Cargo is transported down the Neckar River; Heidelberg

Finding street parking in downtown Heidelberg requires a lot of luck, skill and patience!

We could only afford to window shop in Heidelberg as we found prices to be inflated due to the high influx of tourists year round

An evening view of pretty Heidelberg

Becky and Robby get behind the cockpit of a helicopter at the 2003 Land Combat Exposition at Patrick Henry Village; Heidelberg

John, Jessica, Meredith, Joe, Becky & Robby at the 141 Signal Ball in Wiesbaden, Germany

Becky enjoys a horseback riding lesson courtesy of Nadine, our French/German neighbor

The half-timbered buildings (fachwerke) and cobbled streets of German towns always thrilled us...we love this type of architecture!

Esslingen's gorgeous city center is a fantastic place to explore on foot

Esslingen's city center

Inner Bridge; Esslingen am Neckar

Becky takes a breather from snow boarding to soak in the sunshine

What a gorgeous view! And only a few hours drive from our Sindelfingen home

The date on the building reads "1592". This was the former town hall of Sindelfingen and is now a museum

We fell in love with Sindelfingen at first glance and instantly knew we'd call this place home

The Funzel Restaurant in Sindelfingen has delicious local Swabian and Austrian specialties, and it’s a 2 minute stroll from our home!

Robby rotates the Friendship Fountain figurines in Sindelfingen

Rob, Becky, John, Mere, Joe and Linnea wait for a train to the Cannstatter Volksfest

Bad Cannstadt is #1...Robby and John boy are feeling good at this point

Can't have beer on empty stomachs...we devour our mid afternoon meals in no time; Cannstater Volksfest

Meredith holds up a stein of beer while Linnea looks on in curiosity!

John Boy, Sylvia, and Robby. John terrorized poor Sylvia, who was unfortunate to be our waitress as we devoured liters of beer

Not sure where these goofy hats came from but all of a sudden, Joe & Becky were sporting them inside a fest tent

John boy and Robby smile while they are still sober!

Wooden log village at Europa Park, Europe's second most popular theme park (after Disneyland Paris, of course!)

Robby poses next to a "giant"; Europa Park

Since we could get Exxon gas coupons at a military rate, we were always on the lookout for Esso stations...yup, Exxon Mobile is called "Esso" in Germany

On our way back up to Stuttgart from Oberammergau, we passed by this beautiful, emerald colored lake

We weren't the only ones enjoying ourselves in this Garmish-Partenkirchen district of Bavaria...Oberammergau remains a popular tourist destination year round

It was a spectacular, summer day when we visited Oberammergau, which made our visit even more pleasant

The colorful frescoes really add character to the buildings of Oberammergau

Oberammergau is also famous for its spectacular luftlmalerei (frescoes) that showcase traditional Bavarian themes

The Passion Play is performed here in Oberammergau. This is the result of a promise made to God that if he spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague, they would perform the play once every 10 years

Pretty spring blossoms soak up the sun's rays; Oberammergau

Gabi, Becky and Maria strike a bridesmaid pose at Barb & Steve's Stuttgart Rodeo Wedding

Barb and Steve get married at their Rodeo Wedding; Stuttgart's Robinson Barracks

Luke and Bob stand under a "STOP EATING ANIMALS" sign in Feuerbach

The boys sport silly smiles after a few glasses of wine at Feuerbach's August Kelterfest (wine festival)

Bob, Luke and Becky at Stuttgart-Feuerbach's wine festival

Bill and Laverne visited us in Sindelfingen and took a walk through our small neighborhood

We were happy that Laverne and Bill could pay us a visit in Germany. We really enjoyed their company

Becky, Robby, Bill and Laverne get ready to have fun at the Stuttgart Wine Festival

The choices of wine to try at the Stuttgart wine fest are varied...Riesling, Trollinger, Schillerwein, Rulander to name a few

Bill, Becky and Laverne enjoy themselves at the annual September Stuttgart Wine Festival in downtown Stuttgart

Bill and Laverne enjoying an Esslingen day trip

Laverne really digs the Smart Car...yes, two people really can fit inside it with room to spare!

Bill and Laverne next to the Esslingen town hall

Sunset over Sindelfingen

Despite the frigid fall temperatures, crowds will pack in to celebrate at the Cannstatter Wasen

Every year without fail we'd make it a point to go to Oktoberfest or the Cannstatter Volksfest/Wasen...our acquisition and subsequent collection of empty beer steins is impressive

The fall foliage is quite pretty with the ivy covered building slowly changing colors; Dachau

We explored Dachau on foot and were able to see the entire old town in the afternoon

Robby in his lederhosen, a beer drinking must!

The Bavarian town of Dachau

Ludwigsburg is a pleasant city located near the Neckar River. Its about 12 km north of Stuttgart, making for an easy day trip

The gorgeous Ludwigsburg city center

After relaxing in the town square for a few minutes, we strolled over to Ludwigsburg's famous sight, the Ludwigsburg Palace

There are numerous detailed statues such as this one atop Germany's largest baroque palace, the Ludwigsburg Palace

Inner courtyard of the Ludwigsburg Palace

On our short stroll from the Ludwigsburg Palace to the Schloss Favorite (hunting chateau), we passed by pretty fall foliage

Enjoying the fresh blanket of snow outside our Sindelfingen home

Sindelfingen is a quaint town of half timbered homes, cobble stoned streets, and friendly residents. Our section of the neighborhood was predominantly Turkish, and we enjoyed the wide variety of food available here

Winter in Germany is especially beautiful, with pristine snow covering everything in sight

We really miss our Sindelfingen home

We joined John Burns and his family for a delicious dinner in downtown Wiesbaden

The ever efficient Stuttgart airport served as our base of operations for our long weekend getaways and jaunts to elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East

Gargoyles on an old cathedral; Munich

Relief of "The storming of the town of Sens, 11 February 1814"; Jubilee Column for the 25th anniversary of King Wilhelm I's accession and his 60th birthday; Stuttgart

Our pretty half-timbered home in Sindelfingen

Looking over downtown Heidelberg as seen from the castle on a snowy, winter's day

Heidelberg's Neckar River

Jim and Robby strike a pose next to a colorful VW bug

A frosty morning's visit to the Heidelberg Castle

Becky stands in front of a remarkably well preserved section of the ruined Heidelberg Castle

Becky & Jim are dwarfed by the enormous vat of wine; Heidelberg Castle

On a clear day, the Heidelberg Schloss offers fine views of the surrounding area. Today, we have to settle for a romantic, hazy view

The Fussganger Zone (Pedestrian Zone) of Heidelberg is a shopper's delight

The Church of the Holy Spirit is the most famous church in Heidelberg and dominates the old city center

Jim and Becky on Heidelberg's Old Bridge

Downtown Munich with view of the Frauenkirche (Cathedral of our Blessed Lady) in the background

Corner view of the massive Marienplatz (Mary's Square), which is a central square in the heart of Munich

An Oom-pah band playing at the Hofbrau haus in downtown Munich

Munich is Germany's third largest city whose motto is "Munchen mag dich" (Munich Likes You). Well, we like Munich too and don't have to look too hard to find an excuse to pay a visit

Frontal view of the Feldherrnhalle. Our tour guide informed us that this is the site where Adolf Hitler and his supporters got into a confrontation with the Bavarian State Police (who opened fire and killed sixteen marchers); Munich

View of Munich's city hall; Marienplatz

A grotesque gargoyle has a wide open mouth to convey water away from this Munich Cathedral

Jim and Robby after several liters of beer; Hofbrauhaus

Another view of the Hofbrauhaus' brass instrument Oom-pah band, playing lively Bavarian Music

Jim and Becky strike a pose in downtown Munich

A lion with crest dominates the corner opposite of the Feldherrnhalle; Munich

St Kajetan (Theatinerkirche) Church is a fine example of Italian Baroque architecture; Munich

A sentiment celebrated world wide...

The Cannstatter Volksfest is a lively time to be in Stuttgart...the Cannstatter Wasen occurs from the end of September to the beginning of October, while the Spring fest is a more subdued and smaller version...good times to be had at both festivals!

In addition to the roller coaster rides, revelers partake in large quantities of beer, candied almonds, pommes frites and whatever else suits their fancy; Cannstatter Volksfest

We love festivals in Germany...lots of good times, hazy memories, and roaring laughter. Gather up a large group and party hard!

A large Oom-pah band entertains the crowded tent at the Walter Weitmann Fest Tent (5000 seat capacity...although countless patrons take to tabletop dancing after a few beers)

Enjoying the Walt Weitmann Fest Tent

A massive robot giant at the Bad Canstatt Festival

Germany has strict building codes, resulting in some very quaint and well preserved towns

Cornerstone detail of a city center Cathedral

Embracing the old with the new is something that Germany has excelled at...here an old Cathedral remains untouched by the surrounding neighborhood; Ulm

View of an astronomical clock dating from 1520; Ulm

Ulm's rathaus (town hall) was originally built in 1370. Later, in the mid-16th Century, beautiful murals were applied to the exterior of the building

Swans grace the Danube River near Ulm

View of Ulm as seen from the Danube River

Ulm's massive munster (Lutheran Church) is the tallest church in the world with a steeple measuring 530 feet

View of Schiefes Haus (crooked house), a 16th Century house converted into a modern day hotel, located in the fishermen's quarter; Ulm

Ulm's fischerviertel (fishermen's quarter) on the Blau River is full of half-timbered houses, cobble stoned streets, and quaint footbridges

We really enjoyed wandering through this quaint section of Ulm

Spring time in Ulm's fishermen's quarter is so pretty

Becky & Maria at one of our favorite restaurants in Stuttgart

Our day trip to explore the Odenwald region of Hessen was a charming day where we paid a whirlwind visit to Erbach, Michelstadt, and Miltenberg

An impromptu Spring festival at Erbach'sschloss (Palace) was a great way for us to get acquainted with this fine city

Downtown Erbach

Half-timbered houses of Erbach

Erbach is very proud of its history, as is evident by its incredibly well preserved half-timbered buildings and cobble-stoned walkways

A large crowd gathers for Erbach's spring festival

Erbach used to be known as "Ivory Town" because it sponsored the carving of elephant and mammoth ivory. Once the ivory trade was officially banned in 1989, horns from other animals were used instead

The town of Michelstadt is one of Germany's prettiest. It is a well preserved, medieval old town with a charming town square

Becky at Michelstadt's main market square with the town's four landmarks visible (the city fountain, the pink New Town Hall, the Pfarrkirche aka "reformed church" whose red brick steeple is in the background, and the half-timbered Old Town Hall)

View of Michelstadt's city wall which surrounds the entire downtown

It was a glorious Spring day when we visited this perfect corner of Germany; Michelstadt

The half-timbered buildings add so much character to Michelstadt's downtown area!

We wandered around Michelstadt's charming downtown and enjoyed the historic buildings

View of Michelstadt's town square, as seen from the stilts of the Town Hall

This eye-catching mansion caught our attention as we were leaving Michelstadt

The town church of St Jakobus is a great reference point when wandering around Miltenberg

City center of Miltenberg

Miltenberg's town square is one of Europe's most scenic

View of the Main River as seen from the hilltops of Miltenberg

Becky at Miltenberg's old town market area

Miltenberg is a charming, old-world town with a gorgeous central square

Miltenberg is a popular disembarkation point for Main River cruises

Christin, Larry, Nate and Robby visit the Dicker Turm (Big Tower) of the Esslingen Castle

Esslingen is wine lovers country! It is surrounded by vineyards that envelop this 13th Century town

Close up view of Esslingen's Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) Cathedral

We had a fantastic panorama view of Esslingen from this lookout point at Esslingen Burg (castle)

Parking in Esslingen was a bit tricky, but we found two free spots on this back alley road

The Schelztor gate-tower was built in 1286 at Esslingen's northwest corner

Esslingen am Neckar is one of the few old towns in Germany that survived WWII unscathed. In the background, the Protestant Parish Church of St Dionysius' two towers are connected by a bridge

Esslingen is best explored on foot

Esslingen's Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) served as the former market hall and tax house

It’s always great to see friends we used to serve with in the army! Larry, Becky, Nate and Christin hang out in our Sindelfingen home

Our Turkish neighbors celebrate during a Sindelfingen festival by lighting up flavored tobacco in their shisha (nargile/hookah) pipes