The Storyteller | Mary Vee

This is the ghost story of the Enemy brother castles. The white castle to the left is the Liebenstein Castle. The brown castle to the right is the Sterrenberg Castle. Because of important accomplishments, the owners received Imperial Knight Status. Like many families, the children didn't get along. Two sons in particular. Although the younger was considered the braver, he was expected to stay home and care for the land. The older brother, a shy fellow, went to war. The older brother's war journey took him to Greece where he met a beautiful woman with whom he fell in love and married. The older brother brought his bride home. By this time the two brothers had separate castles. Due to their warring, a wall was built between the two, which can be seen in this photo. When the younger brother met the older brother's wife he immediately fell in love with her and she with him. But because she was married to the older brother, and because couples...

Have you ever wondered where the countries like the Netherlands get the earth to build up areas of their country which is regularly flooded?  Well, wonder no longer. Photo by Mary Vee, Rhine River The large brown area in this photo is a quarry. The land belongs to the Netherlands. It's true. This tiny portion of land along the Rhine in Germany belongs to the Netherlands.  Workers quarry out this land and transport it to the Netherlands using the material to build dikes and surge for storms.  Castle on the Rhine-by Mary Vee On the far right side of the photo above is the castle in this photo to the left.  The story about this castle is vague, but what we know is that in years to come this castle will sit alone in this area. All the hill surrounding it will be gone. It will teeter on a mere stub of a rock. Castle on the Rhine by Mary Vee The Netherlands has a great need though. The original soil in their cou...

Basel, Switzerland, Photo by Mary Vee Last week, hubby and I cruised the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam. I have a plethora of photos, new information, and SO much to tell...for another time. Today, I want to share what my new friends from the ship discovered. Guests came from all over the world to experience a cruise. Traveling port to port. The convenience of leaving your suitcase in one stateroom the entire time and having the option to eat on the ship or to purchase a meal at a restaurant near the dock is so lovely.  For every walking tour and excursion, only local guides were allowed to present information. So, a guide hired by the ship may take us to a palace built in the 1600's, but the same guide may not present information about the actual grounds. Only an individual living locally and is an expert in the topic may present. Seriously, I couldn't take notes fast enough. These individuals were a wealth of knowledge! Remember, these guides are ...