More pictures from the Rhine River.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Day Two on the Rhine
Guten morgen! So the Rhine cruise on KD line is perfect for Eurailpass hikers and bikers. This is how we did it...
1. Camp in Cologne (Koln) and board the 9:30 am ship to Bad Honningen. Arrive at 3:25 pm.
2. Camp in Bad Honningen. Camp is nice and right at the dock where you get off ship. Wi-fi and a super nice little town and lots of time for a swim in the chilly Rhine.
3. Next morning board the KD ship at 8:05 am to Mainz. The bread truck arrives to the office at 7:50, so get some fresh rolls for the ship before boarding since you will be on it until 7:30 pm.
4. Beautiful views of the castles and natural beauty along the way. When you get off in Mainz, you can get to the campsite by crossing the big bridge to the island and using the pedestrian walkway. About a 25 minute walk. The campsite is roomy and beautiful. Make sure you enjoy the culinary delights of Chef Johann Nemitz at the outdoor restaurant next door. He makes the best vegetable pasta with cream sauce I have EVER had. Resonable prices too.
5. Next day walk the 300 meters to Mainz-Kastel station to main connections.
Everyone should take advantage of this Eurail Pass bonus. It would have cost almost $400 if I bought Rhine Cruise tickets.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
From Belgium to the Rhine
We spent a great day in Bruges Belgium and continued to Cologne Germany at that point we boarded a run River cruise ship down from Cologne to Mainz. Many people don't realize that the KD lines include a trip down the Rhine with the Eurail pass. Riding down the Rhine River on a cruise ship is a lot slower but it's a great way to break up the train rides. The Rhine River is very cold but refreshing, and you get a great view of the castles along the way.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
From Paris to Bruges, Belgium
We packed up in Paris and began a trek to Cologne Germany today. As always, plans change! I don't know how anyone can have set plans and reservations over here. We would have waited 2 hours to get a reservation on the high-speed TGV out of Paris, missing the train anyway. We looked at the RailPlanner app and switched plans to Brussels, Belgium. On the train we read about a small midieval town called Bruges. Our book said if you have one place to visit in Belgium, it must be Bruges. Nate wants a waffle, Chelsea and Stace want chocolate, and I will have a Pilsner Urquell. I will take some pics and upload them tomorrow. It seems wi-fi at campgrounds is hit or miss so we hang outside McD's or Starbucks for access.
Some great news, Nate and I were able to change our flights for the return leg for 25k United miles. That way we don't have to leave early leaving Stace and Chelsea in Greece. I doubt they would come back!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
France
We took the ferry from Dover to Calais and then took a train to Lille France which was a disaster. Lille had no camping spots and it was very scary and dirty. We jumped on a fast train TGV which goes at a hundred and seventy miles per hour to Paris. When we got off the train in Paris another disaster are we had an attempted scam but ended up getting in to our campsite around midnight. The next day we went into Paris and had a spectacular time. Paris is beautiful easy to get around and the people are super nice. We toured another two days in Paris and are now about to leave to Cologne Germany which is fairly central in its location so we can visit Belgium and The Netherlands on day trips. We'll then work our way to eastern Germany and then down to Austria. Things are going great.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Leaving London to France Today
We have walked MILES and MILES aound London and are ready to take on France. London was great with so much to do and see. Pictures usually don't upload here for some reason, but they seem to upload on my Facebook account. Check there for pics.
I looked out of the tent the other day and a fox was looking at me from 4 feet away. He had Stacey's sandal in his mouth! He took off with Stacey in hot pursuit. Looks like we will be show shopping.
Chelsea's Birthday
We toured London as a whole family yesterday and will go back today. Chelsea was so into the whole London scene. Truly in her element! We are planning on the Sherlock Holmes museum, Harry Potter Studio Tour, and Speedy's for lunch. She is 18 now, and may have a legal pint. Lord help us.
Blessings to all of you. Prayers for the family of Paul Teixiera too. We just got news of his passing. Paul served with us on the Salvation Army Advisory Board. What a great man.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
We Made It!
We are all together again in London. A super long day of racing to get to the same place at the same time. We are enjoying camp dinner and cards.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Dublin & Race to London
Nate and I had a great last day in Ireland but missed our ferry to meet Stace & Chelsea at Heathrow. This means we take a late ferry and overnight train to London. We missed it because dad insisted on taking the Guiness tour...my bad, but hey, when am I ever going to get the chance again!
All Around Ireland
We rented the car in traveled completely around Ireland from the ferry terminal to the West Coast and back up to Dublin. This country is absolutely beautiful. I would move here in a minute. The people here are so friendly and helpful. The picture does not do it justice even though it is beautiful. We will travel today to Dublin and visit the Guinness Storehouse then back to London to meet Chelsea and Stacey. Can't wait. We miss them terribly.
"Dia duit" (God be with you, Gaelic)
Ron
News from Nate in Ireland
We got in of the ferry at 6:30 in the morning in Rosslare. We took a bus to the first city that sounded good which happened to be Wexford. We hit up an atm then headed across a super windy bridge over to a caravan park. Seeing how it was 8 o'clock, the reception lady was not in so Dad wrote a note and put it in the door way saying we were pitching our tent. We set it up then went to bed
exhausted. When we woke at around noon, Dad payed for the spot and we set off into the small and old town. After passing through a carnival, listening to some music, and talking to a gentleman who was very pationate about his model rc boats, we finaly found a small place to eat. Dad got fish n' chips and i got a burger and onion rings wraped in paper and 2 cokes to finish it off. We took our food out to the sea side to eat and over heard a play being done by "Americans" dresses as indians re-creating the Boston tea party. HUGE festival honoring Commander John Barry from Wexford. He is the "Father of the US Navy" and helped us become independant!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Wexford Ireland
Today was one of the best days. We got to sleep in a little bit and then went into the town of Wexford Ireland. It is the oldest town in Ireland and was founded by the Vikings. It is also the birthplace the Kennedy family. John F Kennedy came here exactly 50 years ago today to honor commander John Barry. The whole town came out do are a lot of band. The mayor of Annapolis Maryland came over also. Tomorrow we will try to get to Cork Ireland and move our way up the west coast from there.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Rainy Poole UK
Good morning from rainy Dorset this is the place at my family came from in 1620 when they came to America beautiful place but Nathan and I woke up at 5 a.m. to a lot of rain and cold typical for this region that's why it is so green. We will be traveling to Ireland today if we can stay dry enough.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
London today Ireland tomorrow.
Nathan and I toured London today scouted out some places for Chelsea and Stacy. Tomorrow Nathan and I will go to Ireland and on the way we will see the birthplace of my family in Somerset Dorset England.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Touring London Today
Even with little sleep Nate and I woke up at 4 am. Showered and ready for the day. Our bodies tell us it is
5 pm! Feels weird like those afternoon deep naps where you wake up and it's dark not knowing where you are. Oh well. We will adjust.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Friends at the Airport!
So we come around the corner and Nathan and I are sitting in a little cafe. All of a sudden Tori and Jamie Hay show up to say hi they're on their way to Africa on a medical mission trip what a coincidence!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Leave Tomorrow!
Okay we are apparently ready to go for tomorrow. Nathan and I will arrive first and spend a week in England and Ireland. Stacy with Chelsea will arrive a week later. We have people staying at her house Alex so thank you and also Grace. If there's any problems shoot me an email Ron@2daywebsite.com . Most of the time I'll be dictating from my phone so if there's grammatical problems or lack of punctuation please forgive me I'm a bit lazy on the typing anyway gonna miss you all bye!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Almost There!
So here's the latest. Chelsea'a passport is still not here so Nathan and I (having non refundable tickets) have to leave on Tuesday. We will spend a week in England, Scotland and Ireland. Stacey will arrive a week later with Chelsea. That means Nathan & I will have 5 weeks in Europe instead of just 4 I guess its a silver lining. Anyway Stacey and Chelsea should be arriving on the 25th and we will pick him up at the airport in Heathrow
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Preparation
I have found some great apps that should help us on our trip;
- Rail Planner gives offline info about train schedules. A must have.
- Obviously Google Translate will help. You can download language packages for the ones you know you are going to use a lot.
- Rick Steves' Europe. He gives guided audio tours with maps.
- Spotted by Locals. Where do the locals recommend? Pick your counrty!
- Viber. I am not sold on this yet. I want easy, free texts. We'll see.
- Tango. Again, we will see how it works on campground Wi-Fi.
- I also downloaded TuneIn Radio to keep up on my fave's during coffee time. I am a creature of habit as anyone knows that has joined me on the front porch.
Ciao.