Hotel Bergischer Hof Königswinter

... later we did loose control, spinning across the track and onto the grass. Luckly for us we did not hit anything solid. All we got to show for our off road excursion was mud and grass on the car.

Arrived in Koblenz late in the afternoon. Checked into the Mercure hotel. Very nice and roomy of the Ibis in Brugge.

Our next desination is Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Till next time

... the only one supervising, meaning it's just me and a bunch of kids. And by a bunch, I mean three. I have three regulars. But they're great kids and I'm hoping to get a few more as word spreads to the other English classes. It is a blast to chat with the kids, hear their stories, and just talk about the goofy stuff we're passionate about, like music, movies, and pets. It's great to see how much more confidence the kids gain by simply speaking.
I've also had ...

... Abends mit der Straßenbahn inclusive Partybuffet und Karnevalsmusik zur 3-Brücken-Tour durch Köln, da war dann von Buchhaltermentalität nicht mehr viel zu spüren. Und ein paar alte Gesichter aus längst vergangener SAG Zeit gab's auch zu sehen.


Die Bahnfahrt über die Hohenzollernbrücken und den Rhein rüber zum kölner Hauptbahnhof ist immer wieder ein netter Moment, deshalb ...

... So viel ist schon passiert, so wenig habe ich bisher erlebt. Neue Freunde, eine 2te Familie und ein ganz anderes Leben erwarten mich hier. New York, meine neue Liebe!

Jetzt, mit mehr Zeit und Muse widme ich mich dem langersehnten Lebenszeichen. :)

Viel Spaß beim lesen!

... I performed all four activities with relish. Cinque Terre is the birthplace of some of the world's finest things, namely pesto and ciabatta bread. Add a little fresh pasta, tomato, and Parmesan cheese, and we created some of the most wonderful meals I've ever had in my life. If I only ate pasta from Cinque Terre my entire life, I would die a happy woman! Add a bottle of red wine split between friends, and you're talking about paradise.
The ...

... shopping street was packed with people. Seems that in Germany stores stay open till 9pm on Saturdays but are closed all day Sundays. Chris said that driving in Cologne really reminded him of driving in Montreal at night. Funny how things spark senses and memories. We decided to come back the next day for some real sightseeing.

We woke up to some beautiful weather so we drive into town once again and took in the sights. The main thing to see in Cologne is The ...

... this about one of my favourite cities so we continued to show them around the city and told them all of the interesting facts we could remember from our walking tour.
The next day we travelled to Milan, then to Briggs, then Basel, then up to Freiburg, Germany. We got lost trying to find the hostel in the dark so it took us about an hour of walking to find it. It was a cool hostel though- huge common area and nice kitchen and beds that were not bunkbeds ...

... and Amsterdam in Netherlands. Philip and Lawrence both took their cars over for the tour, with highlight of the Nürbergring racetrack. As they say, what happens on tour stays on tour, but we had a brilliant time. Here's a few pictures and video's from the Germany part of the trip, courtesy of Elias, who had the commonsense to bring a camera.

... a lock. We spent a while to watch it go through a full cycle to pass a couple of ships downstream - interesting if you have never seen it in person before - we hadn't. Also walked past a number of tribes (is that the right word) of huge fish basking in the shallows - I had visions of them on a dinner plate. Weather wise - cold and wet much of the time. Food wise - we found a Thai restaurant nearby and had a great meal.

... The person who was leading the English tour clearly loved his cathedral and was extremely effusive in the tour. The beginnings of the Cologne Bishopric reach well back into the fourth century. Excavations in the area of the cathedral carried out since the Second World War also reveal a series of additions and changes to the previous buildings as well as the building activity of the current structure. For example, on the current site of the Gothic cathedral there was once a ...