"... the difference between a tourist and a traveler. To me, a tourist visits all the big sights, sees spectacles on stage and returns home unchanged with a suitcase full of knickknacks. A traveler becomes a temporary local, engages with the culture and comes home enriched, with a vivid collection of experiences and a broader perspective." --- Rick Steves Return to
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Germany - what a wonderful country. Quaint and interesting villages, busy towns, and world-class cities. Our trip in 2016 was our third in six years, and they were all spectacular. My wife was born in Augsburg, Germany, and still has family in the Heidelberg area (Dielheim/Horrenburg), so that area is special to us.
In 2010 we concentrated on the Romantic Road, Bavaria, the Bodensee, and just into Austria for a visit to Salzburg.
In 2015, we ventured to Vienna, along the Austrian-Bavarian Alps, and into some of western Germany to see relatives in Freiburg.
But September, 2016, we spent extra time with our German relatives, took a day cruise on the Rhine, drove the B9 along the banks of the Rhine, enjoyed some very beautiful local scenery, and attended a small town's fall celebration and fair.

The links below take you to some of our pictures from the trip. To view the pictures full size, just click on the thumbnails.
I've grouped this set of pictures into:

  • Street scenes
  • Scenes along the Rhine
  • Village Fair
  • Schwetzinger Palace and gardens
    • Street scenes, various small towns and Koblenz
  • first row: Wiesloch; sign reading "turkey specialists", but they were selling sausages, brats, etc.; two wine bars ("House of Good Wine" on right)
  • second row: bakery ("Today's breads: Rye and whole grain"); Rudesheim; grocery store
  • third row: sign - "Give me the cookies, and no one will get hurt"; Koblenz - church, narrow street; a merchant's sign (traditional way of advertising a merchant's business; this one is for an ice cream cafe - note the ingredients on top of the arrow)
  • fourth row: Wiesloch - street scene, then two more merchant signs (first probably a hardware store, then a music shop); opera house in Frankfurt
  • fifth row: church in Koblenz; beside a walkway in the town of Bacharach on the bank of the Rhine, a HUNDE-TOILETTE=doggy toilet (NEHMT RUCKSICHT=be considerate; Tute ziehen=take a bag here; HABEN SIE ETWAS VERGESSEN?=Did you forget something?; BITTE NICHT EINFACH "DAVONSCHLEICHEN"=Please don't just "sneak away"); street in Boppard; ceramics vendor

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    The Rhine; Koblenz; day cruise; vineyards

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    The fall parade and fair in the town of Dielheim; warm and friendly people passing out cups of beer, wine, schnapps, and Jack Daniels from the floats; beer, currywurst and pommes frites in the food tent

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    Visit to the town of Schwetzinger to see its palace and magnificent gardens

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