Next, we biked over to Seppenrade, a village that used to be separate, but is now considered part of Ludinghausen. The village has a large beautiful old church, constructed in the 18th century, which actually has the remains of six older churches (dating back to around 800 AD) on its grounds. Wolfgang also showed us a replica of a 50 million year old fossil found in the area. Next, we biked to Olfen, where we met Doro and the two Julia's for ice cream goodness.....

After Nordkirchen, we returned to Ludinghausen to view the town's castle. Owned by a poorer noble family, the castle retained most of its original furnishings, due to the financial constraints of its owners. There are actually three castle sites in Ludinghausen, although only two still stand. After looking around this one, we ducked into the cafe, set up in the former stables. It's actually a very cute little spot, and we enjoyed cake and cappuccinos.

Happy Canada Day, everyone! We had an amazing Canada Day in Ludinghausen, one of our most memorable ever! Wolfgang took Pierre and I on a bike tour of the area... We had incredible weather, and biking was an amazing way to see the area. To begin, we biked to Nordkirchen, where we viewed Wolfgang and Doro's school, where they both teach, before biking to the nearby Schloss Nordkirchen. This palace, formerly used by the area's archbishop, is known as 'Versailles...

Bjorn's sister Julia took us along with her and her friends this evening to a series of events celebrating the industrial history of the Ruhrgebeit. This was done using lights, displays, art and shows, and allowed us to see how lesser known German cities such as Bochum and Duisberg have existed and made their name for the last number of years. Got to walk through a mining museum set beneath the head frame of an old mine, as well as watching a dance and bmx show s...

Today, Wolfgang took us on a drive to a Roman settlement in the area. Along the way, the countryside is very beautiful and very different by car than by train, so it was very good to see smaller towns and farms in Munster. At the Roman settlement Colonia Ulpia Traiana, near Xanten, one of the farthest outposts of the Roman Empire is slowly being discovered along the former banks of the Rhine. Remains have been found of the town wall, the bath house, the forum, ...