On 11Jul2008, Liss, Megan, and Jeff travelled from Lanlivery to Plymouth. Amanda and Leah took them to the Par train station, where they boarded the 9:38AM train. On the train, Jeff phoned Justin to meet them at the Mayflower steps in Plymouth at 2PM.
Upon arriving in Plymouth, Liss, Megan, and Jeff walked to the new Drake Circus shopping mall, where they spent an hour or two in the shops. They explored some of the outdoor walking area, then bought some lunch and ate it near Plymouth Hoe. They explored the Hoe, then walked past the Citadel and down to the Mayflower Steps.
Justin arrived and picked them up right at 2PM. He drove them through the picturesque Dartmoor where they walked over Postbridge, in and around the church at Buckland-in-the-Moor, and drove along Drake's Leat, a watercourse that dates back to the 16th century.
For dinner, Justin and Anne took Liss, Megan, and Jeff to The Ship Inn at Nos Mayo to celebrate Laura's birthday. There, they met up with Laura, Celia, Amanda, Martin, and Josh for a fantastic meal.
On 12Jul2008, Justin and Anne took Liss, Megan, and Jeff from Wood Cottage to Torquay to meet Katie and Margot. The four travelers got aboard the 8:18AM train to Newton Abbot. There, they transferred to another train which took them to Paddington Station. At Paddington, they transferred to the Heathrow Express which whisked them to Terminal 5 by about noon.
Soon after getting their boarding cards, Jeff met with Chris Allen: a Nerd with of Nerds On Site working in the London area. Chris and Jeff chatted for 90 minutes or so while Liss, Megan, and Kate went through security and went shopping in Terminal 5. They met up and boarded the flight together for the 3:35PM flight.
Once in Frankfurt, they found their way to the train station. There, they boarded a train which took them to Koblenz. The train was delayed by 5 minutes, so the connection at Koblenz was dicey. The four of them literally ran from one train to the other, boarding only seconds before it pulled away! Missing this connection would have meant waiting for the next train and possibly missing the ride from the Bad Honnef station to the Lehnert's home.
But they made the connection and arrived in Bad Honnef on schedule. Christophe was there to meet them and take them to the Lehnert's home, only minutes from the station. Christophe's wife, Christina, also visited and welcomed the travelers to their temporary home. The four travelers found their way to a well-deserved rest.
It turns out that most shops are closed on Sunday, but there was enough food to make do for the day. Kate and Jeff walked a couple of blocks to Schneiders Obsthof for some produce in the morning, then took the long way home, passing through the walking district of Bad Honnef and finding their way back through the winding roads of the small city.
After lunch, the bicycle situation was evaluated and four bicycles were selected and adjusted with the help of the neighbours Walter and Heidi. The four travelers donned helmets and set off for Grafenwerth, an island in the Rhine River beside Bad Honnef. After a quick look around, they headed North along the Rhine to see what they could see. They soon found themselves in Königswinter where several shops were open in the tourist area. They bought well-deserved ice cream cones and walked around a bit.
The bicycle ride back was uneventful, except for that poor jogger who what almost hit by not one, but two of the group (Jeff and Megan need to watch where they're going!). Soon after returning, everyone went next door for a fantastic barbeque dinner of sweet potato, onion, zucchini, lettuce salad, noodle salad, potatoes, steak, schnitzel, and ice-cream desserts. Joining us for dinner was their son Alexander and after dinner was Alexander's friend Tom. After dinner, Tom took Andrew, Liss, and Megan for a quick tour of the city (and an ice cream at McDonald's!) We all retired after a busy first day in Germany.
Monday morning, 14Jul2008, Liss and Jeff walked to the "Hit" grocery market/store for some groceries. For €76.97 (C$123), they got "the basics" which was enough to make carrying them back to the house a bit of a challenge. Incidentally, all groceries appear to be more expensive here with two notable exceptions: cheese and wine!
They all had lunch, then went for a walk into the walking area of Bad Honnef. They were surprised to find that the tourist information section of Town Hall had no literature printed in English! Oh well, there's always the Internet. After a stop at a café for ice creams (for Liss and Megan) and to watch the world go by, they walked back home. It was a sunny afternoon, so Liss and Megan came out in their bikinis and sunned themselves in the back yard.
The first dinner of the trip cooked by the travelers was spätzel and salad. After dinner, Liss, Megan, and Jeff enjoyed a DVD owned by the Lehnerts: the second Harry Potter movie, The Chamber of Secrets. Katie watered the flowers outside and took another walk to the Rhein (force of habit, but without dogs).
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