Rampunzels tower - Alte burg ruine meets Badewanne..

Hi there folks,
I know, I know, I have not been blogging so much of late, but it is with good reason, as this is exciting times for me and my family...lots of changes and new turn of events happening to all of us here, so I am kept busy seeing to other important personal matters.

After some years of re-establishing ourselves in our new homeland, the time is finally right for us to buy a house. Oh what an exciting prospect, because I love house hunting and the jol of getting fixed up in a new spot..!

Now things work rather differently here where I am, there are no estate agent boards displayed on property that is for sale, no show days or any of that kind of thing, so a person has to rely on an agent to show you what they have on their books for sale.

My brief is that I don't want a brand new modern house, I want something unusual with character and vibe, maybe a historical building, even if it needs work and renovation, as this is my forté, having renovated 2 houses and 3 shops. I was thinking along the lines of something like a European version of the little broekies lace Victorian buildings something in the league of those that I knew from Simons Town, you get the vibe, with lots of quaint nooks and crannies, features like fire places, cellars and attics...space for family and the art studio etc...or something like one of those sturdy dressed stone Herbert Baker places. You don't get that type of place here, as this isn't England or Simons Town, but you do get beautiful historical places, from Fachwerk cottages to elegant 18th centuary townhouses.
I do not want a completly renovated place where I hate the previous owners brand new flowery bathroom tiles and knotty pine wood panelling job in the kitchen..nope, I want to do my own thing like I always do.

So giving an agent a brief about my thing for old and historical buildings here, well gee.. there is no limit to what is considered 'old' and 'historical' in Europe it can go from Roman ruins, to medieval cottages built into the walls of old fortified towns, to Art Nouveu beauties and post war block houses and 70's nighmare mod...

So now just imagin my excitement while out walkies to see Rampunzels tower! Can you just imagin it! Can you imagine living in something like that? Roaring great fires in big stone fireplaces, persian rugs and bear skins on the floors, old black oak chests and dark wood furniture, heavy velvet drapes and wood panelled walls. My stuff would look great in there! The creative juices flowing like a river, dreaming of draw bridges and battlements, and all the oodles of potential ...a renovators dream, what a challenge!



Originally an old fortress and look out tower, the foundations of which date back to the Roman occupation where the original building served as a garrisson which controled the trade on the Rhine. Later major alterations to structure date back to the 11th and 13th centuary when the tower was extended and further buildings added. The interior modernisation, flushing toilets and plumbing downstairs is from 1917, the tower has an en suit long drop..!


It's quite something hey, but oh, it is a never to be dream...why?..Well, because even if we got the financing, Pops the spoil sport won't indulge my passion for history and culture, and complains his back will never hold up with the work required to fix a place like that up. Then he whinges that there are too many stairs to get to the top floor of the tower...(hallo, it's good exercise...he's always mentioning my vetgat) and then he doesn't dig a long drop, and worries about heating an old stone place..heating??..the place is isolated in the middle of a dark forest...loads of trees to make fire for heating! Then Sonny pipes up that he won't live with us unless there is a high speed Internet connection, (picky little shit), and Cheeky Chops whines that she won't live there because she doesn't want her boyfirend seeing our antique long drop...sheeesss, excuses, excuses...bad back, too many stairs, living in a stone tower, too much work, too cold, poefie loo', carols by candle light...hell, what a bunch of kiljoys, no sense of adventure and romance. Once the place is in good nic just imagine the resale value.


I was thinking of putting Oupa in the top of the tower anyway, so he has a bit of privacy, but you know men, they can be so 'pieperig' and 'vol fiemies', and Pops says once Oupa is up in the tower he might never make it down the 5000 stairs with his gammy knee, and will require a pully system to get his meals up and down...oh well, I spose it's a no deal, so back to the agents to look at something a tad more easy for the less adventurous and 'pieperig' in my family...tut tut.. and I had such great visions floating around in my head for a moment..! Oh well, let me take a look at those grey post war block houses..