Bremen; Saturday, 21 May, 2005

As breakfast was being served till late, I took advantage and slept in until gone nine. After a hearty meal I headed next door to the hauptbahnhof to catch the train to Oldenburg.

The town is situated about 50Km Northwest of Bremen and is supposedly the economic and cultural centre of the region, though on a Saturday in late May it was very quiet.

The main sights of the town are the large church (Lambertkirche), the castle (Schloß), and the castle gardens (Schloßpark).

The church is not only interesting because of it's five spires, but also because the inside and outside fail to match completely. From the outside the large red brick gothic rectangular building belies the fact that inside it is a subtle, light coloured stone, round church!

The castle now houses a large museum to the history of the area, sadly all of it is in German, with no translations, or guides in any other language. The castle park, the other side of the main ring road from the castle is surprisingly quiet and tranquil. After spending a short while wandering around, I walked back to the station and caught a train to my next destination, Osnabrück, about 110Km to the south.

Osnabrück is a pleasant town, with lots of old buildings (despite the war). From the tourist information centre I followed a signed walk that takes you round most of the main sights in the town, including: The town walls and remaining gates; The town hall (Rathaus); Several of the towns many churches; and the cathedral with it's disproportionate towers.

The cathedral also houses it's treasury which contains lots of relics from the cathedrals past, as well as many of it's more valuable possessions.

After spending some time wandering around the town, I walked back to the station where I got a direct train back to Bremen, and a well deserved dinner.