the wandering chick
...Vilseck

Vilseck, Germany, holds a special place in my heart. I didn't know at the time what it would mean to me in later years and what fond memories it would hold.

At the time, we all complained that we were in the boonies, and perhaps we were. But we were also only three hours from the Alps, and our surroundings were of beautiful sprawling fields that changed dramatically with each season and softly rolling hills from which you could see forever.

In retrospect, we had it pretty darn good.

Vilseck is located northeast of Nuremberg in Bavaria.

vilseck overview
my home for five years
vilseck tower at nite
old section of vilseck
tower in the oldest section of vilseck
in the oldest section of vilseck
vilseck tower
vilseck's stork nest
A stork's nest is said to bring good luck to the town. The towns provide a metal basket on top of a tower, but must leave the decision to build or not to build up to the bird.
approaching vilseck
entering vilseck from one of several entrances
my first winter in vilseck
an old house in vilseck
on the way to schlicht
vils river in early winter
the vils river
vils river in winter
out my window in schlicht
The town of Vilseck gets its name from the Vils River that runs through it.
Castle Dagestein in Vilseck lies in the oldest part of the town. The fortress was built in the 10th century and today is open for sightseeing.
another winter scene outside my window
a winter view from my window
For three of the five years I lived in Vilseck, I was in an apartment that had a very large plate-glass window that offered a wonderful view. I watched the seasons pass from that window, and took more than a few pictures. Here are a very few of them.
an autumn view from my window
window view of a train passing
the view at harvest time
the window view in spring
outside the kitchen window
a funeral procession viewed from my window
This one was taken from my kitchen window, which was also a very pleasant view.
The views weren't always pleasing, as the day this funeral procession passed. Notice the men in dark color at the front and the women in more colorful clothing in the back. In the photo below, you can see on the left a glimpse of the small village to where they were walking.
The remaining pictures are of Vilseck's surroundings: other villages and the beautiful countryside that lies between them.
a country road leading out of Vilseck
a winter sunset in the Bavarian Natl Forest

Above: A winter sunset in the Bavarian National Forest

Left above: A snow-lined road leading out of Vilseck

Left below: Snow-covered trees at Gross Arber, our closest skiing area

snow-bound trees as Gross Arber
my first winter in Germany
autumn chores
Amberg's city park
A city park in Amberg, south of Vilseck
back road to Amberg
A very narrow back road leading to Amberg was one of my favorite drives. But then, I had SO MANY favorite drives.
Bavarian farmers in their field
the Bavarian countryside
Edelsfeld church
German rape fields
a farmer's abandoned wagon
Grafenwohr base tower

Above: the church on the hill in the small village of Edelsfeld

Below: the water tower on Grafenwöhr's U.S. army training base

in the town of Hahnbach
Hahnbach's stork nest
the city of Sulzbach-Rosenberg
off the beaten track leaving Vilseck

Above and below center: the village of Hahnbach, south of Vilseck

Below right: the Rathaus (city hall) of Sulzbach-Rosenberg, also south of Vilseck and one of the larger cities in the area

more rape fields in the countryside
a shepherd tending his flock
Right: Rapeseed fields are seen throughout Germany in the spring. Among the many uses of rapeseed are Canola and other vegetable oils, animal feed and biodiesel.
'til the cows come home
another route heading south toward Amberg

To visit other cities in Germany, click here.

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