Winter

The winter is a slow season for touring in England and the continent.  Most manor houses and tourist attractions run on volunteers, and with the bad weather they don't want to drive so everything closes till March. Now that Spring is here, and Easter has come flowers are blooming and  everything is opening again.

We did go see sites that don't require volunteers, and visit John's cousin in Germany.

Mannheim Germany

John’s cousin has a German husband and has lived in Germany with him and their 4 kids for the last 25 years.

Downtown Mannheim from train station.

They work in Mannheim and live west in the small village of Hertlingshausen near Carlsberg.


Water tower in center of Mannheim now a park area with city parking underground

Older building in Mannheim

Mannheim has a lot of art and sculptures. This is model of first Benz car.

Sculpture in downtown

Their property is in a beautiful spot nestled in the hills against the Black Forrest.

House from the swimming pond



Yard from the house
 

Forrest next to the house.

 We spent a very relaxing weekend with them. We saw Mannheim, a modern city, a castle in the village of Neuleiningen, and John went to a soccer game in Kaiserslautern.

Neuleiningen castle ruins
 

Castle Church

Vineyards in area, Mannheim in distance top right

Village nestled in the hills of the Black Forrest
 

 

Village street in Neuleiningen.(castle town)