Hi All,
As usual, we do not make a posting unless it is associated with a trip we take. While this post is a bit delinquent, I guess “late is better than never!”
Meriam and I were fortunate to travel to Germany with our friends Kay and Larry Brookshire during the last week of November and the first two weeks in December, 2015. Our espoused purpose was to visit the many “Weinachtmarkts (Christmas Markets)” there. While we did visit a number of these markets, we also had a great time exploring the country side of Southern Germany.
The weather was pretty good while there. It was mostly in the 40s during the day and often dropped down to the lower 30s at night. I had been hoping for some snow but, alas, we encountered only one area where it had snowed a small the previous day.
In addition to Southern Germany, we visited Salzburg, Austria for a couple of days and spent a day driving through the German and Austrian Alps. At the end of our trip, we visited Colmar, France for a day.
All in all, we had a great trip.
I have included about 40 photographs in this post which should give you a feeling of the various places we visited. Meriam and I hope you enjoy them.
Thanks for looking,
Harold and Meriam
A map of the route(s) we drove during our three weeks in Germany.
Burg Stahleck, the castle hostel we stayed in during our first couple of nights in Germany.
The town of Oberwesel. The Rhine river is in the background.
Marksburg Castle
Another view of Marksburg Castle
The previous two photographs were taken during our tour of Rheinfels Castle.
Window shopping early one morning in town of Trier.
The Weinachtmarkt in Trier.
Narrow streets and beautiful buildings in Rothenburg. The clock tower in the center is part of the old wall which surrounds the city.
Rothenburg means Red City in English. You can see why from this viewpoint.
Weinachtmarkt in Rothenburg.
We took a day trip to visit Dachau. As you will recall, this was one of the Nazi’s concentration camps. The words above on the entrance gate “Arbeit Macht Frei” means “Work will make you free”. While there we learned every German student must spend a day visiting a concentration camp.
A cathedral in Regensburg, one of the many we visited during our trip. The Gothic architecture of these cathedrals are most impressive.
Another view of the cathedral in Regensburg. This city was Meriam’s favorite. The entire city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sausage anyone?
Meriam ate from one end and I started on the other!
Speaking of the iconic Bavarian German!
The Weinachtmarkt in Salzburg.
We only made one hotel reservation prior to beginning our trip. All other reservations were make “on the spot”. Here Meriam and Kay are on their phones trying to located a hotel for our next stop.
Waiting for a choir to perform at the Weinachtmarkt in Salzburg.
One of the demons “out and about” during the festivities.
The small village of Oberammergau is the center of Bavarian wood carving. It is also noted for its many painted buildings.
Neuschwanstein, on of the several castles built by Mad King Ludwig.
The gang outside of Neuschwanstein.
The hall of mirrors in Neuschwanstein.
Another cathedral in Regensburg.
Interior of one of the “lesser” cathedrals in Regensburg.
Camaraderie in the evening at one of Regensburg’s Weinachtmarkts.
The above two photographs were taken in the Swarovski Crystal Museum in Wattens, Austria. An absolutely fabulous place!
A scene while driving through the Black Forest region of Germany.
Another Weinachtmarkt in the town of Villingen.
The above 5 photographs were taken during our visit to Colmar, France.