In 1958, like many of us, Elvis Presley joined the Army and was eventually assigned to Germany. During some of his personal leaves of absence in Germany he visited several locations in southern Germany including the little city of Ulm on the beautiful Danube river. Rosemary and I were in Ulm on one of our trips and were told by German's of our age, of Elvis' visit to their town in a concert that he put on. Of course, it was a spectacular hit. 

More notable however is that Ulm is the location of a most beautiful münster (cathedral) built beginning in the 14th century and completed in the 17th century. Aside from its beauty, it boasts Europe's tallest steeple. I was told by a German friend that all good German men have climbed that tall steeple, which I interpreted as a challenge (that there probably are no American men who could climb that steeple). Well, I climbed that steeple and took a photo as proof.

While in Germany, Elvis learned a little bit of German which he shows off in one of his songs called "Wooden Heart". The song is a popular Bavarian folk song often heard in the local haufbrauhaus' of southern Germany. You will notice that Elvis replaces his usual backup group, the Jordonaires with the traditional German folk band for this song. You may not remember the song, so please click on this Blue Devil to go back to the banks of the Danube in Ulm to listen to Elvis.