Day 5

We slept in! We had a free morning and we slept for most of it - we felt so refreshed though! I think we had been so tired with the late nights, restless sleeps and busy days. But we got up and enjoyed walking around the town of Rudesheim. I loved the shops and of course the bakery. We stopped for a pastry and coffee and admit we could get very used to that!!

And then it was time to meet up with our group at the hotel and walk to the river for our lunch cruise down the Rhine river. It was a cool misty day that lent an air of mystery to the castles and ruins we saw. Beautiful! It's hard to pick and choose among the pictures to post - there were so many castles along the way.
One thing we noticed was that the river is a very busy highway - a lot of barges with big loads were continually coming and going.

Our bus driver picked us up and then we went to tour the Marksberg castle. Not exactly luxury fit for kings and queens. Dark and damp with walls many feet thick. I could just imagine life in there with very few comforts - not exactly the romantic thing we think of. In fact, we were told that we could buy a castle for not a lot of money. The catch is that we'd be obligated to restore it which would be millions of Euros. One of our group was joking about buying one for his wife (who wasn't with us on our trip).

Here was the brightest room in the castle. And that's where the women would spend their time. Doesn't this look like the perfect place for Sleeping Beauty?

And here's the kitchen.

One of the interesting rooms was set up to showcase the armor worn by soldiers through the ages. The last one was this full knight's armor. And here's my 'knight' beside it?!!

We had a final supper at the hotel and met one of the highest executives of Claas and his wife. They were really kind and gracious and the whole evening was very nice. One of the last things we saw before we headed to bed was this tower. We were entranced with the chimes of the bells (you can see them at the top) and then the round part that turned with carved figures on it. I managed to catch the audio of the chimes on my camera and so it's a neat memory for us to play.

Tomorrow it was off to Frankfurt and our flight home. We had a wonderful time in Germany and would love to go back someday. Thank you Claas for showing us a great time and sharing your beautiful country with us!

Day 4

I was a little sad leaving Hotel Klosterpforte - we'd had such a good time there. And it meant that half of our trip was over already. But we were all looking forward to the sightseeing we would be doing over the next couple of days.

We spent the morning on the bus and our first stop was a chocolate museum / factory. We didn't get into that part of it - we had half an hour and we spent it like crazy people in the chocolate shop - I don't think I've ever seen so much chocolate in one place and I know I've never spent so much on chocolate at one time. A couple of the guys from our group were laughing at us ladies who had shopping baskets filled with chocolates. I guess they thought we were planning to eat all of that ourselves and I'm sure the locals thought we were all a little nuts. The guys may not have had shopping baskets but I saw at least one that must have had every kind of Lindt chocolate bar in the store.... and they had some really different kinds. Ladger bought one with hot peppers and another with Earl Grey tea flavor. I'm certain he bought the one with hot peppers because he knew he'd be the only one wanting to eat it - it certainly wouldn't be my pick.

And then it was off to Brauhaus Sion. I had to laugh when I overheard a couple of guys getting a kick out of going to the 'bra house'. Anyhow, we were in for another traditional German meal. We were each given a plate of fried potatoes and sauerkraut and then they brought out boards with bratwurst on them. That was really good but the apple strudel was my favorite part!

After lunch, we were off for a tour of the huge, famous cathedral at Koln. It was amazing to be there. No picture can capture the intricacy and incredible size of this building. I think the thing that struck me most were the pictures of it during the war when the entire city was bombed to oblivion and the cathedral was the only building still standing in miles of empty wasteland.

We did a little shopping and then it was off to Ruedesheim for our final stop of the day. We saw the Rhine river and castles. And a very different landscape. This is a very significant area known for its wine. I just didn't expect to see vineyards on the steep hills on the sides of the Rhine river. You can see them in these pictures behind the village and beside the castle ruins. It looked like such an unlikely place for vineyards but they are obviously thriving and producing well.

Our final tour was of a wine cellar and then a chance to taste different wines from this estate. This area is an area that grows grapes for Riesling and Pinot Noir types of wines. And there were all different levels of dryness to sweetness to try.

Our hotel was Hotel Lindenwirt and while it was very different than Hotel Klosterpforte, it had a lot of old charm and we loved it! It was a full day with lots to see and experience!

How could I have forgotten about our shopping trip?

On Day 2, arrangements were made to take us ladies shopping while the guys discussed ideas for improving the combines, etc. So our poor bus driver, Wolfgang, had a herd of ladies chasing him down some streets in the city to get to a department store. We walked by a bank and one lady wanted to get some cash but she used the wrong machine and it ate her card...well, not really but Wolfgang had to rescue her by talking to management and getting her card back to her. And then we were off again. As soon as we hit the store we decided on a meeting time and place and off we went.

My first priority was to find something for the boys - they were both hoping for toys and I knew cute little t-shirts, etc wouldn't cut it as far as they were concerned. As I was trying to decide on what to get, I realized I needed to find a washroom....and quickly. But we had been forewarned. In Germany, a lady would be sitting outside the washroom with a dish and it was expected that we would give her a tip to use the washroom. My smallest bill was 20 Euros and so I had a little pressure to figure out what to buy so I could make some change. And I did but everything in the store comes out to even dollars (taxes are always included in the price) so even with the change I had no coins at all. By then, I was feeling a little desperate and the cashier had no idea what my problem was when I asked for change for a bill. Finally, a cashier came over who could speak enough English to understand what I needed and everything turned out well! I had an acceptable amount of money for the tip and I was able to enjoy the rest of the shopping experience after that!

BTW, I did find a toy for each of the boys. They've been wanting remote controlled vehicles but I've been holding off on that as most of them are big and fast - not a good combination in our small home. But I found a remote controlled forklift and tractor. Speed isn't an issue and the boys love them.

Day 3

Our tour guide suggested that the ladies could have a free morning Wednesday and I knew just what I wanted to do.

I'd read about bicycle rentals at our hotel online before I went and I really wanted to go exploring. Bicycling is very big in Germany and there are bike trails everywhere - what a treat! I had 2 1/2 hours before the tour bus would be picking us up.

So I planned to bike for an hour and then left an hour and a half to get back as I was sure I'd get lost - I know myself only too well!

At first I was planning to stay on the grounds. And they were beautiful. The cemetary beside the chapel was beautiful - each plot a work of art!

But it didn't take long enough and so off into the countryside I went. I saw this old covered bridge in the woods and had to go check it out.

And I passed by a pig farm - the smell gave it away. And then I found myself in the industrial area of Marienfeld. I got out of there and found what I was looking for - the town of Marienfeld. I stopped for a coffee and danish in a little local bakery - fun trying to communicate. And then it was time to head back.

I got turned around a few times and ended up back in the industrial area and couldn't remember how to get back to the main road. So I stopped a couple of times for directions..which were pretty useless because I didn't understand a word except for the map one gentleman gave me at a gas station. So I was able to sort out where I needed to go but it was still hard trying to figure it all out.

I was really relieved when I smelled the pig farm (even before I saw it). And then I saw the covered bridge and knew I was headed the right way but then there was an intersection that I couldn't remember which road I had come in on. So I tried all three and picked the right one last! Again, typical!! I was so thankful when I saw this...and knew I was back!

Guess how long it took me to get back....the whole hour and a half I'd left for myself!

Day 3 continued

I had time to take a shower and then the bus was there to take us to a farm. This was a highlight for the guys because they got to test drive tractors and combines on a little course with hills and twists and turns. These go carts were fun for everyone.
We had schnitzel and I had apfel spazie to drink (sparkling apple juice) because Pastor Keith said I had to have some for him. He spent a year in Germany. The surprise was when we were finished and all of a sudden some very traditional German music was being played. We all wondered what was happening - I half expected to see some German dancing or something. But the waiters came out with ice cream bombs. They certainly like their ice cream! It was the dessert for a lot meals but this was the first time it came out in a fancy log with sparklers lit on it. The ice cream is very good - very rich and creamy!

And then we were off to the last Claas tour of the trip. This was a very highly technological part of their operation and cameras weren't allowed. But it was very interesting and impressive.
Dinner was back at the hotel - a seafood buffet and a very nice time! Here are a couple more shots of the cemetary!

Day 2

I really like muesli - the soft porridge kind! I had it every morning we were at Hotel Klosterpforte and I have a couple of recipes for it from the internet. I always put lots of flax and sunflower seeds on top and put a dollop of yogourt and some fruit alongside it...Mmmm!

So this was the day of tours. We toured the main factory and had a great lunch there... We put on lots of miles that day as we kept up with our tour guide through very impressive manufacturing and technology. Here's the massive area with all the machines that have been sold and are just waiting to ship out!



And here's our entire group. We numbered around 30 from Saskatchewan and Alberta.


And then it was off for dinner at a Brauhaus. They served a huge portion of pork served on the bone along with lots of sauerkraut, potatoes and of course beer. Now, I've only tried the taste of beer once and didn't like it but I found myself not minding a little dark beer with dinner - it was fun to have what felt like a very authentic German meal. It's traditional to have one glass of beer and then one shot of schnapps to finish the meal with according to our tour guide.

Day 1

There was a lot to love about our trip to Germany! I thought I'd give a brief recap of each day we were there. The Claas bus picked us up at the airport and off we went. Our first stop was this restaurant where we were served a delicious meal and then it was off to our first tour at the parts distribution factory. That was really impressive - so mechanized, well-run and massive. There were fork-lifts everywhere. And bicycles. In the factory. We had to keep our eyes open with all the activity around us. Good way to keep us awake after that long flight.

We were struck by how narrow the roads were. The Autobahn really surprised me. It was really narrow and it took us awhile to adjust to driving so close to other vehicles. There is no speed limit but the traffic doesn't often get the chance to speed excessively with the amount of traffic. We did see a couple of Porsche's speeding past and we passed a couple of quads on the Autobahn too - a funny contrast.

The first town we stayed in was Marienfeld and we were all struck by how immaculate each house and yard was all the way there and everywhere we went in this area. The hotel resort used to be a monastery and the grounds were beautiful. Our rooms were beautiful and spacious and I just loved our stay there at the Hotel Klosterpforte.

And here's a picture of the confessional from where I wrote the last blog entry. It's the main centerpiece of the lobby!