6/12/15-6/20/15 Germany Trip Report

[kmc33]

I am enjoying following along on your trip! Thank you for taking the time to post. This looks like a trip I would really enjoy!

 

[TXTransplant]

They used to have lunch inside that building according to a previous trip report. Just curious.

Do you know if they had an alternative activity during the bike riding?

Ok. I wasn't sure if you knew that building happened to be a restaurant, of if you knew specifically ABD had hosted a meal in there.

If you don't want to ride bikes (and there were a few in our group who didn't), you got to sleep a little later and enjoyed a longer ferry boat ride. That is when we all met back up.

 

[SingingMom]

They used to have lunch inside that building according to a previous trip report. Just curious.

Do you know if they had an alternative activity during the bike riding?

We opted for the longer ferry ride. It was very relaxing and refreshments were available for purchase. We had cocktails. ;-)

 

[Cousin Orville]

We opted for the longer ferry ride. It was very relaxing and refreshments were available for purchase. We had cocktails. ;-)

ooo... I like your thinking

 

[ronaldnelson]

HI TXTransplant, did any of the kids do the bike ride? we have 11 yr old twin boys do you think it might be a bit much for them or do you think they would do just fine?

thanks again for your posts

 

[carpenta]

We did this trip last year and our daughter was 12 yrs. old and we all rode. Every kid on our trip did the bike ride. It goes around the lake. The lake itself is a man made lake used to generate electricity. It was the actual dam that the British bombed to stop the electric generation as well as flood the valley. At the dam there is a plaque that tells about the raid made famous by the 60's movie "The Dam Busters". There are two hills that take time but are do-able. It was a very nice ride.

 

[sayhello]

Wow! Everything looks so beautiful! The Castle, the lake, the little town of Alsfeld! And your room looks lovely. What a view!

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

HI TXTransplant, did any of the kids do the bike ride? we have 11 yr old twin boys do you think it might be a bit much for them or do you think they would do just fine?

thanks again for your posts

My son is 10 and he did the ride, leading the pack. He is a good rider, though. That is the biggest issue...are your kids good riders and will they be comfortable with a mountain style bike, if they don't ride that kind at home. Really, none of the kids on the ride had any issues...it was the adults (myself included) who were a little uncoordinated!

 

[TXTransplant]

ooo... I like your thinking

The hot chocolate they serve on the ferry ride is amazing, too! I've never had any that good!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Really enjoying the report! Sounds like another trip to add to the ever-growing ABD list

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

P.S. Also love the picture of the separate comforters on the beds. We've recently done this at home, and we absolutely love it. It wasn't easy to find the european style comforters here though--they are a little narrower and longer.

 

[ronaldnelson]

thanks TXTransplant, yes my boys are good riders and ride mountain style bikes at home, now their parents could be interesting ha ha ha ha ha

 

[TXTransplant]

thanks TXTransplant, yes my boys are good riders and ride mountain style bikes at home, now their parents could be interesting ha ha ha ha ha

We survived (albeit with sore derrières), so I bet you will, too! Lol!

Today we traveled to Kassel and toured the Hercules Monument and a 19th century replica of a medieval castle. Our local guide was fantastic! We are now in Rothenburg. Rothenburg is very picturesque, so I will try to get some pictures between now and our night watchman tour and post the story of our day later tonight.

I will say, if Hotel Eisenhut is going for the "old" look, they nailed it! Our bathroom is a pink marble palace and the bedroom wouldn't be out of place in your grandma's 60s-era home. I'm definitely missing Schloss Waldeck, in terms of accommodations!

 

[TXTransplant]

It took about an hour to get from Waldeck to Kassel on the bus. Our first stop was something called the Hercules Monument. It's basically an enormous copper statue of a naked Hercules. The statue is at the top of a hill and standing on a very tall base. There are stairs leading down from the base of the statue, and the stairs surround a tiered arrangement of ponds and waterfalls. Twice a week they do a "water festival", releasing thousands of gallons of water down the hill. At the bottom of the hill is a large basin with a Neptune statue. It's really hard to explain, but if you google "Hercules Monument" you will get pictures of the water. I didn't take very many pictures because the monument is being restored and is covered in scaffolding. It's also kind of ugly without the flowing water.

We hiked down the hill and through a fairytale forest to get to the castle in Kassel. As I mentioned earlier, the castle was built in the early 19th century but is supposed to look like a medieval castle. It was also bombed in WWII, though, so I'm not sure how much of the "ruin" look was from the original design or from the bombing. We were greeted by a princess when we arrived. After photos, the princess took the kids on a tour, and our local guide took the adults on a separate tour. The castle had a really neat weapons room.

After the tour, we had lunch at a local restaurant. This was supposed to be schnitzel day, but I wasn't in the mood. I had a starter of potato soup and gnocchi as an entree. The soup was fine, and I ate the gnocchi, but I wasn't impressed. Something was off...the gnocchi was served with a salad on top of it, and the portion size was not quite right (I am accustomed to a bunch of little gnocchi, but this was 5 or 6 really large ones). JT didn't like the gnocchi at all. Alcoholic beverages and dessert were not included in this meal.

After lunch, we hit the road for a three+ hour bus ride to Rothenburg. I'll post pics when we get back from the night watchman tour.

 

[carpenta]

We really enjoyed our tour of the monument and castle. I have to agree that the Eisenhut is "quaint" but loved the location. Have fun at the pretzel making around the corner. Have you had a chance to "walk the walls" that encircles Rothenberg? We really loved seeing all the city gates. Also that Hercules monument was used as a flight marker for allied air forces to bomb the near bye city. Probably one reason why it survived.

 

[BadPinkTink]

following along, I used to live in Munich, so I cant wait to read your report from my former home town. If you have free time in Munich I can give you some tips on what to see

 

[TXTransplant]

 

[TXTransplant]

 

[TXTransplant]

Hotel Eisenhut and our pink marble palace bathroom.

 

[sayhello]

Good Heavens!! That really *is* PINK!!!

Sayhello