Work..Devotion..Love.. Come together in the Ring!

Here Comes the JUDGE!                Youth on the Podium!

 

Monday, we traveled first to the castle of Brühl, and WOW, what breathe taking beauty.  The castle was used by the German government for many years to entertain Foreign Heads of State.  The architecture and grounds are remarkable.     The swans in the moat around the castle were simply magnificent!

 
 

... and then on to the glorious City of Köln (Cologne).  This quiet modern city on the Rhein River has a unique beauty, and a definite feeling of history overtakes you as you view the magnificent cathedral (Dom) in downtown dating back hundreds of years.  Yet, the cathedral is located next to the main train station.  I fell in love with the beauty of this city and the quaint shops along the Rhein ... even if Fred and I did get lost here on a rainy afternoon when we took the wrong exit off the autobahn!

On the Rhein River

On Tuesday, we traveled from Julich by car to Bamberg, Germany to visit our friends, Birgit & Josef Pflaum.  The trip was about four hours, but we saw a lot of the countryside.  I have always heard of the "End of the Rainbow", well on our trip, we found the 
ends of two rainbows, in a pasture in Germany.

On Wednesday, we visited with Marion and Karl Fuller, of the world reknown Kirschental Kennels, who are the breeders of our beloved, "Nego vom Kirschental", commonly known as, "NIKKI".  They were very gracious hosts, and also invited Mr. & Mrs. Dieter Kraussling to join us for coffee and cake.  Dieter is Nikki's trainer and handler, and is currently training him to his SchH 3.  Later in the evening, we traveled to the OG Sweinfurt Schutzhund Club to watch 'Dieter and Nikki' ... train.  It is incredible to see a dog love his work like Nikki does!  We also stopped by the OG Zeil am Main to visit with other old friends...Gabi Schorr, Stefan Heller, and Stefan's lovely daughter, Michaela.  And then we drove to Eltmann to visit Juergen Greubel, and his family, and of course we met his Quincy, my Quana's brother. 
 

   Nego vom Kirschental (Nikki) & his trainer, Dieter Kraussling

Thursday, we left early to travel to East Germany to visit more friends, Peter and Hannelore Guell.  The countryside is rich in forests and the hills seem to go on forever with a lustrous green.  Peter arranged to meet us in Schiltz, and we followed him to his home in Dortmund, Germany.  Peter's wife, Hannelore, prepared an excellent lunch for us, and we spent the afternoon in his garden talking and having a wonderful time.  Later in the evening, we traveled to Tribes to the OG Neustadt club.  Everyone was very nice and made us feel most welcome.  We watched the training and received a special treat, as a policeman and his police dog, practiced their police training.  At the club, we met a very nice young man named Rico Krause, he spoke English very well and told us about the training of the OG Neustadt club.
 
 

On Friday morning, we left Hallstadt, to return to Julich.  On the way back, we decided to stop in Wurzberg for lunch, and roadside scenery of the town of Wurzberg is beautiful. 

Saturday, we visited two more dog clubs, and watched Marc and Willie train again.  Michael took us into the Nederlands (Netherlands) for a visit there.  Sunday was a rainy day, and we drove to Belgium to attend a LG Conformation Show.  On the way back, we stopped in Aachen, Germany and saw another beautiful city rich in history, religion and splendid architecture.

  The Rathaus in Aachen, Germany
 

 The Fountain in the city                                                            The Aachen Cathedral
 

Monday was very exciting and a BIG Day!  Michael, Marga, Fred and I went castle touring.  We traveled to Koblenz and visited the castle of Ehrenbreitstein where the Mosel River and the Rhein River meet. 

Then, we drove along the Mosel River, and stopped to tour the beautiful castle of Burg Eltz.  Walking down a narrow path through the woods, listening to the river run below, it felt like we were back in the 1500's... and then as the path curved around the hill, we saw an opening and then could see part of the Burg Eltz, and the bridge leading to it.  I could only imagine a knight on a stunning steed galloping up the path before us.  Perhaps, at this time, you could let your imagination run away with you.  But this was just the beginning, as we  crossed the bridge to the castle, the river waters rushed below us, we went into the room of treasures.  There were many drinking vessels and other artifacts ... which were made of gold or silver or both.  My favorite was the horse. There were also weapons of the times.  This castle offered a guided tour .. and the castle was setup as if a Baron or Lord stilled lived there.  The furnishings and furniture was authentic and the tour guide gave a very good description of how and what each room was used for. 

Still there was much to behold... We traveled on along the Mosel River, seeing many castles on the hilltops and traveling through small villages.  Everywhere we went we saw GRAPES... this is the land of WINE, and a delicious wine I must say!  The grapes are harvested in the fall .. at which time, there is a huge WEINFEST.  We traveled on to the Village of Cochem.  Cochem is a quaint village on the river, with splendid little shops and a very special restaurant where the food is delicious and the atmosphere is superb! 

As our trip came to an end, we realized how blessed we are to have the wonderful German Shepherd Dogs in our lives.  They have given us so many things, their love, devotion and loyalty ... but also through our love for the German Shepherd Dog, and our devotion to the breed, we have formed many good friendships.  Friendships that we will treasure for many years to come. 
 
 
 

Written by Claudia L. Orum
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