Goslar Deserves its World Heritage Classification

Goslar in the Harz Mountains is a world-class small city with a wealth of well-preserved half-timbered and stone buildings dating back to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Once the seat of the emperor, the “Kaiserpfalz” still stands today as strong as it did when it was built in 1050. Emperors from Friedrich Barbarossa to […]

Eppingen, Germany is a Half-timbered Town with "Pfiff!"

We spent a couple of nights in Paula’s ancestral town of Eppingen, not far from Heilbronn and Sinsheim in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Eppingen is well-known in this area for its wealth of beautifully-preserved half-timbered houses. Some are huge, such as the “Baummisches Haus,” dating from 1562 and now a lovely small hotel and cellar restaurant with extensive […]

Berlin's Rise from the Ashes

Where’s the action in Berlin? It’s all in the former East of the city, in places like Potsdamer Platz where building cranes have been replaced by gleaming new towers of exceptional, interesting architectural designs. The new Lehrter Bahnhof shines to the north of the new Chancellor’s residence and office. A long line of people wait […]

Hamburg Harbor Tour is Amazing

The tour around Hamburg’s busy harbor, the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam, has to be seen to be believed. The best boat departs from bridge 6. It’s a large vessel, capable of carrying many hundreds of passengers but of course, everyone’s up top to enjoy the views. You pass beneath and beside massive container […]

Runkel Castle on the Lahn River

We stopped to visit Runkel Castle on the 31st of July on our way between the Rhein Valley and Hameln. This fascinating castle is one of our favorites in Germany, because it is relatively unknown and fun for all ages to explore. A historical timeline follows, with thanks to the official town web site. (Not […]

Weidenhausen 700 Birthday Celebration

It’s a remarkable experience to be a part of the birthday celebrations of a hamlet marking seven centuries of history. The townspeople of Weidenhausen, in the Siegen-Wittgenstein area of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (all 495 of them) turned out during a lovely weekend to mark the birthday with a series of events. Marie and I were fortunate […]