Not our name, but our passion
My brother-in-law was in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany. My sister worked at the hospital in nearby Landstuhl. I made this my home base for an extended visit to Europe for several months.
Grindelwald is a village and municipality in the canton of Berne in Switzerland. In addition to the village of Grindelwald, the municipality also includes the settlements of Alpiglen, Burglauenen, Grund, Itramen, Mühlebach, Schwendi, Tschingelberg and Wargistal. Grindelwald village is located at 3,392 feet above sea level in the Bernese Alps. The oldest traces of a settlement in the area are scattered neolithic tools which have been discovered around Grindelwald village. Several Roman era coins have also been found in the municipality.
Be sure to take a ride up to the foot of Mount Eiger. for spectacular views looking down on Grindelwald.
Bern is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their “federal city”. With a population of about 144,000, Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland. The pedestrian walkway in the medieval center called “old town” is lined with shops, cafes, restaurants and interesting architectural elements.
Erected at the end of the 12th century as Bern’s western city gate, this tower in the Old Town has become an icon for an extraordinary clock that was installed in 1530. Get to Marktgasse on the stroke of the hour for a little show when some of the earliest examples of automata come alive beside the astrolabe.
The Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, is a tourist attraction on the edge of old town. It is a bear pit, or enclosure housing bears, situated at the eastern edge of the old city of Bern. Although still in use, the Bärengraben has been supplemented since 2009 by the adjacent BärenPark, a larger and more natural enclosure alongside the River Aar.
Get a hotel room near old town and everything is within easy walking distance.
Salzburg is the capital city of the State of Salzburg and fourth-largest city in Austria.
The town is located on the site of the former Roman settlement of Iuvavum. Its main sources of income were salt extraction and trade and, at times, gold mining. The fortress of Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, dates from the 11th century. Salzburg’s historic centre is renowned for its Baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Salzburg was the birthplace of the 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Luxembourg City is the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country’s most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxembourg, the city lies at the heart of Western Europe, situated 132 miles by road from Brussels, 231 miles from Paris, and 130 miles from Cologne. The city contains Luxembourg Castle, established by the Franks in the Early Middle Ages, around which a settlement developed.
The current rulers of the Duchy are Henri and Maria Teresa.
