October 26 Last Day in Europe

October 26 Last Day in Europe

We awoke to a cool, cloudy morning in Frankfurt. However, after breakfast we left the pension to walk down the Main River park on one side and then up on the other side. We hadn't walked far when we noticed large groups of runners crossing one of the bridges. We soon realized that today was the annual Frankfurt Marathon in which over 9,000 competed. It was quite a sight.

We walked to the end of the riverbank park, which took us a little over two hours. We then crossed a bridge and headed back up the other side and into Sachenhausen district, known for its apple wine pubs. We had read about the pubs and that no visit to Frankfurt was complete without visiting one of these pubs. We found the Adolf Wagner pub and settled in at one of the long tables. We ordered the non alcoholic Ebbelwei and found it to taste like half fermented apple juice. We dined on traditional German fare...pork, veal, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut! The portions were enormous and delicious. We took pictures of our plates, "before and after" and on the "after" pictures, the plates are empty.

After the pub food we knew we had to do a lot more walking just to help digest the enormous meal. However, we walked past a chocolate shop and we just couldn't resist their freshly made hot chocolate. Chocolate helps settle one's stomach, doesn't it?

On the walk back up the river we watched paddlers, cruise ship barges and even oil barges on the Main (pronounced mine) River. After about another hour we arrived back at Pension Alpha.

This evening we packed, checked our flights, arranged a wake up call and booked a taxi.

I am sad to say that this adventure has come to an end. It has been a dream come true for me, a lifelong dream fulfilled. If "money were no object" I know that I could embrace this lifestyle and be forever, "retired and on the road."

Total Kilometers Driven: 7, 293
Total Steps Taken: 218, 358

October 25 Exploring Frankfurt

October 25 Exploring Frankfurt

After a continental breakfast at Pension Alpha we took our Frankfurt tourist map and headed out for the day. The sun was shining and promised to shine for the day and bring temperatures up to about 15 degrees.

Most of Frankfurt was destroyed during WW II and so there are not many old buildings here. In most of the places we visited, history was everywhere. In Frankfurt, we had to look for it.

We headed towards the Main River and walked across one of the two pedestrian only bridges to discover a giant flea marked along the river. We strolled throught the maze of sellers (mostly African and Middle Eastern) and ended up at the second pedestrian only bridge where we walked back to the other side of the Main.

Our second stop was the Romerbert, Frankfurt's market square which was the location of the birth of this city. After WW II it was rebuilt to look like the timbered houses that stood there before the war. This morning there were several buskers entertaining as well as a group of Asian students singing gospel songs in English.

After the square we strolled towards the archaelological garden where we saw the remains of a Roman encampment including thermal baths. Next to the archaeological site was St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, a church that was the official site (chosen in 1356) for the coronation of kings of the Holy Roman Empire. The artwork was varied with statues, carvings, old documents and plaques that were too old to read.

A walk through the shopping district gave us a good look at "trendy" Frankfurters;dressed to the nines and looking to purchase more. When we looked for a coffee shop we noticed that there seemed to be a Starbucks on every corner. A lot of English is spoken here and so I didn't pull out my dictionary at all today.

Frankfurt has lots of skyscrapers and one of them, The Main Tower is open to the public. For 4.60 Euro each we rode the elevator up 54 floors and got a great view of Frankfurt. From the 55th floor viewing area it is easy to see that Frankfurt is a big city...there is no mistaking that ring of low level pollution that sits over the skyline.

We followed our map back to the Main River and walked along, people and boat watching. There were not many boats around, just a couple of river barges and a few rowing teams. We came across the Jewish Museum, went through security, got our money out and noticed a sign that said, "free admission today." The museum takes a look at the history of Jews in Frankfurt and like the other Jewish museums we have visited, it put us in a solemn mood.

Our spirits lifted as we again strolled along the river in the bright sunshine and decided that it was time to head back to the Pension. We found a market, bought some food and were happy to kick off our sneakers for the night.

October 24 Frankfurt

October 24 Frankfurt

This morning we left the campsite at Dreieich at around 9 and headed for Offenbach to return our beloved Gracie to McRent. We were both feeling a little sad to end this phase of our trip. That van was our home for over six weeks and we were very comfortable living in it. Michelle kept track of the kilometers daily and told me that I drove Gracie over 6,000 kilometers.

After saying goodbye to Gracie and the folks at McRent, a taxi took us to Pension Alpha where we will stay until Monday morning. We unpacked and then headed out to explore the local area. We are situated downtown and most of the "must sees" are within walking distance. We walked along Kaiser Strasse, people watched, walked through a city park and stopped for coffee. We also explored the train station area and walked a bit further north to the red light district. Frankfurt is a very modern, cosmopolitan city with lots of skyscrapers and a multi ethnic population.

The television in our room is the first we have seen in a long time. We also have free internet access which is also a first in a long time. I will be able to update the blog and send out a few emails.

Tomorrow we will do a self guided walking tour of Frankfurt

October 23 Dreieich

October 23 Dreieich

It rained again last night. Both water drops and walnuts fell on the roof during the night and early morning. This morning I heard several barges going up or down the Main River, but didn't manage to catch one on film. They are not noisy vessels, they make more of a hum than a roar.

Today was devoted to cleaning Gracie in preparation for her return to Frankfurt tomorrow. We couldn't manage to get to the Shell station we found yesterday, but did find a station with a vacuum. After getting all the crumbs and sand out we programmed Lori to take us to our next campsite, a site close to Frankfurt where we could complete the cleaning, do laundry and have showers.

It didn't take us long to get to Dreieich. We chose our site, the sun came out and we scrubbed and cleaned and scrubbed and cleaned. We also did a load of laundry and had showers. Tomorrow morning we will return Gacie to McRent and then explore Frankfurt for a couple of days before returning home on Monday.

Occtober 22 Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Aschaffenburg

October 22 Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Aschaffenburg

We awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the roof this morning. However, after breakfast the downpour turned to a few showers and so we bundled up in our raingear and headed over the Rothenburg to walk the wall and visit any sights we might have missed yesterday.

Much of the wall surrounding this medieval town was rebuilt after World War II. The names of those who supported the rebuilding are engraved at various locations around the perimeter. The view from the wall was fascinating. To our right was the medieval town with its cobblestone streets and quaint buildings. To our left was at one point, a valley and at other times pathways and trees in full autumn colour. At one point we met a man who was picking something up from amongst the fallen leaves. I watched him for a few moments and saw that he was picking up walnuts. I spotted one, picked it up and placed it in his bag. After his "danke" I looked for more, (I wanted some for myself) but found no others.

After walking the perimeter of the town we went to the main square to orient ourselves. We then headed for St. Jacob's Church, one of the first Protestent churches we have seen in weeks. This church was built in the 1300's and much of the artwork, including some of the stained glass is from that period. Of particular note is the "Helig Blut Altar" which was carved in the 1500's. The organ in the church has 5,500 pipes!

We strolled the streets until we found a wonderful bakery/coffee shop where we stopped for a break. After we were warmed by the hot treats we headed back to Gracie and decided to move on. We wanted to find a stopover where we could clean Gracie in preparation for returning her to McRent on Friday. A stellplatz in Aschaffenburg is where we stopped. Although there are few facilities here, we found a Shell station with a vaccuum and will go there tomorrow to get rid of our accumulated bread, cheese and chocolate crumbs of the last six and one half weeks.

We explored the town's historic centre, walked through a modern mall and watched boats go up and down the river. We are parked next to the Main River which is a shipping route. So far, we have seen a cruise ship and several cargo ships. The ships are very low and resemble barges more than ships. We also witnessed a rowing team practising for some upcoming event.

Tomorrow we will move closer to Frankfurt.

October 21 The Romantic Road and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

October 21 The Romatic Road and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The Romantic Road is the scenic route from Munich to Frankfurt. We drove part of it today and saw picturesque villages, farmhouses and a walled city. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is said to be the only walled medieval city in Europe without a single moderm building. Apparently this town is usually filled with tourists but today it was relatively quiet which made for a very pleasant visit.

We spent most of the afternoon wandering the cobblestone streets and popping in and out of the many, many Christmas shops that fill this town. A storekeepter told me that it is too busy at Christmas time. It was neat to look at all the ornaments and to listen to the cuckoo clocks that lined many of the walls.

We stopped for coffee and pastry and then made our way to the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum a fascinating place that specializes in everything about medieval crime and justice...especially instruments of torture. The items that fascinated me the most were the "shame masks" that had to be worn for various reasons. For example, if someone acted like a pig, they were forced to wear a mask of a pig for punishment. If someone told "smutty jokes" they were forced to wear a certain mask.The masks were made of metal and were tightened on the criminal's head. Apparently they were very painful to wear.

We found a grocery store outside the town wall and after stocking up for the next couple of days, we made our way back to the camper, which is parked at a stellplatz just outside the town wall. We noticed very dark clouds when we were walking back and made it to the camper just in time...just before a torrential downpour.

The rain stopped after dinner and so we decided to walk the one kilometer wall that surrounds the town. We walked about half way and then descended into the town because it was too dark to see where we were going. We will go back tomorrow morning and walk the wall in the daylight.

October 20 Jungfrau to Gunzburg, Germany

October 20 Jungfrau to Gunzburg, Germany

It was a cold night last night...we kept the heater going full blast until we left the campsite. However, we didn't leave until we took advantage of the heated shower rooms and the very cool hair dryer. We filled Gracie with water, paid our exhorbitant bill and left Lauterbrunnen.

The sky was very clear and the bright sun soon warmed us as we drove up, down and through mountains. Some of the roads were very narrow and some were autobahn type roads. There are no toll charges for individual autobahns in Switzerland; instead, everyone must pay $40 Swiss francs to drive on the highway. Other countries allowed tourists to buy two week and even two day passes.

The scenery changed from snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes to green pastures and then a more flat terrain. Today we drove through the longest tunnel yet...7.6 kilometers long. We drove through a part of Liechtenstein today as well as through part of Austria.

Lori easily guided us to our camper stop at Gunzburg, Germany, a quiet little village. The camper is parked next to a field where horses are grazing. Michelle fed them our last two apples. We played some cards, read, ate some chocolate and then retired for the night. I should add here that we have been playing Crazy Eights and Forty-Five's throughout this trip. Also, we have done a lot of reading. We have not missed tv, radio or telephones. In fact, it has been wonderful to be without them.

Tomorrow we drive the famed "romantic road" to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.