Germany was a real treat for us as we only spent one night of our two weeks there in a hotel. After a meandering train trip from the Netherlands we ended up in Gerolstien Germany where Diana, Helmut and their little ones met us. Our time in the Eifel was a fantastic snapshot of rural Germany. We filled our days with trips to lakes and waterfalls as well as a train trip to Trier. From the Eifel we headed along the Mosel River. Our hoped for boat connection down the river did not exist as it was not high season yet and the trip was only going twice a week. Undaunted, we got a room and spent an enjoyable evening exploring the town, including the local castle. In the morning we caught an early train to Koblenz that allowed us to get on an old paddle wheel steam ship up the Rhine River to Mainz. This was a great trip with many castles and ruins along the way. At one time the tolls collected along the Rhine could amount to quite a fortune for anyone controlling one of these castles. Needless to say they were much contested. The French went on a rampage in 1689 and destroyed most of them but they are still quite impressive from the river. The next port for our trip around Germany was with Mathias and Petra in Stuttgart. We visited the Mercedes Benz museum and factory that were both very impressive. The factory had the highest level of automation I have ever seen. Munich was our last stop in Germany. Our gracious hosts here were Gianni and Gabbi who did their best not to let us adversely effect the average beer consumption for Bavaria (a liter a day for every man woman and child). We took a bike tour of the city that was a fantastic way to see it. By auto we got a glimpse of the more than slightly demented mind of Ludwig II. We toured two of his castles in the Alps. The castles were impressive but the backdrop was staggering. All our gracious hosts in Germany made this a very special part of our adventure. We can’t thank you enough!
© 1998 michele_drew@hotmail.com
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