In the historic town of Dinkelsbühl in Central Franconia, southern Germany

 The Romantic Road is a route devised by travel agents in the 1950s in the south of Germany, specifically in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, linking a number of attractive towns and castles. In medieval times, part of it was a trade route that connected the center of Germany with the south. Today, this region is considered by many to possess "quintessentially German" scenery and culture, in towns and cities such as Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber -- and in castles such as Burg Harburg and the famous Neuschwanstein.

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(in Dinkelsbühl, once a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire) Dinkelsbühl lies near the western edge of the district of Ansbach, north of Aalen, on the northern part of the Romantic Road, and is one of three striking historic towns on that part of the route, the others being Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Nördlingen. Dinkelsbühl lies on the southern edge of the Franconian Heights on the River Wörnitz, which rises in the town of Schillingsfürst. Mentioned in 928, Dinkelsbühl was fortified in the 10th century and became a free imperial city in 1273. It flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries and successfully withstood eight sieges in the Thirty Years’ War, before it fell to Gustav II Adolf of Sweden in 1632. The 10th-century walls, along with a moat and 12th-century towers, still surround the city, thus preserving its medieval character and providing one basis for a thriving tourist trade. Notable landmarks include the late Gothic Church of St. George (shown here), the old castle of the Teutonic Order, the fortified town mill, and the Deutsche Haus (a 14th–15th-century mansion, with a Renaissance facade).

Fortified by Emperor Henry V, in 1305 Dinkelsbühl received the same municipal rights as Ulm, and in 1351 was raised to the position of a Free Imperial City. Its municipal code, the Dinkelsbühler Recht, published in 1536, contained a very extensive collection of public and private laws.

+ During the Protestant Reformation, Dinkelsbühl was notable for becoming (eventually along with Ravensburg, Augsburg, and Biberach an der Riß0 – a Bi-confessional (i.e. roughly equal numbers of Roman Catholics and Protestant citizens, with equal rights) This status ended in 1802, when these cities were annexed by the Kingdom of Bavaria. Around 1534, the majority of the population of Dinkelsbühl became Protestant.

+ Every summer Dinkelsbühl celebrates its surrender to Swedish troops in 1632 during the Thirty Years' War. This historical event is called the "Kinderzeche" (derived from the two German words for "child" and "the bill for food and drink in an inn'); it relates to a legend that a child saved the town from massacre by the Swedes. The legend tells that when the Swedish army besieged the town, a teenage girl took the children to the Swedish general to beg for mercy. (He had recently lost his young son to illness, and a boy who approached him so closely resembled his own son that he decided to spare the town.

In the city of Annecy, in the capital of Haute-Savoie department in southeastern France

 "People in their natural state are basically good. But this natural innocence, however, is corrupted by the evils of society."

-- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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(in the capital of Haute-Savoie department in southeastern France) The city of Annecy, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, lies along the northwestern shore of Lake Annecy at the entrance to one of the transverse gorges of the Savoy Pre-Alps, south of Geneva. The seat of the counts of Genevois from the 10th century, Annecy was attached to the dukedom of Savoy from 1401 and became important during the Reformation when the bishop’s seat was transferred here from Geneva in 1535, along with monastic institutions expelled from Geneva during the Reformation. St. Francis de Sales was bishop (from 1602–22) and, with St. Jane Frances Chantal, founded the first Convent of the Visitation of the Virgin in Annecy. (In 1728 the 16-year-old Jean-Jacques Rousseau took refuge in the city.) Along with the rest of Savoy, Annecy became part of France in 1860.

+Romance is the lifeblood of Annecy, a town in the Rhone-Alpes region that is replete with castles and cathedrals and softly curving architecture. Stroll across Pont des Amours (the lover’s bridge) before taking in the Imperial Palace and the baroque Cathedral of Saint-Pierre.

+ Traces of the Gallo-Roman Boutae have been found nearby. The seat of the counts of Genevois from the 10th century, Annecy was attached to the dukedom of Savoy from 1401 and became important during the Reformation when the bishop’s seat was transferred here from Geneva in 1535 along with monastic institutions expelled from Geneva during the Reformation. St. Francis de Sales was bishop (1602–22) and, with St. Jane Frances Chantal, founded the first Convent of the Visitation of the Virgin in Annecy. In 1728 the 16-year-old Jean-Jacques Rousseau took refuge in the city. (Annecy, along with the rest of Savoy, became part of France in 1860.)

+ Traces of the Gallo-Roman Boutae have been found nearby. The seat of the counts of Genevois from the 10th century, Annecy was attached to the dukedom of Savoy from 1401 and became important during the Reformation when the bishop’s seat was transferred here from Geneva in 1535 along with monastic institutions expelled from Geneva during the Reformation. St. Francis de Sales was bishop (1602–22) and, with St. Jane Frances Chantal, founded the first Convent of the Visitation of the Virgin in Annecy. In 1728 the 16-year-old Jean-Jacques Rousseau took refuge in the city. Annecy, along with the rest of Savoy, became part of France in 1860.

+ Shown here is Annecy’s Vieille Ville (Old Town), which is infused with antique charm. Made great by the medieval Counts of Geneva and augmented by the Dukes of Savoy, Annecy still has numerous 16th- and 17th-century buildings, now painted in shades of peach and rose and housing restaurants, bakeries and boutiques. Canals trickle through town, earning Annecy its reputation as an 'Alpine Venice.'

In the North Albanian Alps, in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, Albania

 “Morn dawns: and with it stern Albania’s hills…

Robed half in mist, bedewed with snowy rills.”
— Lord Byron, Childe Harold
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(in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto) Albania officially the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë) is bounded by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, Greece to the southeast and south, and the Adriatic and Ionian seas to the west and southwest, respectively. Albania’s immediate western neighbor, Italy, lies some 50 miles (80 km) across the Adriatic Sea. (Albania's capital city is Tirana.)

+ Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë (often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well refer to “those associated with the shqip (i.e., Albanian) language,” and to their country as Shqipëria. They consider themselves to be descendants of the ancient Illyrians, who lived in central Europe and migrated southward to the territory of Albania at the beginning of the Bronze Age, about 2000 BCE.

+ Due to its location on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, Albania has long served as a bridgehead for various nations and empires seeking conquest abroad. In the 2nd century BCE the Illyrians were conquered by the Romans, and from the end of the 4th century CE they were ruled by the Byzantine Empire. After suffering centuries of invasion by Visigoths, Huns, Bulgars, and Slavs, the Albanians were finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century. Ottoman rule cut off Albania from Western civilization for more than four centuries, but in the late 19th century the country began to remove itself from Ottoman influence and to rediscover old affinities and common interests with the West. Albania was declared independent in 1912, but in the following year the demarcation of its boundaries by the great powers of Europe (Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) assigned about half its territory and people to neighboring states. Ruled as a monarchy between the World Wars, Albania emerged from the violence of World War II as a communist state that fiercely protected its sovereignty. With the collapse of other communist regimes beginning in 1989, new social forces and democratic political parties emerged in Albania. That shift reflected the country’s continuing orientation toward the West, and it accorded with the Albanian people’s long-standing appreciation of Western technology and cultural achievements.

+ The North Albanian Alps, an extension of the Dinaric Alps, cover the northern part of the country. It is heavily forested and sparsely populated. In contrast to the Alps (the central mountain region, which is more densely populated and has a generally less rugged terrain. In the region’s easternmost portion, is the imposing gypsum block of Albania’s highest peak, Mount Korab. Albania also has many lakes, the most important of which are Lake Scutari in the northwest, and Lakes Ohrid and Prespa along the eastern border.

In the Orkney Islands, an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland

 Perched just off the northernmost point of Scotland is one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the United Kingdom: Orkney. These islands have had a long and rich Viking history since they were settled by Norsemen in the early 9th century CE.

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(in an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, off the north coast of the island of Great Britain) Of some 70 islands in the archipelago, 20 are inhabited. Most folk, however, live on the largest island, Mainland Orkney. Its capital is the Royal Burgh of Kirkwall. The island’s mainy town, Kirkwall is a gateway of people and goods. Though separated from the Scottish mainland by just 10 miles (16 km) across the Pentland Firth, Orkney, a harbor town, is one destination that feels a world away.From the 9th to 15th centuries, when the northern island group lay in the hands of the Norse king, a thralldom held by earls. (Ceded to Scotland in 1468, the islands’ Viking roots still echo in Kirkwall.)

+ The Orkney Islands were the Orcades of ancient classical literature. There remains much evidence of prehistoric occupation at various periods: underground houses, circles, standing stones, and earth houses. Skara Brae, an underground village on the west coast of the island of Mainland, is one of the most complete European relics of the late Neolithic Period; this location and several others on the island were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. Norse raiders arrived in the late 8th century and colonized the islands in the 9th century; thereafter the islands were ruled by Norway and Denmark. Celtic missionaries had arrived in the 7th century, but the Norsemen were not converted until much later. Kirkwall’s cathedral, dedicated to St. Magnus, was mainly built by Norsemen during the 12th century. Orkney (and Shetland) passed into Scottish rule in 1472.

+ The Orkney Islands were fashioned by glacial erosion of the underlying sandstone, limestone, and igneous rocks into low, undulating hills, covered extensively by glacial deposits. Westerly winds and gales account for the general scarcity of trees. The largest of the islands is Mainland which is divided into East Mainland and West Mainland; they are connected by a narrow strip of land about 2 miles (3 km) wide between Kirkwall and Scapa Flow. The small islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay, to the south of East Mainland, are now joined to it by causeways constructed during World War II.

+ Orkney is a prosperous farming area despite its fragmentation. Its farms are small and owner-occupied, averaging about 35 acres (14 hectares) and using modern mechanical methods to achieve high productivity. The main agricultural products are beef cattle and eggs, although the raising of pigs and the production of milk have both greatly increased. Some fodder crops are grown, but much is imported. Because of the importance of agriculture, the fishing industry has not been developed to the same extent as in the neighbouring Shetland Islands.

In the town of Görlitz in eastern Germany, on the Polish border

 As film producer Andro Steiborn once told The Guardian, "The architectural center [of Görlitz] is intact. So it's one of the few places in Germany where you can shoot historical sequences."

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(in Germany's easternmost city) The location of Görlitz helped it escape damage in World War II, since the British Royal Air Force never flew far enough east to bomb it. The nearby town of Zgorzelec, Poland, was part of Görlitz until 1945. It is just across the river, and you can reach it by crossing the Old Town Bridge (Altstadtbrücke). This gorgeous hidden gem of a city is full of iconic filming locations. Locals tend to call it Görliwood. If you haven't heard of Görlitz, Germany, you might not immediately appreciate the play on the city's name, but welcome to the Hollywood of Central Europe. Skirting the Neisse River and the Polish border in the German state of Saxony, Görlitz survived World War II's ravages to become a magnet for on-screen period pieces.

+ On its 10th anniversary in 2017, the European Film Commissions Network named Görlitz the best movie location of the decade. This followed the city's appearance in Wes Anderson's Oscar-winning dramedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Görlitz and the Academy Awards, however, have a history going back all the way to 1929. That was the year when Emil Jannings, who grew up in Görlitz, beat out the dog Rin Tin Tin to win the first-ever best actor award.Since then, Görlitz has appeared in several other Oscar-winning films, including Quentin Tarantino's war epic, "Inglourious Basterds," for which Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" wasn't even the first Ralph Fiennes movie where the city showed up: He and it had also appeared in "The Reader," for which Kate Winslet won best actress. When you visit Görlitz and take in Germany's scenic beauty, you might feel like you're the star of your own cinematic European travelogue.

+ Several hotels have provided lodging for Hollywood stars. This includes the Hotel Börse in the Lower Market Square (Untermarkt), where the cast and crew of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" stayed while filming in Görlitz. When Kate Winslet and Nicolas Cage were in town, they reportedly stayed at the Hotel Tuchmacher and Hotel Sorat (now the Am Goldenen Strauss). You can book some movie location tours, including a 90-minute English-language tour, through Visit Görlitz. For a self-guided two-hour walking tour, grab a "Welcome to Görliwood" flyer from the Görlitz-Information tourist center to help lead you through the city. The Walk of Görliwood will even take you past movie-themed shop windows.

At the Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of Grace), in the town of Altötting in the state of Bavaria, Germany

 For more than 500 years, this Bavarian town has been one of Germany's most important places of pilgrimage, venerating the Virgin Mary.

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(in the "heart of Bavaria and one of the hearts of Europe'). That is how Pope emeritus Benedict XVI describes the pilgrimage site of Altötting. Indeed, the town has been the spiritual center of Bavaria for more than 1,250 years and the most important Marian pilgrimage site in Germany for some five centuries Indeed, Altötting is one of the “Shrines of Europe” (the seven most important Marian pilgrimage sites in Europe). The capital of the Altötting district of Germany. has since been the scene of religious pilgrimages by Catholics in honor of Mary, including a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and one by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

+ During the Carolingian period, there was a royal palace here. Nearby, King Carloman erected a Benedictine monastery in 876, with Werinolf as first abbot, and in 907, he also built the abbey church in honor of the Apostle St. Philip. However, King Louis the Child granted the abbey in commendam to Burchard, the Bishop of Passau (from 903-915). In 910 the Hungarians ransacked and burnt the church and abbey. In 1228 Duke Louis I, Duke of Bavaria rebuilt those buildings and placed them in charge of twelve Canons Regular, headed by a provost. The canons remained until the secularization of the Bavarian monasteries in 1803.

+ This town is famous for the Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of Grace), one of the most-visited shrines in Germany; it is a tiny octagonal chapel that keeps a venerated statue of the Virgin Mary. According to the legend, in 1489, a 3-year-old local boy (who had drowned in the river) was revived when his grieving mother placed him in front of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary at the high altar. News of the miracle quickly spread, and the chapel was immediately extended by the erection of a nave and a covered walkway.

+ In the Treasure Vault of the Holy Chapel of Altötting is the Golden Horse, or "Goldenes Rössli", a high altarpiece made of gold and gilded silver, with golden figures coated with different colored enamel. It depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, and, as children, John the Baptist, John the evangelist. and St. Catherine. In the foreground is King Charles VI of France. (This masterpiece of the goldsmith's craft was a gift from Isabeau, Queen of France, a member of the Wittelsbach Bavarian royal family.The tradition of Bavaria calls for the heart of the deceased king to be placed in an urn and kept at the chapel at Altötting. The heart of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the builder of Neuschwanstein castle, lies in this chapel, along with those of his grandfathers and father.

+ Other architectural highlights in the town are the twin-towered Stiftskirche, a late Gothic church erected in the early years of the 16th century in order to cater for the growing affluence of pilgrims, and the huge Neo-baroque Basilika, which was built at the start of the 20th century.

In the The Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara county, western New York, U.S

 "All trembling, I reached the Falls of Niagara, and oh, what a scene! My blood

shudders still, although I am not a coward, at the grandeur of the Creator’s power; and I gazed motionless on this new display of the irresistible force of one of His elements."
--John James Audubon
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(in Niagara county, western New York, U.S) The city and port of Niagara Falls lies at the great falls of the Niagara River, opposite the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and about 8 miles (15 km) northwest of Buffalo, NY. An unstoppable flow of rushing water surges over the arcing fault in the riverbed with thunderous force. Great plumes of icy mist rise for hundreds of meters as the waters collide, like an ethereal veil concealing the vast rift behind the torrent. Thousands of onlookers delight in the spectacle every day, drawn by the force of the current and the hypnotic mist.

+ The British built Fort Schlosser here in 1761, and in 1805 or 1806 Augustus Porter established a grist mill and a settlement called Manchester. Both the settlement and the fort were burned by the British during the War of 1812, but development of the surrounding farmlands continued; the villages of Manchester, Suspension Bridge, and Clarksville (later to merge into Niagara Falls) grew up along the river. The Niagara River’s hydroelectric potential began to be developed in 1881, and, with the formation of the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1878, the industrial future of the city was assured. Its hydroelectric plants supply power to much of New York state and to the city’s electrochemical, electrometallurgical, and aerospace industries. Other economically important manufactures include paper, abrasives, machinery, electrical equipment, and food products.

+ The Niagara Falls State Park (established in 1885) includes Prospect Park (site of the Schoellkopf Geological Museum with exhibits on the history and formation of the falls) and areas along the river, including Luna, Goat, and other smaller islands. Tourism is a major economic factor, with millions of visitors coming to view the falls each year. Rainbow Bridge, which was completed in 1941 to replace the Falls View Bridge that collapsed in 1938, is one of several that cross the river downstream from the falls. The Niagara County Community College, part of the State University of New York system, was founded in the city in 1962, and Niagara University ( founded in1856) is just outside the city limits. The Tuscarora Indian Reservation is about 7 miles (11 km) to the northeast.

+ Winter in Niagara Falls is characterized by average temperatures ranging between highs of 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2 degrees Celsius) and lows of 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius)1. It starts snowing in Niagara Falls in November and snowfall is most common toward the end of February. From mid-December to early March, it's not uncommon for snow to cover the ground, and the falls partially freeze, creating a natural ice sculpture for all to see.

In the resort village of Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras mountains of Slovakia

 The mountains are calling, and I must go.”

-- John Muir, Scottish naturalist and mountaineer, 1838-1914
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(in the High Tatras mountains of Slovakia) Štrbské Pleso, small morainic lake, Východní Slovensko kraj (region), Slovakia. It lies at the end of a narrow-gauge electric railway from Poprad. At 4,455 feet (1,358 meters) in elevation, it is the most popular of the lakes in the High Tatra mountain range.
+ An attractive village of the same name has developed around the lake, with tourist, skiing, and health centers. Within the area are more than 100 lakes and several waterfalls (and the highest peaks in Tatra National Park are nearby). Just south of the lake, but several hundred feet lower than it, is an important pass between the Biely Váh and Poprad rivers.

+ Strbske Pleso (or corrie loch) that is a tarn (a mountain lake, pond, or pool, which was formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. At just over two kilometers around, it is a great place to get up in the middle of the mountains, below the high ones, for a walk around it on the trail. The paths are extremely well-kept and no matter when you visit the area, it is likely to provide something of interest to all. It is fed by underground springs and the water drains out also underground. (No rivers flow in or out of here so all seems calm all the way around it.)

+ Though the lake is a tourism spot for a whole range of visitors, all year round, there are no masses of people and the calm of the lake is evident all the way around. Every now and then there are indications of how the place was built up around it. Wooden lodge restaurants, all looking so inviting -- culminating in the Grand Hotel Kempinski that quietly adds to the grandeur of the place, without spoiling it in any way.

+ In images below, you can also see signs of a perfect spot for Winter adventures. The old Ski Jump stands above the trees. In Winter, this area comes into its own. Langlauf (cross-country) tracks appear all around the lake and as the water is frozen, deep, for much of the winter there is skating and ice adventure to be had for the whole family. Looking up from the lake you can see chair lifts going in many directions. Indeed, this is a popular area for alpine skiing, and (in the warmer months) a good way to start hiking in the High Tatras.

+ Of course, Winter gives way soon enough to warm Summers, the ski boots come off and walkers can hardly wait to set foot on the area's many hiking trails.
For those wanting an other form of adventure or relaxation there is the opportunity to hire boats and relax in the eateries overlooking the lake.

+ There is one other thing that Štrbské Pleso is noted for -- and was a part of the growth in this area. Spas and Spa Healing. If you love to treat yourself to a relaxing spa then there are surely no better spots than looking out over these reflections with the mountains rising up behind.