The Ancient Castle of Runkel, Germany

August 9, 2015 While on an ancestral discovery trip to nearby Oberursel, our guest Steffani from near Atlanta, Georgia had the opportunity to conquer her fear of heights AND explore an ancient medieval castle all at the same time. It was a bright and gorgeous July day when guide James Derheim offered a day trip […]

Chartres, France is a medieval jewel

May 2 We just finished two days of exploring Chartres, a city about a hour to the south and west of Paris but many more miles away in terms of peace and a small-town feeling evoking a time more than 900 years ago. Chartres is not just amazing for its huge cathedral, although that is […]

Watching the Barges Pass Through the Locks in Hirschhorn

October 6 One of the 27 locks on the Neckar River, which flows into the Rhein near Mannheim, is located just below the castle hotel of Hirschhorn. We stayed two nights there and from our rooms could watch barges pass through the locks below. Before we left the area, we took time to watch a […]

Lunch with a view in Beilstein, Germany

July 11 It’s always a highlight (even if you have been there, as we have, more than 100 times) to bring guests to the lovely Klostercafe above the miniature hamlet of Beilstein on the peaceful Mosel River. We love to share the not-so-secret hideaway at the top of the restaurant, the little room surrounded on […]

The View is Worth the Climb in Budapest

(September, 2012) We rode the fun funicular up to the old castle hill on the Buda side of Budapest. Once up there, we were treated to a splendid view over the Pest side with spires of Buda down below. The Danube really is blue, on a clear day.

Scenes from the Ring of Kerry

Driving from our last stop at Dingle over to Kenmare, we took the Ring of Kerry along the Iveragh Peninsula of western Ireland. It’s the “long way around” to Kenmare, but it resulted in some spectacular scenery. The Ring of Kerry is a road traveled by most of the big tour companies. We take the […]

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 […]