About me & my favorite places

I’m the daughter of a conductor from Cologne. He played with his dance band in the pre-war time in Niederbreisig during the season. Here he met  my mother. They became acquainted and fell in  love. She descended from an old-established family of landlords. Some of her and thus also my ancestors and family members are closely connected to the history of today’s town Bad Breisig.

Since my earliest youth I love fine arts and good food. Later on I became interested in grotesque and local history.

I’m married to the art dealer Dr. Thomas Schmitz-Avila. Our two sons Lennart Neumann and Julian Schmitz-Avila have been running the  Rheinland Antik business for some time. Many of my furnitures and accessories come from there.

Some years ago I have bought this imposing house as  birthday present to my 50th birthday. The building was erected 1880 as a summer residence for the textile manufacturer Wilhelm Montz from Mönchengladbach. His second wife Franziska, née Soltau, was a daughter of a pianoforte manufacturer from Frankfurt- what a delightful old-fashioned description of an occupation. With this house the dream of my own Bed & Breakfast became true! In former times I had rather preferred Southern climes. Now the old building survived and I have remained in my native town. As an architect, I took great pleasure in decorating and furnishing the house, despite the hard work .

I hope you will spend a lovely time in my B & B. If you are interested, I will be happy to tell you more about the 140-years´ history of my villa, my favorite places nearby or special places I visited. For example:

The Rhine  has got a certain something, especially in the morning.

Everybody, even a late riser, should one time during his stay get out of bed early,  to visit the nearby Rhine before breakfast is served. The sunrise in different colour variations, above the surface of the water,   as smooth as glass, only few ships on the way and only few people. For example, some meet every morning to start the day with a cup of coffee at the Rhine promenade in Bad Breisig. You will notice  children on their way to school, dogs with their  owners and runners at early-morning exercises. It is impossible to describe this feeling,  you have to experience it on the banks of the Rhine.

Brother Klaus Field Chapel, from my favorite architect Peter Zumthor

 

 

Kolumba (art museum of the archdiocese of Cologne), also from Peter Zumthor

 

 

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, especially in clear weather

 

 

Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt

 

 

My island of happiness.

From my favorite place I enjoy the evening view on my garden. A little bit slushy, but marvelous calm.

With a gin fizz,  a good glas of wine or beer and optionally also a cigarette (smoking guests may smoke outdoor), a day is beautiful coming to an end and tomorrow starts a new, to which I’m already looking forward.