The castle of Schwerin is something out of a kid’s coloring book. And, it’s gotten more colorful as the years have passed since the reunification of Germany in 1990. When I first saw this castle, it was gray and crumbling. Now it’s shining and beautiful from the outside, although a visit reveals that the interior […]
Category Archives: Family History Tours
Discover your Family History and research your genealogy with an ancestral home tour.
Tessin's 13th century church
Welcome to our newest guests, Paula and Bob Leitzell from California. On the way into Tessin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the other day, Jim asked her, “How long have you waited to visit this village?” Paula replied, “Well, I first found out about the connection with my family about 12 or 13 years ago. I found you through […]
Ancient paintings in the church of St. Clemens, Marklohe
The church of St. Clemens (12th century) in the hamlet of Marklohe, near Nienburg an der Weser, Lower Saxony features some of the best-preserved ancient paintings in Germany. One of only 10 churches with a complete and undestroyed mural dating from pre-Reformation (1522) times, the mural depicts scenes from the Bible with an emphasis on […]
Runkel Castle on the Lahn River
We stopped to visit Runkel Castle on the 31st of July on our way between the Rhein Valley and Hameln. This fascinating castle is one of our favorites in Germany, because it is relatively unknown and fun for all ages to explore. A historical timeline follows, with thanks to the official town web site. (Not […]
Cobh, old Queenstown, has a sad aura of tragedy
A visit to Cobh is sometimes a somber one, especially when it’s raining lightly on the old graveyard on the north side of town. This is where more than 150 victims of the attack on the “Lusitania” are buried in three mass graves. We visited the cemetery on our way to the Cobh / Queenstown […]
Weidenhausen 700 Birthday Celebration
It’s a remarkable experience to be a part of the birthday celebrations of a hamlet marking seven centuries of history. The townspeople of Weidenhausen, in the Siegen-Wittgenstein area of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (all 495 of them) turned out during a lovely weekend to mark the birthday with a series of events. Marie and I were fortunate […]