Germany
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So you found your way to my Germany pictures! Since I was there for so long, I have about thirty pictures from this country. Rather than putting them all on one, slow-loading page, I've made three separate pages for Germany. Just scroll down to the bottom for links to the other pages. The pictures on these pages are generally in chronological order. Also, Brian has some really great pictures from our travels together. If you'd like to see them, check out his web site.
Trier
Trier is a really old city situated a few miles from the French border. Romans built the city thousands of years ago, probably choosing the location for its natural underground springs. Today, Trier is a popular tourist destination because it has many Roman ruins and a quaint atmosphere. My first trip to Trier was with Brian and his parents. Brian and I also returned to Trier one weekend after his parents went home.
Here's Brian, standing in front of a pink palace. The name of the palace is Der Schloss Pepto Bismol. (not really) We couldn't get inside the buliding, because it was locked, but we had fun walking around the grounds.
Here's Brian standing in the middle of a fountain, but he's not getting wet! It's Scotch-Guard Brian! The white building behind him is a wing of the pink palace in the picture above this one.
This statue was inside a church in Trier. Many churches I saw in Europe were filled with ornate statues such as these. Often, they commemorated someone important to the church. Sometimes, they even marked where a person was buried under the church floor (ew). I'm not sure if this statue was a memorial of someone buried in the church or not, because my German reading skills are basically nonexistent. =)
Here's a picture of me in front of some Roman ruins, the remains of a bath house. The picture makes it hard to tell how tall the walls are, but each arch is over ten feet high. There's an area about the size of a soccer field between the ruins and me; a network of tunnels from the bath house survives beneath the surface in this field. Those Romans were serious bathers!
This is Porta Nigra, which served as the main entrance to and exit from Trier in Roman times. The gate was built more than 2000 years ago. Brian and his mom, Teresa, are in the front center of the picture (in green and pink). See how small they look? That's because Porta Nigra is so big. =)
This is Brian in front of Trier's world-famous midget door.
Niederwald
Niederwald is a small German town that overlooks the Rhine River. We didn't actually stay in the town; we stayed in a 19th century hunting castle called Jagdschloss Niederwald. Brian and I stayed at this hotel in March, and we talked about it so much his parents wanted to stay there. It really is an awesome hotel, and Brian and I are staying there again if we ever go back to Germany. The rooms are well decorated and have nice views. The hotel employees are very friendly and helpful, which is uncommon in many German hotels. Also, the hotel has a great restaurant and swimming pool. If you're planning a trip to Germany, you should consider staying here. You can find out more hotel information and make reservations at their web site.
A view of the castle/hotel. This should look familiar if you've seen my Spring Break pictures.
There are hiking and walking trails that lead from the hotel grounds to many different sites. We walked from the hotel to the ruins of this castle, right next to the river. It took us longer to find the castle than it should have, but we eventually made it. Although our "20 minute walk" turned into a two or three hour trek, I didn't mind much because the area was scenic.
Here's a closer view of the castle ruins. This photo is from the left side of the structure if you're facing the river, as in the picture above. Brian is the orange stripe in the middle of this picture. =)
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city about 45 minutes outside of Frankfurt. We spent one day there.
This is a church we saw in Wiesbaden. I thought the color of the bricks looked really cool against the sky.
Here's the Rathaus in Wiesbaden (pronounced rat house). A rathaus is a German city hall. It's where they send their politicians.
Mannheim
We were only in Mannheim for one night. We went to Mannheim so that Brian and I could go to a military ball. Brian's parents walked around the city while we were at the ball. After seeing their pictures, I wish that we had spent more time in Mannheim.
Isn't he handsome?
Well, I think there are enough pictures on this page. Click below to see more pictures from Germany.