After leaving Cologne, we made our way back to Weissenthurm to meet up with some friends for dinner. As
Cologne is only an hour north of Andernach, we had plenty of time prior to meeting at the Pfeffermuhle restaurant to finish our exploration of the ancient town.
One of the aspects of taking a trip along the Rhine is that each town will have at least one castle and some type of wall or fortress that remains from the Middle ages. While the Rhine is far too long for me to post any type of a map to show you the various "castle" stops, I scanned portions of a map to give you the general idea.
These maps comprise less than 60 miles of the Rhine
In reality, this is a very small portion of the route we would be traveling over the next few days but from Cologne to Andernach, you can see that there are a number of castles in that stretch.
For today's post I am going to stay within Andernach, though. As I mentioned in my post The First Day, I had spent my first afternoon seeing some of the city and it's charm, but there was more to see.
As we pulled into town we parked next the the giant fortress wall that remains fairly intact around the town. Considering the town is over 2000 years old, the old town is full of historical remnants. While the wall and castle were built in the 12th Century, much of the wall and towers still remain in fairly good shape.The castle was destroyed by the French in 1689. That would be when the French also put the "dent" into the Round Tower, that I talked about in The First Day post, as well.
One of the things that I found interesting, is how the people of Andernach incorporated the wall into building homes. There are homes that are built to back up into the wall.
A portion of the remaining wall
As we walk toward the castle remains
Cute little windows in an ancient wall
Does living in an Medieval Tower cost more than in a Medieval wall?
Wonder how many tourists stare into this person's window.
From this angle you can see how the homes are built into the wall.
Looking back at the wall from the castle ruins.
One of the remaining walls and keep of the castle.
Walking along the Rhine toward the Bastion
A toll booth on the River Rhine
Very classy toll booth, don't you think?
Thought Number Two: Remembering the Places We've Been
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That's crazy, you can live in a condo attached to an ancient castle wall? That would be pretty cool. Also, is there really a place called Ausfahrt? If it sounds like it's spelled, it would be what I would have named a town when I was 12 (who am I kidding, I would name a town that now in my 30's).
Here in North America, we just tear down old buildings and put up something new. They don't do that in Europe, do they? They just keep on using them, recycling them, incorporating them into newer structures. A different attitude!
I am luv'ng these video clips of Germany. Of course, the window must be etched glass, not just plain. I sometimes wonder how they survived the bitter cold in those damp and uninsulated castles. Not sure I'd want to live in the old castle keep,even though I am sure it is be better heated now. I think it is quite nifty to leave part and build new around it. One place in New Westminster, BC they did that was at a prison they closed. They kept the front of the prison, and built all up and down the hill on both sides. Kinda a creepy view,eh? I'd much prefer the castle view,bringing reminds of centuries of history.
I suspect they are not allowed to build onto the ancient walls anymore. Since the wall had been there for hundreds of years I can understand relying on it being sturdy enough for supporting your house. The different types of castles was interesting. The older defensive castles were built for war but the later ones were built for the rich and have many more windows which would easily be smashed by ramming a log through them. Those older ones are dark and cold. They don't seem very comfy.
Wow, I don't know how I'd feel about living in a wall like that. I'd certainly feel pressured to purchase very, very nice window curtains. This IS fascinating, Cheryl.
Cheryl, I love the pictures. We went to Germany in '98 and loved it. The food was outstanding. I've never found any authentic German food in the U.S. Even that which claimed to be "authentic". I learned to drink beer there too. It was preferred over Coke Lite (Diet Coke) with no ice. Not having ice in my drinks was the only down side, other than the cold. We went in Feb. and it was freezing. A friend of ours is over there on business - his first trip. :)
LMAO! I remember those signs! I think we have 200 of them ::snicker:: Another useful sign to know is "Umleitung". We tried unsuccessfully for over five hours to get to this mysterious town "Umleitung".... I mean, it was noted on our local map, so it has to be somewhere.. right? After we passed the same stop sign for the millionth time we gave up on seeing Umleitung (It had exclamation marks by the name, so we were sure it was a "must-see!!"), and found a neat-o castle in the middle of nowhere. Later I asked my brother how on earth one was suppose to find this stupid Umleitung. He said, "Take the detour." ... now why didn't we think of that? ;) I love LOVE that you are posting all this - such great memories ::le sigh::
The body adapts to it's environment and your environment is a cozy warm one. I thought I was going to die the first winter here after moving up from Dallas. BUT when I visit home which is Chicago, and get back to Kansas it usually feels warm.
No one here ever expects -40 degree wind chill factors, though. The news said it it was more than 20 years ago that it got this cold.
Does it ever snow in New Orleans??? I can't imagine that it does.
I am not thinking Maryland has perfect weather for me. They might have 4 seasons as we do but they still have winter.
Yes, the schools were closed yesterday and today. They expect everything to go back to normal tomorrow as it will get up to 37 degrees. That actually sounds warm after the last two days.
I layer like that too, when it gets below freezing. I tried to stay in as much as I could the last couple of days but I did have a couple of appointments that I couldn't cancel. Bitter cold but today it got back up to around 30 for the high. Much better than a minus 10.
I love historical buildings and such. It's it amazing to think that people lived in a castle here 800 years ago or that a town existed here 2000 years ago. Amazing really.
If you look at the picture, you can see one of the houses has created 3 windows in the wall. All three have little lace curtains. There doesn't seem to be a uniform plan as to where the windows were cut out. I would love to see the interior of one of those houses.
Yes, I agree...I have read stories about those old castles and how damp and cold they are. Later in the trip we went into some of those that have been renovated and are being occupied. Even with the renovation, I get the sense of it being dark and dank.
That is interesting about the prison. I will have to try to Google that. It's amazing what people turn into homes. In central Kansas, a developer took several old missile silos and turned them into underground condos. Very high end condos starting at over a million dollars U.S. Of course, most people that bought them were of the dooms-dayer mentality.
I agree that a lot of these don't seem cozy. I was surprised to see how many have been turned into hotels and hostels. That's interesting about the windows. Evidently, the castle in Andernach wasn't built for defending anyone because it has a lot of windows. The French destroyed it. Guess the wall didn't keep them out.
I think it would be fun to live in the city center of a cute town like that, in a house that would never fall apart. Still, I would be curious as to what they look like on the inside. I loved the little windows with the cute curtains. Gives some charm to the old wall.
I totally agree. American's don't respect old anything. Nor does the quality of our buildings provide for something to last hundreds of years. Out here in suburbia where I live, if a house is 15 years old it is considered "dated" unless it has already been renovated. Such waste of resources to build crappy construction only to have it be obsolete in a relatively short amount of time.
We were there in the early 90's and I loved that trip as well. We were in different areas than this trip. I can't drink alcohol but on the last trip we were there during the Fruhlingfest in Munich so there was beer flowing non-stop. Very fun even for non-drinkers.
I am with you on the no ice thing. I am used to cold beverages and not having any for two weeks was a bummer.
It was all that cold this past December. A couple of days it got a little below freezing but still not horrible. I over packed thinking it would be far colder.
Jane, you might be one of the few people than can appreciate how it feels to be illiterate in Germany. I felt very much at a disadvantage not being able to read, write or understand anything.
Very funny story about the detour signs. I guess they call it a diversion. But it's great that you found your way to something fun to see.
I am so happy you are enjoying listening to me talk about this trip. I know for people that don't enjoy travel..they are probably bored out of their mind but it's giving me a chance to journal a bit for future reference and reflection.
Thanks Liggy....You are so like me in that, this just prompts my imagination as to how it all must of been like. It's just hard to wrap one's mind around the idea that people lived in Andernach 2000 years ago. Here in the states if some one says 50 years, everyone is ooohing and aaahing about how long ago that was.
I love seeing and touching things that have been around for hundreds and hundred of years.
Thanks for proving my point. I'm no warfare scholar, but I believe castles and their defenses were part of the whole advancement (does seem like the right word does it?) of warfare. Once we got to guns and cannons the castles didn't stand much of a chance and you might as well put in some nice windows while you not under siege.
I hope you get the chance to go back sometime. The more commercialized the U.S. gets the more quaint some of the "old world" appears. Last time we went to Germany we spent a lot of time in Munich which has a completely different vibe than the cities along the Rhine. This time we spent more time in the Netherlands as well which was really interesting.
I am jealous I would love to visit a castle but I do not think there are any castles in Australia and I can't afford to go over seas to a country with castles
Hi Cheryl, Wow what a wonderful trip! I can only imagine hop cool it would be top get on a boat and cruise the Rhine river and stop at each town to see the sights and enjoy the history. Clicks! Wolf
So many castles so little time! LOL I think it's awesome how they built the homes to support the ancient wall. Are homes there smaller than the home here? It looks that way from the pictures. I really enjoyed your video :) Perfect music choice for looking at an old castle! Clicks for you! --Trina
Australia might not have medieval castles but your country has so many things the rest of us will never get a chance to see. And the cost of a trip from where I live to where you live would be really expensive. You said you are going to Hawaii in the future...that sounds like a nice trip.
My husband took a couple (maybe three) Rhine cruises when he first got over there. He said it was heaven to sit on the top deck and relax between the stops. Then he'd get off the boat to explore and get back on. Those cruises are really inexpensive (once your past getting to Germany). By the time I got there in November there were less cruises available and it was too cold to be up on the deck...which is why we just drove from town to town along the Rhine. If I get a chance to go back, I'd like to go around September.
Housing...as far as how houses are constructed..is really interesting, Trina. The homes are small and choppy much like older homes in the U.S. used to be but the houses are "tall and skinny" AND the homes are built to last for hundreds of years.
I would of loved to get in one of the houses built into the wall. I doubt that they are any narrower than some of the regular houses but they must have the feel of a house built into a berm. I could tell that where they cut out the windows that the wall is probably several feet deep. I would love to have my house piered to a 6 foot thick wall. I wouldn't ever worry about a tornado, again.
Another thing...there are a lot of homes built to support multi-generations. Even at the guesthouse the family was parents, their children and their grandchildren. I took some pictures of real estate because that's what a dorky realtor would do. The picture is of a two family home that looks fairly typical. Not a lot of curb appeal but I don't think that is the focus there.
I'd love to see inside one too. Here a pic of that prison entrance. It is surrounded by town home complexes,front back and sides. There is nothing of the prison left except this one wall, and how they have 'prettied' up the entrance.
That is a very pretty entrance. Overall, I like the idea of restoring and reusing old buildings. I think it would be fun to live in home that had some interesting back history. Thanks for the picture.
I must say, I have just caught up on reading your trip blog entries, lovely, lovely, lovely. One of my friends would have probably taken about a zillion pics of the one arch (I don't know the architectural term, I call it an acorn arch), she loves those things. I would love to go to Europe generally, at Christmastime. I have to agree, however, you would be at a miserable disadvantage not being able to read the language...
I think my body went a little crazy after having a c-section. I have chronic high blood pressure and cold weather was a blessing. But now, when I feel the chill, it's to my bones and though it feels good on my skin, the chill is the thing that gets to me :) Weird, huh?
Let's see... when did it last snow in New Orleans.. Hmmmm... 2006, I think. It was just enough that if you went to three different cars and gathered the snow on top of them, you could make an itty bitty snowman. The city shut down because of the snow. Lol
I love the slideshow of all the pictures (nice music to go with it too :) I thought it was cool how the wall was incorporated into the house. Wow.. though... when I see the pictures, I imagine the ghosts that roam the land... the people.. the stories.. the history. Many Europeans thinks Americans are "babies" in comparison and time wise, we most certainly are. Nothing like this type of history and depth. It's beautiful.
Thank you, Cat! You really know how to make a blogger's day brighter. There is something about doorways and arches that I find interesting as well. On this trip, I took a lot of window pictures...especially in ruins. They are quite unique and have a beautiful quality about them.
On previous trips, we stayed in larger cities and didn't notice the complete absence of English speaking people and many of the signs were multi-language. This was a bit of a challenge. My husband has picked up a lot due to the total immersion at work for the last 4 months but I was thrown by not being able to speak or read.
Aleta, I swear you and I have some kind of a cosmic connection. We tend to think and react in similar ways to a lot of topics.
As for the music...I had the most awesome song picked that I loved. THEN when I put it on Youtube, I got a notice about the copyright. So rather than taking the time to email the publisher who owns the rights and get a waiver, I tracked down someone willing to let me use a Creative Commons license on one of his songs. (the one I used) While, I really like the music and appreciate Kevin MacLeod for sharing.... the original one I picked stuck in my head.
In a way we are babies, here in the U.S. aren't we? I think that is why we imagine "ghosts" in the old castles and fortresses in Europe. It's hard to imagine that 8, 9, 10 generations of people lived and died in those buildings.
Oh, Chicken...we should of had a conference call,,,err...comment. Yes, I agree that there is a sense of long lost spirits in those old buildings that have gone through wars before anyone even sailed over to the "New World". It's just hard to wrap one's head around a town that has stood for 2000 years.
Thanks, Timothy. I appreciate that you are finding them enjoyable. I know travel posts bore some people to tears but it's been a good way for me to organize my pics and journal the trip.
I swear that having babies changes every hormone that ever took up residence in a woman's body. After my C-section, I was either freezing or sweltering. It's gotten slightly better over the years but still have episodes of sweating in weather that everyone else thinks is comfortable or freezing when everyone else claims to be hot.
That is funny about New Orleans shutting down with such a little bit of snow. Here it would take a heck of a snow storm to shut anything down. Monday and Tuesday the schools closed but it was because of the -40 degree windchill. They can't risk little people getting frostbite.
It is so easy to be "that person" that rubs salt into the wound, while basking in the warm sun. Texas has had a bit of cold weather this year, right? My walking partner hasn't missed any days walking with me but the temperatures have certainly been colder than normal. (she lives in Dallas)
This has been such a cool travelogue to follow! I can't imagine living in one of those houses, no. I'd parade around naked just to annoy people, I think.
I am back home now and putting the posts online about my visit. I had very limited access to computers in Germany. I got home right before Christmas. My husband is still there though and is planning on coming home in early February.
Middle-aged (if I become a centenarian) living a middle-class life in the very middle of the country and continually struggling with the pros and cons of every topic. Seriously, conflicted.
Posts
48 comments:
That's crazy, you can live in a condo attached to an ancient castle wall? That would be pretty cool. Also, is there really a place called Ausfahrt? If it sounds like it's spelled, it would be what I would have named a town when I was 12 (who am I kidding, I would name a town that now in my 30's).
Here in North America, we just tear down old buildings and put up something new. They don't do that in Europe, do they? They just keep on using them, recycling them, incorporating them into newer structures. A different attitude!
What an amazing trip. How lovely that all that rich history still exists.
I am luv'ng these video clips of Germany. Of course, the window must be etched glass, not just plain. I sometimes wonder how they survived the bitter cold in those damp and uninsulated castles. Not sure I'd want to live in the old castle keep,even though I am sure it is be better heated now. I think it is quite nifty to leave part and build new around it. One place in New Westminster, BC they did that was at a prison they closed. They kept the front of the prison, and built all up and down the hill on both sides. Kinda a creepy view,eh? I'd much prefer the castle view,bringing reminds of centuries of history.
I suspect they are not allowed to build onto the ancient walls anymore. Since the wall had been there for hundreds of years I can understand relying on it being sturdy enough for supporting your house. The different types of castles was interesting. The older defensive castles were built for war but the later ones were built for the rich and have many more windows which would easily be smashed by ramming a log through them. Those older ones are dark and cold. They don't seem very comfy.
Wow, I don't know how I'd feel about living in a wall like that. I'd certainly feel pressured to purchase very, very nice window curtains. This IS fascinating, Cheryl.
Be well.
xoRobyn
Cheryl, I love the pictures. We went to Germany in '98 and loved it. The food was outstanding. I've never found any authentic German food in the U.S. Even that which claimed to be "authentic". I learned to drink beer there too. It was preferred over Coke Lite (Diet Coke) with no ice. Not having ice in my drinks was the only down side, other than the cold. We went in Feb. and it was freezing. A friend of ours is over there on business - his first trip. :)
LMAO! I remember those signs! I think we have 200 of them ::snicker:: Another useful sign to know is "Umleitung". We tried unsuccessfully for over five hours to get to this mysterious town "Umleitung".... I mean, it was noted on our local map, so it has to be somewhere.. right? After we passed the same stop sign for the millionth time we gave up on seeing Umleitung (It had exclamation marks by the name, so we were sure it was a "must-see!!"), and found a neat-o castle in the middle of nowhere. Later I asked my brother how on earth one was suppose to find this stupid Umleitung. He said, "Take the detour." ... now why didn't we think of that? ;)
I love LOVE that you are posting all this - such great memories ::le sigh::
The body adapts to it's environment and your environment is a cozy warm one. I thought I was going to die the first winter here after moving up from Dallas. BUT when I visit home which is Chicago, and get back to Kansas it usually feels warm.
No one here ever expects -40 degree wind chill factors, though. The news said it it was more than 20 years ago that it got this cold.
Does it ever snow in New Orleans??? I can't imagine that it does.
I am not thinking Maryland has perfect weather for me. They might have 4 seasons as we do but they still have winter.
Yes, the schools were closed yesterday and today. They expect everything to go back to normal tomorrow as it will get up to 37 degrees. That actually sounds warm after the last two days.
I layer like that too, when it gets below freezing. I tried to stay in as much as I could the last couple of days but I did have a couple of appointments that I couldn't cancel. Bitter cold but today it got back up to around 30 for the high. Much better than a minus 10.
I love historical buildings and such. It's it amazing to think that people lived in a castle here 800 years ago or that a town existed here 2000 years ago. Amazing really.
If you look at the picture, you can see one of the houses has created 3 windows in the wall. All three have little lace curtains. There doesn't seem to be a uniform plan as to where the windows were cut out. I would love to see the interior of one of those houses.
Yes, I agree...I have read stories about those old castles and how damp and cold they are. Later in the trip we went into some of those that have been renovated and are being occupied. Even with the renovation, I get the sense of it being dark and dank.
That is interesting about the prison. I will have to try to Google that. It's amazing what people turn into homes. In central Kansas, a developer took several old missile silos and turned them into underground condos. Very high end condos starting at over a million dollars U.S. Of course, most people that bought them were of the dooms-dayer mentality.
I agree that a lot of these don't seem cozy. I was surprised to see how many have been turned into hotels and hostels. That's interesting about the windows. Evidently, the castle in Andernach wasn't built for defending anyone because it has a lot of windows. The French destroyed it. Guess the wall didn't keep them out.
I think it would be fun to live in the city center of a cute town like that, in a house that would never fall apart. Still, I would be curious as to what they look like on the inside. I loved the little windows with the cute curtains. Gives some charm to the old wall.
I totally agree. American's don't respect old anything. Nor does the quality of our buildings provide for something to last hundreds of years. Out here in suburbia where I live, if a house is 15 years old it is considered "dated" unless it has already been renovated. Such waste of resources to build crappy construction only to have it be obsolete in a relatively short amount of time.
We were there in the early 90's and I loved that trip as well. We were in different areas than this trip. I can't drink alcohol but on the last trip we were there during the Fruhlingfest in Munich so there was beer flowing non-stop. Very fun even for non-drinkers.
I am with you on the no ice thing. I am used to cold beverages and not having any for two weeks was a bummer.
It was all that cold this past December. A couple of days it got a little below freezing but still not horrible. I over packed thinking it would be far colder.
Jane, you might be one of the few people than can appreciate how it feels to be illiterate in Germany. I felt very much at a disadvantage not being able to read, write or understand anything.
Very funny story about the detour signs. I guess they call it a diversion. But it's great that you found your way to something fun to see.
I am so happy you are enjoying listening to me talk about this trip. I know for people that don't enjoy travel..they are probably bored out of their mind but it's giving me a chance to journal a bit for future reference and reflection.
Thanks Liggy....You are so like me in that, this just prompts my imagination as to how it all must of been like. It's just hard to wrap one's mind around the idea that people lived in Andernach 2000 years ago. Here in the states if some one says 50 years, everyone is ooohing and aaahing about how long ago that was.
I love seeing and touching things that have been around for hundreds and hundred of years.
That's why I love my hometown of San Francisco so much. That strong sense of history.
I love the mild weather in your area...oh and the fact it is beautiful is a bonus.
Thanks for proving my point. I'm no warfare scholar, but I believe castles and their defenses were part of the whole advancement (does seem like the right word does it?) of warfare. Once we got to guns and cannons the castles didn't stand much of a chance and you might as well put in some nice windows while you not under siege.
I hope you get the chance to go back sometime. The more commercialized the U.S. gets the more quaint some of the "old world" appears. Last time we went to Germany we spent a lot of time in Munich which has a completely different vibe than the cities along the Rhine. This time we spent more time in the Netherlands as well which was really interesting.
The only thing better than your pictures and post is to be there and experience it first hand with you. Loved the video too. Tschüs
I am jealous I would love to visit a castle but I do not think there are any castles in Australia and I can't afford to go over seas to a country with castles
Hi Cheryl,
Wow what a wonderful trip!
I can only imagine hop cool it would be top get on a boat and cruise the Rhine river and stop at each town to see the sights and enjoy the history.
Clicks!
Wolf
So many castles so little time! LOL I think it's awesome how they built the homes to support the ancient wall. Are homes there smaller than the home here? It looks that way from the pictures.
I really enjoyed your video :) Perfect music choice for looking at an old castle!
Clicks for you!
--Trina
Pictures really don't do it justice does it? Tschus
Australia might not have medieval castles but your country has so many things the rest of us will never get a chance to see. And the cost of a trip from where I live to where you live would be really expensive. You said you are going to Hawaii in the future...that sounds like a nice trip.
My husband took a couple (maybe three) Rhine cruises when he first got over there. He said it was heaven to sit on the top deck and relax between the stops. Then he'd get off the boat to explore and get back on. Those cruises are really inexpensive (once your past getting to Germany). By the time I got there in November there were less cruises available and it was too cold to be up on the deck...which is why we just drove from town to town along the Rhine. If I get a chance to go back, I'd like to go around September.
Housing...as far as how houses are constructed..is really interesting, Trina. The homes are small and choppy much like older homes in the U.S. used to be but the houses are "tall and skinny" AND the homes are built to last for hundreds of years.
I would of loved to get in one of the houses built into the wall. I doubt that they are any narrower than some of the regular houses but they must have the feel of a house built into a berm. I could tell that where they cut out the windows that the wall is probably several feet deep. I would love to have my house piered to a 6 foot thick wall. I wouldn't ever worry about a tornado, again.
Another thing...there are a lot of homes built to support multi-generations. Even at the guesthouse the family was parents, their children and their grandchildren. I took some pictures of real estate because that's what a dorky realtor would do. The picture is of a two family home that looks fairly typical. Not a lot of curb appeal but I don't think that is the focus there.
I'd love to see inside one too. Here a pic of that prison entrance. It is surrounded by town home complexes,front back and sides. There is nothing of the prison left except this one wall, and how they have 'prettied' up the entrance.
That is a very pretty entrance. Overall, I like the idea of restoring and reusing old buildings. I think it would be fun to live in home that had some interesting back history. Thanks for the picture.
I remember the few years I lived in South Florida and I would call people from my deck in January. I guess karma is coming after me as well.
I must say, I have just caught up on reading your trip blog entries, lovely, lovely, lovely. One of my friends would have probably taken about a zillion pics of the one arch (I don't know the architectural term, I call it an acorn arch), she loves those things. I would love to go to Europe generally, at Christmastime. I have to agree, however, you would be at a miserable disadvantage not being able to read the language...
Cat
I think my body went a little crazy after having a c-section. I have chronic high blood pressure and cold weather was a blessing. But now, when I feel the chill, it's to my bones and though it feels good on my skin, the chill is the thing that gets to me :) Weird, huh?
Let's see... when did it last snow in New Orleans.. Hmmmm... 2006, I think. It was just enough that if you went to three different cars and gathered the snow on top of them, you could make an itty bitty snowman. The city shut down because of the snow. Lol
I love the slideshow of all the pictures (nice music to go with it too :)
I thought it was cool how the wall was incorporated into the house. Wow.. though... when I see the pictures, I imagine the ghosts that roam the land... the people.. the stories.. the history. Many Europeans thinks Americans are "babies" in comparison and time wise, we most certainly are. Nothing like this type of history and depth. It's beautiful.
Great photos. I want to go! Aleta, I think of the ghosts, too. Not sure why Europe seems more Ghosty to me, though....do you know?
Thank you, Cat! You really know how to make a blogger's day brighter. There is something about doorways and arches that I find interesting as well. On this trip, I took a lot of window pictures...especially in ruins. They are quite unique and have a beautiful quality about them.
On previous trips, we stayed in larger cities and didn't notice the complete absence of English speaking people and many of the signs were multi-language. This was a bit of a challenge. My husband has picked up a lot due to the total immersion at work for the last 4 months but I was thrown by not being able to speak or read.
Aleta, I swear you and I have some kind of a cosmic connection. We tend to think and react in similar ways to a lot of topics.
As for the music...I had the most awesome song picked that I loved. THEN when I put it on Youtube, I got a notice about the copyright. So rather than taking the time to email the publisher who owns the rights and get a waiver, I tracked down someone willing to let me use a Creative Commons license on one of his songs. (the one I used) While, I really like the music and appreciate Kevin MacLeod for sharing.... the original one I picked stuck in my head.
In a way we are babies, here in the U.S. aren't we? I think that is why we imagine "ghosts" in the old castles and fortresses in Europe. It's hard to imagine that 8, 9, 10 generations of people lived and died in those buildings.
Oh, Chicken...we should of had a conference call,,,err...comment. Yes, I agree that there is a sense of long lost spirits in those old buildings that have gone through wars before anyone even sailed over to the "New World". It's just hard to wrap one's head around a town that has stood for 2000 years.
Thanks, Timothy. I appreciate that you are finding them enjoyable. I know travel posts bore some people to tears but it's been a good way for me to organize my pics and journal the trip.
I swear that having babies changes every hormone that ever took up residence in a woman's body. After my C-section, I was either freezing or sweltering. It's gotten slightly better over the years but still have episodes of sweating in weather that everyone else thinks is comfortable or freezing when everyone else claims to be hot.
That is funny about New Orleans shutting down with such a little bit of snow. Here it would take a heck of a snow storm to shut anything down. Monday and Tuesday the schools closed but it was because of the -40 degree windchill. They can't risk little people getting frostbite.
It is so easy to be "that person" that rubs salt into the wound, while basking in the warm sun. Texas has had a bit of cold weather this year, right? My walking partner hasn't missed any days walking with me but the temperatures have certainly been colder than normal. (she lives in Dallas)
This has been such a cool travelogue to follow! I can't imagine living in one of those houses, no. I'd parade around naked just to annoy people, I think.
Holy crap young one. I'm away for just a bit and you're off to Europe! When did this happen? When will you be back?
You're so funny...I best guess is that there would be a few men that would be more entertained than annoyed.
I am back home now and putting the posts online about my visit. I had very limited access to computers in Germany. I got home right before Christmas. My husband is still there though and is planning on coming home in early February.
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