As our tour of Northern Europe continued through Old Wisconsin, we took the good old tram way over to the German Area.
This is what buildings constructed by real, live Germans over a hundred years ago look like.
They look very German, don't you think?
David was "in charge" of the German Area, so I handed over the camera to him for a little photo documentation. This is what he came up with.
I believe this house is the pride and joy of Old Wisconsin. (I think it's on the National Historical Registry.)
It's a large timber and brick home, and the craftsmanship is superior. Homes in Germany did not have porches, but German immigrants saw them on other homes here in America and thought they were pretty neat. The builder of this home thought porches were so fantastic that he built a huge one on the front and a huge one on the back.
It is a very nice home inside as well.
Careful! That stove is hot!
That's something I really liked about Old World Wisconsin--there were fires in the stoves. You got a sense of how hot those kitchens were.
Also, notice the brick floor in the kitchen. Very smart.
Here are some other pictures David took around this farm, which, by the way, was very prosperous.
Mary loved the pigs. She wanted to stay and watch them all day.
We also looked briefly at another German farm. This farm belonged to a family from an area in Northern Germany, where, due to the lack of timber, buildings were constructed using bricks. This home is so un-German that historians assume that the owner paid a non-German to build it for him.
And with that, we set off on the road to Poland.
P.S. David insisted on being our tour guide through the German Area. He is our resident expert on Germany, having been there a few times. Not that he can remember....but he loves knowing that he's been to Germany.
David liked to lead the way when we were there...
Oh my goodness! Look at that cherubic little face.
I loved that sweet baby of mine...
....and I still do.
