7.02.2003
(7/1)
Happy July 1st.
Another loooooong day of touring. We arrived at the school to leave at 7:45am. The bus was on time so we got to our Rhein River boat tour right on time. It was really nice and most of the kids enjoyed it. It's funny because the German kids are like, "This is so boring" but they LIVE on the Rhein! I told our kids, "This could be the one and only time in your life that you get to ride a boat down the Rhein River. Enjoy it!"
We rode by the Loreley Rock which was really cool. I remember doing it last time I was here, but it meant more this time. This was the place where a beautiful women brushed her hair and sang so beautifully that the sailors would all crash and drown from staring at her. Idiots. Then after we got off the boat, our bus took us up to the peak and we got to look down at the river from the Rock. Very cool. We got some GREAT pictures up there.
Then we went to Braubach for lunch and Julie and I got some yummy ice cream. We toured a castle here which was great. It's called the Marksburg castle and it's been there for a looooong time. We learned that a castle was fortified and meant for battle, while a palace was the residential building for the royalty. We also got to see actual torture devices, the rack, the pig's head, etc. The wheel was the favorite: it crushed all the bones in the person's body but didn't kill them. Then they were put in the field where "the birds finished them off." Sick.
After Braubach, we went to Koblentz. This is where the Rhein and Mozel Rivers meet at what is called the "German Corner." Koblentz is a fairly big city but really wasn't much to look at. We basically walked around an ddid some shopping and ate at a GREAT little cafe. The funny thing is that there was rain all day, but never when we were out, only when we were in the bus! What luck! Until the last ten minutes. The skies opened and it POURED on us on our way back to the bus. So our long ride home consisted of a bunch of tired, wet people. It was ok, though.
We got home late again, but not as late as we thought it'd be, so that was nice. Another day of touring in the books.
Happy July 1st.
Another loooooong day of touring. We arrived at the school to leave at 7:45am. The bus was on time so we got to our Rhein River boat tour right on time. It was really nice and most of the kids enjoyed it. It's funny because the German kids are like, "This is so boring" but they LIVE on the Rhein! I told our kids, "This could be the one and only time in your life that you get to ride a boat down the Rhein River. Enjoy it!"
We rode by the Loreley Rock which was really cool. I remember doing it last time I was here, but it meant more this time. This was the place where a beautiful women brushed her hair and sang so beautifully that the sailors would all crash and drown from staring at her. Idiots. Then after we got off the boat, our bus took us up to the peak and we got to look down at the river from the Rock. Very cool. We got some GREAT pictures up there.
Then we went to Braubach for lunch and Julie and I got some yummy ice cream. We toured a castle here which was great. It's called the Marksburg castle and it's been there for a looooong time. We learned that a castle was fortified and meant for battle, while a palace was the residential building for the royalty. We also got to see actual torture devices, the rack, the pig's head, etc. The wheel was the favorite: it crushed all the bones in the person's body but didn't kill them. Then they were put in the field where "the birds finished them off." Sick.
After Braubach, we went to Koblentz. This is where the Rhein and Mozel Rivers meet at what is called the "German Corner." Koblentz is a fairly big city but really wasn't much to look at. We basically walked around an ddid some shopping and ate at a GREAT little cafe. The funny thing is that there was rain all day, but never when we were out, only when we were in the bus! What luck! Until the last ten minutes. The skies opened and it POURED on us on our way back to the bus. So our long ride home consisted of a bunch of tired, wet people. It was ok, though.
We got home late again, but not as late as we thought it'd be, so that was nice. Another day of touring in the books.
