Nikki Haase's Blog

Those 19 days passed very quickly. We’re now back home, easing into normal day-to-day life. Our friends’ son, Rob, picked us up at the airport with a little surprise – Jak! We were so happy to see him and, although he really loves his new friends and especially his Auntie Susanne, he was hysterically happy to see us.

On Sunday we spent a great last day in Germany with my cousin Charlotte Reges and her family – husband Rex, son Matthew and daughter Caroline. The weather was the best we had our whole vacation. They live in a suburb near Düsseldorf called Geilenkirchen. As if to ease us back into U.S. life, we went to lunch at Subway. But we don’t have any that are nearly as pretty as this one, built in a renovated windmill.

After lunch, we took a fun trip on the Selfkantbahn, a short run steam train, round-trip from Gillrath to Schierwaldenrath. We had a chance to see their home, an apartment in a pretty chateau with beautiful surroundings, and the NATO base where Rex works. Then for dinner we went to a nice traditional restaurant where we all practiced our German and ate more Spargel, German white asparagus. Too early, it was time for us to head back to our hotel and pack for our flight.

In the morning, our friendly innkeeper, Petra, packed us a breakfast to go.  She & Phillip really bend over backwards to make sure that their guests are happy.  I tried to make a nice German breakfast for Bill this morning with cold cuts, rolls, yogurt, boiled eggs and muesli, but it wasn’t quite the same. *sigh*

Auf Wiedersehen, Deutschland! Until we meet again…

Less than a 30-minute train trip north from Köln is our last stop – Düsseldorf. I’m looking forward to seeing my cousin Charlotte & her family. Bill is looking forward to sampling a different kind of beer, this time the Altbier.

After we dropped our things at the Max Hotel on Saturday morning, we oriented ourselves and took a walk through town. We walked up to a local spot, Uerige, where we were joined at our outside table by an older gentleman who had some interesting stories to tell. He & his father before him had both been American prisoners of war in WWII and WWI respectively. Thankfully, he didn’t hold a grudge.

The farmers’ market at Carlsplatz was a wonderful surprise. It would be so nice to have such a market to visit every week. Fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese, crêpes and even little organic doggie treats – a souvenir for Jak!

The weather was sunny, but still cool. We walked down by the Rhine and up by the Ship Museum. The Altstadt (Old Town) is pretty & well-preserved. If we had more time, I’d like to do more shopping in the Königsallee. And we did take a few hours Sunday morning to tour more of the city’s sights.

But last night, we were on the “Alt” trail…

Despite my enthusiasm, the Hilton-Cologne was our least favorite place to stay. It had none of that good German-Austrian Gemütlichkeit. There was a huge spread at breakfast, but we ended up eating the same müsli (cereal) and brötchen (rolls) as we’ve had the past two weeks. The coffee was weak and took a long time to get to our table. *sigh*

We had one of our most enjoyable evenings, though, at Peters Brauhaus in Cologne. We sat next to the nicest couple, Matthias and Patricia, who were on their way to a weekend in London. We left with hugs and and invitation to visit them when we return to Germany. We’re looking forward to it already!

After posting my last blog update at the hotel, we followed Rick Steves’ self-guided city tour. I got my fill of coffee & kuchen (cake) at Café Eigel. We visited the Hohenzollern Bridge with the four statues of Prussian Kings and German Emperors. Then we *almost* conquered the Dom (cathedral), certainly the most impressive in all of Germany. Between my claustrophobia and Bill’s agoraphobia, we couldn’t quite climb all the way up the cramped, narrow and way too high final staircase to the viewing platform. It was just 11 more steps, but you’d understand if you were there – I think.

We visited the city’s cultural offerings, and then started another beer tour. This time it was the Kölsch trail!

We had a relatively easy day on Tuesday. We drove out of Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Bamberg. We stayed at a brewery hotel, and we picked up the “Brewery Train” guide at the tourist info center. Yes, this is Bill’s kind of town. We wandered around a little on Tuesday evening with stops at Greifenklau and Klosterbräu. The beer garden at Greifenklau had a nice view, but the warm, sunny afternoon quickly turned cool. At Klosterbräu, we had the good luck to have an English teacher’s son join our table. We had a nice conversation about the city and got more recommendations.

By the time we left, cool and cloudy had turned into thunder, lightening and pouring rain. We ran for the bus and decided to make Fäβla, our hotel’s brew, the last one for the night. There we met two friendly Brits who were just visiting (and drinking) from Nottingham for a few days.

Wednesday Bill joined me for tours of the cathedral and a monastery church before continuing on the Brewery Trail. The next one was Schlenkerla where we drank Rauchbier (smoked beer), and Bill ate a Bamberger Zwiebel, a whole onion stuffed with ground beef. More conversation, translated this time, with a sweet older couple from Nürnberg.

Schlenkerla was the coziest location so far in Bamberg, but Bill enjoyed the Spezial Märzen beer the best. That was our next stop, just across the street from our hotel.

Mahrs was the next stop – lively & offering an “Ungesprundetes” or low-carbonated beer that Bill liked. He’s really looking forward to brewing when he gets home; he’s still satisfied that his small batches rival Germany’s best, and I have to agree.

By the time you read this, we will be in cool, modern Köln (Cologne) at the Hilton with comfy pillows and in-room (but slow!) wi-fi internet access.

Our prayers for sun on Mother’s Day were answered, and our timing was spot on. We got to the Zugspitze just before the clouds completely obscured the view. We stopped in Oberammergau for a picnic lunch & some ice cream before the town was completely overrun with Passion Play visitors. It’s not supposed to start until May 15, so there must be a dress rehearsal performance. The shops were open, locals were coming in their traditional Bavarian dress and the buses were starting to clog the streets. On our way out, the roads were backed up – thankfully in the opposite direction.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a well-preserved little storybook village. The hotels are not as likely to have internet access, and the locals definitely seem more tourist-weary, but friendly.

We really enjoyed the Bürgerkeller for dinner on Sunday evening – it was another one of Rick Steves’ recommendations, and it had nothing to do with burgers. It had the ambiance one would hope for in a little cellar Gasthof, but with mellow American rock-n-roll from the 60’s & 70’s playing quietly in the background. Mr. Terian was a very nice & gracious host.

Today we follwed Rick’s recommended town tour, hitting all of the highlights. We enjoyed the muted reverance of the St. Jakobskirche, the first Protestant church we’ve visited. We walked around the city walls & toured the creepy Medieval Crime & Punishment Museum. Who knew there were so many different types of torture? (The CIA, perhaps?)

The Night Watchman’s Tour is not to be missed in Rothenburg. It was like a flash mob at 8 pm as dozens of Americans began to assemble at the Marktplatz. Then he appeared in black cape with his lantern – just like on TV! It was a 1-hour walking tour through town, very informative & fantastically entertaining.

To wrap up the evening, we stopped for a – no, not beer – glass of wine at the Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof where I’m writing my last report of the day by candlelight.

We were up early for breakfast and drove to the Eibsee station for our trip up to the Zugspitze. We took the train up and the gondola back. Thankfully the sun was shining bright; even though it got a little cloudy in the afternoon, it was OK because we were visiting the town of Oberammergau and the Wieskirche before heading to our next stop, Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The views from the Zugspitze were breathtaking – pictures to come soon!

A few interesting aspects of our trip – we’re not the only Rick Steeves’ fans out there, so there are a few travelers we’ve encountered several times from Munich to Salzburg and then at the Zugspitze. There’s a nice American family, Tom, Amy and their 4-year-old twins. They’re taking a break from Tom’s doctoral studies in shipbuilding engineering in Holland. Then there’s the nice couple from LA who are considering a move to Virginia.

We also followed Rick’s advice while packing. We definitely appreciate traveling light with just our carry-on size bags. I love my Switchback Max Eagle Creek pack; I’ve caught Bill eying my wheels enviously as he carries his backpack through the train stations.

It’s also nice to have brought warmer clothes. Thanks to Liz for the warm fleece jacket! And thanks to Carmen & Danielle for the scarves I wear everyday. Bill thanks Loudoun Water for the nice two-layer jacket – very practical. My L.L. Bean gear has also served me well – my bright green rain jacket and my old large “healthy back” bag.

Thanks, Carmen, for the road map – it’s been helpful when Neverlost becomes Everlost. Thanks to Laura & Jeff, too, for the extra maps & guides. The Zugspitze guide got us to the right stop for the cog rail train.

I think we may overstay our welcome at this internet cafe, so I’ll send another update later. Auf Wiedersehen!

The past few days have been overcast and raining. The sun tried to break through on Saturday morning, but the rain won in the end. We decided to visit a few nearby towns: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald and Innsbruck. Garmisch was celebrating their spring festival. Everyone seemed determined to have a good time, but I’m not sure they were successful from the looks of them.

This is how we'd like to decorate our house

We stopped in Mittenwald to eat a picnic lunch by the river – in our car. Innsbruck was just a drive by.

Everywhere there are beautiful painted buildings and gilded churches. We did stop in Hall and wandered through St. Nikolaus church. The church displays the remains of saints as a sign of Rome’s favor to the town.

A relaxed pose

OK, everyone say "Cheese!"

Saturday evening we went to Gasthof Kreuz, a restaurant in the small nearby town of Rieden on the recommendation of our hosts at Hotel Das Beck.

Dressed for another evening on the "town"

Inge and Tamara from the hotel were super nice. Thursday evening, Tamara was working in the hotel bar. We struck up a conversation with a customer, Günter Singer. He recommended the Goldene Rose, his brother-in-law’s restaurant.