Travelog for: Dille

On Easter Sunday, sannah took us on a walk along Massachusetts Avenue from Dupont Circle to the United States Naval Observatory. This part of the street is nicknamed Embassy Row because of the high density of – well – embassies of countries all over the world. Some of them are situated in nice city houses which were built around 1900, but sannah didn’t want to take a picture of all of them … Click here if you want to see more.

Not an embassy, but another both international and impressive building (and most likely serving a lot of the diplomats living nearby, for example for Turkey or Oman) is The Islamic Center. I have never seen a minaret in the United States before!



Massachusetts Avenue then passes Rock Creek.



The British Embassy’s ground was huge! They had their Union Jack on public display …



… and Winston Churchill was greeting everybody walking by with the Victory sign.



Unfortunately, the Dutch Embassy is located somewhere else, not even close to where we were.

At the St. Alban’s School for boys, we had almost reached our destination for today ...



part 2 coming!

this is part 2

Located on a hill at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenue, the Washington National Cathedral was a perfect destination for Easter Day.

At first sight, it was hiding behind the trees …



… but then we stepped out of the umbrage and had a second look. Still, it looks a smaller version of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, don’t you think? Or maybe it is just the Neo-Gothic design, I don’t know.



Its official name is Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, but let’s use Washington National Cathedral for the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in the United States, instead.

The foundation stone was set in 1907 with President Roosevelt present, the last one in the presence of President George H. Bush in 1990. But in 2011 an earthquake hit Washington DC and parts of the tower fell off. Therefore, reconstruction work was ongoing and access partly restricted.



We walked around the church and found this nice building nearby, the church’s library is in there.



An Easter afternoon service was just about to start and sannah and sannah-man decided to attend it (making it their first Episcopal service ever). I had to stay in sannah’s purse for that time, but when we left, I had one last look back.



That was our Easter Sunday!
All the best,
Dille

Hi there!

One of the most touristy spots of DC where a lot of people take pictures or selfies is definitely the Lincoln Memorial.

But well, the view over the Reflection Pool to the Washington Monument really is spectacular, especially on sunny days. Don’t you agree?



Not less people took a picture of the huge sitting Lincoln. I am no exemption. 



And this shows the whole memorial from its side.



Time to leave DC, but not before another last stop ...

All the best, Dille

Hi there!

This place is a very special one for those US-Americans who support their troops.



A lot of soldiers, whether they lost their life while fighting for their country or as veterans later in life, are buried here at Arlington National Cemetery. We only crossed the Potamac River, but are in the state of Virginia now.

The atmosphere is hard to describe, it is very calm on this hallow ground - but on the other hand there are a lot of visitors.

The gravesites are arranged neatly.





Most visitors pay tribute at the burial place of John F. Kennedy. An eternal flame is burning there. You can see the place in the front of this photo (where the people gathered).



The background shows our look back over Washington DC across the Potomac River (can you see the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, or the State Capitol Building?) - we headed to the airport by Metro after our visit at the cemetery.

All the best,
Dille

Hi there!

Another road trip, this time leading up north to the shores of Lake Superior. Yes, it looks like the beach of an ocean, but it is only a lake, the largest freshwater lake of the world (by surface).



This is the lighthouse marking the harbor entry of Two Harbors where we stopped for a picknick lunch.



More to follow soon!
Yours, Dille

Hi there!

Our first stop after having checked into our hotel rooms was at Tettegouche State Park, the largest of all Minnesota State Parks at the North Shore.

To literally get an overview, we first stopped at Palisade Head, a cliff rising up about 40 meters high at the coast. I did not dare to get very close to the edge, it was too high to still feel comfortable!




Afterwards, we followed one of the trails. First we went down to the mouth of Baptism River.



The trail leading towards Shovel Point was mostly made of wooden stairs. Lots of stairs! I could hear sannah groan towards the end … must have been too many!

But the view was definitely worth it! Don’t you agree?
Palisade Head is in the background here.



And I love the rugged coastline. Can you spot the underground caves?



It was a wonderful day, but all the fresh air really made me tired!

Best wishes to all of you,
Dille

Hi there!

Sunday was Mother’s Day, so I did – of course – think of you all! We drove up further north to Grand Marais, MN, the last larger town before the US-Canadian border – that would have been just another hour to drive (50km or so)!

We first stopped on our way there because the bay looked so nice and calm.



After having a late, but very yummy breakfast Grand Marais we went to explore the harbor area. Grand Marais itself even has a small beach, see for yourself!



But the coastline itself is very rugged. Volcanic rocks, leftovers of earth’s history. We had to climb up and down in order to reach thelighthouse of Grand Marais – can you spot it in the distance?



But it really was fun to climb over all those rocks! Being the adventurous girl that I am, I enjoyed it a lot, so did sannah.



And finally we made it to the lighthouse. Yay us!



We had to take the same way back to our car. And then we had a last look over Grand Marais Harbor. There surely are a lot of more boats in the summer, but now the season has yet to start.



I liked this teeny tiny town a lot! What about you?

More to follow soon!
Dille

Hi there!

On our way back from Grand Marais, we stopped at another State Park, named after the stream running through it: Temperance River. Here it is:



The most advertised part of this park is very close to the parking lot: The Hidden Falls. Can you spot them despite their name? 



We then followed the river upstream. It really was amazing to see how it has carved its way through the rock over thousands and thousands of years.







The power of the river was really impressive. Since snow is still thawing in some parts of Minnesota, lots of water is being transported into Lake Superior.
I was rendered speechless. What about you?

All the best from Minnesota!
Dille

Hi little sis!

Thanks for showing me all those wonderful places! You are so lucky with a great host like Sannah!
I miss you, but it's great to stay in touch, watching your updates. And I know you will be coming home one day with wonderful stories to tell.

Bye! Big hug from us,

Kamille & Emjay

Hi again!

Our family at Dille & Kamille say "hi" to you and send their love!

Hi Sis, hi Mom!

I just wanted to prove with some pictures that spring actually has arrived in Rochester!



Although it was more like a kickstart into summer, both temperature- and weatherwise!

Lots of flowerbeds are distributed all over the city. This one has a special purpose, it is planted as "flowers of hope" celebrating 150 years of Mayo Clinic.



The fountains are filled with water again - and it is running! That is impossible in freezing cold wintertime!



I have no idea what the name of this bush is, but it smells fantastic!



As you both can see, I am doing fine. sannah has only one week of school left before her summer holidays start. She promised more trips then - maybe fulfilling a life mission, too!

All the best,
Dille

Hi there!

sannah promised to fulfil one of my life missions and so she did. We went by car about half an hour east of Rochester to Whitewater State Park where sannah made me climb the Chimney Rock Trail, a round loop leading up a hill for a spectacular look over the Mississippi Bluffs.



In order to have a nice view, you have to walk uphill first. So I went ...



... I was huffing and puffing halfway up alread, so I needed a rest.



Oh my, more stairs!



But in the end, I made it up to Chimney Rock - and you can easily tell why it got its name.




But the view was well worth it! Among all the lush green, you can see Whitewater River in the front and the road that brought us here in the back.



The beauty of early summer!



Having enjoyed the scenery for a while, we went back down, but not without admiring all the plants. Some of them can only be found in the protected natural areas of a state park.




A couple of wooden stairs led us down for the most part.



The hills - or bluffs - are all made of limestone and already part of the Mississippi River Delta (while the actual river is another 30 min drive east). Limestone is a relatively soft stone and easily carved, both by nature and men as you can see here.




We made it back to the edge of the Whitewater River safely without falling.




Climbing my first hill was fun, maybe there is a mountain for me to climb in the near future, too?

Love, Dille

Hi Sis, hi Mom!

I am heading back to Europe with sannah. We were waiting for departure in the plane.



And off we went! My last look upon Minnesota, land of 10 000 lakes.



I am coming home soon!
Love, Dille

Hi Sis, hi Mom!

I am still enjoying my travels with sannah. Today we went by train to Weimar, a small but vivid town in the green heart of Thuringia, Germany.

It is known for its cozy Old Town and as a city of culture.

If I am not mistaken, this tower is part of the old city walls.



Here you can see the Stadtschloss Weimar, one of many palaces in and around town.



Weimar was an intellectual "boomtown" around 1800, mostly due to those two gentlemen Goethe and Schiller. Their monument is standing in front of the Nationaltheater, but has temporarily been made a part of an Open Air Theater during the summer.



The Town Hall of Weimar is only one ...



... of a couple of beautifully restored buildings around the Market Square (Markt).



But there are wonderful buildings outside the Old Town!



This one is located right across the main station. It was already time to leave!



More coming up soon, there was a lot more history to explore that day!

Love, Dille

Hi Sis, hi Mom!

We left Weimar, but stepped off the train not too far away, in Naumburg. The city's cathedral is a nominee for a UNESCO world heritage site, so far it has not been picked.

Unfortunately, we were a little too late that day (it was after 4pm) and could only see the cathedral through a fence.



Or from a greater perspective as we were standing on the Domplatz.



But it was not too late to walk further downtown and enjoy the atmosphere at the spacious Markt (market square).



Just by the architecture, you can really tell that Naumburg has a long history as a town. Most houses have been restored beautifully!




Until next time!
Love, Dille