Welcome to our website! Since we moved to Germany in 1990, our VW camper has carried us on some great adventures in Europe. Our latest travels are posted below. The navigation links to the left and above lead to travel diaries, photos of special people in our lives, and research on the Bandhauer, Bradley, Farrell, Locke, Perry, Phelps, Ramsay, Rodman, Walbridge & Wright families. Enjoy the site and don't forget to visit the guestbook. We'd love to hear from you!

 

Jim & Margie Rodman

Home Page - Current Events
Brugge Belgium May 22-25, 2009
After seeing the movie "In Brugge", we decided to visit the medieval town of Brugge and went by train to the Flemish region of Belgium. We stayed at a wonderful and quiet hotel, Hotel Europ, far from the main square. In the main square, the Grote Markt,we saw the Belfry and climbed the narrow circular stairway to the top. When we got to the top, we did not jump off but experienced first hand the amazing sound of all the bells playing Greensleaves full blast! We visited the Basilica of the Holy Blood and saw the city hall. We also saw the old city gateways and some windmills.
Barcelona Spain April 3-9, 2009
We spent a week in Barcelona over Spring Break and has a great flight and great weather. Here are pictures of the Cathedral, the Mercat del la Boqueria (the market), Montjuic (the big park with the Oplympic site), the Ramblas, the Placa Catalunya and the Barcelona Port. We also saw the works of Gaudi, the Palu Guell, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, Parc Guell, and Casa Vicens. We stayed at a hotel right off the Ramblas, the street that is always busy and exciting and ate at many wonderful tapas restaurnats.
Sicily Italy January 16-19 2009
We flew to Catania which is very close to the Sigonella navy base in Sicily. From there we visited the school and stayed the night with Tony and Lynn at their house. We baked a big paiella that night and toured their incredible house. The next day we drive to Taromina, toured the town and stayed the night in the cutest bed and breakfast right on the main square. The next day we visited the Teatro Antica and wandered some more through the town. On our final day we took a taxi ride to Maria Della Rocca, Castelmola and Acereale, the home of the Cyclopi.
Amsterdam Holland November 25-28 2008
Flying to Amsterdam was cheaper than taking a train, and a lot faster, so we flew to Schipol for Thanksgiving. There is a fast train from the airport to Centraal Station and Tram #9 was waiting for us when we arrived. After 9 stops we arrived at Princengracht and stayed in Mere's houseboat for three days. Our main objective was to take pictures with the new camera of this incredible town, and, of course, to visit Meredith. The weather was chilly and breezy and we had to dart into the many brown cafes to warm up.
Veneto Region Italy October 10-17 2008
We met Jesse and Heather at the Vicenza train station on Friday evening after their trip from Geneva. We stayed at the Viest Hotel for two days exploring Vicenza and Venice. Then we moved to the Tres Archi bed and breakfast in Nove, where we bought pottery and toured the town of Nove. We also visited the medieval town of Marostica where a human chess game is played on the square every September of an even numbered year. We finally finished our trip in Bassano del Grappa with its fabulous bridge of the Alpini.
Saulheim Vinyard Volksmarch September 28 2008
We registered in the Saulheim Sportshalle and received a stamp card. The walk is 10 kilometers with six stops and takes about four hours. At each stop we stamped our card and sampled the local wines which also came with snacks. The day was warm, perfect for a walk and we invied our neighbors, Jeorg, Joy, Jury and Inge. We also walked with our fiiends Sally, Karen and Brad.
Pat's Mountains - September 13-14 2008
The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.The ashes were scattered on Mt. Palomar.
Camping in Puenderich - July 10 2008
We needed to get out of town and do some bike riding and there is no better place on earth to do so than the Mosel River valley. With a three-day weekend in from of us and wonderful weather ahead, we packed the van, put the bikes on the bike rack and headed for Puenderich. We were able to camp right on the river and enjoyed watching the barges go up and down.. We rode our bikes down to Traben Trarbach and Krov, where the Naktarsch riesling comes from.