Frankfurt and Braubach

I woke up early on Thursday morning, at least I THINK it was Thursday. I was ravenous so I made my way down to the advertised "breakfast buffet". To my surprise, at 6:30 a.m. there were several people already there.

This is certainly like no breakfast buffet I had ever seen. The meats offered included a selection of thin round slices of salami, ham and something else all resembling bologna at Kroger alongside some white sliced cheese. Fruit was an apple. There was a bowl of sliced tomatoes and another bowl of sliced cucumbers. A chafing dish held hard-boiled eggs in their shells. Cold hard rolls (two varieties) and a huge bowl of something white that looks fluffy like Cool Whip and a selection of cold cereals.

I would have killed for a cup of coffee so I tried the machine set up there and took a guess. WRONG! I got instead a cup of warm, frothy milk. Hey, it was actually pretty good. I went back and tried again. Bingo! Evidently since coffee is not at the top of the list, it is not the beverage of choice here.

I honestly do not know how to "properly" eat a boiled egg, in its shell, from an egg cup. My intense staring at an older man for my "lesson" go me a hard look so I commenced on my own. Of course I guess it didn't matter to anyone else, but it mattered to me.

Breakfast was filling and interesting. I went back to my room to retrieve my bags, checked out and waited for the shuttle for the return to the airport hoping to meet my family. Lucky me! It turned out to be the very same driver from the day before who had been so kind to me.

The trip to the airport was uneventful and quick. My driver let me out right at the door and in I went. I went directly to a currency exchange booth and got some Euros', then on to the Hertz booth. It was still a little early to look for Wayne and Bridget so I found myself a seat and waited.

While waiting, I had a nice "sign language" conversation with a gentleman who spoke no English. I surmised he was waiting for his sister to arrive on the same flight that my brother was on. He had brought flowers for her. Such a nice man.

A few minutes later I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Bridget. Wayne and the others were at the rental car booth. When they finished, we proceeded to find our car. Since they had been delayed for a day, Hertz did not hold the car they had ordered so we had to take what was left. Alas, poor us. Turned out to be an Audi 6 Series, lol. NICE ride!

Damion and Crystal (Wayne's son and daughter-in-law) were in a separate car and took off behind us. Down the road we went toward the city of Frankfurt proper. It wasn't long until we no longer had Damion and Crystal following and we made it into the city. We could not find a parking space on the street so we found an underground parking garage.

To the middle of the city and totally awed at the architecture and people everywhere. We couldn't help but enter some of the shops. The sights and sounds and smells were mesmerizing. Bridget did buy herself a pretty cool pair of shoes.

After shopping for a while, we exited and found a nice outdoor cafe where we had a late lunch. I had some kind of pork and potato salad with a cup of coffee.
We then made our way back to the car and out of the garage without incident. On our way to Koblen!
Instead of taking the Autobahn, Wayne decided to take a more scenic route through the tiny towns and quaint villages along the way. I saw so many acres of vineyards it was unbelievable (wine country here)! Most of them were situated on grand, steep hillsides and seemed to be endless at times.
We did indeed pass through many small towns, each of them seeming to have their own personality. I was still unaccustomed to the rate of speed at which everyone travelled and was constantly impressed with the careful approach drivers used.
About 10 K or so from our destination, saw a huge castle up very high on a steep bluff. The little town resting under it was Braubach, and it was gorgeous. Since we were NOT on a schedule we decided to stay there and explore the little village.

We managed to find rooms in a very old building. The hotelier operated a restaurant also and said our room rates included breakfast, too. Wayne and Bridget, a room for two was 65 Euro while my single was only 40. Wow! The room is simple but very clean with plenty of hot water and all the amenities I needed. I loved being there! (I thought the sign above was FUNNY).

Bridget was exhausted from the flight and decided to take a nap before dinner. Wayne and I went to the little balcony surrounded by pansies and talked while he enjoyed a couple of German beers and Bridge enjoyed the nap. She awoke refreshed a little later and off we took for a stroll.

We happened upon a restaurant/bar and entered to an overpowering cloud of tobacco smoke and several men playing a card game of some sort. Be assured that wherever we went in Germany, there was sure to be much tobacco smoke. Indeed, it seemed as if there was a cigarette machine on every other corner. They are unique to Germany in that they are attached to the wall somehow.

We ordered and enjoyed very nice dinners. I had stuffed green peppers (the special of the day) with potato salad and like them very much.

After dinner we took a much longer walk and discovered lots of little interesting things and places. I took lots of photos.

Back in the hotel I tried to call Mother again. I do not think she has been home since I left.

Yes, I could tell how worried she was about me!

Good night, my friends!