Moto Photo - #22 of 29

A Tourist in my own Country: Germany, North-Rhine Westphalia, Land of Berg.

Every time I visit my home country, I also try to re-visit a few places that my parents dragged us kids when we were little, preferably on Sunday afternoons when the weather was fair.

I hated these family outings, mostly because it included driving in an unreliable vehicle sans air condition and always on the verge of a breakdown, hours of walking in boring places, and fighting with the siblings (parents optional). At that time I was extremely allergic to my brother, and rather preferred to spend my Sundays all by myself with a book.

#22: Traveling in Time

But things have changed. I still love to stick my nose in a book (mostly a Kindle these days) however, since I left my homeland I became more and more curious about the places that had bored me to death so long ago.

This is the Müngsten Bridge, engineered by Anton von Rieppel, and with 107m (351ft) the highest steel bridge in Germany. It spans over the river Wupper connecting the cities Remscheid and Solingen via railway.

Ground breaking took place in 1894, and it was completed in 1897. I wish BC construction crews in nower days would work that fast.

A four kilometer hiking path along the river leads us to Burg, a medieval town, complete with an old church and a very gothic graveyard.

Burg castle resides on a hill, and is accessible by ropeway for those not afraid of heights. Construction of the castle started somewhat in the 12th century.

I enjoyed walking around and soaking in the ancient history. In the coffee houses they serve the local specialty, hot waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream. It took a lot of will power to resist the tempting smell.

I wondered why I made a fuss about these outings when I was a kid. It wasn't a bit boring, and I enjoyed the trip in the past very much.