We didn’t realize it last night, but the building that we looked at straight across the alley from our bedroom window was a famous thermal bathhouse, the Friedrichsbad, built in 1870 on top of the ruins of an ancient Roman bath. Here’s another look at it. Here’s a picture of our hotel from the alley … Continue reading →

After getting settled into our hotel, we took a walk around Baden-Baden at dusk. It is very beautiful with the lights just coming on. We discovered that we are exactly 7,900 kilometers away from Miami! And that Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince is here. A late night snack and coffee before bed; our waiter used to live … Continue reading →

We ended up staying for lunch in Schönaich and Ingeborg made an excellent Maultaschen soup, which is a lot like Matzo Ball soup. There’s an old Schwabian saying that the soup, a meat ball inside a pasta covering and made for Lent when you’re not supposed to eat meat, was made like raviolis to hide … Continue reading →

This morning, before leaving, Heike drove us up to a hill overlooking Schönaich so we could see the village. We walked down a beautiful path… …to Hans-Jürgen’s orchard where we picked and ate apples. And saw another nice view of the town. We saw vineyards all through our drive from Munchweiler to Schönaich and it … Continue reading →

Tschüß is the German word for goodbye and auf wiedersehen means, “see you again.” And so we had our farewell meal at Ingeborg and Hans-Jürgen’s house. And now we must say Tschüß. But more importantly, we say, Auf Wiedersehen! We’ll see you again!

Later in the day, Heike and Dorothea (who got out of school early) took us to another nearby, old city, Waldenbuch. Here’s a map so you can see how all these places relate to each other. We wanted to play chess, but couldn’t find all the pieces. So, instead, we walked around the old Duke’s … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Heike drove us to Böblingen, a larger nearby city, to run errands – mainly to get SIM cards from a German cellphone company so we can use our iPads for internet. Böblingen sort of runs into another city, Sindelfingen, where the Mercedes factory is located. Here’s a view of Sindelfingen from the hill above … Continue reading →

This is the view from Jörg and Heike’s house, down the valley. It was a cool evening, so the fireplace was lit. And we had a typical German supper of bread, meat and cheese. Mmmmmmmm.

After lunch, which is the main meal in Germany, we drove to Stuttgart. First we went to the top of an observation tower that had a nice view of the city. Then we went into the city center for coffee and cake. The buildings were magnificent. Here’s the New Castle. And the Opera: We wlked … Continue reading →

After visiting Meilenwerk, we returned to Heike and Jörg’s home in Schönaich where Jörg had been busy with the BBQ, making lunch. Heike’s mother, Ingeborg, made a delicious potato salad. Here’s Ingeborg with her other daughter, Kirsten. And here’s Heike with her youngest son, Tobias. And here’s Tobias with “Opa,” Heike’s father, Hans-Jürgen. A family … Continue reading →

This morning, Heike drove us to Böblingen, the nearby town where her daughter, Dorothea, and eldest son, Christopher, go to school. After seeing their school, we went to the old Stuttgart airport, closed since the war, that has been converted into the Meilenwerk, an antique car showroom. Christopher was an excellent tour guide; he is … Continue reading →

After leaving Münchweiler, we drove just a few miles south to a place called Neu Mühle, which means “new mill.” Back in the 1700s, one of the Jungck ancestors built a grist mill on the Alsenz River. All that’s left now is the old grinding stone and the mill race. The story that has been … Continue reading →

Today we drove from Bad Kreuznach to Schönaich and on the way, we drove through the Rhine valley where my Yungck ancestors lived, although in Germany the name was spelled, “Jungck.” Most of the family lived in a village named Münchweiler an der Alsenz. The “an der Alsenz” part means “on the Alsenz River.” the … Continue reading →

We drove most of the day today and ended up stopping at an out-of-the-way little resort town called Bad Kreuznach. It turned out to be a wonderful and very scenic place. Here’s the view from our hotel balcony… After checking in, we took a little walk around town. Everything is so picturesque that I’m going … Continue reading →

The inside of St. Mary’s cathedral is beautiful. It was originally built in the early 1200s and was completed as it looks today around 1360. The ceiling in the main church is nearly 100 feet high. Although the church was heavily damaged in WWII, it was rebuilt in the 1950s, including the twin spires. When … Continue reading →

After visiting Travemünde, we drove to Lübeck, an old walled fortress city about 20 minutes up the Trave River. Today, Lübeck is a busy port. I visited Lübeck several times when I was here in 1980. the city has some amazing old churches and buildings, though, unfortunately, many of them were heavily damaged in the … Continue reading →

We had a great fish dinner in Travemünde. Then we saw a sign on the wall about a special liquor that the restaurant was promoting. First, though, a beer to clear the palate. The liquor was called Fischergeist Brennende, which, I think means, “Fish Ghost Burning.” Dale loved it, as you can see:

After lunch, we walked along the waterfront and found the ice cream parlor I frequented back in 1980. Just down the road we saw a photo shop that had interesting postcards in the window, so we stopped and looked. One card had a picture of the old Schlichting-Werft. I commented to Dale that the canal … Continue reading →

We drove from Hamburg to Travemünde today so that I could visit the place I lived for six weeks in 1980 when I was in Germany with the Stehlins, working on the canal boat they bought, before we made the trans-Atlantic crossing. The shipyard was called the Schlichting-Werft. We crossed the Trave River from Travemünde … Continue reading →

I already mentioned that the hotel we’re staying at in Hamburg shares the building with three other hotels, but there are a couple more unusual features. The hallways are designed to look like a street scene. And over our bed on the wall are lights designed to make it look like a starry night. But … Continue reading →

Today we visited Susanne, Frank and Lennart. We visited in their apartment and then, since the weather was so nice, we rented a canoe and padddled through the canals and lakes in the heart of Hamburg. We went under several bridges. And finally found our way to the lake, which was full of sailboats. We … Continue reading →

It was an enjoyable six hour drive from Amsterdam to Hamburg, Germany. The countryside is reminiscent of the Carolina and Virginia Piedmont. We are staying at Hotel Wagner, right in the heart of Hamburg. It is a very nice hotel, but a little odd. The building is four floors and each floor is a different … Continue reading →