Day 5... Castles and the King of Burgers

Looking back I think I can say this was one of my favorites days of the trip. Since we have been back, lots of people have asked me what my favorite part was and I haven't been able to answer them because there was so much. However, this day as whole is definitely on the short list!

We were up and out early. We left Koln and headed to the Rhine River where we boarded a boat. We spent the next hour and a half cruising down the River. It was a beautiful morning so the temperature on the deck was nice and the visibility great. Throughout our honeymoon we would visit many sites that were a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Rhine River Valley was the first of them.

UNESCO Symbol on hillside.

This area is home to some amazing castles. After practically every bend in the river, we would look up in the hills and see a castle. Just as we thought we had seen the most amazing one or biggest one, the next one on the horizon would surprise us.

 

One interesting thing we learned... Apparently there was an agreement during the war that no historical marker or structure would be bombed. So, the German people were smart... the added towers that look like castles onto their tunnels! That way their transportation wouldn't be cut off.

The river was dotted with one beautiful town after another!

 

And there were LOTS of vineyards!

Also on the cruise we saw Lorelie's Rock. That part of the river is very narrow and shallow so there have been many shipwrecks over time. The legend of this rock says that Lorelei was a beautiful distressed maiden who sat upon the rock awaiting the return of her lover. Her unfaithful lover never returned, so she threw herself off of a cliff headfirst into the water, leading her to death. According to the legend, Lorelei’s spirit remains sitting on the rock to this day combing her beautiful long hair and singing a soft melody. Apparently, her looks are so charming that sailors passing though are distracted and before they know it, shipwrecked.

Town of Lorelei

Lorelei's Rock

Statue of Lorelei

They say that Lorelei lingers there seeking revenge against her lover. From time to time, a murmuring sound can be heard in the vicinity of the rock which is said to be her hypnotizing melody. We didn't hear it, but who knows!! Sadly the cruise had to come to an end. All of the passengers agreed that is was a wonderful outing!!

Neil and Stephanie posing for picture.

Jerri and Alex.

Us!! (Notice huge castle in background?)

Next we loaded on the bus and drove through Germany to Heidelberg for our lunch stop. One of my few regrets about our entire trip is that we didn't have more time in this town. It was one of the most charming cities I have ever been to. It is largely known as a college town and that can be seen by all of the students enjoying he nice weather and studying outside or chatting with friends over coffee. The entire town is lined with cobblestone streets. Like most European town, the city is centered around a square.

We strolled around the town taking it all in. When our attention turned to lunch, we decided we had to have some traditional German food. After searching through most of the restaurants, we finally had one that had enough English on their menu for us to know what we were ordering! We sat at a nice table in the middle of the town square and had a wonderful lunch!

 

 

Brad's lunch... Wiener Schnitzel!

My lunch... Bratwurst & Sauerkraut

Unfortunately, after lunch we didn't have much time left and we were SO sad to leave. It is definitely on our list of places we want to visit again. I never knew how beautiful Germany was... so I really enjoyed discovering it!! However, for now, it was back on the bus to drive to Switzerland.

The drive was GORGEOUS. I was so green and we got our first sight of the snow-capped Swiss Alps!

We arrived in Lucerne where we would spend the next two nights. We walked around this beautiful city and instantly fell in love! It is a beautiful city with unobstructed views of the Swiss Alps. Lake Lucerne dominates most of the town and it was beautiful.

We walked around and as it got later we began to get really hungry. It soon turned into a frustrating time trying to find food. Everything was either really expensive or we couldn't understand the menu! Many of you know this about me... but when I pass the point of starving, I am no longer able to make decisions and I get very edgy. So, the decision was made to go to Burger King. We both knew what we could get there and it would be fast. The only problem is that when we walked to where we thought it was... it wasn't. 

I couldn't walk anymore for fear of passing out. So, I went back to our nearby hotel while Brad went out in search of dinner. It took him a while, but he eventually returned to the room with Burger King and it was SO good. We eventually fell into bed. It had been a wonderfully beautiful day but we needed our sleep because with the next day's arrival, we knew we were going up into part of the Swiss Alps!!!!