I'd better write now as we're off on a big adventure tomorrow morning!
Yesterday (15Jul2008), Kate and Jeff started the day with a run around the river island Insel Grafenwerth and back. Once the girls were up, we had lunch and hopped in the car, destination: Marksburg Castle.
I don't know how we managed it, but we left without a local map. I guess we had huge Europe maps, a Rick Steves book, and the GPS and figured that would get us there. Two people we talked to about Marksburg Castle said to go through Koblenz and just follow the signs. Sounds easy, right?
We first programmed the GPS to get us to Koblenz, but Jeff must have pressed the wrong button because it started leading us North-East out of town (Koblenz is definitely due South). We turned around from that and started heading south. We figured out very quickly the difference between "Quick" and "Short" on the GPS: "Quick" takes you the fastest routes (i.e. AutoBahn) while "Short" takes you via the scenic route. Well, we had a very scenic tour from Bad Hannof to Koblenz, stopping to eat our packed lunch at a rest stop.
After Koblenz, we got lost. Well, as lost as you can get with a GPS. We didn't know what town Marksburg Castle was near, and it still wasn't on any sign. After a few wrong turns, we stopped at a gas station and asked. She gave directions that weren't too clear, but we found a sign! And then another! And then nothing for many kilometers. We asked at another gas station and were told in very broken English we went about 8km too far.
When we found it, it was quite worthwhile. As the website says, Marksburg "is the only hill castle on the Rhine that has never been destroyed". It also has great artifacts, especially in the armoury. After that, we realized how close we were to Lorelei Rock, and Jeff wanted to go. It was after 5PM, but we were getting used to eating late (as most Europeans do). After a quick visit to the rock/statue, we drove back.
To avoid ferries, and to get a glimpse of a new city, we drove back via Bonn, the nearest big city to Bad Honnef. Bonn is much bigger than we expected, and we got a bit lost there as well. (GPSs are great, but still not the be-all and end-all.)
Today (16Jul2008), we stayed in to catch up on things and to avoid the rain. Jeff prepared the minivan (a 1997 Ford Galaxy, in case you're interested) by taking out one of the seats and checking the oil and tires. Kate checked on the camping supplies and did some food preparation. The girls packed themselves and got out for a walk in the rain (they walked down to a bakery for doughnuts.) Jeff fired up the barbeque (a la briquettes) and they all enjoyed barbequed steak, boiled potatoes, peas, and salad.
In the evening, Kate and Jeff went out with a few neighbours for wine at a local restaurant. Jeff biked with Christina and Christophe while Kate drove with Werner, Gerhild and Katja
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