Hadrian's Wall

Took a minute to relax in a 1000 year old gun turret last weekend. The wall was built across the northern end of the Roman Empire in 1050 to repel the "barbarians" to the north (today, we call them Scotsmen). I'm guessing that the centurions who manned this post weren't allowed to listen to their I-pods on their watch... wonder how they survived?

Not so far from home...

It's funny to find things in a different country that remind you of home. Sorry this is blurry, but I was doing over 100 kilometers per hour and it was raining when I passed Leonsburg, Germany. I also drove on a street called Vincentistrasse in Stuttgart. So... there must be an Albertown and Haroldburg nearby too, eh?

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is absolutely beautiful. Most of the buildings here have survived the latest world wars, so the architecture is fantastic, the canals are beautiful, and there are flowers everywhere. They say there are 15 million people in Holland, and 16 million bikes, which turned out to be the easiest way to get around town. My bike's name is Furby, equipped with a Finding Nemo ringer.

Horst and Monika Grieshaber

Had an great time meeting with my distant cousin, Horst Grieshaber, in Vaihengen an der Enz. Turns out our family tree is his full-time hobby. The family tree that i've known wasn't a tenth of what he had on file... volumes on the shelves, posters on the wall... It's amazing to feel like you've known someone for years even though it our first meeting. Maybe the cake and coffee helped too...
and I apparently had another cousin who is a well-respected artist in Germany, HAP Grieshaber (you can purchase his work at www.hap-grieshaber.com).

Baden Baden

Turns out the Grieshaber hometown is quite the tourist destination. I think I was the youngest and poorest tourist there, though. I had so much fun that I stayed longer than I planned.

Kerhaus Baden Baden

I had a lovely hefeweizen and apfeltarte (my new favorite dessert) while i watched a classical concert in the plaza. I didn't pack a suit, so I didn't meet the dress code for the casino next door (the building with the columns). After that, I went to the Roman Bath, and I can't post those pictures (just kidding, no cameras allowed...).

More Altdorf

Altdorf

Enjoyed a nice day pushing Nika around Altdorf (near Nurnberg. Her Mom, Sara, was our tour guide and translator. Weather's great, 70 and sunny. Spent the afternoon driving to Stuttgart, on to Baden Baden and Strasbourg today. Bis später!

Haus Weckessers

Flew through Amsterdam to Munich yesterday, then had an 1.5 hour drive from Munich to Nurnberg, and finally found Peter and Sare's house around 1045. dinner was still waiting for me... :) they have a beautiful new home just south of the city, near a river with walking paths and a biergarten every few miles (i'm told, i'll be finding that out for sure later).
there are speed limit signs posted on the motorways, but those are apparently not enforced... :)
this is the view I woke up to this morning... more pictures to follow!
scott