Blogs from Sankt Goar, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Europe

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Today was our day to train-it to Koblenz and Boppard for some sightseeing. After another good breakfast, we walked up to the train station in Sankt Goar and caught the train to Koblenz, after a slight delay due to a mixup reading the schedule. Arriving in Koblenz, we walked the 2 kilometers to the main attraction in Koblenz, Deutches Eck. Deutches Eck, also known as German Corner, sits at the confluence of the Mossel and Rhine Rivers. It is a combination of the German States and a pair of walls constructed after the original statue of Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm was damaged by an American artillery shell in WWII. In 1993, a copy of the original Kaiser was added. Another attraction in Koblenz is the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress on the opposite bank. We thought about taking the cable ... read more

We woke up well rested after our flight from Edinburgh, but a bit grumpy since there was no coffee ready and waiting for us. We quickly packed up our stuff and headed up to the gas station a local had told us the previous night had coffee. After getting a couple of so-so coffees, we decided to walk the 2 kilometers to the airport. It was a bit tiring, but we got to the airport bus stop about 10 minutes before the next bus to Mainz arrived. The bus cost 13.50 Euros each and took about an hour to get to the Mainz bus/train terminal. After a quick stop at Starbucks for some real coffee, I found a ticket machine and figured out how to buy two tickets to Sankt Goar, our next stay of the ... read more

It is pretty much impossible that anyone has gone through their life up to this point without being influenced by the world of castles, knights, kings, queens, princes, and princesses. With my most recent trip along the Rhine river between Mainz and Koblenz. I was transported back into this world and was able to experience an incredible landscape dotted with both magnificent castles and sloped vineyards (even if it was rainy and cloudy the entire weekend!). The first thing that you think when entering this region is how beautiful it is, but you will soon start to question how those in the past were able to create such fortresses and live on such sharp slopes. There is an old saying about the people of this region, that states that babies are born here with one ... read more

I woke up expecting to have a crippling hangover, but once I got up and got ready it really wasn’t too bad. I had missed breakfast so we got right on the coach and headed into Amsterdam. Our first stop was the Anne Frank museum. We waited in line for it to open, and witnessed two people get into a nearly physical fight over who should get in first. I’ve been reading about the Holocaust and Anne Frank for a long time, so it was very interesting to finally be able to see her house in person. It was sad though, knowing what had happened. We got to see her original diaries, and there was a bookstore, but I didn’t buy anything. We had a snack in the coffeeshop above her house, where I got a ... read more