Aktivhotel Lindenhof Weilburg

... height it was about 25 degrees up there And brutAl.

we left the pArk Around 3pm. we hAd plAnned to go biking on this trip, but the icy weAther put the kibosh on that. (in fAct, this is the first day i'm wArm- i bought A long-sleeved shirt so now i Am not a frozen jonesicle Anymore.) So we heAded to wine country eArly. Now, our guidebook saId thAt "zimmer frei rooms for rent abound, so you dont need reservations for a ...

... making chocolate bars while you watched. Of course, there was also a place where you could taste the chocolate. Repeatedly. The museum is one of the top ten German museums with 600,000 visitors a year.

The Kölner Dom is a twin-spired cathedral which was astonishing to see. They began building it in 1248 and it stands 157 meters (515 feet) at it's peak. This was ...

... is the biggest meal of the day and dinner is usually lighter.

I also noticed that bakeries (Bäckereien) are much more commonplace here. Our German family buys their bread fresh and they slice it as they use it each meal. I like this. I wonder, how much does a bread slicer cost in the U.S.?

... for Ken's shoes and a skirt for me) and then Rewe (for more groceries that Aldi didn't have). We discovered that Rita and I are actually sisters, separated at birth, since we constantly looked at the same things! On our way back to her house, we stopped at the graveyard, where Tante Herta is buried. Other Makus graves are there as well. It certainly did not look like any cemetary ...

... able to enjoy the day. We spent about an hour in the hospital waiting room while Marion helped her Dad check in. It was a gorgeous facility. It was a private clinic for both private and public health care insurance patients. Rudi will probably be there for 10 days and then he will go to another spa-like institution for physio and rehab. German health care looks to be very good and ...

... really mean to Bruce on the phone, and I'm just about always yelling at the kids if they dare to come near me. I'd kill a drifter for a really great nights sleep.Have I mentioned how awful European pillows are????

Anyway, swimming and a cruise down the Rhine river today. Should be nice. Hopefully, I can get it together and snap out of the haze.

... before we boarded our train. Apart from aircraft and F1 cars, I don't think I've ever seen a faster form of transport in action. Although we were stood about 30 feet from the tracks as the train approached I found myself fighting the impulse to grab onto something, as my brain assumed that something passing at that speed would knock me off my feet, even at such a distance. It was an exhilirating experience, hopefully the first of many to come over the next few days.

... a different language. It's too much. I don't know what to say. Definitely not the most exciting trip, but who can argue with Christmas? Saturday we took a train to Cologne, to find more varied Christmas markets under the big, beautiful Cologne Cathedral, a church that took over 6 centuries to complete. Germany was one of the cheapest places I've been to in Europe, so even going to the touristy Christmas markets didn't hurt too bad. Also, we barely ate in restaurants the entire time ...

... good night towel left by my bed)! I have been very struck by how wonderful everyone at the hotel has been. When I call down with a question or request, they answer the phone with "Yes, how may I help you, Miss Edens?" (pronounced Eh-dens), the housekeeping crew (mostly men) are all smiles in the morning, the servers at the restaurant are attentive (as is the chef who came out to check in on us tonight at dinner), and everyone is so nice! I was concerned about being hungry ...

Sunday Barbara and Norbert took us to see some sights around Butzbach. We began at Schloss Braunfels, for a tour (also in German, with Barbara and Dieter as our interpreters). This castle has 214 rooms, and was rebuilt 120 years ago after a fire. The town was burned, and only 5 houses remain from the origninal structures. When we were touring the rooms, we had to wear the goofy shoes again, but we ...