8/5/16 - 8/6/16
LIT ---> FRA to Oberwesel
*If you aren't into massive amount of pictures and lovely stories about our Europe trip... you should X out of this page right now.
Hello to anyone who stayed! It's taken me so long to sit down and blog our trip. I am so excited to finally do it! Not so much for you ;) but for me! I love looking back on our travel posts, stories and pictures. I DID journal the whole trip so I'll be taking some of that and incorporating it into my posts. SOOOO, if I switch up tenses... it's because I'm typing directly from my journal. So, here we go!!
What was nice about this departure-- it wasn't super early! We actually called our uber around 10AM. I can't believe how easy our trip to Europe has been. We had a few delays in LR and with those, I got worried. Then we were delayed an hour in Charlotte because they let someone on the plane that wasn't ticketed (how does this happen?!) and they had to get their luggage off. So weird.
The flight was long and slightly uncomfortable. We did have awesome seats, we upgraded, but still... 8 hours in one seat is hard no matter where you sit.
We breezed through customs and with no luggage to pick up we were out in no time. Wait... did I mention we carried backpacks? OK, no.. yeah, we carried backpacks. That's all. Everything we needed for 12 days, on our backs.
I really can't believe how easy and stress free it was. We took a bus to the train station and 30 minutes later we were off to Bingen, Germany. From the train we walked back about 300 yards and there was the KD Rhine boat which basically takes you up and down the Rhine River. We decided to take this to our overnight stop to take in all the sights.
I can't tell you how amazing it was stepping off the boat in Oberwesel. The whole boat ride was awesome. Castle here, castle there, castles everywhere. Vineyards? EVERYWHERE!!!!!
So we're in Oberwesel, this adorable town along the Rhine. A super short walk from stepping off the boat. We found our adorable hotel with no problems. Our room was ready and we hit the jackpot! I'm not really sure how we got this room. I actually found the hotel by searching pinterest. The owner checked us in and then actually carried our things to the 3rd floor. She opened the door and I tried not to freak out (in front of her). We had the most awesome terrace overlooking the Rhine.
We dropped our bags, resisted the urge to nap and hopped back on the boat. Brian wanted to tour Rhinefels Castle, a town down in St. Goar. We were starving! So we stopped at the first place we saw to eat and I will never forget the look on Brian's face. I even captured it below...
So happy. We had brats, fried potatoes and sauerkraut. It was actually delicious. Best potatoes. So good. AND BTW, did I mention we ate along the Rhine River?!
I had an amazing glass of Oberwesel Reisling and was ready to pass out. After all, we were on hour probably 32?! I actually fell asleep sitting at the lunch table. I left my sunglasses on all day for this reason.
BUT no rest of the us, we were off to sight-see. We get about 100 yards from the restaurant, I admit to Brian that I fell asleep at lunch. We stop and get coffee for me. The climb was like Pinnacle Mountain on steroids. I'm shedding my cardigan, drinking hot coffee, hair in pony, disgusting. But I made it! Beautiful. So worth it! The sights....
This castle was so old. There wasn't a lot left standing. Brian loved it and thanked me for indulging him. The views from the top made the whole climb worth it. And I was energized again and ready to take on Germany!
We went back to Oberwesel, showered and got ready for dinner. We decided to stay at the hotel and eat there for the night. Oh yes, let me share the hotel.. so adorable.
Dinner at the hotel was amazing. We had a reserved table on the side patio, covered by beautiful plants, herbs and flowers. It was so perfect.
I loved how you order wine. See below. We loved the local Riesling. Not sweet like it is in the states.
The bread basket came first, paired with the most amazing butter, ever. Every pound added while in Europe was worth it. I had the salmon for dinner, I don't remember what it was called but assume it was smoked, with fresh dill and parsley. The salad was amazing, again no idea what it was. AND the most amazing potatoes of my life. They were covered in some sort of sauce that was equally amazing.
One thing I love about meals in Europe is they sit. They sit and enjoy, there is not rush or hurrying through. There are breaks between service. Eat slowly, drink slowly (yet often) and they are really in no rush to hurry off. So different for these Americans but a welcome change. OH and the water. WHY does anyone want to drink sparkling water. No thank you!
After dinner we sat by the Rhine. We took in the day and the beautiful things we saw and did. It was a perfect day. Day one. I can only imagine what the rest of the trip holds. So we went back to the room, packed, uploaded photos and fell asleep in .2 seconds.
Cologne, you're up next!
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