In 2004, I visited Amsterdam, Germany, and Sweden. I traveled with my sister Carol and my parents. In Germany, we met some of our cousins. In Sweden, we found the house my great-great-grandparents owned. Click on a thumbnail to see a full-size image.

This ship, the Amsterdam, can be seen on a sightseeing cruise around Amsterdam Harbor The Amsterdam is a replica of the original 18th century cargo ship of the Dutch East India Company Canal bridge, Amsterdam Harbor Looking down a canal in Amsterdam
From left to right, Cousin Frank Lane, his son Vincent, my sister Carol, Mom and Dad. We met our Irish cousins briefly in Amsterdam. We stayed at the Park Hotel (behind us). Historical Center, Bastogne, Belgium A memorial to the 76,890 Americans who were killed, wounded or missing in action in the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne, Belgium Inside the Mardasson Memorial, Bastogne, Belgium
Mardasson Memorial, Bastogne, Belgium Trier, Germany Trier, Germany. The Porta Nigra, a colossal Roman gate, can be seen at the end of the street. View of Trier from inside the Porta Nigra, a sturdy old Roman fortification
The Hauptmarkt in Trier, Germany Subterranean works underneath the Roman baths in Trier, Germany Underneath the Roman baths in Trier This is the house my grandfather grew up in in Ofterdingen, Germany
We visited Ofterdingen with some of our German cousins from Stuttgart. From left to right, Marco (cousin), Ruth (Marco's grandmother), Mom, Carol (sister), Dad and Eva (Marco's mother). Another view of my grandfather's house, Ofterdingen, Germany Church in Ofterdingen, Germany. On either side of the door are memorials listing the townsmen who died in World War I. Closer view of one of the memorials listing those who died in World War I
Two of my grandfather's brothers were the first townsmen to die in World War I Inside the church in Ofterdingen. My grandfather attended mass here when he was a child. Lichtenstein Castle, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany View of the town (Honau) from Lichtenstein Castle
Ludwigsburg Palace and Baroque Gardens, north of Stuttgart Outer courtyard, Ludwigsburg Palace Inner courtyard, Ludwigsburg Palace Queen's Staircase, Ludwigsburg Palace
King Frederick I of Wurttemberg. The first King of Wurttemberg stood nearly seven feet tall. (The Duchy of Wurttemberg became a kingdom in 1806, after Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire.) Queen's Throne Room, Ludwigsburg Palace Queen's Bedroom, Ludwigsburg Palace Ancestral Gallery, Ludwigsburg Palace
Mirror Cabinet, Ludwigsburg Palace Gardens seen from the Hunting Pavilion at Ludwigsburg Palace Malmohus Castle in southern Sweden Valinge Lutheran Church, where my Swedish great-great-grandparents are buried
My great-great-grandparents' grave in Valinge, Sweden My great-great-grandparents' grave in Valinge, Sweden. 'Kamrer' means accountant and 'hustrun' means housewife. The 'S.' stands for Sven. He was the town banker. My great-great-grandparents owned this house in Tanga, Sweden. (It is no longer in the family.) We met the present owners of the house in Tanga, Sweden
The present owners, and his mother, whom we met in Valinge The hotel we stayed at in Helsingborg, Sweden View of Helsingborg, Sweden, from my hotel window Tycho Brahe lived and worked at the nearby island of Ven, where he built his Uraniborg observatory
The House of Emigrants, Vaxjo, Sweden Vadstena Church Inside Vadstena Church Runestone
Vadstena Castle Touring Vadstena Castle. The tour guide told us, to our pleased amazement, that the castle housed a large geneological research facility! (The Provincial archives of Ostergotland, Smaland, and Oland are stored here.) Our tour guide, Vadstena Castle Vadstena Castle courtyard
17th century cannon in the basement. Vadstena Castle was built by King Gustav Vasa in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm. Fortress model. Vadstena was reconstructed from a fortress into a castle, completed in 1620. It was used as a royal palace until 1716, then became a granary. Orebro Castle Orebro
The residence of Carl Linnaeus in Uppsala, Sweden Linnaean Gardens in Uppsala Carl Linneaus Uppsala Cathedral
Runestone Uppsala Castle The Botanical Garden founded by Carl Linnaeus, Uppsala Ruins of St. Olof Church, Sigtuna, 12th century
The Church of Maria, Sigtuna, 1247 Skokloster Castle (really a palace), not far from Stockholm Stockholm City Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held Stockholm City Hall roof
Stockholm, as seen from the bell tower of City Hall Another view of Stockholm from the City Hall bell tower Looking down from the bell tower That's Mom, Dad, and Carol sitting on the nearest bench waiting for me
The Blue Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held Stockholm City Council Chamber The mural matches the view outside, so diners on both sides of the table have the same view. Our tour guide explained this reflects the Swedish obsession with fairness. A mural in Stockholm City Hall
The Golden Room has over 18 million tiles making up the mosaics Neutral Sweden holds Stockholm in her lap Stockholm City Hall Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm street scene The Royal Palace, Stockholm Guarding the Royal Palace The Royal Guard, parading through the outer courtyard of the palace
Parade of guards at the Royal Palace Military band parading at the palace A helping hand in Stockholm The Vasa, which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 because she was top-heavy and unstable. She was salvaged in 1961.
Replicas of some of the Vasa's sculptures The Nobel Museum, Gamla stan, Stockholm Dad and I wait for the Nobel Museum to open Skansen, an open air folk museum and zoo in Stockholm, Sweden. This is a very pleasant place to spend a day!
Goats at Skansen, Stockholm Skansen farmhouse Skansen docent Skansen docent
Replica of a 19th-century town in Skansen A craftsman at work in Skansen My father, sister, and mother pose for a photograph in Skansen A runestone in Skansen
The runestone explained! A Skansen docent demonstrates the craft of spinning yarn Mom outside a farmhouse in Skansen We visit one of the old houses in Skansen
Old-fashioned beds in Skansen Mom, a Skansen docent, and my sister Carol A rustic scene in Skansen Reindeer in Skansen
Skansen zoo animal Skansen zoo animals Skansen moose Skansen peacock
A brown bear and a red fox in Skansen Skansen farm animals Skansen Skansen grey seals
Skansen farmhouses Inside an old Skansen house – note the date carved on the wall: 1673 Skansen windmill Lego figure at Billund Airport in Denmark, near Legoland
Back in Amsterdam, Holland Amsterdam, Holland Amsterdam Amsterdam
Amsterdam The Rijksmuseum (State Museum), Amsterdam, Holland The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 'Banquet in celebration of the Treaty of Munster' by Bartholomeus van der Helst, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
A very expensive dollhouse displayed at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 'The cattle ferry' by Esaias van de Velde, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 'The syndics of the Amsterdam drapers' guild' by Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
The Museumplein (Museum Square) behind the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

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