The day we left Boppard, we got up super early. The owner of the hotel got up as well to get us some breakfast before heading to the airport. We had to take a train to Frankfurt for about an hour and 15 minutes. The train stopped at the airport, which was very convenient and we were able to find our check in counter pretty quickly.
We had heard so many things about the Frankfurt airport. We really thought it would have been a nice airport, but we were completely unimpressed. You have to go through a passport security process before you get to the gates, and then each gate has its own security point. Unfortunately, only one gate actually had food in it, and of course, it wasn't the gate we needed. The only option for food that we had was a couple of overpriced sandwiches, drinks, and chips. We were so disappointed. We had gotten to the airport early because we expected a lot of lines and thought we could pass the time by having a nice hot meal, seeing as we would be on a plane for the next 12 hours or so. We also found out you were not allowed to go through the security checkpoint until like an hour before takeoff. There was also very limited seating. We ended up sitting in chairs (the only open seats we could find) to eat our overpriced sandwiches.
Apparently, Frankfurt is a much-used airport and there are a lot of military personnel going in and out. I didn't mind the security, but the layout of the airport was probably the worst I have ever seen. It would probably be fine to fly into this airport, but I don't think I would ever fly out of it again. It was an awful experience.
The plane also left much to be desired. On the flight to Madrid, we each had our own TVs at our seat and a fair amount of room for coach seating. On this plane, there were only a few TVs and of course, they were really difficult to see because of where our seats were located. We also had seats that didn't recline, but the people in front of us were able to recline their seats, which made it a really uncomfortable ride for us. For some reason, the flights back to the US are always terrible compared to the flights from the US to Europe. It was like this on our other two European trips as well.
The last day of a vacation is always so hard, just because you know you will be leaving. While I'm sure I thought it would be nice to be back home, I really did not want to leave Europe. This was our third trek through Europe and we have really enjoyed seeing the sights, experiencing different cultures, and trying different foods. This was our first trip with an almost-two year old, and I have to say that even though she had her moments, I would do it all over again. There were things we couldn't do because we had her with us, but we felt like we still got to do a lot of things, and she didn't seem to hold us back too much. It got us thinking about where we would like to go next. Some of the places still on our list include Greece (if they can ever get their act together so that it is safe to visit!), Romania, the western part of Ireland, the English countryside, Scotland, Wales, and the south of France, just to name a few. I am confident we will go back sometime, hopefully sooner rather than later!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Europe 2012: Day 15 - Boppard
Our last full day in Boppard was well spent. We started the morning with breakfast at the hotel. At this point, Ani was asking for her own chocolate milk.
Then, we took the train to Bingen so that we could board the KD Boat. There are various boats that go up and down the Rhine River daily so sightseers can view all the castles from the boat. From what we had read, the section from Bingen to St. Goar was the most scenic. We ended up riding all the way back to Boppard just because we could do that instead of taking the train. Eric and I brought a small bottle of wine with us so that we could enjoy some wine with our view. It was nice and relaxing to see all the different castles. While we were on the boat, we listened to an audio guide that taught us about each castle and town we passed. Here are just a few of the many pictures we took...
We got off the boat at St. Goar, which is another little town on the river. It is supposed to really beautiful and quaint. We stopped at a little cafe to grab some sandwiches and a piece of cake. We ended up eating the sandwiches as we hiked up yet another hill (and yes, my ankle was still severely sprained) to get to Reinsfels Castle. Marksburg Castle, which we visited a few days prior, is actually in close to its original condition. Rheinsfels Castle is in ruins but was supposed to be a large castle in its day. Even though it is in ruins, you can still see how things were in medieval times. We used a Rick Steves tour from one of his guidebooks.
This is a picture of me in front of the view from the castle. The rest are just a few pictures of the castle ruins.
After seeing the castle, we took a little tram down the hill and got some cake and coffee to eat on the riverfront. We did a little bit of souvenir shopping before getting back on the boat. We rode from St. Goar back to Boppard and dropped some things off at the hotel. We had dinner that night at a restaurant called Auszeit. It was a fairly new restaurant that had a lot of options. We had wiener schnitzel with mushroom sauce, steak fries, pasta with pork and mushrooms, wine, salad, chili cheese fries, and streudel with ice cream for dessert. This is kind of a wierd combination, I know. This is me at our last dinner in Boppard.
Then, we took the train to Bingen so that we could board the KD Boat. There are various boats that go up and down the Rhine River daily so sightseers can view all the castles from the boat. From what we had read, the section from Bingen to St. Goar was the most scenic. We ended up riding all the way back to Boppard just because we could do that instead of taking the train. Eric and I brought a small bottle of wine with us so that we could enjoy some wine with our view. It was nice and relaxing to see all the different castles. While we were on the boat, we listened to an audio guide that taught us about each castle and town we passed. Here are just a few of the many pictures we took...
We got off the boat at St. Goar, which is another little town on the river. It is supposed to really beautiful and quaint. We stopped at a little cafe to grab some sandwiches and a piece of cake. We ended up eating the sandwiches as we hiked up yet another hill (and yes, my ankle was still severely sprained) to get to Reinsfels Castle. Marksburg Castle, which we visited a few days prior, is actually in close to its original condition. Rheinsfels Castle is in ruins but was supposed to be a large castle in its day. Even though it is in ruins, you can still see how things were in medieval times. We used a Rick Steves tour from one of his guidebooks.
This is a picture of me in front of the view from the castle. The rest are just a few pictures of the castle ruins.
After seeing the castle, we took a little tram down the hill and got some cake and coffee to eat on the riverfront. We did a little bit of souvenir shopping before getting back on the boat. We rode from St. Goar back to Boppard and dropped some things off at the hotel. We had dinner that night at a restaurant called Auszeit. It was a fairly new restaurant that had a lot of options. We had wiener schnitzel with mushroom sauce, steak fries, pasta with pork and mushrooms, wine, salad, chili cheese fries, and streudel with ice cream for dessert. This is kind of a wierd combination, I know. This is me at our last dinner in Boppard.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Europe 2012: Day 14 - Boppard
On Wednesday morning, we started off with breakfast at the hotel. It was a pretty decent breakfast. Anya liked it because they brought her her own little cup with a saucer and a pitcher of chocolate milk. I keep meaning to email the owner to let him know that Anya constantly asks for chocolate milk now because of him!
We stopped by St. Severus Church in Boppard and took a quick look around. It was a very small church but worth the time to stop and look. There were some really old tombstones there.
Then, we hopped on a train to Bacharach. Bacharach is a small town on the Rhine River that is known for it's wine. It's a very cute little town....
We did a Rick Steves' audio tour of the town and Anya slept a lot of the time, which made it easier. The tour ended at the top of a huge hill (yet another one I climbed with my sprained ankle). From where we were we got a great view of the ruins of an old medieval chapel, as well as the town.
In this next picture, you can see that the vineyards were actually on the hill. We saw vineyards like this all over the Rhine Valley. I'm not sure how they pick the grapes or take care of the vines, but they were really steep!
After we finished the tour, Anya was still sleeping, which was a miracle in itself. So we went to a place called Bastien's Weingut Zum Gruner Baum. We had read about it in a book. They have a wine carousal that has tastes of 15 different wines for a set price. We got this as well as a plate of assorted cheeses. Most of the wine in this region is white and sweet, which is the opposite of what we drink, but there were still a couple of dry red wines. It was really fun to be able to try a lot of local wines.
After lunch, we did a little shopping around Bacharach and then took the train back to Boppard to do a little shopping there. After dropping things off at the hotel, we had dinner at Delyano Grill down the street from our hotel. We had Hawaiin Pizza, pizza with mushrooms and meat sauce, a small salad, and beer. After dinner, we took a quiet walk along the Rhine. On the way back to the hotel, he had ice cream for dessert at a little ice cream shop we saw on the way. Of course, Anya enjoyed it!
We stopped by St. Severus Church in Boppard and took a quick look around. It was a very small church but worth the time to stop and look. There were some really old tombstones there.
Then, we hopped on a train to Bacharach. Bacharach is a small town on the Rhine River that is known for it's wine. It's a very cute little town....
We did a Rick Steves' audio tour of the town and Anya slept a lot of the time, which made it easier. The tour ended at the top of a huge hill (yet another one I climbed with my sprained ankle). From where we were we got a great view of the ruins of an old medieval chapel, as well as the town.
In this next picture, you can see that the vineyards were actually on the hill. We saw vineyards like this all over the Rhine Valley. I'm not sure how they pick the grapes or take care of the vines, but they were really steep!
After we finished the tour, Anya was still sleeping, which was a miracle in itself. So we went to a place called Bastien's Weingut Zum Gruner Baum. We had read about it in a book. They have a wine carousal that has tastes of 15 different wines for a set price. We got this as well as a plate of assorted cheeses. Most of the wine in this region is white and sweet, which is the opposite of what we drink, but there were still a couple of dry red wines. It was really fun to be able to try a lot of local wines.
After lunch, we did a little shopping around Bacharach and then took the train back to Boppard to do a little shopping there. After dropping things off at the hotel, we had dinner at Delyano Grill down the street from our hotel. We had Hawaiin Pizza, pizza with mushrooms and meat sauce, a small salad, and beer. After dinner, we took a quiet walk along the Rhine. On the way back to the hotel, he had ice cream for dessert at a little ice cream shop we saw on the way. Of course, Anya enjoyed it!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Europe 2012: Day 13 - Boppard
Fortunately, we made our switch in Mainz and got to Boppard about 7:30 in the morning. We took a cab for a few minutes to get to our hotel. The Hotel Ohm Patt was a great hotel to stay at and John, the owner (who was also British), was so welcoming. He insisted that we sit and have some breakfast with the hotel guests who had spent the night. He also talked with us over breakfast to help us figure out what to do with our day. The only thing bad about the hotel was that we were put on the top floor with no elevator. So every time we went back and forth to the room we had to climb 3 or 4 flights of stairs. It was nice in a way because then things were really quiet and Anya couldn't bother anyone else. But I must say it was difficult with my injury. This was the view from our window.
We decided to go to Braubach to see Marksburg Castle, a medieval castle. We walked to the train station and hopped on the bus to Koblenz. The Rhine River runs through the area we were in and there are only certain towns where you can cross the river. Unfortunately, we had to take a bus north to Koblenz and then take a train to Braubach on the other side of the river. In reality, Braubach wasn't that far away from Boppard but there was no direct path to get to it. Needless to say, it took a lot longer to get there than we anticipated.
When we got there, we stopped at the tourist office to find out how to get to the castle, which of course, was on the top of the hill. There is a tourist train that goes up periodically but there was a German sign on the door that we deciphered to say that the train was not running that day. Unfortunately for us, it was another long hike uphill to get to the castle. Eric pushed the stroller most of the way and I just did my best to make it up with my sprained ankle. This is literally the hill we hiked up to get to the castle...and did I mention it poured down raining a couple times on the way up?
By some miracle, we got to the top of the hill in time for the only English speaking tour of the day. The castle is only accessible through a tour. It was really cool to see because people still lived in parts of the castle. It was medieval and still in its original form so we got to see what it really looked like during medieval times. We got a picture of each of us with one of the old helmets.
And we got one of Anya standing in front of the gate with a goat behind it.
It also had some great views...
After we saw the castle, we tried to find somewhere to eat but could not find any restaurants that were open. It was really bizarre. It was a Tuesday but for some reason, the town was dead. We were starving, but we headed back to the train station to get back to Boppard, via Koblenz. We got some snacks to eat on the train and eventually got back to the hotel.
We had dinner at a place called Severus Stube, which was recommended on Tripadvisor. It was amazing. We had salads, fried potatoes (just as good as my mom's), crisped roast pork, mango cream soup, fried turkey in mushroom sauce, noodles, and wine. We sat next to a guy who was cycling his way around Europe. He had a lot of interesting stories to tell about his adventures. We were all streudel-ed out by this point, so we decided to find a cafe for dessert. We settled on Cafe Baldeau and had raspberry cream cake, cheesecake, and a caffe latte. Then, we headed back to the hotel because it had been a long day.
We decided to go to Braubach to see Marksburg Castle, a medieval castle. We walked to the train station and hopped on the bus to Koblenz. The Rhine River runs through the area we were in and there are only certain towns where you can cross the river. Unfortunately, we had to take a bus north to Koblenz and then take a train to Braubach on the other side of the river. In reality, Braubach wasn't that far away from Boppard but there was no direct path to get to it. Needless to say, it took a lot longer to get there than we anticipated.
When we got there, we stopped at the tourist office to find out how to get to the castle, which of course, was on the top of the hill. There is a tourist train that goes up periodically but there was a German sign on the door that we deciphered to say that the train was not running that day. Unfortunately for us, it was another long hike uphill to get to the castle. Eric pushed the stroller most of the way and I just did my best to make it up with my sprained ankle. This is literally the hill we hiked up to get to the castle...and did I mention it poured down raining a couple times on the way up?
By some miracle, we got to the top of the hill in time for the only English speaking tour of the day. The castle is only accessible through a tour. It was really cool to see because people still lived in parts of the castle. It was medieval and still in its original form so we got to see what it really looked like during medieval times. We got a picture of each of us with one of the old helmets.
And we got one of Anya standing in front of the gate with a goat behind it.
It also had some great views...
After we saw the castle, we tried to find somewhere to eat but could not find any restaurants that were open. It was really bizarre. It was a Tuesday but for some reason, the town was dead. We were starving, but we headed back to the train station to get back to Boppard, via Koblenz. We got some snacks to eat on the train and eventually got back to the hotel.
We had dinner at a place called Severus Stube, which was recommended on Tripadvisor. It was amazing. We had salads, fried potatoes (just as good as my mom's), crisped roast pork, mango cream soup, fried turkey in mushroom sauce, noodles, and wine. We sat next to a guy who was cycling his way around Europe. He had a lot of interesting stories to tell about his adventures. We were all streudel-ed out by this point, so we decided to find a cafe for dessert. We settled on Cafe Baldeau and had raspberry cream cake, cheesecake, and a caffe latte. Then, we headed back to the hotel because it had been a long day.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Europe 2012: Day 12 - Vienna/Overnight Train
Monday morning, I took this picture of Anya before she woke up...
We had breakfast at a really nice cafe that I can't remember the name of. We had a croissant, plum streudel, and cafe lattes. Then, we headed to Belvedere Castle to see the gardens. Unfortunately, the gardens were not much to look at. We ended up walking around in some kind of garden that was free. There were a few pretty sights to see, including this field of bamboo. Eric has a thing for bamboo so I had to take his picture in the middle of all the bamboo.
Next, we headed to the Hofburg Treasury, where the Hofburgs kept their most prized possessions, including things like wood from the "true cross" (the cross that Jesus died on) and part of the table cloth from the Last Supper. It's hard to say if these things are real or not, but it's crazy to think that we might have seen something like that.
Then we went to the Naschmarkt and walked around for a bit. There were food booths and souvenir shops. We ate at a place called Nordsee (I think it's a chain) and had some seafood. We also bought some chocolate kuchen and took it back to the apartment to eat. It was amazing and was different from any kind of kuchen I have had here.
And I have to include this picture of Anya just because it's funny. She kept taking her hair out just about every day so it would look crazy like this. Plus, I think we were eating the kuchen shown above.
We finished packing things up and picked up some sandwiches to take for dinner on the overnight train. We got a taxi to the train station and were able to find our train right away, though I was nervous because the train went all the way to Cologne and our tickets said something a little different. Thankfully, it ended up being ok. Here are a couple of pictures of our train compartment.
The curved thing on the left is actually a sink. When we took everything off the top, it flipped up and we could wash our face and hands. There were a couple of spots to put luggage and we had to stuff some of them under the seat. The seat actually pulled down to make a bed and there was another bed above it. It was kind of a bunk bed arrangement.
The overnight train Eric and I took to from Munich to Venice a few years ago actually had a public shower. This train did not have one, but we were prepared for that. We didn't have a toilet in our compartment but there was one in our train car so we just had to go down the hall to get to it. It is definitely cramped to sleep in a compartment like this, but it is definitely something everyone should do at least once in one's lifetime. It is an experience!
We decided that I would sleep with Ani on the bottom bunk because I was freaked out about sleeping on the top, even though there was something there to keep you from falling. But I was scared to death of rolling on top of her or of her falling off. She slept on the inside of course but I could never get comfortable.
This was the night we were most worried about Anya sleeping but she was awesome. After we ate, she told us she was sleepy and that she wanted to lay down. We figured we could use the extra sleep so we decided to go to bed, too. She was asleep in literally minutes and slept like a log all night long. We were the ones who couldn't sleep. The train kept going up and down and stopping and starting at different stops. Halfway through the night, Eric and I switched spots. I slept a little better on the top bunk because I wasn't with Anya but I had nightmares about missing our stop. We only had 2 minutes to get off the train when it stopped at Mainz and this really worried me because we had Anya and a lot of luggage.
The next morning, we arrived in Germany....
We had breakfast at a really nice cafe that I can't remember the name of. We had a croissant, plum streudel, and cafe lattes. Then, we headed to Belvedere Castle to see the gardens. Unfortunately, the gardens were not much to look at. We ended up walking around in some kind of garden that was free. There were a few pretty sights to see, including this field of bamboo. Eric has a thing for bamboo so I had to take his picture in the middle of all the bamboo.
Next, we headed to the Hofburg Treasury, where the Hofburgs kept their most prized possessions, including things like wood from the "true cross" (the cross that Jesus died on) and part of the table cloth from the Last Supper. It's hard to say if these things are real or not, but it's crazy to think that we might have seen something like that.
Then we went to the Naschmarkt and walked around for a bit. There were food booths and souvenir shops. We ate at a place called Nordsee (I think it's a chain) and had some seafood. We also bought some chocolate kuchen and took it back to the apartment to eat. It was amazing and was different from any kind of kuchen I have had here.
And I have to include this picture of Anya just because it's funny. She kept taking her hair out just about every day so it would look crazy like this. Plus, I think we were eating the kuchen shown above.
We finished packing things up and picked up some sandwiches to take for dinner on the overnight train. We got a taxi to the train station and were able to find our train right away, though I was nervous because the train went all the way to Cologne and our tickets said something a little different. Thankfully, it ended up being ok. Here are a couple of pictures of our train compartment.
The curved thing on the left is actually a sink. When we took everything off the top, it flipped up and we could wash our face and hands. There were a couple of spots to put luggage and we had to stuff some of them under the seat. The seat actually pulled down to make a bed and there was another bed above it. It was kind of a bunk bed arrangement.
The overnight train Eric and I took to from Munich to Venice a few years ago actually had a public shower. This train did not have one, but we were prepared for that. We didn't have a toilet in our compartment but there was one in our train car so we just had to go down the hall to get to it. It is definitely cramped to sleep in a compartment like this, but it is definitely something everyone should do at least once in one's lifetime. It is an experience!
We decided that I would sleep with Ani on the bottom bunk because I was freaked out about sleeping on the top, even though there was something there to keep you from falling. But I was scared to death of rolling on top of her or of her falling off. She slept on the inside of course but I could never get comfortable.
This was the night we were most worried about Anya sleeping but she was awesome. After we ate, she told us she was sleepy and that she wanted to lay down. We figured we could use the extra sleep so we decided to go to bed, too. She was asleep in literally minutes and slept like a log all night long. We were the ones who couldn't sleep. The train kept going up and down and stopping and starting at different stops. Halfway through the night, Eric and I switched spots. I slept a little better on the top bunk because I wasn't with Anya but I had nightmares about missing our stop. We only had 2 minutes to get off the train when it stopped at Mainz and this really worried me because we had Anya and a lot of luggage.
The next morning, we arrived in Germany....
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Europe 2012: Day 11 - Vienna
After the horrible day we had on Saturday, I was a little nervous about how Mother's Day in Vienna would go. We started the day with breakfast at Cafe Aida. We had pastries and American coffee. Anya definitely enjoyed having pastries for breakfast every day while we were in Europe.
Next, we headed to Schonbrunn Palace. It is about 30 minutes outside the city center and is considered the summer home of the Hapsburgs. Wouldn't you like to have a summer home like this?
We bought a pass that got us a tour of the Imperial Apartments. Luckily, Ani slept through most of this so we could actually enjoy the audioguides that came with it. The apartments were absolutely beautiful, but still nothing compared to Versailles Palace near Paris (the home of Marie Antoinette). Then, we ventured outside to see the gardens, though they weren't as plentiful as Versailles was. We got access to the maze which also included a really fun playground. It was very interactive and had lots of different things for kids to do. This is a picture of me an Ani in the playground.
The glorieta was next. This is located at the top of a huge hill. This normally isn't a problem, but this time we had a stroller with a baby and I had a very badly sprained ankle. Eric pushed/carried the stroller and I just sucked it up and walked up this hill to the structure at the top...
Next, we headed to Schonbrunn Palace. It is about 30 minutes outside the city center and is considered the summer home of the Hapsburgs. Wouldn't you like to have a summer home like this?
We bought a pass that got us a tour of the Imperial Apartments. Luckily, Ani slept through most of this so we could actually enjoy the audioguides that came with it. The apartments were absolutely beautiful, but still nothing compared to Versailles Palace near Paris (the home of Marie Antoinette). Then, we ventured outside to see the gardens, though they weren't as plentiful as Versailles was. We got access to the maze which also included a really fun playground. It was very interactive and had lots of different things for kids to do. This is a picture of me an Ani in the playground.
As tough as it was, it was totally worth it for the view...
There was also a beautiful fountain at the top and we were able to find someone to take our picture.
After climbing back down the hill, we took a stroll through the privy gardens and then headed back to the city center. We spent about 4 hours at Schonbrunn and saw a good portion of it. We stopped at a couple of shops on the way back to the apartment and then Eric sent me back to the apartment early because he and Anya had to pick up something.
When they got back to the apartment, this is what they had with them:
Austrians also celebrated Mother's Day that day so Eric and Anya were able to find an amazing chocolate cake that said Happy Mother's Day in German. Anya was excited to share it with me!
We visited the Haus der Musik for a couple of hours. It had a lot of cool intearctive musical exhibits but Anya was really restfull for a lot of it so we weren't able to enjoy it as much as we had hoped. But I did get to play the nice baby grand piano in the lobby!
We had dinner that evening at an Italian restaurant suggested in the guidebook. It was a really small little restaurant. We had wine, rigatoni with eggplant, tortellini with spinach and cream sauce, and pizza bread. The meal was amazing and we sat really close to a man who was in Vienna on business. He worked for the IAEA (which stands for the International Atomic Energy Association) and he was there to work on some kind of nuclear treaty. He was a really interesting guy. After dinner, we headed back to the apartment to have some cake. Thankfully, our luck was better that day than the day before!
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