Catching up with friends from Christmas in Estepona

Wednesday 10th March, 1982

On the road again to Bonn.  We lunched in HUMA - a large hypermarket.  Earlier, on the autobahn we decided to go down to the Rhine at Koblenz for a change of scenery and a memory drive along past Bad Breisich and Remagen and on to Bonn.  We found Joe's suburb - St Augustin - then had to find his street - when we did, what a welcome we got - they treated us like royalty.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with them - they have a nice family.  Norbert is 18 and a PMG technician and Rolf who is married and an electrician.  They cut their holiday short because Rolf has been made "workless" but on arriving home found he had a job.  Showed us all the slides of his holiday including our Christmas.  We ate German Essen sausage and brotchen.  Breakfast was sausage, cheese and brotchen and for lunch we brought cooked chickens and had chicken and brotchen.  Drink - we had brandy, wine, German milk drink weitbeer - which is raspberry syrup with weetbier-non-alcoholic.  After tea we walked down to the pub, Joe and Margaret's favourite spot.  We had a terrific evening -introduced us to malt beer, non-alcoholic but sweet.  On arriving home, Rolf and Oma arrived.  To bed in a warm van - Joe had put his heater in to warm the van - it was beautiful.  All the German houses built pre-war are similar but adequate (more than) all semi-attached brick constructions with heating - two storey - down stairs kitchen and toilet living room - upstairs three bedrooms ensuite.  Very nice!

Weather is changeable - we had sun, storm, snow and wind in one day as Margaret says "misty but green" a private joke that helps them get through their 300 cloudy days per year.  Wind and rain at nights.

Thursday 11th March, 1982

Up next morning to sunshine - we went for a walk with Joe to the Huma hypermarket.  He wanted to buy us everything.  Sandra had developed a migraine and had to sleep to rid herself of it - we bought three chickens for lunch and had half each - wow the protein we have eaten.

Reluctantly we said Auf Weidershein to the Zeiss’s and headed for Eiskirchen, Joe and Margaret took us about 10 km before waving goodbye.

Lunch time we had a storm - then rain then snow and sunshine - misty but green!

By the time we arrived it was snowing again. 

Eiskirchen, Germany

Very cold - it was great to see the Zopinski's again.  Had sauerbraten, a local meat dish for a welcome for us - delicious - braised meat with apple sauce.  Had a pleasant evening then bed.  Heidrun had to work at the taxi office this evening.  Received a letter from Karen - all well at home.

Ludwig and Heidrun Zopinski

Friday 12th March, 1982                    cold and fine

Awoke reasonably early - breakfast inside the warm house - German style again - Rolls, meat and coffee - I have sneaked the bran in every morning up to date.  Ludwig had to work till 11:30 a.m. so we walked down to Eiskirchen which is a lovely little town - lunched altogether then off for a drive in rain and sleet and snow to Bad Munster Eifel the prettiest town I've seen for many miles.  

Bad Munster Eifel, Germany

Germany is beautiful when the rain clears.  We had our coffee in a lovely cafe and walked a while. With Heidrun leading the way we drove to the Eiffel Mountains through lovely villages and over good mountain roads.  The sun came out for the last hour and we took some snaps -then the snow came again - quite heavy.  A nice tea and shower and settled in with visitors - Rolf and Heidi, friends of Ludwig.  Ludwig isn't well but continues to entertain us with his guitar and Rolf singing - early night.  All collapsed into sleep quickly.  Heavy ice lay on ground all night

Saturday 13th March, 1982                      fine but cold

Up early for breakfasts - going to Cologne - but Ludwig too sick to rise.  Heidrun called the doctor who put him on penicillin and about three hours later we headed for Cologne through driving rain - no one is happy with the arrangements as it's so cold but "best laid plans of mice and men".  Arrived at parkplatz after much trouble looking - poor John was so patient with rain and traffic - he does a good job behind the wheel.  We were freezing, almost crying with the cold and the locals didn't even seem to be dressed warmly, didn't seem to worry them - born to it.

We found McDonald's and hoed into two hamburgers and coffee each - came out feeling a bit warmer.  Walked to the Dom.  On way Rae and I brought a Cuckoo Clock.  The Dom is monstrous; we walked up the Dome past the Glocken (Bell) on to the first level - 300 steps -where Sandra and I declined any further invites to finish the last 200 to the top.  When we came down it was sun shining, lots of snaps whilst the Sun was out.

View from the Dom, Koln, Germany

Shopping in Koln, Germany with Heidrun

On the way home the inevitable rain sleet and snow then sunshine.  Heidrun carried Yulia all the way up to the top and down.

Cologne is the land of 4711 perfume - Margaret Hall's favourite.

Sunday 14th March, 1982           sunny and cold

Lazy Sunday morning - Ludwig feeling a little better -  and had breakfast with us.  Lunch - pork chops etc - very nice, and off to the Kommer Museum.  Here they have old houses from various districts.  Thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon there.  Some of the homes shared the house with the cattle.  In the museum were miniature room settings, furniture and utensils from the old homes. 

Kommer Museum, Germany

In to Eiskirchen for a coffee at the Ital-Eis-cafe, very filling.  Met Heidrun's mother at the Railway shop - car wouldn't start - friendly Germans helped push.

By the end of two days in the van with Yulia and Miryam we were ready to slap or scream.  Home to a filling afternoon tea - rest - Ludwig came down stairs and fiddled with his short wave radio.  A light tea and a restful evening - they are determined to shower us with German hospitality.

Sean has been feeling a little off for a couple of days and today he has developed bronchitis so with his temperature 39° we decided to call the doctor.  He gave him Flufim and Bronco-Binatal and a needle of Vertin to bring the temperature down.  Sean and I slept in the house -all night someone was up, Yulia, Sean or Ludwig.  Decided next morning to get on the road again.

They all eat this raw concoction of meat and onion for breakfast and tea - Swebelmince.

Monday 15th of March                       sunny and cold

Last breakfast with Heidrun and the kids - Ludwig taken to bed with a migraine - methinks the boy is a weakling or running away - anyway we were on the road again.  Poor Heidrun didn't raise an objection as the little one was very ill too.  Ludwig said when a German becomes ill he takes to bed and stays there till he is better - no shower - no Australian visitors will alter his sick routine.

Nice day as we came to autobahn, past Aachen, Liege, Lillie through Belgium into France.  Three countries in one day - not bad.  Stopped at autobahn service station for lunch with German brot.  A home in Belgium was outstanding with aeroplanes on the roof, rockets in front.

Past Armentieres where Mademoiselle originated - down through Flanders country through the French villages of St Sylvestre-Cassel La Neippe, St Omen and many more.

This is dad's (Poppy Joe)World War one country where he stole potatoes for his mates.

Sean lay asleep most of the day.  Arrived at Calais about 7 p.m. at camping area right beside the harbour - no showers, so to bed after a blanket bath.

Worms, Germany to Calais, France

 

Travelling down the Rhine

 Monday, 5th October, 1981         Beethoven country      overcast but fine

Slept beside the Rhine in the car park.  Very nerve racking.  John parked between a caravan and a large truck so it wasn't as windy as it could have been.  

Last night we walked into Bonn Centrum to see Beethoven's home.  He was born in 1770, Australia's year.  On the way out of Bonn we saw a policeman with his machine gun patrolling outside Arab consulate.  At Melden we stopped to shop and were having morning tea when the lady spoke to us, she is off to Australia next Thursday.  Lucky Lady.  Her husband is English and they are going to a wedding in Brisbane.  We fill the larder then continued our way up the Rhine - beautiful country - the mountains one side with Vineyards and little white houses.  A castle every now and again rears its gables through the trees.

We continued through beautiful countryside to Bad Breisich where there are thermal baths.  It has little narrow streets with older narrow shopfronts.  The River Pavilion is closed to traffic and has private hotels all along the river front.  We are in Rheingold country now.  We are heading out towards Mosel country.  On to Remagen where we had lunch.  Had difficulty in buying brown wholemeal buns - ended up with French rolls, which were very nice.  

Remagen is a little village on the Rhine.  The railway bridge at Remagen over the Rhine was captured almost intact by the Americans on the seventh of April 1945 and helped to speed the final invasion of Germany.  Soon afterwards the bridge collapsed and has never been rebuilt.  

On to Koblenz where the Mosel River meets the Rhine, the promenade along both rivers is 8 km long and meets at the Deutsches Eck.  It was given this name in 1216.  Some of the buildings date back to 836 AD.  The Kastor church and Our Lady’s demonstrate harmonious combination of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture.  There is a wine village, an exact reproduction of a winegrowing village.  Vineyards line the surrounding hills with unusual castle style buildings amid trees.  The village has buildings late styled as the village - now a city - was razed during the war.  We are just opposite the Deutsches Eck watching the Rhine and Mosel passing by.

Deutsches Eck, Germany

In town, during our walk, we had seen an Australian van like ours so left a note.  About 7:30 p.m. we were watching when the kids became excited - the van had arrived at the camp and amazing thing was, it was people we all knew.  John went to school with Bert Rose.  They lived up behind us at Wyadra Avenue when the children were at school.  Another Aussie couple joined us - Mike and Annette.  They had all been on a boat ride on the Rhine.  Bert and Nan have three girls, Yvette, Tammy and Carolyn.  We had a stimulating evening till midnight.  We need some English conversation every now and then.

Bert was a butcher from Narrabeen - knew him years ago - has his shop at Narrabeen bus terminus. 

Tuesday, 6th October, 1981                   fine and cool

Slept in after our evening.  Then breakfast and casually prepared to begin another day on the Rhine.  Saying goodbye to Philip and Annette, Bert and Nan Rose and the girls we headed off up the winding river bank.  Grape vines dotted the left banks, leisure boats and barges ploughed up and down in the swiftly flowing river.  Little Tudor villages dotted each side of the river with their churches proudly displaying the spires.  There are lots of ………..? in Europe.  At Kapellan we stopped to enquire re boat across the other side but had to be content with a photo - no transport across.  Old homes lined steep narrow lanes down to the riverbank where the foundations of houses are stoned up quite high to hold back the Rhine in flood.

We drove on through Rhens - a real old village with houses leaning towards the road.  The castle Marksburg stands majestic overlooking the village of Braubach.  We had lunch in a park before we moved on to Boppard, a Roman walled city at one part of history.  The children wanted to ride in the chairlift way above the town, so John sat with Rae, and I with Sean and away we went with much trepidation way above the world. 

My mouth was dry, hands clasped tightly on Sean.  Eyes open sometimes, we slowly lifted way up into the trees, grapes grew calmly below us, though the skies were dark and threatening there was very little wind.  As we rose higher than sight from land, Sean commented how quiet and calm it was.  He talked to me to calm my racing pulse and  feeling we would fall.  And it was worth it - every tremor.  The view was magnificent.  

We walked through the shrubs to a lookout, John did some video work and I took some photos from the hill overlooking where 4 lakes meet.  Coming down was definitely better than the ascent.  I was glad to reached terra firma.

The view from the top took in Schloss Liebenech, Stennenberg and Leibenstein castles on the hills above.  We passed through Bad Salzig, St Goars. Hausen Village could be seen on opposite bank through St Goars, Oberswesel to Bacharach.  We passed Lorelei, the sharpest point in the Rhine where legend has it sailors in days gone by heard her singing and failed to navigate the sharp turn and went to their watery graves.  It's so hard to imagine oneself on the Rhine.  It is magnificent!  Bacharach is a small village with the most antiquated typical Rhenish, Renaissance homes and shops, narrow streets.  In every town there is a Rathaus -the town Hall.  We found an area right on the Rhine bank, swans swimming tamely by and now and then the calm sound of a tug.

Wednesday, 7th October, 1981                      fine and cool

Woke to the beautiful sound of bells at 7 a.m.  They tolled for 15 minutes, for whom the Bell tolls, not me.  I went back to sleep for an hour, awoke to a beautiful sunny, but crisp day.  Leisurely breakfast and off down the Rhine to Bingen to spend the day.  We did divert up a hill to see castle Burg Reinstein.  The manager came running down when we parked and started to say something in German when John answered in English he said quickly "next tour in five minutes" and took off.  

As we arrived in Bingen the ferry was preparing to go, so we vacated that van in the fastest time yet,  caught the ferry and took off up river to Rudesheim.  Sandra wanted to have her birthday here so we bought the day forward and decided to eat out at a lovely restaurant in Drosselgrasse - a delightful street in the heart of town with leaning shops and restaurants very narrow.  In every eating house a live band is playing - the one we chose had a Dutch man and wife team who played and sang delightful music - German, Dutch and Waltzing Matilda for us.  We danced to a great beat, "the chicken Song”, had a fantastic meal for only 88 deutsche marks about $33.  John, Rae and Sean had bratwurst; I had Weiner Schnitzel and San a salmon, and a beautiful cappuccino coffee.  John had beer served in a huge glass boot.  We loved it so much we went back for afternoon tea.

The kids had been dying to use the chairlift up to the "Niederwalddenkmal" so after lunch we all lined up.  San brought tickets and was third in line for the chair when she took off, handing us our tickets as she went.

We were kind of forced on before we could reneg.  Rae and John, Sean and I.  It was a lovely trip after, nothing like Boppard was.  It was a covered car like chair and it was lovely.  

All the way up we were saying how mum would have liked this, and up there on top saying wish San was here when up she popped.  Had cashed in token then decided it was now or never and hopped on board the chair before she could change her mind, so another had conquered her fear of ascending.  We spent some time admiring the view then came back in the chairlift, Rae and I led the way, John and Sandra then Sean on his own. 

We walked for awhile around the old streets, and had afternoon tea. Then caught the ferry back to Bingen, but before that we strolled down a wine cellar - a huge concrete cellar, Sandra hesitated on the steps in case the owner closed doors as he stood up top and his wife "like a spider" encouraged us all in - she had a drink in our hands before we could say Jack Spratt, then said three marks! She didn't give John his change back and kept selling the wine at rapid pace and before we knew it she had sold a bottle - we couldn't get out quick enough.  Back to the van, a camping area out of Bingen, baked beans on toast and a contented five into bed -the weather continues to be perfect.

 

Bonn to Bingen, Germany