Rain and the Rhine...

June 3, Oberwesel, Germany-Much to the parents delight the family got up on time and we had a lovely European breakfast again (yes, more lunchmeats, cheeses, more bread, jams, hard boiled eggs, yogurt and cold cereal; and even the jolt of strong coffee tamed by an assortment of juices). Off the take a river cruise on the Rhine River. The day was rainy and obviously gray, but we would not let it damper our day! We drove south to the next town of Bacharach to catch a boat of the K&D Line.

With the rain getting harder we decided to wait in the car until the boat docked, and upon docking we scurried to the ramp. Even though it was raining lightly we stood in the bow and took some photos of the castle on the ridge of the mountains along the Rhine River (wow too many prepositions in that sentence!). We had a brief port in Oberwesel then off to St. Goar. We got off in St. Goar with umbrellas and ponchos to begin the exploration of another small town along the Rhine. Just as we entered the main part of the town a wheeled-based train made to travel on streets arrived. We chose to hop on the train for a ride to the top of the mountain to explore a castle.

Since we were on a tight schedule we explored the castle for about an hour, then headed back down to catch another boat back to our origination point, Bacharach. By now, the rain was heavier so we opted to sit in the main interior cabin of the boat. After a smooth cruise back we then began our road trip to France, rain and all.

As navigation goes, we had a relatively easy drive to Strasbourg, but once in the city the navigation became a nightmare. The Google instructions were way too confusing, so we pulled out the trusted map app on the iPhone. We missed one turn and had to weave and bob through a few one-way streets but we followed moving dot on the blue line. Hotel destination accomplished. 

We settled into our rooms and it was time to explore another lovely European city. Rain did not hinder our venture, but with our European breakfast long gone, we made our first stop at a restaurant. Not too many appeared opened, but we found one that offered quite the variety. I believe all five of us tried a cuisine from a different country. Overall, the meals were good and everyone was satisfied; so we headed out to further explore city center of Strasbourg. We found the Cathedral and were amazed at the beauty and size, I believe the church construction began in the 11th century. A few more streets were toured and it was time for a coffee break (after all, that's what all these bristos are for, right?). After our break we found the square which hosts the largest Christmas market each year, and it was time to head back to the hotel.

We all got comfortable and met up in the hotel parlor. It was a very large room that offered a billiards table, so we had a family tournament (I took the time to catch up on this blog) which we all enjoyed [even used the iPad to play some good ol' Rock n Roll]. Not too often you can share quality family time like this.  We decided to take a river tour the next morning that would allow us to see a much broader section of the city. With early morning plans made, we called it a night.

Rhein...land of the castles

Today was our day to pick up Jake & Shayne in Mainz, home of the Gutenberg Museum. We had a lovely European breakfast (well, most Chase as he opted for sleep over food, I guess boredom wore him out yesterday!) and went shopping. We spent almost an hour in a Christmas store that had more ornaments than trees in the black forest. You could spend a year's salary to decorate a tree! Thankfully, we walked out of the store with money left in our pocket and a personalized ornament. On to get a stein...not that we'll ever drink out of it, but one that will be a keepsake of Germany. We ventured back to the hotel to get checked out and ensure our teenager saw noon. Off to Mainz we headed, but getting out of the old district was not an easy feat. Once we found one of two gates into the old town, we made good time and arrived an hour early. The older kids were still in the museum, so we visited an old church near the museum (also the local Saturday market, great atmosphere) that was built in the 1300's, I think it was the Cathedral of Mainz. With still some time to kill we sat down at a bistro for a local brew, Bitburger. It was not one of the better biers we tried, but the people watching was thoroughly enjoyable. Soon Jake and Shayne came out of the museum, so the road to the Rhine River began. Our family road trip was less than an hour and we were in the quaint town of Oberwesel. Since we were going to cruise the river, we opted to stay in a B&B in a vineyard just outside of town. The Pursch's were the proprietors of the B$B, and we stayed in their vineyard. One important visual necessary, the vineyards are on very steep mountains, so a walk through the vineyard was not to be, nor could you see very far. To our delight, Pursch's shared some of their wine with us. We tried 4 varieties of Reisling, from very dry to semi-sweet. What we learned is their Reisling wine is not what most of us drink in the USA; and their family was 1 of ~ 11,000 winemakers in their province. They produce about 25,000 bottles a year on 10 hectares. We spent an hour visiting when the husband and wife, what a friendly host. We strolled the Rhine River and took in some of the local castles. According to one sign, there were 36 castles in the immediate area, not sure how many hectares. Since the older kids got up a 4 am we made it an early evening and were ready for our cruise on the Rhine.

Germany..the bad and the good

Our day started with a short drive to Dachau, a small town NW of Munich? We arrived @ 10 am and began our visit of the historic concentration camp, the bad. The entire camp is now a museum and memorial to those thousands that perished. I still can't believe that anyone could hate people/religions so much as to murder in the masses. To walk on the same ground is sombering. After all the excitement in Dachau, Lance let me drive on the autobahn over to Rothenburg. I felt like a native until a white Porsche passed me doing at least 280km....my 170 didn't seem so fast but I hung in with the majority. I love this country(Laura) Rothenburg is a 15th century city that is known for it's mid-evil flare. The winding cobblestone streets and old buildings have a unique charm. The city is partially surrounded by a 30' stone wall, a moat and tall cliffs. Because of its high perch you can see some distance away. The countryside is lush and green...it will take your breath away! We did a night watchman tour of the city tonight and learned that this city was been spared through several over takings. The last being during WWII when a section do the outer city was destroyed by US air attacks on the German army that took over Rothenburg in 1944. The Germans agreed to leave so the city and history was saved. In addition to the history of the town the night watchman shared the location of a famous bier garten aptly named the Devil's Bar, or Hell. So when the locals tell you to go to hell, they are merely recommending a good place to get a pint of ale. After our tour we made a quick walk to the square and found a local pastry shop that made a crusty pastry called snowballs (lightly fried pastry dough shaped like a snowball, and about the size of a baseball). They offered over 20 varieties, but we chose the one with the most chocolate. A great treat that we split 3 ways. Our evening in Rothenburg came to an end.