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Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
See epic El Dorado County ranch rooted in Gold Rush history — wine cave included
A 380-acre ranch northeast of Sacramento draws its name from a naturally heart-shaped boulder discovered by the original owner and placed as the centerpiece of a grand, handcrafted stone fireplace in the property's spectacular lodge. Welcome to Heart Rock Ranch in northern El Dorado County, California. 'Instead of tucking it away, he made it the literal heart of the home — showcasing it front and center as a lasting emblem of family,' Barry Rhein, who's listing the property for $5.9 million, said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. '(The heart rock) was a symbol of what this ranch represented: love, legacy and gathering together,' he said. 'It's become a sort of quiet landmark for everyone who visits — a reminder that this place was built on something deeper than just foundations and walls.' Rhein, founder of Barry Rhein & Associates, is a well-known Silicon Valley sales consultant and educator. A stunning timber lodge The ranch's centerpiece is the stunning 3,720-square-foot lodge blending luxury and rustic craftsmanship, featuring timbers sourced from Nevada's historic Elko train station that 'infuse the home with soul and timeless character,' according to the official property listing. Three elegant bedrooms, a chef's kitchen and the dramatic fireplace built from on-site stones offer both comfort and grandeur, with living spaces opening onto patios overlooking the river valley. A serene waterfall, meandering brook and private temperature-controlled wine cave (holding over 800 bottles) add to the storybook atmosphere. Steeped in California's Gold Rush history, miners once swarmed the confluence of two creeks on the property. Rhein noted the discovery of artifacts — pick axes, shovels, bottles — reflecting the site's diverse past. Embellished with gold mining relics, the wine cave gives a nod to the era. The original owner, a top Kirby Vacuum salesman, built every structure himself, harvesting timbers and stones from the land. 'Everything he created had intention — to build a place for generations to gather, explore, and create memories,' Rhein said. 'He taught himself how to drive heavy equipment, how to fell trees, mill them himself, make beams and trusses from the lumber, and built the cabin and garage from the land.' The ranch balances play and retreat: a 360-foot zipline arcs over the meadow, a pond invites fishing and over 12 miles of groomed trails wind across the diverse terrain for hiking, horseback riding and ATV adventures. A charming, 750-square-foot guest cabin, 900-square-foot studio apartment, covered tractor barn and several outbuildings provide ample accommodations and utility. A working ranch Fenced and cross-fenced, the ranch has five wells, springs and a year-round pond. With six legal parcels and three additional build sites (one ready with utilities), there's room for expansion. A rare state permit allows construction of a large off-stream pond to further enhance recreation and water resources. Accommodations extend beyond the main house. There's a charming guest cabin and a well-appointed studio apartment. For everyday operations, there's a substantial covered tractor barn, plus smaller outbuildings and sheds. As a working ranch, rotational grazing sustains healthy land, and cattle, chickens, goats and sheep all roam the property, supported by the infrastructure for a full ranching lifestyle. 'The ranch feels like a living, breathing park,' Rhein said. The sellers are ready to pass on the cherished place. They plan to spend more time at Lake of the Pines and Lake Tahoe, but Heart Rock Ranch will remain an enduring emblem of family, stewardship and legacy for them, Rhein said. 'Now that we're in this new season of life — retirement — we're simplifying, slowing down... We are blessed that all our kids and grandkids are close by and it's time to simplify,' he said. Todd Renfrew of California Outdoor Properties is the listing agent.
Times
3 days ago
- Times
10 of the best hotels in Cologne
The Rhine divides Cologne, with its key visitor attractions on its west bank, around the historic Altstadt (old town), which roughly extends from the railway station to the Rheinauhafen (river port). The east bank is more focused on business, particularly trade fairs, for which Cologne has long been well known. Most of the city's buildings are post-war, although the magnificent cathedral, right by the station, miraculously survived Allied bombing raids. Among German cities, Cologne is freewheeling and unorthodox, particularly in its annual carnival, when processions and parties take priority over a whole week's work. When I first visited, many years ago, I took a bicycle tour with a guide who had just been given a ticket. 'What's the point of riding a bike,' he muttered, grumpily, 'if you have to obey red lights?' It's an attitude you wouldn't find elsewhere in Germany. Most hotels are located in the wider downtown area, the Innenstadt, which includes the Altstadt and extends as far as the ring road. The Innenstadt's main thoroughfares — Hohe Strasse and Schildergasse — are pedestrianised, with nightlife focused on the likes of Heumarkt square, for visitors, and the Belgian Quarter, more for locals and for Cologne's large gay community. Also dotted through the Innenstadt are a handful of traditional restaurants famous for the brauhaus experience, serving Kölsch beer (pale and fresh in tall, thin glasses) and traditional cuisine such as Kölscher Kaviar (Cologne caviar), made from blood sausage and onions, and Himmel un Ääd, (heaven and earth), from mashed potatoes and apples. Try them both at the wood-panelled and chandeliered Peters Brauhaus, which dates back to 1544. After that, you'll need a lovely place to lay your head, preferably within walking distance. These are some of the best hotels in Cologne. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue ££ | Best for traditionalists If you like a bellhop in uniform, gold-plated chandeliers, marble bathrooms and pillow menus, plus a location right opposite the cathedral, the Excelsior Hotel Ernst will warm the cockles of your heart. More than 150 years old, it's part of the Leading Hotels of the World collection and is properly grand, with a big emphasis on decorous service. The hotel's restaurant, taku, has been awarded a Michelin star for its minimalist pan-Asian cuisine, while the likes of scallop ceviche can be found in the wood-panelled, gourmet French restaurant Hanse Stube. For tea and petit fours head to the Wintergarten, drenched in light from its stained-glass ceiling. £ | Best for design groupies This eye-catching, neo-gothic building, which feels like a film set, is home to an impressive collection of international design, art, and photography — and 34 rooms, each one unique. It's almost hidden in a square called the Gereonskloster, accessible via two small alleyways, in the shadow of the Romanesque St Gereon's Basilica. The hotel building was opened as the city archive in 1897, but these days it is owned by the publisher of the Qvest design and fashion magazine, so its rooms are furnished with the likes of Eames chairs and armchairs by Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus school. The overall effect is both eclectic and monastic, with reverential guests coming back for the attention to detail. • Discover our full guide to Germany £ | SPA | Best for repurposed architecture Much of the furniture in this unique hotel has been tailor-made to fit with the curvature of the walls of what was, 150 years ago, a city water tower — as its name suggests. Significant architectural details include the brick-arched lobby and unique circular interior, complete with portholes and arched windows. The tower's other big feature is its view; it looms over downtown and is just a few minutes' walk from the centre. That 360-degree vista also makes its rooftop terrace, Bar Botanik, a magnet for residents. Some of the neutral-toned, wooden-floored rooms are split-level for extra space, and in many the bed faces the window so that you can look out over the city. There's a small spa and gym and Bar Botanik serves the likes of Philly steak and wasabi shrimps.£ | Best for cool kids A little upstream but still within walking distance of the city centre, the Rheinauhafen is Cologne's former river port. It has been given a fancy docklands makeover, and now hosts the popular Chocolate Museum and signature modernist buildings housing digital firms such as Microsoft — and an outpost of the trendy art'otel collection. It's a new-build on the waterside, with bright rooms bearing designer furniture and artwork by Berlin-based artist SEO, whose giant paintings also enliven the public spaces. There's a rooftop Rhine-view terrace, a compact fitness centre and a sauna for soothing post-sightseeing muscles. £ | Best for showbiz The Germany-based Ruby chain has a relaxed, 'lean luxury' concept, which means that some services (such as room service and minibars) have been deemed unnecessary; but luxury touches like oversized beds remain and there's plenty of personality, with Marshall amps and bulb-surrounded Hollywood-style mirrors in the rooms. Cologne is the headquarters of TV broadcasters RTL and WDR, and Ella occupies the former site of a studio that hosted late-night shows, so it was a no-brainer to give the property a glitzy, Nineties TV feel with details such as neon signs, microphones and musical instruments. Rooms are compact havens of calm, with fluffy duvets, and they're heavily soundproofed, so you can hire a guitar at the bar and let rip without having to worry about your neighbours. • Best cities to visit in Germany• Best Christmas markets in Germany ££ | SPA | Best for divas Unlike its genteel namesake in London, the Cologne Savoy (no relation) belongs to a world of carnival kings and queens. From the outside it looks like just another staid office building, but inside is all kitsch chic, with plush velvets and drapes, bead curtains and chrome mirrors, done with humour and flair and with splashes of intense colour. The spa is Turkish-inspired, with a steam room and ayurvedic treatments, and the hotel is popular with media folk. It's located a convenient three-minute walk from the train station and well-placed for the ancient Eigelstein Torburg gate, which is in an area that's lively in the evenings and has a particularly traditional Cologne brauhaus, the Em Kölsche Boor.£ | Best for retro futurists What do you do with an obsolete, listed, rotunda building, originally built for an insurance company? One that is outside the centre, albeit within walking distance of the trendy Belgian Quarter? Turn it into a hotel. But one that incorporates several imaginative, utopian worlds, and functions as a community in itself, with an armful of concerts, readings, yoga sessions and more. Lavish, whimsical, playful and hip, the Circle attracts a younger, co-worker crowd. Rooms are colourful and futuristic, with concrete ceilings and freestanding bathtubs. Bicycles for hire, an in-house record library and a restaurant serving Lebanese-influenced cuisine help complete the picture. ££ | SPA | POOL Best for river and rail fans This showpiece property is a postmodern palace of concrete and glass situated next to TV broadcaster RTL's red-brick headquarters. Rhine-view rooms are stylish, spacious and modern and have views of the river, with its stately flow of freight and passenger traffic, and across to the cathedral. It sits at one end of the Hohenzollern Bridge, the busiest railway crossing in Germany, which provides convenient pedestrian access to the centre. As befits a big, five-star property there's a substantial gym and a four-lane pool — and the riverside is a spectacular jogging track. The hotel's Glashaus restaurant, in a conservatory setting with a view across the river, serves an excellent grilled tuna steak. £ | Best for automotive enthusiasts This hotel, 23 minutes northwest of downtown on U-Bahn line 5, is on the premises of the historic Butzweilerhof airport, whose old hangars house car collections and event spaces. V8 is Motorworld Köln Rheinland, a hub for car enthusiasts and for automotive sales and service. Accordingly, the hotel is lavish with themed detailing: classic Mercedes bedsteads, car seats for armchairs, themed rooms with names such as Carwash, Garage and Henry Ford. There are even car suites, where your own beloved vehicle is parked on the other side of a glass wall so that it is the first thing you see in the morning. There's a huge Ikea across the road, and while the hotel itself serves only breakfast, there are other restaurants nearby, notably Ahoi, which serves inexpensive fresh salads and sushi bowls.££ | SPA | POOL | Best for out-of-town relaxation This baroque Schloss hotel, on a hilltop with a view westwards over the city, dates back to the early 18th century, when Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm II had it built as a hunting lodge. Today there are 111 capacious and elegant rooms and suites in impeccably classic style, with marbled bathrooms and polished hardwood tables. Of the hotel's five restaurants and bars, one — Vendôme — has two Michelin stars. There's a spa for ordinary wellness, as well as a discreet medical institute offering cosmetic surgery. Downtown Cologne is 40 minutes away on the S-Bahn from Bensberg station, but you can also walk out from the hotel directly into the peace and calm of the wooded hills, largely unchanged since the Elector's days. • European hotspots to visit in 2025• Best Rhine river cruises Any we've missed? Let us know in the comments below
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Major evacuation in Cologne after second world war bombs discovered
The biggest evacuation in Cologne since the second world war is under way after the discovery of three unexploded bombs dropped by allies 80 years ago, causing major disruption to the western German city. About 20,000 people are having to leave their homes and businesses, hotels, a care home for elderly people and a hospital are being forced to evacuate. Three bridges over the river Rhein have been closed and rail traffic has been halted or diverted. Numerous schools, kindergartens, museums and the tram network, as well as the home of the city's philharmonic orchestra, have had to close after the entire old town was brought to a halt. Major broadcaster RTL had to shift its news programmes to studios in Berlin, as its building sits inside the evacuated area of about 1,000 metres in radius. Several programmes that were due to be transmitted live had to be recorded instead, the broadcaster said. The bombs are due to be defused on Wednesday morning. They are US-produced bombs, two are 20 tons and one 10 tons, all of which were discovered on Monday on the right bank of the Rhein during building works near the Deutz ship works. All three are equipped with impact fuzes intended to cause detonation on contact with a hard surface. Volunteers, police and other city authorities will carry out a round of checks ringing on doorbells, calling through letter boxes, and gathering information from residents about their neighbours on Wednesday morning, before attempts to defuse the bombs can start. Police have said they have the authority to use force to remove anyone who refuses to leave voluntarily. Locals can call a hotline or refer to a website for advice. Tents and other facilities such as sport halls and churches outside the evacuated area will be open to provide people with food, refreshments and support, city authorities said. Eighty years after the end of the second world war, such finds are still not unusual in Cologne, which was among Germany's most heavily bombed cities during the conflict. It was hit in 262 air raids carried out by the RAF, sometimes using US-produced bombs, especially towards the end of the conflict. About 20,000 people were killed in the bombing raids. On the night of 30 May 1942, the city was the target of the Royal Air Force's first 'thousand-bomber raid' on a German city. More than 1,000 aircraft were dispatched, flying in a narrow 'bomber stream' formation, the density of which had the effect of overwhelming German radar and defences. On this single night, 868 bombers attacked the city with 1,455 tons of bombs in what was known as Operation Millennium. It is not yet known when the bombs currently awaiting defusing were dropped.
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A movie on kids' efforts to save the planet shows how childhood lessons endure beyond Earth Day
For many, it goes far beyond a single day of recognition. There are organizations around us that live and breathe sustainability — dedicating their time to educate and take action to preserve and protect our surroundings and planet. Advertisement 'You can drive around almost any town or city and see trash scattered on the sidewalks. (Earth Day) is about educating and inspiring people to take some action every day to change behaviors," said Neil Rhein, founder of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, a group launched in 2014 with over three dozen participating towns and cities across the Bay State. Advertisement A changing world Fast forward nearly 30 years since that childhood Earth Day project and I'm fortunate to work in a field closely tied to the health of our environment, especially as our atmosphere and oceans continue to change for the worse as we see more extreme weather. It sure is changing. Human-induced global warming has driven the average temperature Over the past decades, sea levels have increased throughout the world, including The increase in global sea levels compared to the 1993-2008 average. NOAA And the data shows just how warm our planet has become compared to the century average. A look at the global average temperature change compared to the 100-year average (1901-2001). NOAA 'Doing something about it' with trash monsters The good news is that year-over-year, the amount of attention given and action taken to help combat our changing Earth has increased — and many are happening right around us. Keep Massachusetts Beautiful Chatting with Rhein recently was eye-opening. After constantly seeing roadway litter piling up in his neighborhood, one day in 2008, he decided to organize the first litter collection journey in Mansfield, Mass. Seventeen years later, he's developed Keep Massachusetts Beautiful as a leading statewide cleanup initiative with one goal in mind — leaving his state a cleaner and greener place to live, work, and play. 'Our network of 42 local chapters blankets the state monthly and seasonally, picking up litter and recycling,' said Rhein. 'Ninety-nine percent of people are bothered by litter and trash, it comes down to civic pride, and you should do something about it.' Keep Massachusetts Beautiful volunteers clean up near the starting line in Hopkinton a few days before the Boston Marathon. KMB The depth of passion to keep the Earth healthy and habitable runs deep. . One example is the Framingham chapter, where Patrick St. Pierre, a member of Keep Framingham Beautiful, is bringing the story of the Save the Earth Club to life in a film by the same name highlighting two local elementary school students' efforts to take action with their classmates to save our planet from trash and pollution. Advertisement 'The goal is to incept the idea of saving the Earth at an early age so we don't have to reteach kids to care about their actions,' said St. Pierre. 'This short movie shows how to fight 'trash monsters' with the help of community, with a call to action for kids to start their own Save the Earth Club to help curb increasing environmental issues and climate change.' The film is expected to come out in the fall. Patrick St. Pierre designed the artwork for the upcoming short movie on Save to Earth Club, which was started by a pair of local elementary students trying to build awareness and take action to protect the planet. Patrick St. Pierre Rhode Island Clean Water Association The Rhode Island Clean Water Association (RICWA) is a non-profit emphasizing non-polluted water. The NPO holds multiple events a year to spread awareness and take action to keep water clean for consumption and for vegetation and agricultural use. They're hosting an Earth Day clean-up toward The New Hampshire Forest Society I thought this group was very unique. A non-profit focused on keeping the forests of New Hampshire protected and flourishing. New Hampshire is one of the nicest wooded states across the country and the 10,000-plus members of the Forest Society are dedicated to protecting the roughly 1 million acres of forest space across the state. Advocating for local and statewide policies, holding clean-ups, spreading information, and promoting good land use are Advertisement 'At the end of the day, you can do a little to save a lot,' said Rhein. Ken Mahan can be reached at
