Really the Home Stretch.. Really

Colmar -- A Town That Doesn't Know Where It Is

Poor, beautiful Colmar -- so close to Germany yet French.  But was German, then French, then German, then French etc.  It was even Swedish for two years.  All this back and forth has resulted in a very vibrant, if somewhat culturally schizophrenic little city.  Food is Frenchy/German. Architecture is more German.  Canals are more French.  And so it goes.  We loved it.  In deference to the fact that this series of blogs has reached the length of Moby Dick we will go light on verbiage and (try) to go light on pictures.  We only stopped for a brisk tour and lunch in Colmar because we were bound for the Rhine.

Colmar had the requisite cute timbered buildings,...

a wonderful canal to take a short boat ride,...

beautiful flowers,...

and a very lively market.

It also had the requisite statue in the square,...

more colorful, timbered buildings,..

and a church clock reminding us of our mortality.

One of the more interesting things we encountered was this youth orchestra advertising an upcoming performance by playing throughout the town.

The Delights of a Pagan Ritual

We happened to end up in Mainz on the longest day of the year.  Our host warned us that  this was a big festival and the downtown would be filled with merrymakers (drunks), cars, carnival rides, pickpockets and Beer Gardens.  We were IN.  She also told us it was a 10-15 minute walk.  Why do they ALWAYS fib?  I am on to them now and refused to leave unless by car.  After a 15 minute DRIVE we pulled into a parking space with zero problem.  All the rest of what she said was true.  I have never seen so much beer or so many giant pretzels in my life.

A Little Ride on the Rhine

The next morning we popped the address for the Rhine ferry into the GPS and headed for downtown Mainz to be whistled aboard.  We circled, we zigzagged, we crossed the Rhine four times, and ultimately ended up at a giant construction site that apparently used to be the dock for the KD ferry. It was beginning to look more like our usual vacation day.  Refusing to abandon the plan, we decided to drive up the river to Boppard and catch the boat there. Well, we made it through Bingen and all of a sudden we were brought to a halt.  Police were turning people back.  Eventually we determined that a major landslide had occurred blocking the road.  After exhaustive searches for an alternate route we turned back to Bingen and caught the boat there.  The boats on the Rhine are a cliche but you should do it at least once -- this was twice for me and clearly too much.  The positive is that the section of the Rhine we were on is just loaded with castles looming over the River (or sometimes in the River) at every turn.  Upon our return to Bingen we decided to stop at a charming Beer Garden we had spotted earlier. No, we weren't.  We had forgotten that it was Euro 16 (huge soccer deal) and the Beer Garden was stuffed, crammed, wedged with frothy fans drinking and screaming -- and the game hadn't started.  Those Euros love their football.

The Rhine cruise was filled with both castles and vineyards, as can be seen from this series of photos.

This castle was in the middle of the Rhine and ensured duties were paid on all goods transported up or down the Rhine.

There were also churches with the castles.

This individual in medieval costume was taking a break from his guiding duties.

This town had the biggest assortment of cuckoo clocks imaginable.

With all of the rain, the lawns and flowers were lush and verdant

The Lorelei statue is 16' tall and is between St. Goar & St. Goarshausen. This is the narrowest & deepest part of the Rhine where a beautiful woman was said to lure sailors to their death.

St. Goarshausen

Another crumbling castle along the Rhine.

And Everyone Loves a Beer Spa

The next day we had to drive to Prague so that we could catch our flight the following day.  I had found a restaurant in Pilsner that sounded really good so we broke the trip by lunching there.  Pilsner is the historic home of -- oh come on, you can guess.  We pulled up at the Purkmistr and rapidly realized that this was a bit more than what the reviews had portrayed.  First, the restaurant was HUGE and there was a hotel and spa associated with it.  Here are some of the offerings at the Beer Spa: 1) Beer baths in Purkmistr Pilsener beer; 2) Peat baths; 3) Chocolate baths; 4) Beer Relaxation (it always relaxes ME); 5) Beer Ritual; 6) Beer Special Body and Mind Meditation.  You get the idea. Actually I have no idea what the last 3 or 4 entail.  We were totally taken with the place and swear we will return.  On top of that we had a great meal.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggeddy, Jig

After a relaxing day in Dallas at Michael's sister's house we reentered the Ajijic bubble.  This was our longest trip so far (a month) and we went to more countries (7-- 8 if you count the US) than on any other single trip. After our next trip to the Family Reunion it is time to clip our wings for a while.  Well, we'll see.....