Here we are using YoWindow

[dc1jr]

Dear user,

today I will take the chance to show you the place where I use Yowindow and where the next generation of our user is born and living.

The place where we are living is a small village in Germany called Kappel with about 450 inhabitants. It is about 100 km west of Frankfurt Main, a well known town for most of you, and south of the river Moselle and west of the river Rhine. It belongs to Rhineland-Palatinate.

The area is called Hunsrueck and it is mainly countryside with less industry. It is on 350 to 500 m asl. The roots of our village are going down to 1091 AD by documents. Kappel is situated at a road junction, which is much much older than the village.
There are historical excavations near by which tell us, that these ways are already used by the Romans 50 BC during their occupation of Germany and on their way to Augusta Treverorum or Trier, the oldest town in Germany (2.000 years).

Below there is a picture of the area.

Landschaft Hunsrueck.jpg (27.74 KiB) Viewed 6007 times

The picture was taken at a place east of Kappel about 500 m asl and you are looking west. In the centre there is Kappel – the highest peak on the horizon is the Idarkopf about 750 m asl.

About 30% of our area are woods, 30% are pastures, 30% are used by the farmers and only 10% are used by towns, villages and traffic ways.

Within the centre of the village at the old road junction there are the famous buildings of our place.

Dreispitz in Kappel small.jpg (26.48 KiB) Viewed 6007 times

On the left hand side there is the catholic church founded around 1898.
In the middle there is the “Backes” or bakehouse with its 2 big ovens on the ground floor. One of these ovens is still in use today every 14 days on Saturday. On the first floor of this building there had been the village school with one room until 1849. On top there had been the room for the teacher who used to live in this building in former times.

The Backes is faced with slate tiles, and this is typical for the area. Hunsrueck slate is mined near by.

The small spire behind our Backes belongs to the protestant church, which is much older and was founded around 1747. The organ inside the church is from 1900, still in use and has been made in the famous workshop of Oberlinger.

Heimathaus Krone small.jpg (50.47 KiB) Viewed 6007 times

This half-timbered house is called “Heimathaus Krone”. It has been an inn in ancient times and was used until mid of the 1950. Within the 1990 this building has been renovated and today it is our local museum.

The slate faced building on the right side is my home. Only the roof and the weather side is faced with slate tiles. We have a small garden around and a larger one outside at the boundary of the village.

Today we do have 5 fulltime farmers and 15 halftime farmers in Kappel. There is no industry within the village or outside and no shop to get our daily need. So we have to go by car to the next supermarket in the town near by, about 10 km away. And our working people they have to drive 20, 30 or 50 km oneway to go to work. Or you have to be lucky and you do have a home office like me and you are able to stay at home.

Some last words, during the summer it can be very hot in our area – more than 30 degrees and up to 40 degrees in Maximum. But these hot days are no longer than 20 to 30 days a year. And during the night the temps will go down below 20 degrees for sure. But tropical nights re very seldom.
In winter it can be pretty cold too with lots of snow and ice. Last winter it has been one of these strong winters. It started at the beginning of December and ended in March. The snow had been up to 60 cm high and the temps had been minus 19 degrees on December 20. In January and February it had been frost the whole time. The streets had been covered with snow and ice for more than 50 days.

I hope this information is not boring someone of you. :?:

At the end the Hunsrueck area is a beautiful place in the western parts of Germany.
I almost say it to my friends: we are living at a place where others have to pay to stay during their holidays and take long rides to go there.

Kind regards – you are welcome to visit this beautiful area

Uli

[countryroads]

Hi Uli,

I use YoWindow in Mansfield, Ohio USA. Mansfield is 200 years old so we do not have the history of your area.

Mansfield is right at the start of the Foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. West of Mansfield is flat farm land to the Rocky Mountains. North of Mansfield is flat land to Lake Erie, although when riding my bicycle to Lake Erie, there is a slight uphill all the way to the Lake. If you have a good wind out of the north, you get a free ride back to Mansfield. East of Mansfield are rolling hills to the mountains of Pennsylvania. South of Mansfield are rolling hills. Southeast of Mansfield, you are immediately in the Foothills.

Mansfield has a very much photographed and filmed prison. Mansfield Reformatory was rebuilt and the old prison is now a museum. Shawshank Redemption was filmed in Mansfield using the old prison. Air Force One prison scene was also filmed in Mansfield.

Louis Bromfield, an author, was born in Mansfield and wrote about our 'Pleasant Valley'. He bought a farm outside of town and tried his hand at agriculture. This farm is now a state park known as 'Malabar Farm'. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married at Malabar Farm.

On my bike rides, next to climbing up and flying down the foothills, the Amish have to be the most fascinating part of my rides. The Amish who are known as Pennsylvania Dutch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania have a lot of farms in the Mansfield area. Watching them farm is like looking back at the 1800s. They have no modern conveniences. They use horse and buggy and farm using draft horses. I have a few pictures that I would like to share with you. You can take their pictures but only when they are not looking.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed this.

Marty