May 12, 1971

Dear Mom & Dad,

Here are some more pictures for you.  These were all taken here in my new home away from home, Bamburg.  I took a chance and tried some cheap Japanese film for these pictures and I'm afraid you can tell the difference in the quality of them.  Very shortly I will try to get out another letter with more details, but now for these pictures.

 On the highest hill overlooking Bamburg is a very old castle.  This is a picture of the watch-tower inside the courtyard of the castle.

 This was taken from the castle; that's the city of Bamburg down below.  You will notice that the U.S. isn't the only country with pollution problems.  If you look closely through the haze you will be able to see two imposing structures.  These are both very large church's which you will see closer views of later.

 I climbed up the tower in the first picture (for a small fee of 10 pfennigs, or about 2 1/2 cents) and took this picture.  This was taken in the opposite direction of the city.

 Inside the walls of this castle is a pit, where in the old days, they kept bears or other wild animals for the amusement of the castle residents.  As you can see, the city of Bamburg still keeps this one lone bear in the same pit for the amusement of the tourists.

 Here's the same bear trying in vain to throw a little fear into the hearts of the onlookers.

 This is one of the churches that could been seen in the picture above.  It's called, simply, The Dom.  the church and a cluster of very old buildings around it are called collectively, Domberg.  This church was built between 1215 to 1237!  Inside are the tombs of Heinrich II and Pope Clement II.  At the present time, Bamburg is doing some major renovation work on this very old building to keep it from collapsing to the ground.  It is somewhat of a disappointment inside because of the extensive work going on there.

 These are two more of the four towers of the Dom.

 Here is one of the massive front doors of the Dom.

Across the square from the Dom is this building which in some past time was some type of church headquarters.  This whole area is very interesting especially if one is interested in architecture.  I quote form an English guide book I picked up.  "Here a square (Domburg) of really solemn greatness and impressiveness has emerged in the course of time.  In seven hundred years, from the heroic 12th until the end of the princely 18th century, the edifices, surrounding this square, have gradually come into existence.  Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque have united here exhaling a stream of German individualism, a world of pain and joy of battle and prayer.  The drama of this situation should appeal even to the least imaginative." Note that you can see my car parked in front.

There is another envelope on it's way with 10 more pictures.