 Nietzsche’s boyhood home in quaint Röcken, Germany. You can almost picture the young antichrist frolicking around… The tiny, idyllic village of Röcken, Germany isn’t known for nightclubs or theme parks. Unless you’re one of the 170 or so people who live there, Röcken may just be seem like another one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” towns scattered throughout rural Deutschland. You may only seek it out as a destination if you needed to relax for a few days or perhaps fancied a quiet place for writing. Many visitors may be unaware of the fact that a GIANT is buried in Röcken’s teeny tiny little church courtyard. No less a person than Friedrich Nietzsche lies there in final repose. Yes, author of Zarathustra, The Antichrist, and On the Genealogy of Morals. He also spent a good bit of time there when he was alive, as he lived in the house that rests on the grounds nearby when he was just a little antichrist. For our money, Nietzsche is the most important philosopher of the 19th century. His works influenced not only philosophy, but also psychology, aesthetics, philology, and literature. Always an iconoclast, he had no problem criticizing what he viewed as the more problematic and excessive parts of European culture. Sadly, his books were also prescient, and he successfully predicted some of the more terrible aspects of the 20th century. If you’ve never read his book Twilight of the Idols, you should do yourself a favor and pick it up on Amazon.  Art installation over Nietzsche’s faux grave. Rumor has it that two people mistakenly thought this was his actual gravesite and decided to make some whoopie on it. However, as philosophy is not necessarily a proper degenerate topic, we should get back to the travel bits… There is a little museum in Friedrich’s old house. Very informative place. Later, while on a tour of the grounds, we learned an interesting tidbit from the guide. One night a couple – I pictured two goths with black clothing and even blacker lipstick – broke into the churchyard and, shall we say, got a bit frisky on the Nietzsche’s final resting place. We’re not sure why he was viewed as such an aphrodisiac. Maybe it’s that irresistible walrus moustache? Regardless, these turned-on trespassers should have done a bit more reading and a bit less heavy petting: they had sex on the wrong grave. There are actually two “graves”, and the more visible of the two is actually part of an art installation. They chose poorly… And - in case anyone is wondering - we are aware of the irony of visiting Nietzsche’s grave. Were he alive, he would have found this very amusing and probably wither us to the core with an acid-tongued comment. However, we would humbly say that it’s ok to pay a little tribute to people who have been important to you. And, just to be clear, paying tribute does NOT mean having sex on top of their moldering corpses.  The true grave of Frederick Nietzsche. Assessment
This is a good place to visit, especially if you are a Nietzsche nerd. It’s not too far from the city of Leipzig and you could easily turn it into a nice history-themed day trip. Information on location and hours can be found below. The entry fee is low and it would be nice of you to give them some additional euros to help with maintaining the grounds. http://www.nietzsche-gedenkstaette.de/engl/memorial.html  Buckfast Tonic Wine from Buckfast Abby UK. "Commotion lotion"... "Wreck the hoose juice"... The infamous Buckfast Tonic Wine has gone by several popular names over the years. Formulated by Benedictine monks in beautiful Devon (UK) this holy libation with an unholy reputation is 15% ABV with about 45 grams of caffeine per every wine glass. No, that is not a typo…  Buckfast Abby near Buckfastleigh, UK. Started in 1018 C.E. this Benedictine monastery is known for its manicured gardens and energizing tonic wine... Tasting Notes
When cold, it tastes of sweet cherry cough drops, orange, apricot pits, and gummy bears with a powerful burst of artificial vanilla. It also has a strange, but not unpleasant, bitterness that could be chemical caffeine but we don’t care enough to check. As it warms you get a bit of a hint of barnyard funk and it begins to become less palatable over time. Though marketed as a fortified wine, it tastes like it is probably some sort of grape must that has been fortified with a high proof spirit. Cheap and sort of fun to drink (i.e., better than most reviewers would imply), we wouldn't recommend it too close to bedtime. It’s also fun for its “ned” (i.e., Scottish gopnik) associations. We will try it in cocktails in the near future. |
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