Category Archives: Europe

Holiday in Warsaw

For today’s posting, we’re simply including a gallery of photos taken in Warsaw on our recent visit. If you get the chance, you should go there. You won’t be disappointed.

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First Impressions of Poland

Until the last few years, Poland has not been at the top of many travelers’ “go to” lists. Indeed, even after years of travel, we had never visited here. True, we were only in the country for a week and … Continue reading

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Down to the Salt Mine

One of the most unusual places we visited on our recent trip to Poland was the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Try saying Wieliczka really quickly three times. The mine is about 10 miles southeast of Krakow and has been a working … Continue reading

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Krakow–The New Prague

Krakow–the new Prague. Of course, this is a silly statement. Krakow, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic are both terrific Eastern European destinations, each with its own unique qualities. But Krakow, in the last few years, has gained a reputation as the … Continue reading

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Beilstein and the Metternich Castle

Towns that are at least 1,200 years old are not a big deal around Germany. One of these ancient gems, a true UNRAD (Under the Radar Destination), is Beilstein, a town along the Mosel River in Rheinland-Pfalz, founded before 800 … Continue reading

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Bad Camberg: Half-timbered buildings and the Naturopathic Priest

Half-timbered buildings abound in Germany and after a while we become so accustomed to seeing them that they are no big deal.  But in the middle ages, when many of these structures were built, they represented cutting edge building technology. … Continue reading

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Zell: Tales of the Black Cat and the Wine Queen

Zell is one of those picture-perfect wine towns nestled along the banks of the Mosel River in Germany’s Rheinland-Pfalz. Jay especially remembers Zell from his days at the University of Oregon where he was introduced to the city’s primary product, Zeller Schwarze Katz, … Continue reading

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Bad Schwalbach: The Empress and the Beer Baron

Just 22 kilometers from Wiesbaden is the 19th century German spa town, Bad Schwalbach. Today, no one pays much attention to this community of 10,000 but in the late 1800’s the mineral baths and beauty of the place attracted royalty … Continue reading

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Under the Radar Destination: Alzey

There has been a lot of discussion in travel blogs lately about how over-crowded popular destinations have become and how this has degraded the travel experience. We talked about this in an earlier posting: https://neverlefthome.com/2015/05/07/crowds-and-travel-now-and-future/ It’s true that the savvy traveler must … Continue reading

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Totally Naked Men and Women, Oh My!

Now that we have your attention. No trip to Germany is complete without a visit to a Bad, or bath, in one of the many spa towns scattered throughout the country. At the bath, you can shed your clothing and your inhibitions, … Continue reading

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