Hotel Restaurant Barbarossahof Kaiserslautern

... because I could not use a flash, except when I was sure no one was looking). This was the first astounding example of German Romanesque architecture (with touches of Gothic design) we are going to see. This Cathedral was completed during the late 12th century, with a few additions during the following two centuries. It is magnificent, and my photos do not do it justice in the slightest. The vaulted ceilings peak at over 120 feet, and much of the stonework is ...

... morning. But this morning the sun was out in full force, cutting ribbons of warmth through the frosty air, and caressing my head and neck (the rest of me was covered). I remember to bring my camera (as opposed to my camera-phone) with me so I could capture the experience for later days. You can see the results below. This is where I live.

Here are the promised photos. I am not including photos of our workshop room and wine cellar; they're not that interesting. Excuse the messiness of parts of the house. You all know how trying moving in can be!

Tracy has left for France to inspect food production plants, so I'm here ...

... two bathrooms, a sizeable kitchen, dining room, a large living room, a separate laundry room, a utility room (workshop), and a wine cellar. Soon I will also be able to park my car indoors, in an old barn. right now there is a tractor in there, but not for long. The rooms and amenities are very modern, but there is an old-world charm to parts of the house, as well. I will post photos soon, but for now, just enjoy these four.

... garlic-buttered baguette with cheese, apple-cream crepe with coffee, and pizza. The coffee was mediocre, but I'm picky about my coffee. The bread and crepe were awesome. You can see a photo of them here.

From Ramstein, we all left for an antique store on top of what seemed like a mountain. As we approached the general area, I spied some kind of spire on top of a distant hill. The low-hanging clouds covered the higher sections of the spire, so it gave the appearance of ...

Nun ist es also bald soweit. Der Rucksack steht bereit, um vollgepackt zu werden, die letzten Kleider sind gewaschen und gebügelt, die Reiseliteratur ist fast vollständig, die größten Verabschiedungen liegen hinter mir, und die Zeit wird immer kürzer, um die Liste der noch zu erledigenden Dinge abzuarbeiten – die aus unerfindlichen Gründen wieder länger wird! Gleichzeitig werden die Nächte kürzer. Gut möglich, dass da ein kausaler, wechselseitiger Zusammenhang besteht!

Für ...

... Traben-Trarbach after getting some good advice from Florian on which way to go. This was the first time I had hitched from a small town to another smallish place without using the autobahn. Unlike bustling metropolises, hitching out of Traben-Trarbach started almost in the centre of the city. The town centre is at the level of the river, but the very steep incline happens immediately after. This is where I started - apparently it is normal to start hitching there and I ...

... The culture and the beauty is astonishing. There was a castle on the hill above us, but unfortunately we didn't get too close. I was pretty fascinated by the hills full of houses (as I'm from the land of flat land and corn fields), so we drove around to see what it was all about. I don't know how people live like that! I can't imagine trying to navigate the narrow, steep, windy roads that we drove on ...

... undeserved elimination; just the smallest of insights as to how a game that 0-0 for 90 minutes can be equally compelling as a 2-2; experienced the unequalled drama, majesty, beauty and gravity of world cup football. It's a strange feeling when something you've been waiting an eternity for comes and passes, it's code both unexpected and definite. During the previous 3 weeks, the members of Vinny Grella's ...

... of 16, so we dragged one of them out of bed and partied on til about 3am. Highlights were the exceptional English-German translation service provided by Janelle and being told to "shut the **** up" by the woman in the tent next to us - charming. We pretty much chilled out until match day, Monday 26th June, when we caught one of the 3 busses into town each day at about 10am. Kaiserslautern is a run of the mill town, pretty far removed from most tourist itineraries, but when we ...