Day 7

Munich, Germany - lies on the elevated plains of Upper Bavaria, about 50 km north of the northern edge of the Alps, at an altitude of about 520 m ASL. The local rivers are the Isar and the Würm. Munich is situated in the Northern Alpine Foreland. The northern part of this sandy plateau includes a highly fertile flint area which is no longer affected by the folding processes found in the Alps, while the southern part is covered by morainic hills. In between there are fields of fluvio-glacial out-wash, like around Munich. Wherever these deposits get thinner, the ground water can permeate the gravel surface and flood the area, leading to marshes as in the north of Munich.

Innsbruck, Austria - Earliest traces suggest initial inhabitation in the early Stone Age. Surviving pre-Roman place names show that the area has been populated continuously. In the fourth century the Romans established the army station Veldidena (the name survives in today's urban district Wilten) at Oenipons (Innsbruck), to protect the economically important commercial road from Verona-Brenner-Augsburg.

The first mention of Innsbruck dates back to the name Oeni Pontum or Oeni Pons which is Latin for bridge (pons) over the Inn (Oenus), which was an important crossing point over the river Inn. The city's seal and coat of arms show a bird's-eye view of the Inn bridge, a design used since 1267. The route over the Brenner Pass was then a major transport and communications link between the north and the south, and the easiest route across the Alps. The revenues generated by serving as a transit station enabled the city to flourish.

Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and in the fifteenth century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as emperor Maximilian I also resided in Innsbruck in the 1490s. The city benefited from the emperor's presence as can be seen for example in the so called Hofkirche. Here a funeral monument for Maximilian was planned and erected partly by his successors. The ensemble with a cenotaph and the bronze statutes of real and mythical ancestors of the Habsburgian emperor are one of the main artistic monuments of Innsbruck.

In 1564 Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria received the rulership over Tirol and other Further Austrian possessions administrated from Innsbruck up to the 18th century. He had Schloss Ambras built and arranged there his unique Renaissance collections nowadays mainly part of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum. Up to 1665 a stirps of the Habsburgian dynasty ruled in Innsbruck with an independent court. In the 1620s the first opera house north of the Alps was erected in Innsbruck (Dogana).

In 1669 the university was founded. Also as a compensation for the court as emperor Leopold I again reigned from Vienna and the Tyrolean stirps of the Habsburg dynasty had ended in 1665.

During the Napoleonic wars Tyrol was ceded to Bavaria, ally of France. Andreas Hofer led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory on the Berg Isel against the combined Bavarian and French forces, and then made Innsbruck the centre of his administration. The combined army later overran the Tyrolean militia army and until 1814 Innsbruck was part of Bavaria. After the Vienna Congress Austrian rule was restored. The Tyrolean hero Andreas Hofer was executed in Mantua; his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823 and interred in the Franciscan church.

Day 6

The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means, in German, "Rothenburg above the Tauber". This is so because the town is located on a plateau overlooking the Tauber river. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words Rot (Red) and Burg (burg, medieval fortified town), referring to the red colour of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river. The name may also refer to the process of retting ("rotten" in German) flax for linen production.

Day 5 - Julie note

We have run non-stop since starting the tour. We wake up at 615AM, have our luggage set out in the hall by 700AM, then off to breakfast. We load the bus at 815AM and start the day. We normally stop for the night about 630PM with dinner at 715PM.

We have met some wonderful people from all over the US, and yes Katie most of them are older than me, but there are a couple gals that are very near my age. Mom sticks with the old folks which leaves me free to explore on my own.

Goodnight...it's 1045PM here in Mannheim.

Day 5

Castle Road - The Neckar River unites beauty and historic resonance as it flows toward the Rhine through the state of Baden-Württemberg, eventually reaching Heidelberg's graceful baroque towers and the majestic ruins of its red sandstone castle. Much of this route follows the west-east course of the Burgenstrasse (Castle Road), which stretches nearly 1,000 km (621 mi) from Mannheim to Prague, taking in some 70 castles and palaces along the way. Every town or bend in the river seems to have its guardian castle, sometimes in ruins but often revived as a museum or hotel. Off the main road, quiet side valleys and little towns slumber in leafy peace.

The town of Boppard, Germany with its 9 districts has all the ingredients for an unforgettable holiday: hills and valleys, quiet lanes and lively squares, and a wealth of nature and culture. Colourful pictures of a holiday region that is spoiled by the sun and blessed with uniqueness.

Boppard, which was once a Roman fort, is the heart and sole of this holiday area. Best wines from Bopparder Hamm flow into your glass and fascinating discoveries are to be made in the town, mirroring the two thousand year culture here on the Middle Rhine. From Boppard you can easily reach its other districts with a variety of scenery and culture.

Bad Salzig has the healing spa waters which are still used in the Middle Rhine Clinic to bring relief to many ailments. The Spa park is situated in the town centre and, with its orchards and meadows, offers the visitor relaxing strolls.

Rheinbay lies at the foot of the Hunsrück hills and presents itself in a refreshing green. From April till May it is a sea of cherry blossom and the blossoms of the old remaining orchards.

Hirzenach has an Old Provist Church. The building is baroque and has a historical garden which portrays the garden culture of the early 18th century in its original form.

Undiluted nature is what you can find in Weiler, with its climatic spa Fleckershöhe, which was established in 1844. From here you have a never-ending view over the landscape. Fleckershöhe is 531 metres above sea-level and is Boppard’s highest point.

The Lorelei (also written as Loreley) is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the water line. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there. Since 1395, the vineyards of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen have been located here.

Lorelei is also the name of one of the beautiful Rhine Maidens who, legend has it, lured navigators of this river to their dooms with their alluring singing, much like the Sirens of ancient Greek myth.

The name comes from the old German words "lureln" (Rhine dialect for "murmuring") and the Celtic term "ley" (rock). The translation of the name would therefore be: "murmur rock" or "murmuring rock". The heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area (still visible in the early 19th century) created a murmuring sound, and this combined with the special echo the rock produces which acted as a sort of amplifier, then gave name to the rock itself.[1] The murmuring is hard to hear today due to the urbanization of the area. Other theories attribute the name to the many accidents, by combining the word "luren" (lurk) with the same "ley" ending, with the translation "lurking rock".

Heidelburg, Germany - Approximately 1,000,000 years ago, the "Heidelberg Man", whose jaw-bone was discovered in 1907, the earliest evidence of human life in Europe, died at nearby Mauer.

In the 5th century BC there was a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of worship on the Heiligenberg, or "Mountain of Saints". Both places can still be identified.

In 40 AD a fort was built and occupied by the 24th Roman cohort and the 2nd Cyrenaican cohort (CCG XXIIII and CCH II CYR). The Romans built and maintained castra (permanent camps) and a signalling tower on the bank of the Neckar and built a bridge with wooden top on stone pillars across the river Neckar. The first civilian settlements would develop under the protection of the camp. The Romans remained until 260 AD, when the camp was conquered by German tribes.

Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the 5th century when the village Bergheim ("Mountain Home") is first mentioned in documents dated to 769 AD. Bergheim now lies in the middle of modern Heidelberg.

In 863 AD the monastery of St. Michael was founded on the Heiligenberg inside the double rampart of the Celtic fortress, and around 1130 the Neuberg Monastery was founded in the Neckar valley. At the same time the bishopric of Worms extended its influence into the valley, founding Schönau Abbey in 1142. Modern Heidelberg can trace its roots to this monastery.

In 1155, Heidelberg castle and its neighbouring settlement are taken over by the house of Hohenstaufen, and Conrad of Hohenstaufen becomes "Count Palatine of the Rhine" (German: Pfalzgraf bei Rhein).

In 1195, the Palatinate passed to the House of Welf through marriage.

The first reference to Heidelberg can be found in a document in Schönau Abbey dated to 1196. This is considered the founding date for Heidelberg.

Day 4

The Our Lady’s Cathedral of Antwerp - reconciles ‘being’ with ‘becoming’. For five centuries, its north tower, which points toward God like a finger, has dominated the silhouette of the city without changing. But during that same period, the Cathedral was repaired and refurnished repeatedly. It assembles the various styles of the times - gothic, renaissance, baroque, rococo, and so on - without ever taking on a definitive form.

The Cathedral harbors, for example, a marble statue of the madonna from the fourteenth century. Some of the wall paintings date from the fifteenth century. The stately devotional statue ‘Our Lady of Antwerp’ in the Mary chapel is Sixteenth century. The four baroque masterpieces by Rubens first saw the light of day in the beginning of the seventeenth century. A tabernacle in the form of the Ark of the Covenant, just like the large clock on the tower above, is eighteenth century. The neogothic decoration stems from the nineteenth century. The sculptures that decorate the main portal were added at the beginning of the twentieth century. And as recently as 1993, a Metzler organ was installed above the south entrance to the ambulatory. www.dekathedraal.be

The World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial - is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. The cemetery site has a rich historical background, lying near the famous Cologne-Boulogne highway built by the Romans and used by Caesar during his campaign in that area. The highway was also used by Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, and Kaiser Wilhelm II. In May 1940, Hitler's legions advanced over the route of the old Roman highway, overwhelming the Low Countries. In September 1944, German troops once more used the highway for their withdrawal from the countries occupied for four years.

The cemetery's tall memorial tower can be seen before reaching the site, which covers 65.5 acres. From the cemetery entrance the visitor is led to the Court of Honor with its pool reflecting the tower. At the base of the tower facing the reflecting pool is a statue representing a mother grieving her lost son. To the right and left, respectively, are the Visitor Building and the map room containing three large, engraved operations maps with texts depicting the military operations of the American armed forces. Stretching along the sides of the court are Tablets of the Missing on which are recorded 1,722 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

Within the tower is a chapel. The light fixture in the chapel and the altar candelabra and flower bowl were presented by the government of the Netherlands and by the local Provincial administration. Beyond the tower is a burial area divided into 16 plots, where rest 8,301 of our military dead, their headstones set in long curves. A wide, tree-lined mall leads to the flagstaff that crowns the crest.

While looking to see if any of our family was buried here we came across the "Willis E. Asher" grave from Missouri. Mom and dad's neighbor (and relative) Willis "JD" Asher could be named after this man, we will find out when we get home.

City of Antwerp - Antwerp is the largest city in Belgium after Brussels, as well as an important seaport. It lies within the province also know as Antwerp. Its most famous industries are diamonds and fashion.

It is believed that the name of the city comes from the word aanwerp, an old word for a muddy river embankment – this is where it is thought the city was first settled. There is evidence of habitation here from several centuries BC. By medieval times the city had become a significant stronghold of the Holy Roman Empire. Then, by the 1300s, Antwerp had taken full advantage of its prime position on the coast to become an important European trading city.

Antwerp hit hard times, though, when the turmoil caused by the Reformation led to a slump in the economy. However, despite this it retained a flourishing cultural scene, producing many excellent artists and other intellectuals.

Captured by Napoleon and ruled from France from the end of the 1700s to the start of the 1800s, the city saw an enormous expansion of its port, which the Emperor took advantage of due to its closeness to England. The city still remains an important seaport to this day.

Throwing Hand Statue - In the middle of the 'Grote Markt' stands the Brabo fountain. The statue was made by sculptor Jef Lambeaux in 1887. According to a legend, a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the river Scheldt in ancient times. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river refused to pay toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, managed to kill the giant. Brabo cut off the hand of the giant and threw the hand away in the river.

Hence, according to the legend, the name of the city : hand ( Engl.: hand) -werpen (Engl.: to throw). A nice legend, but untrue. Nevertheless, the 'hand' is the symbol of Antwerp. There are hands in the town flag.

Day 3

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam - The Anne Frank House is a museum where visitors are given the opportunity to personally envision what happened on this very spot. The rooms of the Secret Annex have been maintained in their authentic state thanks to conscientious preservation activities. The rooms in the Secret Annex are empty, because the furniture was carted away directly after the arrest. Salvaged documents and objects belonging to the eight people in hiding are now displayed in the Secret Annex.

The front part of the house, the place where the helpers worked and Otto Frank's former office, has been returned to the style and atmosphere of the hiding period. Thanks to this, visitors are provided with the opportunity to feel personally involved in what occurred at this location. The story is told using quotes from Anne's diary as a reference. Original objects, documents, and photographs that are on display in the exhibition serve in strengthening the personal account of the hiding period and of the deportation to the camps. Three short films place the personal story in a historical context. www.annefrank.org


The History of the Wooden Shoe - The wooden shoe, in it's shape like our days, was since the late Dark Ages worn at a lot of places in Europe. Here and there people still wear wooden shoes, the most in Holland. Especially because of the swampy ground of Holland, and also because there was a lot of good wood (willows and poplars) in Holland. The wooden shoe kept on being popular for a long time everywhere in Holland. Even when the watertight boots of rubber were designed, people kept the wooden shoe, because it was so easy to use.

Of the 3 million wooden shoes which are made yearly, a big part of them are destined for tourist seats. In lots of large souvenir shops the wooden shoe is a striking element. And at some places there is a teaching workshop were wooden shoes are made by a real, old-fashioned artisan, like there were thousands of earlier. Because decennia, even some ages, ago the wooden shoe user made his wooden shoe himself. In general in the past you could see well from which part of the country a wooden shoe came because every area had its own marks. Every wooden shoe "talked" its own dialect. The history of the wooden shoe became, because of this a part, of the Dutch cultural history.


Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - A visit to the Van Gogh Museum is a unique experience. The museum contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. It provides the opportunity to keep track of the artist's developments, or compare his paintings to works by other artists from the 19th century in the collection. The museum also holds an extensive offer of exhibitions on various subjects from 19th-century art history. The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 200 paintings by Van Gogh and many drawings and letters.

Red Light District, Amsterdam - Dating back to the 14th Century when sailors arrived in need of some female company, the district is full of sex shops, brothels, gay bars, cinemas, hotels and different kinds of museums. This infamous part of the city is a major tourist attraction. Each year, millions of visitors come to see this vibrant and exciting part of Amsterdam.

The Red Light District is located just south (10 minutes walking) of Centraal Station, the main train station. It consists of theaters, shops, museums, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and of course the famous windows (about 250) with sexy girls, dressed in eye-popping underwear. And window-shopping, performed by both sexes is a favorite activity in the Red Light District.

Although there is a lot of adult entertainment, it is much more then just a tourist attraction. This district of 300-year-old gabled buildings and expensive real estate houses doctors, lawyers and plenty of families. It is a tolerant community where freedom is highly valued. http://www.red-light-district-amsterdam.com

"Coffee Shops" Amsterdam - Coffeeshops, not to be confused with cafés, have been a part of Amsterdam since the 1970s, when the Dutch government made a clear distinction in the law between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs. Unlike Amsterdam's fully legal smart shops, coffeeshops have always existed in a legal grey area. Today, Amsterdam's City Council, through agreement with the coffeeshop union Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten (BCD), allows coffeeshops to operate with the provision of set, non-transferable licences – shown by the display of an official, green and white sticker in the window.

Day 2

Elburg, Netherlands - Elburg is a municipality with 22,000 inhabitants on the edge of the Veluwe. The town of Elburg is a well preserved historical town. The municipality Elburg further consists of a number of villages. In the southwest lies Doornspijk which is a leading agrarian community. The Hoge Enk is a small rural village close to Doornspijk. t Harde lies strategic along the motorway A28 and the railroad track from Amersfoort to Zwolle. Oostendorp is a village which lies close to Elburg but has preserved its own character well.

Elburg has been mentioned in 1367 as a 'Hanzestad', a Hanseatic town. Elburg is one of the most original kept fortified towns of the Netherlands. It has an unique straight street pattern and a part of the old townwalls has been preserved well. In the nineteenth century a part of the fortifications was levelled. The town governing board agreed with the construction of small houses against the remaining town walls. Some of this houses still stand.

For Elburg fishing has been very important. The most characteristic vestige of the fishermen past are the botters, wooden sailing ships which were used in former days for the fishing on the Zuiderzee and are now used for tourist purposes.