While a student in Göttingen, Stein adventured out into the surrounding region, exploring the cities and nature found in the German states of Thüringen and Niedersachsen.
On our longer excursions, we got to know Kassel, the Weserland, Goslar, and the Hartz Mountains. At Pentecost, we spent several days on a hike through Thuringia. We climbed from Eisenach to the Wartburg; we went along the Drachenschlucht to Hohe Sonne; later, on the Rennpfad to the Inselsberg (Stein, Life in a Jewish Family, 244).
As I arrived in Germany in early August for the beginning of my research year and pilgrimage, tI wanted to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather and make the same hike Stein had over Pentecost in 1914. While visiting family on the border of Hesse and Thüringen, I made the quick journey to the nearby Eisenach to climb the Drachenschlucht and visit the Wartburg.
On our way to the city known for the Wartburg castle, family joined me in hiking through the Drachenschlucht – German for the dragon’s ravine.
It was easy to see why Stein wrote about these adventures so many years later – the landscape was unforgettable!
Our family then made a quick journey to the nearby Wartburg, the castle where Martin Luther famously translated the New Testament into German. I loved seeing the castle and the vistas!
Europe with Edith 