Hello, again, Blogonauts! My train from Frankfurt to Freiburg is a bit late, so what better way to pass the time than updating you, my intrepid fellow-itinerants. During my last few hours in Valencia, Toby humored my request to see the Central Market. Wandering there, we found a variety of Monday street markets where locals were selling (and buying) everything from unfathomables to unmentionables. Along the way we passed through Valencia's Plaza del Ayuntamien...

Hello, again, Blogonauts! On my way to Berlin on Tuesday, a strategic detour allowed me to visit the city of Leipzig. (As before, you can view some of my photos via the "Photos" tab above.) No matter where you explore in Germany, layers upon layers of long and influential history emerge. To musicians, Leipzig is best known as the city where Johann Sebastian Bach spent most of his storied career. He was the cantor and choir master at St. Thomas Church, ran the ...

Hello, again, Blogonauts! I have spent three days exploring Dresden. Some of my photos can be seen by clicking on the "Photos" tab above. However, two unrelated images from my childhood, separate from the snapshots here, keep coming to mind: First was "Girders and Panels," a make-believe construction toy I had as a child. The plastic "girders" would lock together in a 3-dimensional grid pattern, all mounted onto a masonite peg board for stability. Once the i...

Hello, again, Blogonauts! On Wednesday, my planned path landed me in Bamberg, a smallish city about an hour north of Nürnberg. Bamberg's old city center has received accolades as a World Heritage Site. Indeed, the primary reason for its inclusion on my itinerary is that the place is just so bloomin' cute! (Click on the Photos tab above to find the album labeled "Bamberg.") Similar to Rome, the city is surrounded by seven hills, most of which have a church an...

Hello, again, Blogonauts! As predicted by the sky-watchers, my last day in Nürnberg was the first where the weather wasn't as spectacular as the scenery. So my consequent plan was to devote most of the day visiting the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. This is a vast collection of archaeology and art, both secular and sacred, and much of it drawn from the area around Nürnberg. Included inside the walls of the museum is an abbey church, which was the only church in...