Germany: Steeple of the Laurentius Kirche in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler

In early May, Beate took us on a tour of picturesque Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. As we approached the Marktplatz, storm clouds gathered behind the steeple of the Laurentius Kirche. Before long, as we settled in for some coffee, at an outside cafe table in the market square, the deluge was upon us.

Storm clouds gather behind the Laurentius Kirche
steeple in Ahrweiler 2014-05-04

Germany: Maria Laach: Artistry at the Abbey

The advantage of visiting friends or relatives when traveling is local knowledge. In the case of our visit with Beate and Paul, in the Ahr Valley, it was local knowledge - Beate's in this case - that took us to the abbey at Maria Laach. While teeming with visitors, this was a place we knew nothing about prior to our visit. Without Beate's local knowledge we would have missed the wonderful crafts displayed here. An example is the statue in this postcard.

Statue at the 
Maria Laach Abbey (2012-05-05)