HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY FROM KOBLENZ AND TRIER!

Hotel Blucheral aka _____
Blucherstrasse 162
Bacharach, Germany
Thursday, July 4, 2024
69F, cloudy – sunny

 

Roman gate in Trier

Out the door at 8 a.m., on our way to Koblenz. There is a very good bakery on our way to the train station where we have stopped for water every day and where TK buys my croissant. Today he also bought a marzipan filled pastry which we saved for our ride back to Bacharach.

Our first stop today, after two trains, was Koblenz. The city is situated on the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers. In fact, according to Derek, Koblenz came from the Latin word for confluence.

 

TK noticed Konigsbacher Braue beer

Chris bought a bottle and TK posed with it

Rhine River

Moselle River

We walked to the junction of the rivers and saw a very large equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I—45 ft. high, first created in 1897.

Kaiser Wilhelm I

Kaiser Wilhelm I

Across the Moselle River we saw a campground full of campers—it certainly looks like Germans enjoy summer camping too!

Campground

We continued our interesting stroll along the Moselle – bicycles are prevalent, parks, fountains, churches, old and new buildings, it is a dynamic city. I was especially interested in old Koblenz because my Great Uncle Archie was stationed here as part of the Army of Occupation during WWI, as mentioned before. I wanted to feel as if I was experiencing some small part of his experience there.  His letters from this German city indicated he was developing a sort of fondness for the Germans, that he did not carry a grudge. When I read his letters I thought that was very significant—he got to know the Germans as people.

Since we were hungry, we decided to take another train to Trier (1.5 hours), considered to be the oldest town in Germany, founded by the Romans in 16 B.C. on the banks of the Moselle River. It is 31 miles from Luxembourg, and 62 miles from Koblenz.

Trier, population 111,000, is a southwestern German city in the Moselle wine region, near the Luxembourg border. It contains several well-preserved Roman structures like the Porta Nigra gate, the ruins of Roman baths, an amphitheater just outside the center and a stone bridge over the Moselle River.

There are eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Trier, the Porta Nigra gate, Constantine's throne room, the imperial bathhouses, the Roman bridge and an amphitheater are scattered across the city, plus other Roman sites.

We headed, with Derrick’s guidance, to zum Domstein Convivo Gastro GmbH, an excellent restaurant. I was delighted to see Quiche Lorraine with salad on the menu and TK had Beef Roulade with potato dumplings and the best red sauerkraut.  By this time, we all needed sustenance.

zum Domstein

After dinner we had time to shop or walk around Trier, so TK and sauntered along the cobblestone streets soaking in the German ambience.  Trier is where my Uncle Archie went on leave (1919) and took an airplane ride.  I love imagining how someone in 1919 was so adventuresome to fly in an airplane only 16 years after the Wright Brothers made the first successful flight at Kill Devil Hills, Northe Carolina!

Another side of the Roman"Black Gate"

A Woolworth store!

Vending machines are fun in Germany

What's not to like about a train station?

Soon enough it was time to hop on two trains to return to Bacharach.

 

Time to shut this down--Internet somewhat better, finished July 3 and today--its only 5 p.m. in Erie, bedtime in Germany.

 

TK’s Takes:  Pickup trucks are rare—he saw a Torok truck today (VW) he liked.  Not many bugs outdoors.   We can see Riesling grape vines from our hotel balcony—on a very steep hill.

Janie:  15,700 steps

TK: 14,500 steps

THE CATHEDRAL OF KOLN, GLORIOUS HEIGHTS!

Hotel Blucheral aka ______________________
Blucherstrasse 162
Bacharach, Germany
Tuesday, July 3, 2024
60sF, 70F, sun with intermittent rain

 

Cathedral of Cologne

Late tonight, will do my best with slow Internet, Dear Readers-

Today’s adventure took us to Koln/Cologne, about 2 hours by train away. We passed through Koblenz where my Great Uncle Archie was stationed in World War I as part of the Army of Occupation (90^th Division) when Germany surrendered.  I do love seeing the cities Archie was in, just like when we toured France on World War I tours, seeing sites he may have seen, the Rhine River, the large city, and several old churches.

We are really acclimated to train rides now, like finding seats, the smells (garlic, sausage, etc.), discovery of what works in the bathrooms, which seats face the direction we are traveling, how  many bikes fit in front of the bathroom door, jumping off the train in a timely manner, danke, bitte.

Cologne, the 4^th largest city in Germany, is a 2,000-year-old city spanning the Rhine River in western Germany, the region’s cultural hub. “A landmark of High Gothic architecture set amid reconstructed old town, the twin-spired Cologne Cathedral is also known for its gilded medieval reliquary and sweeping river views.  Population 1.1 million.

The train station was fabulous, packed with people who had places to go, and what an array of food choices!  Bakeries, sandwich shops, cheese stores, candy stores, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, McDonald’s, sushi, and Country Fair type stores. I opted for a small Burger King hamburger, TK had a pretzel.

After our light lunch, we exited the station only to see the largest cathedral I had ever seen, an overpowering view—all in her glory!  The Cathedral of Cologne is the tallest twin spired church in the Europe—each spire is 515 ft. tall, and the 3^rd tallest in the world.  Begun in 1248, the church took about 300 years to complete. During WWII, the Allies used it as a navigational target since Cologne was a major industrial city. It was hit by 14 different bombs at different times, but the structure remained intact.

Hopefully these photos show the immensity of the Cathedral---

 

TK in a pew!

Beautiful stained glass windows----

The original church is depicted in the tiles

The church is famous for its Reliquary for the remains of the Three Kings, the Gothic architecture, and the stained-glass windows. With 6 million visitors yearly, it is the most visited site in Germany.

This gold casket holds the Relics of 

The Three Kings

(Derek was able to take this photo)

The Reliquary is behind bars

The crucifix of the Bishop of Gero (10^th c.) is the oldest known large crucifix.

After our time in the Cathedral  we spotted a Starbucks, thanks to Derek nearby and bought a Koln mug!

We hopped on a bus to the Lindt Chocolate Factory and Museum! This museum traced the entire history of chocolate with dynamic displays. Along the way we scored at least 7-8 pieces of chocolate to enjoy. This museum is visited by 650,000 people yearly.

 

Janie and TK riding the bus to the 

Lindt Chocolate Factory

Photo credit to Jim!

Because it was raining, outdoor photos were at a minimum.

Here are some highlights of the Lindt Chocolate Factory and Museum:

Entrance

Tropical!

Fine chocolate only requires 40% if its cocoa to be "Fine" or 

"Flavor," Lindt uses 78%

Hand painted!

Fabulous 

The world's biggest chocolate manufacturers:

Mars, Mondelez International, Ferrero, Nestle, Motji Co., Hershey, 

Lindt and Sprungli, Arcor, Ezaki Glico, August Stork

in that order

Vintage molds

Vintage molds

TK waits for the machine to stamp his piece of chocolate

Janie and her chocolate

One highlight was the 9.8 ft. tall chocolate fountain. 

9.8 ft!

Sights along the way:

Church in Koln

A castle perched along the Rhine

Castle ruins perched on the mountain

I think TK is dreaming of a river cruise

Waiting for the train!

TK’s Takes: More train rides, castles along the Rhine, Gouda cheese. Fifty-three (53) steps to get to our room in this hotel...

And by the way, he trudges down and back up in the morning when he gets coffee and brings me a cup with a croissant.  The perfect husband.

 

 MJ: 14,612 steps

TK:  13,500 steps

FROM MEDIEVAL TO GOTHIC IN BACHARACH, GERMANY!

Hotel Blucheral
Blucherstrasse 162
Bacharach, Germany
Monday, July 2, 2024
60sF, 70F, sun and some sprinkles

Bacharach!

We left Tubingen behind at 8 a.m. this morning and five trains later we arrived in Bacharach, Germany on the Rhine River.   

 The trains in Germany seem to follow a strict schedule and generally when we get off one train, the next is soon to be there for us. Moving from town to town means we are still schlepping luggage. Sometimes there are elevators. Derek is lugging luggage to help, thank goodness, but we try to handle it as best we can. Our group learned to stay close to Derek and jump on the trains in a very speedy manner. Finding a seat is interesting too, and we can’t always sit together. I find the Germans are quite polite, and I am sure they know we are American. One lady did ask me if I was Serbian—I don’t know where that came from!

Just sitting on a train, next to the "Water Closet"

An ad in a train station promoting

home insurance

"We recommend for Price and Efficiency

Home Insurance of WGV"

Translated by Derek

Views along the Rhine River on our train ride

Farming along the Rhine

Derek also places everyone’s luggage in the overhead bins—that is quite a feat.  I can lift both my pieces onto the train, but overhead, no.   

TK in front of Hotel Bluchertal

Anyway, by 2:30 p.m. we checked into our new hotel, Hotel Bluchertal in Bacharach.  And, all our rooms are on the 3^rd floor, translated to 6 flights of stairs.  Our room has two beds, a balcony, and a curtain between the bath and beds.  This is an interesting hotel, something like Friend Judy (School in France) and I stayed in during the late 60s.

Two beds

Bath

Curtain door (photo for TK)

Fire alarm and overhead light

(photo for TK)

Firefighter TK always wants to know where the alarms are

No firescape in sight

One view from our balcony

Another view from our balcony

 This small village, population about 2000, is located about 30 miles from Koblenz (Cologne) in the Rhine Gorge. The original name, Baccaracus, suggests a Celtic origin.  The town thrives on tourism, and wine from this region is very popular internationally.

We can certainly attest to its charm---clock tower bells ringing, some medieval buildings dating to the 1300s and earlier-timber frame houses along the town wall by the Rhine, an old postal station, an old mint, marketplace, ruins of a Gothic chapel, and the town fortifications are among the best preserved in the region.

Quite quickly we all agreed we were hungry—a restaurant next door to the hotel was open, Café Bistro Noy, and wow!  Everything was super fresh—I had schweineschnitzel and TK tried something different—will try to name later.  Their warm homemade apple strudel was special too with ice cream and real whipped cream.

Short walk to dinner

The gang at dinner

Apple strudel

(If I only remembered to take

photos before we started eating...)

(Side note: no desk in room, so I am using the table on the balcony-no electric outlet so hope the charge lasts).

After dinner we walked around the town, thus many photos.

Jim and Ann under an arch

Bacharach

Bacharach

City of Bacharach and

its crest

We passed gorgeous gardens

Note the trumpet flower

Bacharach

Another arch 

TK found another arch!

This is a great cohesive group, really lots of fun—this blog may not seem exciting, but we have had a lot of laughs together.

Short on steps today! Too much train riding-

MJ:  6987

TK: tbd