Photostory

Through the Eifel without a digger

There is a German joke: Congratulations. You just won a digger tour through the Eifel. I tried to find out where this joke came from. But could not find any information. We have been one week in the Eifel and would not have got anywhere with a digger because the Eifel is quite big. It does not only cover two federal states, Northrhine-Westfalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, it also covers a huge area. It is divided into x sub-Eifels. Rureifel, Vulcanoeifel, Northeifel… While Rureifel clearly references the river Rur and Vulcanoeifel stands out with the remains of volcanos as tuff cones, gush springs and lava rocks, you don’t really know what the Northeifel has to offer… Joking aside. We stayed in a nice small cute half timbered house in Lommersdorf, which is a part of Blankenheim: holiday flat Höppches. We have been welcomed with a huge food parcel full of regional products.

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Week 54: At the Kannenbäckerland

We stayed in Rhineland-Palatinate and drove from the Ahrtal to the Westerwald. We stayed at hotel Zugbrücke. A great conference hotel with perfect rooms and very fast Wifi. Hallelujah! A small meeting room was our office for this week. That was pure luxury. After our usual schedule planning we strolled through Grenzau. Well we admit, this is done fast, but you will recognize quickly that there is one main topic: ceramic. Everywhere you see things made out of ceramic. Pots, vases, house numbers, figures and even the village map. It seems there is nothing that cannot be made of ceramic. Because the weather has not been very cooperative this week we first did everything indoor. For example hotel photos. From the bar, the huge buffet or the staff. But also from the spa department… Sometimes it is good, when you have to be the model… Wednesday has not been so

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Kannenbäckerland and its ceramic

The role of ceramic in the Kannenbäckerland cannot be denied. As soon as you leave the highway you see at the roundabout huge jars, vases and pots made out of ceramic. And there are also a lot of every day ceramic objects. House numbers, sign posts, flower pots, sculptures and figures. We have even seen ceramic post boxes. Today there are not as many potterers – or ‚Euler‘ how they are called here – as fifty years ago. But there is still a noticeable amount of them. Up to 60 kilns existed in Höhr-Grenzhausen alone they say. Today there are few and smaller ones. And they are not fired with wood and coal briquets but with gas or electricity. Some old kilns can be seen at different places in the village. It is quite impressive when you can walk into a kiln and event can stand upright in it. Okay.

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Houseboat for Beginners – Our Tips

As we went as complete beginners on a houseboat tour, here are some tips that might be possibly useful for you if your planning a houseboat vacation. Of course, everyone is different, but this is indeed our personal view. Read the captain’s guide Read the captain’s guide Read the captain’s guide Three times should be enough. But do it way before the trip. Don’t do it like we did and read it in the car while driving to the harbour. Because reading it once might not be enough. Though they say in the commercials that a houseboat can be used without a driver’s license this does not mean that it is also without knowledge. There is a lot of information about the houseboat, the handling and the driving. If you want to learn all that within one day it might be too much. In addition you might have had an

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A whole village goes organic

We have been in Schmilka during our last stay in Saxon Switzerland and have visited the organic brewery, the mill and the bakery. And we have been excited about the concept and the consequence how sustainabiltiy is lived here. This time we were lucky to meet the man of action: Sven-Erik Hitzer. A man of deed. Who believes in his visions no matter what. Who is laughed at by bank consultants. Who removes contaminated garbage and instead creates a leisure resort only to be criticized afterwards that not the music is too loud. Who establishes a treasure and attracts employees which move into a small vilage that constantly lost inhabitants before. A man who thinks in big visions and looks ten years ahead before even the first step is taken. Who struggles to get supplied from the near surrounding with sustainable products and succeeds with his persistence after years and

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The candy manufactory in Wehlen

Right in the middle of the small and romantic village Wehlen you can admire a very old and seldom handicraft: Making candy. Everything in the shop is about candy. A confectioner in the old times must have looked like that. Everywhere there are glasses full of candy or bags with candy in any flavour. Even something like lemon-rosmary. But you may try the candy before buying it. Fair enough! By the way: only natural flavours or essential oils are used. You will taste it! All the candy is made in the shop. You can watch it any time. But at 2 pm and 4 pm there is a fixed production round. Or you just drop by. All day long candy is produced there. The base mass is made out of sugar, water and glucose. It is heated. And it is very important to measure the temperature all the time because otherwise

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A Photowalk through Pirna

The small village at the Elbe has more to offer than the amazing view of a tableau of Canaletto. If you stroll through the small streets and alleyways you can discover much more. We tried it ourselves and walked with cameras and open eyes through the small town. There is so much to be seen and photographed. There are old fronts and gables of the houses. But you should also have a look onto the roofs. You will find portals on nearly every house. There are even seats in the entrance doorways. A great invention. Why don’t they exist any more? Above the entrances you will find house labels. They told who was living in a house before the house numbers came up. Some details like door knockers you might also like. Everything of course invites you to takes pictures. Another nice photo subject are the different billboards which are

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Malerweg Stage 7 with Pfaffenstein

On a part of a stage of the Malerweg there lies a terrific viewpoint: The Pfaffenstein. But even if you don’t go the whole Malerweg the Pfaffenstein is a nice destination. We started directly from the parking lot. We recommend to buy a one day ticket because you never know how long the trip will take… Here you have – like on other stages of the Malerweg, too – different possibilties. And sometimes different levels of difficulty. We have been suggested to do the Nadelöhr. Well then! First zu walk up on a stone path with a very nice view to the Festung Königstein. After that you walk through a forest on a small path. And there also the steps start. But there is also a lovely place under a huge rock for a short rest. After that it’s all steps. Steps and steps… Wooden steps or step stones oder

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On the Malerweg – Stage 4

Today we walked a part of the Malerweg, Stage 4. For the whole Malerweg or a complete stage we unfortunately do not have the time. But a part of a stage is just as interesting. We choose the Schrammsteine and started in Ostrich. From the first meters on the way is beautiful. You walk through the forest and after each curve you have a new view. You walk through a hollow way. Or walk on a broad way with light woods on the side. Or you walk through a darker part where plants grow thickly and stones carry moss. It will never get boring. Everywhere small paths depart from the trail, which are for climbers. We let them best and stayed on the track of the Malerweg. By the way: Each rock here has its own name. Some are chosen after the form others are from the climbers that reached

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The Amselfall

We walked another part of the Malerweg and started in the middle of Rathen. A broad way leads into the Amselgrund. After some meters you reach the first point of interest: The Felsenbühne – rock stage. The way is quite steep – this time without steps – but finally you can see the entrance to the theater. The setting is amazing. The high rocks are impressive and the stage area is bigger than in a normal theater. The actors can climb up to the rocks and use hidden paths for their play. You can visit the Felsenbühne whenever there is no rehearsal or performance for a small amount of money. You have to walk the same way back. A short walk further lies the Amselsee. Again you can see in the background very impressive rock formations. If you like you can hire a boat or a pedal and cross the

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