OIDFA Trip Day 12-13-14 Heidelberg and the Rhine My travel problems were on Sundays. I got up early and took the Metro to Gard du Est. The train I wanted was full. No seats left. I had to wait in the train station for four hours to catch the next train which meant that I would arrive in Heidelberg late in the day. Once on the train, it was a pleasant ride. Facing me was a man with wife and 3 girls in the seats across the aisle. We chatted through much of the journey. He had been stationed in Heidleberg when he was in the military and was taking his family to see it.
My hotel was in the middle of the old part of town so I took a tram, and then walked a ways to get there. My room was the smallest room I'd had so far, but a very roomy bathroom. The window opened onto a wall so I had air but no view. The hotel did have an excellent restaurant with tables outdoors. It faced the big square next to the Church of the Holy Spirit. Opposite the church was the Town Hall. I had my meals outdoors and enjoyed watching all the people. I tried to choose traditional German food. The day I arrived was the day of the Germany-Spain soccer World Cup. The street was full of mostly students (some adults) parading in German flags and flag colors. They were all excited, and planning on a big celebration. The town would have been wild if they had won, but the honor went to the Spanish. It was very quiet after the game. I had only one full day here, so I visited the church when it opened. The organist was practicing. It's a smaller church than the others I'd seen, but very pretty. After a quick visit to the Internet Cafe, I went up to the Schloss (Castle) and spent some time walking around the grounds.There was a great view of the town from up there. I rode the mountain tram back down to the city and walked around a bit more. I enjoyed window shopping as I strolled the streets, and watched the people. The start of Day 15 was very early. I had ordered a taxi for fast transport to the train. I caught the earliest train to Mainz so I could catch the early Rhine Cruise boat. I made it with barely a minute to spare. I think they started to raise the boarding plank just after I got on. There was only 16 minutes from the train arrival till the cruise time. I thanked my taxi driver immensely for a fast transport. I had to drag my luggage with me on the cruise. I hauled it up the stairs to the top deck and found a table under the canvas top. The weather was hot and sunny, with a nice breeze. I knew I would burn if I sat in the sun for 5 hours. There were quite a few people, but lots of room. One stop later, a tour of Italians boarded and took over the front section of the boat. They serenaded everyone for 15 or 20 minutes. The next stop gained a tour of Japanese people. They filled in all the space left. An hour or so later, one of the tours departed. The next stop the other tour departed. On the next stop, there were 50 or more kids who boarded. I think it was more than one group. They left before my stop. There are 30 or more castles (or ruins) between Mainz and Koln. Most of them are between Mainz and Koblenz so I saw lots of castles on the hills next to the river. I took pictures of all of them we saw. The weather was almost perfect for a river cruise. The breeze kept the heat from being oppressive. When I debarked, I was able to catch a taxi cruising by the boat landing, and caught the next train going to Koln where I had a hotel for the night. Days 12-13-14 No lace. Church number 6 and lots of castles. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
