A winter break in Waiblingen… Going home! (part eight)

By Sunday morning, I was feeling ready to go back to Wiesbaden. I missed my dogs and my bed. I also needed to do laundry. Still, I’m really glad we took the opportunity to visit Waiblingen and try out some of the restaurants there. It really is a cute town, and a nice escape from Stuttgart, for those who prefer a lower key place to spend a weekend.

If I ever have to have dental work done at Dr. Blair’s office again, I’ll probably go back to the Wald Hotel, which is probably our favorite Stuttgart area hotel. But for just the routine stuff, I think we’ll just keep looking for interesting alternative places around or near the city. If we manage to stay in Europe long enough for another cleaning, maybe we’ll even stay in Heilbronn for a weekend. I’ve been curious about it for years, and it’s not far from Stuttgart. We could reach it easily by train.

Since the car was parked in the garage, and that is a short walk from Bachofer, we decided to pack up and load the car before breakfast. No one was at the hotel when we checked out, so we left our keycard at the desk outside our room, which seemed to serve as a basic reception, even though we checked in from the restaurant. We didn’t have a chance to pay for the stuff we got at the honor bar. Bill later sent Bachofer an email and they said they’d debit our card. They also thanked Bill for his honesty. 🥰

On Sunday, the Kauffmann Bakery and Konditorei was closed. Sachsenheimer Cafe was not going to be open until 9:00 AM, and we didn’t want to wait that long. So that left Cafe Tagblatt as our option for breakfast. Given a choice, I would have probably picked the Sachsenheimer for our last breakfast in Waiblingen; it was my favorite in terms of food. On the other hand, Cafe Tagblatt was probably the most charming.

When we walked into the place, there was one couple sitting there having breakfast. Another lady was finishing up her breakfast outside. A young man with black hair said something to us that we didn’t quite understand properly. First, he asked if we had a reservation. When we said we didn’t, Bill thought he responded that if we didn’t have a reservation, we had to leave.

I said, “Never mind, let’s just go.” I figured the Sachsenheimer would also be booked.

But then the male half of the German couple said, “No, no, no… He said you’d only have 45 minutes to eat, because the restaurant is booked until 9:30 AM.”

We thanked the guy profusely and proceeded to order Französisch breakfasts. We had actually planned to do that, anyway, because we weren’t wanting a big breakfast that would take a lot of time. The Französisch breakfast at Cafe Tagblatt was just a croissant with butter and jam and some fruit. We also had freshorange juice, and Bill had coffee, while I had hot chocolate. That was plenty, and we stayed under the 48 euro (24 euros each) limit.

*A last look at the Bachofer Restaurant and Hotel*

As we ate, more people showed up, and I got the distinct impression that Sunday morning is when people in Waiblingen customarily like to go out for breakfast. I could see the charm in that, as it’s a super cute town, and people seem to know each other well.

We paid the waiter with our Bachofer vouchers. He then became a lot friendlier and asked us where we’re from. We told him the truth (🤭), and he said (in accented German) that he’d moved to Waiblingen from Switzerland. Aha… maybe that’s why we didn’t quite catch exactly what he said when we came into the restaurant. We thanked him and give him a Trinkgeld, then said goodbye. I hope we were good representatives of Americans, even though our President is a total piece of shit. Sorry… he really is. 🤬

Our drive home was completely uneventful. We didn’t even need to stop anywhere for a pee! Sunday mornings are a good time for driving on the Autobahn, if it’s not a holiday weekend. I found myself unexpectedly tired after our short break, so after I did some basic chores, I decided to lie down on my bed, where I promptly fell asleep and took a much-needed LONG nap. The dogs later came home and were delighted to see us! They love going to the Birkenhof, but they also love to come home. Charlie, especially, was thrilled to be with his “daddy” again.

Well, that about does it for our trip to Waiblingen. Stay tuned for my “ten things I learned” post. I think I have enough energy to write that one today. 😉

Baden-Württemberg, short breaks

A winter break in Waiblingen… First impressions of a charming town! (part two)

On the morning of Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Bill and I packed a couple of bags and some dog food for Noyzi and Charlie. We had plans to stop at the Birkenhof Tierpension to drop off the dogs. I had done some preliminary housework, so we could come back on Sunday to a somewhat clean house and freshly made bed.

Because it had been snowing on the days before our departure, there was a snow shovel on our front stoop. Noyzi and Charlie knew we were going somewhere. Noyzi was especially excited. He loves riding in the car, and he absolutely adores the staff at the Birkenhof. Still, he is almost always very respectful of the front door and doesn’t try to run outside anymore. He was so excited on Wednesday, though, that he forgot himself. Since the snow was melted, I reached out to grab the snow shovel, so I could put it away in the garage. Noyzi took the opportunity to dart outside, unsecured.

For a moment, Noyzi looked kind of drunk with freedom. He headed for our landlord’s house next door and looked around, obviously excited at being “free”. I knew that all he wanted was to be able to get in the back of the Volvo. I told Bill to open the car, and sure enough, Noyzi took a flying leap into the cargo space. I tossed Noyzi’s leash and harness to Bill, who got him “suited up” for the drive. I put Charlie’s harness on him, and Bill put him in the car.

I have to admit, I was little scared when Noyzi ran outside, only because we live so close to the Autobahn. Fortunately, he’s not a runner, and wasn’t interested in hunting or escaping us. He simply couldn’t wait to get in the car and head for his boarding facility! I’d say that’s a vote of confidence that he gets excellent care there. Indeed, he barked excitedly most of the drive to the Birkenhof, which is probably at least a half hour’s drive from where we live.

I normally take photos and videos of the boys before our trips, but I never got around to it this time. When we got to the Birkenhof, I let go of Noyzi’s leash. There’s a fenced in walkway to the office, so there was no risk in letting him go. He took off running for the office, straight to his favorite caregiver, Natascha. Charlie was also very excited to see her male counterpart, whose name I don’t yet know. I think Charlie likes men more than women, while Noyzi is very much a fan of the ladies… especially young, pretty ones, like Natascha!

I did get a very short video of Noyzi to send to his rescuer, Meg, who was worried when I posted on Facebook that Noyzi had given us a scare. As you can see, he was just fine, once he got to his “home away from home.” This is a dog who loves a little break– but when the vacation is over, he’s just as eager to come back home and park himself in his big bed in his own room. The proprietor of the Birkenhof, Ulrike, was there last night when Bill picked up the dogs. She is a BIG Noyzi fan. She even calls him “Schatz”!

Once the dogs were safe at the dog pension, we made our way southeast. It was an uneventful trip, and aside from stopping for gas and a piss, we didn’t even take a break. Waiblingen is about two hours’ drive, on a good day with no Staus. We didn’t run into any significant traffic on Wednesday, so we arrived in Waiblingen at about 1:00 PM, parking at the marketplace garage located just next to Marktplatz in Waiblingen, and very close to our hotel.

We couldn’t check in at the Bachofer until 2, so we walked around the town and got some first impressions. We also searched for a place to have lunch. We could have found one, if we’d tried harder. As it was, we decided to go to a place that only served breakfast and dinner. But, since we had dinner reservations at Bachofer, that was okay. Below are some photos of our first look at Waiblingen… Too bad the weather was so crappy.

And here are some photos from Wyn Kitchen and Bar, which had the distinction of being our first stop in Waiblingen. This place looks like it might offer good food, if you happen to be there when they’re serving something besides bar snacks. I did like the hot chocolate and cappuccino. They kept me going until dinner. 😉 Bill just had coffee and a glass of iced tea, because he’s on medication that can’t be mixed with dairy within certain hours of being taken. He sure looks great in the Alpa sweater from Finland I got him for Christmas.

Once we finished our beverages, we headed for Bachofer. It was a short walk from everything in the “inner city”. Waiblingen is a compact little town, with everything in the old town very close. When we walked into the restaurant portion of our lodging, I noticed immediately that it smelled really appetizing. I was excited about that, because we had dinner plans that night.

A smiling young man who reminded me a little of Freddie Mercury greeted us and checked us in. At the Bachofer, the nine rooms are all named after spices. We were assigned Kardamom, which was a 33 square meter double. Internet and breakfast are included in the rate. Below are some photos…

The Bachofer is very generous with perks. They have a room stocked with snacks, coffee, tea, and simple breakfast staples that are included in the room rate. They also have an honor bar with beer and wine available for purchase. You just write down what you consumed and pay for it later. Every day, they gave us little bags of gummi bears and ear plugs. Thankfully, I never needed the ear plugs… at least not because of street noise. 😉 The bed was quite comfortable, although I never did get the huge rainfall shower hot enough for my liking. That’s a pity, because the shower was pretty nice. You can’t see it in the photo, but it lights up green in that room. I see from Bachofer’s Web site that other rooms have showers that light up in other colors.

We paid about 660 euros for four nights, which I thought was a good deal, especially since breakfast is included. Dinner at the Bachofer was about 400 euros, to put it in perspective. 😬. My only other complaint was that, for some reason, housekeeping didn’t leave an extra roll of toilet paper after the first day. Without getting too specific, I use a lot of toilet paper in the mornings. Bill went out and bought a couple of rolls. I guess the housekeeper noticed, because on Saturday, they left us three extra rolls! Oh… and it also seemed like one of the outlets in the room didn’t work properly. I had to move my computer to the other outlet, because it wouldn’t charge on the outlet near the desk.

Bill had a short lecture at the Jung Institute on Wednesday night, so we hunkered down in the room. The plan was for him to sit through the talk, and then at 8:00 PM, go down to the restaurant for dinner. Ordinarily, we wouldn’t want dinner so late. Or, at least Bill wouldn’t. I love him so much, but being married to Bill is like having a rooster for a husband! He is definitely an early riser who prefers to go to bed early. I guess I’ve adapted to that, too, although I still tend to read until about 11:00 PM and wake up with him at 5:00 AM.

I entertained myself while Bill took his class, then after freshening up a bit, we headed down to try out the Michelin starred Bachofer restaurant. Since there are a lot of photos, I will write about that in the next part. Stay tuned!

Baden-Württemberg, C.G. Jung, Education, short breaks

Four nights of “Sonne” in Switzerland… (part one)

If you’ve been following my travel blog, you might know that my husband, Bill, has an interest in the Jungian approach to mental health. For the past few years, he’s been undergoing psychoanalysis with a Jungian therapist, reading a lot of books about Jung’s theories, and auditing courses at the C.G. Jung Institute in Küsnacht, Switzerland. For about a week over this past summer, we even spent a week in Zürich, so he could attend the summer intensive course at the Institute.

Although I earned a master’s degree in social work, and had been in therapy for a years before I met Bill, I have never been particularly interested in Jungian psychology, but it’s something that fascinates Bill. This year, he decided he wanted to apply for admission at the Institute and potentially become a qualified analyst himself. This is something he feels driven to do, and I’ve noticed that he’s a lot happier and surer of himself since he started therapy. So, aside from the fact that it’s his life, and his money, I am all for Bill becoming a Jungian analyst, if that’s what will make him happy. The bonus is, I get to tag along with him to Switzerland.

For this visit, we found ourselves at the Sonne Hotel in Küsnacht, a lovely establishment on the banks of Lake Zürich. The people Bill knows from the Institute have always suggested a stay there, because it’s within walking distance of the Institute, and Carl Jung himself used to like to drink beer there. We were unable to book a room at the Sonne Hotel over the summer; it was completely booked during our dates. However, for this visit, I was able to book a junior suite, which was a real treat, as the room was huge, and had amazing views of the lake.

The funny thing is, over the summer, Bill was traveling to Küsnacht to attend classes, and we were staying in part of Zürich known as Seefeld. This time, Bill had appointments with two Jungian analysts– both of whom have offices in Seefeld– but we stayed in Küsnacht! It didn’t matter that much, though, as the two areas are easily connected by train and tram, boat, or car.

Bill had already traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland to speak to one of the three analysts who each needed to interview him twice before he can enter the Institute. He did a second online interview with the analyst in Lausanne, and then scheduled one interview with each of the other two analysts in Seefeld. As we were preparing to go to Switzerland for the fourth time this year, Bill was planning yet another visit for later this year, as one of the two Seefeld based analysts prefers in person interviews. Still, in spite of the six total interviews he needed, Bill was very excited about getting started with the process of starting this program, which attracts people from around the world.

On Wednesday, October 1st, we loaded up the Volvo and headed down to Switzerland, with a stop at the Birkenhof to drop off Noyzi and Charlie. Noyzi especially loves going there. We had to wrap his left hind leg, because he has a touch of dermatitis.

Noyzi loves his “second home”! He barked all the way there!

Once the dogs were dropped off, we headed south. The GPS sent us down A81, which passes through our former stomping grounds of the Stuttgart suburbs. On the way there, we stopped for gas and a pee, and I was astonished to see parts of a windmill loaded on trucks. It’s hard to fathom how huge those things are when you’re driving or flying, but up close, they really are enormous!

We ended up stopping for lunch in Herrenberg, a little town not far from either of the villages we lived in when we made the Stuttgart area our home. Bill parked at the Bronn Tor parking garage, and when we exited, we found ourselves immediately confronted by Ristorante Rado, an Italian place we somehow missed on our many previous stops in Herrenberg. I’m not sure when this restaurant opened, but we left the Stuttgart area about seven years ago, so it was our first time visiting. I’m pleased to report that the food and service were excellent. It sure beat the hell out of eating at McDonald’s or Burger King, or having a cheap schnitzel at a rest area!

After lunch, we got back on the road, and passed a few familiar sights, including the huge elevator testing tower in Rotweil…

You never know when the border patrol is going to stop you for a check. This time, the Swiss did stop us, wanting to know if we were bringing meat, alcohol, or cigarettes into the country. We said no… or, actually Bill said something along the lines of “ohne” (without), when he probably meant “kein” (no). In spite of the flub, the Swiss guard got the message and waved us on to Zürich.

We arrived in the city in the late afternoon, and after several nervewracking moments navigating through rush hour, we finally pulled in at the Sonne, where there was a prime parking spot waiting for us. I snapped a few photos along the way. Sometimes they turn out okay.

*I spotted a man buying a glass of wine at this imbiss, which he no doubt meant to enjoy lakeside.*

A tiny young lady welcomed us to the hotel and checked us in, assigning us to room 310, which is a junior suite located in the hotel’s tower overlooking the lake. The door to the room is halfway down a flight of old stairs between the second and third floors. It would not be suitable for people who can’t manage stairs, but for us, it was a very nice place to spend four nights. When I compare it to where we stayed in Budapest last month, it was quite an upgrade! Of course, it also cost about twice as much per night! At this writing, prices start at 435 CHF per night. But that’s still cheaper than a lot of hotels in downtown Zürich!

The bathroom in the suite was a bit strange. Its walls didn’t go all the way to the high ceiling. It also had a bath/shower combo, which meant climbing over the tub to shower. But there were good toiletries, and the toilet was separated by a door. The room also had generous closet space, a small fridge, a TV, and a desk I could actually use. I also liked the mattress, which, for once, wasn’t way too firm!

The best part of the room was its windows, which were on three sides and offered stunning views. Of course, since they overlooked the boat stop for Küsnacht, they were also a source of noise. But that was a minimal complaint, especially given how noisy Seefeld was when we stayed in July, and Budapest last month. Compared to those two places, Küsnacht was blissfully peaceful.

We decided to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We were lucky to be able to do that, as right now, one restaurant is closed for renovations, and the other closed yesterday for two weeks, as the ventilation system is overhauled. Bill and I both enjoyed fish dishes in the hotel’s charming Gaststube. We also had Swiss wine… a local blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Sylvaner.

After dinner, we were definitely ready to sleep. And sleep well we did. Stay tuned for part two!

Champagne Bucket trips, Iceland, Nordic

Our first Icelandic adventure: Flying back to Germany! (part thirteen)

Saturday, September 7th got off to an early start. We had a 10:20 AM flight to Frankfurt on Icelandair. Since Reykjavik is about a 45 minute drive from the airport, which is located in Keflavik, Iceland Luxury Tours arranged for a driver to pick us up from the Saga Hotel at 7:30 AM. Breakfast at the hotel starts at 7:00 AM, so we didn’t really have time to eat before we left. Fortunately, because we were flying in Saga Class (business), we had access to the lounge at the airport.

The driver arrived right on time in an immaculate black Audi electric car. She was tall, slim, and dressed all in black. I noticed she had beautifully manicured nails, too. Our drive to the airport was very peaceful, as the car made barely a sound and delivered a extremely smooth and comfortable ride. I found myself thinking I wouldn’t mind owning such a vehicle myself! I got a few shots of the sun peeking through the clouds. We also noticed that the volcano that was active when we arrived on August 29th was no longer spewing lava. Instead, there was just a lot of smoke.

The airport was a bit of a madhouse, as there were many people wanting to catch flights. We managed to find the Icelandair baggage drop off. I got lectured by the woman who took our bags because my SOFA card and COVID vaccination card were loose in my passport. She told me I shouldn’t keep the SOFA card there because it could fall out. I quickly, but politely, corrected her, mainly because I was a little pissy and not in the mood for a lecture from someone who obviously didn’t know that the SOFA card is basically akin to my visa. Yes, it should have ideally been taped or paper clipped in there, but it also really does need to stay with my passport.

As for the COVID card, there was a time not long ago when that was an essential travel document. Most professional people can handle looking at a passport and not losing any loose documents that are kept within it. Anyway, I wasn’t in the mood for her shit. I just wanted to get on with the transit part of the trip. She made Bill drop off one of his bags at the oversized luggage desk, not because it was oversized, but because it had straps that couldn’t be removed. In the process of dropping off that bag, we got stuck behind some guy who had a big case (either some kind of musical instrument or a firearm) that blocked the way. He kept having to stop and maneuver the case through the awkward line.

Finally, with the bags dropped off, we headed for security, which was also annoying. The airport in Keflavik doesn’t have sophisticated screening machines. You just walk through a metal detector. Naturally, I forgot to take off my watch, and my shoes set off the detector. There weren’t enough bins to put stuff in, either. But finally, we were through that nut roll, and on our way to the Icelandair lounge.

I had heard the lounge in Reykjavik was nice. I would say that it wasn’t a bad place to spend some time. There was plenty of seating and a breakfast buffet, as well as the usual drinks. Bill and I had a small breakfast. Then he decided to try one last thing before we left… a parting shot, if you will. When Bill was in Iceland for the first time, he had the opportunity to taste Brennivín, which is Iceland’s signature distilled spirit. I remember he brought some home, and I hadn’t liked it. Although the hour was early, he decided to try it one more time before we left the island. I tried it, too, and liked it somewhat better.

We didn’t bring any back with us this time…

Finally, it was time to board the aircraft. We were in seats 2D and 2 F. Saga Class wasn’t full on our return to Germany. In retrospect, I wish we’d asked to move back a row, since no one was sitting in row three, and the people in front of us were shameless recliners. I know they had the right, and all, but the guy sitting in front of Bill slammed his seat back as soon as we were in the air and left it that way the whole flight, even when we were eating.

Even in business class, reclined seats make it a lot harder to get in and out of the seat to get to the bathroom. At one point, I had to contort my body such that I lost my balance and fell over. The woman with the guy, who sat in front of me, was at least polite when she reclined. The guy in front of Bill was a total jerk, as was evidenced when it came time to disembark. He had a bunch of airline privilege cards openly displayed on his carry on bag, at least one of which showing his name. So not only was he an inconsiderate clod, he was also kind of stupid. He probably gave me COVID, too… or maybe I gave it to him. 😉

Below are some photos from the flight:

The flight was very smooth and uneventful, except for the guy in front of us. I was very pleased with Icelandair and would happily book them again. The only thing I don’t like is that I signed up for Saga Points and they haven’t been awarded yet. And when I tried to add them manually, my request was automatically rejected. Oh well… I probably won’t have much occasion to fly Icelandair much, anyway. It’s still irritating, though, when these things don’t work properly. Below are a few sky photos… I think these are actually backwards. The ones at the bottom are of Iceland and the ones directly below are Germany and continental Europe.

Once we landed in Frankfurt, we had a short walk to baggage claim (for once!) and then a short wait for our bags. I was a little nervous, because we still had to pick up the dogs and, because of the two hour time difference between Iceland and Germany, we arrived back in the middle of the afternoon. But it all turned out okay… we quickly found a cabbie who got us home speedily, and with no trouble. Then, after we started the first of a few loads of laundry, we headed off to the Hundepension to get Charlie and Noyzi.

Normally, Bill handles picking up the dogs by himself, but Charlie isn’t very comfortable with car rides yet. He plants his feet and backpedals, and Bill was worried he might need help. So I went with him to get the dogs, and I made a video of our reunion!

Excuse my laugh…

As you can see, they both did fine at the Hundepension. Natascha, who takes good care of our boys, said Charlie was so cute! His helicopter tail was going full blast. I would have liked to have let them get acquainted with a shorter visit before our Iceland trip, but there simply wasn’t time for it. Fortunately, there were no issues, and Charlie did brilliantly. He also didn’t have trouble getting into the car. I think maybe he’s afraid he’s going to be dumped when he goes in the car. Noyzi used to be afraid of the car, too. Now, he LOVES car rides. Hopefully, Charlie will get there, too.

Well… that about does it for my “blow by blow” account of our Iceland trip. I will write my usual “ten things I learned” post next, and then perhaps it’ll be time to move on from Iceland. I’m not sure where our next trip will be. At this point, we’re thinking about Spain, but that’s not definite yet. We’ll see.

In other news, as of yesterday, I am now COVID free! 😀

Baden-Württemberg, Rhein, Schwarzwald, short breaks

From Wiesbaden to Horben: Our first glimpse of Luisenhöhe, by way of Breisach!

When I plan trips, sometimes I get carried away with what I’d like to try to do. As a member of several Facebook photo groups, it’s easy to find quaint little villages where I’d like to go take some photos and walk around a bit. That was the case last week, days before we ventured to Horben. Someone in the Schwarzwald photo group on Facebook had shared a picture of a very attractive village that was on the way down to the Freiburg area. I thought it might make for a nice place to stop for coffee and a wee off of Autobahn 5.

Unfortunately, after I saw someone’s photos of a quaint village in the Black Forest, I neglected to make a note of where the place was. Bill and I looked for it on Google Earth, but never were quite sure of what we were looking for. Then, on the morning of April 5th, I decided to do laundry before we left the house. We can only drop off Noyzi at the Hundepension at an appointed time, so we didn’t end up leaving early enough to make a stop in a village. Instead, we wound up at a very familiar Rasthaus stop, where we had very ordinary food for lunch. That would be the last ordinary meal we’d have before we got home yesterday afternoon. I see that I didn’t even bother to take a photo of it. Instead, I took one of the Paulaner Hefeweizen I drank, so I could tag it for the Untappd app.

Noyzi was very happy to go to the Tierpension Birkenhof. He was so excited that he ran to the young folks who run it and practically bowled them over with his brand of canine hugs. It’s always reassuring to see how much Noyzi loves the staff at the Hundepension. We never have to worry about him when we take trips. He loves car rides, too, as you can see!

Noyzi LOVES the Birkenhof!

Although we weren’t able to stop in a cute town for a coffee break, we did kill some time in a town we’d never been to before. I get a lot of ads for river cruises, especially along the Rhein. I would never book a Rhein cruise, though, unless there was a reason other than the ports of call. I live about twenty minutes from the Rhein, and have seen most of the places where the vessels usually stop. I did notice, though, that Viking ships usually stop in a little town called Breisach, which is right on the Rhein and across the river from France. We had never been to Breisach, so we decided to stop there on the way to Horben. I thought maybe we’d have lunch there, but again, we got on the road too late for that.

Breisach is about a thirty to forty minute drive from Horben. Bill put it in the GPS, which was going to take us on a scenic route through another cute town to get there. Unfortunately, the GPS doesn’t always know about roadworks. When we were faced with a detour in a little town near Breisach, we decided to backtrack to the main road, with a quick detour to a gas station so I could have a pee break. The weather was a bit cloudy, but fairly warm. It was okay for a short stop near the cruise “port”, which turned out to be a little stop on the edge of the old town. Viking had two identical ships there, anchored side by side. Emerald Sky was also docked there when we made our short visit. We were happy to find free parking and a free toilet that was moderately clean and stocked! That’s quite a score in Germany.

Breisach is a very attractive town, smaller than I was expecting it to be. A large Catholic church– Breisacher Münster St. Stephan— overlooks the little port town, and I noticed lots of tourist friendly businesses near the port and the main drag. The ice cream shop was doing especially brisk business on Friday. As I gazed across the Rhein, somehow it didn’t occur to me that I was looking at France. Especially when I noticed a water slide on the other bank. Yes… that is extreme eastern France! And there’s a lot of waterfowl there, too. I was especially enchanted by the swans. I think I could be persuaded to visit Breisach again, and spend more time exploring there.

Below are some photos:

*A little town near Breisach. It was very cute, but loaded with construction.*

After our too brief stop in Breisach, we continued on toward Horben. Our route took us through a corner of Freiburg, a beautiful, sunny, “green” university city that we need to return to by train and explore some more. Freiburg is not friendly to cars, as we found out on Saturday. But, what we did see of it is very appealing, especially if you like to bike. I definitely want to visit it properly and see what’s there. The part of Freiburg that leads to Horben is very charming and kind of ritzy, as you can see below.

As we made our way up into the mountains, we passed through a charming suburban hamlet. Then we saw it… the distinctive horseshoe shape of the Luisenhöhe, which just opened in the fall of 2023. More on that in the next post!

Baden-Württemberg

Stuttgart, Germany… it’s as lovely as ever in the springtime… part two

On Friday, March 24, Bill and I made our way down to a very familiar city. We were both relieved to be on our way. The lead up to this trip had been very stressful, as our dog, Arran, was suffering from lymphoma, and we were very worried about the prospect of boarding him. He’d been physically healthy enough until the evening of March 16, when he suddenly had what appeared to be a stroke.

On the morning of the 17th, it was pretty clear that Arran was fixing to make his way to the Rainbow Bridge. We helped him on his way. While it was very sad to say goodbye to Arran, the timing of his passing was kind of fortuitous. It meant we wouldn’t be worried about him all weekend, as we were in the fall, when we visited Hotel Bareiss just after he was diagnosed with cancer.

March 24th was a rainy and chilly day. Noyzi was delighted to get to go to the Tierpension Birkenhof, though. He hadn’t been there since the fall, when we last went to see Dr. Blair. In November, we had our 20th wedding anniversary holiday, in Ribeauville, France. We took the dogs with us for that trip. For this trip, we needed to board Noyzi. I booked the Wald Hotel’s suite, and though the hotel is very dog friendly, the specific room we were staying in wasn’t, as it is carpeted. Luckily, Noyzi LOVES the hundepension. Arran used to like going there, but as he got older, he made it clear that he’d rather be with us. It was good that he didn’t have to endure a last stay there.

I got a video of Noyzi on his way to the “dog hotel”. He absolutely loves going there– as you can see! I was surprised to see that they’d done some renovation since we were last there, too. But Noyzi also likes coming home. Bill is going to go get him in an hour.

Noyzi is joyfully reunited with his beloved human friend, Natasha, at the Birkenhof.

Once the dog was dropped off, we continued our journey south. I had suggested to Bill that we should stop for lunch in the town of Besigheim, a hamlet known for its wines. It’s just north of Ludwigsburg, a city in the Stuttgart area we used to visit all the time. We had never been to Besigheim before, but I decided it would make for a nice stop when I saw someone share photos of it in a local Facebook group. We didn’t have the best weather, but I did find the municipality to be very charming indeed. Better yet, it had plenty of cheap parking, and a garage that had a public restroom, which Bill really needed. 😉

*Spotted at a rest stop… I should have bought the top sign.*

I managed to get some photos, and then we had lunch at a historic restaurant on the main drag called Ratsstüble Besigheim. It appeared to be a local favorite, and we did have a nice lunch there. I think the waitress was kind of curious about us. Overall, we liked the lunch, although my fish was a little burnt on one side. Bill loved his salad, though.

I don’t think they get a lot of Americans in Besigheim, although I could be mistaken. My German friend says that one of Barack Obama’s forebears was born in that town in 1729. These days, it looks like it’s mostly known for being a place to buy lovely local wines. I’d like to go back, as I noticed a nice looking hotel, a wine bar, and some inviting looking shops. They also had several restaurants that were intriguing, and an Italian Feinkost (gourmet shop).

I would have liked to have stayed in Besigheim longer, but it was getting later in the afternoon and we were worried about traffic. It turns out we were right to be worried. Getting into Stuttgart via Heilbronn and state roads was a bit of a nutroll. There was tons of construction, as usual, as well as the annoying traffic patterns one often encounters in Stuttgart. But, after taking our usual route back today, we can say with all honesty, the Autobahn isn’t a whole lot better. 😉 There is a reason they call it “STAUgart.

We arrived at Wald Hotel in the late afternoon, and were welcomed by a young man who half-heartedly offered to help us with our bags. I was more impressed the last time we visited the Wald Hotel, and stayed in the Junior Suite (which is a better room, in my opinion). That was in May 2019. But anyway, I got photos of the Suite, too… and I don’t think I need to book it again. It was nice enough, but I liked the Junior Suite more, and it costs less. I actually like the rainfall showers better in the newer Superior Rooms. They’re awesome, and have mood lighting. The “suites” are lovely marble, but they don’t have rainfall capacity or mood lighting. I also think the beds in the Superior rooms are more comfortable.

I see in my review of the Junior Suite (502/500) in May 2019, I mentioned a “mysterious stairway”. I think I figured out that it leads to the Suite (501), as the two can be booked to accommodate a family of up to six people. There’s also a little bedroom in the Suite complex (500) that probably gets used for kids.

We also got a free round of drinks in the bar because I am an Expedia gold member and booked through them. Wald Hotel used to have a really cool bartender named Angelo who worked there, but he retired not so long ago. The current bartender was very good too, although Angelo was an old pro, and it really showed. I’m sure the current barkeep will eventually become legendary in her own right.

We decided to eat dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Finch, so we had our free round at the bar and the bartender beamed when Bill tipped her on the “free drinks”.

It does appear that Wald Hotel is doing things a little differently now. It used to be they offered free drinks in the minibar. Now it looks like the minibar is no longer “free”. Still, we were glad to be back. We got to bed at a reasonable hour and slept mostly well. The mattress was very firm, which we’re not used to, but that could be because I just put a foam topper on our bed.

Saturday, we made new discoveries, which I will write about in part three tomorrow.

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Our Heidelberger Birthday Holiday! Part six

Yesterday morning, we enjoyed another “lie in”, then packed up everything for the relatively brief trip home to Wiesbaden. I’m glad we went to Heidelberg. It’s not far from where we live, but it has a different feel. It was nice to leave Hesse, even if we were just over the line. I could have used another day, to be honest.

I didn’t take pictures of yesterday’s breakfast, which was much like the one before it, although we had it inside instead of out in the courtyard. I mentioned that it was my birthday and was hugely surprised by a special gift from the kitchen…

*This was a delight! I truly wasn’t expecting it.*

After breakfast, we brought our own bags down to the reception desk. They greeted me with a “Happy Birthday!”, having noticed it on the paperwork. All told, our extravagant weekend ran us about $2000 or so– including two nights in the junior suite, a couple of trips to the bar, breakfast, parking, one dinner, and a couple of bottles of wine. Yes, it was very expensive, but we felt it was well worth it after such a difficult and strange year. For us, personally, it wasn’t as difficult as it’s been for a lot of people… but it was definitely weird. I’m hoping for better and less odd days in the near future, as more people get vaccinated against COVID-19. We choose to enjoy life while we still can… and splurge when we can. Bill’s latest TDY per diem will be paying for this trip.

Since we couldn’t pick up the dogs until 6:00pm, we decided to go home a different way and spend a couple of hours in Speyer, a town in Rheinland-Pfalz I had heard a lot about but never had a chance to visit. On the way there, my German friend shared this adorable happy birthday video with me.

Bwahaahahahaaha!

After we parked the car, we started walking toward the picturesque city, when I spotted this…

I’ll pass on the one with the face mask. I’d like to forget those as soon as possible.

We decided to just stroll through the town and take some photos, since we were really full from breakfast. Founded by the Romans, Speyer is one of Germany’s oldest cities. It’s the kind of place where it’s just cool to be there. It has a unique look and a different vibe. After our brief look, we’ll definitely have to go back for another visit and perhaps an overnight or two. Parking was cheap and easy in a huge lot near the downtown area.

After an emotional visit to the Dom, we strolled through the park, where there was a small fest going on. I kind of wanted to hang out for awhile, but Bill only paid for two hours of parking. Bummer… we will have to go back. This cute little festival was a nice reminder of what was, and what hopefully be again. Gotta keep the faith.

The dog was enjoying watching the kids on the ride!

We got home in the afternoon, just enough time for me to start the laundry and this travel series. We picked up Arran and Noyzi at the Tierpension Birkenhof 6:00pm. I could hear Arran all the way out to the car. He has a very distinctive bay! I’m happy to report that the boys did fine… When the caregiver opened the gate, Arran came right out to us.

*Noyzi needed to be redirected. I’m glad to see he enjoyed his accommodations at the Tierpension Birkenhof!*

Noyzi got confused and went back to his “room”. It actually took some convincing to get him to come out to us. Both dogs said goodbye and were relaxed and happy as we loaded them into the Volvo. I felt good about that. I didn’t expect Noyzi would have any trouble and he didn’t disappoint. I think the lady who watched them fell in love with Noyzi, which doesn’t surprise me, either. He’s a very sweet, gentle, easy to handle dog.

Arran says hello before he had his accident in our backyard.

My birthday would have ended up on a great high note, if not for Arran’s exuberance when we got home. Once we let him off the leash, he took off running outside. At some point, he must have careened under the bushes at a high rate of speed. He and Bill were having a reunification bonding session when I noticed blood on Arran’s shoulder. I took a closer look at the fresh wound and realized that he’d torn a big gash open, with a flap hanging down. It wasn’t bleeding a lot, but it was kind of deep.

So poor Bill had to take Arran to the Tierklinik Hofheim for debridement and stitches. Sadly, a lot of people were having pet emergencies last night, so although Bill got there at 9:30pm, he didn’t get home until 4:30am, about 825 euros poorer. The vet clucked sympathetically over the cost, which was pretty high… but in the United States, it would have cost a hell of a lot more than 825 euros to get emergency stitches for our dog in the wee hours of the morning. So while we wish the accident hadn’t happened, we’re grateful the clinic was available and Arran’s situation wasn’t worse. Bill said he counted three people who lost their pets last night. 🙁

Arran seems no worse for wear today, except for the stitches. They loaded him up with antibiotics and painkillers, and I suspect the forced rest will cramp all of our styles a bit. He jumped up on the bed at 4:30am, gave me a kiss, and went right to sleep. He’s been napping all day today. We’ll be taking the hedge trimmers to that bush in the backyard. This is the second time Arran has cut himself on it.

Well, that about does it for my birthday celebration for 2021. If you’ve been following along, thanks so much for reading. We really had a great time. I guess if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s that travel is a wonderful privilege that shouldn’t be wasted or taken for granted. And every once in awhile, it’s a good thing to splurge. I suspect our next splurge will be when we book our long awaited dentist appointments in Stuttgart. That will probably be next on the agenda… and after that, maybe a real vacation! Dare to dream!

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Our Heidelberger Birthday Holiday! Part one

The featured photo is of our crowded, but quaint, village of Wallau, located near where we live. This was where we got our vaccines registered.

I am delighted to write another travel blog series. It’s been AGES since I’ve been able to write an actual travel post for my travel blog, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Things are finally opening up here in Europe. Infection numbers are falling; fewer people are being hospitalized or dying; and people are breaking out of seclusion for some fun. I have been waiting impatiently for the ability to have fun. It’s been too long.

As of June 16th, I became fully inoculated with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. That was enough of a cause for celebration… but today also happens to be my birthday. Bill and I usually try to do fun things when we have birthdays, and this year we needed a break more than other years. We also needed to introduce Noyzi to the Birkenhof Tierpension, since we haven’t been anywhere since we adopted him in October of last year. Since it was Noyzi’s trial run at our boarding facility, we decided to keep the weekend short and close to home.

I’d been wanting to visit Heidelberg again for ages. We went there in October 2008, when we lived in the Stuttgart area the first time. That visit was decidedly friend heavy, as at the time, there was still an active Army installation in Heidelberg. We had several friends who were living there, so during that visit, we hung out with them and went on post. I remember touring Heidelberg Castle one day, eating at Vetter’s, and then the next day, we went to nearby Schwetzingen and visited the palace and castle. We even took a tour in German. The hotel we stayed in then was Appartment & Hotel Kurpfalzhof Heidelberg, which was then, and still is, the number one traveler ranked hotel on Trip Advisor. It was an extremely clean and nice hotel, with friendly owners who were obviously very Army friendly. For some reason, they aren’t taking reservations right now.

For this occasion, I was wanting to stay somewhere fancier and in town, anyway. I found two likely candidates: Heidelberg Suites and Der Europäische Hof Heidelberg. Both properties were extremely appealing for different reasons. I ended up choosing Der Europäische Hof Heidelberg because of its downtown location and parking availability– there’s a garage right next door. They have a pool, and thanks to the heat wave, I knew I’d be wanting to swim. They also have a beautiful bar area, and Bill and I were hoping to enjoy that, too… (and we certainly did).

So, with the hotel booked for Friday and Saturday nights, and the dogs set up for their stay at the Birkenhof, it was time to deal with the next part of the process of breaking back into traveling. We needed to visit an Apotheke (pharmacy) to register proof of our vaccinations with the German government and pick up QR codes that can be uploaded into an app that is easily shown at restaurants, hotels, and shops. I was a little worried about that process, having read a “horror” story in The Local: Germany about an American guy in Cologne who went to six different places until he finally found a place that would recognize his American CDC vaccination card.

Bill and I didn’t have any trouble like that. We followed the link for mein-apothekenmanager.de to find a local pharmacy that had the ability to register people in the system. Not all pharmacies are participating, and some are participating, but don’t have the system set up yet. It turned out a pharmacy in the next village was participating. Bill sent them an email in German explaining that we’re Americans who need the QR codes for the app and asking if they could help. To our delight, the answer was a yes. Bill stopped by on Monday and dropped off copies of our vaccine cards, and the very pleasant druggist told us that she’d have them ready for us in a few days. It took time because so many people were trying to sign up that the system crashed!

On Friday morning, we took the dogs to the Hunde hotel. Noyzi seemed alright when we left. There were several nice dogs there who seemed eager to play! I think it helped that Arran was happy to be there and very relaxed. Arran has been many times and always has fun. We’ll go pick them up in a few hours. Hopefully, everything went alright!

After we dropped them off, we went to Wallau to get the proof of vaccination. There was a long line of people waiting outside of the pharmacy, many of whom were waiting to register. Others just needed to get some drugs. It’s good that we brought in the papers before Friday, since it’s routinely taking the pharmacist a couple of days to get people’s credentials loaded. If we had not had that paperwork, we probably would have needed to be tested for COVID-19 while we were in Heidelberg. Below is a picture of what the papers look like.

These make life a lot easier… except we can’t upload them in an app yet.

Unfortunately, the apps available in Germany aren’t available to us yet. We both tried to download the CovPass app, but that requires a German iTunes account and we have American ones. When I tried to change my location to Germany in the App Store, I got this message:

One of the other two apps is only for Android users. The other one, for some reason, just refused to work at all. I was able to download the Luca app, though, which is used for contract tracing and test results. Supposedly, we will eventually be able to load the vaccine passes into that app, too. I’m sure the German government will hear about this issue soon, or they’ll get used to the American CDC cards. In any case, the paper from the pharmacy worked alright, even though we don’t have the yellow European version of the the vaccine proof card. I suppose we could have gotten one at a pharmacy and had them stamped by the American vaccination center where we got our shots, but we didn’t know about them when we got inoculated. Phew… so much work to get legit before we can take a weekend out of town!

After we got the vaccine paperwork done, we packed a couple of bags and loaded the Volvo; then we set off for Heidelberg, which is about 50 miles– 70 kilometers from where we live. Although it only takes about an hour or so to get there, it’s in another state– our old home of Baden- Württemberg– where Bill and I spent a total of six mostly happy years together. It’s always a pleasure to go back! The drive was easy and fun… I spent the whole time making jokes about Sinead O’Connor’s new book, which I hope to be reviewing on my main blog very soon!

Once we found our way to the beautiful, grand, five star lodging where I had booked a junior suite for two nights, the celebration was primed to begin. More on that in the next post!

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The Eagles sure didn’t stink in Cologne… part 6

Finally, it was Wednesday morning, time to head back to Wiesbaden. We were blessed with glorious weather and checkout wasn’t until 1:00pm. After another breakfast at the hotel, we hung out in the room until about 12:30pm. In retrospect, we probably should have gone to another museum, but I kind of didn’t feel like it. We checked out and left our bags at the hotel, then took a walk down to the Rhein River, where we caught a one hour cruise. The descriptions of what we were seeing were in German and English. I wished we had a little more time to take a longer cruise, although the one we took was very nice. I got lots of pictures as well as ideas of what to do and where to go if and when we visit Cologne again.

A couple of shots of Bill as we cruised. I noticed several big name river cruise companies, like Viking and Scenic.

I took a lot of these photos with my Canon Power Shot camera, which is kind of big and bulky, but has some cool artsy settings. I don’t use it as often as I should, mainly because it’s so bulky.

The chocolate museum. I’m really sorry we missed this. Well, maybe not sorry in that I didn’t eat chocolate, which is a good thing… But I do want to go there sometime.

Interesting turquoise lights under the bridge.

A female bagpiper was playing “Highland Cathedral”, which was our wedding march. We dropped a few euros for her.

This airship was going back and forth over the train station. I heard one German man yell out, “Die Hindenburg!” as it passed.

We stopped by a brewery restaurant called Früh am Dom. It had a vibe somewhat similar to Gaffel am Dom, and a somewhat similar menu, as well as very reasonable prices.

I had Haxnfleisch, which is meat sliced from a pork knuckle rather than the whole knuckle (which I can never finish). It came with green beans cooked with bacon and a side of fried potatoes, pictured below.

Bill went with a big sausage.

One last look at the hotel…

One last Dom pic.

Goodbye, Cologne.

A couple of shots of the countryside as we sped toward home.

We picked up the car at Frankfurt Airport after a totally painless train ride back from Cologne. When we got to the Tierpension Birkenhof to pick up the dogs, they were in a pen with a few other beagles. Arran saw us first. I think he wanted to make sure it was us before he started bugling. I didn’t say anything this time, so it took him a minute to make sure. I’m sure the familiar aroma gave me away, anyway. He started howling, which got Zane going. As we were waiting for the lady to get them for us, more people showed up and watched as Zane came barreling to me and jumped on my new white pants. Oh well… they’re basically glorified sweatpants, anyway.

Although we were only gone two nights, the boys both insisted on sleeping with us last night. It was kind of crowded in the bed, since Zane was on my feet all night. Still, I’d call this trip a success. We really enjoyed Cologne and will have to visit again, even if we don’t see another show. And if we get another chance to see the Eagles, we’re definitely there. They are among a few acts I’d pay to see again.

I’d say it was another exciting trip. Now to prepare for our next trip– from Goethenburg, Sweden to Leipzig, Germany, then back to Wiesbaden with our new Volvo!

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The Eagles sure didn’t stink in Cologne… part 1

Last October, as Bill and I were preparing for our big move from Stuttgart to Wiesbaden, I found out that the Eagles, one of my favorite bands of all time, was going to be playing two dates in Germany in 2019. 2018 was our summer of concerts. We saw The Rolling Stones in Stuttgart, Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor (all at one show) in Dublin, Roger Hodgson in Stuttgart, and the Irish Folk Festival in Stuttgart. I also knew we were going to be seeing Elton John in Stuttgart in May 2019.

Given that we’d already spent so much money on shows and knowing that a move always requires more spending, I hesitated slightly before I bought the tickets. When we go to concerts, they usually turn into major spending events. I usually book us a nice hotel, so we don’t have to worry about driving far to get to the venue or trying to park (although we made the mistake of driving to the Elton John show). I also don’t bother with “nosebleed” seats. There was a time when those were the best seats I could afford, but now I want to sit closer, which always means more money.

I asked Bill what he thought about seeing the Eagles, even though the band’s legendary frontman, Glenn Frey, passed away in January 2016. After some thought, Bill was okay with attending the show. Now it was time to choose a city. I had a choice between Cologne and Munich.

We had been in Cologne once before, back in May 2012, when we took our very first Space A military “hop”. I remember we stayed at the Ibis in the train station, which was fine for a night when we were totally exhausted, but probably wouldn’t do now that I’m older and richer. I also know Munich is expensive, since we did a blind booking out of Cologne on Germanwings (now known as Eurowings) during that same Space A hop and got Munich. Don’t get me wrong– Munich is so much fun; but it’s super pricey. Even average hotels down there cost a mint. Munich is also further away from us, now that we’re in Wiesbaden.

Both of the shows were on work nights, but the Cologne show was the day after Memorial Day, so we decided it would be easiest to go to Cologne. Bill would use up one less vacation day, and both the concert tickets and the lodging were less expensive than Munich. Now that we’ve been back to Cologne, I can say that we’ll probably go there for more shows. Not only was it super easy to get to the concert venue, it’s also super easy to get to Cologne from where we live. And, as a bonus, we discovered an amazing hotel in the Excelsior Hotel Ernst! As long as we can afford it, I think the Excelsior Hotel Ernst has effectively ended our Ibis days in Cologne.

This trip was also important, because it provided an excellent opportunity for our dogs to try out a new doggy pension. When we lived in Stuttgart, we used Dog on Holiday, which I would absolutely recommend to anyone. In fact, we’ve decided that anytime we need to go to or through Stuttgart with our dogs, we will try to have them stay with Max and Christine. But it wasn’t practical to take the boys to Dog on Holiday from Wiesbaden, so we needed to find a place for them closer to our new town. In February, we visited the Tierpension Birkenhof, and arranged for our boys to have their first stay during this quick trip to Cologne.

I got us fifth row seats!

With all of the arrangements made, we set off for the “city of pleasant smells” on Monday of this week– Memorial Day. Since our hotel was super close to the train station and the train station had a stop near Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, which was where the Eagles would be “crying”, we decided to take the Inner City Express (ICE) train from the Frankfurt Airport. The Tierpension Birkenhof is fairly convenient to the airport, although not as convenient as Max’s pension is to the Stuttgart airport.

The Tierpension Birkenhof was recommended to Bill by one of his co-workers. It’s always interesting to see the differences in the “doggy hotels” in Germany. When we were in Stuttgart the first time, we used to use Hunde Hotel Haase, which was a beautiful facility in Bad Niedernau, a very country hamlet south of Stuttgart. Kiersten, the lady who ran it back in those days, was absolutely awesome. But, when we came back to Stuttgart in 2014, she’d left and took the hotel’s good reputation with her. We used the Hunde Hotel Haase a couple more times, but kept hearing horror stories about dogs that were left there. That’s when we switched to Dog on Holiday, which has been universally great, despite it’s somewhat urban location.

Tierpension Birkenhoff is a rather large facility that cares for dogs and cats. It’s located in a somewhat suburban area, yet it’s near farmland. The owner doesn’t accept VAT forms, and we haven’t yet met him. We have met two of his employees, both of whom seemed very kind.

I have noticed that each German dog facility has its quirks. At the Birkenhoff, you’re not allowed to bring your own dog bed. I’m not sure exactly why this is… I think it’s because the other doesn’t want to have to worry about the owners’ beds getting dirty. Nevertheless, it does make things somewhat more convenient for us, since we’re about to trade in our RAV 4 SUV for a Volvo SUV and will probably have to bring the dogs in my Mini Cooper next time they stay. Mini Coopers are small. Dog beds take up a lot of space.

Frankfurt Airport train station to Cologne Messe

Once the dogs were dropped off, we made our way to the Frankfurt Airport. Bill had reserved parking with ACS at the airport, which turned out to be very convenient, once we figured out where P4 was. The reserved spots are reasonably priced and located near the terminal, so there’s no need to haul heavy bags long distances from far away lots. Frankfurt Airport is a bit more confusing than Stuttgart Airport is. It’s huge, and finding parking can be super confusing and annoying. But now that we know where the ACS parking is, I’m sure we’ll use it all the time. It really made parking super easy.

Frankfurt Airport also has a big train station, making it easy to access a lot of cities. If we had left from Wiesbaden, it would have taken a lot more time, required us to park in the parking garage from Hell, and we would have needed to change trains at least once. From Frankfurt Airport, it was a straight shot to Cologne.

I like how, in Germany, “bullshit” isn’t a bad word. You’ll even see it on billboards.

We had time for lunch, so we stopped at a restaurant called Little Italy, not to be confused with the Little Italy in Wiesbaden, which has become one of our favorite Sunday lunch stops. The Little Italy at the airport is in the shopping area called The Squaire. It’s not long on ambiance, but the food and service are good.

Mmm… food!

Bill went vegetarian with spaghetti and fresh vegetables, tossed in a little olive oil and washed down with a tempranillo.

I had a very lovely tagliatelle salmone. The salmon was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. I love salmon that isn’t overcooked, and they did a really good job with this. However, I probably would have preferred about half this much food.

With lunch sorted, we headed down to the platform where we’d catch our train to Cologne. But then, about ten minutes before we were to depart, our original train was cancelled due to some people on the tracks. Don’t ask me what that means. I have no idea. Bill ran up to the Deutsche Bahn (DB) information kiosk, where he was advised that we should take another train.

Instead of dropping us directly at the Cologne Hauptbahnhof, would go to the Cologne Messe stop. That would require us to take a city train one stop over the Rhein River. The nice thing about the train we took was that it went directly from Frankfurt to Cologne, with no stops. It was also practically empty, which was a good thing, since changing trains also erased our seat reservations. Within an hour, we were whisked to Cologne, having flown past beautiful scenery at about 280 kph.

I was surprised by how fast our trip from Frankfurt to Cologne was on the ICE train. It was also very comfortable, since the train has clean toilets and a restaurant. We did not use the restaurant during our trip to Cologne, but it was nice to have had the option.

Bill checks the schedule…

This is the life. First class all the way. Second class probably would have been fine, too.

We could have taken a more leisurely train to Cologne and probably saved some money, but this was a really nice way to get where we were going. It’s been too long since our last train trip. I think we need to take them more often.

It was a simple thing to take the S-bahn over the Rhein River to get to Cologne’s main station, home of the city’s majestic Dom and our hotel, the Excelsior Hotel Ernst.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: Tierpension Birkenhof

A winter break in Waiblingen… Going home! (part eight)

A winter break in Waiblingen… First impressions of a charming town! (part two)

Four nights of “Sonne” in Switzerland… (part one)

Our first Icelandic adventure: Flying back to Germany! (part thirteen)

From Wiesbaden to Horben: Our first glimpse of Luisenhöhe, by way of Breisach!

Stuttgart, Germany… it’s as lovely as ever in the springtime… part two

Our Heidelberger Birthday Holiday! Part six

Our Heidelberger Birthday Holiday! Part one

The Eagles sure didn’t stink in Cologne… part 6

The Eagles sure didn’t stink in Cologne… part 1