Expedition Eldredge

On Saturday, we decided we would check out one of the Easter markets in the area. The weather wasn't great, so we found that one of the Easter markets took place inside. So, off we went to Maulbronn Monastery. Built in the 12th century, Maulbronn Monastery is the best preserved Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. In 1993, the monastery became a UNESCO World Heritage site. This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The town itself was small and unassuming, until you reach the top of the hill and peer left into the monastery complex.  Close-up of the eggs from the fountain  Half-timbered buildings  After finding the gift shop, we purchased tickets to enter the monastery and audio guides in English. The tour wound us through the monastery, where we saw the beautiful Roman and Gothic architecture. As vegetarians, the Cistercians created canals from a series of over 20 fish ponds in to the monastery to feed the monks and laymen. This statue

Last weekend, we spent Saturday in Bonn and Sunday in Trier. Trier competes with Worms for the title of the oldest city in Germany. There are ruins here from the third century, when Trier was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Trier is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, namely for its well-preserved ruins.  The drive to Trier was easy and smooth, and we enjoyed every bit of it. Upon arriving in Trier, we easily found parking and walked right out to the sight of the Porta Nigra (the most famous ruin in Trier). After this, we walked around Trier, enjoying the sights of the city. Many of the buildings were built in the 13th and 14th century, with modern store-fronts. It is a wonderful mixture of old and new.  On the way home, we decided not to take the Autobahn, and we wound through all the small towns leading to Kaiserslautern. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day, and we immensely enjoyed our day and each other.  The Porta Nigra (black gate (above)) was built in

Kelcy is thinking about studying abroad in Bonn, so Nate and I went there for the day today to check the place out. Even with the terrible weather, we still had a good time, and we give Kelcy a big 'thumbs-up' to go. Bonn is an easy two hours drive from Kaiserslautern. It has all the amenities of a large city - trolley, metro, large university, etc., but it isn't overwhelming like Frankfurt. Nate and I were very interested to learn that Bonn was the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) for 50 years. Bonn lies on the Rhine River, and was home to Ludwig van Beethoven. In our quest to find edible Mexican food in Germany, we stopped in to Tacos Bonn for lunch. The food was terrible. *Note Kelcy*- you can skip this place. The place really filled up after we left, so the Germans must love it. There were dozens of wonderful looking restaurants, and it looks like there will be many biergartens once it gets warmer. We then walked around and got the feeling

Yesterday, Nate and I went to Homburg to search for things for our new haus. As a rule, we are "new everything" people, but we figured we would give the flea market a shot, since our haus is practically bare. There were hundreds of people walking around, and we overheard lots of English being spoken. Nate even ran in to an old classmate. Mom, Sue and Alex would have loved this place. There were some cool finds, but not exactly what we were looking for. We walked around, we ate bratwurst, and we tried to find something we liked. Unfortunately, we went home empty-handed, but it was a beautiful day and we were happy to get out of the haus. This buffet was a great find. I wish it had been more in the price range! This bar is pretty great. We were close to haggling for it, but Nate was worried that if we put antiques in the haus, then it will look like a museum...I guess that's what we get for renting a house built in 1898.  Yummy bratwurst stand! There were also