Sometime you just have to wonder what in the world the builders of some cathedrals were actually thinking.   I mean build an ornate cathedral in the middle of a cow pasture…. quite literally.  But then they tell you this was a pilgrimage church, a church one would stop at on the way to somewhere else like a major cathedral in a major city, say Saltzberg.  But I digress.  And while we are at it… those Guernseys really stink! O.K. on... Read more

Let’s start with the Merry Maids—– you guessed it, it’s Ann on the right, and the cool one on the left, her sister Elaine The church is very odd. It has a central aisle, and then another aisle on the left, and none on the right. Perhaps because the one on the right was added later to honor St. Notburga.  Here’s the tale told about her… That’s her in the town square, and what she is famous for, among other... Read more

On August 7th we went for a boat ride on the Achensee to Rattenberg.   It was a nice please smooth ride to a quaint little village, otherwise known as a tourist trap. So when we arrived at our destination we saw this… There was the expected demonstration of glassblowing.  Joke of the day— What happens when a glassblower inhales? He gets a pane in his stomach. Honestly, we did much care for the product— too gaudy, and too thin as... Read more

The fairy castle of King Ludwig, which became the model for the castle at Disneyland and Disneyworld, is in many ways a sad place. Ludwig hardly got to spend any time here before he and his doctor were found drowned in the nearby lake.  His other residence, which we will see in the next post, he spent more time at, but mainly to be alone.  He was most definitely a loner.  The main thing to see at Neuschwanstein which means... Read more

Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Switzerland is St. Gallen, and the St. Gallen or St. Gall Abbey.  This was our first venture into Switzerland after going to Lichtenstein.  St. Gallen is a beautiful town in and of itself, but the reason to go and see the Abbey is the ancient library there, on which see below.  Here are some shots from the town. Of course if you get lost, this guy me able to give you directions.   Turns... Read more

As one of the four smallest countries or states in Europe (can you name the other 3), Lichtenstein can easily be missed.  Our tour involved not just eastern Switzerland, but also Lichtenstein, Austria, and the Bavarian part of Germany as well.  This country is only 61 miles in area, operates on Swiss Francs, as it doesn’t have it’s own currency, has basically just the one city, Vaduz the capital.  Basically it’s just a 25k long space between Austria and Switzerland,... Read more

As I mentioned, Zurich is on a river and a lake, like Lucerne. Complete with swans.   One of the nearby places with visited was the municipal building where the burgermeister and others do official business. I don’t know of any mayor’s offices that look like this in America, but we do have a few cathedrals that have windows like these… And speaking of interesting church rules, the picture below (actually from Lucerne, but these rules were common) I like to... Read more

There is of course a sobering side to touring an old city where religious strife once took place. There is a martyrs memorial in Zurich by the river where various Baptists were drowned due to their views on baptism. They were drowned in the Limmat River for their immersions, so to speak.  Here is the stone…   There is a nice promontory overlooking the city where people gather, picnic, and even play giant chess. How did people in the old... Read more

Ann and I would be glad to have you join us next summer for a nice cruise involving Greece, Turkey and a whole bunch of Greek Islands not to mention Croatia, and all at a very reasonable price.   Check out the link below… https://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/pj23072723x#.Yyh_NBYpAWM Read more

Today Zurich is a huge bustling city, one of the two major banking centers in Switzerland, the other one being in Geneva. A bit like Canada which has two language regions, Switzerland has a French speaking region in the west of the country, centered on Geneva, and a German speaking region centered on Zurich, and binding the two together is the capital city in the middle– Bern.  Old Town Zurich is well worth an extended walking tour, and this post... Read more