Training was wonderful (wunderbar!), but today began my vacation and a real chance to see Germany. An early rise to pack (uh oh, already running out of space–darn winter coat!), eat breakfast, and be herded into taxis to get to the Giessen train station so we could catch our train to Frankfurt. Thankfully we were all organized and good little ducklings, following mother duck Robbin nice and closely. It was a bit sad to say our goodbyes, but I’ll see Tomah soon in Vancouver, especially as he was kind enough to cart home some of my stuff. We’ll also see Marisol soon as she’ll be in Vancouver in the fall.

It was exciting to get on our way, just Sean and me, from Frankfiurt to Koblenz by train. I’m not sure if it was a money saver to have the Eurail passes, but it is super easy now that I’ve figured it out! At least so far.

Lots and lots of beer. A view from our train.

After a few hours on the train where I had a short nap followed by a nice view of the Rhine, we arrived in Koblenz and cabbed to our hotel that I had booked online just a couple of days ago. I had thought to just find a place to stay in each city as we arrive, but I’ve now decided to save us the stress and book everything in advance.

Koblenz is famous for the “German corner”, where the rivers Rhine and Mosel meet. We had no plans on where to go or what to do, so we just wandered around once lightened of our bags. We loved the gathering squares that seem popular in most areas outside of North America.

We took a gondola across the Rhine to Fortress Ehrenbreitstein. Though huge and impressive, because it has been largely restored and the interiors are cleanly smooth and white with tiled floors, it’s an odd mix of museum/fortress/convention centre/tourist draw/wedding reception place. We were free to simply wander around wherever, and most of the time we had no idea of what we were looking at as everything was in German. One thing I would have liked to stay to see was the concert that was being prepared for in one of the open areas there!

What a great place this would be to watch a concert!

Once back in Koblenz city, we just meandered down narrow streets lined with shops, up quaint alleys of pubs and restaurants, and through busy squares of loitering people. Without having anything in particular that we were aiming for, we had a great time. As much as I love seeing “the sights,” so too do I feel it’s important to sometimes simply visit aimlessly.

I love the building designs. Check out this roof!

Are you sure? 

Sean in Wonderland

Of course one of the things that we enjoy about travel is a chance to sample the food, but German food seems hard to “sample”. I don’t know why Germans aren’t heavier as the meal portions we’ve had everywhere are huge! Lots of meat and lots of bread. Creamy sauces and rich cheeses. Beer and more beer! So for dinner we just went to the grocery store and grabbed ingredients to make our own sandwiches.