Blogs from Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Europe - page 11

Today, it is on to Bacharach on the Rhine. We missed a train but quickly regrouped and found another. I have an app on my phone that makes it so easy to find which trains are going where we want to go. Bacharach is such a change from Amsterdam, so quiet and low key. We have a great room with a balcony overlooking the street. Flowers are everywhere. Our train trip was along the Rhine and the scenery was beautiful, river on one side and vineyards on the other. We settled in and spent the afternoon walking the town. We had a fun dinner at a Greek restaurant with singing and a little dancing. Afterward we walked up to the Postenturm which is a large tower in the vineyards in the hills. Great views of the ... read more

Today, we got ready for a big family Birthday Party. The 23rd is Brian’s Mom’s Birthday as well as his cousin, Uli’s. This is also the anniversary of the day Peggie arrived in the States from China and the same date she married Brian’s Dad. Everyone arrived in the afternoon and the house was full of catching up and laughter. Tables full of all kinds of appetizers started the feast and Britta brought a wonderful Rhubarb kuchen (cake). It was so good, we had dessert with wine thirty before dinner. The recipe is coming home with us. Then some pork roast and all kinds of salads for dinner. We took Nick and Bina (Gabi’s dog) around the neighborhood. The crowd starting thinning around 1000 and we realized we’d better go pack for our trip to Switzerland. ... read more

We walked to Frankental again to get our 5 miles. It’s a nice stroll and you can find something new to see every time. Today we found a statue of “Der Treidler” along the path. A Treidler would pull (by hand and back) small boats down the River. Amy tried to help him. After our Wine-thirty treats, we took a taxi to dinner at a small restaurant owned and operated by friends of Britta and Osse. We tried some good German food (Wienerschnitzel and Rumpsteak mit Zwiebel (with onions)) and lots of fried potatoes. Brian got to try a local specialty of crepes with bacon, white asparagus and greens only grown here (Baerlauch). It's like wild garlic or ramps for you West Virginians. It was a very nice evening and it was late when we got ... read more

We arrived early with no lines or paperwork in Customs. It seemed too good to be true. Then we hopped a regional train to Mannheim. We took a Taxi to Aunt Eva’s and were there before lunch. Easy Peasy! Eva made us soup for lunch. We unpacked and took a walk around the neighborhood to stretch our legs. Amy found a playground to stretch in. Brian wouldn’t let her climb to the top because we aren’t part of the wonderful German healthcare system! Our Travel Gnome is with us and he made a few friends on the walk and in Eva’s garden. We had our traditional “wine-thirty” in the afternoon with Sect, snacks and mini-pizzas. Eva made us lasagna and salad. Britta, Osse, and Nick the dog came by to say hello and eat with us. ... read more

When those cool Viking commercials air, we always wondered if the views would be as beautiful as they claim. Well, today we can definitively say that the claims about the beauty of the Middle Rhein are true! Nothing I can say or show with my limited photographic skills would do justice to how beautiful and peaceful it is to cruise this area. Our day started with a stop at the Marksburg Castle, which is the only castle on the Rhein which was never destroyed in war. Built in the 1200s and expanded over the next 400 years, it really looks like something you would expect from a period movie. Getting to it is treacherous because the "steps" are really just cut rough cut outs in the stone. Getting up was bad and coming down just as ... read more