Florists in Andernach Germany

Europe: Going with the flow on the Danube and the Rhine

Past the medieval village of Andernach, where Princess Heide von Hohenzollern greets visitors to 14th century Namedy Castle, once the home of emperors and kings, for concerts and tours, the ship enters one of the most scenic areas of the entire voyage. The Rhine Gorge, also known as the "Romantic Rhine", is a World Heritage Site. Here be dragons, too: drifting past a castle or a ruin at every bend, vineyards and orchards, and picturesque islands, travellers will hear the saga of Siegfried, who killed a dragon on a rock in the river; and the Lorelei. Beneath this 130m rock, three maidens protect a golden treasure by luring sailors to their doom in the treacherous currents. Yes, that Wagner opera. Through the gorge, the charming wine-producing village of Rudesheim is a spot to relax and revive, perhaps an overnight mooring. Soon, the ship joins the Main River, so narrow and placid that travellers may feel they can reach out and touch trees lining its banks. A view from the hills overlooking the historic village of Durnstein, on the Danube. Photo / Getty Images The jewel of this region is Miltenberg's old town, another World Heritage site, of half-timbered houses that have not quite got around to stepping out of the Middle Ages. Its cafes and shops sell traditional German pretzels. Made from fresh rolled dough and best eaten within two hours of baking, these are far removed from the chewy, salty version found in the New World. Past Wurzburg and its magnificent Residenz Palace, vineyards hike up vertical terraces as the ship inches under low bridges, through locks and past towpath towns to Bamberg.Nearby Nuremberg's name is written in its World War II and the post-war story; an unparalleled opportunity for visitors interested in all-too modern history. This is Bavaria and they brew beer, bake (more) pretzels and serve sausages. The specialities should be on the menu at Regensburg, which boasts Germany's oldest sausage kitchen, where one can find the best wurst. Passau is "the last city in Germany", where thre...https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=12132000

Germany's second-highest traffic bridge opens - DW (English)

The Hochmoselbrücke, or High Mosel Bridge, stretches 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) across and 160 meters (524 feet) above the Mosel River in western Germany. Within Germany, the new bridge in the Rhineland-Palatinate is second only to the 185-meter-high Kochertal bridge in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg. Read more: World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge opens in Germany's Harz region Authorities expect about 25,000 vehicles a day to cross the bridge that now provides a direct link between the regions of Eifel and Hunsrück. Several hundred people gathered for the bridge's opening on Thursday. Over the weekend, thousands of pedestrians crossed the bridge by foot as part of the opening festivities. "Today is a good day for the Rhineland-Palatinate," said State Premier Malu Dreyer. She added that she was convinced "that the bridge will help advance our economically strong state even further and will strengthen ties between the people in Eifel and Hunsrück." Europe's largest construction project The controversial building project kicked off eight years ago. Some critics argued that the massive bridge would destroy the area's idyllic vineyard landscape, while environmentalists argued it would pollute the ground water. Others spoke out against the cost. The building of the bridge was part of a greater road project that included the construction of an additional 25 kilometers (16 mile...https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-second-highest-traffic-bridge-opens/a-51355455

She Believes Trees Will Save Germany — If She Can Save the Trees - OZY

Klöckner’s thesis, therefore, is simple: Save the forests, and they’ll save Germany. Klöckner as German Wine Queen. Blonde and quick to grin, Klöckner, 46, was born in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and got into politics early, shortly after her yearlong reign as German Wine Queen, a position that’s sort of like Miss America but for German wine. Before the age of 30, she was a member of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Angela Merkel’s ruling party. In 2012, she was elected as one of the deputy chairpersons of the national party. By 2016, she was running for Minister-President (governor) of Rhineland-Palatinate. Articles touted her as a potential successor to Merkel. And then she lost. she has the difficult job of juggling these different interests and keeping everybody happy.Joachim Curtius, professor of geosciences at Goethe University Klöckner’s more conservative than Merkel in some ways, a trait that hasn’t always served her well electorally. Her opposition to Merkel’s open-door asylum policy is widely blamed as a factor in her losing her 2016 race, and as recently as this year, she called for a burqa ban in Germany. Still, while the ultraconservative AfD party has wholeheartedly embraced climate change denial, Klöckner — as minister of food and agriculture — doesn’t have the luxury of ignoring scientific evidence. “The climate change has hit us much faster than expected,” she said at a forest summit last month, and while the scientific community might argue that it was definitely expected, she’s now gearing up for battle against the conditions that are destroying the forests. “Climate change isn’t German; it isn’t going to be solved in Germany. None of the existing policies around the world are up to the scale of the challenge,” says Britta Fri...https://www.ozy.com/provocateurs/she-believes-trees-will-save-germany-if-she-can-save-the-trees/221908/

German teachers fined for treating wasp sting with heated fork - DW (English)

Hesse were fined for causing bodily harm with their questionable home remedy for a student's wasp sting. The incident occurred during a school trip to a youth hostel in the neighboring state of Rhineland-Palatinate in May 2017, when a 14-year-old student was stung by a wasp. In response, a 39-year-old male teacher heated the handle of a fork with a lighter and pressed it on the boy's hand where he'd been stung. After a blister formed, another 40-year-old female teacher cut it open and treated the wound with cream. The student's lawyer said that as a result of the sting, the boy had to wear a protective glove for a considerable period of time. The German daily Bild reported that the boy's hand became infected and that he wasn't able to attend an internship as a result. A district court in Cochem fined the male teacher €2,700 ($3,160) for causing bodily harm. The female teacher was fined €2,500 ($2,900) for both assisting and causing bodily harm to the student. The decision was made last Thursday, a court spokesperson said, adding that the judgement is not yet final, as a timeline for appealing the decision has not yet passed. All about the birds and the bees... As sweet as honey They are the pollination super stars...https://www.dw.com/en/german-teachers-fined-for-treating-wasp-sting-with-heated-fork/a-45505055

Dead gardener left booby traps behind to target his enemies, German police warn - Fox News

Authorities in Germany are warning anyone who may have had a conflict with a recently deceased gardener to be on the lookout, after an apparent set of booby-trapped bombs left one dead and two hurt.Rhineland-Palatinate Police said in a news release that gardener Bernhard Graumann, 59, was found dead in his bed in Mehlinhen, near Kaiserslautern in west Germany, on Friday night.Earlier that day, a 64-year-old doctor in a nearby town was found dead in front of his practice after an explosion. Police believe the bomb may have been in a package that was left in front of the office as part of a "booby trap" which the doctor picked up, triggering the blast.MAN ADMITS KILLING AIRBNB GUEST AT AUSTRALIA HOME OVER UNPAID $149 BILLTwo days later, an "explosive-engineered log" exploded in a wood-burning stove at a home about five miles from where Graumann lived, according to police. A woman and her 4-year-old daughter were injured in that blast. Police in Germany are warning anyone who may have had a conflict with a recently deceased doctor to be on the lookout for booby traps. (iStock)Police said all three had been known to Graumann, who either had a "personal or business" connec...https://www.foxnews.com/world/dead-german-gardener-suspected-of-planting-trail-of-bombs-as-revenge-plot-against-neighbors