One of my favorite stops during my time in Europe was at the American cemetery in Luxemburg. The cemetery was for fallen soldiers who fought in one of the toughest conflicts of the war, later known as the Battle of the Bulge. American troops became surrounded and were outnumbered and out supplied. It was fought … Continue reading Historical Travels-Why We are Free →

The most surprising destination and the last of my trip was the city of Prague. Our tour was called “Cities of Light” and was book ended by Paris and Prague. I sort of knew what to expect in Paris, even though everything exceeded my expectations, but I had no idea what to expect of Prague … Continue reading Historical Travel-Prague →

Friday morning, we packed up and left the boat for good as we took buses to the city of Prague. However, along the way we stopped at the city of Nuremberg. The city is as old as the other cities we visited, first mentioned in records in 1050. However, I have already spoken in length … Continue reading Historic Travel-The Dark Days →

On Thursday we docked at Bamberg but even though it was an important medieval city and at one point capital of the Holy Roman Empire, we did not spend any time in the city. Instead, we were put on buses and driven out to the German countryside and stopped at the city of Zeil am … Continue reading Historic Travels →

Wednesday morning we woke up in the town of Wurzburg. As with most towns along the Main it started as a Roman town that grew and later came under the control of the Holy Roman Empire. Later the Swedes invaded and held the city for a while before it came under control of Bavaria. In … Continue reading Historic Travel- Medieval Times on the Main →

One Tuesday our ship changed course once again this time turning up the Main River heading into the Bavarian region. I was now expecting to see everyone in lederhosen and drinking beer out of steins, but once again I was surprised. The people of the Main River do not consider themselves Bavarians, but Franconians. They … Continue reading Historical Travel-The Rhine Continued →

Monday morning found us at a historic point but also a strategic location known as the German Corner where the Moselle River meets the mighty Rhine at the city of Koblenz. The city is defined by two objects, the large statue of Kiser Wilhelm I which is located at the point where the two rivers … Continue reading Historic Travel-The German Corner →

In the 4th Century a Roman soldier named Ausonius wrote about the Moselle River, “The fair Moselle. River, accept from me These greetings – for your fields you’ve earned ovations, And those who till them too; your fortifications Match Rome’s. You flow beneath the scrutiny Of vine-filled ridges. Ah, what verdancy! How grassy are your … Continue reading Historic Travels-Moselle River Continued →

After leaving Paris we took a tour bus to Luxemburg and then into Germany where we boarded boats to take us across Deutschland. For the first couple days we traveled down the Moselle. I knew I would be stepping back in time as these villages were founded centuries before America was discovered by Europeans. Yet … Continue reading Historic Travel-the Moselle River →