German Farms

I am taking a little break from the road trip pictures (there are just a few more) to share some photos of German farms. The farm house above is very special in that it is the house my grandmother (my dad's mom) grew up in. We all spent many happy hours there, and it is still in the family today, run as a hotel and pub.

Now, the farmhouse in the photo below (I don't know who the person in the picture is) is where I learned to ride horses. I started when I was 13 and during the following 6 years, I probably spent more time there than I did at home. Only a few minutes from our house by bike, this farm was a true oasis!
The following three pictures of typical farms I scanned from a book I have about the Münsterland, the area we moved to when I was 12 (before then we had lived near Heidelberg). In his job, my dad became acquainted with many farmers in the area and we spent much time and many vacations on those farms. Those are some of my happiest memories!


The following is a beautiful farm house close to my dad's house. I think we were more impressed by the big trees than the house, which is barely visible...
And here the buildings on a horse farm just around the corner from where my dad lives now - a beautiful place!
In looking through old photos and some books of the region around Münster, I was reminded again of how beautiful it truly is - with palaces, moated castles, farms, horses, old villages, houses, churches, the best farmers market in the region, and gorgeous nature. It has also made a name for itself with an important sculpture exhibit that attract international artists. Maybe I'll do some posts about it once in a while if you all are interested...