Diana C. Kirby, Author at Diana's Designs Austin

More from Trier…

Most of the churches we’ve seen on this trip have been Baroque in style, but on our way out of Trier, we stopped to see the city’s famous Rococo church.

This is the St. Paulinus Church, which looks very simple, albeit elegant, from the outside. Only the ornate doorway gives a little hint of the amazing decor inside.

These beautifully preserved churches are amazing, not only for the craftsmanship and the talent they display, as well as all the years in the making, but I am also in awe of the idea of the wealth and power of the church in those times, when it was also the center of government.

Here you see my little munchkin dwarfed by the grandeur of it all.

And then we left for Weilerswist and my cousin’s house. Here Kallie is getting a tour of the garden when we arrive. If I can manage the techno piece when my husband leaves this week, I will have many more garden photos to come! Wish me luck on that!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:11-05:00July 22nd, 2008|Blog, Germany, Sharing Nature's Garden, vacation|7 Comments

Honoring family

This is the St. Mathias Church, built around 1500. This is the church my mother and her family attended when she was growing up.

The original church was built between 1127 and 1160, and was named the Eucharius church, built on an ancient Roman cemetery outside the city’s fortifications.

But, when it had to be rebuilt, they discovered the tomb of St. Matthew buried on the site of the former church. So they rebuilt and changed the name to honor St. Matthew.

The church site also houses the crypts of Trier’s first bishops, St. Eucharius and St. Valerius that were buried at the site in the 4C and 5C.

We were lucky enough to be in the church for a rare treat, as the organist was meeting with some people and she played a little while we were inside. It was truly inspiring. And we were also there to listen to the bells in the bell tower as we were entering the church.
And this is my grandparents’ grave. We came to pay our respects and to tend to the grave, as that work is typically done by family over here. Since there is no more family here in this city, our relatives now use a service that comes a few times a year, but I was so glad to be able to come and help just a little. I pulled some weeds and dead leaves out and planted the sweetest little mum with miniature yellow mounding blooms right in the middle of the gravesite.

It’s cathartic – tending to this little patch of garden that means so very much to me – and honoring the family that came and went before me.

Tomorrow we we leave Trier and move on to visit my cousin and her husband in Weilerswist, a small town outside of Cologne. I’m very excited about getting to see them. She’s like a sister to me, and he has the most amazing garden I can’t wait to show you — be sure to tune in tomorrow!

Oh – and these were the most beautiful flowers I saw in the cemetery – a lovely splash of color.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:11-05:00July 19th, 2008|Blog, Germany, Sharing Nature's Garden, vacation|0 Comments

Home, sweet home…

We started our morning by exploring the Heidelberg Castle, which is a huge structure that overlooks the river and most of Heidelberg. The weather held up with only a little mist and we enjoyed ourselves at a leisurely pace.

This was a little patch of garden that must belong to someone who works in or around the castle. We could see it from the edge of the castle, and it was so interesting to see that right there.

Fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables outside a shop on the main street in the old city of Heidelberg.
And, as always, lovely windowboxes overflowing with bursts of color.

Then we drove on to Trier, the oldest city in Germany, deep in the heart of the Mosel Valley and home to GREAT wine.

Trier is my mother’s home, and where I remember spending time with my Oma and Opa as a young child when we spent 10 years living in Europe. (Germany, Belgium & the Netherlands) So this is like coming home for me — the city evokes wonderful memories and a sense of belonging that is as strong as the current of the river that runs alongside it.

This first picture is of the Porta Nigra, the largest surviving Roman city gate north of the Alps. Trier dates back to the first century B.C., when Gaius Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and integrated the Mosel region into the Roman empire.

Amazing, isn’t it? That something so ancient stands today and serves as a reminder of all the history that has come since then. The city is full of ancient and beautiful wonders and I’ll post some more of them tomorrow.

And, amongst all the ornate buildings, more flowerboxes to brighten our sometimes cloudy day.
And I just had to get a shot of these pretties adorning the bus stop in the heart of the city.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:53-06:00July 18th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Rain, rain, go away!

The sun was done in Salzburg this morning, and the rain returned. But after a good breakfast, we were on the road again for the long trek back to Germany — destination: Heidelberg.

All over both Germany and Austria, we saw fields — some large, some small — of rows of fresh flowers where you can cut your own! I guess it’s like I’m used to seeing the pick your own berry places (and they have them too – amazing strawberries all around Bavaria).

Thought you’d find that interesting. The only thing more fun than going to my own garden to pick flowers fresh would be walking down the street to pick them from someone else who’s sweated and anguished over them!

It rained on us most of the day and we were on the Autobahn all day, in and out of construction and lots of traffic — both vacation and commerce. Lots of trucks.

We also make an unplanned stop at the concentration camp memorial at Dachau. It was very solemn and moving. But we were all very glad we realized how close we were to it and went and found it.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:11-05:00July 17th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Ok – HOT in Salzburg – but still delightful!

Today we struck out for the Hellbrunn Castle and its trick fountains and amazing gardens. We thought we could walk. We were wrong. Halfway there we caught a cab. It was a cool tour and Kallie managed to get wet enough in the trick fountains to enjoy it but not too wet for the rest of the day. A little lunch at the castle and a popsicle and a cab back to the hotel for a bit of a rest before we struck out on a late afternoon walk before dinner.

These trick gardens were built 400 years ago — a little whimsy from the Archbishop, who liked to play pranks on his guests — even at the dining table in the garden if they’d had a little too much wine to drink. And they couldn’t get up until the Archbishop left the table (his seat was strategically placed not to get wet!)

Other kids raced through here and got soaked through and through.
Tomorrow we leave for Heidelberg, Germany and my feet are looking forward to some driving and a day off!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:53-06:00July 16th, 2008|Austria, Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, vacation|6 Comments

Sunny in Salzburg!

What a delightful day. Nothing like drenching rain to make you appreciate a pretty, dry day. Woke this morning to the sounds of the street below the window of our hotel, which dates back to 1407.

We wandered around the heart of the old city today, and explored the Dom (cathedral) Residenz Palace, St. Peter’s Cemetery and the Mirabelle gardens.

This cemetery is really something to behold, full of lovely flowers and plants and vines, each grave individually planted and cared for by the relatives of those who lie there, as is the European tradition. It inspires a reverence, both because it is the final resting place of many of the city’s forebears, but also for the meticulous care of each of these miniature gardens, so lovingly tended.
The Mirabelle Gardens are beautiful, in the true European tradition of formal gardens – carefully sculpted and arranged.