GERMANY/SWITZERLAND September 2021

With the EU announcing an easing of the entry restrictions due to COVID, Nancy and I decided to take a trip to Germany and Switzerland to enjoy the late Summer weather there, attend the WurstFest in Bad Durkheim, and do some hiking in the Swiss Alps.  Along the way, while we were there, we would stop and see friends from our past.  In early July we made airplane reservations and a number of hotel reservations based on where we thought we would be during our time there.  The timing centered on the WurstFest which covered the weekends of 10 and 17 September.  Our schedule was based on us attending the Wurst Fest the weekend of the 10th.  With all that in mind we scheduled as much as we wanted to in advance leaving some wiggle room should our plans change while we were in Europe.  Lastly, we alerted our friends in Germany, warning them of our impending arrival and desires to see them and perhaps share a dinner or something. Having done all that, the only thing left was to wait until the 7th of September and fly out.

As our departure drew near we were made aware of, by our airline, several COVID related issues we needed to take care of before we left.  First, The Airline we were flying on wanted proof that we had our COVID-19 vaccinations.  We were required to show we had once had COVID and were now naturally resistant or that we had the vaccination regimen required for resistance.  We provided all that on line and soon we were ok’ed by the airline to fly.  Then, three days before we departed we had to go to a German website and provide proof of our vaccinations or previous recovery as well as listing where we would be during our time in Germany.  We did all that, again on line, and soon received a form approving our visit.  A two week quarantine in Germany, upon our arrival, would be required if we did not have the approval forms. As we were going to be there for only three weeks, we did not want to spend the first two weeks locked in a hotel room.  We were pleased we were able to complete everything in advance.  

On Labor Day, 6 Sept, we checked out a rental car to get us to the airport, packed our bags, and did our last minute preparations to leave.  On the 7th we drove to the airport, turned in our rental car, and boarded our flight to Newark, NJ and on to Frankfurt, Germany.  The flights, connections and arrival processes all went fine with no delays or difficulties.  We arrived in Frankfurt at 10 in the morning of the 8th of September, processed through Immigration and Customs, checked out a German Rental Car and our European Vacation was under way.  We checked into our hotel, a Gasthauase in Enkenbach called the Kolb where we were to spend three nights.  It is pleasant place with several rooms and great breakfasts and meals for lunch and dinner.  We seldom or never stay at people’s homes.  We just find the inconvenience we cause for both our hosts and ourselves to be not worth it.  We find it better just to spend time with friends and stay in a hotel.

Our first stop was to see our neighbors from when we lived in Germany the last time we lived there.  Manfred and Waltraud Helf lived next door to us for six years while I worked as a DoD consultant.  They kind of adopted us and we were included in many of their community and family events.  Many, many fond memories.  Because we had not slept for 36 hours, were tired and in need of a shower and sleep, we just had cake and coffee with them and went to our hotel in the next village over.  We checked in and walk to a nearby Turkish Restaurant we have enjoyed for years, had a light dinner and returned to our room.  It was our intent to stay up until at least nine or ten but only made it to Seven before we crashed.  Next thing I knew, Nancy was telling me it was Nine in the morning and we needed to go down for breakfast or miss out.

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After a pleasant breakfast we decided to go to Kaiserslautern, the largest nearby city, and get German Telephone SIM cards for our phones which will give us phone service as well as texting and internet while we are here.  There is a large electronics chain store (like Best Buy) called Saturn in Germany so we decided to try that.  They had the cards but we needed our passports to register them.  After driving back to the hotel and securing our passports we returned to Saturn, got the cards, and pressed on.

As we had spent many years living in this area we spent much of the day just driving around seeing what had changed, what was new, and how so many things had not changed. Between trips back and forth getting passports, stops at bakeries for coffee and a sweetie, and an afternoon beer, we managed to use up the day.  

That evening we met the Helf’s and four of their friends at a sports bar for pizza, beer, wine, and schnapps … a fine evening it was.  They have a group that meets there every Thursday for Pizza and we were fortunate enough to be invited.  Over the years we have done many social things with the Helf’s so we already knew most of the people they were having dinner with.  It was during this dinner that we found one of the events we came to Germany to enjoy was again cancelled this year.  The Wurstfest in Bad Durkheim, a tradition in Germany for at least the last 600 years.  (I put some pictures of one several years ago in this blog.  The title is Germany Revisited.).   Oh well, more time to practice relaxing!

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A better night’s sleep and we were ready for our German breakfast which is usually a whole grain Brotchen ( Like a dinner role but fresh and a little bigger) with sliced cold cuts and fresh cheese.  Nancy usually has the Muesli with yogurt followed by a small regular brotchen with a slice of cheese.  Always with coffee.  Our objective for this trip was to see friends and relax a little.  We usually travel at a fast pace so this time we are practicing slowing down.  That said, we spent the day cruising around again and part of the afternoon resting.  We also took a long walk around the village we were staying in … very refreshing.  The evening found us walking to a nearby Gasthaus for a dinner of Wiener Schnitzel, French Fries, and a salad.  A ultimate traditional German Dinner.

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Saturday morning found us traveling to the Deutches Wine Strasse (German Wine Street).  We stopped in St Martins which is a beautiful little village that hosts a large number of Vintners selling their wines, restaurants, and lovely streets.  We walked around for a while, stopped in at our favorite Vintner (Alte Schloss meaning Old Castle) and bought a couple bottles of our favorite wine to have later or take home.  We also drove around the area a bit enjoying all the fields of grapes nearing maturity.  The grapes were impressive as they hang in huge clusters along the bottom of the vines.  Many of the fields are harvested by machines that “vacuum” the grapes from the vines causing no damage to the grapes or the vines.  In hillier places like along the Mosel or Rhine Rivers the grapes are still hand picked. 

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We did stop in Bad Durkheim at the largest wine barrel in the world which normally anchors the Wurst Fest Event.  There were many people there and we enjoyed a glass of wine next to the big barrel … which is actually a restaurant inside.  After the stop there we traveled to a nearby small village where we spent the evening in a Bohemian type hotel, Hotel Vivo Vino (you can check it out on the internet if you don’t believe me).A very clean and nicely decorated room off of a center courtyard where they served dinner.   We did have dinner there and enjoyed a delicious, well presented, meal which was followed by a good nights sleep.

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The next day we headed cross country to get to Bernkastel Kues which is a good starting point if you want to enjoy some of the Mosel River.  We had not had breakfast when we arrived so we proceeded to the nearest bakery and had a Latte and a sweet role (they still bake them fresh right on the premises here).  As we always have done in the past we parked and walked through the scenic part of the town enjoying the people, shops, restaurants, and wine bars.  We did stop at a wine shop that had an outside seat available and enjoyed a great glass of wine while watching the tourists.  Realizing that our parking time was soon expiring and we still had some ways to go to our hotel, we finished up and drove on. 

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Driving along the Mosel is exceptionally scenic with endless things to see.  There are fewer castles along the Mosel as there are along the Rhine but the Mosel is smaller, more quaint, and much more scenic.  Nancy and I often came to the Mosel to ride our bikes along the river.  We would park someplace and go either upriver (South) or downriver, eventually cross to the opposite side and ride back. Because the Mosel is smaller, there are frequent bridges you can use to cross.  The Rhine however has a bridge in Koblenz, where the Rhine and Mosel converge and most other crossings must be made by ferry.  Once the Mosel and Rhine converge, it is called the Rhine as it runs Northwest into the Netherlands, where is becomes the Wall River and continues to the Atlantic near Rotterdam.  There is always a great deal of barge traffic on both the Mosel and the Rhine that is enabled by a very efficient lock system to keeps the waters deep enough to support the barges.  There are also a number of tourist barges that provide either day tours or weeks on end of cruising the rivers while living on the boat in grand style.  Today though we are just driving our rental down the Mosel enjoying the pleasant scenery.

Late afternoon found us arriving in Senheim where the Gasthaus Halfenstube is nestled up to the Mosel.  Twenty plus years ago Nancy and I were stationed at Rhine Main Air Base in Frankfurt.  While we were there Nancy booked a River Cruise on the Nile River in Egypt.  While on the cruise we met and became friends with Erich and Ushe Klingon, who owned and operated a Gasthaus called the Halfenstube on the Mosel.  We enjoyed our time with them on the cruise and when we parted, they extended an invitation for us to stop at their Gasthaus someday and enjoy some Mosel Hospitality.  We did that and have going back to visit them ever since.  A few years ago, their daughter Sylvia took over the business and has raised it to a higher level providing relaxation, sauna, massage, more rooms, wellness, and a heated swimming pool.  We had a lively dinner with Erich and Ushe that first evening and had a lot of fun catching up.  

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The next day, after breakfast, Nancy and I drove down to Beilstein where a large Castle once dominated the Mosel.  The town is picturesque and hosts many restaurants and hotels.  It is also a stop for many of the tour boats that take thousands of people up and down these two rivers every year.  We had just finished breakfast so we decided to make the climb to the castle.  The reward for making it to the top is an awesome view of the villages, vineyards, and the Mosel.  I’m pleased to report that the trip down from the castle is still easier than the trip up.  We made it back to the car and proceeded to Cochem.  

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Cochem is a larger town with a complete castle that towers over the city, both have which have been here since the 1400’s.  We found a parking space (Whew!) and strolled through Cochem.  We had been here a number of times so it was just remembering all the good times we have had here.  As a matter of fact, some 10 to 15 years ago we were guests at Sylvia (Ushi and Erich’s Daughter) and her Husband Volker’s wedding reception held in the beautiful castle.  We did stop and have a refreshment, then finished our walk. 

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Returning to the Halfenstube in mid afternoon we relaxed with a very good piece of German Pastry and a glass of wine on their Mosel Terrace which sits right on the Mosel and you can sit there and watch the boat traffic and swans on the river and the bikers riding along it.  We again had dinner with Erich and Ushe that evening , after which we went to their house where Erich shared some of the “Special “ wines he had saved over the years.  Erich also grows grapes and we are featured picking the grapes for him one year in my “A Revisit To Germany” post at adventurzwithnancy.com

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The next morning, after checking out of the Halfenstube and saying goodbye to everyone, we were off to Koblenz to see that city and start our tour of the Rhine.  It was not too far to Koblenz so we arrived around noon and were able to check in to our hotel.  It was downtown so we hauled our stuff in and walked through the old city to the “Deutch’s Eck” or, where the Mosel and the Rhine flow together.  It turned out to be quite the walk and used up most of our afternoon.  We had stopped for a coffee and a strudel late in the afternoon so we decided to skip dinner, had an early lights out and got a good night’s sleep.

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The next morning was foggy and a bit of drizzle.  We did not have a real long way to go so after a leisurely breakfast we packed up the car and headed out for Boppard, a whole 30 kilometers down the road.  We stopped several times to look at and photograph castles and boats and we made it to the hotel around noon.  Because it was a dreary day and the hotel (Park Hotel, Boppard) upgraded us to a room with a covered balcony, we elected to spend the day there, in the room, on the balcony, enjoying the scenery and playing cards.  The afternoon went by quickly and we had a pleasant dinner in the hotel restaurant that evening.  In the morning we just had coffee, packed up the car, and were off.

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Our hotel for the next evening was on the North side of the Rhine and we were on the south side.  Consequently, when we left our hotel we crossed on the first ferry we encountered.  That was not a smart move because a few kilometers down the road was a huge construction site that had the road on that side of the river closed.  Because of the closure, we had to take a ferry back to the side we were on when we started the day.  No worries though … we had ample time and crossing on the ferry was both inexpensive and kind of fun.  We continued to Bingen on the South side of the Rhine, then took a big ferry over to Rudesheim.  Rudesheim is a very quaint big town famous being the home of Asbach brandy, restaurants, and tourists.  We used to go there frequently just to enjoy the ambiance.  So, we were going there today.  Our hotel was just a couple kilometers up the road so we drove up to make sure the roadwas open, checked in, and drove back to Rudesheim.  We wandered around looking in shops, had a glass of wine and a Rudesheimer Coffee, and drove back to the hotel later in the afternoon.  We strolled around the little village our hotel,was in, spend some time sitting out front watching the river traffic, and eventually had dinner.  Then off to bed.

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The next day, Friday, 17 Sept, we had arranged to meet some friends for dinner in the city of Frankfurt.  We left our hotel near Rudesheim and proceeded to Frankfurt and our hotel, a Marriott Residence, that was a new hotel in the old part of town.  We were going to meet Uwe & Jutta Thoms for dinner.  Jutta had worked at the Frankfurt Airport when we were stationed at Rhein Main AB in Frankfurt.  The Airbase was actually located on the airport so we had a great deal of interaction with the Airport (Called Fraport).  Jutta was an interpreter for the Fraport executives and would attend meetings to ensure everyone understood what was being discussed.  Not so much the actual language but the nuances of intent that often are misunderstood.  Anyhow, Nancy and I got to know Uwe (Jutta’s husband) and Jutta over the years we were there and always make a point of having dinner with them when we pass through Frankfurt.  Uwe had a successful Legal Practice in Frankfurt.  They are both retired now but Uwe still does some legal work in the village where they live. 

We checked in to the hotel, wandered around the old part of Frankfort a while, had a bratwurst and a glass of wine and returned to the hotel.  We met Uwe & Jutta and they took us to the oldest restaurant in Frankfurt.  It has been operating since somewhere in the 1400’s.  We had a delightful dinner and walked around the Romer Platz and down the Zeil talking about the city and life in general.  A very pleasant evening.

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Saturday morning Nancy and I did one of our favorite things.  We walked the Zeil (A big pedestrian walkway through the retail center of Frankfurt).  There are two markets in Frankfurt on Saturdays.  One is underground and sells some of the best international foods you will find.  Fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, seasonings, meats, mushrooms, you name it and they have it.  An incredibly interesting market to walk through.  The other market is in a .large lot and is more traditional with fruit, veggies, bakery, meats, and wines.  We always finish up there for a bratwurst and a glass of wine.  The wine place has just high tops set around outside with no chairs.  You get your wine, find a table and stand there enjoying the weather, people and hustle.  Germans typically share spaces at a table so it is not uncommon to be offered one side of the table or offer aside at yours.  You meet the most interesting people doing that.  Today we met Adam and Lee, two Americans actually, that lived and worked in Frankfurt.  Nice couple.

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We drove back to Mehlingen that afternoon and took Manfred and Waltraud out for dinner.  We went to a local Gastehaus for snitzel and fries, then went to the Helf’s garden Hutte for some evening socializing.  Many Germans have small rooms beside their gardens where they spend time during the Summer when the houses are hot.Just the four of us.  Another pleasant evening.

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Sunday we were up and on our way to Switzerland.  Our favorite place in Switzerland is Grindelwald.  A medium sized community that is a haven for skiers in the winter and hikers in the Summer.  We had reservations at our favorite hotel, the Hotel Gletschergarten.  It has been in the Michel family for five generations and is ran by two very nice people (Greg and Gaby Michel).  We have stayed there several times and always enjoy it.

We didn’t drive the entire way to Switzerland the first day.  We stopped overnight in Freiburg on the edge of the Black Forest.  The day was rainy so driving was no fun.  We checked in to our hotel, got out our umbrellas, and walked downtown for a Latte and a slice of Black Forest Tort.  That brightened up the day a bit and we returned to the hotel and vegged out until dinner.  It was still raining at dinner time so we decided to eat at the hotel.  The hotel did not serve full dinners but did have a short menu in their bar area.  We each ordered a beer and a Flamkugen.  Flamkugen is like a pizza but the dough is very thin and crispy, there is no tomato sauce, and usually has only one or two sparsely spread out toppings.  There is some sort of white sauce on it (Cheese I think) but I’m not sure what that is.  They are about the size of a small pizza so we each had one.  We met a pair of gentlemen from Denmark.  A father and his adult son.  The son was a commercial airplane pilot and the Father worked with the Danish defense ministry.  Interesting conversation and evening.

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So Monday we drove on to Grindelwald, checked in to the Gletschergarten, and walked downtown to see what had changed.  Like so many small European cities, not much change.  Mostly the same shops, restaurants, and equipment rental places.  After strolling, looking, strolling, we decided it was late enough for dinner so we stopped at this place called “Oncle Tom’s Pizza” … and yes, we had eaten there before and yes, it is spelled with an “O”.  We had a great pizza and a couple beers and called it an evening.  The next morning we decided to ride the lift to what they call First.  The lift is the ski lift in the winter so it goes all the way to the top of the mountain. There is a lake, a cliff walk, and a restaurant at the top. We did the cliff walk while it was exhilarating, it was foggy so you could not see very far.  We did not walk out to the lake because it was fogged in and a two hour walk in cold weather.  We enjoyed the cliff walk and had a latte at the restaurant to celebrate our joy.  We then took the lift back down to the lowest stop and boarded our Trotti bikes for an exciting ride to the bottom!  The Trotti bike is like a coaster with bigger tires. No pedals, no seat, just brakes and a platform to stand on. We had a beer to celebrate.  Later we had dinner at the hotel.  Dinners are difficult in Grindelwald in that you eat mostly at pizza places or hotels.  The hotels all serve about the same thing for about the same price.  So, we ate at our hotel, had a great dinner and turned in.

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The next morning produced a great breakfast and a bus ride to the train station.  We took the train from Grindelwald to Kliena Sheidegg at the top of the mountain.  From there you could take another train to the Jungfrau and “The Top of Europe” or back down the other side of the mountain to Wengen.  Wengen is a special town in that it does not allow automobiles or trucks.  They have electric taxis and a few utility vehicles that they operate to support the city.  We took the train to Wengen as we have been to the Eiger on previous trips.  Once in Wengen we walked through the town, stopped for a beer, bought some souvenirs, and later, took a lift to the top of the mountain.  Some years ago we took a lift from Grendelwald to the top of this mountain and hiked across the top to Kliena Sheidegg.

Following is a number of mountain pictures … I will caption only those that are unique.

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From Grindelwald we had three days to get to our flight. We had to get a COVID test to get back into the US so that was our first priority. We had bought test kits that you performed yourself while being observed on the internet. The result showed up like a pregnancy test and if you were negative, they would send you the test result document you needed to get on an airplane going to the US.

We left Grindelwald and drove back to Freiburg in the Black Forest. There we again stayed at the Marriott and did our COVID tests from our room.

That got us cleared to fly back so all we had to do was make it to Frankfurt by Sunday morning. We left Freiburg the next morning and stopped for the night in Enkenbach because the Helf’s had asked us to stop by one lat time. That we did and Waltraud made a a superb homemade meal. That was followed by some wine, beer, and schnapps with some other friends that stopped by after dinner.

Saturday morning we got up and drove to Frankfurt and checked into the Steigenburger hotel at the airport. As soon as we were checked in we returned our trusted rental car.

We then wandered around the airport for a while. There are many things to do at the Frankfurt airport. Many restaurants, shopping, whatever. We wandered around for a while, had a pretzel and a beer, and took the shuttle back to the hotel. Next morning we got up, took the shuttle back to the airport and boarded our flight back to the US.

All in all a very pleasant trip. It was wonderful seeing friends from our time there again, and we always enjoy traveling and seeing and experiencing new things. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and blab … thanks for coming along.

P.S. I apologies for reasserting you to my blog but I must add two comments that I had intended but neglected to include.

1. Our original itinerary had included going to Spain for a couple days to visit Phil and Sarah Gardner. However, as we were planning our itinerary, Spain put a lock down on anyone entering the country. That, unfortunately resulted in us dropping any plans of going to Spain. Phil and Sarah are friends of ours who we met in Australia. They had retired and bought a home there and, through our affiliation with St Mary’s Catholic Church we came to know each other and kept in contact. Phil & Sarah eventually sold their house in Australia (A very difficult place to live if you are not Australian) and moved to Spain. Because Ryan Air flies to Spain from Germany we had intended to drop in on them and have dinner. We scratched all that with Spains lockdown not knowing it would last only a short time. The unfortunate result was that we did not go to Spain, we did not get to see Phil and Sarah. Sorry.
2. The second comment is more personal and involves only Nancy and I. We have been back home now for nearly three days. As we were enjoying a home dinner that Nancy planned and prepared, and I cooked on the grill, we commented to each other how it is almost surreal that we had been to Germany and Switzerland, saw all the friends we had, and now we were back home, having dinner, just as were were doing on the 5th of September. It feels like we never left home, yet we have all these new memories. Strange but pleasant.

Okay, I won’t add any more. Thanks for bearing with me.