And, we're still on track!

So far, so good. We are still planning to leave for Germany on April 29, returning May 21 (which happens to be Ascension Day - a good day for flying)..

The schedule is developing roughly as follows:.

• Thursday, after arrival, drive via Fulda (and sightseeing at the Dom) to just south of Hanover;
• Friday, north (after visiting some formal gardens in Hanover), to south of Hamburg;
• Saturday, Lueneburg and Luebeck, both of which have wonderful north German architecture churches - so-called "backstein = brick" gothic;
• Sunday and Monday in Hamburg with walking tour, worship with a Diocese in Europe congregation there, more touring, a late Sunday afternoon opera (Barber of Seville), harbour tour by boat, etc.
• Tuesday, Bremen and Bremerhaven - Bremen is a jewel of a city, Bremerhaven is where my family and I left to emigrate to Canada;
• Wednesday; south via Cobourg (the castle there was one of Martin Luther's "hide-outs" during the Reformation; and also the home of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria) on to Pommersfelden, near Nuernberg, and also near Hoechstadt, where my father lived in his later working life and retirement, and where he is buried;
• Friday, drive through the Steigerwald wine villages to near Wuerzburg, sampling the wares, and taking it easy;
• Saturday and Sunday in Nuernberg, with a walk-about the city, depending on weather, or visiting some of the museums, and an evening at the opera (Aida), and also a visit to the world-class zoo;
• Sunday, drive south, through the Altmuehltal (very unspoiled and scenic), to Schoenau am Koenigssee, in the Berchtesgadener Land area, to a hotel with a great view of this mountain lake;
• Monday, cruise on the Koenigssee, and take the cable car to the top of the Jenner mountain, for the view;
• Tuesday, to Salzburg, via the pilgrimage church Maria Gern, tour Salzburg, and an evening opera (Abduction from the Seraglio);
• Wednesday, in Berchtesgaden, visit the Nazi era documentation centre and visit Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler's alpine retreat;
• Thursday, drive the Deutsche Alpenstrasse to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with a short detour at Ruhpolding to take the cable car to the top of the Rauschberg for lunch, and to enjoy the magnificent view;
• Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are interchangeable, but include taking the cog railway and cable car to the top of the Zugspitze (Germany's highest mountain, just short of 3000 m), touring the Ettal monastery and the royal castle at Linderhof, the royal castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, as well as the roccoco high baroque church at Wies (and dining at the Pfeffermuehle, which has absolutely the best spring lamb!), or possibly a trip to Insbruck in Austria;
• Monday, drive north, if good weather via Augsburg with sightseeing there, to near Frankfurt;
• Tuesday, spend with my step-brother Karlheinz and his daughter Sylvia in the Rheingau wine villages;
• Wednesday, drive to Bingen, then north on the "left" Rhine road B9 to near Koblenz, via the Lorelei and more wine villages, then to Limburg-an-der-Lahn, with it's beautiful cathedral (a transitional building from Romanesque to Gothic architecture);
• Thursday, fly home!

Our accomadations are all booked,but we've learned from last Fall - everything can be cancelled without penalty. As for the opera and other attractions, we will wait until we've arrived to make bookings - one of the real benefits of the Internet.

Keep checking, I can't promise daily updates and reports, but will post as able.