Travel

General Travel that may or may not be associated with cruising. things like Yellowstone, or Williamsburg, or even Barcelona can be found here.

Jun

2017

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

There are places we enjoy visiting over and over, and one of those places is the great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. It’s located near the towns of Gatlinburg , Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood), and the often overlooked Sevierville, Tn. We’ve enjoyed the Smoky Mountains from a 5th wheel trailer, staying in downtown Pigeon Forge. We’ve traipsed back to Cade’s Cove and stayed in our tent, and we’ve stayed in hotels nearby with and without our Harley. Continue reading →

Jun

2015

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg over the Tauber is a medieval city in Germany, southeast of Frankfurt, and west of Nuremberg. At one time, it was the third largest city in Germany and the largest completely walled city. It dates back over 1,000 years and today is one of Germany’s treasures. The name Rothenburg ob der Tauber means “Red fortress over the Tauber”. Rot is the German word for red, referring to the red tiles on the roofs while burg refers to a fortification. Ob der means “over the”, and of course Tauber is the name of the river that runs by. Continue reading →

Jun

2015

Harburg Castle and Village

On the way to Rothenburg we stopped in a little village called Harburg. It’s a classic medieval village with a castle on the hill and narrow streets, barely wide enough to drive through. Probably those medieval city planners weren’t up to speed on the size of our 21st century cars when they layed out the city. Continue reading →

Jun

2015

Baden-Baden

We stayed in Baden-Baden for only a couple of nights while we were visiting the Schloss Lichtenstein and the Black Forest. There really isn’t much we can report about this town, other than we were within walking distance to their old town, which is where we went each night to find some dinner. Continue reading →

Jun

2015

Hohenschwangau

Hohen schwan gau – in german means high (hohen) schwan (swan) gau (country, district). The community of Schwangau was originally nothing more than a couple of farm houses until King Maximilian II of Bavaria discovered the ruins of an old castle in the early 19th century. The castle, called fortress Schwangau was thought to have been originally built in the 12th century, and was the fortress of a group of knights. Continue reading →

Jun

2015

Heidelberg

Heidelberg goes down as one of those places that warrants a return trip at some point. While we weren’t totally blown away with the adventure, it was nevertheless a decent town to visit. We spent a couple of nights at a downtown Holiday Inn Express that was within easy walking distance to Old Town and the Heidelberg Castle. We spent one even strolling Old Town, and one day at the Castle and again at Old Town. Continue reading →

Jun

2015

Cochem Germany

When we arrived in Cochem, there were probably 1,000 bikers in town, plus a compliment of other tourists from tour companies, boat excursions, and folks like us, who just drove in for the day or weekend. It apparently was a German holiday, and the Germans were out in full force, in full party mode. And did we mention, the Germans know how to party.

There were bikes, boats, old cars, new cars, just about every kind of recreational vehicle you would expect to see in the US, but in German style. Bikes, for example, are overwhelmingly Harley Davidson at a typical US motorcycle rally. In Cochem, there were a few Harleys, but the bikes were a mixture of other brands. Many European brands including BMW and Triumph, but many Japanese bikes too. Continue reading →

Apr

2015

Mono Lake: A Soup of History

One of the disadvantages of traveling the eastern Sierras is that it’s a long way from most people’s homes. Most northern Californians have to come all the way over the mountain passes to get there, and southern Californians have to drive several hundred miles along Highway 395, through some of California’s most inhospitable terrain before arriving at their destination. Of course, it could be argued that one of the best reasons for going to the eastern Sierras is because it’s hard to get there, and therefore doesn’t receive the tourist pressure of other parts of the state. Continue reading →

Travel

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Harburg Castle and Village

Baden-Baden

Hohenschwangau

Heidelberg

Cochem Germany

Mono Lake: A Soup of History

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