The Meier's German Adventure

Here are Scott and I in the square. We really enjoyed this quick trip into Poland. We both agree we need to come back and venture further into this country. It was about lunchtime when we left Poland and headed down to our next stop - Nurnberg ( Nuremberg as we Americans call it).

This is the inside of the church you saw in the last picture. From the outside, it was very gray and plain. As you can tell from the picture that is not the case of the church's interior! The baroque style interior was designed by an Italian painter and sculptor. It is called the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and was built during the 15th century.

Here is a picture of the kids in the town square. The buildings were very pretty. It was just like any other town squre in Europe complete with charming outdoor cafes.

We decided to explore the town square of Boleslawiec. Not really sure what the signs say behind Scott, but they look cool! WE thought it might be some city offices.

This morning after another great meal, we checked out of our hotel and did a little more shopping. The palm tree outside this shop was cool - all made from plates.

The hotel was awesome!! Our dinners were delicious! Afterwards, Scott and the kids played darts for a little while off the main dining room. In the restaurant we met another American family that as it turns out, lived down the street from us when we were stationed at Ft. Lee, Virginia.

Can you say POTTERY! We pulled into the town of Boleslawiec about 6 hours after we left Mannheim and started shopping! It was a bit overwhelming at first, but it didn't take long to get into the groove. There are so many designs! Each store had something new and different. I love it - love it- love it! The kids were big helpers too! We probably hit about a dozen stores before we all needed a break and some dinner so it was off to the Hotel Protea.

Can you guess where we went this trip? The giant PL should help - it's POLAND! We all hopped in the car bright and early and were on the road by 7 - destination - Poland. When we crossed the border into Poland, we were stopped for a few minutes and finally got a stamp in our passports - the first ones.

I almost forgot this picture - it's from the wine festival in Deidesheim. These bronze figures around a fountain were so cool! We all took turns becoming statues.

Here is another picture of the town. And the wrought iron sign saying Weinprobierstube means that you can try/buy wine. The weather was perfect and it was a nice afternoon.

After the castle we drove to the town of Deidesheim for their wine festival...mmm, wine festival. It was so charming. The town is hundreds of years old and they set up the fest tents right along the cobblestone road. It was a greta place to enjoy a glass of wine and some bratwursts.

This is the view from the top of the castle. It's always so scenic when you're up overlooking the small towns.

Once again, we have a visitor, so where do we go? Yes - the Weinstrasse. Our first stop was the Hambacher Schloss just outside of the town of Hambach. The site is a former Roman settlement from 350 AD. The castle developed around the year 1,000. It was partially destroyed by the French during the late 1600s and parts have been rebuilt using the same materials -sandstone, iron and wood, from 1,000 years ago. It now houses a museum with some really cool old artifacts inside.