Today we had another cultural visit. We traveled to Ulm, a major city in southwestern Germany. The city was very similar to the other cities we visited in Germany; there were cobblestone roads, and the buildings were very old. This one, however, seemed like it was less geared towards tourists given the number of local shops in the city.

While in the city, we visited the Muenster: the tallest church tower in the world. We had a guided tour that showed us around the church, and we climbed up as high as we could go, which was over 300 steps. It took a lot of work to get up the steps, but the view from the top amazing. I also found the architecture in the city interesting. We could see the addition of new technology when it was added; for example, there was a flying buttress that covered up an imperial Eagle painted on a wall. This showed that the buttress was added later in the church’s history. 

During our tour of the city, we visited some of the oldest buildings in Ulm. One of these was formerly a butcher’s house. Due to its old age, the building is now unstable and requires ropes to keep it in place. I think this is the first time I have ever seen a building so old that it requires additional support. It was caused by a change in river levels that made the ground less stable. Even for Germany, I think this was the first instance I have seen of supports like this added to a historic building. 

Overall, I found Ulm to be a beautiful city that seems to be very livable. It seems that it is oriented to the people living there instead of tourists, which I found to be a positive thing. Ulm was a very relaxing city, and I think I could see myself living there. 

Signing off,

Nate