My World Cup Dressage Diary – 13th April

Day off for Bastie today.  Just had a short walking session to relax him.  Clemens has arrived safely but tells me he plans to sleep for the next twelve hours!  Won’t be seeing much of him for a while. We headed out into old Münster today as Aussie tourists.

Münster is known as the land of the 100 moated castles, for good reason.  It is also the bicycle capital of Germany.  Bicycles everywhere.  Apparently there is an average of two bikes per resident!  Yes, a lot of them are owned by students as Münster is a university city – the University of Westphalia.

On the west side of the old town of Münster is the palace of the Prince-Bishops built during 1767-1773 and restored after destruction during the Second World War. It now houses the University of Westphalia. We spent some time there today, it is only visible from the outside, and also in the Schlossgarten, with the Botanical Garden. Tulips were amazing. 

Münster has a rich past. The original medieval town wall was replaced by a tree-lined bicycle highway called the Promenade, which still surrounds the Old Town (Altstadt). Almost all important sights are within this area and we had a great day wandering around here. Nearly 60 major works of sculptures are scattered throughout the city, giving the city an “art gallery” feeling.

St-Paul’s Cathedral, was built in the 13th century, at least started then I think.  Not the sort of thing you can come across in Sydney! Its famous astronomical clock, a mechanical device from the late middle Ages, puts on a daily show at noon. As with many buildings in Münster this cathedral was seriously damaged during the Second World War.

Münster has plenty of other very interesting spots.  The cobblestone streets are very picturesque although a bit hard underfoot.  The Old Town is full of sidewalk cafés and restaurants – great to sit and watch the world passing by over a coffee or lunch.

Wonder how Clemens is getting on?!

Rachael