Stop at the Würzburg Hospital/Winery

Well, it's not quite a hospital anymore... it's a home for the elderly, and it has a tasting room open to the public! Now here's a part of Germany that enjoys its wine almost as much as it enjoys its beer. Sit back in that office chair and I'll explain. It's not really a long story, so you don't have to get too comfortable.

It all started back in the 16th century when the prince-bishop of Würzburg named Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn founded a hospital called Juliusspital. A wine estate was associated with the hospital from the start, providing revenue to subsidize it. This is still the case. Wine is sold from a store on the premises of the home, and by the glass in a tasting room. Both provide very good wine at an excellent price. Dana and I were happy to contribute to the cause. The residents of Juliusspital also receive a ration (1/2 pint) of their wine every day. On Sundays, they get two rations. Sundays are as notorious for the wild hook-ups during crafts sessions as for the wicked fights that break out over bridge.

The Würzburgian beer lovers and brewers, unwilling to let the Würzburgite winemakers and oenophiles steal their town golden boy, brew and drink a wheat beer called "Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier".

Also notable in Würzburg:

• 85% of the city was destroyed during WWII. In the decades since, it has been meticulously reconstructed.
  
• St. Kilian, an Irish missionary in Würzburg in the 8th century, converted many locals to Christianity. One person he didn't convert had him and his companions, St. Colman and St. Totnan, beheaded. Once a year, on St. Kilian's day, their skulls are paraded around town in a glass box, then put on display in the cathedral for a week. Our timing was perfect!
  
• The city had enough amusing statues to keep us entertained during our brief stopover between the amusing statues of Bamberg and the amusing statues of Koblenz.
  

So we bid farewell to the river Main and set off for the river Rhine. This visit was on the day of my birthday. That was over two months ago. I wonder if I can milk my birthday all the way to 2008...

While I work on that, check out the photos from Würzburg