Ulm, Cathedral Steps

They laid the cornerstone in 1377, and only 513 years later, in 1890, Ulm’s Gothic cathedral was completed. The single spire is the world’s tallest church steeple (529.6 feet high), and while Emmy sat this one out, I personally counted each of the 768 steps to the top. The last hundred or so steps, as seen here, are a narrow circular staircase enclosed in the lacy Gothic tower — I could reach out and touch a cloud. I was in such physical condition that when I reached the top I wasn’t even breathing hard — in fact, I almost wasn’t breathing at all.

The ticket seller explained that these 768 steps are the most available for the public to climb (up), anywhere in the world. That “honor” belonged to the Washington Monument (555 feet, 5 1/8 inches high, Google.com says 893, or 896, or 897, or 898 steps) in Washington, DC, until a rule change a few years ago. The last we heard, the elevator is required for the ride up the Washington Monument, but there is a choice between the elevator or the stairs to get down.

An additional item of interest about Ulm, Albert Einstein was born here in March 1879