Here we are again with the Romans

Remnants of the Roman Empire can be found pretty much everywhere all over Europe. They invaded and subdued most regional cultures and imposed their own culture and beliefs on the locals. Those who complied, thrived, while those who resisted, well, they died. The first rule of conquest.

We visited the Limes Museum in Aalen. Above a map of the Roman Empire as it was about in the first century. Germany was completely swallowed by the Romans. On the plus side the people got to enjoy the advantages of civilization (infrastructure, bathrooms, warm water etc.) the conquerers brought along.

The museum is built close to the foundations of the largest Roman Fort north of the Alps, and part of the Limes wall which marked the boundaries of the empire.

In 2005 this area has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site. Below a picture of how the complex must have looked like.

And this is what's left of it. The uncovered foundations are in excellent shape, and one could probably still build another house on it..

Also statues and wall reliefs have been found at the excavation site.

The crane on the left is a reconstruction built from ancient documents and drawings found on the premises. And the right picture actually shows the underfloor heating system. Wiki has explained very nicely how that works => click

Unlike other conquerers of ancient or recent history the Romans actually brought improvement to people's lives. And the amazing technology, architecture and cultural remains are still very much alive.

Taking a Break from Traveling

Sonja: I used to work in this estate... Job hunting and the traveling (and sight seeing) that goes with it is so exhausting...

So I better make good use of my time while back at our temporary residence for a few days. Out of a fleeting whim I visit the town where I used to live eight years ago. Nothing has changed, really.

My little scoot Alonzo enjoys playing outside. The colour prevents us from playing hide and seek, though.

A whetting cottage at the river Wupper.

 Old barn, nicely refurbished.

 I can't get enough of these half-timbered houses.

Yours truly. It's not cold but the bugs are bugging me. Note to self: Have to find a new visor to replace the broken one.

 Old farm house.

Quite therapeutic this little tour, I'd say. Now I am ready for the next bigger journey (likely by car).

Four Countries in a Day

We left Italy, and suddenly we were back in Heidiland (a.k.a. Switzerland). The weather was brilliant, just the right amount of clouds to make for a picturesque background. We climbed up the twisty road to St. Gotthard Pass, and found it almost empty.

Every turn offered another stunning view. Note: We need to come back on two wheels (the motorized kind of course).

 The hills are very much alive.

 Just like we imagined the Alps to be.

 So cliche, isn't it? And so pretty!

Now what's that? Yet another country? We landed in Liechtenstein. The micro country with a population of 37,000 is nestled between Switzerland and Austria.

Since we had never been here before we stopped in Liechtenstein's capital Vaduz. The first thing we discovered when leaving the parkade was a fat naked bronze lady.

Second came the castle on top of the mountain. The fat lady definitely won the eye catching contest.

Vaduz has a tiny pedestrian zone. One is through in fifteen minutes and that includes a coffee break, and window shopping.

 Dreams coming true?

Eye catcher number three. A jet in the middle of the pedestrian zone? No kidding!

Well rested, and a bit amused we continued our journey, and not long after we had arrived in Austria.

We stayed in Bregenz, a lovely city at the Eastern shores of Lake Constance, which also has Swiss and German shores.

Bregenz is an old city, the architecture however is a wild mix of buildings of different centuries to contemporary design. Unusual but interesting.

We craved for Asian food, and found our tastebuds very much satisfied by a local Thai restaurant.

After a delicious meal we went for a stroll along the lake shore. We weren't the only ones enjoying the beautiful evening. The temperatures were well over 25C, and we dipped our feet in the water to cool off.

 View on Bregenz downtown with harbour.

 We have said it before, and we say it again: Live is good!

Eastwards into the Alps

We left Switzerland and entered France. Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of the Alps and EU, wrapped in clouds was dominating the scenery.

Temperatures were beyond 20C and we thought a picnic was in order (It's something we do regularly whenever in France...), so we 'raided' a Super U to obtain the necessary raw materials.

As we came closer to the mountain range the sky got cloudier by the minute, so we took the 'shortcut'.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel. Seven years of construction time, more than 11km (7.2 mls) long. The transit fee costs a fortune (EUR 40.90 one way), but saves several hours of detour.

On the Italian side... it was warm but got increasingly cloudy. We stopped a few times along the highway to capture the sights. So much to see, so little time.

And then it happened. Heaven opened its floodgates, and prevented further travel at highway speed. We had to reduce to 50 or 60 km/h to cope with the lack of sight and road conditions.

But after the next mountain range, the rain stopped as sudden as it came. We rewarded ourselves with a lake view at today's end destination, Hotel Carillon in Feriolo di Baveno right on Lago Maggiore.

And when in Italy, we did as the Italians do: We had dinner in the little Osteria where locals gather.

The food was simple, the wine fresh and the coffee excellent. Another great day on this planet came to an end.

We walked off food and wine (not much though) by strolling along the lake, and dipping our feet in the warmish water. You could actually take a swim in the waters.

Ah, Bella Italia!

 It doesn't get better than this!

The next day after breakfeast we followed the road along Lago Maggiore, and soon crossed the Swiss border once again.

 Ciao, Italia!

And the journey will continue through Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria.