some wonderful stone carving by Adam Kraft,
one of the old Nuremburg masters and also altar pieces,
windows and other carving and also the church itself. The
Colonel is keen on architecture and gives me lessons at
each place and by now I am really beginning to know
something about it and everything is so much more
interesting like that, isn't it my sweet one? And then,
one of these days, I can take my little wife over these
same places and impart all my knowledge to her and it
will be such a joy to do that. Bless you my angel Blue
Eyes.
From the Lorenz Kirche we went by the
peaceful street with its old houses and quaint roofs to
the market square where there are two fine fountains -
one old one and one modern - both entirely different in
structure and theme but both very fine. We then went to
the Grauen Kirche which is beautiful but nothing very
special. The entrance doorway is very good. From here to
the Church of St Sebald which is I think the best of the
three. It contains a wonderful piece of bronze work by
Peter Vischer, another of the old Nuremburg masters. This
is the tomb of St. Sebald himself. His remains are in a
silver sarcophagus and around this is built, or at least
worked, some wonderful carving and moulding in bronze.
The figures are perfect as is the whole thing. It is
Vischer's masterpiece and took him 11 years to do and
it's simply wonderful. There were also some very fine
paintings, especially one by Durer and some fine altar
pieces by painters earlier than Durer and then the
building itself was simply gorgeous, nothing flashy but
just well done.
We then had a short outside view of the
Rathaus and some of the old Nurembug houses and then came
back to the hotel for tea. I have bought some postcards
of the best things and shall keep them and bring them
home with me for you my angel heart and I also bought a
cabinet of coloured views of old Nuremburg awfully nicely
done which I thought we might divide with Mother as there
are too many of the same sort of thing to have for our
house; just a few will do for framing for us won't they
my angel and then I can give Mother some and I know that
she will love them. I shall make her paint some of them
for the house (our house my Baby) as she copies things
like that awfully well, like those she did of Geneva.
 Since tea time I
have been writing on the back of the postcards a
description of them and also reading Baedecker's Guide on
Nuremburg, Eichstatt etc. which the dear old Colonel has
presented to me. Then I started your letter again my
little cupid and now I must stop to get the Colonel some
dinner as we are going to have it in my room.
Dinner is finished now my cupid and now
the Colonel is worrying the timetable to see if he can go
to Cham, a town near the Bohemian border, to see a
British prisoner there who is said to be "not
transportable". He cannot go by car as we are told
that the snow is too deep there but the Colonel does not
feel like leaving this man if anything can be done for
him in the way of transport.
We are going as far as Ingoldstat
tomorrow at any rate and the Colonel may go from there by
train to Cham and I go on to Munich as we have promised
to move some French stretcher cases for them on Friday or
Saturday and I could see about that as I can jabber
French but not German and French is all that I shall want
for that, while the Colonel with his German can see what
is the matter with this man at Cham. However, this is in
the air at present as it all depends on developments at
Ingoldstat.
Goodnight my little angel soul. Do come
and cuddle me to sleep in your dear arms, loved one of
mine ...
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© 2001 David
Drew-Smythe - All Rights
Reserved.