Heidelberg Castle

We were standing at the mighty arches of the Old Bridge. This is the Heidelberg Castle at night. What a beautiful view.

Bern, Switzerland

The old man let me try to mix the 20 gallons (maybe more?) of cow milk in a huge pot to make a cheese. As you can see, he doesn't have the new technology to make the cheese on easy way. He is the only one who does the old fashion way in their entire town and he doesn't have any helper. It probably took him over a week before he made a cheese.

These are the items you need to make a cheese in old fashion way.

Saint-'Etienne's Cathedral

The Choir
Dominated by the glorious Cross as well as the bishop's throne symbolizing the bishop's doctrinal authority, the new choir, Matia Bonetti's work, was consecrated on Dec. 17th 2006. It's an open space where God makes himself near, where he can be listened to , met, touched and received.

Here, every Sunday, "the mass of all centuries is said on the two tables": at the ambo that of the word and at the altar that of Eucharistie, the source and the summit of the Church's life.

In the upper choir the beautiful stalls made by the cabinet maker and sculptor Theophile Klem (Colmar 1914) remind that the canons have the responsibility of the sanctuary. En semaine, at 8.40 they celebrate the Service asking people to pray with them while offering :all that is going to come to life or die under the rising sun" (Teilhard de Chardin)




Saint-'Etienne's Cathedral-built from 1220 to 1520. Saint-'Etienne's Cathedral, with its magnificent 13th to 20thC stained glass (Chagall...), towers above the city. Its 140 ft-high Gothic nave is one of the most impressive of its kind in the world.

Extraordinary Tales & Legends

A pact with the devil-the architect, Peirre Perrat, was said to have entered into a pact with the devil to solve the problems he was having in building the Cathedral. But, as a subtle and wily man, the architect succeeded in outwitting the devil and save his soul.

Graoully- a cruel dragon, Graoully, terrified the people of Metz until Saint Clement trapped it with his stole and drowned it.

Saint Nicolas- Saint Nicolas, patron saint of Lorraine, brought three children back to life after they had been chopped into bits by a horrible butcher. Saint Nicolas' Day procession opens the end of year celebrations with a distribution of sweets.

Easter Day- on Easter Day, a rabbit hides chocolate eggs in the gardens of the town to the delight of the children who go searching for them.

Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial

Beneath the five figures is inscribed:

OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN-ENDURING ALL AND GIVING ALL THAT MANKIND MIGHT LIVE IN FREEDOM AND IN PEACE. THEY JOIN THAT GLORIOUS BAND OF HEROES WHO AHVE GONE BEFORE.

The wall bearing the sculptured figures which form the background of the chapel is of Massangis limestone from the Cot d'Or region of France; beneath the figures is the altar of French green Antique Patricia marble upon which is inscribed this text from St. John X,28.

I GIVE UNTO THEM ETERNAL LIFE AND THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH.




This cemetery is the biggest American Cemetery in Europe. Here's some history of Lorraine American Cemetery.

The U.S. 3rd Army resumed its pursuit of the enemy across France early in September 1944, after a brief halt because of a shortage of fuel. Except at Metz, where extremely heavy fortifications and resistance were encountered, the U.S. 3rd Army advanced rapidly and crossed the Moselle River. By late September, Nancy was liberated and a juncture with the U.S. 7th Army, which was advancing northward from the beaches of southern France, was made near Epinal. Upon the joining of these 2 Armies, a solid Allied front was established extending to the Swiss border.
Throughout October, the two Armies pushed aggressively eastward against increasingly strong resistance. The U.S. 3rd Army drove toward the Saar River and the U.S. 7th Army into the Vosges Mountains, as the enemy fortress at Metz continued to resist. On 8 November 1944, the U.S. 3rd Army launched a major offensive toward the Saar River. During this offensive, the main fortress at Metz was encircled and it capitulated on 22 November. Its outer forts, however, did not surrender until 13 December. Bypassing this resistance, the U.S. 3rd Army continued to advance, capturing Saarquemines on 6 December 1944. By mid-December, several bridgeheads had been established across the Saar River and the U.S. 3rd Army had begun preparations for breaching the Siegfried Line. Meanwhile on 11 November, the U.S. 7th Army to the south launched an attack eastward capturing Saarebourg on 20 November 1944. Moving rapidly, it outflanked, then penetrated the vital Saverne Gap in the Vosges Mountains. Sending the French 2d Armored Division to liberate Strasbourg on the Rhine River, the U.S. 7th Army turned northward advancing along the west bank of the Rhine against the defenses of the Siegfried Line, simultaneously aiding the U.S. 3rd Army’s operations to the north.
Throughout these operations, the U.S. 9th Air Force and the U.S. 1st Tactical Air Force rendered vital air support to the U.S. 3rd and 7th Armies, respectively, despite severe rainstorms and cold weather.
The progress of the two U.S. armies was halted temporarily by the enemy’s final major counter-offensive of the war, which began in the Ardennes Forest on 16 December 1944. Officially designated the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, it became known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” The U.S. 3rd Army moved quickly northward to counter this threat, as the U.S. 7th Army and the French First Army to its south extended their lines northward to cover more front. The second phase of the enemy’s final counteroffensive was launched on New Year’s Eve against the U.S. 7th Army. The assault began as a drive for the Saverne Gap followed by an attack across the Rhine toward Strasbourg. After furious fighting on all fronts in bitterly cold weather, the last major enemy offensive was halted and the U.S. 3rd and 7th Armies resumed their assault on the Siegfried Line. The line was soon broken and all enemy units were cleared from the west bank of the Rhine. In March 1945, the two U.S. armies crossed the Rhine River and began their drive into Germany.

Metz, France

Metz bahnhof or train station.

This church was damaged last WWII and the rest of it was gone.

These apartments need to take a boat before you get inside. There are advantage and disadvantage to live in these apartments. Disadvantage is when there is an emegency, you can't leave until you wait for the boat gets there. The advantage is nobody can just go inside without the boat.

These photos were taken last Saturday on Metz, France. This is the biggest Flea Market in Europe. They sell antique stuffs and the price was too steep. It was too steep, we ended up buying nothing....We spent 2 1/2 hours to find the nice thing but we couldn't find any because we can't afford the price. The cheapest stuffs they sell that I saw was old dvd movie for the price of 15 Euro each. We found a lot of antique stuffs from old photos (from WWII) to the furniture. They even have very old binoculars and cameras. I don't recommend this place for those people who doesn't like antique and if you are antique lovers then you have to bring lots of Euros and bags and big transportation.