It was the end of March, spring break was fast approaching, and we had yet to make any vacation plans. With the family goal of trying to see all that we can of Europe, a spring break without travel plans would have been unacceptable. So when Fabrizio suggested that we should come to visit them again in Germany, this seemed a wonderful solution. We have alway enjoyed visiting with Fabrizio and Daniela and it was 'about time' for another. (click here for links to our other visits)
This time, we stretched a weekend out to four days and visited the town of Ieper in Belgium and the German towns of Cologne, Koblenz, and Eltz. The map below will give you some feel as to where these towns are located as compared to our home in Fontainebleau.
Ieper,
known as Wipers to the English, was the center of some of the
fiercest fighting during World War One and the basis for the poem
'In Flanders Fields'. It seemed a good stop for learning more
about local and world history. We stopped on Friday morning on
our way to Germany.
Ieper is a nice, small town located in the middle of farmer's fields. Their museum of WWI is located on the city square in the largest, none church building of Gothic architecture in Europe, the Cloth Hall. We found it hard to believe that this building, and the entire town, were completely destroyed during the war.
The city has recovered well and was well worth the stop. For more on our visit, click here.
| Cologne is famous for the cathedral, one of the largest in Europe. When we visited in December, we did not get to see the cathedral as we would have liked. The cold winter wind made climbing the tower a bad idea while Sunday morning services (appropriately) limited what we could see of the interior. This time was different. The sun was out, the air was calm, and Saturday evening services were scheduled for after we left. So we climbed the tower and explored the interior to our heart's content. To see the pictures, click here. |  |
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Unlike our other stops, we were not visiting Koblenz for any particular site or museum. Rather, it was a place to visit while spending time with friends. A boat trip, a walk along the river, a good Sunday dinner, playgrounds, good friends, and good conversation. A wonderful day in a quiet town. For more pictures and descriptions, click here. |
Just
south of Koblenz is the town of Eltz and the home of Eltz Castle.
Eltz castle is a fortified home that has been in the Eltz family
since the 12th century. Situated between the farmer's fields and
the river, the knights here were able to control and tax the local
trade.
The interior is well restored and filled with antiquities from the 800 years of the castle's history. However, photography is not permitted and so we don't have any pictures of the interior to share.
We do have pictures of the exterior and they are below.
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