A week in Germany

John's friend, Dieter Wiese, turned 70 on May 15th, the day after John turned 64. His children planned a birthday party and invited John as a surprise. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Sunday afternoon in the garden. Dieter and Crystel are seated. Roman, Andrea, Aaron and Simon (the baby) are on the left. Heike, their oldest daughter, is to Crystel's left, in front of her husband, Holger. The tall young man in the back is Heike's son, Tobias. To his right is Tabea and Ann Katrin is to his left.

Old friends . . . .

Tabea is a student at the University of Aachen, one of the oldest and best universities in Germany. It is the birthplace of Karl the Great (Charlemagne) and was the seat of power in Europe during the 8th and 9th centuries. The Aachen Cathedral was started during his lifetime, with the domed part having been completed while he was still alive.

Four knights and a damsel at the steps of the Rathaus in Aachen.



South of Aachen is the Eifel region of Germany, on the border with Belgium and Luxemburg. This is the region through which allied forces invaded Germany in early 1945.

The Mosel River flows through the Eifel. This is the great wine-growing center of Germany.

We stayed in a 450 year old converted farm. Our room was in the building behind Dieter and Crystel--a converted pig barn.

A street in the village of Bernkastel-Kues. The hillsides on which the vinyards were planted are extraordinarily steep. Slate is mixed with soil and the roots of the vines sink deep into the rocky soil. Water from below percolates up through the layers of slate to feed the vines.

The narrowest house in Germany . . . .

There are wonderful, picturesque castles--some in ruins and some well preserved--all along the Mosel. This one sits above the town of Cochem, about 50 kilometers from Koblenz--where the Mosel joins the mighty Rhine River.