Reminiscing... 9 months late. What the heck! Sharing our Europe trip... including Disneyland Paris!

[mariezp]

To be honest, visiting Germany is not at the top of my list (DH has been, and said it's boring!), but your pictures make me want to go! The scenery is so beautiful, your pictures probably don't do it justice, I don't say that as an insult, just from experience! Our Bath pictures of the hilly countryside do not compare to being there!

I especially like the picture from above the village, the one with the yellow rose next to the gate.

I never really knew Germany was at the top of my list either but for some unknown reason my son has a love for all things German related so that was enough to sway me to be willing to go take a look. I've always wanted to go to Europe but with no specific destination in mind so Germany was as good a place as any to start. Anyway, I know everyone has different interests so Germany may not be your hubby's cup of tea. However, there are enough things to do I would think most people could find something that might interest them. I set out with a list of my son's specific interests and filled in with things I thought the rest of us would enjoy. Worked great for us and I assure you we were never bored. No time for that! lol! But, hey, as long as you have a list to go somewhere I'd go with that... and if you ever run out of first choices you could always go back and add Germany to the list.

I totally agree about the pictures. When I first returned I was truly disappointed that my photos were not better. Looking at them now after some time has passed they are starting to look better to me though because a bit of time passing has allowed the reality of actually being there to fade a bit. No doubt in my mind at all that being there in person is a gazillion times better than any photo I could ever take.

I had so many pictures that I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to post. That picture with the rose is actually one of the ones I decided to add at the last minute. Good call, huh? Glad you like it!

 

[annegirl]

Your castle hotel looks fantastic. I really want to be dining at the table with that view! So beautiful. I cannot wait to see Germany in person.

 

[mariezp]

Hope you do make it to Germany and get to check out that dining table.

On our next stay I'd like to be there long enough to have a meal on every different patio!

 

[mariezp]

Finally made it back so here we go again....


Day 8, September 3, 2014
The next morning we made a last round of the castle grounds.

We visited the small museum that was on the castle grounds.

The spiral staircase led to the roof for the most impressive view overlooking the Rhine River.

Sadly we left towards our next destination and made our way to the KD ferry location.

I would love to be sitting under this tree just watching all the boats travel up and down the river.

My son made sure that he could be able to say he had touched the Rhine River.

 

[mariezp]

While we were waiting we were able to watch the other boats on the river and also happened to witness another ferry get a little to close to the dock and bump it. Thankfully, it was not our boat! When ours did safely arrive we boarded and thoroughly enjoyed a 2 hour cruise on the Rhine River.

Cute bee ice cream for dessert.

We then disembarked to catch a train to Weisbaden, Germany.

 

[mariezp]

We made a brief stop at our hotel and then caught a cab to drop us off at the Marketplatz where we were to meet our tour guide for the Magic History Tour.

It was a fantastic walking tour of the city which shared some highlights of history. At several different intervals our guide, Bret, would show us a simple magic trip which helped add a new twist for my daughter to enjoy.

He actually managed to stick a rubber coackroach on her hand without her knowing.

The tour ended at an Irish pub. Our guide actually ended up being originally from the USA and we sat and visited with him for a few hours before calling it a night.

 

[annegirl]

Beautiful scenery! Looks amazing.

 

[CarolynK]

Germany really is a beautiful country!! Awesome pictures!

 

[Sherry E]

Hi, Marie!

For some reason I was thinking that I had already posted here, and apparently I did not. Shortly after you first gave me the link to this report, I read most of what had been posted up to that point. That's when I thought I had spoken up to let you know I was here, but I guess I got busy and forgot to say something. And now I have to go back and get caught up on whatever you posted since I last tuned in! At this point, I am not even sure if I remember what I was going to comment on, because, evidently, I thought I already commented on it!

Anyway, I'm happy that the trip seems to have gone very smoothly, and the pictures are wonderful! You pulled off a herculean task of planning, researching, coordinating, organizing, saving money, etc. -- all for a continent you had never been to. I think I would feel incredibly overwhelmed to plan something that was so out of my comfort zone.

Thank you for giving me a shout out at the beginning of the thread (that much I do remember)!

 

[mariezp]

Oh my! I have been very bad at making it back to finish up this report! I am going to try to get rolling again now.... especially since this is currently the exact time of year that we were on our trip an entire year ago. It will be good for me to go over the memories and perhaps it will also spur me on to find a way to make the next trip happen!

annegirl and CarolynK thank you again for commenting! Yes, the scenery is simply beautiful.

Hi Sherry E! Glad you popped over! Planning of the trip was really a lot of fun and did indeed at times seem like it was going to be way too much to pull off. Took me several days into the trip before I ever felt like it was going to all work. Boy, did I breath a huge sigh of relief when it was all said and done! And, I certainly did feel like I earned my pat on the back for all the effort I put into making our trip happen. It might have been out of my comfort zone but I was totally motivated by the reality that we were actually going to make a trip to Europe. Loved Europe so much I am ready to take on the task again! Now if I can just get my husband to give me a YES! to get started. I really need to work on that!

 

[mariezp]

Day 9, September 4, 2014

Our lodging for the next night was to be at a second castle. After having such a glorious time at our last castle we decided to go straight to Colmberg Castle and just spend some leisurely time, hoping that it was just as wonderful.
Our train deposited us in basically the middle of nowhere. I made a call to the castle to see if they could make arrangements for transportation. Our ride arrived shortly and our driver just happened to be the son of the owner of the castle. He was super friendly. The drive across the countryside was full of huge open flat fields.

Of course, the road got steeper as we drew nearer to the castle. Every castle needs to be on a hill! Upon arrival the castle was just wonderful from the outside.

The interior was of an appealing rustic style... something like a hunting lodge.

Massive beds... and there was a huge glorious jetted bathtub.

Close up details of the bed.

 

[mariezp]

After we checked out our rooms and dropped of our backpacks we set out to have a look around. The outside grounds were well kept with lovely views of the Franconian countryside.

The castle raises their own animals to supply meat for the restaurant. I read that the deer could be seen grazing below the castle but all I was able to see was a lone pig. Can you spot him?

The views at dusk and sunset were gorgeous!

 

[mariezp]

After we looked around outside a while we did some more exploring inside the castle. The hallways were lined with mounted animals. Beautiful woodwork all around. And, more big old chunky furniture everywhere.

The castle has it's own little chapel.

We found a room that must have been for storage. It was full of old beautiful furniture.

Did I mention that I love old windows? They make beautiful pictures, don't you think?

In the lobby there is an old car and a huge mounted bear. Wish I had got a better picture.

We had dinner in their restaurant later in the evening and it proved to be the best meal of our entire trip. The home raised venison was perfection.

Food was fantastic. The lodging was great. Overall another winner!

 

[CarolynK]

You found the coolest places to stay! Dinner sounded wonderful.

 

[mariezp]

Germany has so many amazing places to stay. There are tons of castles that have been converted to hotels and hostels. It's an easy way to live out a fairy tale even if it is for just a night or two. Pretty fun stuff!
I suppose if you have a castle you should have a pretty high standard to keep up. Both our castle stays apparently had hired on some excellent chefs. We never eat anywhere fancy so it was a nice treat on both occasions.

 

[mariezp]

Day 10, September 5, 2014


The next day we boarded a train heading for Salzburg, Austria. The trip took about 4 hours so we had a bit of time to relax and view some amazing countryside.

Salzburg is another beautiful city.

We found our hotel and after a short rest the phone rang to let us know our tour guides had arrived. I had arranged a bit of a surprise. For our tour we would be traveling in 3 bicycle driven rickshaws. It was a fun and unique experience I think everyone enjoyed.

The beautiful fountain was actually a drive through horse wash in Roman times. Ride in one side and exit out the other side.

And then there was the giant pickle.... unfortunately, I have already forgotten the story behind it.

Photo op in front of the oldest dining establishment in Europe.

We enjoyed a quick bit of information about the city and were deposited at the funicular station that would take us up to the Salzburg Fortress. Funniculars are amazing inventions to get to places where everything is up on top of a steep hill... which seemed to happen pretty often throughout our trip. I think we rode 4. I was impressed and loved them. The views were amazing! However, I guess something I need to consider next time I am planning... my poor son does not like heights. He did not care for them much at all.

Once atop the fortress we stopped for a drink while we waited for our reservation.

And enjoyed the beautiful views overlooking the city. Unfortunately, this is one day I failed to fully charge my camera. Thankfully my husband had his phone so we still got some pictures.

We had a very nice meal. Nothing like the view when you are dining inside a castle! Dark lighting = not good for photos.

Dinner was followed by a classical concert. The music was beautiful but I think even more than that my husband and I loved watching the passion and emotion the musicians put into their performance.The guy on the far right really loved what he was doing.

We loved the dining and the concert and then enjoyed a short walk back to our hotel to rest up for our next day.

 

[CarolynK]

I don't like heights, either, but if it's the fastest way to get to the top, then so be it!

You guys did so much - you did some awesome planning!

 

[mariezp]

Amen! I think every place you did not want to take a funicular there was an alternate path to walk but let me just say while you are in Europe you need to conserve every ounce of energy you can.... especially if you are not used to LOTS of walking like us.... and if you have a limited amount of time to get where you need to go. It would have taken us the rest of the day to make our way up the steep winding path if we were on foot. Needless to say, they would have been closed by the time we got to the top! lol!

We did do a lot! I loved every moment that flew by in the blur! I am a stay at home mom. I spend lots of time at home which I think might contribute to why I loved the thrill of clipping along at a constant pace with a new destination and adventure around every corner. My retired hubby agreed, for the most part, and my 14 year old daughter did amazingly well keeping up without complaining. The other 2, who shall remain nameless, and should be the most active and in shape of our bunch seemed to not appreciate as much nor understand the fact that I only had so many days to work with.... thus I felt the need to squeeze in as much as possible. I originally started with 15 days and had to do some trimming in my itinerary but I was not about to write off everything. I figured we had time to rest on the train in between locations, generally 2-4 hours. And, I did actually let them stop and sleep every night. What more could they possibly have needed? haha! Granted it would have been nice to have had extra time at most of our destinations but under the circumstances I felt I did pretty darn good. I have absolutely given myself a pat on the back for arranging a trip from start to finish that actually worked and that we will never forget.

For future trips I have agreed to TRY to stay 2 nights at each destination. Works for me but they are just going to have to understand that it means the next trip is going to have to be loooonger!!! I can work with that! Or, we will just have to make multiple trips back across the ocean. That works for me too!!! I am ready to take on my next assignment!

 

[annegirl]

For some reason I can't see the photos from the posts until Salzburg.
Salzburg looks amazing. That view!!! So cool.
I get what you are saying. I tend to overbook my days when traveling because I want to do and see as much as possible not knowing if and when I will ever be back to a place and some people just don't travel well that way.
There are people I love but couldn't travel with. And then my mom and I end up going everywhere together because she loves it.

 

[mariezp]

Abracadabra!
The pictures are back! Being the goofball that I am I rearranged a folder on Photobucket that was out of order.... and, of course, didn't read the little warning or remember that it would mess up the links. Thankfully, when I moved the folder back all the links stayed the same. Thanks for bringing the boo-boo to my attention, annegirl! Hope you enjoy the photos you missed!

Ya know, I did not feel that I was really overbooking because I only planned one thing to do each day but throwing in a ride on the train everyday to our next destination did keep us busy for most of each day. I've never been very interested in taking a vacation to just rest and relax. I want to go, go, go because there are so many things that need to be seen!

Glad to here that I am not the only one who enjoys staying on the move! You are very lucky to have your mother as a travel companion who enjoys matching your pace. I lost my mom 15 years ago but I know if she were here she and I would make fantastic travel buddies too!

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