We saw the new Zhang Yimou film with Jet Li "Hero" last night. Before this, Jackie asked if we were going to watch the film with Brett Lee.
The film had scenic fights. The plot hinged on calligraphy.
Back to the Germany memoir.
The ship north along the Rhein was great fun with castles and vineyards all along. After Mainz, the ride is not so scenic so we got off at Neuwied and went to Bonn and then to Cologne. Cologne was founded by the romans. 2 Great museums: one for Roman artifacts and one for Modern Art (the Ludwig Museum) are right by the very TALL cathedral. We took a day trip to Bruehl from Cologne.
From Cologne we went to Braunschweig via Essen. nb. Meteorit, though praised by the Lonely Planet Guide, is closed and gone). The time in Essen was not wasted as we got those shots of the blue-lit station.
Braunschweig again !! We stayed a few days with the Palmowskis of the Hannoversche Strasse house/museum. Check out Marianne's irons in the photos and Fruehstueck featuring Harz cheese immediately after that. We were shown and directed to many of Lower Saxony's attractions from there.

Koenigslutter feat. old church built 1137 AD (see round-faced column decoration and cloister) , old linden tree and nearby prehistoric stone burial structure nearby.
Autostadt, Wofsburg (car museum and expo for the Volkswagen brands)
Hildesheim (one of the best Egyptian musuems)
Gosslar and nearby Rammelsberg (mined since 4th century AD) historical mine and tour.(see the 200 year old waterwheel in the photos)
Braunscheig museum featuring dutch masters like this Vermeer which we saw again in "Girl with a Pearl Earring" starring Colin Firth, that chameleon. Also the museum at the Burgplatz which had bizarre and intricate and precious things which were given to nobility or otherwise posessed by them and also lithography.