Wednesday 9/23 - Home At Last

Since our flight was not scheduled to leave Brussels until 11:55am we were able to have a leisurely morning.  Had breakfast at the hotel, finished packing up and headed to the train station.  Once we got inside we ditched the umbrellas (one was dead and we set the other down for someone else to use).  The train runs directly to the underground train station at the airport.  We got both of the suitcases checked (no need to carry-on for the home trip), took a leisurely stroll through the duty-free shops and made it through security in just a few minutes.

Since we had used miles to get business class seats we were able to use the British Airways lounge at the airport prior to our departure.  It was a quick flight to London Heathrow (less than an hour) and we arrived to blue skies (Brussels was very wet so we picked the perfect day to leave).  We once again were able to use the BA lounge and were able to relax while we waited for our flight (which was delayed about 30 minutes).  Got on the plane and enjoyed the percs of business class (wish we could fly like this all of the time).  And we were delayed even longer due to a fuel spill from a airplane (which we saw as we finally taxied out to the runway).

The service on British Airways is great - very professional and very proper (Charlotte was wearing a sweater and the flight attendant asked "Madam, may I hang up your cardigan for you?").  And the food and drink were very nice as well.  Watched a few movies and dozed off just a bit (the plane never got dark because we were chasing the sun all the way to Seattle).  Got through customs and immigration with no issues, grabbed the luggage, caught the shuttle to the parking lot and hit I5 about 7PM and we were home a little after 10PM.  I wish our freeways were as good as the freeways in Germany.

So time for the wrapup - gone four weeks during which time we visited six countries (and set foot in two others), traveled quite a few miles by train, plane and automobile, lodging that met or exceeded our expectations and weather that was much cooler and damper than what were were accustomed to in September in Europe.  While we had mostly good meals pork seems to be the main course in Germany (but it was always good).  We were glad we got a guide in Berlin and Prague.  We were on our feet a lot (and took several eight mile hikes that were very scenic).  The weather did change our plans on occasion but we never let it stop us (but it did keep us from doing some things that we had hoped to do).  We saw some beautiful scenery as well as beautiful historic towns and buildings.  Our time in Berlin and Prague was very thought-provoking as we thought about the reign of Hitler and the effect of Communism on Berlin and Prague.  It was great to visit friends in Copenhagen and Belgium (probably the highlight of our trip).

It seemed that the time went by very quickly but we were glad to get home.  While we got to see a lot of different towns and sights it was at times a somewhat challenging schedule as we moved from town to town.  But with that said we would rather do that type of trip now while we are still young enough the do it.  And we were very fortunate that we stayed healthy the entire trip and there were no major issues to deal with.  And the home front survived without us (but we did miss family, especially Gavin and Liam).

Will we go back to Germany - possibly but we would probably go when the weather is warmer and we would stay somewhere for a week and take day trips and do more hiking (which is endless in Germany).  It is a beautiful country that reminds us of Oregon.  And most everyone who helped us in some capacity was very nice and accommodating.

So that is a wrap for this trip - time to start planning the next one!

Tuesday 9/22 - Brussels

Had another great breakfast at the B&B and then caught a train to Brussels.  When we arrived it was raining but our hotel was very close to the train station.  Dropped off our luggage, grabbed our umbrellas and headed to the old town area.  Since it was still raining we found a tavern where we could sit, relax, have a beer and do some limited people watching.  The rain finally stopped and we were able to explore the area a little bit.

Got checked into the hotel mid-afternoon and then went looking for a place for an early dinner.  We were able to find a restaurant that had a good looking menu, including a special of the month.  One last restaurant dinner before we head home.  The food was quite good.

Tomorrow we pack up the suitcases one last time and head home.

Monday 9/21 - Day Two In Bruges

Another beautiful day in Bruges - a nice change after damper, cooler weather.  Had a very good breakfast at the B&B.  We then climbed the bell tower (300+ steps) and got to see the city from the top of the tower, along with the mechanical part of the clock and the bells.

Stopped at the bar that has the Wall of Beer (not sure what the total count is) and enjoyed a beer overlooking the canal.  We then took a 30 minute boat tour on the canals and got the see the sights from a different perspective.  Lots of beautiful buildings and architecture.

We then went to a local brewery in town and got a tour of the brewery and learned more about the beer making process.  And of course we wrapped up the tour with a good Bruges beer (included in the tour price).  Got a early dinner and we are now back in the B&B and unfortunately it has started raining.

So I am once again caught up and are remaining time is very short.  Tomorrow we travel by train to Brussels and we are hoping for some better weather - hopefully it is not a complete washout tomorrow.

Oh - we found this strange creature here as well!

Sunday 9/20 - Off to Bruges

Denis and Kathleen picked us up about 9:00 and in two hours we arrived in Bruges.  We dropped off our luggage at the B&B and headed into town.  We had a "special" tour guide Peter who is the boyfriend of Fran's friend Jana who we met two years ago in France.  He grew up in the area and was able to direct us to some good sights.  And we had a great lunch - finally got some mussels.

The city was extremely busy and there were probably more people than usual because cars were not allowed in the city (they do this once a year on the same day in multiple cities).  There were bands playing in several of the squares and just a lot of other activities.  Bruges is a beautiful city and hard to capture in just a few pictures.

Here is the complete Belgium Gang (minus Ruben who is training for a marathon) along with the US Gang.  The top picture is Peter, Denis and me.  And the next picture is Jana, Helen, Fran, Charlotte and Kathleen.

And here are a few pictures from around town (the first one is Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child - if you saw Monument's Men you should remember this sculpture).

We had to say our goodbyes to the Belgium Gang around 5pm - we had a great time together and we will miss them.  We headed back into town in the evening and were able to enjoy the city with all of the lights.

Tomorrow we will visit a few of the things we missed.

Saturday 9/19 - Genk

Started the day with a short hike near an old coal mine - we walked from one of the old mine shafts to a hill built from mine tailings.

As you can probably tell from the picture it was a little foggy and damp but it was still a good time.  After the hike we went to Denis and Kathleen's house and had a very nice lunch and some good Belgium beer.  After lunch we then went to another coal mine where we got to explore underground and above ground where the old coal mine was located.

In the last picture is Ruben (Fran's boyfriend) and the original Belgium Gang that we met four years ago in France - Fran and her parents Denis and Kathleen.

After the mine trip we again got together for another meal - this time excellent Italian pizza.  The restaurant specializes in Napoli pizza which must be cooked in a specific type of wood-fired oven.  It is very hot and cooks the thin bread crust very quickly.

We got just a little early tonight - around 11:00.  Tomorrow we head to Bruges.

Friday 9/18 - Off to Belgium

We started the day by dropping off the car at the rental office in Koblenz (about a 45 minute drive - the GPS worked perfectly).  Took a cab to the train station and caught the 9:47 train to Cologne.  Arrived in Cologne about 11:20.  Stored our luggage in the automated luggage system and headed out into town.  The city was very busy (lots of river cruise boats were docked on the Rhine River there).

After we finished exploring the city we caught our 4:42 train to Aachen and then our connection to Heerlen where we were met by Denis and Fran, part of the Belgium Gang.  They dropped us off at our hotel and then picked us up for dinner at 8:00 (no Happy Hour here).  We had a great evening catching up on things and enjoying delicious wine and food.  We got back to the hotel at 12:30am.  Tomorrow we explore Genk.

Thursday 9/17 - Burg Eltz

It is 7:30pm Bruges time on Monday and once again I have fallen way behind on the blog - we have been very busy for the past few days.

The day started damp once again so we decided to drive over to the Mosel Valley and visit a castle named Burg Eltz.  It has been in the same family for centuries and is very well maintained.  We took the 15-20 walk from the parking lot to the castle and then took a guided tour (once again no pictures inside).

After that we drove down to Cochem and looked around a bit before driving to Koblenz and then back to Bacharach.

Wednesday 9/16 - Off to St. Goar and Rheinfels Castle

Another wet day on the Rhine.  Borrowed umbrellas from the hotel and rode the train down river to St. Goar, where we hiked up to the ruins for the castle.  It was started in 1245 and is the largest of its kind on the Rhine.  There are lots of areas to explore including some dark passageways and tunnels.

After touring the castle we grabbed a light lunch and then walked back into town to check the train schedule and look around.  We ran into the folks we had met on the train and they said they were taking the boat back to Bacharach.  Since the rain had stopped we decided to do that as well and we were glad we did.  The views from the river are quite spectacular.

When we were waiting for the boat there was a tour group there- turned out they were on a Rick Steves Best of Europe tour.  Spent some time talking to the guide - she has been doing tours for Rick since 1995.  She was fun to talk to and get a few tips for Bacharach

Finally had pizza (and beer) for dinner followed by a very good ice cream sundae (vanilla, chocolate and chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate syrup, chocolate bits and whipped cream).  Great way to finish a day.  And to top it all off there was some lighting and thunder as well.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring for our last day in the Rhine area - the weather may dictate what we do.

Tuesday 9/15 - Another Hike

Today we took the RundTour hike into the hills outside Bacharach.  It took about four hours and we walked 8.5 miles.  In addition to hiking up to the castle here in town (which is now a youth hostel) we walked through the valleys and hills to the west of town.  The rain stopped after about 30 minutes which we were thankful for.  Along the way we saw deer as well as evidence of wild boar.  And more castle ruins.  It was a pretty easy hike and we enjoyed the fresh air.  When we finally made it back to Bacharach we enjoyed a beautiful view from above the town and a challenging walk back down through the vineyards.

After the hike we freshened up and went wine tasting.  There is a place in Bacharach that serves 15 wines on a lazy susan - you start with a dry rose and end with an extremely sweet Riesling.  By the time we finished our tasting there were a total of five tables of folks having wine and we were all from North America - not a German in sight.  And after all of the whites I needed a good red wine.  Well guess what - there is no such thing as a good red wine from this area - it was pretty bad.

We were going to have pizza for dinner but they were closed.  So more German food for dinner.  Hoping for pizza tomorrow night.

Monday 9/14 - We Have Arrived in the Rhine Valley

Left Menzenschwand about 9:30 this morning, fired up the GPS and headed to Bacharach.  The GPS was accurate (as was the driver - no "recalculating") and we got to experience the Autobahn.  I was doing 130 (KPH not MPH) and got passed several times like we were standing still (all by Porsche 911s).  You definitely have to stay in the right lane except when you are going to pass.  And timing the passing is challenging as well since the trucks are very regulated about the speed they can drive which is significantly slower than the speed limit for cars.  And in many places they cannot use the left lane for passing - can make for a long line of trucks.

Hit some rain showers just before we arrived but they had stopped by the time we got to the hotel.  Got all checked in and wandered around the town a bit - it is very small but charming and with historical ruins.  The first picture is of our hotel - our room is the one with the balcony on the right-hand side (we overlook the train tracks and the river).  All of the rooms have two sets of double-pane windows to keep out the noise (we will see how good they work tonight when we try to sleep).

And here are a few pictures from around the town.

And here is one of our favorite activities - having an adult beverage and consulting Rick on what we should do tomorrow.

We had dinner at the restaurant here in the hotel - supposed to be the best in town.  The food was excellent (Charlotte had roast beef and I had wild boar) along with a good wine and dessert.

Tomorrow we plan to hike about 8 miles on a loop trail above the town.

Sunday 9/13 - Freiburg and a coaster ride

We decided to visit Freiburg today (a larger town about an hour away). Drove to Aha (yes - that is the name of the town) and caught the train to Freiburg.  We looked around the old town for about two hours.  The church there is quite impressive, including four organs with a total of 11,000 pipes.  We got there just as the Sunday service was ending so we got to enjoy the music - I just love organ music in the old churches.  In a single day of bombing 80% of the town was destroyed but the church was not damaged.

 

After we got back to Aha we (Steve) wanted to try out a local alpine ride.  So we took a drive to Todtnau and I got to experience the Hasenhorn Coaster.  You take the chair lift up to the top and then get to ride in a sled that acts very much like a roller coaster - the big difference is that you get to control the speed.  The track is almost two miles long (one of the longest in Germany) and there are lots of twists, turns, loops and bumps.  It was a lot of fun.

Finished the day with dinner at a restaurant we discovered several days earlier at the end of one of our hikes (where we had the BBQ dinner).  It was a good meal and a good way to wrap up our visit to the Black Forest area.  Tomorrow we head to the Rhine Valley and Bacharach.

Saturday 9/12 - the hike in the gorge

Had a nice leisurely start to the day.  Enjoyed the hotel breakfast and then headed out for our next hiking adventure.  The area we explored today is called Wutachschlucht (or Wutach Gorge).  The first challenge was finding a parking place - managed to squeeze into a small spot between a car and a motorcycle.  Then headed out with a lot of other people enjoying a beautiful sunny day.  This was definitely a trail, not a road or gravel path.  Lots of ups and downs with a variety of terrain from dirt to rocks to slippery rocks to tree roots to rock steps to metal bridges to wood bridges.  It was a very nice walk (but a bit crowded at times).  Took us about 4 hours to hike eight miles.  Of course we had a beer at the end of the hike and then a bus ride back to where we parked.  We are pretty sure that the bus drivers are all former F1 drivers.

On the way back we had to turn around due to an accident so we had to rely on the GPS to get us home.  She kept trying to get us to turn around but she finally figured it out.  Got to go through some road construction and then a short stretch on a very narrow road.  But we finally made it.  Had dinner at the hotel (no English menu - aargh) but we managed.

So once again caught up on the blog.  Tomorrow we head to Freiburg (by train) to check out on of the larger local towns.

Friday 9/11 - WiFi Challenges

Not sure how often I will be able to update the blog since the wi-fi here in our hotel in the Black Forest area is not the best.  We are in Menzenschwand through Sunday and then we head to the Rhine valley.  I hope to get some additional updates done over the next few days as time and internet speed allow.

All is well with us.  We got in a long, steep hike before we left the Tirol area in Austria.  The drive here yesterday was uneventful but there was a lot of traffic in a few places.

Today we took an eight mile hike with about 1500' of elevation change.  For dinner we are going to a local restaurant that is doing a BBQ - should be fun.

UPDATE - the BBQ was quite good - they had variety of sausages, kebobs and other local delicacies.  We enjoyed the restaurant, the food and the service was very good (they spoke English - yeah).

When we got back to the hotel we talked to the owner (who is also the chef) about where to hike tomorrow.  He gave us a suggestion that we are going to try - an update will be coming tomorrow.

Thursday 9/10 - Arrived in Black Forest

Fired up the GPS and drove about four hours to Menzenschwand in the Black Forest area of Germany.  At times it was a slow trip due to the traffic around a couple of the towns we passed through.  Got checked into our hotel and then drove to Titisee (a small lake nearby).  BIG tourist trap - lots of buses and lots of tourists.  Found a place to have dinner (killed fours wasps who were trying to drink our beers) and people watch.  There were high-end shops right next to the hotel and they were filled with Asian tourists buying everything from knifes to luggage.  It was pretty amazing watching all of the activity.

Tomorrow we plan on doing some hiking in the area.

Wednesday 9/9 - Change of Plans

Our initial plan was to take the tram to the top of the Zugzpitze - Germany's highest peak.  When we got there the top of the mountain was socked in so we went to Plan B.  We drove just a little farther to Ehrwalder Alm (ski area) where we found a "trail" that we thought would take us to a lake.  Turned out the trail pretty much went under a ski lift and we ended up at the top of the lift (and a pretty steep hike).  The hike to the lake was another two hours so we passed.  But we were able to relax at the top and have a beer and a little snack before heading down.

So this is a good time to mention that pictures will be sparse at this point due to internet connection challenges (as in dropped and slow connections) - sorry that it will be mostly text.

We then drove into Fussen and walk around a bit and had a nice dinner in the old town area of Fussen.  Lots of tourists there.

Tomorrow we are off the the Black Forest area of Germany.

The Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Our hotel is very close to a trail that heads out through the woods to the castles.  According to the trail markers it is 5.4km (3.4 miles) to the castles.  So we headed out through the woods.  Here is a look back to our hotel.

About half of the walk is along side the Alpsee (a beautiful lake) and depending which side of the lake you walk on you can get a great view of the castles (we walked on both sides).  Hohenschwangau is on the left and Neuschwanstein is on the right.

We picked up our tour tickets (you have assigned times at each castle which are two hours apart) and walked up to Hohenschwangau.

Looked around a bit and then took our 30 minute tour.  Just enough time for a brief overview of the castle and pictures inside are not allowed.  we then had to walk back down from there and then take a long uphill walk to Neuschwanstein (which is much more crowded).  Another 30 minute tour there so again a brief overview.  The interiors of both castles are amazing and some of the artwork and treasures are absolutely incredible (including some solid silver pieces and a 2,000 pound chandelier).  And the wood carving over the king's bed that took two years to finish.

And not only are the castles amazing the views into the valley are pretty spectacular as well.

There - all caught up for now.  Tomorrow we head to the Zugspitze - the tallest peak in Germany at 9,700 feet.