Thank you for an very useful post, Peter. That was extremely helpful!

Those sites sound very interesting. As far as I know I didn't have any ancestors at that particular location. I don't think they got out of the country much except one in Vietnam. The only other military ancestor I know if was in the Civil War...

Anyway, the town sounds lovely, and the girlfriend and I would be happy to join anyone available for dining and refreshments.

As for the trains, I'm happy to hear that I had the right idea. That's what I loved about travelling in Europe. When a friend and I did it about 5 years ago, we'd get tired of a city, hop on a train, get to a new town, call up a hostel, and lay down our bedrolls. Unfortunately, my travelling companion this time around is a tad more compulsive when it comes to planning Oh well, both methods have their advantages.