Already in my first post in this series did I mention Kloster Arnstein, an old monastery situated high up on the mountain above the village Obernhof an der Lahn. There was a narrow road leading up there from Klostermühle down below (where I was staying); and I went all the way up there at least once, to have a look at the church, which was open for visitors. 

I'm starting with a couple of postcards from my album at the top, which have kept the colours better than most of my own photos. (A bit yellowed with age, but not all that much.)

Going through my photo album as well as the slides I recently had digitised, I have come to the conclusion that I must have used two cameras on this journey: One for slides, and one with negative film for prints. But I also had prints made from some of the slides. 

The prints vs the slides have "aged" rather differently. Most prints have turned almost sepia with age, with very little colour left - and difficult to "bring back" in editing. My slides on the other hand have acquired a distinctly blue-ish tint - but a little bit easier to adjust in editing. (All editing done in Picasa3 because that's what I'm used to using...)

The road leading UP

Looking DOWN

I probably didn't go up alone, as someone must have taken this photo of me!

 

 

Cropped from the above photo

 

By the way, exactly the same thing (turning red) also happened to slides I bought at the Basilika in Trier. (I'll show those when we get there.)

There is a Wikipedia article in English about Kloster Arnstein here. 

This is the village Obernhof an der Lahn, where I spent a week back in August 1983, attending a summer holiday course at the bible school/holiday centre Klostermühle. On the hills behind there were vineyards. The school was/is across the river from the village centre, below the Kloster Arnstein up on the mountain. 

 

The two photos are from the chapel where we met for lessons and other gatherings.

OK. A bit clearer. This is about the division of the books in the Old Testament, with some Hebrew terminology involved. The Thora perhaps better known to most of us as the Law, or the Five Books of Moses; and the Nebiim (or Nevi'im) = the Prophets. Probably shown as introduction to give "context" to some text then presented in more detail.

The gatherings during the week were not all about lectures, though. There were also more informal get-togethers involving for example games and dancing. (Knowing myself, I was probably happy to step aside from some of the latter with the excuse of taking photos...)

One thing I never got used to during that week was that no water or other drinks were offered with lunch/dinner. As you can see in the photo, no glasses on the table. I can no longer remember how I handled that. I do seem to recall at least at one time going into the kitchen and asking for water. But whether I made a habit of that, or after the first experience perhaps took to bringing my own, or if I actually learned to get through a meal without it, I can no longer remember. I'm still not sure if this is/was customary in Germany - or other countries. As far as I can recall, no one else seemed to have a problem with it, so I suspect I probably hesitated to ask! Can someone enlighten me, 40+ years later? Because neither in Sweden nor in England did I ever find myself in a situation where I was served food, but offered nothing to drink...

I think in the afternoons we were free to do whatever we wanted; and if one did not feel like socialising, the surroundings offered lots of opportunities to go off on solitary walks if one preferred. Into the village, along the river, into the woods behind the school - or if one wanted more exercise, up the steep hill/mountain behind, to Kloster Arnstein. (I did go up there at least once to see the church, but I'll save that for another post.)

Something I remember, even though not connected with a special photo, is sitting and reading Goethe's novel Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther) (on my reading list for the upcoming term at the university back home) while looking out over the river Lahn - which meant probably having very similar views to what Goethe had in mind when writing it. When he wrote the novel in 1774, he was drawing on memories of a summer in Wezlar by the Lahn - another town along the same river. 

Unlike the fictional young Werther, no suicidal thoughts on my mind, though... But I later copied this quote into my photo album:

"Ich bin allein und freue mich meines Lebens in dieser Gegend, die für solche seelen geschaffen ist wie die meine." - I am alone and I am happy about my life in this area, which is made for souls like mine. 

 Linking to Sepia Saturday 819 

Bad Ems (postcard)

I had left Sweden on a Friday, by night train, and travelled down from Hamburg via Koblenz to Obernhof an der Lahn on Saturday - not sure when exactly I arrived at Klostermühle (see my previous post), but probably late afternoon. 

The next day being a Sunday, I assume there was probably some kind of morning worship service between breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon it seems we were free to do whatever we wanted, as my photo album tells me that I ended up visiting Bad Ems (an old spa town located on both banks of the River Lahn, between Obernhof and Koblenz), with a couple who kindly invited me to come along with them. 

And on Monday afternoon I went to Bad Ems again; this time with a whole group of girls. As I rememer it, people were generous all week to include me - the foreign visitor... I think one of my biggest "problems" was actually to get people to talk to me in German, rather than practising their own English! ;)  (And I also recall finding it strangely difficult myself to switch quickly between the two different foreign languages.)

25 March 2026: A grey, wet and windy day outdoors, and nothing special I "need to" do. So a good day to have a look at old slides I recently had digitised, compare them to printed photos and notes in my old album, and go time travelling...

In the summer of 1983, I had been studying German at university for a year (and before that, back in the mid 1970s, German "business language" at secretary school). But while I was good at the written language and grammar, I felt I had one huge disadvantage: I had never actually been to Germany, and had had very little practice in speaking German with Germans. 

So before I started on my third and final term of university German, I decided to do something about that - and arranged to spend one week at a German bible school / holiday centre (Klostermühle) in the small village of Obernhof an der Lahn in Germany; and after that also a few days touristing on my own (in Trier an der Mosel). 

Tag tåget = Take the train

I knew about Klostermühle as it belonged (and still belongs) to an international and interdenominational* Christian organisation called the Torchbearers ('Fackelträger' in German), first founded in England in 1947; which still has similar centres in 20+ countries around the world. I had attended and enjoyed holiday courses at their school in Sweden, so was familiar with the organisation and their general concept.
*(interdenominational = not connected to a specific church or denomination) 

 
I started my journey on August 19 - ten days before my 28th birthday - by taking a train from Karlstad (where I lived back then) to Göteborg (Gothenburg). There, I got aboard a night train, which took me to Hamburg. There I had a couple of hours for breakfast and a short walk before getting on the next train down to Koblenz; and from there yet another train to Obernhof-an-der-Lahn. (See the map.)

Obernhof, the railway station

 

Kloster Arnstein and Klostermühle

The photo above is not my own, but a postcard glued into my photo album. Up on the hill you see an old monastery, Kloster Arnstein. Its history dates back to the 11th century. In 1983, there were monks living there. Wikipedia now informs me that since 2019 it has been taken over by orthodox nuns (so I suppose should now be called a convent instead).

Down below is Klostermühle. From the name, I suppose once upon a time a working mill  run by the monks. In 1983 and still,  a Bible School and "Freizeitzentrum" (holiday centre). 

 

Alte Mühle

My room (shared with another girl or two) was in "Alte Mühle" - the Old Mill.

 

 To be continued (on some other rainy day)...