J Mark Photography: December 2012

12/12/12 is a wedding date that no one will ever forget! Plus, Theresa and Al are in good company. It has been reported that about 8,000 couples in the US tied the knot on the same day. A same three number date will not happen again for about a 100 years. But, if you want a consecutive date your last opportunity will be next year on 11/12/13. We were able to take pictures of Theresa and Al individually outside before it got too cold and dark. Even in the winter, Creekside was lovely. Theresa selected a Cinderella dress that was simply perfect. She said she tried on one dress and was done! Al and his son Al jr. looked dapper in their tux's. A very simple and quick ceremony before a yummy BBQ dinner and lots of boot scooting. Theresa and Al met on the dance floor and you can just tell when a couple loves to dance together. They just "fit". The couple will honeymoon next Spring in Hawaii.

After a very busy year, Mark and I decided it was time for a vacation. We both wanted to visit Europe, again and decided instead of our normal exploration, we would try a river cruise. After the cruise we decided we are too adventurous for river cruising but it did have some advantages. Mostly it was “easy”, relaxing, good food and we didn’t have to do much planning. We flew to Munich and took a bus to Passau to start our journey.

Day 1 - Passau - Germany is very close to the border of Austria. The town sits at the junction of 3 rivers and started our trip down the Danube River. This area floods often and has the largest church organ in Europe with 17,774 pipes.

Day 2 – Dultplatz and Regensburg - A slow start as the boat was late docking and there was considerable fog, but we were able to visit the Old Bridge which dates from the 12^th century. We walked on the same bridge that Louis VII of France used to cross his army while fighting in the Second Crusade. Pretty amazing. In the afternoon, we decided to take a side trip to the Weltenburg Monastery. To get there we took a sightseeing boat down the Danube Gorge. Beautiful scenery and we crossed the continental divide. Most notable, the monks have been operating the longest operating brewery in world. They have been making a dark creamy (and we must say tasty) beer since 1050.

Day 3 –Nuremberg - We divided our time between the Nuremberg Castle, the old town area, the Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the Documentation Center. Nuremberg was a primary target during WWII and was mostly destroyed in bombing raids. The pictures from before and after were amazing. We visited Hitler’s never finished Colosseum and brushed up on our history of the Nazi regime leading to the horrific events of the era. One of the most beautiful buildings in Nuremberg was the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) that stands at the end of the main market area.

Day 4 – Bamberg - What a beautiful town. It escaped bombing during WWII. The Dom was built in the 13^th century. The old town, with its baroque architecture is simply picturesque. The find in Bamberg was the beer. There are 10 breweries in this small town. We found the very busy Schlenkerla Tavern. This tavern has been in the same building since 1405 and serves “rauchbier”; a smoked beer that was very smooth with a bacon finish. We called it breakfast beer since we drank a mug at about 10 am.

Day 5- Warzburg – We are now on the Main River. This town also was massively destroyed in WWII. It is a large university town and students were everywhere. We took a great tour of the Residenz Palace but you can’t take pictures inside… sad face. This palace is massive. We visited the Main Bridge built in 1473 which has similarities to the Charles Bridge in Prague. Similar, but definitely not the same! We sat a little pub on the bridge, drank beer and watched the river and hustle and bustle of the afternoon. Fun day.

Day 6 – Wertheim and Miltenberg – Wertheim is a neat little German town known for glassworks. We watched a master glassblower work. It really was amazing. The Wertheim Castle was built in the 12th century which overlooks the river and was expanded during the 15th to 17th centuries. The castle remains are among the largest in Germany. The afternoon was spent in Miltenberg. We roamed around the narrow streets and did a bit of shopping. I kept wondering what it would like to live in such a quaint little community.

Day 7– Rudesheim – This is the heart of the German wine country with plots of vineyards changing colors. Broemserburg is one of the old castles in Europe. We took the cable car to the top of the town and stopped for the famous Rudesheim coffee. Made with brandy, sugar, coffee and whipped cream it was super yummy.

Day 8 – The Rhine River ending at Koblenz - This was the most beautiful part of the trip. After going through 55 river locks, the sun deck was open all day and it was seriously one huge castle after another. Absolutely stunning. We docked in Koblenz and to tell you the truth, we still have yet to figure out why we stopped in this industrial town. We did take the funicular to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. One of the largest forts in Europe and we figure it is still standing because it was impossible for opposing military to penetrate. It really was amazing. Here we asked for a local recommendation for our last German meal. We were the only Americans in the place and the best food and wine of the trip.