family

A family insignia, in color.  Perhaps this would make a nice tattoo on my arm.  Just kidding...

in Heidelburg having coffee with my two over-generous aunt and uncle who have gone out of their way to make my stay pleasant and hospitable.
There are about 10 framed prints and paintings of my father's, Spyros Theodoropulos, hanging in the Scharf home.  It's a pitty he lost the motivation to do any more art.  There are a lot of other households that can use some good art...

Wachtenburg

Took a little afternoon trip to the Pfalzerwald , which borders along the wine country. Here, we stopped at an old castle from the 1200's , which overlooks a valley below filled with vinyards and villages. A beautiful area. There's something more endearing about having a drink in a place like this, going back 800 years, than sitting in a modern pub from the 1980's.

From the Technik Museum in Speyer. A great museum of technology evolution, from cars to airplanes, to submarines. After the war, these little Porsche tanks were used by farmers.a very nice Mercedes...
and the Dom. Amazing. Enormous. The first stone was laid in 1030, under Emperor Conrad II, of the Salien Empire.

Germany

I took a train from Holland and to my delighted suprise, the train followed along the Rhine. It was a relief to see some hills, because the flatness of the Netherlands can be a bit monochromatic and disorientating. Along the Rhine, you get to see lots of castles and quaint little villages that are reminding of old fairy tales (probably because a lot of fairy tales come from around here.a view of Heidelburg from the castle...

Amsterdam

Here are some photos when i arrived in Amsterdam.