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Welcome to Germany, the home of cuckoo clocks, Oktoberfest, and the setting for FROM BAD TO WURST.
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We bussed 2200 miles in about twelve days and ran across this sign on one of our *comfort* stops. My husband’s favorite Irish beer!
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One of the multitude of castles overlooking the Rhine. They were originally built by knights who charged a toll to navigate the small section of the river their castles overlooked.
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This is a shot of the artwork that’s painted on what remains of the Berlin Wall.
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More artwork on the wall. It must have taken forever to paint this.
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This lakeside villa in Berlin is the infamous site where Hitler’s top brass agreed to implement “The Final Solution.”
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This is the house in Potsdam where world leaders met to define the terms of surrender for Japan after WWII.
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A street performer in Dresden. I’m admiring of how long they can sustain the same pose without moving. A coin in their basket will set them in motion.
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The outdoor market in Old Town of Nuremberg. Nuts or gingerbread, anyone?
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Rothenberg is a picturesque walled city that escaped the bombing during WWII, so it’s perfectly preserved. Here’s part of the wall, dressed up like a flower garden!
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There’s a huge Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store in Rothenberg. Here’s the festive vehicle that’s parked outside the door.
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I discovered a slew of arched portals in Rothenberg. This one leads to a public park.
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This one is the entrance to someone’s residence.
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Another charming entryway, with an arched door at the far end.
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More flavor of Rothenberg.
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Can you tell I was fascinated by the arched doorways?
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This is the view from our bus as we navigated the switchbacks on our 6000 foot ascent to the top of the Kehlstein in Berchtesgaden, near the Austrian Alps.
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A view of the Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus, or *house on top of the Kehlstein*) from our bus. It was built as a birthday gift to Hitler, but he never slept there. (FROM BAD TO WURST, page. 230)
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In place of a cornerstone, you have this.
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Looking down into the valley from the snowy patio area at the Eagle’s Nest.
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My friend Jean and I outside the Eagle’s Next.
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This is the Restaurant Hafner Stub’n in Oberammergau as described on page 102 of FROM BAD TO WURST.
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One of many houses in Oberammergau whose facade is painted with an elaborate mural. (FROM BAD TO WURST, page 87)
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This little guy sat outside the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store in Oberammergau, as described on page 93 of FROM BAD TO WURST.
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Neuschwanstein Castle, home to Mad King Ludwig, who died under truly suspicious circumstances. (FROM BAD TO WURST, pages 153-155)
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The supersized clock located in the parking lot of the Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks store.
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Welcome to Scotland, home of bagpipes, haggis, and the setting for BONNIE OF EVIDENCE.
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Gretna Green, the tiny village where lovebirds from England could be married by the village blacksmith in a quickie ceremony. They still perform marriages here today. It’s like the Las Vegas of Scotland! It’s also where the final confrontation takes place in BONNIE OF EVIDENCE. (Page 284)
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Abbotsford House, the former home of famed Scottish novelist, Sir Water Scott. It now serves as a venue for special events like weddings, etc. The interior is gorgeous.
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The gardens at Abbotsford were spectacular.
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Much to my disappointment, I didn’t have enough charge left in my camera to photograph every flower in the garden.
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This is where my camera died.
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If you’ve seen Season 2 of *The Crown* on Netflix, you saw the episode where Prince Phillip sailed to the South Sea Islands on the royal yacht Britannia. This is the drawing room of the yacht, which is dry-docked in Edinburgh, at the end of a shopping center. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, pages 20 and 21)
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This is the other half of the drawing room. In real life the yacht actually seemed quite small. I’m not sure I would have wanted to navigate the globe on it!
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Since this was the highlands and islands tour, I figured you might enjoy seeing what highland cattle look like.
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The Battle of Culloden was fought on this moor in 1746. The visitors center has a circular theater that places tourists in the middle of the battle and allows them to experience the sights and sounds of that battle. It was quite chilling.
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A closeup of the memorial dedicated to the Highlanders who lost their lives on the battlefield.
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A croft house on the moor where the battle was waged.
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Cawdor Castle, which was the setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth and home to the Thanes of Cawdor for over 600 years.
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This is one of the many flower gardens at the castle.
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Another garden at Cawdor Castle.
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I could have walked forever in these gardens.
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A long view of Loch Ness, minus the monster. The whole loch is 21 miles long, so Nessie has a lot of room to hide. Unfortunately, I didn’t spy her on our boat ride. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, page 141)
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This is the crumbling ruin of Urquhart , which overlooks Loch Ness. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, pages 109 and 122)
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The bridge crossing over the estuary that flanks Wick in northern Scotland. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, page 155)
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This is a broader view of the estuary. I thought it would be the perfect place to plant a dead body, but I couldn’t make it work. I disposed of the body on a main street in Wick instead. ( BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, page 155)
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This is the beautiful flowered sundial that greets visitors once they cross the bridge in Wick. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, page 156)
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John O’ Groats — the northernmost settlement in Scotland. We took the ferry to the Orkney Islands from here, and boy, was it windy. The seas were so rough, a lot of people got seasick on the way over. I wasn’t one of them, thank goodness. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, pages 212 and 220)
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This is the chapel built by Italian prisoners of war during WWII. It’s located on the Orkney Islands, off the coast of northern Scotland. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, pages 239-240)
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One of the standing stones in the Ring of Brodgar on the Orkney Islands. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, page 248)
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Skara Brae on the Orkney Islands — a Neolithic settlement that was uncovered after a powerful storm blew all the topsoil off the beach in 1850. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, pages 249 and 250.)
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A closer look at the remains of the prehistoric dwelling at Skara Brae. (BONNIE OF EVIDENCE, page 257)
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This is probably the most iconic castle in Scotland. Eilan Donan, located on the Isle of Skye. The first Highlander movie and the Sean Connery flick “Entrapment” had scenes filmed there. The interior is so cozy, it feels more like a home than a castle.
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Here I am at Smoo Cave. It seemed an odd place to have a telephone booth!
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This is the deep cut in the headland that fronts Smoo Cave.
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Here’s the cave.
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Tobermory harbor on the Isle of Mull. It deserves bonus points for vibrant color.
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My husband and I, mugging for the camera in Inverary on Loch Lomond.