Hamster Dancin' Around the World

This is a really rather flat country, with some hills in the hills (later samller mountains up to 2,500 ft), ideal for wind turbines: within a circle of about 20 miles from here, there are more than 500 of them!

We have thirteen castles in our nearer neighbourhood, ranging from earliest 12th to the 18th/19th century.

A nice one this here, situated in the middle between my native and my hometown




The rural country here is mainly Catholic (and polically conservative).

Old procession chapels are still more than a historic monument for many here

Penny had to get up early: to see the park in our neigbourhood here (it's a village with 4,000 inhabitants, a spa with warm, salty thermal sources and part of a town with 70,000 inhabitants) ...

The reason that we were out at 7 o'clock this morning was simply that at such an early hour not too many people are shopping at the market in the town :wink:



(In the foreground my favourite flower stall from the Netherlands, in the background a bourgeoise townhouse, now the town's museum)

So Penny had a quick tour around in the town center:

the townhall of 18th century caught her interest ...

´

... but then especially this fountain with free to move figures - here the town's founder, Earl Bernhard of Lippe (btw: Lippstadt is the oldest founded town in Westphalia, in 1185 [at that time, my native town existed already for more than 300 years ]



The house in the background was used in ancient times as hostel for some kings, pronces and dukes when they visited the troops here - Lippstadt was a "Condominium" for 200 years (in history/politics/law that is a place or country governed by two sovereigns) and very heavily fortified.
Oh - and speaking about history: Lippstadt was the first town in western German to adopt Lutheran belief: two of Luthers confratres were priests here.

Like any other medieval town, we still have some very nice timbered houses ...

These are so beautiful, Walter. I love Wandel's idea of making all this into a children's book.

Now to Eva?

On Monday ... and three or four more photos to post :wink:

A bit off subject, but I love Jespah's hair. Is that the new color?

So I drove with Penny to another spa, in a village 5 miles south of Lippstadt (we are situated north of the town):

similar indoor and outdoor pools like here ...





... and the park isn't really very different as well:



So what's so special?

Two graduation towers (one is in the background):

With these pics, Penny says 'Aud Wiedersehen" to this part of Germany and travels back to the USA tomorrow .... by airmail.

Ah, I just discovered this post.

Sure, no problem.

Will be posted to Eva first - see above!

Looking through the photos, I still find some I didn't post earlier (all will be on a dvd-slideshow to be send later).

These are from Chicago, one done during our speedboat tour, the other in a train (something I have .... uncomfort to be remember :wink: )

Thanks, but that's the old color.

Great, great photos, Walter!

Thanks, but it was more the model Penny than the photographer which made some pics not too bad.

Penny can say already "Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!".

So she got posted today. :wink:

Oh, good! Then she's ready for Oklahoma!

I'll post here as soon as she arrives.