Rüdensheim

I'm back on the road at last. First stop is the Rhine Valley. Rüdensheim is one of two small, picturesque German towns along the river that I visited. (See also the post for Bacharach.).
Theもっと詳しく
On the Rhine

A boat ride on the Rhine, it seems, is a part of most trips to Germany. The Rhine is known for having many castles, and this short stretch of the river is no exception, as 3 of the pictures show. Theもっと詳しく
Bacharach

Bacharach (no, not Burt) is the other small town. This one is an important wine town in the middle Rhine wine region. The area produces some of the best Riesling anywhere. I did taste some, and it isもっと詳しく
Köln Cathedral

Köln (in English, it's Cologne) Cathedral is one of the most recognizable buildings in Germany. It dates to the 13th century, although it wasn't feeling bushed until the 19th century. Amazingly, thisもっと詳しく
Hameln

If the picture of the statue of the Pied Piper doesn't tell you, Hameln is Hamelin in English. Yes, this is the town in the tale of the Pied Piper, and the town makes a big deal out of that. In theもっと詳しく
Hamburg

Hamburg is the 2nd largest city in Germany (after Berlin).
The 1st picture is of the Rathaus or city hall. (No comment about reading the name in English together with political humor.) The 2ndもっと詳しく
Hamburg harbor

The port of Hamburg is the 2nd busiest in Europe (after Rotterdam). It is built on the river Elbe on the lowlands near the mouth of the river at the North Sea. It is also an old port. Hamburg was partもっと詳しく
St. Michaels Church, Hamburg

St. Michael's was built during the Hanseatic period as a baroque style Lutheran church. I can say that this is the first time I've encountered a protestant church built in this style.
The 1st 4もっと詳しく
Lübeck

The headquarters city of the Hanseatic League. Lübeck is famous for gothic brick architecture that is typical of the Hanseatic era.
The 1st picture is of the city gates. This is the only remainingもっと詳しく
Marienkirke, Lübeck

The Marienkirke or Mary Church of Lübeck was begun in the 13th century and has the tallest brick vault in the world. It was built by the secular Hanseatic merchants as a statement that they wanted toもっと詳しく
WW II Berlin

Most of Berlin was leveled by the bombing during the war. So not much is left. The 1st picture is of the bell tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. The rest of the building was destroyed. The towerもっと詳しく
Cold War Berlin

This is what most of us grew up with when we heard about Berlin. Most of what's here was familiar in name only. Seeing all this brought so much back.
The 1st picture is of a section of the Berlin wallもっと詳しく
Berlin

Berlin is a beautiful city with an extraordinary history. At the risk of absurd understatement, I cannot begin to capture this place in a brief post or two from a one day visit. So I will be back forもっと詳しく
Dresden

Beautiful former capital of the Saxon rulers. Most of what is here are restorations as the city was destroyed by the bombing and firestorm in 1945. Many of the treasures were removed for safekeepingもっと詳しく
Leipzig

Leipzig is the largest town in Saxony and is a major arts and education center. On addition to musicians mentioned in the Thomaskirche post, Goethe studied at the renowned university here, too.
Whileもっと詳しく
Thomaskirche, Leipzig

St. Thomas Church in Leipzig is almost a pilgrimage site for musicians. Johann Sebastian Bach served here for 27 years as organist, choir master, composer, etc. Pictures 3, 4 & 5 are all Bach: hisもっと詳しく
Weimar

Many consider Weimar to be a cultural center of Germany. This relatively small town has an outsized reputation. It was here that the first constitution was proclaimed, creating the Weimar Republicもっと詳しく
Coburg Castle

This might be the castle in the best condition in Germany due to extensive restorations. This is the seat of the Saxe-Coburg family. Queen Victoria's Prince Albert was a Saxe-Coburg.
The 1st pictureもっと詳しく
Nürnberg

Nuremberg, in English, is generally well known as the site of the war crimes trials after world war 2 and of the grounds where the Nazis held huge rallies (see another post). While Nürnberg isもっと詳しく
Zeppelinfield, Nürnberg

This is the site most of us saw in the documentaries about the huge Nazi rallies with thousands of marchers carrying flags and torches with Hitler making his speeches. The size of the place is mindもっと詳しく
Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Well preserved medieval town in the Franconia region of Bavaria. The town is located on a bluff high above the river Tauber. It is also a few hundred meters from where 2 major medieval trade routesもっと詳しく
St. Jakob Church, Rothenberg

St. Jacob's is the main church in Rothenberg ob der Tauber (see another post). This church is known for its extensive and fine wood carving. Building began in the 14th century and continued into theもっと詳しく
München Zentrum

The center of Munich is around the Marienplatz. The 1st 4 pictures are all at the Marienplatz. The 1st picture is of the Church of Our Lady or Notre Dame or Mary for whom the square is named. In theもっと詳しく