October 2-5, 2026

Fall came to the Harz Mountains of North Central Germany while we were there—yellows, golds, and reds began to appear with increasing density. The cities of Quedlinburg and Wernigerode and Goslar, where we headquartered, were our reason for visiting the Harz. All three cities are half-timbered treasures—UNESCO says so, and they are! Goslar was once the seat of government of the Holy Roman Empire, and a palace remains there. Quedlinburg has more half-timbered buildings, over 2000, than almost any other place. Wernigerode is picture postcard perfect with a fairy tale castle looming over the pristine half-timbered lanes.

We were fortunate as a medieval festival was being held in Goslar while we were there. Fun! Folks in medieval costume walked the streets as live madrigal played on stage and acrobats performed. Food stalls were period-themed and the items offered were the same. I was especially drawn to the salmon being smoked, held on wooden planks slanted to catch the smoke rising from the open fire. This entire area of Germany is predominantly Lutheran. While churches here were not as large as other places we have been, they were still imposing and each had wonderfully carved pulpits with Biblical scenes carved into spiral staircases that rose upward. The pulpits were often held aloft with huge angels, and the pulpit crowns (wood-carved coverings above the pulpit) were often painted in jewelled tones. Altars were equally as beautiful, and baptismal fonts were striking, some with such heavy coverings that required built-in hoists to remove them for baptisms.

We all enjoyed our time here, and the weather matched the beautiful mountains and villages. On our venture to Wernigerode from Goslar on a day trip, Randy sought out a bus to take us from the bahnhof (train station) to the Altstadt (old town). Nancy commented, “Why are we sending the least German person (Randy) to speak to the German-speaking bus driver?” She was wise! Randy assured us this was the right bus. All aboard… and then Randy soon came over excitedly to me—“Here is where we are supposed to be going (as he pointed to his phone’s map) and here is where we are.” We were headed in the opposite direction and soon out into the country. We had no idea where we were headed, and more importantly, how to get back to Wernigerode. Oh yes, we were on an adventure! The bus began to wind its way up the mountains and soon highways turned into lanes as the forests closed in on us. The bus slowed to a crawl to make sharp turns. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL with lakes and colorful trees. I told Randy, “Put your phone away,” as he was frantic to find us a way back to Wernigerode, “and enjoy the serendipitous adventure.” An English-speaking German traveler came to our rescue. He told us the bus would stop in a city near the bahnhof that had a train back to Wernigerode. Yes! As we alighted the bus, Kathy noticed that a bus on the other side of the street was headed to Wernigerode—we quickly hopped on that bus and reversed our beautiful journey. Amazingly, the bus had a stop right at the entry to the Wernigerode Altstadt. And off we went, thankful for having taken the wrong bus! 

After several days of wonderment in the Harz Mountains, we are now off today for several days in Bamburg in far north Bavaria, north enough to be in central Germany. WEG