Here We Go A-Wandering...

After spending a day home-bound (which entailed a dusting of snow and the boys playing games with Grandma), my mom and I set out to see a bit of Germany. Our destination in mind was Mandersheid and it's castle ruins, but anything in between here and there was fair game. :)

While on our way to Mandersheid, we happened across something that I had seen signs for on the Autobahn and had been meaning to track down and see: Abtei Himmerod! As best I can tell, it's an active Abbey, but we only went into the little gift shop (where I got a schnitzel recipe book...It will be worth it to translate it to cook!) and the church part of the Abbey.

The facade of the chapel section of the Abbey

Nativity scene set up inside the Abbey

Close-up of the background of the Nativity (it's a painting of the Abbey!)

The organ in the Abbey's chapel

We continued on to Mandersheid, and got there only to discover that Neiderburg (the lower ruins) were closed. That didn't stop us, however, from going around and hiking up to Oberburg! (We got a nice view of Neiderburg from up there, too.)

View of Neiderburg on the hike up to Oberburg

Neiderburg and the Lieser(?) river running by

My mom at Oberburg, looking down upon Neiderburg

Me standing in front of Oberburg (and yes, my pant legs are rolled up...it was a muddy hike!)

Random tree-lined pathway off the road between Spangdahlem & Manderscheid

On our way back home, my mom's eye was caught by a random building in the town of Eichelhütte. Turns out it was a hotel! We went inside to try and find the cozy-looking restaurant we could see from outside, but had no luck. (I did, however, happen upon what appears to be an old yarn swift, used as decoration!)

But the building and setting were very pretty, so we wandered about and took photos until it got too dark to do so.

A fountain and the entrance to the hotel

Mini-windmill and swan on the pond behind the hotel

The pathway was literally the tree roots covered by dirt!

All-in-all, a laid back day, compared to the time spent in Frankfurt. (But then, the smaller places have a completely different feel to them. Much more relaxed.)