On Tuesday, October 15, 2019 we took off in Sacramento and flew to Frankfurt, via San Francisco. I arranged flights both to and from Frankfurt with 2 1/2 hour layovers in San Francisco. I wanted to allow plenty of time to avoid any stress. Jack has been very afraid to fly, though that has changed since he now has Alzheimer’s. Our flight left Sacramento 2 hours late, due to foggy conditions in S.F. So much for plenty of time. We had to hustle to get to the gate for the plane bound for Frankfurt. The plane was already boarding.

The flight was uneventful. I thought I had come up with a good plan for sleeping on the plane. I haven’t had much success in the past. I had high hopes. Sadly my plans didn’t work. We arrived in Frankfurt Wednesday morning. After going through passport control and collecting our luggage we found our way to the Europcar counter to pick up the minivan we rented. Cousin Sascha was there waiting for us. She had arrived by train from Cologne. I added her as a driver to the car and she drove us to Unkel. A 5 bedroom villa was rented in this picturesque town on the Rhine for the family to gather together.

By evening, we were all together. This house and this town couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a tiring day for all.

Thursday we went grocery shopping, then wandered around town and explored the riverfront. The day was all about enjoying each other’s company.

On Friday we took a riverboat from Unkel (conveniently there was a KD dock in Unkel) to Königswinter. We walked through the town to the station for the cogwheel train that took us up to Drachenfels. I ran into my friends, Nigel and Carol, there. I knew I would be seeing them the next day, but didn’t expect to run into them there. The views were amazing.

After spending time at Drachenfels we took the train back to Unkel. We stopped in a cute place to have coffee/tea and cake. Some of us (not naming names) got a little silly.

On Saturday Nigel and Carol picked me up so we could spend some time together. They are so sweet. When they found out I would be in Germany they decided to come from England see me. They made a trip out of it, and were happy to find this part of the Rhine to explore. We went to Ahrweiler, on the opposite side of the river. There are surprisingly few bridges that cross the river. We had to cross on a car ferry. Because they have a British car with the steering wheel on the other side, I had to take care of the things the driver usually does, such as paying for the ferry and getting the ticket at the parking garage. Ahrweiler was a nice walled town and I enjoyed our time there. After we drove out of town we stopped at a Cold War era bunker.

After we returned to the house, Nigel and Carol had dinner with us.

The views we saw today were wonderful. This entire area is very scenic, with a lot of vineyards climbing up the steep hillsides.

On Sunday we stayed around the house waiting for Marc, who flew in from Hawaii this morning. After he arrived in Unkel we drove to Linz am Rhein. It is less than a 10 minute drive. I first went there in 2016 with Danielle, when we took a boat from Bonn to Linz. Being a Sunday, most places were closed. Before leaving we went to a nice little restaurant for coffe/tea and cake. This German tradition is something I can get behind. 😊 Thankfully Sascha was always willing to split cake with me.

On Monday Barbara and I went back to Linz. We wanted to spend some time together and thought it would be good for Jack to have time with his daughters and grandchildren alone. We did a little shopping and had ice cream, and then lunch. The proper order of things. Life is short…eat dessert first!

Tuesday was our last full day in Germany, and we wanted to make the most of our day together. We took the car ferry across the river to Rolandseck. Danielle was told by someone there about a secret garden with sculptures. An easy walk. Sure. And the secret garden? It was completely underwhelming. They should have kept it a secret. Sascha and Barbara hiked back to get the car, while we waited at a riverside camping place.

From there we drove up to Rolandsbogen, where we were treated to more spectacular views. Marc joined us there (he had to work) and we went to the cafe and enjoyed…cake!

We drove to Remagen and walked around before taking the ferry back across the river.

We had our final dinner together. After we ate I gave Barbara the quilt I made her for her 75th birthday. It’s on the 27th, but I had to give it to her early. I think she likes it!

On Wednesday, October 23rd Jack and I drove the 1 1/2 hours back to the airport and returned the car. We were there 3 1/2 hours before the flight departed. The boarding process had already started when we arrived at the gate. When we checked in the man who helped us suggested we have their cart transport us since the airport is huge. Well, that wasn’t the best idea because we had to wait for 3 different carts in different areas of the airport. I think we should have walked!

The flights home was uneventful.

Trip summary:

I am so happy we made this journey when we did. Everyone had a wonderful time. Jack was emotional, as was I, when we departed. This was an important time for Jack, his children and his grandchildren to have some bonding time. Sadly it is unlikely this will happen in this way again. It was a good thing we could make this happen now.