Germany
Westerwaldkreis

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    • Day 22

      We're Having a Heat Wave

      September 8, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

      When we arrived at the Trierer Hof Hotel yesterday, I asked the owner if they had experienced a hot summer this year. "It started off pretty warm", he replied, "but the past couple of months have been cold and wet".

      In that case it must have been just bad luck that saw us arrive smack in the middle of a series of hot and very humid days. In fact the temperature has risen to over 30C for the past few days, and the sequence is set to continue for at least another four days.

      This has come as something of a shock for our team who have just arrived from the Australian winter. The combination of high temperatures, hot sun and enervating humidity really takes its toll. I am just so grateful that our hotel features functioning air conditioning. This is something of an oddity in this part of the world.

      Today the group decided to ride the cable car to the fort on the other side of the Rhine. For those who are afraid of heights, this was something of a challenge, but the views down to the city from the lofty location made the trip worthwhile.

      Maggie and I spent the rest of the day alternating between exploring the old city and retreating to the coolness of the hotel room. At this point of time it is worth making mention of the very big elephant on the room. While I adore the history, culture and scenery of Europe, there is one aspect of European living that literally gets stuck in my throat. That aspect is the cloud of smoke that follows wherever you go.

      While Australia and many other countries have made huge progress in reducing the incidence of smoking, in Europe it is a filthy accepted part of life. Whether you are walking down the street, enjoying a view or eating at an outdoor restaurant, it is impossible to escape being enveloped in a stinking cloud of noxious tobacco smoke.

      From the young to the old alike, they are all equally addicted to a lifestyle revolving around nicotine. Parents think nothing of blowing clouds of poisonous smoke right into the faces of their children. Even when they are not smoking, the stink has penetrated into their clothes, hair, curtains and carpets. You just can't escape that awful smell. At times I really feel like yelling at people to wake up to how stupid their behaviour is.

      I am not sure what the statistics are concerning smoking in the big cities, but from my own anecdotal experience, I would say that it is at least 40%. The rest of the population choose to use vapes instead.

      This afternoon an exciting event took place - our boat arrived at the docks. Although we cannot board until tomorrow, it was fun to have a close up look at the vessel that will be our home for the next seven nights. In the morning we will be checking out of the hotel, and at 3 pm we will be boarding the MS Olympia. The next leg of our adventure will start.
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    • Day 20

      Koblenz

      October 11 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      Again, we sail overnight along the Rhine and arrive in Koblenz, Germany.

      After breakfast, we take a walking tour of the old town. This city is enchanting, and a place one could spend several days. It has a population of around 110,000 people.

      Koblenz was established as a Roman military post in 8 BC. Its name originates from the Latin of the word confluence. The Moselle empties into the Rhine at this spot. The city celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1992. This area has been populated for over 9,000 years.

      Where the 2 rivers coverage is a huge equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm 1.

      We walk through a park and come upon 3 panels of the former Berlin wall, which came down in 1989. Around 1000 Germans were shot attempting to escape from East Betlin. Koblenz was in West Germany.

      We then see the historic St. Kastor Basilica. It is the oldest preserved church in Koblenz. The collegiate church, consecrated in 836, was the scene of significant historical events. The monastery of St. Kastor was the meeting and arbitration place of emperors and kings as well as their descendants. In 842, the Romanesque church was the venue for the negotiations of the sons of Emperor Louis the Pious, which led to the partition of the Frankish Empire in the Treaty of Verdun the following year. This Treaty separated the Empire into what is today France and Germany.

      After WW2, a group of people started to create an interesting memorial to the Jews who lost their lives in the holocaust. All over European cities and towns where the atrocities were done, brass plaques have been inscibed with the victims names, and placed in the walkway of where they lived.

      We go to a square where the city hall is located. Back in the 1600s there were many robber barons who preyed upon the merchant ships that plied the Rhine. One story is that when one of those robber barons was caught, tried, and sentenced to death, on his way to the gallows he rolled his eyes back and forth and stuck out his tongue at the towns people. The town hall has a clock with the face of the robber baron. The clock's eyes roll back and forth constantly, and a big red tongue sticks out of his mouth every 15 minutes.

      After the tour, we take a gondola across the Rhine and up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. For 3,000 years, people have used this high rocky outcrop as a refuge. From the top, there are spectacular views of the Rhine, Moselle and Koblenz, and the surrounding towns.

      The Fortress was built by Prussians and was once one of Europe's largest fortresses. Built on the remains of an older Fortress destroyed by the French in the early 1800s, it was built between 1817 and 1828. It has never been attacked.

      We have learned that there are bike tours along the Rhine. Perhaps we'll check that out one day.
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    • Day 7

      Day in Koblenz, Germany

      September 3 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

      Koblenz, Germany is a fast growing part of Europe due to its central European location and it's cost of living compared elsewhere but this is changing. Many USA companies have European headquarters in Koblenz such as Amazon with 20k associates. Koblenz was a major industrial city and as such, was greatly impacted by WW2. Our tour of the old city was enjoyable!Read more

    • Day 12

      Koblenz - Deutsches Eck

      July 31, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

      Das Deutsche Eck ist eine künstlich aufgeschüttete Landzunge in Koblenz an der Mündung der Mosel in den Rhein. Ursprünglich nach einer nahegelegenen Niederlassung des Deutschen Ordens so bezeichnet, ist es heute vor allem für das 1897 dort errichtete monumentale Reiterstandbild des ersten Deutschen Kaisers Wilhelm I. bekannt.Read more

    • Day 18

      Limburg

      April 23 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      Today, Winnie is in hospital ..... New air- suspension and full service...... arrived at 8.00 ..... YES eight o'clock in the morning at the garage.
      Went to Limburg centre by bike.
      It's another nice old worldy German town.
      We picked up Winnie at 17.00 after lots of lunch, coffee and cakes. Yumyum.🤗🤗

      Drove with Winnie back to my parents and we will stay there until early May.

      I will not update the blog until than, as there is nothing exciting happening ..... only shopping, eating and drinking.🥳

      We have planned for the whole family to go back to the Mosel for a wine festival 3-5 May and than back south. 🥳🤗🥣🍷🥰
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    • Day 26

      Nothing exciting happening ...

      May 1 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Nothing exciting happend in the last few days .... except that we drove to the Ahr Valley to pick up a weeks wine supply for Billy.
      Today we had to go back to Limburg to get winies air-suspension checked as it was loosing air on one side.
      G&T on a stellplatz with roastbeef tv dinner at night.
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    • Day 66

      Von Rennerod bis zur Westerburghütte

      September 13, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Heute 27km

      Uii, Rekord, seit Svea mich begleitet. Erste Gehversuche auf den neuen Schuhen zeigten sich positiv. Ich werde weiter berichten..Das Zimmer in Limburg war dann wieder trocken..Die Sachen von der Fensterbank auch..So sind wir wieder raus nach Rennerod mit dem Bus gefahren und dort los gelaufen. Ich habe Euch ganz unterschlagen,dass wir gestern noch aus Hessen raus- und nach Rheinland-Pfalz reingelaufen sind. Fertig Hessen, in dem ich mich ganz schön lange herum getrieben habe. UND Svea und ich haben zusammen die 1600km Marke überschritten. Grosses Kino!
      Was hat mir nun Hessen beigebracht. Liebes Hessen, ich bin schon auf dem Weserbergland Weg über Deine Grenze gelaufen, habe den Märchenlandweg, Kasselsteig, den schönen Habichtswaldsteig und den Waldecker Weg sowie Diemelsteig und den Anfang und das Ende vom Rothaarsteig als auch den Lahn-Dill-Weg und den Beginn des Westerwald Steiges begangen. Du hältst viel auf Deine Nordhessischen Märchen-Erzählungen der Gebrüder Grimm, tust etliches für Deine Wälder und Wanderer und warst ein freundliches Land. Ganz besonders freundlich waren die Menschen in Rennerod, die die Entscheidenden Tipps gegeben haben, welche uns nach Limburg führten. Das war sehr hilfreich. Danke! Den verschwenderischen Bischoff haben wir übrigens nicht kennen gelernt. Sonst hätte der mich auf ein paar Schuhe einladen dürfen.
      So, ich finde ihr habt erstmal genug gelesen und erfährt sicher Morgen mehr. Eine sehr gute Nacht wünschen wir Euch .
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    • Day 21

      The Rhine & Mosel Junction at Koblenz

      September 4 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Caught the train for €5 each way to Koblenz to do cable car trip & see Deutsches Ecke. Far better this way than paying 2 nights at €52pn on Koblenz campsite plus didn’t have areas of driving in a city.
      Loved the views from the cable car. Celebrated (any excuse) with an ice cream topped with Baileys!
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    • Day 8

      Koblenz

      July 29 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      Ausflug an die Eifel. Besichtigung des Vulkanmuseums Lavadoms in Mending. Da erfuhren wir interessantes über die Geschichte des Vulkanismus und die Geologische entstehung der Region.
      Der Streckenkomentator für den Rhein hat die Kinder nicht interessert. Sie waren einmal mehr im Pool und am Tischspiele geniessen 😅
      Das Galadinner am Abend war einmal mehr hervorragend. Die Kinder erhielten wieder ein "Kids Menü", dass sie sehr schätzten.. 😍
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    • Day 21

      This Apple Juice Tastes Funny

      September 7, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Following our enjoyable time in Maastricht, the time had come for our travelling circus to move to its next performance. When faced with the problem of getting 19 Ghostriders and a veritable mountain of luggage from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Koblenz in Germany, I examined several options.

      The obvious choice would have been to travel by train. That sounds simple, however it would have required all of us to travel to Maastricht Station (with all our luggage), then negotiate a sequence of three trains (with all our luggage) and finally to get from Koblenz Station to our respective hotels (with all our luggage). That was not an option that had any appeal at all.

      About 9 months ago, I started researching the possibility of chartering a bus for the journey. I contacted several companies for quotes and waited for their replies. While most of them were ridiculously expensive, there was one company (called A1 Service) that provided a realistic quote at about 50 Euro per person.

      I started a dialogue with the company, but they were somewhat difficult to contact at times. When they asked for a substantial deposit in advance, I started to get a little nervous. I had no idea who I was really dealing with, and could not help but fear that I was kissing goodbye to a stack of Euros.

      Of all the arrangements for this trip, the one that gave me the most concern was this bus transfer. What would I do if the promised bus did not turn up ? In the final email from A1 Service, they promised that the bus would be at the Hotel Valk at 9 am. I arranged for the group to be checked out and waiting with their luggage at 8.30 am. I started looking for the bus.

      The clock marched on to 8.45 am. No bus. 8.55 am. No bus. I tried to look confident, but I had butterflies in my stomach. The group started to look at me. I walked out into the street and looked either way. No bus. 9.00 am came and went. Still no bus. The team were starting to look mutinous.

      "What are we going to do?", some of the more cynical members asked.

      "Pass me your phone", I said to Maggie.

      I dialed the number, half expecting to get the dreaded "That number is no longer connected" message (or whatever that is in Dutch). You could imagine my relief when the driver answered, and explained that he had been delayed 45 minutes by an accident on the highway. He promised that he was only 5 minutes away. And he was.

      When he arrived he was at the wheel of a very large, and very modern bus. Everything would be OK after all. My reputation was intact, and I even started to breathe again. About 10 minutes later, we were loaded onto the bus and underway.

      The drive to Koblenz should have only taken about 2 hours, and it probably would have if there had not been a huge traffic jam on the German side of the border. At first we thought there must have been a big accident, but apparently the road was blocked while they cleaned and polished the line markings. I think that was the story anyway. Germans are sticklers for order and cleanliness after all.

      We also learned that the Germans have very strict codes for how long drivers can drive without a break. The traffic jam had delayed us so much that the driver had to stop the bus and wait for 45 minutes, before we could resume the journey.

      I think we finally arrived in Koblenz about 1.30 pm, and found Sue Rainsford standing outside the hotel, waving to us. It was a lovely welcome to see a friendly, familiar face so far away from home.

      After checking into the hotel and having a rest, Maggie and I went for walk around the city. Koblenz is an old city, situated in an idyllic location at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Our initial impressions were very favourable.

      Not wanting to have another restaurant meal, we decided to get some provisions from the supermarket and have a picnic in our hotel room. Shopping in a foreign supermarket can be a challenging exercise, but fortunately most items have informative pictures on the outside.

      I found some bottles of apple juice and thought they would be a nice way to quench my thirst. We also added grapes, oranges and yoghurt, before heading back to our room for a little feast.

      Since the heat was still around 30C, I could not wait to enjoy the apple juice, and poured myself a large glass. It smelt and tasted awful. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, I wondered. I took another sip. It tasted even worse. I felt like I was sucking the toxic sweat from a pair of old cycling socks.

      Just what was this foul muck that I had purchased ? I searched on Google for the solution and discovered that I had just purchased two large bottles of apple cider vinegar. I had been drinking almost pure acetic acid! No wonder it did not quench my thirst. So, down the sink with that toxic swill. I suspect that my throat is still seared from the unfortunate experience.
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