PART ONE

 

Sorry for the lack of an update in the last 10ish days.  I’ve just been too busy and then exhausted to write anything, and then the problem of wifi access can be tricky sometimes/ I’m too lazy to get the access code.  I do apologise for the very very long post.  I hope it doesn’t bore you to sleepy dreams.  I’ve broken the tour post up into two posts just to make it easier to upload a few photos with them, and easier to read.

 

LONDON

                My time in London was extremely limited before the trip.  The flight on British Airways was a lot better than what I was expecting.  Heathrow Airport is HUGE, but easily navigated.  But what really annoyed me was that the customs official just opened up my passport to a random page and stamped.  When I went through German customs at the beginning of my trip they stamped my visa on the very first page.  GRRRR.

                I managed to get lost from King’s Cross/ St. Pancras Station trying to find the hostel where I was staying.  I missed where I was supposed to turn off and end up walking up a hill.  The locals weren’t too helpful as the people I asked had just been to a Christmas party and were a bit tipsy.  But I FINALLY found my way to Clink, and the room I was put in had three other Germans.  More German practice for me.  It’s like they knew or something.  But they kept me up at night, so I woke them up at 5am to get ready for the 7am departure.

 

COLOGNE

                The bus trip down to Dover was awkward.  I did not know anyone, and ended up sitting next to a nice Australian, and we made small talk.  It was uneventful.  The ferry across the channel was pretty smooth, but I could still feel the movement.  I don’t know what happened to my sea legs.  The bus ride down to Cologne was pretty long, but our tour leader, Michele, made things interesting.  Speed dating was conducted.  Everyone had three minutes with each other to talk about whatever they wanted to get to know the others on the tour.  SO MANY AUSTRALIANS, but that was to be expected.  There were: 4 Kiwis, 4 Canadians, 2 South Africans, 2 Americans, Korea, China, a few Brits and the rest were Australian out of a total of 40ish.  (I’m sorry if I missed anyone else out).

                Cologne itself was quite beautiful.  The Kölner Dom was very imposing.  Looking back on Cologne at the end of the trip, I think I will have to go back and visit again, just like most of the other places on the tour.  That night we went out.  It was pretty good, actually.  But considering I had been having Glühwein with a few other people since around midday, then Kölsch, a kölner bier, and then onto vodka and coke....  Thank you to the Austrlian girls, Mel, Molly and Nat for “encouraging” me to drink when I kept saying no.  You would have been jointly responsible for the bus having several pit spots.  I have to say that was the worst bus ride for me.

 

BADEN BADEN

                After a very long and uncomfortable bus ride, we had made it to Baden Baden.  Yay for a very comfortable hotel.  It was pure luxury for us, especially after being in a hostel for the last two nights with a snorer or two.  Unfortunately I found our trip to Baden Baden a tad worthless, mainly because the one attraction actually in the town, the spas, were closed over the Christmas holiday period.  It would have been nice to spend another day there to just go and relax at the spas. 

                We did have a free afternoon, so a few of us tried to find some castle ruins, but we got completely lost.  However, we came across a gem of a cafe/ bar.  It had a winter wonderland theme, including fake snow, the closest many of the tour group came to seeing snow.  They had the most delicious waffles.  I started the trend when I got the first one.  After everyone smelled it, their mouths watered.  You’re very welcome!  The waffleman was cute too!  He would take photos of us for us while the waffles were cooking and we were more worried about the waffles than he was!  He then pulled the waffles out and declared them “perfect”.  And it was the warmest of the whole trip.  It was unseasonable warm, almost ten degrees, where it should have been negatives and snowing!  We later went back to this place and I got another waffle because dinner was going to be late.  It was worth it! 

The dinner that night was good, topped it off with a cocktail and a yummy Mövenpick ice cream dessert. 

                On Christmas, we had a day trip down to Hohen Zollern Castle near Tübingen.  It was a nice castle, but small.  Comparing it to Larnach Castle, they were quite different.  Larnach Castle was used as a residence, while Hohen Zollern Castle was used as an exemplar of wealth of the Royal Family, which helped to develop the Prussian royal family tree, and thus the imperial family of the Second Reich of the Wilhelmine Germany.  The Christmas dinner I found to be a bit of a waste.  The soup and the main were okay, but the main part of a dinner for me, the dessert, was unsatisfactory.  Deep fried apple and a bit of custard.  It could have been much better.