Gotha

Apparently there were a 100,000 people in this square (Hauptmarkt, behind the Rathaus) when Willy Brandt delivered his famous line "Jetzt wächst zusammen, was zusammen gehört" ("Now what belongs together is growing together.") This photo is taken from a balcony at the end that he was presumably standing on and it really is quite an impressive space. Behind it there are terraced gardens with fountains and steps leading up Schloss Friedenstein. We were joined today, for a couple of days, by the thoroughly delightful Rolf and Ulli, parents of Antje (who, as well as being Frau Bischoff, was Beck's teenage German penfriend, and Beck had stayed with her and her parents in the eighties at their home in Wuppertal but hadn't met them in person since, so that was pretty cool...) After Gotha we went on to Arnstadt, where Bach was the church organist prior to finding fame at court after falling out with his employers for basically being a bit too punk rock for them - Antje's husband, Michael, is a church organist and was interested in seeing the church where the maestro developed his chops...

Today's song, weirdly enough, was 'It Will Stand' (that's a lovely alternate version of the original recording by The Showmen there as I couldn't find Jonathan Richman doing it anywhere on U-Toob...)