.: himmelfahrt :.

Today’s holiday, Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt), is observed with regional variation, sometimes as Vaterstag, the direct compliment to Mothers’ Day, or as Herrentag or as Männertag, simply Men’s Day. Whatever the case, the weather waxed sunnier and warmer and we took the opportunity to again venture through the Rhön.
This time, however, we headed the opposite direction, towards County Bad Kissingen. The course I plotted out seemed to have a few red-herrings and unnecessary detours but the drive through the foothills and the green countryside was spectacular and we discovered a few hidden treasures, just in the neighbourhood. First we stopped at the early-Gothic Closter Frauenroth located in Market Burkardroth, and then we winded our way closer to the county seat to the village of Trimberg, and the outstanding castle ruins of the Trimburg on the promontory appeared as we rounded the corner.

The –berg/-burg distinction sometimes confuses me, plus the fact that some towns have a similar landmark referred to as Burgberg. Both the castle and the village clinging on the hill referred to a noble family who expanded their stronghold from a medieval core over the centuries and whose different architectural styles witnessed many changes over the eras. For Fathers’ Day, they were holding a cook-out in the courtyard, and afterwards we had a lot of fun exploring the towers, turrets and halls that had been very well restored. There was a lot of activity, with a crowd of people enjoying the grill and actors and actresses in costume, camping out along the ring-wall for a Renaissance Festival and jousting-match next week.