More Fulda Nutcracker Hotel and Beyond

Before I continue with the Fulda Cathedral, I thought I'd put up some pictures of my Fulda Hotel - a very strange and fantastical Pension that is decorated with dozens of Nutcrackers. Of course it turned out not to be in Fulda,but in a town a couple of kilometers away, but the bus system worked well and you could buy a bus pass for 3 Euros and ride it all day as much as you wanted, so it wasn't a bad place to stay.  The room was quite tastefully decorated although not as spacious as the place in Weimar.

 

It had all the necessities a bed, tv and a closet (and this time even a phone!)

 

Here is the view from the other side.

 

I used my window as a kind of mini-refrigerator and to save money bought some cold cuts and rolls and even lettuce. Here is what I got for about $15. (Some cheese - two kinds of lunch meat, some lettuce, mayonaise and some maribated mushrooms.)

The hall of the pension already had this indication that there would be a few Nutcrackers around. (It was named the Nutcracker even though the nutcracker is actually more of a phenomenon in the eastern part of Germany.)

The breakfast buffet was also wonderful and contained all kinds of stuff for müsli, scrambled eggs and bacon and all the usual cheeses and  cold cuts.

Of course the room is also filled with nutcrackers. (See the shelf around the wall near the ceiling?)  That ain't half the story!

 

I tended to sit at this table in the back, where there were some serious nutcracker dolls in the window.



Here is a clearer shot from a different angle.



But this is what I saw while I ate breakfast.



And that big green thing in the back of the room that's the hat of yet another nutcracker guarding the buffet.



Also interesting was this collection of photos.  Evidently during Fasching Fulda has big parties and each "end " of the city has a club with a particular theme.



Our host's city partwas Ostende - so they were the Ostindien" group and every year dressed up like Pashas and their consorts. They had gotten lots of prizes (and medals (in the case)) for their participation.

 

On the way into town I passed many  beautiful buildings as seen below.

I wanted to add some pictures of the cathedral next before showing some of the gorgeous things I saw in the Stadt Schloss museum.

The cathedral itself was buit in the 1700s by Johan Dientzenhofer who had studied in Rome. You'll see pictures of the outside later from the Schloss Museum tower. It is a lovely Barock church with all the required flourishes.

Here's the organ. The original only had 41 registers but the current one now has 72

 

This is the pulpit.

 

I was delighted by this little late romanesque/early gothic figure in the midst of all the baroque excess.

 

Of course the most famous part of the church is the crypt that contains St. Boniface (designated the most important saint for German history.)