Alice, Tammy and I enjoying our last night in Bacharach, Germany, with a dinner of pork knuckle, sauerkraut, a salad, fries and smiles. May 23, 2018

Me and Tammy on the ferry down the Rhine River from St. Goar to Bacharach, Germany. May 23, 2018

People come into view for a second and then just disappear. Will I be able to find them? Will I ever see them again? For the brief moments I walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe also known as the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, I felt separated, lost and hurt that as humans we seek to diminish one another based on true superficialities…race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientations…when we are all human beings. The pain we’ve inflicted and continue to inflict on one another has ended a multitude of lives and continues to do so. Walking through this memorial makes me wonder if we will ever, as humans, be able to see deep enough into the souls of our fellow human beings to find the connection between us all. May 30, 2018

Toasting to the end of our 13-day Rick Steves “Best of Germany,” tour with beer…of course. Me, Alice and Tammy at Russpanne in Berlin toasting and getting ready to have our last tour group dinner on Wednesday night. May 30, 2018

Our Rick Steves tour guide, Carlos Meissner, during our last tour group dinner Wednesday night at Russpanne in Berlin after receiving a medal from a tour member for his super-duper tour guide skills. But more importantly for providing our group with an inclusive history, including that of his country. May 30, 2018

Carlos, our Rick Steves tour guide, introducing the buffet goodies of our last “Best of Germany” tour group dinner Wednesday night at Russpanne in Berlin. May 30, 2018

Thank you to my Buddy…Mary Ellyn…for sharing your photography knowledge and keeping an eye on me when I lagged behind the group trying to get in that one last shot. May 30, 2018

This morning we left the half-timbered medieval houses of Hannoversch Münden to make our way to Bacharach with a stop in Cologne. Carlos, our Rick Steves “Best of Germany” tour guide, said it would be a long driving day, and it was. But the stops along the way, especially the opportunity to visit the Cologne Cathedral, a massive Gothic church…with a quick side trip to the Romano-Germanic Museum just next door to the cathedral…made the lengthy bus ride manageable. Plus Carlos provided needed history lessons and the always welcomed…treats of the chocolate and salty kind.
By late afternoon we arrived at our two-night home base in Bacharach. Another charming town but this one lies along the Rhine River.
Come check out the UNESCO World Heritage cathedral, an altar to Diana…not me, but the goddess of the hunt and my stunning Rhine River penthouse view. May 22, 2018

Me in front of the statue of the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther and behind his statue, the Frauenkirche, Church of our Lady in Dresden, Germany. The bronze statue of the reformer and theologian, from 1885, survived the bombings but was also restored. May 29, 2018

The other side of the Krämerbrücke or Merchants Bridge are these half-timbered home along the bridge over the Gera River in Erfurt, Germany. May 28, 2018

North side, Krämerbrücke from the River Gera

The Wenigemarkt in Erfurt, Germany with the medieval arch of St. Ägidien’s Church the Krämerbrücke or Merchants’ bridge. May 27, 2018

The ending footbridge at Benediktsplatz of the Krämerbrücke or Merchants’ medieval arched bridge in Erfurt, Germany, which is lined with half timbered shops and houses on both sides of a cobblestone street. May 27, 2018

The Fischmarkt or Fish Market square where fish were bought and sold in the Middle Ages by the impressively designed façades in Erfurt, Germany. May 27, 2018

More historical buildings in the Fischmarkt or Fish Market square in Erfurt, Germany. May 27, 2018