Travels through Germany
Köln to Koblenz
Our Germany leg was very ambitious on paper, with some moving parts and timing for trains and hotels that all needed to work out for the plans envisioned to come to fruition. The plan seemed simple enough. Leave Amsterdam by train to Köln, Germany and check into a hotel. In the morning, take a local train to Koblenz which is a city on the Rhine River that is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its collection and concentration of Germany Castles that are situated on and around the Rhine River region. From Koblenz we can either board a KD ferry to cruise up river taking in the views from the river and then disembarking at one or more of the small villages with a castle overlooking it. Tour the castle and town, have some lunch, shop and then take the boat back down stream or as an option take a train that also parallels the river back to Koblenz at the end of the day. It all seemed reasonable and almost straight forward. All except for the intangible, ever present and unpredictable, weather.
We pulled into Köln station ahead of a rather large storm system that was threatening to rain all night and into the morning. It was colder than we had expected too. The shorts and t-shirts we had packed for a warm European summer were still tucked deep in the suitcases. The idea of taking any cruise on a river in a storm didn’t sound like an enjoyable experience in nasty weather. On top of that, the train tickets, which thankfully I did not book in advance were going to cost us close to $200 euro for the round trip and that did not include the cruise tickets yet. So at the 11th hour, no really, it was 23:00 (11:00pm) the night before, I booked a rental car. It might be a crazy idea, but my wife, after a few questions that basically started with, “Are you sure?” She was behind me 100%.
The next morning, I took the Köln 5 underground north. Got off at the end of the line, walked a few blocks in the rain to the Avis lot and picked up the car. I rented a small, best deal I could find on the internet, however what they gave was all they had on the lot, a large, 7 passenger diesel VW van with all the space we needed for the adventure that lay ahead. The German Autobahn
Autobahn
I really didn’t have driving on the Autobahn on my bucket list, but now that I was sitting in the drivers seat of a fully capable vehicle, in the heart of Germany and about 200km of road between me and the destination it all of a sudden became a much needed check off. I was excited, still a little scared but tried to show calm and confidence for the girls. I actually stayed up late studying driving signs, and reading Reddit posts on German driving habits to be as prepared as possible for the challenge. Not that I intended to test the speedometer, after all, it was raining and I had the family, and a very nervous wife in the passenger seat next me. I just wanted to not gain the ire of any German drivers and to at least drive the part while on the road.
“So much room for activities!” My daughter squealed a favorite line from a movie of ours, and that helped break the tension. We all laughed!
The beauty of having the van now was we were no longer tethered to the railroad tracks for our destinations and we had more options to consider along with the weather forecast. That fact was changing too. It was looking like some clearing was expected around noon and into the afternoon in the middle Rhine region, which would be perfect. I pointed the van towards the Castle Eltz, which is considerably more inland from the river and away we went.
It wasn’t long before the rhythm of the road became easy to decipher. The Autobahn drivers follow a pretty strict adherence to passing on the left and move over to the right rule, more than any part of California for that matter. There are sections of the road where there is a speed limit, but then when it opens up most drivers tend to drive between 100-130km. Passing on the left and then moving around slower trucks and cars. Occasionally there will be a car testing their tires about 150km, but I never saw anyone out of control or driving recklessly. I smiled to myself at the thought of how well this was beginning to work out, as my wife was quizzing me on German road signs from the internet. Apparently she did some studying on her own as well and she wanted to test my knowledge. We laughed at some of the more absurd ones. We still don’t know what “Assfurt” means?
About an hour into the drive, we were starting to feel the hunger grow and we really wanted to sample some German food. Believe it or not, we have not had very good luck on the trip eating locally. In Ghent and Amsterdam, both had international food options and very little local flavors. Eating Italian was as close as we seemed to get. A small detour took us off the highway on to some local roads no wider than a single lane. The rolling hills of the country landscape smelled so fresh after the rain. We pulled into a small town called Mayen. Here we found cafe Bijon which served traditional German style pizza and other dishes. The pizza’s my wife and I had were thin crusts and really fresh and tasty and my daughter’s avocado bagel with fried eggs smelled so good. Sitting on the outside terrace with a break in the rain, we enjoyed the vibe watching kids walking home from an early day at school, and a small stream of locals walking through the town square. Mayen actually had a small Castle as well the cafe owner told us, although it was closed for renovations. Our waitress did ask what we were doing in Mayen, with a puzzled look on her face when we told her we were from California. As if, no one ever comes here. We actually wished we had a little more time to spend walking through the streets or just sitting there but we had some castles to see.
Castle Eltz
We reluctantly drove on to Castle Eltz arriving just after a brief rain had past, which made the short hike to the castle through the forested trail a little muddy, but at least not hot. Rounding a bend in the trail, the Castle Eltz came into view sitting on a shoulder of a cliff with a stream bending around its base. It really took our breath away. Almost fake it looked so storybook gorgeous, with huge stone walls surrounding the main building and towers and spires topped with waving flags. We learned from the small brochure that the Eltz family still occupies this castle to this day and gives tours of it daily. We hiked to the front gates and across the causeway. Took some pictures of the castle among the pine tree forest. To me it brings up old fairy tales and Brothers Grimm stories told for hundreds of years to look at such a place. We would have loved to take the tour, but since the weather was looking good, we wanted to get to the river in time to catch a boat and needed get going.
Rhine River Cruise
From Eltz we drove through the mountains and down to the Rhine River to the town of Boppard which sits on the shores of the river. This small river village has a few small hotels and shops that attracts tourists and sightseers throughout the year for its charm and appeal. We got there just in time to board the last KD Cruise that would take us down the river to Koblenz and return to Boppard for a round trip.
The cruise was such a nice way to take in the views of the Rhine Valley and all of the sights and castles. We went from the race of the Autobahn and twisting through mountain roads to catch the boat in time, to a peaceful, slow drifting, easygoing cruise. It was a really nice change of pace. We grabbed a table on the top deck. The sun was dancing between big white clouds now and filling the space with warm sunlight which felt amazing on our faces. The wind was still blowing a bit, but the cold air and warm sun was nice contradiction. As we cruised West down the river the first castle suddenly came into view and we all rushed to the rail to witness it. Marksburg Castle looks like a light stone citadel rising atop a crest of a hill that overlooking the river. The oldest castle on the Rhine that has never been destroyed surviving from medieval times, which is a crazy statistic when you think about all the history this area of Germany has seen. Its white walled towers and dark grey roofs are a striking contrast coupled with its imposing size. It’s been standing watch over the small town Braubach for centuries.
Other notable castles and landmarks were the Maus Castle, Saint Peter and Paul Church, Solidor Tower. Then there is Stolzenfels Castle just outside of Koblenz. It is a castle to rival all others on the Rhine and has been build up over the years as a palatial estate with architecture halls, fountains and furnishings throughout. Even from the river its opulence could be felt.
In Koblenz were turned around under the imposing Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and headed back up the river to Boppard. The cruise was well worth the trip and we were so glad we made it and so far renting the car was working out.
We next drove to Koblenz for some much needed dinner. We really hoped Koblenz would offer us more opportunity to sample Germany cuisine and flavors of German life. What we found was more than we could have imagined. The town was jumping and bumping. The town square was full of people, German tourist, locals, kids and teens all running around. Cafes and restaurants everywhere. We knew it was going to be good when it took almost half an hour to find parking and then joined the train of people walking toward the square. We settled into a cafe at the square and with the help of the waitress, because I have no shame and just ask for help (of course my wife and daughter want to claim they don’t know who I am during these interactions),ordered wonderful German classics. Kazlespazten, which is German potato Mac and cheese. A Germany potato pasta with hummus base, and fried potato and poached egg dish. Since we are vegetarian it is a small struggle finding some dishes, but most places have something for us to eat. These dishes were so delicious. Of course we also ordered three deserts too. Ice cream, apple strudel with vanilla sauce and strawberries and ice cream. Food coma hit hard. Thankfully I also had a strong double espresso with my desert before we set off back to Köln on the Autobahn! What a day on the Rhine, one, I am sure we will never forget.
Germany – Köln to Hamburg to Copenhagen
Our final days in Germany were spent traveling from Köln to Hamburg and from Hamburg on to Copenhagen. We decided to make the journey over two days to avoid a tragic 9 hour train ride. This turned out to be a rather wise decision as we were learning that while train travel is a nice and efficient way to get around in Europe, it can still be stressful and anything over 4 of 5 hours is exhausting. To be honest, my wife and I really aren’t getting much rest on the trains after the incident where a traveler had their bags stolen during a stop. So we are keeping one eye open and on our bags at all times.
Needing to get the rental van back in the morning, I woke up early, showered, dressed and headed downstairs to the lobby. Stopping at the front desk first to ask about a late check out since we got in after midnight and our train didn’t leave until 14:30 (2:30pm). They very graciously offered us the extended time which allowed the girls some much needed hours of sleep. I stopped a German grocery store to pick up some snacks for the train trip, dropped off the van and took the underground back into the city and found the girls fresh and well rested in the room. We took the time we had gained and headed into the town center. A few blocks away from the hotel was a nice neighborhood that had a farmers market stand in a square. Shoppers were walking through the streets and since it was a nice Saturday at noon, many of the cafés were full of couples catching up for lunch. I notice a line of locals forming at a bakery which drew my attention immediately and not wanting to miss a chance to pick up a German Breztle or Strussle I offered to stand in line while the girls checked a couple of shops nearby. The line moved quickly as most knew what they wanted from the selection of loaves of breads, sheets of sweets and piles of cookies in the display cases. I had my orders from the girls and made my picks, and this time restrained myself to a half dozen items despite the temptations. The girls were actually surprised that I didn’t buy out the shop. I was pretty proud of myself too.
The train from Köln to Hamburg took about four hours and was a thankfully uneventful. Just county scenes of farms and fields. Very pretty and mesmerizing as we sped past. Not like that first train ride where the bag was stolen. Just the same, we stayed vigilant and after a while we arrived at our destination.
We pulled into Hamburg in the late afternoon, and into another enormous station. That is something that is surprising us, just how big the German train stations are. They are loud and full of people rustling to platforms. They rival anything we have seen in the states. We dragged our luggage out to the streets and jumped in a taxi to the hotel. The Adina Apartment Hotel was just outside of the downtown area, a little quieter and along the Rhine river and it had by far the most amenities of all our hotel rooms so far. Even though it was only a short stop over for the night, it was sure nice to have a comfy spot to rest our heads. We dropped our stuff, freshened up and then headed back out to the crisp air. The European summer still hadn’t materialized and we held our jackets closed against the wind. We needed to stretch our legs after sitting for hours on the train and get something to eat. It was getting late and places were closing down, but we managed to find a small Italian restaurant, which you can always find in Europe. We walked in and the chef told us they were closing in 30 minutes so we couldn’t eat there. We were a little stunned, but resigned and turned to walk out when the owner ran after us. Saying, no, no. Please come and eat. The chef can cook and you can stay as long as you want. I guess someone just wanted to go home early that night. We laughed about it as we ate, yet another pizza in Germany. At least the bruschetta was really good and we love that you can get sparkling water anywhere you go.
Happy and full we were able to catch the local cathedral in the sunset glow as the bells started to ring. Sometimes the most unexpected timing put us in a town, a village or city and we find ourselves caught in a moment of magic, where the sun hits just right, and we realize that standing here, with each other, at this moment, is as perfect as its going to get.
The Hamburg train station in the early morning was already a flowing river of passengers when we arrived at 8:00am for our departure to Copenhagen. We had plenty of time to find our platform, grab some breakfast from the vast variety of food stalls in the station and line up at the lettered stop. A strüssel for me, yogurt parfée for my daughter and bagel for my wife. We were seasoned pros now. We felt confident. Even if the platform changed last minute we were ready for it. Then a train pulled up 10 minutes before our departure time. It had the wrong number on it. It had no markings on it. The platform which was full of others with luggage and backpacks just like ours began to look around with puzzled expressions, same as ours. Was this our train? It doesn’t say it. The numbers don’t match. There is no one to ask. Some people board. Other don’t. We stay put. I start to ask those around us and they are waiting for Copenhagen too. Nobody is sure. We all agree that if this train leaves early, then our train is still coming. Five minutes to go. Now what? Well, it’s either this one or not. We make a choice and get on. Find our car and stow our luggage. Find our seats. At least everyone in the car wants to go to Copenhagen but nobody is sure if this train is the one. It isn’t until we leave as schedule that my heart rate begins to slow and when the steward comes around to check tickets a short time later we get absolute confirmation. This is our official last long haul train in Europe and it makes us 6 for 6. We didn’t miss a single one. I’m really not that surprised. The girls are really good travelers and love sticking to plans when we have them, and are just as good when we have nothing planned, and we see where the day takes us, or we need to pivot because something didn’t go as planned. They also give this old guy a lot of grace to figure things out and trust me to. I owe an awful lot to them both and wouldn’t be where I am without them. Definitely wouldn’t be in Europe right now, I could tell you that. OK. Don’t get me started on that road. I could talk about them and what they mean to me all day. Our next three days are in Copenhagen and we are really excited for this final leg or our journey!
