After a 9 hour flight, sitting next to Albert Einstein embodied(no joke, this man had to have been a direct relative as far as looks go, the hair and face, CLASSIC) we landed in Germany. First point of interest.... Nearest tavern to enjoy a nice cold tasty brew for the first time as a legal adult. And would you believe, it just so happened to be the Airport Hooters that was our first encounter that we selected to get my first taste of the local selection. :) I gave it A on beer, A on Fräuleins, and A on having a Hooters in Germany haha.
Thomas Henderson and his wife Cristy were the generous individuals that met us at the airport and took us to their new country home they recently moved into. They have been very gracious hosts to us three, providing their home as a place to stay, driving us to local destinations as well as helping us find a vehicle. Although the search hasn't been successful so far, we keep our hopes high with the anticipation that we will find the magic bus that will carry us on our epic journey.
We've done some local touring around towns near Frankfurt, where we flew in, and have visited such places as Bad Durkeim, Kaiserslaughten, and Ramstein-Miesenbach to name a few. We recently explored one of Germany's oldest castle ruins, Rheinfels Fortress. Some facts about the castle for you: The Rhinefels castle, was
once the mightiest stronghold on the Rhine and the only castle there to withstand the armies of Louis XIV. Up to 2000 soldiers manned its ramparts and cannon, imposing taxes on all the river traffic below. It was destroyed by the French in the 18th century (like so many other castles on the Rhine) to ensure a demilitarized zone existed between France and Germany. All that’s left of the castle is the ruins that face the Rhine river, about a fifth of the castle’s former area. But the ruins are still impressive, situated way up on the top of the mountain at St. Goar. Exploring
this castle was an experience to say the least. I found myself in a child like spirit once again wanting to investigate every hidden hallway and terrace I came across. I felt like a knight returning to the once proud kingdom, only to find that it had become a desolate ruin. None the less the castle provided a jolly good time for us.
Event # 2: Durkheim's Wurstmarkt (The World's Largest Wine Festival)
It's one of the largest, most traditional and entertaining public festivals in Germany. It is over 570 years old, and still as young as ever - the Dürkheim festival of festivals - the main event of the year in the Pfalz. The entertainment along with the wine is one of the distinctive features of the festival. You can enjoy over 150 different wines in over 50 different places - from the mellow Riesling to the finest ice-wine. We were fortunate enough to have enjoyed the festivities two nights in a row. Taking the trains the second night proved to be more of an experience then we had planned. After departing from Thomas' house around 10, we took a cab to the train station. There we ran across a bachelorette party where the bridesmaids were selling different shots of alcohol for their party. My brother and I quickly indulged in helping them out by purchasing one each and enjoying it with them. As we progressed on the train we came to realize that we weren't going to arrive at the festival as quickly as we'd anticipated. But it didn't bother us, we had bottles of wine and good company to pass the time with. Paul quickly made friends with a local on the train. His name was Eddie and he shared an eerie resemblance to Heath Ledger. We learned he was originally born in Russia but moved to Germany 17 years ago. The man had great charisma and joined our group when he found out we were heading to the Wine Fest.
Drinking without having to worry about alcohol limits - Welcome to the German dream! It seemed to be the dream of every teenager and adult in near sight. I've never seen more teenyboppers wasted before in my life! haha Navigating through the crowds was like trying make your way through a stampede in the African jungle. We decided to charge into the main tent and see the outrageous party close up. After becoming part of the ocean of people, we quickly found ourselves unable to move. Only from the constant push in both directions by the crowd were we able to make it out the other end alive. Walking by all the different booths you'd get blasts of music playing and it seems that there are two songs in particular that are extremely popular here. One of which being Katy Perry's "California Girls"... go figure. The other is a song none of you have probably ever heard before. It's Bad Ass!! I was gonna wait till I returned to show it to everyone, but I feel lead to spread the love now so all of you can enjoy it. The title, "We No Speak Americano" by Yolando Be Cool & DCUP. Here's the music video, CHECK IT OUT.
But these are the situations I have found myself wanting to live for! The rush of thousands around you and the struggle to find your way. After roaming through the crowds we found an open table in a tent where we decided to take a load off and enjoy some of the fine vino (wine) these countries had to offer. I met four local girls who I quickly hit it off with. They shared with me all of their back stories and inquired about mine. One in particularly I was attracted to who acted as the main translator for me and the rest of the girls. One comment I remember that I found quite comical was how they thought Americans still had a very negative outlook on Germans and we viewed them all as Nazi's who don't have refrigerators..... I'm serious haha. I quickly ensured them that this was a false and we all laughed about it. As the night was starting to come to a close and I left the lasses I was with, I returned to the group to find one of our members missing: Paul. We decided to scour the grounds on the attempt to hopefully spot him. After endlessly searching, I turn the corner and find him thrilled with relief that we had stumbled upon each other. We all celebrated our triumph and then set out to find a ride back to Thomas'. Trying to grab a taxi was more complicating then expected. People were taking them left and right, and a party of 6 presented more of a problem. After hanging out at a gas station for some time and watching the locals take the party into the streets, we finally scored a taxi bus to take us back.
This night was an epic adventure that I'll never forget. But now it's Tuesday the 14th and I'm sitting at the all too familiar sports bar located on the Ramstein Air Force Base once again with the very limited internet access I've been able to enjoy, pondering what's to come. It looks like we will spend the remainder of this week in Germany staying at Thomas' place still on the search for our own vehicle. I pray that we get some luck soon an can find the vehicle for us that will allow us to embark onward. I'll be back soon with more stories to tell, until then,
Auf Wiedersehen, Cheers!
We've done some local touring around towns near Frankfurt, where we flew in, and have visited such places as Bad Durkeim, Kaiserslaughten, and Ramstein-Miesenbach to name a few. We recently explored one of Germany's oldest castle ruins, Rheinfels Fortress. Some facts about the castle for you: The Rhinefels castle, was
once the mightiest stronghold on the Rhine and the only castle there to withstand the armies of Louis XIV. Up to 2000 soldiers manned its ramparts and cannon, imposing taxes on all the river traffic below. It was destroyed by the French in the 18th century (like so many other castles on the Rhine) to ensure a demilitarized zone existed between France and Germany. All that’s left of the castle is the ruins that face the Rhine river, about a fifth of the castle’s former area. But the ruins are still impressive, situated way up on the top of the mountain at St. Goar. Exploring
this castle was an experience to say the least. I found myself in a child like spirit once again wanting to investigate every hidden hallway and terrace I came across. I felt like a knight returning to the once proud kingdom, only to find that it had become a desolate ruin. None the less the castle provided a jolly good time for us.Event # 2: Durkheim's Wurstmarkt (The World's Largest Wine Festival)
It's one of the largest, most traditional and entertaining public festivals in Germany. It is over 570 years old, and still as young as ever - the Dürkheim festival of festivals - the main event of the year in the Pfalz. The entertainment along with the wine is one of the distinctive features of the festival. You can enjoy over 150 different wines in over 50 different places - from the mellow Riesling to the finest ice-wine. We were fortunate enough to have enjoyed the festivities two nights in a row. Taking the trains the second night proved to be more of an experience then we had planned. After departing from Thomas' house around 10, we took a cab to the train station. There we ran across a bachelorette party where the bridesmaids were selling different shots of alcohol for their party. My brother and I quickly indulged in helping them out by purchasing one each and enjoying it with them. As we progressed on the train we came to realize that we weren't going to arrive at the festival as quickly as we'd anticipated. But it didn't bother us, we had bottles of wine and good company to pass the time with. Paul quickly made friends with a local on the train. His name was Eddie and he shared an eerie resemblance to Heath Ledger. We learned he was originally born in Russia but moved to Germany 17 years ago. The man had great charisma and joined our group when he found out we were heading to the Wine Fest.
Drinking without having to worry about alcohol limits - Welcome to the German dream! It seemed to be the dream of every teenager and adult in near sight. I've never seen more teenyboppers wasted before in my life! haha Navigating through the crowds was like trying make your way through a stampede in the African jungle. We decided to charge into the main tent and see the outrageous party close up. After becoming part of the ocean of people, we quickly found ourselves unable to move. Only from the constant push in both directions by the crowd were we able to make it out the other end alive. Walking by all the different booths you'd get blasts of music playing and it seems that there are two songs in particular that are extremely popular here. One of which being Katy Perry's "California Girls"... go figure. The other is a song none of you have probably ever heard before. It's Bad Ass!! I was gonna wait till I returned to show it to everyone, but I feel lead to spread the love now so all of you can enjoy it. The title, "We No Speak Americano" by Yolando Be Cool & DCUP. Here's the music video, CHECK IT OUT.
But these are the situations I have found myself wanting to live for! The rush of thousands around you and the struggle to find your way. After roaming through the crowds we found an open table in a tent where we decided to take a load off and enjoy some of the fine vino (wine) these countries had to offer. I met four local girls who I quickly hit it off with. They shared with me all of their back stories and inquired about mine. One in particularly I was attracted to who acted as the main translator for me and the rest of the girls. One comment I remember that I found quite comical was how they thought Americans still had a very negative outlook on Germans and we viewed them all as Nazi's who don't have refrigerators..... I'm serious haha. I quickly ensured them that this was a false and we all laughed about it. As the night was starting to come to a close and I left the lasses I was with, I returned to the group to find one of our members missing: Paul. We decided to scour the grounds on the attempt to hopefully spot him. After endlessly searching, I turn the corner and find him thrilled with relief that we had stumbled upon each other. We all celebrated our triumph and then set out to find a ride back to Thomas'. Trying to grab a taxi was more complicating then expected. People were taking them left and right, and a party of 6 presented more of a problem. After hanging out at a gas station for some time and watching the locals take the party into the streets, we finally scored a taxi bus to take us back.
This night was an epic adventure that I'll never forget. But now it's Tuesday the 14th and I'm sitting at the all too familiar sports bar located on the Ramstein Air Force Base once again with the very limited internet access I've been able to enjoy, pondering what's to come. It looks like we will spend the remainder of this week in Germany staying at Thomas' place still on the search for our own vehicle. I pray that we get some luck soon an can find the vehicle for us that will allow us to embark onward. I'll be back soon with more stories to tell, until then,
Auf Wiedersehen, Cheers!
