Dr. Jose Rizal Statue in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany

Not many people from the Philippines realize that there is a statue and park dedicated to their national hero, Jose Rizal, located in an out of the way village buried deep in the Odenwald Forest about 25 kilometers from Heidelberg. I brought my current clients there and we enjoyed seeing the statue, erected in 1978, […]

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Walt Disney used Neuschwanstein Castle as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle. A stunning late fall day at Neuschwanstein Castle, near Schwangau, Germany. The temperature was right at 1 Celsius, but the sun and the total lack of any wind made it bearable. The visibility was unlimited, with villages and lakes stretching off to the horizon […]

Kinderdijk, Holland is Postcard from the Past

On a cold and very windy day we visited the most expansive collection of old windmills on offer in Holland. Kinderdijk, not far from Rotterdam, has 19 of them set in marshland well below sea level. The windmills may no longer be doing their old job of pumping water up into the nearby river (a […]

Best Chocolate Shop in Brugges, Belgium

We visited the little shop of the Dumon family the other day for their wonderful handcrafted chocolate. Madame Dumon explained that there are many chocolate shops in Brugges, but only four which still make their own chocolate. All the others ship it in from large factories. And, I was so impressed that upon entering, before […]

Potsdamer Platz in Berlin

Left a barren wasteland after WWII, Potsdamer Platz is once again the vibrant unofficial heart of Berlin. Tall skyscrapers built with cutting edge designs and sponsored in part by Sony Corporation, the area is full of light and color and activity until late in the evening. A huge train and underground station takes up acres […]