We spent Saturday in Lubeck, which is a city of about 250,000 on the North Sea.  Elmar drove and took the autobahn. We were in a van, but we were still strolling along pretty good.

Manfred Kolossa was our tour guide…a classic and beautiful German that like to flirt with the ladies.

Lubeck was founded in 1143 by Emperor Frederick II. It was the capital of Hansa for over 500 years and was named the “Queen of Hansa”.

There are over 1800 historic buildings and UNESCA declared Lubeck a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.

Lubeck is also home to three Nobel Prize Winners (Thomas Mann, Literature 1929; Willy Brandt, Peace 1971; and Gunter Grass, Literature 1999).

These are all important things, but Lubeck is really famous for its Marzipan, a delightful candy made from almonds, sugar, and chocolate (none of which are native to Lubeck, so you know these folks could trade). Marzipan is said to be an aphrodisiac... We went to the Niederegger, which produces 30 tons of Marzipan per day.

One of the most famous buildings in Europe is the 7th gate at the west entrance to the city. This building is featured on many of the €2 coins. There are two phrases on this building that I really liked.

S.P.Q.L, which means Senatus Populusque Lubeck (the Senate and the people of Lubeck)
This is special because Lubeck was an independent city and operated outside of the control of Rome, where the phrase was borrowed from and modified. Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and the people of Rome) was the original phrase.

The other is Concordia Domi Foris Pax and means The Harmony Inside, Peace Outside. It emphasizes the importance of having one’s own house in order as a first step to peace beyond.

This place was very cool…check out the photos.

S.P.Q.Z. (Zebulon)