Wednesday 3rd October 2012National Day in Germany

Boattrip from berlingen to Constance.

Leaving the harbour of berlingen.

Passing the monestry of Birnau.Passing the Flower Island Mainau.Arriving in Constance.

There we had time for a walk around the city and lunch.After lunch we took the catamaran ferry from Constance to Friedrichshafen.

In Friedichshafen we went to the Zeppelin museum. The Zeppelin museum's exhibition space offers historic photos, objects, artworks, a movie theatre with a Zeppelin documentary, and--most important--a partial life-size replica of the Hindenburg. This simulated airship has a cutaway hull section, passenger cabins, and public rooms that suggest what it was like to enjoy a three-day transatlantic crossing at a cost of 1,000 Reichsmark (about 30,000 in today's currency). Afterwards we took the train home to berlingen.Thursday 4th October 2012Trip to Meersburg:

Meersburg (in English, "sea castle") is one of the prettiest resorts on the shores of Lake Constance. The Burg above the lake is said to be Germany's oldest residential castle, dating back to the 7th Century A.D. (Meersburg also has a Baroque "New Castle" where the prince-bishops of Konstanz lived and ruled in the 18th Century.)

After lunch in the Burg restaurant we went to the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen.

Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (German for 'Stilt house museum') is an archaeological open air museum on Lake of Constance, consisting of reconstructions of stilt houses or lake dwellings from the Neolithic Stone Age and Bronze Age. Stilt houses or pile dwellings are houses raised on piles over the water.

Our next stop was Birnau. Birnau is a pilgrimage church at the shore of Lake of Constance, between Meersburg and berlingen. It was built in 1746-1749 for the Cistercians monastery of Salem by Austrian architect Peter Thumb. The church interior features notable frescoes by Gottfried Bernhard Gz as well as altars and stucco ornaments in rococo style by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer.

Friday 5th October 2012On our last day we went to Constance. We took the car ferry from Meersburg to Constance.

In Constance we had a sightseeing tour.

The middleage cloister of the monestry is covered with large wall painting (mural art) which shows the history of the Dominicans Island in Constance.

Afterwards our guests left to Zrich airport by train.