On the Rhine/Rhein/Rijn: Where?Wednesday

If you like castles, beautiful small towns, terraced vineyards and overall nice scenery, then we can heartily recommend a cruise down the middle Rhine in Germany.

We took a round-trip cruise from Rudesheim to St. Goar, and literally saw so many sights I can't even tell you which castle ruin is pictured above.

Christmas in Cologne

Couldn't resist posting from the Cologne/Köln/Keulen market again.


Perhaps it's because this was the first gothic cathedral we ever saw on our first visit to Europe (many, many moons ago), but I still find the Kölner Dom (Cologne cathedral) to be one of the most awesome sights in Europe. Yes, I know there are churches that are bigger, or more delicate, or in a more picturesque location, but this one tops it for me.







Here are some more pics from the market, to make up for the fact that we won't publish this weekend. Hope to see you Monday.

Cologne on Ice: Where?Wednesday

Cologne (Köln/Keulen) has one of the most festive Christmas markets within easy reach of Wassenaar (about 3 hours drive).

More precisely, the city has about 6 separate markets. We visited the largest three outdoor markets. There's nothing like a little holiday cheer in the shadow of the magnificent cathedral (Dom).

My theory is that glühwein not only warms you up, but gives one the courage to navigate through the throngs of people mulling over the thousands of christmas wares on display. It may be crowded and commercial, but the combination of the scenery and the festivity of the season manage to prevail.

Münsterland Sphinx -- Where?Wednesday

A much different sculpture from yesterday's post. This is from the sculpture garden of the Schloss Nordkirchen, also known as the "Versailles of Westphalia."


We've jumped over the German border again, into the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen.


This sphinx is enjoying the fall colors, as we hope you do while we travel some more. See you back here next Tuesday.

Pears - Peren - Birnen

I'm cheating a bit here ... I normally try to keep this blog confined to The Netherlands.

But, given the fall season and the fact that we'll be in Germany three times this month, I think it's OK to share this shot from the village of Steinfurt in the Münsterland region, just over the border.

These pears are all grown in the Kreislehrgarten, founded in 1914. Unfortunately, the store was closed when we visited, so we weren't able to bring any samples home.

From the European Garden Heritage website: This educational garden covering an area of 3 hectares provides valuable information on ornamental and kitchen gardens. Visitors are offered numerous ideas on how to design, maintain, and use their own green realms. During harvest time, visitors can buy the many fruits of the garden directly here. The central school garden aims especially at teaching children a careful approach towards nature. The beehives in the orchard and the herb garden are a valuable help in this regard.

Have a great weekend; see you on Monday.