more coming soon...
Tony's favorite
-Italian eis flavor........after eight
-Activity.......................kayaking the fjords
-Big City.......................Stockholm
-Country.......................Germany (where all the trains run on time)
Tracy's favorite:
-Italian eis flavor.........rum raisin.
-Activity.......................summer luge and the spas of Baden-Baden (tie)
-Meal.............................Weiswurst at the Hofbrauhaus
-Desert..........................Roasted apricots and Belgian waffle with creme anglais (Amsterdam)
Tony's least favorite:
-City............................Amsterdam (kind of dirty and almost everyone was a tourist)
Tracy's least favorite:
-Hike...........................hike to Burg Eltz (rainy and muddy)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Oslo the Second and Flight Home
Now back in Oslo for one more day of sightseeing before starting the journey home.
The highlight of the day was our trip to Vigeland Sculpture Park, with dozens of granite sculptures.
We did make time to hit an internet cafe so that we could log in exactly 24 hours before our flight and check in online. Tony's heart was pounding....the moment came....and we secured peaceful seats on the upper deck once again (even the exact same seats as we had on our trip here).
On the way back we wandered around the city and main drag, and we had lunch at a department store (luckily Tony got Tracy out of the store before she could make any other purchases, although she did try).
*Early* the next morning we started our marathon trip home. First Oslo to London, where we had a layover. We took advantage of the British Airways lounge and ate breakfast and lunch, took showers (refreshing), and Tony enjoyed a massage chair session, while Tracy regretted being honest when filling out the pre-massage evaluation questionaire, as she was denied access to this perk. Next, London to San Francisco on the exact same seats - lots of legroom and quiet (thank you, seatguru.com).
The highlight of the day was our trip to Vigeland Sculpture Park, with dozens of granite sculptures.
We did make time to hit an internet cafe so that we could log in exactly 24 hours before our flight and check in online. Tony's heart was pounding....the moment came....and we secured peaceful seats on the upper deck once again (even the exact same seats as we had on our trip here).
On the way back we wandered around the city and main drag, and we had lunch at a department store (luckily Tony got Tracy out of the store before she could make any other purchases, although she did try).
*Early* the next morning we started our marathon trip home. First Oslo to London, where we had a layover. We took advantage of the British Airways lounge and ate breakfast and lunch, took showers (refreshing), and Tony enjoyed a massage chair session, while Tracy regretted being honest when filling out the pre-massage evaluation questionaire, as she was denied access to this perk. Next, London to San Francisco on the exact same seats - lots of legroom and quiet (thank you, seatguru.com).
Monday, July 20, 2009
Norway & and the Fjords
It's been a drizzly day - the trip to the fjords has been a multi-part journey. The first leg of the train trip had good scenery and was a nice train but we were sitting backwards (which did not agree with Tracy's stomach on this 4+ hour trip). We then changed trains at a tiny little station (and added layers of clothes for the wait because of the temperature). The second leg of the train was a private railway (Flam private railway) with steep grades down to sea level and amazing scenery of waterfalls and the fjord. From the fjord we took an express boat to Balestrand - our destination for the next three nights. This town is situated right on the fjord, with accompanying gorgous views - which would only have been improved by clearer weather.
Tony on the stern of the express boat to Balestrand.
The view from our hotel balcony in Balestrand.
The next morning the weather had improved so we headed for hike - from sea level at the fjords every hike goes UP. Tony used food bribes (including wild berries) to get Tracy up the steepest parts of the mountain trail.
Wild blueberries!
The view from halfway up at a scenic overlook - we could see the hotel where we were staying and other points in town.
That afternoon we went swimming in the (icy!) fjord. Not comfy for leisurely laps, but we both wanted to say we had done it, so quick dips in and out were the order of the day.
We capped of the evening with a low key dinner of fish and then enjoyed the sunset from our hotel balcony.
The next day, we slept in through the drizzly morning and then wandered through town in the afternoon. We ate an early smorgasbord dinner at a historic hotel on the fjord and then hit the fjords again (this time in kayaks) before sunset. As we were warming up back at the hotel, we looked up and saw an amazing rainbow:
The historic Kviknes hotel in Balestrand:
Finally, our trip back to Oslo. For details, read the first paragraph of this post backwards. However, this time on the Flam railway, we fought the crowds to get a picture of the waterfall halfway up the valley:
Tony on the stern of the express boat to Balestrand.
The view from our hotel balcony in Balestrand.
The next morning the weather had improved so we headed for hike - from sea level at the fjords every hike goes UP. Tony used food bribes (including wild berries) to get Tracy up the steepest parts of the mountain trail.
Wild blueberries!
The view from halfway up at a scenic overlook - we could see the hotel where we were staying and other points in town.
That afternoon we went swimming in the (icy!) fjord. Not comfy for leisurely laps, but we both wanted to say we had done it, so quick dips in and out were the order of the day.
We capped of the evening with a low key dinner of fish and then enjoyed the sunset from our hotel balcony.
The next day, we slept in through the drizzly morning and then wandered through town in the afternoon. We ate an early smorgasbord dinner at a historic hotel on the fjord and then hit the fjords again (this time in kayaks) before sunset. As we were warming up back at the hotel, we looked up and saw an amazing rainbow:
The historic Kviknes hotel in Balestrand:
Finally, our trip back to Oslo. For details, read the first paragraph of this post backwards. However, this time on the Flam railway, we fought the crowds to get a picture of the waterfall halfway up the valley:
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Baby Related
So we have officially felt the baby move...there have been a couple times that I wasn't sure but yesterday I got Tony to sit with his hand in the right spot for a few minutes and he definitely felt a 'thump' as he put it. Interestingly I can't feel this unless I'm sitting with my hand on my stomach, but at least we know baby is on the go (and defintely growing based on Tony's assessement of my size...one of my dresses now has more similarity to a tent than a dress when worn...it has quickly given the short end of the dress rotation stick!).
:)
:)
30 Hours in Oslo
So we'we wrapped up our first visit to Oslo Norway, and this morning we leave for the fjords (Balestand). The weather was rainy while we were here, but we are hoping that it clears for at least part of our visit to the fjords!
In Oslo we did some housekeeping activities like laundry, and also tourism related things like:
In Oslo we did some housekeeping activities like laundry, and also tourism related things like:
- Touring the town hall (completed in 1950) where the Noble Peace Prize is Awarded - it has AMAZING murals and artwork integrated into the building...I might try to see if I can get a print of one for the baby's room
- Toured the Nobel Peace Museum
- Went on a boat trip to a different island to visit different musuems in that distract including -
- Fram musuem (wooden ship that traveled to the antartic and artic)
- Kon Tiki Museum (proved that Polynesia could have been settled from S.America via raft boats)
- Viking Musuem where they have 3 original boats and artifacts from the Viking period
- Then after coming back and drying off-warming up we walked to a different district and got Indian food for dinner ;)
Today we take 2 trains and a boat to reach out destination, which will take essentially all day but then we'll spend 3 nights there before coming back to Oslo for another full day to wrap up the trip.
We've had an amazing time...
Tony's trivia question: H0w long can we spend together 24/7 before we start to irritate each other? Please note that there are two answers to the question...Tony's side and Tracy's. Answer next post!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
One day in Stockholm
We essentially distilled the Stockholm experience into 1 day...we arrived at 7 am via night train from Malmo (near Copenhagen) and here's what we did:
1. Stowed our luggage in lockers at the train station and found a bakery for breakfast (lovely sweet rolls that taste a lot like moms pulla bread with cardemon)
2. Waited for the tourist office to open at 9am to get 'Stockholm Cards' that get you into the tourist destinations and public transit
3. Went to the Town Hall and took the tour - this was Tony's favorite building this far, it is where the Nobel prize banquet and interviews are held in addition to being an administative building
4. Then we walked over to the older part of town, saw the Nobel Museum and the changing of the guard/parade with band at the palace, had lunch at a cafe, and then 'Nobel Ice Cream' which is on the menu at the Noble Banquet. Essentially it's very good vanilla bean and raspberry sorbet served together - yummy!
5. Toured the Vasa Museum (war ship that sank and they brought back up recently - amazing)
6. Went on historical canal boat tour that had pretty good info, but they had oversold the tour so we couldn't sit together
7. Went back, got our luggage, checked into the hotel, had dinner at a Swedish fast food place called 'Max' and went to bed.
Now this morning we're at the airport to fly to Oslo. We're going to take it easy today, orient ourselves and do laundry mainly (or that is the plan at least).
View of city hall from across the water:
Tony looking up at city hall from the waterfront:
City hall building
1. Stowed our luggage in lockers at the train station and found a bakery for breakfast (lovely sweet rolls that taste a lot like moms pulla bread with cardemon)
2. Waited for the tourist office to open at 9am to get 'Stockholm Cards' that get you into the tourist destinations and public transit
3. Went to the Town Hall and took the tour - this was Tony's favorite building this far, it is where the Nobel prize banquet and interviews are held in addition to being an administative building
4. Then we walked over to the older part of town, saw the Nobel Museum and the changing of the guard/parade with band at the palace, had lunch at a cafe, and then 'Nobel Ice Cream' which is on the menu at the Noble Banquet. Essentially it's very good vanilla bean and raspberry sorbet served together - yummy!
5. Toured the Vasa Museum (war ship that sank and they brought back up recently - amazing)
6. Went on historical canal boat tour that had pretty good info, but they had oversold the tour so we couldn't sit together
7. Went back, got our luggage, checked into the hotel, had dinner at a Swedish fast food place called 'Max' and went to bed.
Now this morning we're at the airport to fly to Oslo. We're going to take it easy today, orient ourselves and do laundry mainly (or that is the plan at least).
View of city hall from across the water:
Tony looking up at city hall from the waterfront:
City hall building
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tivoli Follow Up
We had a nice time at Tivoli - we skipped the rides but listened to a couple short concerts and theatre performaces. The last performance we saw was attended Queen Margrethe, who had evidently done the set and costume designs for the new Hans Christian Andersen ballet that was being premiered by The Pantomime Theatre company (who perform almost nightly in the summer at Tivoli).
Compared to Great America, fewer people are there for the rides, and more for the general atmosphere and performances.
Compared to Great America, fewer people are there for the rides, and more for the general atmosphere and performances.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Two Days in Copenhagen
Trivia Question Answer: Tracy had at 7 scoops of gelato in approximately 24 hours in Baden Baden.
Copenhagen Denmark
Once we arrived in Copenhagen around 10am, we switched currency to the Danish Kroner, stowed our bags in the train station lockers and hit the town.
-We saw the city hall with impressive secular art (Tony will drop dead if he sees another picture/sculpture/carving of St. George slaying the dragon, it has been a reoccuring theme since he is also the patron saint of Bavaria).
-Did a relaxing but hot (and more informative than Amsterdam's) canal/harbor tour.
-Ate Polse (Danish hot dog) from a street vendor for a picnic and Smorrebrod (Danish open-faced sandwhiches with interesting toppings) at an open air cafe in a square for dinner last night.
- Took a walking tour with an American ex-pat who dresses up like Hans Christian Anderson and talked about the economics of Denmark (trade, welfare, social structure, etc) as well as the history of the buildings we walked by.
- Visited Rosenborg Castle, Treasury, and Gardens - this had both decorated/ornate rooms as well as the Danish crown jewels. Europe seems to have nicer public parks-gardens than the US, and a lot more of them.
- Walked A LOT!!! Maybe not as much as in Munich, but more than we had planned ;)
We did have a slight heart attack when we tried to make reservations for the night train from Copenhagen to Stockholm and found that there were no compartments or bunks available - only seats (and not neccessarily first class seats with A/C). Fortunatly, when we retured later to try again in the afternoon (praying someone had canceled) there was at least one compartment available, which we quickly took. We do not catch the train till around 9pm tonight, so we are going to Tivoli Gardens to experience a Danish amusement park next (it is across the street, literally, from the train station).
Oh, and the place we stayed last night...it was nice and clean, but interesting (and it did have free WiFi). There probably would have been more room on a boat (I would estimate the room was about 8x12 including the bathroom)...it had bunk beds, with just enough room to pull out a trundle from under the bottom one, a small bathroom, and was very compartmentalized. It's the only hotel room either of us had been in where the door swung OUT into the hall, because there was not room for it to swing in! It's called CabInn - I wanted to find a picture, but there is a description at the link. And the window was only 3x3...so it was a bit warm in the room. Why don't European hotels have fans? No air conditioning I get, but no fans? If I travel to Europe with a big suitcase I'm bringing my own oscillating fan!
Copenhagen Denmark
Once we arrived in Copenhagen around 10am, we switched currency to the Danish Kroner, stowed our bags in the train station lockers and hit the town.
-We saw the city hall with impressive secular art (Tony will drop dead if he sees another picture/sculpture/carving of St. George slaying the dragon, it has been a reoccuring theme since he is also the patron saint of Bavaria).
-Did a relaxing but hot (and more informative than Amsterdam's) canal/harbor tour.
-Ate Polse (Danish hot dog) from a street vendor for a picnic and Smorrebrod (Danish open-faced sandwhiches with interesting toppings) at an open air cafe in a square for dinner last night.
- Took a walking tour with an American ex-pat who dresses up like Hans Christian Anderson and talked about the economics of Denmark (trade, welfare, social structure, etc) as well as the history of the buildings we walked by.
- Visited Rosenborg Castle, Treasury, and Gardens - this had both decorated/ornate rooms as well as the Danish crown jewels. Europe seems to have nicer public parks-gardens than the US, and a lot more of them.
- Walked A LOT!!! Maybe not as much as in Munich, but more than we had planned ;)
We did have a slight heart attack when we tried to make reservations for the night train from Copenhagen to Stockholm and found that there were no compartments or bunks available - only seats (and not neccessarily first class seats with A/C). Fortunatly, when we retured later to try again in the afternoon (praying someone had canceled) there was at least one compartment available, which we quickly took. We do not catch the train till around 9pm tonight, so we are going to Tivoli Gardens to experience a Danish amusement park next (it is across the street, literally, from the train station).
Oh, and the place we stayed last night...it was nice and clean, but interesting (and it did have free WiFi). There probably would have been more room on a boat (I would estimate the room was about 8x12 including the bathroom)...it had bunk beds, with just enough room to pull out a trundle from under the bottom one, a small bathroom, and was very compartmentalized. It's the only hotel room either of us had been in where the door swung OUT into the hall, because there was not room for it to swing in! It's called CabInn - I wanted to find a picture, but there is a description at the link. And the window was only 3x3...so it was a bit warm in the room. Why don't European hotels have fans? No air conditioning I get, but no fans? If I travel to Europe with a big suitcase I'm bringing my own oscillating fan!
The Overnight Train Verson 1.0
To get between Munich and Copenhagen we decided to take the overnight train...once in Germany we signed up for a 'reservation' that that ensured us a seat and paid an extra fee on top of our EuraRail passes to upgrade to beds...what we actually ended up with had two bunk beds, two chairs with a small table, a WC, and a small shower. Once we had walked the train we were SO glad we had spent the extra money because 1) there were no regular first class seats and a group of German boy scouts taking up most of the regular second class seats 2) those 2nd class seats were hot and had NO A/C (which we have come to miss and adore), and 3) for a 15 hour train trip some quiet and privacy was much appreciated.
The train steward brought us a beverage when the train started and breakfast in the morning. I had a few claustrophia issues in the compartment during the night when the blinds were closed, but overall it was a good experience. (Version 2 from Copenhagen to Stockholm is tonight so we´ll see how it goes this time).
Our much enjoyed compartment (bathroom and shower just left of Tony):
The train steward brought us a beverage when the train started and breakfast in the morning. I had a few claustrophia issues in the compartment during the night when the blinds were closed, but overall it was a good experience. (Version 2 from Copenhagen to Stockholm is tonight so we´ll see how it goes this time).
Our much enjoyed compartment (bathroom and shower just left of Tony):
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Germany Part IV - Munich
We are wrapping up Germany today and heading to Copenhagen tonight via overnight train.
In about 30 hours we fit in a lot of Munich activities including:
- The open air market and beirgarten (had lunch there)
- The Hofgarden and English Gardens (largest Central Park type park in Europe, even saw people surfing in the river there) and listened to a violist play while we laid on the grass
- Dinner at a European chain restaurant called NordSee (Tony was tired of sausage so we had fish)
- The Wittlesburg 'Residenz' and Treasury
- Lunch today at the world famous Hofbrauhouse (Tony liked the 50/50 blend of lemonade and beer)
Yesterday we walked for hours (activities 1&2 mainly) and covered more than 8 miles which tuckered us out, especially since Munich is the hottest it has been for us in Germany (and amazingly enough not raining). Today we took the S Train (subway) which saved a ton of walking.
We're catching up on email and are going to get some dinner for the train (which leaves at 7 sharp) and will arrive tomorrow morning in Denmark. I was hoping to be able to load pictures of what we've been up to but I can't seem to find a computer that can handle it when I have time to do it, so it will have to wait till we get home it seems.
Take care everyone!
Pics of lunch at the HofBrauhaus
Tracy liked the weisswurst :)
Germany Part III - Rothenburg & The Tirol
After a late start from Baden-Baden (the church bells woke us up; nice touch but annoying at 8am when you are trying hard to sleep in), we took the train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a touristy but quaint walled medevial city on the Tauber river. Four trains later, we arrived just in time to peruse the Kathe Wolfurt Christmas store and go on the entertaining but touristy Night Watchman's Tour.
The next morning we walked the city wall and took the train to nearby Wurzburg and picked up our rental car. After finding our way our of Wurzburg we drove to Pinswang (Austria), partially along the Romantic Road and partially on the autobahn 7 (driving on the Autobahn is definitely not relaxing between irregular car speeds and all the passing).
Saturday we started early at Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau. Not sure what "mad" king Ludwig was up to with all the construction (almost like Mrs Winchester) but the castles were beautiful and ornate (one inspired Walt Disneys vision of what a fairy tale castle should look like), although we found the tours a little rushed. We drove there rather than do the hour hike, both because there was a ton of walking once there AND because we once again were rained on which would have made the hike back to the inn rather cold and damp.
All that walking led to an afternoon nap, then we went for a short drive and walk near the river, and are had dinner at the inn we're staying at.
On Sunday we really packed in the activities - summer 'luge' (picture a activity going down a cement luge track like at the Olympics, but on a tobaggon that has rollerblade wheels) which we loved, took a 'cable car' to the top of the Zugspitze (highest point in Germany as part of the Alps) where it was covered in clouds and snowing. Then on the way back we hiked to the ruins of Ehrenburg Castle...along the way we foraged for tiny Alpine Strawberries, delicious - and great views from the Castle. We wrapped up the day with laundry and dinner at the hotel. Overall a great day!
Hint: Baby likes "eis"
The next morning we walked the city wall and took the train to nearby Wurzburg and picked up our rental car. After finding our way our of Wurzburg we drove to Pinswang (Austria), partially along the Romantic Road and partially on the autobahn 7 (driving on the Autobahn is definitely not relaxing between irregular car speeds and all the passing).
Saturday we started early at Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau. Not sure what "mad" king Ludwig was up to with all the construction (almost like Mrs Winchester) but the castles were beautiful and ornate (one inspired Walt Disneys vision of what a fairy tale castle should look like), although we found the tours a little rushed. We drove there rather than do the hour hike, both because there was a ton of walking once there AND because we once again were rained on which would have made the hike back to the inn rather cold and damp.
All that walking led to an afternoon nap, then we went for a short drive and walk near the river, and are had dinner at the inn we're staying at.
On Sunday we really packed in the activities - summer 'luge' (picture a activity going down a cement luge track like at the Olympics, but on a tobaggon that has rollerblade wheels) which we loved, took a 'cable car' to the top of the Zugspitze (highest point in Germany as part of the Alps) where it was covered in clouds and snowing. Then on the way back we hiked to the ruins of Ehrenburg Castle...along the way we foraged for tiny Alpine Strawberries, delicious - and great views from the Castle. We wrapped up the day with laundry and dinner at the hotel. Overall a great day!
The LUGE!!!
On the way down from the Zugspitze
On the way down from the Zugspitze
Ehrenburg Ruins
Travel Trivia: How many ice cream/gelato scoops did Tracy eat in a 24-hour period in Baden-Baden? Answer next post...
Hint: Baby likes "eis"
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Germany Part III: Rothenburg o.d.t
After leaving Baden-Baden we headed to Rothenburg, a quaint walled city. We arrived and had Italian for dinner, wandered through a Christmas store, looked in windows, and then went on the 'Night Watchman's Tour'. The tour was campy and touristy, but interesting and we got a good overview of one district of the city near the main square. He evidently has a website if you are interested, and sells a DVD after the tour, in addition to having a store in town - establishing quite an empire!
Pictures of us on the city wall, with a view of the city behind us
Picture of me leaning out our window
Picture of me leaning out our window
In the morning we had breakfast, walked the wall around the city (chilly!) and then packed up to go...it started raining on us again on the way to the station but didn't last too long this time.
From Rothenburg we headed to Wurtburg to pick up our rental car. Hertz had an interesting interpretation of where to pick it up...the address on the reservation was the train station and they told us to take a cab to town to the MAIN Hertz. We finally got the car and headed for the 'Romantic Road'. We took that and the Autobahn 7 (driving here is a little more stressful than home due to the high speeds and crazy passing) to reach the Tirol area of Germany-Austria. We are actually staying in Pingswang Austria, but have crossed the border several times already.
This morning we visiting Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria's two castles - one of which inspired Walt Disney. It rained on us again..here's to hoping that the rain gets used up before we hit the fjords in Norway! That would put a major damper on our kayaking...as it is we'll have to see if we can do the luge or the mountains up a tram tomorrow (both close in poor weather).
Hope everyone is doing well!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Germany Part II: Rhine River & Baden Baden
Yesterday when we left Cochem we had a long convoluted day of train changes, mainly to accomodate us taking a Rhine River cruise for a couple hours. We love the German ICE (InterCityExpress) trains - they are definitely a step up from the regional trains, this last one even had a concierge type person to get you snacks and beverages from the CafeCar, and wifi if you were signed up to use TMobile Hotspots (which we sadly were not).
Tony at the Cochem train station
Can you make out the vinyards on the hillside in the background?
Can you make out the vinyards on the hillside in the background?
The River cruise was nice, although waiting in the rain for an hour beforehand was questionable. The cruise was relaxing and a nice vantage point of the river with multiple castles, vinyards, historic churches, etc all visable from the boat.
Baden-Baden has had Tracy's favorite activities thus far - two 'spa' days! The first was an all nude, totally mixed sex, Irish Roman bath with a soapy brush massage (good thing Tony didnt get it since it was a bit brisk even for Tracy). We learned that Tony doesnt care about nudity...while Tracy was a little shocked with strange men walking around towelless. By the end though she even showed someone how to use their locker while both in their birthday suits. See http://www.carasana.de/home/en/roemisch.html.
Today we started at a different mineral sping spa location (same campus, different style) that was more like an adult water park. See http://www.carasana.de/home/en/caracalla.html. Had a great time - would recomend Baden-Baden to anyone visiting Germany just to experience the spas. We're planning to catch a 10'30 train tomorrow, what are the chances that we can go again in the morning???
Besides that we've had a couple nice German meals, and Thai for lunch - Tony wanted a break from pork and potatos and the Thai place was well located. Oh, and gelato three times.
Also walked Lichentaler Allee (long public park - botanical garden) to see the rose gardens and got caught in a giant thunderstorm...not quite soaked to the skin on the way back but it was a close thing. Consquently we had dinner close to the hotel.
The Church Bell Tower from our hotel room window
From here, it's off to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for one night and then the Tirol region of Austria for three more nights...
Germany Part I - Koln & Cochem
After a busy weekend in Brugge we were off to Cochem Germany, a town of about 6,000 in the Mosel River Valley. On the way we stopped in Koln to see the Dom Cathedral which was awe inspiring. That day also happened to be the Gay Pride festival & parade making the downtown around the church a crazy place.
The train trip made me so glad that our EURail passes are first class tickets - we left Koln around dinner time when the festival was winding up and there were masses of people getting on the trains. We were able to get seats and luggage space in the first class section but most of the train had people sitting practically in the aisles.
We arrived in Cochem a little after dinner time and after checking in walked around town a bit and had dinner on the riverfront - pretty good but nothing amazing. Our room was nice (no mosquitos!) and we slept very soundly after the long day of traveling and sightseeing.
On Monday we had breakfast and headed out to see Burg Eltz, supposedly one of the best castles in Germany. We took the 90 walk/hike to the castle and took a tour in English - very picture-esque and quaint. Lunch there was good - potato pancakes and goulash followed by fruit kuchen - and it came with a great view from the castle courtyard. By then a storm front had moved in so we were going to taxi it back to the train station...but also no taxis in the 20 minutes or so we waiting huddled under a tree. So we headed back to the castle to take the walking trail back out....luckily by the time we hit the train the heavy rain had stopped and was pretty nice for the walk back. We passed another American couple less than 10 minutes from the castle...they wanted to know how much further....they thought they had parked in the lot that was a 10-15 minute walk from the castle but alas they had been going for 60-plus minutes and were pretty excited that they really were now 10 minutes away.
Dom Cathedral
Relic of the 3 Wise Men from the Christmas Story
Relic of the 3 Wise Men from the Christmas Story
The train trip made me so glad that our EURail passes are first class tickets - we left Koln around dinner time when the festival was winding up and there were masses of people getting on the trains. We were able to get seats and luggage space in the first class section but most of the train had people sitting practically in the aisles.
We arrived in Cochem a little after dinner time and after checking in walked around town a bit and had dinner on the riverfront - pretty good but nothing amazing. Our room was nice (no mosquitos!) and we slept very soundly after the long day of traveling and sightseeing.
On Monday we had breakfast and headed out to see Burg Eltz, supposedly one of the best castles in Germany. We took the 90 walk/hike to the castle and took a tour in English - very picture-esque and quaint. Lunch there was good - potato pancakes and goulash followed by fruit kuchen - and it came with a great view from the castle courtyard. By then a storm front had moved in so we were going to taxi it back to the train station...but also no taxis in the 20 minutes or so we waiting huddled under a tree. So we headed back to the castle to take the walking trail back out....luckily by the time we hit the train the heavy rain had stopped and was pretty nice for the walk back. We passed another American couple less than 10 minutes from the castle...they wanted to know how much further....they thought they had parked in the lot that was a 10-15 minute walk from the castle but alas they had been going for 60-plus minutes and were pretty excited that they really were now 10 minutes away.
Burg Eltz
That pretty much wiped us out for the day, and showers, a BAD dinner, and some gelato rounded out the rest of the day.
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