Ibis Hotel Koblenz

Es ist seltsam, wie schnell die Zeit vergeht.. Wie oft habe ich euch versprochen zu schreiben, anzurufen oder einen blog zu verfassen. Ich denke oft an euch und es ist schön zu wissen, dass es euch genauso geht. <br><br>Schon seit fast einem halben Jahr lebe, wohne und atme ich diesen wundervollen ...

... drenched by the time we got back, so needless to say it was time for another glass of wine!<br>Our last day we spent exploring our little town, which is just starting to close up for the winter months, not to mention its harvest season so everyone who actually lives there is busy more important things! We even ventured across the river to Kaub, another cute medieval town.<br>Then we boarded another train to head to the airport... and off to Barcelona!

This is not a great adventure, more a welcome back.<br><br>It is great to be back in Villiprott to visit our old friends since the 70ies. Now I have been staying with them for two weeks and we have done a lot of different things. This part of Germany have many interesting places to visit, both nature and culture.<br>

... are frequently used as the platform for staging the fireworks. <br><br>Having seen the fireworks in Bonn in 1996, we decided to this time in 2009 visit the event at St. Goars on 19.09.2009. In my opinion, St. Goars was by far a better location than Bonn. St. Goars is close to the famous Loreley Rock which gives it a locational advantage. <br><br>The Loreley Rock is a German legend ...

... in towns and cities lining the Rhine valley, with Koblenz featuring as one of the main attractions. Crowds flock each year to see the fireworks light up the night sky, and it&#8217;s clear that the city has no problem handling high-profile cultural events. None are more esteemed that the Federal Garden Show, scheduled to take place in the Koblenz Botanical Gardens, Ehrenbreitstein, in 2011, and certain to put the city right back on the map. Plenty of time for building work in and ...

... 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.

... br><br>Castle 1 - Rheinstein Castle - is located opposite the town of Assmannhausen and was built at the beginning of the 14th Century and used as a summer. <br>Castle 2 - Reichenstein Castle - located above Trechtinghausen was built in the 11th Century. It was destroyed in 1253 and 1282. It then decayed and was reconstructed in 1834. <br>Castle 3 - Sooneck Castle - Probably built in the 11th Century. It was destroyed in the 13th Century, rebuilt and destroyed in 1689 and then ...

... but I could still enjoy the views of the Rhine. I also took a Rhine River cruise from Koblenz to Rudesheim. While in Rudesheim, I visited Berg Rheinfels castle, a United Nations Heritage site. I then drank with some Australians from the Hostel in Koblenz, finally crashing at 1 or 2am.