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Our Day in the Oberstadt


The Oberstadt
We spent most of today in the Oberstadt, or "Over City" - meaning it is the part of the city that is above (read: up an über steep hill!) the lower part of the city. 
This beautiful building is a tea shop (of course I bought tea here!)
Rapunzel's Tower - View from the Oberstadt
The stores were so quaint and the city of Marburg is getting ready for their Christmas Market (which, sadly, begins the day after we leave).
Getting ready for the Christmas Market
Marburg Town Hall
Gabrielle took us to the place where Martin Luther lived.
Martin Luther's Pad
Then we climbed up an über steep hill and saw the home where the Brothers Grimm lived.
Madison & Gabrielle going up
The place with the pink bag in the window belonged to the Brothers Grimm
The Rooftops of Marburg's Oberstadt
After that, we climbed yet another über steep hill to the Marburger Landgrafenschloss. This is a castle that dates back to the 10th C. 
On our way up...

A quote from the Brothers Grimm - Gabrielle tried her best to translate. We think it says something to the effect of the view from the top is worth the pain of climbing the steep hills to get there.

The Schloss - with Cinderella's slipper?
The fountains in Marburg are a bit "boar-ing"

Marburger Landgrafenschloss
A view of Marburg from the Schloss
Its most famous resident was Philip of Hesse who played a role during the Reformation by hosting the Marburg Colloquy, which was held right here in the castle. 
Inside the Landgrafenschloss
I got my European history nerd on when I guessed that the two men arguing were Luther and Zwingli, and when we went into the next room, there was a key that confirmed my guess. I was far more impressed with myself than either of my girls were...
The Marburg Colloquy - Zwingli is holding his finger up to Luther
Madison met a nice Hessian soldier at the Schloss
By this point we were all starving and made our way back to the Oberstadt and ate lunch. We were introduced to a Marburg specialty called Auflauf. I wish I would have taken a picture, but it was utterly delicious! It was a combination of noodles, potatoes, chicken and cheese in a cream sauce baked in a crock. Trust me when I say it was to die for.
We left the Oberstadt and went to Elisabethkirche. Built in the 13th C. over the grave of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, this Gothic church was impressive. Elisabeth was a Hungarian princess who married Ludwig of Thuringia. When Ludwig died on his way to fight in the Crusades, Elisabeth gave up court life and dedicated herself to taking care of the sick and the poor. She moved to Marburg and built a hospital and lived the life of a Franciscan nun. 
The doors of Elisabethkirche
Inside the very Gothic Elisabethkirche
After Elisabethkirche, Madison and I drank hot chocolate in the student union while Gabrielle had a class, then we hiked up yet one more über steep hill to Gabrielle's dorm. She made us some pasta and we got to relax a bit before catching a bus and making our way home.
Until tomorrow...auf wiedersehen!

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