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.