2010 Benelux - Germany

After Luxembourg we rolled into our first city in Germany, Trier. This little city actually contains some incredible Roman ruins (yep they made it all the way up here), and for a time period was major seat of Rome. The basilica located downtown was the throne room to one of the Roman Emporers, maybe Constantine but I can not remember his name. Among other ruins are an semi restored Arena you can go and walk around in, Roman bathhouses and one of the best ruins the city has to offer, the Porta Negra (black gate). The porta negra is right downtown towering over the populace as they shuffle along to work. One of the most interesting things I have found walking around Europe is the proximity to everyday life ancient ruins still are. City's here are just built on old cities and the ruins and monuments are part of everyday life.

After Trier we headed off to to the Mosell Valley, a picturesque area of Germany on the Mosell River. They definetly know how to grow Reisling! And to make sure we experienced all that we could, we sampled as many different winemakers as would allow.

Cochem was our first stop on the Mosell. It was a beutiful old city complete with a castle overlooking the town. We even ate at a restuarant that has been in operation since the 14th century. It probably was the oldest bar/restaurant we have ever been to.

I should probably also explain that along the way we have been booking rooms either via Kayak.com or worldmate live (a blackberry app). Most of the time we have stayed at places called "pensions", which is exactly like a bed and breakfast. Old people retire and run these little places and they usually are the best bet for the money. They are priced per person, so for both of us we usually pay about 60 euros, which including a nice breakfast isn't a bad price at all. Ibus the european Motel 6 (owned by same company Accor too), usually runs about this price or even a little more. Smaller rooms, crappier beds, And no breakfast!

So in Cochem we walked to our pension and rang the bell. As usual a little old man comes down and we tell him we have booked a room there. He is incredibly nice and starts to show us to our room. He then turns to us and asks us where we are from. I say, like usual, we live in Seattle it is above California. He responds to us that he was in America once, as a POW. I started thinking hmm wait WHAT!!! He told us he was captured in Italy in '45 and was sent to America for 2 years somewhere in NY. He then said he was transfered to Britan where he was held for 2 more years and then took back to Germany.

Yep, an real life Nazi! I was amazed to say the least. We had breakfast with him the next day but I never did get much more information from him about the war or anything, but then I realized most older people here were most definetly in the Reich. And they had no choice, the ones who weren't are dead.

After Cochem we attempted to walk to Beilstein. We unfortunatly asked a tourist information booth as to the bes way to walk there. She wound up telling us to take a trail through the vineyards that was really a death march. It was high up and most of the trail wound through steep rocky cliff faces they grew wine on. We wound up turning around and just grabbing a bus.

Beilstein is a tiny town on the Mosel that wasn't connected by roads until the early 1900's. It's pristine and beutiful, and of course Rick Steves has been and wrote about it, and it is a perfect example of what I call the "Steve's Effect". Beilstein before Rick had several pensions run by several families. I am sure this made for a very pleasant stay. Rick then came into the town, stayed at a pension run by the Lippmann family, and wrote about it in his book. The flood of tourists after that who "wanted the Rick Steves experience" only stayed at the Lippmann's pension. The Lippmanns profited hugely from this, and now own almost all the Pensions in town. Plus a hotel. And a ton of restaurants.

Now you might think, hey who cares they are successfull. Well we then got to enjoy how successful the Lippmans had become. We ate at there restaurant (you don't have much of a choice), and the Lippman family was eating there too. Every server was helping them, and of course paid no attention to us. The food was bland and unexciting. The Lippmans were loud and rude, laughing and running the waitress back and forth. And why would they care? They were like the Boss Hogg of Beilstein.

Luckily we stayed at one of the few non-Lippmann pensions (the Lippmans charged almost double for the "Rick Experience". I could only feel sorry for our pension, they worked hard and did a great affordable job, but didn't have the free international advertising the Lippmans so undeservably had gotten. And for that I am sure they won't be around much longer..

Anyways outside of the annoying Lippman family, the city was wonderful. We walked up to there local church and enjoyed one of the best views I can remember of the Mosel.



A ton more has happened in Germany, and I will write about it soon! Aufeitesein!