I wish I could say this trip was ours, but it was the next best thing. My sister Marie and her hubby Antoine came out to visit us for their 16th wedding anniversary. They stayed for two weeks.....kind of. They took a side trip to Venice for a few days, and then another side trip to Paris for a few days. I was really happy that they were able to do that, but a little sad that we didn't get more time together. When planning the days I had with them, I really racked my brains to try and pick the places that would be best for them, and really show them some of the best of Germany. There's so much to see here! In the end, I think I picked a few good places, and I think they had a pretty good time. I let each of the kids choose one day that they could skip school and tour around with us. I didn't take many pictures, because I've visited most of these places many times, but here are a few.
Wiesbaden. I happen to love the city we live it, and I think it is beautiful, so I always think it's worth the time to show people around.
Rudesheim. Great view of the Rhein.
We got some delicious Apfelstrudel.
And we went to a wine factory in an old castle.
View from the top.
Frankfurt.
Heidelberg. Antoine fell in love with Flammkuchen. Who could blame him? ;)
They loved the Great Heidelberg Tun, or wine barrel (below) at the castle there. It really is quite a sight to see. When it was built in 1751 it held over 58, 000 gallons of wine (a little less now since the wood has dried out). Why would they need so much wine? Well, they taxed people that way, and this is where they kept it. Now it's just a tourist attraction, and occasionally a place to dance, since they built a dance floor on top of it.
Cologne (Koln).
It always amazes me to see the difference between the parts of the cathedral where they've cleaned and haven't cleaned. I can't imagine how incredible it would look all white.
There was a chalk artist outside the cathedral, and we stopped and watched him for a minute.
Schwetzingen. We went to an Ostereiemarkt (Easter Market) at the Schwetzingen Schloss. Cute town.
This town has an abundance of interesting statues, including this one.
Me, in front of the palace, taking a picture of Marie.
Marie taking a picture of me.
Marie being Marie
They have extensive gardens in the back, but it was a cold, rainy, windy day, so we didn't explore that (I'll have to go back when it's warmer and greener).
Fortunately, the market was inside one of the buildings, so we didn't freeze. Unfortunately, none of the vendors would let us take pictures. I've never been to an Easter market here, and I was really blown away by the artistry on display. There were eggs that were painted, and beaded, and threaded, and carved, and anything else you could think of. And all sizes of eggs, from quail eggs to ostrich eggs.
Here's a few pics I swiped from the internet.
Most of the eggs were out of my price range, some in the hundreds of dollars for each one. But we found a couple of things for a few euro that we couldn't resist. Including this little gem that I got from a vendor from the Netherlands. It's an etching, and on the back she put the lyrics to a song about pussy willows in the spring. She was such a nice little old lady, I wished that I had more money to spend on her stuff.
Buchenwald. Marie really wanted to go to one of the concentration camps while they were here, and the closest one to us is in Buchenwald. I've always liked going to cemeteries - I always feel very peaceful there - but this was very different. This wasn't a place where people rested in peace. This was a place of nightmares. It was a heavy and sobering feeling, and that's as it should be. It's such an important part of history that needs to be remembered, and it was time worth spent. We didn't feel like taking many pictures, but here are a few.
And just like all visits, it came to an end. Thanks for coming guys, we love you!
