Siebengebirge: Drachenfels (Dragon's Rock)

The Siebengebirge (Seven Mountains) is a range of more than 40 hills, to the East of the Rhine, southeast of Bonn; the Drachenfels, at 321 metres, is the lowest of the seven highest hills.

In legend Siegfried – the hero of the Nibelungenlied – killed the dragon Fafnir, who lived in a cave in the hill, and then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. Thus the hill is named the "Dragon's Rock".

The castle was built in the 12th century and destroyed by the Swedes during the 30 Years War.

I did climb to the very top here, several times higher than Cologne Cathedral's towers, and took a photo looking downwards and southwards along the Rhine. It was a hazy day, and I much prefer this shot looking upwards.


PHOTOGRAPHIC INFO:
Camera: Minolta M1 (35mm film, presumed Kodak)
1/60th sec, f/22
A cardboard Kodachrome Ready-Mount with the letters "HSE" - High Speed Ektachrome (a more sophisticated Kodak product) - added by hand
The Ektachrome film speed was 160ASA/ISO, a major improvement on the 25 or 64 of Kodachrome.

[this blip created in April 2014]