Advertisement
Canola Fields
Beautiful yellow fields are everywhere! Today after breakfast we left our hotel to start our drive to Germany. We drove on the Autobon which has no speed limit on certain parts although some sections are regulated up to 120 km (74 mph). We did see some cars traveling probably 100 mph but none much faster than that. Because of the Europe Union (group of countries that have joined together to create a strong economic & social union) you no longer have to go through customs. Therefore driving across the border was like driving across state lines in the USA.
The drive was interesting. We immediately noticed fields of bright yellow which we discovered was canola (we assume to make oil products). It is beautiful. We also noticed that there is rich farm land but the houses are clustered together cradled in the mountains. It didn’t seem there were many houses out alone like we might see in farmland at home. Of course because this is such an old country there are many old churches and homes that have such character. I enjoyed trying to take many pictures but it was raining all day today and it is hard to take form the bus windows. Many cities
or villages still have the walls that were made for protection in the Middle Ages.
We drove toward the Rhine River as we were to take a river boat ride up the Rhine. Sophia (my great niece) asked us to take pictures of castles and this is where we saw several. The boat was huge and there were just two groups a board including ours. There was plenty of room to get up and take pictures from inside or go out on the deck for a better view. The only problem is the rain and the temperatures are very low for this time of year. We all truly enjoyed our boat ride on the Rhine.
Following the boat ride we visited a small village that has the largest cuckoo clock. They also has a store that sold beer steins. They had a special stein for every profession you might imagine. It was very interesting. When we planned this trip, mom wanted to go to the Steiff factory. While that isn’t possible on bus trip such as this, we did luck out and find a Steiff store in this village. It was fun looking at the stuffed animals they had
Castle 1
These castle pics are all for Sohpia who requested them for sale. Some were quite pricey! If it weren’t for Chrissy I wouldn’t even know what a Steiff stuffed animal was.
Once we boarded the bus again and got back on the autobon but we got in a traffic jam that lasted for hours. There was road construction and it took forever to go just a few miles. We finally left the construction and was able to make it to our hotel (a couple hours late). One thing that amazed us was the use of ground around here. The steepest hillside became a place from growing grapes for wine. I tried to take pictures so you could understand just how steep it was but it is really hard to tell in the pictures. Some are so steep that students have to be pulled up by ropes and held there just ot pick the grapes.
Our hotel tonight is in a small village and run by a farm family. The place is delightful. Our meal was wonderful. It was beef goulash, mashed potatoes, salad, and berries & cream for dessert. Oh My Goodness it was delicious. Our rooms are quaint but appear to have all the amenities…tv, radio, hair dryer, internet,
Vineyard
On a Steep hillside and a fully stocked bar….but the beds look like something at one of our state parks. They are, however, very comfortable. Everything in the room is made of pine and is so very cozy. We stay here for two nights.
Well it is late and we are all tired so it is off to bed. Hope you are enjoying our pictures and my ramblings. What a great way for us to keep track of what we are doing and share with our friends and family. BTW the wood smoke here made me think of home.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.082s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 33; dbt: 0.0477s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Ed Stombock
non-member comment
Stombocks on the Rhine
Although it is such a vast area...........ask around to see if you can get me a contact for a Stumbaugh, Stumpbach, Stombock, Sirbaugh. I am so glad you did this blog. It's as if you were here. You really don't need to bring me a t-shirt. lol. Love ya'