Kleve, Germany - 51.79167°N 6.14222°E

We've spent the last several days in Kleve, Germany, enjoying this beautiful town and its Swan Tower. Lots to do here and the weather has mostly cooperated, though autumn is fast approaching. There's one bookstore in town with a small English selection. We've been devouring books like crazy!

We are staying at a very popular motorhome spot that is basically at the end of a parking lot. It's quiet and free - who can beat that? There are 18 power hookups for 40+ spots - we felt fortunate to secure a spot on the power pole on our 2nd day! By the weekend, motorhome traffic was overflowing into the parking lot - there were probably an additional 12 vehicles parked outside the designated camping area.

The Swan Tower (see above) is the tallest building in town and can be seen from virtually every spot we've visited. The short version of the story - The Swan Tower and the town of Nijmegen were left to a young woman by her father. She had to defend the towns and one day, a swan arrived, pulling a boat which carried a young man. They agreed to marry under the condition that she must never ask his name. After having 3 sons and winning many battles, curiosity got the best of her and she asked him to reveal his family heritage for the sake of the children. He vanished, never to be seen again. The tower is still protected by a swan at the top and another in the central courtyard. Encyclopedic references point to Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin as having popularized the tale.

During the course of its history, the Swan Tower has been used as a prison and today, is where the court offices reside. Much of the tower was rebuilt after WWII though there is an excavated section of one of the original turrets that can be viewed. We climbed to the top of the tower and enjoyed the views - visitors aren't allowed on the exterior. Each floor of the tower held exhibits, probably the favorite of the girl's was the wooly mammoth exhibit, followed by the rock and stone exhibits.

On another outing, we visited the B.C. Koekkoek-Haus Museum which in addition to Koekkoek's work (and that of his family, along with some personal belongings from the house) was running a Willy Maywald exhibit. Megan and Sophia had flowers in their hand (it's an ongoing game with every outing, to pick flowers). One of the curators offered the girls a free postcard, to which, Sophia offered a flower in return. The woman was quite taken aback - she had never received a gift of flowers from a child in the museum before!

Of Maywald's work (Gelatin Silver Print), I was caught a little off guard at the contrast of subject matter. The first room I viewed was modern photography of models in designer clothing from the early 50's. Next, a hallway containing photos from Kleve - including a few pre-war, post-war and rebuilding ('40's). Another room was dedicated to profiling famous artists, including Picasso. The contrast between documenting the destruction of war and modern day fashion struck me in a way I can't concisely explain.

There's a culture of doting on the kids here with little gifts. Most folks we've talked to have offered a little something for the girls, whether it's candy or colored pencils. At the "Trödel Markt" (think flea market), a vendor gave both girls items from their booth and wouldn't accept payment - of course, it was the very end of the day and everyone was getting ready to go home. One woman at the parking spot called us over to show us her "parakeets" - they were pods from a tree in the area. She returned a few hours later with two, just for the girls to enjoy. See picture - they feel kind of creepy, but if you draw eyes on them, the look just like little birds, sipping water. The girls and I met another woman with her German Shephard on the path near our camping spot. She recommended we park in a nearby camping ground - but we chose to stay where we were - just moved a few spots. She tracked us down two days later and then visited again a third time with colored pencils for the girls and home baked treats for tea! It was a very sweet gesture and made us feel welcomed.