Author Archives: Serene

Heidelberg University is Germany’s oldest university. It was founded in 1386.  This building is the oldest and is just one of many throughout the city.   This building was donated by a former American student around 1900 because there hadn’t … Continue reading →

Würzburg is a city of 135,000 residents and 35,000 of them are students. Tuition is free in Germany, even for international students. A potential student must be able to pass a German language test . There are a number of … Continue reading →

Bamberg is a “Medieval city wrapped in a baroque wrapper.”  Because of this uniqueness, and a treasure of medieval structures, Bamberg was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.     Fortunately, only four percent of Bamberg was damaged … Continue reading →

Leaving Prague, we traveled by bus to Nuremberg where we would board the Viking Alsvin after our tour.    While on the bus, we learned there is “free travel” between the Czech Republic and Germany, as there is through most … Continue reading →

From a distance we can see Prague Castle.  The complex actually holds four castles, built from the 9th to the 18th centuries.   It is the largest ancient castle complex in the world. The four castles include the old royal … Continue reading →

We began our Prague City tour in the Jewish quarter.  It was once a ghetto for Jews and the poor.  In the late 1800s it got so bad that the city of Prague cleaned it up and provided new sanitation … Continue reading →

In 1298, silver was discovered at Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora means “mountain to dig.”     In 1300, King Wenceslaus organized area mining into a royal monopoly and issued a mining code.  He specified administrative and working conditions for mine … Continue reading →

We did make it to Prague! All of the luggage made it with us!  We were collected by a driver and taken to our hotel.   We were tired after our day of travel so we ate at the hotel … Continue reading →

Our latest trip to Europe took place from late August to early October 2023.  It encompassed two cruises and some varied land stays before, in-between and after.  The adventure began in London, even though it wasn’t supposed to.  London got … Continue reading →

On the morning we should have all left Quebec City, Cindy and Darrell did. I was moving to a hotel near Randy but couldn’t check in until the afternoon. That gave me one last morning to explore more of Historic Quebec … Continue reading →