As we boarded the coach this morning, it felt like winter in Amsterdam! The winds were howling and it was cold - We were all glad that the previous day's weather had been nicer! We were all pretty tired after our two nights in Amsterdam (knicknamed "AmsterSMASH" by Daren)and were excited to be on our way to Germany.
The coach motored along and before long we passed the city of Cologne, Germany. Cologne is a big shipping city and much of the Rhine River shiping originates or ends here. It wasn't long before Dave had the coach on some of the narrowest streets that I had ever seen. We were on our way to the boat dock and our afternoon cruise down the Rhine!
After we arrived at the dock, we learned that Dave and Daren would be driving the coach down the river to St. Goar where we would be spending the night. The boat ride was approximately and hour and was spectacular. We floated down the river past ancient castles and vineyards on both shores. We learned that the Rhineland is known for it's wine - although the first thing Jamie and I did when we got on the boat was to get a beer (it WAS Germany, after all!)
When we arrived at the end of the boat ride, it had become sunny and we got a taste of some of the most pleasant weather that we would see on our journey. We exited the boat and walked through a small park up to our Hotel - The Hotel Montag. I didn't realize it at that point, but Montag's was more than just a hotel, it was a souvenier shop, a beerstein shop, a knife shop and a teddy bear shop! These guys had quite a setup! Daren had arranged for us to get a brief demonstration on the beersteins and the knives. Needless to say, many of us purchased beersteins - it WAS Germany, after all! Jamie and Mike both purchased the granddaddy of all collectibles - a limited edition Berlin Wall Beerstein! It had scenes of Berlin on it and on top was an actual piece of the Berlin Wall! Mike kept his packed away, but Jamie would decide later that night that his collecable needed to be properly christened - German style!
After a brief walk through the sleepy little town of St. Goar, we checked into our room and rested a bit. Little did we know that this coming evening would become one of the most rowdy on our journey! After a great dinner (German Bratwurst and rice - YUM!) we headed to a local winery and assembled in the winecellar for a demonstration on making wines - complete with samples! We all enjoyed this experience and many of us purchased bottles to bring home with us.
After we finished the Wine Tasting, we all congregated in the small bar in the Hotel Montag. This turned out to be a common evening activity for this Contiki Crew! Daren mentioned to me that they had "Weissbier" at this bar and having discovered my "talent" for enjoying the suds suggested that I try it. Little did he know that one of my favorite pasttimes in New York is centered around the "Blind Tiger Ale House" in Greenwich Village where my favorite brand is Polaner Heffe-weissen! Needless to say, the authentic, fresh German Wheat Beer was AWESOME!
As I mentioned earlier, Jamie decided that his new beerstein needed to be properly "christened" with real German Beer. We confirmed with the bartender that they would indeed fill it from the bar and Jamie began using it like an ordinary beer mug! This evening turned into a fairly wild party, as the bartenders were playing fun music and we were all dancing and REALLY enjoying the authentic German Beer. At some point a coaster fight broke out between the bartenders and one of the Contiki Staff. Before we knew it, there were coasters flying everywhere! Well, as my Mom used to say, "it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!" Fortunately, in this case an eye was not lost, but we did have a casualty. A wayward coaster managed to hit Janice in the eye, causing some serious (although not permanant) pain. I give her a lot of credit for the way she handled this incident - We found out that she and Daren had spend most of the night in a German Hospital. She would spend most of the next few days bandaged up and in some serious pain, but she never lost that desire to have fun and party.
As the party died down, there seemed to be the same people closing this bar as in the previous ones....Hmmmmmmm I wonder who these people were?! You all know who you are! As we made our way to our room, I realized that this hotel had no locks on the doors - Just another of the cultural differences between small town rural Europe and home! As we were preparing for bed and packing our bags for the the early departure the next morning, I started to think about how long I had dreamed of seeing all of the places that I was now in the midst of seeing and I couldn't help but feel proud - after all I was accomplishing a monumental personal goal. This trip was turning into everything that I had hoped it would be (and in many ways much more) and to top it all off - tommorow I would be in Switzerland!
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| Buildings along the Rhine River. | Jamie, Lizane, Me, Eric & Gil enjoy a Rhine River Cruise. I like German Beer! |
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| This is a church that you can only get to from the bar! The priest is also the bartender! | The Hotel Montag. |
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| According to Mr. Montag the store owner this is the biggest beerstein in the world. Note the "Beer King" on top! | The town of St. Goar from the river. Rhieinfels Castle is on the hill. |
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| With this group, this was a normal nite out! | Katy, Maria, Me, Jamie, Janice and Tony enjoy some German Beer! |
© 1998-2000 Geoffrey S. Cable
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