Germany Trip Report

[zmom]

Germany Adventure Day 5

Today our meet time was a little later which was nice- we didn’t meet until 9:30 am. The original itinerary had us making pretzels in a bakery, but due to Covid restrictions at the bakery this was cancelled. The guides worked their magic to substitute a chocolate workshop at a local shop instead. We split into two groups and each spent 30 minutes learning a bit about different types of chocolate then got to make our own personalized candy bars. It was a nice experience and the shop owners were awesome.

After the candy making we had until 3 pm to explore the town. First stop was the famous Kathy Wohlfahrt Christmas store. I was planning for this to be my main souvenir stop and I ended up with three nutcrackers that I had shipped home. Money spent the rest of the morning and afternoon was spent walking. We walked to the top of of the clock tower in the center of town for some amazing views. There were many many steep tight steps leading to the top, but it was well worth the climb. Then we walked to the castle gardens which were also stunning. After that was a trip along the top of the city wall. Before we knew it we had to head to the afternoon activity.

I had read good things about the afternoon activity, but still wasn’t convinced I would enjoy it. Turns out it was a lot of fun. There is a local shop that offers medieval costumes to try on. The “photo shoot” was in a cellar and the setting was fantastic. I think everyone that participated had a great time. You could show up anytime between 3 and 5 so everyone was spread out through out the day.

After the dress up we were on our own again until 6 so we stopped for drinks and appetizers at a Greek/German cafe in the central square. They have only been open a few months and we really enjoyed it. It is a great location overlooking the square.

Dinner was a 6 at the hotel. We preordered yesterday with a choice of salmon, beef and a vegetarian dish. Wine or beer was included and it was quite good.

Tomorrow we need to have bags out by 7:30 and the bus leaves at 8 am.

 

[pjacobi]

Did you try the Schneeballen in Rothenberg?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneeball_(pastry)


-Paul

 

[zmom]

Did you try the Schneeballen in Rothenberg?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneeball_(pastry)


-Paul

Yes we did. A little dry for me but glad I tried it

 

[zmom]

Germany Adventure Day 6


Today we were on the bus most of the day. We loaded the coach at 8 am and drove about 2 hours to Bamberg. We connected with a local guide for tour through the old town, then had about 45 min. for lunch or free time. Then it was back on the bus for another 2 hours before we stopped for a restroom/snack break at a rest stop with a McDonalds. After the break it was another 2 hours to Berlin. By the time we got to Berlin we had a short 45 minutes to freshen up before going to dinner at a local German cuisine restaurant. It was a delicious and very filling.

 

[zmom]

Germany Adventure Day 7


Today was cloudy, cooler and blustery with some rain in the morning. It was also a busy day with lots of walking. A local Berlin guide joined us outside the hotel at 9:30 for a walking tour through Berlin. We walked for about 2 1/2 hours and it was an excellent overview of the city. The tour finished at a Hilton where we had a curry wurst lunch in their restaurant. Then we loaded up on a bus to drive to the East Side Gallery which is a place where street art fills portions of the remaining Berlin Wall. We got some history from a street art artist and then they led us to a place to make our own street art canvas. It was a very fun activity and everyone did such different pieces of art. They are a fabulous souvenir to take home. We got back to the hotel around 4 and the afternoon and evening were free. We wanted to do some shopping but today was a holiday and all the stores were closed. Restaurants and bars were open for dinner though. I walked on my own to checkpoint Charlie which is just a 10 minute walk from the hotel. As the guides will tell you it is very touristy and tacky, but there are a few original pieces there.

 

[sayhello]

I'd love to see your street art!

Sayhello

 

[zmom]

This one is mine!

 

[sayhello]

This one is mine!

Oh, cool! I like it!

Sayhello

 

[Woodview]

To zmom How do you find travelling in the coach ?

Which Hotels did you stay in & what was the breakfast like ?

ln the photo of The Brandenburg Gate did the guide point out the 2 famous hotels

,The Amercian one & near by the Russian one both on the other side of photo ( Right hand side behind the person in red ) ?

Did you get the shivering feeling as you were near ( or passing by ) The Gestapo Hq.. of WW.War 2 as you neared Check point Charlie ( did you see the brass line on the street ? )

 

[zmom]

To zmom How do you find travelling in the coach ?

Which Hotels did you stay in & what was the breakfast like ?

ln the photo of The Brandenburg Gate did the guide point out the 2 famous hotels

,The Amercian one & near by the Russian one both on the other side of photo ( Right hand side behind the person in red ) ?

Did you get the shivering feeling as you were near ( or passing by ) The Gestapo Hq.. of WW.War 2 as you neared Check point Charlie ( did you see the brass line on the street ? )

The coaches have all been wonderful and comfortable. The longest day was the transfer to Berlin- distance wise and traffic wise- but still wasn’t awful. Guides always have snacks and water available. They play movies, but the AV tech isn’t always the greatest.

The hotel in Munich is the Kempinski Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (4 seasons, but not the American brand). I think it was everyone’s favorite, especially for the the breakfast- a wonderful diverse buffet with the option to order omelets or other hot dishes. The hotel in Rothenburg was the Rappen which we also loved. It wasnt a fancy big city hotel but the wing we were in was new and I liked the modern feel. The breakfast there was a more standard buffet but seemed to offer good choices. I had started skipping breakfast at this point as I usually don’t eat in the morning, but my son found good things to try. The hotel in Berlin was the Regent Berlin, another posh city hotel In an excellent location. I did not go in the breakfast area here but many stated the service was slow here in the morning and my son did not have time to wait for his eggs the first morning and had to leave. He went earlier the next day!

I don’t remember them pointing out those hotels but I may have missed it. Checkpoint Charlie was very touristy to me so maybe not so emotional. They took us through the checkpoint for German citizens earlier in the day and it was very impactful. The most impactful day for me overall was Dachau.

 

[zmom]

Germany Adventure Day 8
Last full day . The first part of the trip went slow (in a good way), but the last few days have flown by. We met this morning at 8 am. The activity was a biking tour, but if you did not want to bike you could either go with the group for a walking tour or have the whole day as free time. We went for the biking tour and it was a very thorough tour through Berlin, encompassing about 3 hours. We overlapped a few of the walking tour spots, but had a new perspective with our bike guide Andy. The group was split in half and the other half had a different guide with somewhat less favorable reviews. There happened to be a Covid testing site right next to the bike tour shop, so at the end some got tested there while waiting for the group to gather. We got the results within 30 minutes and as far as I know everyone on the tour was negative. If you did not test there the guides took you to a spot near the hotel. The testing was free and you get a QR code link to the results.

We got back to hotel around noon and we had until 5:30 as free time for lunch, shopping or museums. I will not spoil the evening but it was very special and a good meal. We were very sad to say goodbye to the guides- Danny and Zuza were amazing. The next group to go will only have Zuza as it is a small group of only 10ish. Danny will be back for the remainder of the summer.

Pick up times for the airport are 3 hours before your flight so we are out of here at 6:50 am.

This was my first adventure and I am sold on the product. I will for sure be back!

 

[AquaDame]

Thank you for sharing - it was very fun following along!

 

[Minniedoc]

I am so excited - going on the Jan 3rd departure of this adventure! And my 3rd ABD. Thank you so much for this wonderful report!

 

[Minniedoc]

FYI I am a solo traveler and I have gone with family adventure groups due to my schedule. It is awesome to make new friends, yet enjoy my solo time too. No one does it like Disney.

 

[Mathmagicland]

@zmom, thanks for sharing your trip! It was wonderful to read a trip report again. Germany has not been high on my list of future AbDs, but after reading this I’m taking a closer look at it.