We rented a car for 2 days so we could see more of the area. It’s difficult and not very efficient to do it with public transportation. This is the only car we plan to have on our trip. Today we began by driving to the furthest point to see Château du Haut- Koenigsbourg in the Vosges Mountains. It was raining as we began the drive north. As we climbed up the small and winding mountain road the mist turned to fog. We finally reached the Château at the top. We parked the car and searched for the entrance until we were stopped by security. The château was closed. What? Will it be open tomorrow. Nope. Maybe next week. They couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell us why. We couldn’t even take pictures of the view from there because it was too foggy.

Okay, time to go see some villages. First up we went to Ribeauvillé. It was raining but we walked around town.

Then we tried Riquewihr. The machine at the parking lot wouldn’t complete the transaction and give us a ticket. Oh well…. Next up, Kayserberg…a more colorful village.

Our final stop was in Turckheim, to visit the winery Étienne recommended. I did a little tasting and bought a few bottles of wine. At this point we were pretty wet and ready to call it a day. Back to Colmar we went.

On Wednesday, March 30 we had until mid-afternoon in Strasbourg. We started the day with a very nice breakfast at our hotel, then we stored our bags there. We decided to do a boat tour with a company called Batorama. For an hour we were taken on the waterways through Petite France and to the area where the European Parliament meets 12 times per year. I wasn’t able to get good pictures on the boat because of the glare from the windows. Throughout the boat ride we listened to commentary about the history of Strasbourg and the things we were seeing. I had known that the Alsace region had gone back and forth between being French and German, but hearing the details was very interesting, especially pertaining to World War II. At that time when Germany had taken over the area they renamed all the French streets to German names. The street signs now show the French name, with the German name below it. We seen more of that throughout the region. Of course there was a lot more going on than that.

We later took the train to Colmar, where we will spend 4 nights. We picked up a rental car at the train station. I haven’t driven a stick shift since 2014. I was pleasantly surprised when it came right back to me, like riding a bike. We met our Airbnb host at the apartment we will be staying in. Étienne was very nice and thankfully his English is better than my French. He showed us around the apartment and explained everything before walking us around the neighborhood to point out restaurants he recommended and other things of interest. He lives in one of the smaller villages and suggested we go to a winery (Cave) there to do some tasting. After he left we went to dinner at one of his recommendations and had flammkuchen, a regional specialty. It’s a bit like a flat bread pizza without tomato sauce. I neglected to take a picture, so we may have to go back again. Then it was back to the apartment to do some laundry and go to bed.

Monday, March 29 we took the train to Strasbourg, France. I l-o-v-e France!! Everything that was wrong with the hotel in Cologne became a distant memory after we checked into the new hotel, where we sadly only had one night. The interesting thing was that the hotel in Cologne was more expensive. Here they upgraded our room and it was altogether a more comfortable place to be. It also was close to the train station for our short stay. We were allowed to check in early, then we set off to see Strasbourg. We meandered through the streets and made our way to the very impressive cathedral. Inside we found a lot of stained glass, which I love, an astronomical clock, mosaic tile on the floors, and more.

After leaving the cathedral area we went to Petite France. It was fun exploring the canals and seeing where they went.

Monday, March 28 was our last day in Belgium. After cramming what had arrived there in 3 cars into 2 cars, it was time to make our way back to Cologne. On the way back we stopped off in the little town of Monschau, Germany. We strolled through the town and enjoyed what time we had left together.

Covid inspired nutcrackers.

We said our goodbyes in Cologne and Sascha dropped us off at the hotel for our last night in Germany. I chose it because is was a very short walk to the train station. Let’s just say that the location and the man at the desk were the only things to recommend it. I could elaborate, but why? It was just a place to spend the night.

On Saturday, March 26 we went to le château de Franchimont near the village of Sassor. It was constructed in the 11th century. We weren’t allowed to go in because they were closed for the season, but we were able to walk around the outside.

After we finished there we went into Spa. Since the kids were with us we didn’t do much besides walk around and have an ice cream, but we might go back.

The first two days we just hung out and enjoyed being together. There’s a little lake a short walk away and both days we went there to walk a around it. When we finished we went to a little restaurant on the lake with an amazing playground that was the perfect way for 4 year old twins to amuse themselves. They love it there.

On Wednesday, March 23rd we took the train to Cologne, where my cousin, Sascha, and her boyfriend, Marc, met us at the train. They so kindly took our bags to their apartment so we could wander around the area for awhile, until it was time to travel to Belgium for time with the family. I’ve been to Cologne, but Jim had never made it out of the train station. The first thing we did was go into the beautiful and very impressive Dom, located directly outside of the train station.

Sascha and Marc recommended that we walk across the Rhine River to a tall building on the other side, where we could get a wonderful view of Cologne. The bridge is covered with locks. They must weigh a ton. Unfortunately when we got there we discovered the viewing area wouldn’t open for another hour. Oh well…

We then walked along the river before crossing back over on another bridge. We had lunch by the river, where Jim enjoyed a Kölsch beer from Cologne. My brother, Dave, insisted that he have one so of course he did. When it was time we walked to Sascha and Marc’s apartment and he drove us to our new home away from home in Belgium for a 5 night stay.

The Belgian countryside is beautiful. We are staying in a wonderful large house on the outskirts of Spa. The house is perfect for the 8 of us, with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

The house photos, other than the front of the house and the château on the hill, were taken from the Airbnb listing. I should have taken pictures before the other 5 people arrived and it became total chaos. Lol! It is so nice to be able to see the family after far too long. The twins have grown so much since I saw them in October 2019 and Jim had never met them. I’ll do separate posts for the other days.

We arrived on schedule yesterday morning after an uneventful, yet sleepless flight from San Francisco. We had rented a car in Sacramento to drive to SFO for our flight. After a little mixup with the car return the rest of the day went smoothly.

We are finally in Europe!!

Jo met us at the airport and after a quick stop for Jim to have a cup of coffee we took the train to the to the Frankfurt main station. Our hotel is across the street and our window actually looks out over the police station. We were worried about potential noise but our fears weren’t realized. After checking in early Jo took us to a very nice and historic area with many half timbered houses. We even took a little ferry ride across the Main River to get some nice photos. We had a nice lunch and I got the schnitzel with green sauce I’d been thinking about for a long time. It was the first meal we had since lunch at SFO before our flight. We just had a few snacks on the plane.

After returning to the Frankfurt main station we went on a quest to get a Covid PCR test, at my aunt’s request. We will be gathering with the family in two days and she wanted to be sure we weren’t sick. That was an adventure. After all the walking, with my plantar fasciitis killing, me we decided around 5:30 or 6:00 that we were exhausted and were ready to call it a day. Dinner consisted of a protein bar in our hotel room. We showered and went to bed early and I had my first good nights sleep in quite a while.

My photos haven’t made it from my phone to my iPad yet. I’ll add some pictures after that happens.

We were so disappointed to have to cancel our long awaited 35th anniversary trip in September & October 2020 due to Covid-19 and we have been patiently, or maybe in my case impatiently, waiting for the time to be right to travel internationally again. That time has now come. Cases are climbing in Europe right now, but we will be diligent about wearing masks and avoiding crowded situations, even though that is no longer required. I was feeling apprehensive about it, but I got some news today changed all that. I learned a good friend passed away. We have been hiding out at home to avoid getting sick for two years now. Life is short and we will never get this time back, so we’re going. We are vaccinated and boosted and I’m determined that we will explore new places, revisit a a place I love, and see friends and family in the safest way possible. First stop…Germany!