This is a blog from earlier travels. After leaving Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, we drove a couple hundred miles south-east to Quedlinburg. For much of the drive we used the Autobahn. Both of us found that the Autobahn is much safer and saner than our freeways because on the Autobahn, trucks stay in the right lane and travel at a slower speed than other traffic. There is no pressure to travel at high speeds. The cardinal rule is: stay in the right lane unless you are passing and have checked carefully for cars approaching rapidly from the rear. Quedlinburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site because it has more than 1,500 half-timbered houses dating back to the 1300s. Quedlinburg is located in what was East Germany. Many of the buildings are in poor condition but much restoration work is underway.

This is the hotel in which we stayed. Notice how the second and third floors slant downward to the right. Inside the hotel, the hallways are level but have a step every few yards. During evening hours Dick was allowed to use the computer at the front desk to access the Internet. He certainly never expected to man the front desk at a hotel in East Germany, directing visitors (in German) to someone who could help them!

The view from our hotel window.

The castle and cathedral. A long climb to find out it was closed.

The Rathaus plaza.

City street.

Narrow city street.