Ulm, old and new 新舊交錯的烏爾姆

The weather was still treating us relatively well at the start of November. To help to kill the time of the first weekend, with a bank holiday (All Saints’ Day on 1st November) followed by a Sunday, I gathered a few friends for a visit to Ulm. It’s one of the few times we managed to step outside Bavaria on a day trip – well, just outside. Ulm is officially in the neighbouring state of Baden-Württemberg but hugs right at the border with Bavaria.

剛踏入十一月時天氣還不算太冷，加上十一月第一天是萬聖節假期，第二天是星期日，不想連續悶兩天，所以約了朋友到烏爾姆（Ulm）一遊。烏爾姆剛好位於巴伐利亞州和巴登符騰堡州（Baden-Württemberg）的交界，而又屬於後者，所以是次旅遊也算得上穿州過省！

Ulm is supposed to be famous for being the birthplace of Einstein and home to the tallest church in the world, but seems to be shy of the Einstein connection. This monument which marked the house where Einstein was born was tucked beside the main street with its description facing the other side of the street. No wonder we had to turn full circle (literally!) before we realised what it was.

烏爾姆之所以有名，一來是愛因斯坦的出生地，二則有最世界最高的教堂。紀念愛因斯坦的兩個景點一點也不易找，這個碑紀念愛因斯坦出生的房子的遺址，但瑟縮在大街旁不起眼，說明也不面對大街，我們兜了一大個圈才找到！

Little sign of life along the main shopping street.
那天商店休息，大街「充滿死氣」。

The Ulm Church (Ulmer Münster) was also a little shy on the day and wanted to hide behind the curtain of thick fog, but it was just to hard to be missed. We had wanted to enjoy a view of the whole city at the top of the church. As the fog permeated through the openings in the wall, we felt like walking up a staircase to heaven. But that fog was so persistent that it outlasted our patience before we gave up waiting for it to clear away.

烏爾姆教堂（Ulmer Münster）那天也有點害羞，躲在霧中不想見人，不過老遠都給我們看到了，我們一心要登上教堂最高處鳥瞰全城，愈上得更高愈覺得是騰雲駕霧，到達最高處時，霧祇有越來越濃的份兒，我們一直在等霧散去，卻是徒然。

Around the Münsterplatz (Church Square): a pendulum clock (left) and the Stadthaus (right)
教堂廣場的擺鐘（左）和新市政廳（右）

An endless ascent 欲窮千里目，更上千層梯

The walls in the higher parts of the church 教堂高處的窗戶

Feeling high, looking down the Münsterplatz and back of the church through the fog.
從霧中俯瞰教堂廣場和教堂的背面，但覺飄飄然。

The Danube through the fog
千層濃霧後的多瑙河

I’m sure we were not the only ones feeling frustrated and in need of a means to kill time while waiting. We uncovered a lot of carving in the stone, presumably by those wanting to make their mark (or point) up to a whole century ago!

在雲台上打發時間，不祇我們覺得有點無聊，前人亦然，怪不得給我們在瞭望層發掘到上百年的「到此一遊」刻鑿了！

Coming down to earth again, the church was at the time putting on a show which required a fee for entry, so we first went to some other places.

從瞭望層下來，那時教堂剛好有甚麼表演，要付費進入，所以便先去逛其他地方。

Some of the many pretty houses we walked by 特色建築處處

After lunch, we came to a plaza which was supposed to be the place for the Einstein Fountain according to the travel guide. We looked hard in all directions around the plaza and spotted the back of a sculpture in black. Who would have guessed that it was indeed the fountain, had I not seen a photo of it in one of my friends’ Facebook album? It’s not intuitive to recognise it as a fountain when there’s no water running, and the face of Einstein was facing the walls of one of the buildings surrounding the plaza instead of the open space. But worse still, the plaque that marked it as the Einstein Fountain was found at the foot of the sculpture and would be submerged when there’s water. What has this town got to hide from us regarding Einstein?

午飯後依着旅遊書找紀念愛因斯坦的噴泉，來到所在的廣場，東張西望了一番，看到一黑色人像的背面，若非看過友人Facebook相片，絕不會醒起那就是愛因斯坦噴泉。噴泉那時沒噴水，人臉面向環繞廣場的其中一幢樓而非廣場中央，最不解的是，那個寫了「愛因斯坦噴泉」的牌貼在人像腳部，有流水時根本不會看到，究竟為甚麼兩個景點介紹愛因斯坦時會如此閃閃縮縮？

The fountain was close to the Gänsturm (literally the Goose Gate) which opened to the Danube River. The river marks the border between the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. By the time we reached the river, the last trace of fog had finally disappeared leaving full sunshine and warmth behind.

從噴泉穿過鵝城門（Gänsturm）後，便來到多瑙河畔，該河便是巴伐利亞州和巴登符騰堡州的分界，那時最後一絲霧也散了，天氣和暖了不少。

Gänsturm
鵝城門

Views along the Danube 多瑙河的景色

Remains of the city wall of Ulm
保留至今的一段城牆

We took a stroll by the river until we reached Metzgerturm (literally the Butcher’s Gate). Through there we returned to the Ulmer Münster, and en route we passed by many interesting buildings of various ages and style. It felt like an art gallery of buildings.

沿河一直到屠夫城門（Metzgerturm），再返回教堂，進內參觀，沿途看到不同特色的建築，新舊交錯，彷如一座座藝術品。

Houses reminiscent of those dancing/drunken houses of Amsterdam
站不直的房子，有點像阿姆斯特丹的醉翁屋

What's this bird doing in Ulm, in the bath and outside a music school? Here's the legend.
這隻鳥在烏爾姆隨處是，原來有段掌故（英文）。

The many interesting facets of the old town hall, now a restaurant. 外牆繽紛的舊市政廳，現為食肆。

Fountains across town - and more recognisable!
市內不同噴泉——起碼一眼便能認出！

Modern architecture 現代建築風格
Left: The new blending in with the old 左：仿古新型建築
Right: The modern art gallery with its overhead walkway 右：藝術館和行人天橋

Inside the Ulmer Münster
烏爾姆教堂內

A bell for each occasion, on exhibition inside the church
教堂內展出的鐘，各有不同用途

We finished the day and returned to Bavaria by crossing the Danube into the adjoining city of Neu-Ulm (New Ulm). The naming of this town is rather appropriate as everything looked newer than its more historical cousin across the state boundary, especially the ultra-modern-looking railway station. The blend of art and architecture, and of old and new, that we could see on both sides of the Danube was indeed rather refreshing.

趁有時間，跨過多瑙河，我們便返回巴伐利亞州，來到與烏爾姆相連的城市新烏爾姆。新烏爾姆一如其名，建築物都比較簇新，火車站也特別有現代氣息。一天的行程裡，烏爾姆令我們有耳目一新之感。