Things I Never Want to Forget about Germany

 The entire Albert family was so incredibly generous to us. They welcomed us into their homes, provided for every need, fed us, bought us presents, drove us everywhere, gave us hugs and lots of laughs.

 Brad and his best childhood friend, Richard, reunited in Einsidelerhof. This is the lake where they went camping and chasing girls.



Brad was very excited to show me where they used to play in the woods, the bomb holes left from WWII, the castle ruins. Also where the gypsy camp was and where the "Strasse Queens" would stand and tease the boys as they walked by.

 Rhein in Flammen! A festival of beer, bratwurst, pretzels! They have neuer wein (new wine), which has not been fermented yet. It tastes like grape juice and is seriously potent.

The river boats coming from upstream would slam on their brakes, and let the back end of the boat flip 180 degrees by the current until they could move into position facing back upstream.

Live music with Richard's friends' singing, "Country Roads." (The Germans can turn any song into a beer drinking song). Fireworks over the river, shooting out of the castles on the hills, and for a finale -- waterfalls of fire coming over the castle walls.

Driving home at 2AM, we ran out of gas on the Autobahn. As we coasted slower and slower, Brad asked Guenter, "Was ist los?" And Guenter quietly replied, "Der Auto ist kaput." Had to wait over an hour for a tow truck, then had to fit 10 people in the cab of the tow truck. So much laughter.

Maria lit a candle for Jennifer and I at the church.

Hearing the church bells ring out every day.

Buying a paper cone of fresh apricots from the farmers market.

They have bakery trucks for home delivery.

 Each city has it's own symbol. This fish is for Kaiserslautern. They decorate the manholes with them.

On Friday night we sat outside a cafe on the cobbled street, talking with everyone, while Brad and Richard drank meter bier (literally, a meter of beer). Out of the corner of my eye I saw some more of the family coming to join us. I felt so much a part of the family and fun.

Spending time with Richard's girlfriend, Jennifer, a genuine person with a warm heart.

Brad told Maria that riding on the badly paved streets was a "German massage." She thought it was funny.

 

 A day on the Mosel River--a dream come true. Lunch on a deck overlooking the view as the sun came out. Riesling wine for lunch. Meandering the old cobbled streets of Bernkastel.

 Sunday lunch outside at St Martin beside the fountain. Chicken, wrapped in bacon, with wine sauce and grapes and a side of rosemary potatoes. A meal never to be forgotten.

Tasted little Mirabellen, tiny golden plums.

One night for dinner we had cheesecake, plum tart, and strudel. The next morning for breakfast we had cheesecake with jam. They seem to eat nothing but schnitzel, bratwurst, ice cream and pastries.

Advice from Richard: If a wild boar chases you, run downhill. Their legs are too short in the front to run downhill.

Amsterdam

Things I Never Want to Forget About Europe

First, I always want to remember how grateful I am to my mother for giving me the opportunity to share this experience with her, creating memories for both of us forever.

Houses are very narrow because they were taxed on the amount of land they use and then they built up. Many of these houses are over 500 years old and are sliding sideways, making them look very tipsy.

Holland is just two provinces--The Netherlands is the name of the whole country

The Red Light District of Amsterdam--I've always heard of it and always wanted to see it. Two kind fellow passengers took me out with them to see the sights. Incredibly narrow alleys with real red lights over 400 windows. 1000 girls (to cover the various shifts). They pay about $100/night for a window. The girls were all completely dressed. After negotiating with the customer they close the drapes for privacy. Photos are not allowed or you may find yourself in the canal.

The "coffeehouses" are numerous and no one pays any attention to them, but they do emit a strong aroma.

One thing that made me crazy were all the people on bikes (no one wears a helmet) and no hats or umbrellas. It didn't matter how hard it was raining, they just went on without them.

Outdoor urinals--can you imagine! right out on the street!

They have a Museum of Bags and Purses.


Augenroller--The Eye Roller--his eyes move back and forth and he sticks out his tongue on the hour.

Schmuck means gem or jewelry.

Gas costs $9 a gallon.

For public toilets, you must pay a "fee to pee." Usually 50 cents. In one place we paid 70 cents, but that's because a brush came out to clean the rotating seat after every use.

"Let's have a reviver, Georgie!"

In the Cologne area, beer is served in tall narrow glasses and they will keep bring you more and more until you put a coaster over the glass to indicate that you are finished.

There is a purity law regarding beer brewing--you may only use four ingredients: hops, barley, yeast and water.

During a night out in the Drosselgasse wine alley of Rudesheim, we went wine tasting and had to fish the little bugs out of our glasses. We were each served a liter of Riesling wine with dinner and they all sang the whole way home on the bus.

Contrary to popular belief, in the middle ages chastity belts were not used to keep wives and daughters pure. They were used on prostitutes who didn't pay their taxes.

The gigantic slabs of wurst people ate at lunch.

In Bamburg, the Church owned the land and would not give the townspeople a place for their city hall, so they built it in the middle of the river.

Our friend had to go into the hospital for two days while on the trip. For breakfast they served her a bread roll, a piece of cheese and 3 slices of salami--in a hospital!!

Schneeballen--a round pastry ball deep-fried and coated with different toppings.

The little old ladies who spoke to me in German, assuming that I understood, as I nodded along.

The Mainz cathedral was built in 8 years and burned to the ground on the day of its inaugeration.

The Marksburg castle is the the only intact remaining castle. In the bed chamber there is a bed that is approximately 4 ft by 4 ft for two adults to sleep in. They slept sitting upright because of all the smoke from the fires and candles.

It is a saying that a women's blouse should be well constructed, so you can "see how much wood she has stacked in front of her cabin."

When the ship approaches low bridges, the wheelhouse lowers to the level of the deck. The captain pokes his head out a hatch on top. Once he asked me to sit beside him as we went under and he stuck his hand up to touch the bottom of the bridge.

So, what have we done so far? In Amsterdam, there was the canal boat trip with the houseboats lining the edges, a long walk in the rain and a short trip to see the Red Light District.

Next, we sailed to Cologne to see the cathedral and the old town. The town of Koblenz  was lovely to wander through. We toured the only intact castle left in Germany called Marksburg followed by beer, sausages and pretzels at a brewery.

The highlight of the trip is the little villages lining the Rhine, including the rock of Lorili. They waited until morning to sail for us to have the best views. Of course, it was a shivery cold, foggy morning, so that didn't work out so well. But I managed to take a few pictures.

We toured Mainz, which was supposed to include the Gutenberg Museum, but we ditched it because we were tired. There was a special tour of Rudesheim with a winery and then dinner with lots of oompah music and a liter of wine each! They sang all the way home on the bus.

Today we saw castle and town of Heidelberg.

What's left? Only Wertheim, Karlstadt, Gerlachshausen, Schweinfurt, Bamberg and Nuremberg. Other than that, we just eat ALL THE TIME! 

Dream of my lifetime--Europe! Specifically, a riverboat cruise of the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Nuremburg. We started with two rainy days in Amsterdam, but trooped through it to see the sights. The canals, tipsy houses, coffeeshops and of course, the Red Light District.

Today we had a day in Cologne. When I came around the corner and saw the awesome of the catherdal, the power of it was breathtaking. The town was mostly destroyed during World War II, and has been reconstructed around the main square.

We skipped out on the ship board dinner tonight and ate bratwurst, cabbage and potatoes in an authentic German pub.