Braubach, the Town

After visiting the Marksburg Castle up on the mountain top, we wanted to wander in the town below, so we went back to our cars and drove into town. The parking was in a strip along the road next to the river. There was a beautiful walking area along the river, like a promenade with trees and some benches. We felt like we were the only ones there.

Here you can see how the town is laid out along the Rhine River:

This is another town that has flooded many times during the centuries.

We walked along the old streets looking for a place to eat some lunch. It was after 2:00 p.m. and we were all hungry. The problem was not a soul was in sight and nothing was open. After a lot of wandering through the small town, we finally found a bakery with a cafe that was open and a Döner shop.

There were plenty of interesting details to notice here. Some, really beautiful.

This home had a lovely garden hanging from stockings!

This home had an incredible entryway.

And it had a tree full of hanging shoes!

Views of the castle between each narrow passage:

Many homes here and sayings painted on them. I’ll add translations below for some of them.

Eat and drink!
With a full stomach every evil is easier to bear.

This house is mine although not mine, I go out, you come in. And who will the last be?

Anyone who wants to complain about this house now, Let him just stand still for a bit and think freely in his heart whether his home would be better.

Anyone who has money and is stupid buys an old house and remodels it!

Two women in a house,
Two rats and a mouse
A bone and two dogs,
There is no quiet hour.

God protect this house and all that go in and out.

Sometimes the messages on the homes tell who lived there when.

A narrow little passage between homes, maybe a room? From 1614.

We enjoyed quiche and pastries at this wonderful bakery-cafe.

Then we went to explore the 2 old churches. This stone was was locked.

Then we walked over to the old white church built in the 1200s.

It was also locked, but we heard voices in side and saw a group of people, so we knocked on a window and they invited us right in. It was a group of very friendly Lutherans baking cookies in the chapel (they’d rolled an oven into the room from a back kitchen). It smelled heavenly. The pastor and his wife explained that they were baking cookies to put into tins to take to people in the old folks’ home. There was a class of girls there, about 13 or 14 years old (they will have their confirmations in May). They were helping to cut out cookies with cookie cutters. They were so kind and friendly. It was nice to visit with them. They spoke very little English.

The pastor showed us the high water marks inside the church and displays of photos of all of the floods in the last 80 or 90 years.

What a nice church with such nice new friends.

The last place we went to see was the old palace where the important people once lived in the 1500s. It was at the far end of the town. Here’s what we saw along the way: