Celebrating a Birthday at Hirschhorn Castle

September 10, 2012 Sometimes while on a trip around Germany one just has to say “why not?” and go to a castle for a dish of ice cream to celebrate a birthday. That’s what we did the other day to celebrate our guest Beth Renney’s birthday. Up, up, up we drove into the hills above […]

The Odenwald’s Silent Sentinal

September 10, 2012 Like a stone sentinal guarding the rolling hills of the Odenwald Forest, Auerbach Castle high above Bensheim-Auerbach has stood tall for more than 800 years. We visited this ruin on a warm September day while exploring ancestral Bensheim and Mannheim nearby. Auerbach Castle was built by Charlamagne and then rebuilt and enlarged […]

Exploring Edinburgh, Scotland

(Post uploaded after June 17 to 28 trip in Ireland, Scotland and England) Edinburgh! This city should have an exclamation point after its name on town signs, maps and so on. It’s that great of a city. Scotland’s capital and second largest city after Glasgow, the city attracts more than a million visitors per year, […]

Pont Neuf in Paris and the End of the Knights Templar

June 15 s Jacques de Molay, last Grand Master of the Knights Templar was executed at the stake at the place where Pont Neuf bridge stands today in Paris The story of the Knights Templar is one which has always fascinated us. Originally set up as a guard to protect pilgrims who were traveling to […]

We Love A Scenic Lunch Spot

When in France, eat as the French do. That means slllloooooowwwww down. Enjoy it. Have some wine. Savor the flavors. And, have more wine. (Not the driver, of course) Recently we came across one of those villages in France which has been officially recognized as one of the prettiest in the land. How do we […]

The Last Brewery In Bruges, Belgium

May 30 We took the interesting tour of the Henri Maes “Halve Mann” brewery in Bruges the other day and found it a fascinating look into how one of the more than 35 breweries that used to exist in this small Flemish town operated. Our guide, Ian, was the highlight of the day as he […]