From Drudgery to Delight

 Biking the Rhine

 Ringhotel Dressen on the Rhine

 German pastries and pretzels

Straumberger Hof Restaurant on the Rhine

From Drudgery to Delight

 Commissary shopping has always been drudgery for me.  Tom and I have fooled the system.  Since Schinnen is one hour away, and Bonn is another hour away, we have a new routine.

This week-end we drove to Bonn after work on Friday.  We booked a room right on the Rhine, Ringhotel Dressen.  It's rather famous:  even Hitler spent the night there.  Also all the German chancellors since WWII.  It's loaded with history, but now since the capitol is in Berlin, the hotel is in our price range.  Yipee.

We walked along the river and found a restaurant called Straumberger Hof.  Fabulous German food.  Spetzle, pork in mushroom sauce, fresh vegetables.  One of those meals where it's a chore to talk because you want to concentrate on your tastebuds doing cartwheels.

The next morning we walked into Bad Godesberg, and ate a pastry from one of the millions of bakeries.  Walked up to Bad Godesberg Castle where Tom remembers as a young boy fresh from Ohio tasting a German cake in this old castle and thinking "hey, I think I'm going to like it here!"  

Then we rented bikes from the hotel for half the day.  Biked into Bonn and enjoyed walking the pedestrian shopping lanes.  Bought fresh berries from the market.  Also the mandatory bratwurst.

Okay, then the ride to the commissary and shopping and home to unload.  

Don't you think that scenario is sooooo much better?  (This was our second time and I hope we never change this routine!)

For the Travelers

Travel quotes

Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.Benjamin Disraeli

In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children.Robert Benchley

Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.Mason Cooley

The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." Daniel J. Boorstin

There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. Orson Welles

Vote for your Favorite

Pergamon Museum

 This market entrance was re-created inside of the museum.  I have never seen anything like it.  INSIDE of the museum!

 Also in the museum this 'small' entrance to Nebuchadnezzar's II city.  That would be the son of Nebuchadnezzar who sacked Jerusalem after Lehi fled the city.  Yeah, this is a Babylonian Gate. 

 We were thoroughly touristic with our headsets.

 Outside of a different museum, not nearly as impressive...so we had to be.

 East Gallery.  The longest standing section of the wall.  Like this section with the dates the wall stood: 1961 (Tom arrived in Germany as a boy) until 1989 (we arrived in Belgium)

We have rented the bikes for the week.  Steve says his bum hurts.  

Lunch

 It's been so hot that frozen yogurt with fresh fruit is the only thing that sounds good to eat for lunch.  So that is what we have done for the past couple of days. 

 Beautiful and delicious.  Perfect for 100F weather.

 Wonder what this discussion is about?  It goes something like this: 

Steve:  "You guys go too hard on vacation.  You need more relaxing time."

Mom:  "Like what?  You want to go back to the apartment?"

Steve:  "Well, how about read a book or take a nap?  We could just chill here maybe?"  (It was air conditioned, so I could see his point."  

Uh huh.  Steve trying to get up his energy and Tom reading the map.  Pretty typical scene.  

Berlin again

 Steve-o loves me and I love him!

 Just trying to stay cool.  

 Brandenburg Gate

 Original propaganda from the Soviet era

 Checkpoint Charlie

We bought a fan.  No A/C in the apartment.  Temp around 100F.  Ugh.

Flower Carpet

 Steve and I went during the daylight hours.  Tom joined us one evening and it is a completely different look.  Almost more impressive in the evening under spotlight, but pictures are better in the sunlight!

 Part of the beauty is of course the impressive square itself.  Oh, and Steve hiked me up on his shoulders for this shot.  I didn't think he could lift me, but he seemed ok with it.  Strong kid!

You could pay 3 euros and go up on the balcony.  It was packed.  And it was hot.  Skipped that. 

Downtown trip complete with pitas and gauffres.....oh, and of course for Steve, FANTA!