A canal in Den Haag, the Hague, Netherlands.
Outdoor sculpture in the Hague, Netherlands.
Quaint street in the Hague, Netherlands.
World Peace Flame and Garden in front of the International Criminal Court, the Hague, Netherlands. The Garden featured a rock from every country in the world, and encouraged visitors to walk around the circular path with a prayer for world peace. I sat here for quite some time, meditating on this message.
Very backlit photo of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Hague, Netherlands. To me, the ICC is an iconic institution of peace and justice for international-scale crimes such as genocide. The Dutch call it the Peace Palace.
Falun Gong practitioner and protester outside the ICC, the Hague, Netherlands.
Very radicalized car in the Hague, Netherlands.
Herzlake, (northern) Germany with Hannelore and Peter
Sitting out on the patio with Hannelore and Peter, something we did often!
Peter has created an amazing train track in the backyard garden.
One night, while we were out on the patio, we heard a loud noise and looked over to see a hot air balloon in the neighbor's yard! So close!
Tiny metal markers showing the names of the former Jewish inhabitants in this home who were killed during the Holocaust.
Haselunne Church in the Emsland region.
Fresh German strawberries at the local market! My favorite!
Romanesco, a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower--out of this world to look at and eat!
Really cute cheese man at the Haselunne market.
Hannelore buying lots of delicious cheese from the Haselunne market.
Buying supplies for our German BBQ at the local butcher in Haselunne.
Hannelore arranged a private tour with an English-speaking guide for us at the Haselunne Museum. This was an old well basin in the courtyard of the museum.
Playing Cinderella in the fancy carriages at the Haselunne Museum.
Going for a walk along the local river with Hannelore and Chevy, the German Shepherd.
A herd of sheep grazing along the riverbank during my walk with Hannelore.
The composting facility in Herzlake. Dump your green yard waste and kitchen scraps here to be collected and turned into black gold!
This guy was washing his bicycle in a public fountain in the Netherlands...very resourceful!
Heading South to Stuttgart...
Neckarhausen with Ute and Stephan
Nurtingen's old buildings.
A statue outside of the vocational school where Ute teaches English.
Ute biking past her school.
Lots of organic produce at the local biomarket!
Bicycling with Ute into Nurtingen.
Neckarhausen clock tower and to the right, Ute and Stephan's apartment!
Ute and Stephan are active in a local civic organization that opposes high-frequency electromagnetic waves, such as cell phone and radio towers, especially when placed in the middle of villages or heavily populated areas (see below). This banner is hung next to their building as says that the antennas are fatal. For more information on this very important topic, here are some resources provided by Ute:
http://www.buergerwelle.de/
This cell phone antenna is directly across from Ute and Stephan's apartment. AHHH.
Stephan and Matthias after finishing our Schwabisch buffet in Neckarhausen. SO good, particularly the spatzle!
Stephan, me, Ute and Matthias toasting to a glorious Zwiebelfest in Esslingen--also known as Onionfest!
Esslingen Onionfest 2009, represent!
On a hike with Ute and Stephan...
Ute and Stephan hiking through the mist.
A better location for a cell phone tower: in the middle of a field rather than in the middle of a village.
Standing with a view of Hohenneuffen Castle in the background.
The rows of grapes down below mimic the terra cotta roof of the Hohenneuffen Castle ruins where our hike ended.
A beautiful but overcast view of the village below on our hike.
Grazing goats at the Hohenneuffen castle ruins.
Stephan getting up close and personal with the Billy Goat.
Challenge!
Ute bonding with the goat.
The Earth smiles in flowers and so do I!
Picking my next hosts some Zinnias.
The blumen field where the farmer works on an honor system, trusting customers to calculate the cost of what they pick and leave the money in this container. The farmer didn't want me to take her photo, but she'll never really know...
Ute and me showcasing our freshly-picked bouquets and our love for each other...aw!
One of the many thermal springs in the state of Baden-Wurttemburg, southern Germany.
A bouquet of pasta at a local grocery store.
Ute and Stephan provided a hearty German breakfast!
Ute recycling glass! You go girl!
Hildrizhausen with the Lehmbergs
Annette giving me a tour of Hildrizhausen, her home town, with the church in the background.
Annette and Frank getting fit early in the morning at the local pool.
Genetically modified food? No thanks!
Tubingen, a city known for this view. So lovely!
Gondolas in the river in Tubingen.
I had some of the best sorbet of my life in Tubingen, as seen here with Annette and Frank. Citrus-basil flavored!!! And organic, too!
A perfect zinnia.
Shout out from the Lehmberg family in Tubingen! Frank, Annette, and Jurgen giving me the grand tour through this scenic, academic and historic town where the Green Party has the local seats.
This is a Schwabisch term above a bench and it roughly translates to "he who sits here is the one who always sits here". This part of southern Germany has its own dialect and distinct culture, but this sign is more of a joke than anything.
Annette, me and Jurgen at the castle in Tubingen. Like the hats?
The whole happy family enjoying a drink in the town square, next to the ornately painted Rathaus, or town hall.
The tall cosmos flowers growing in the second floor window boxes caught my eye here in Tubingen.
The tower of the cloister at Bebenhausen, just outside of Tubingen.
The cloister cemetary at Bebenhausen.
The Bebenhausen cloister garden, which featured lots of medicinal and culinary plants.
Frank, the bartender, preparing us a Brazilian version of a mojito.
Haigerloch church and village from the opposite hillside.
Haigerloch valley.
Haigerloch had a relatively large Jewish population until the Holocaust. This was the Mikvah, the bathing house next to the Synagogue, where the cleansing rituals took place.
This building was once the Synagogue for the Jews of Haigerloch, and has changed hands many times since WWII. Now, this building is a museum that honors the Jewish families who once worshiped here.
A plaque commemorating the Jewish families that died during the Holocaust in this village.
The restored stained glass window and center piece of the synagogue in Haigerloch. Very touching.
A monument for the Jews of Haigerloch. L'chiam!
A dramatic grave in the Jewish cemetary of Haigerloch, with vines growing and a certain peace surrounding this tall marking.
The Jewish graveyard in Haigerloch. One thing the Nazis did not destroy was the graveyard in this town.
A grave remembering all the Jews killed during the Holocaust from Haigerloch. Keeping in the Jewish tradition, I left a small stone on top of this monument to mark my presence here and my respect for the dead. What an emotional experience...
A castle which is now a hotel and conference center in Haigerloch.
Looks like the Human Rights Campaign sign! Go equal rights around the world!
For every door that closes, one more opens...
Can I give a shout out to the mushroom capital? Kennett Square!
Church and town center of Rottenburg, yet another insanely picturesque town in southern Germany. If I had taken a photo of every quintessential image of Germany, I would have taken hours more to show them to you! Germany is such a clean and well cared for country from what I have seen during my three lifetime trips to this country, you just can't believe the pride people seem to take.
Deufringen with the Hemmerichs
A gorgeous view from the Schwabisch Alps.
Hohenzollern Castle.
Holly and Hohenzollern Castle.
Lutz cooking sausages over a fire he prepared in wind and drizzling rain! What a wilderness man!
Ellen preparing a moveable feast next to the campfire.
German sausages over the fire...YUM!
Cafe Im Schloss, enjoying cake and coffee with Ellen and Lutz.
Cafe Im Schloss, where Ellen, Lutz and I ate delicious cake and drank coffee after our hike and BBQ.
A night out in Stuttgart with the boys: Matthias, Michael, and Tobias. Welcome back from the USA Toby!
My German brothers, Matthias and Frank, basking in the sunset during the family BBQ at the Hemmerichs.
***
Vielen danke to Hannelore, Peter, Ute, Stephan, Annette, Jurgen, Frank, Ellen, Lutz, and Matthias for all the hospitality you have shown me during my time in Germany. I really can't thank you enough for making me feel like family! Until next time...ich liebe dich!
I am currently in Switzerland and will be reporting next time on Switzerland and some more quality time in Germany. Thanks for tuning in! Frieden...
