First Day in Germany

After flying FIRST CLASS (the special treatment RT gave me!) for 8 hours out of Dulles Airport, Washington DC I arrived at the Frankfurt Germany airport. RT had told me to meet him just past a certain area, but this was one HUGE airport, and there were so many signs --- all the studying I had done to prepare myself for understanding the German language didn't seem to helping much at this point! Finally, after many escalators, doorways, and halls I entered a more open area and saw him standing there with that wonderful smile of his! I was glad to see him, probably more glad than I had ever been on any trip where I have gone to meet him. He was going to be my tour guide and "security blanket" for the next week.

01 - Wet Mannheim, Day 1

Luggage acquired, and Customs negotiated (there IS no Customs to speak of!), we headed to the car and on to Mannheim. It was raining, but nothing could spoil my sunny outlook at being here, and the thrill of driving on the Autobahn! As we drove, RT pointed things out to me, and explained patiently my inquiries....how fast are we going (I'm not good at the metric system), what did the signs mean, what are those crops, etc., etc.

02 - Wasserturm Festival

Reaching our hotel, the Maritim, I freshened up and took advantage of the views from our (large!) corner room windows. Across the street on one side was the Wasserturm, a huge old watertower amidst a beautiful park and fountains. A festival was going on....RT said they had just put the tents up the night before, so he was certain the fest was in my honor. :) There was a band playing, not "Oompah" music but good old American rock & roll! We listened for a few minutes, delighting in the sights and sounds (later, when we returned to the hotel we walked over to the fest and enjoyed more music and sights), and then we strolled to the Haupbahnhoff, or main train station, to purchase our tickets for the ICE (Inner City Express) train ride to Munich the next day and Oktoberfest. After exchanging my US dollars for Euros, we returned to the hotel and set off to Ladenburg.

03 - Maritim Hotel