For our last full day in Germany before returning to the USA, we decided to go on an excursion to see Schloss Neuschwanstein (translated literally: “Castle New Swan Stone”), the fairy tale castle of “Mad King Ludwig” (King Ludwig II) of Bavaria. To get to Neuschwanstein we used the last of our 10-day Eurail Pass, … Continue reading
The sun came out in force on Friday, so we made our way to the English Garden (Englischer Garten) on the banks of the Isar River. As we have been wandering around town, we've occasionally seen surfers on bikes riding down the street: I had heard about river surfing in Munich, so we followed one … Continue reading
Before this trip, when someone mentioned Munich, I thought of Oktoberfest, Biergärten and Lederhosen. But I suppose that Americans and Europeans of my parents’ (and their parents’) generation associate the city with something much more sinister than Lager and pretzels: Munich is the birthplace of the Nazi Party and the political career of Adolph Hitler. … Continue reading
The weather has continued to be cool and overcast since our arrival in Munich, not really good for spending time outdoors at the Englischer Garten or a Biergarten, which is what we had hoped to do. But the gloomy and foreboding feel of the day matched the mood and experience of our excursion to nearby … Continue reading
When we arrived in Munich (München) on Sunday afternoon it was in the mid-80s. But, a front moved through southern Germany on Monday and today it was in the 50s. It was odd to be looking for a fan in the apartment one day, then trying to figure out the heating system the next. At … Continue reading
I have to say that I really love the beer, pretzel bread and wurst here but my favorite Swabian food is Spätzle, a boiled dough that looks and tastes a little bit like spaghetti. Dale asked Heike to show her how to make it, so when we got back to the house, Heike and Dale … Continue reading
Friday, May Day, turned out to be a rainy day – like what we would expect in Bellingham, Washington, this time of year. In fact, Bellingham and Schönaich are at just about the same latitude which explains the similar weather and vegetation. In preparation for our visit to Germany, Manfred had sent me a list … Continue reading
Thursday afternoon, we decided to go for a long walk to burn off some of the calories from the Frühlingsfest. Dale had already been on the trail that runs below and behind the Langner's (Jörg's and Heike's) house, so she knew the route. The trail has been adorned with outdoor art. This piece is probably … Continue reading
Everybody has heard of Munich’s Oktoberfest, but did you know that it has a rival in the Spring? Well it does: the Stuttgarter Frülingsfest, also known as the Cannstatter Wasen, held every year in Stuttgart between the middle of April and the end of May. Its the largest Spring festival in Europe! And we were … Continue reading
Leaving Ulm, we traced the Blau River ten miles west to its headwaters: the spring at Blaubeuren known as the Blautopf (the “Blue Pot”). Blaubeuren is also home to an ancient Benedictine monastic village, obviously located here for the spring water and mill power it provides. Blautopf is the second largest spring in Germany and, … Continue reading
Early to bed Sunday night, we were up bright and early for a daytrip to Ulm with another Ulmer relative, Manfred, and his son-in-law, Henrik Sachse. Henrik is married to Manfred’s eldest daughter, Simone. Simone and I are third cousins which also means that Manfred and I are second cousins, once removed. Henrik, Simone, Manfred … Continue reading
Sunday morning, we walked to church with Jörg and Tobias. Heike, Christopher and Dorothea had gone on ahead because they were all involved in the ceremony. Heike is the choir director and Christopher, in addition to playing in the church band, was playing a solo on his piccolo trumpet. Dorothea, of course, was the star … Continue reading
It felt like a homecoming to be back in Schönaich again. This village of 10,000 (the same as our hometown of Miami Shores) is a little southeast of Stuttgart and has been the home of my Ulmer ancestors back to the time of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) – and the family is still here! … Continue reading
We returned to Florida in October to spend the holidays with our kids, help with wedding planning and attend Dale’s high school reunion. On New Years Day, we flew back to Washington to take care of some unfinished matters (rebuilding the deck and adding a spiral staircase between floors) and to get in a little … Continue reading
If someone were to ask me to give them a first name for someone named Marx, I’d say, “Groucho.” I can assure you that the Chinese would say, “Karl.” Trier is the birthplace of Karl Marx, the intellectual font of communism. We visited his house on, you guessed it, Karl-Marx-Strasse (“Karl Marx Street”). They should … Continue reading
The history and archeological museum had complete mosaic floors and walls that had been found and removed from old Roman homes and monuments. Dale really liked these. Here are a few examples. We spent two hours in the museum, mainly looking at the exhibits relating back to the Roman period. After the Romans left in … Continue reading
Yesterday was a very busy day for us. Besides going to all the ancient Roman ruins and walking probably 10 miles around the city, we also went to the history and archeology museum, located near the Imperial Baths. Inside the museum, on the top floor, they had models of all the old Roman structures that … Continue reading
As I pointed out earlier, Trier is located on the Mosel River. In Roman times, it was a walled city (Porta Nigra was one of the city gates). On the east, it was necessary to cross the Mosel to get to the eastern gate and access the city, so the Romans built a bridge over … Continue reading
Around 300 A.D., the Romans began the construction of the Imperial Baths in anticipation of Trier becoming a seat of government for the Roman Empire in the north. The Baths were never completed and used as a bath because Emperor Constantine left Trier for Turkey before they were finished, so work halted. The Roman baths … Continue reading
After the Amphitheater, we caught the bus again and got off at the Basilica built by Emperor Constantine before he went off to establish his new seat of government at Constantinopole in Turkey in the 4th century, A.D. The Roman basilicas were essentially public forums where the rulers officiated. This basilica is the largest unsupported … Continue reading
The Amphitheater in Trier was built by the Romans some time in the 2nd century, A.D. The floor of the Amphitheater measures almost 500 feet across; this is where the gladiators fought and the wild animals were released to tear each other apart. Here’s the entrance: And here’s what it looks like from the fighting … Continue reading
We started this morning with a tour of Trier on a double-decker bus. Trier is on the Mosel River and that was the first destination of the bus. After driving along the Mosel for a mile or two, the bus turned back into the city, went past the Roman Baths, and then drove up the … Continue reading
After leaving Speyer, we drove further west for about two hours to Trier, the oldest city in Germany and the largest city built by the Romans north of Rome, nearly 2,000 years ago. We’re so glad that Heike suggested we stop in Speyer and Trier on our way back. They are both amazing places and … Continue reading
After visiting the Speyer Cathedral, we strolled down the walking street to the West gate to the ancient walled city, the east gate being adjacent to the cathedral. Here’s Dale in front of the cathedral; that’s the old State government building in the background. Here’s the view walking down the street that you can see … Continue reading
In the afternoon, after the baths in Baden-Baden, we drove west a couple hours to Speyer, an old walled city on the Rhine River. It turned out that there was a two-week long music festival going on and all the hotels in town were booked. We know this because we stopped at ten of them … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 