Places we've visited:

While I may endeavor to make my musings entertaining, it occurred to me that I am missing valuable opportunities to educate you, my dear readers. I'll post links to places that we've visited and that I've done a poor job writing about, categorized by the country they're located in. I'll try to keep this page updated as we discover more about the places we visit. Some of these pages may unfortunately be in other languages, but I've found that Google Chrome can easily display them in English (or whatever language you'd prefer). Unfortunately, I must leave it to you to figure out how to get your PC (or device) to display them "properly" - on my system, the "translate" icon is here:


Enjoy!


Germany

  • Bad Vilbel: The city we live in, a few short miles north of Frankfurt.
  • Frankfurt: Fifth most populous city in Germany, Frankfurt am Main is the banking capitol of Germany... and home to many of our adventures. A relatively modern city, when compared to some other European cities. After the war, many of the European cities were rebuilt in the traditional fashion, while the decision was made to use a more modern style for Frankfurt. One of Frankfurt's nicknames is "Mainhattan," because of the abundance of skyscrapers and its location on the Main River. About a 15 minute drive from our front door.
    • Römer: Tourist district downtown. When rebuilding parts of the bombed downtown area after WWII, the city specifically rebuilt the "old city" area using the traditional older style of architecture. 
    • Rüdesheim: The proper name for this town is Rüdesheim am Rhein, literally "Rüdesheim on the Rhein." Decent sized, really cute tourist town in the Rhine valley wine country. If you come visit, this is one of the places that we'll take you. 
    • Friedberg: Little town just up the road from us, home to the duty station of Elvis Presley during his time in the U.S. Army. 
  • Stuttgart: Good sized industrial city, notably the corporate home of Porsche and Mercedes Benz. Little over a two hour drive from home.
  • Nuremberg: Cool city on the northern edge of Bavaria. This city was very important to the Nazi party. Two and a half hour drive from home.
  • Berlin: The capital of Germany, the previous capital of East Germany (prior to 1989). Lots of historic sites and museums, with the majority of the museums related to the Holocaust having free admission. Five to six hour drive from home.
  • Munich: Capital of Bavaria, this is the town most people think of when you ask them to describe Germany. The home of Oktoberfest, celebrated annually in late September and early October. Four hour drive from home.
    • Marienplatz: The original central square of Munich, home to the Glockenspiel, a famous clock. The clock rings three times a day, putting on a show with animatronic figures.
  • Garmisch-Partenkirchen: These two towns were forced to combine in 1935, in anticipation of the 1936 Munich Olympics. The 1936 Olympics were the first to include alpine skiing; many of these events were hosted in the mountains surrounding Garmisch-Partenkirchen. There's an American military R & R hotel in this town, if you're wanting a taste of America while overseas. Five hour drive from home.
    • Zugspitze: The highest mountain in Germany, right on the border with Austria, overlooking the town of Garmisch.
    • Ettal: Little town right up the road from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Our favorite woodcarving shop is in this town, along with an monastery / brewery. 
    • Oberammergau: Little town a little further away from Garrmisch-Partenkirchen. They perform the Passion Play every ten years.
    • Mittenwald: Touristy little town right outside Garmish-Partenkirchen. Known for their violins, violas, and cellos.

Austria

  • Vienna: Capitol of Austria, known as the 'City of Music' due to its musical legacy. About an eight hour drive from home.
    • Schönbrunn Palace: The massive home of the Habsburg monarchs. 
    • Spanish Riding School: The oldest school of its kind, dating back to 1572. One of the "Big Four" institutions dedicated to classic dressage. The school trains and uses Lipizzan Stallions exclusively. 
  • Salzburg: Cool city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mozart's birthplace. Known for The Sound of Music. About a five and a half hour drive from home.

France

  • Paris: Really? You're just screwing with me now, aren't you? About a six hour drive from home.
    • Musée d'Orsay: We thought this was better than the Louvre. Not as many people, and at our level of art appreciation, just as many cool old paintings. The audio guide was much easier to use as well. 
    • The Louvre: Mona Lisa lives here. She's a lot smaller than we were expecting, and there were way too many people waiting to see her. The whole place was pretty jam packed. 
    • Arc de Triomphe: Massive arch. Over 160 feet tall. Pictures really give you no idea of the scale of it. I think you can go up to the top, but that day, I wasn't willing to climb 16 stories worth of stairs. There might have been an elevator, but I wasn't willing to risk it. 
    • Eiffel Tower: Seriously? 
  • Alsace / Strasbourg: White wine region, relatively near Frankfurt. Lots of little towns along the roadway, up and down the valley. Two and a half hour drive from home.

The Netherlands

  • The Hague: The seat of government (but not the capital) of the Netherlands. I still don't know when to capitalize the "The" in there. Known as the home of international law and arbitration, and the location of my hat lady. About a five hour drive from home.
    • Mauritshuis: Translates to "Maurice's House" (after the original owner, John Maurice), originally opened in 1774 as an art gallery. 
    • Scheveningen: The northern district of the Hague, with a boardwalk and beach on the North Sea. 
    • My Hat Lady: Susan Decker, my hat lady. We're not on a first name basis (yet), I just know her name from her web site. Turns out, I have two Hat Ladies. 
  • Amsterdam: Capital city of the Netherlands. Known for its canals, Red Light District, and "legalized" cannabis. Gorgeous city, worth a visit. About a four and a half hour visit.
Italy
  • Rome: Capital of Italy, home to the Shores family from 2010 to 2013. I have years worth of blog entries for you to read, if you wish. Check out the menu on the right side, look for the dates between 2010 and 2013. Probably not gonna drive down there, it'd be about a fourteen hour drive.
Czech Republic
  • Prague: Capital of the Czech Republic. Cold and snowy when we went, but pretty. About a 5 1/2 hour drive from the  house.
Luxembourg
  • Luxembourg City: Largest city and capital of Luxembourg, itself one of the richest countries in the world. Old city is very walkable, local transit in Luxembourg is free.
Ireland / Northern Ireland
  • Dublin: Capital of Ireland. Very walkable city, full of tourist attractions. Can't drive there, it's an island.
    • Aran Islands: Three little islands off the west coast of Ireland (quite a ways away from Dublin). Known for their wool and wool goods.
  • Belfast: Capital of Northern Ireland. They use Great Britain Pounds here. Lots of sites related to Game of Thrones up here. Not driving here either.

 

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