7. Hotel Schiffchen, Wolfhagen
Bad
Arolsen was our goal for the day. Why this spot? Well, I wanted to go places where I had never been before. Not revisit places like Rothenburg op der Tauber
but find ‘new’ places to visit.
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| Bad Arolsen |
We
have time to spare, we only have to be in Heidelberg by next Friday, and so
there is no hurry. Today is Monday and I have found this neat palace that is
like a mini Versailles, still partly lived in by the owner, so yes, occupied
for over 300 years now. The house of Waldeck and Prymont has a long history.
Bad Arolsen has a charm all of its own. Not a lot of American’s come here to
visit, but many Dutch people want to see this place. Why? Well, let’s see, how can I explain this
quickly?
Emma von Waldeck was born here. Emma was the Mother of Wilhelmina, the great Dutch
(Holland) Queen of the Netherlands.
 |
| A Mini Versailles |
Emma
was the Queen’s (Wilhelmina’s) Regent and Consort and also her Mother. You see,
Wilhelmina was just a child when she became Queen of the Netherlands. Emma
reigned with her, helped her, and stood there in lieu of Wilhelmina (her
Daughter).
Sounds
complicated? It is… read the link above, but
to make you understand better:
Emma
was born here in Arolsen, she married, had a daughter named Wilhelmina who
later became Queen of the Dutch.
The
Dutch liked Emma, she was a good Regent. Emma made sure Wilhelmina got the
correct education, was trained to be a Queen.
Emma,
even though she was born in Germany, was a good Dutch Royal proponent. Emma
observed all the Dutch rules and acted like a Dutch Queen.
We
had a lengthy visit at this Palace and we took a guided tour and really dug
into the history of the place as you can tell from above.
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| Lunch Spot Near the Palace |
Then
we had a wonderful lunch, outside the Schloss (Palace) in an outdoor café. The
weather was hot but the lunch spot had a huge tree to give us shade. It was one
of those spots that was just ideal. Here we are, enjoying a great meal, overlooking
the grandness of the Castle. It was a ‘make believe’ spot, similar to a Walt
Disney movie set. But this one was real; Bad Arolsen is such a spot. The Palace
does look like a small version of Versailles; don’t you think?
 |
| Wolfhagen's Half Timbered Buildings |
The
weather by now had turned really hot. Of course, as you can imagine, those old
hotels, those half timbered affairs do not have A/C. Neither did our Hotel. I tried living in the
room we had above the bar but the room with a southern exposure, was way too
hot. We closed the curtains, tried to make it shady, still too hot. So, I went
on a search of a standing fan, the hotel did not have any fans.
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| Hotel Schiffchen |
I
asked people I saw in the street where I could possibly buy a fan and was
directed here, there and everywhere. The first 2 stores did not have a standing
fan but the last store, by now about 3 km away from the hotel had a delicate
looking thing “Made in China” that might work. I bought it and now had to carry
this rather large box all the way back. Phew!
It was hot. It gets hotter when you have to carry something on your
shoulders in this heat.
 |
| View From Our Window |
We
carried this fan with us on the backseat of the car from then on. I had to take
it partially apart but the fan was ready for action at any given time, just
find me an outlet and we had some air movement.
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| Ahhh - How Refreshing |
Carol
and I slept OK at the Schiffchen that night.
By now it had cooled a little so we ate
outside.
Carol
and I were sitting with a beer, watching the coming and going of the village
traffic. The hotel is right on a busy intersection and there is lots of
traffic. It was not boring; we were kept busy just watching the people.
 |
| Cooling Off |
You
know by now, I love those breakfasts.
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