We had another lazy morning – didn’t leave for the day until about 12pm. We jumped on a train out to the airport to drop our bags, and then headed off for Mainz. This town is the birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg – a personal hero of mine, so I was super-stoked to be able to see this place!
In 1439, Gutenberg revolutionised the world of printing by inventing moveable type – the process of printing using little letters that you can put together in any combination (rather than woodcut printing). This was the beginning of mass communication and the shift of power away from the Church and to the people – once they could read, they could spread their ideas more quickly. Mass printing had a huge impact on European society, and was a direct contributor to the Industrial Revolution.
The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz has a perfectly preserved set of Gutenberg bibles (two volume set). I could have stared at them all day. I was in printing-nerd heaven. No photos allowed though.
We stopped for some lunch, then had a general wander around the old town – I’m guessing mostly reconstructed since 80% of the city was levelled in the war, most of it in one attack in February 1945. Hard to imagine how scary that would be.
We walked from the city centre to the Roman ruins at the towns’ edge. Mainz is also known for being the northern-most outpost of the Roman Empire – and there are plenty of Roman ruins scattered around the place, including at the train station. We had a bit of a look and then jumped on a train to the airport to begin the long wait.
And now it’s almost time to go to the boarding gate. I’ve enjoyed our trip immensely, but I am looking forward to being home. Although not so much the process of going home…
The Secret Life of Bebe 