Assmannhausen, Germany

Assmannhausen, Germany

Just take a phonetic look at the name of this village to understand why we giggled like adolescents during our stay here.  This sleepy town, technically part of Rudesheim en Rhine, is considered the red wine island among a sea of the white wine world.  This was a fun surprise for me, as I tend to enjoy red over white wine, but also found myself truly enjoying the white Rieslings as well, which are the typical type of grape along the Rhine River.

We spent two nights at the lovely Hotel Post.  From our hotel's front sitting area, it was possible to view multiple castles and vineyards along the hillsides along the Rhine River while sipping wine and drinking coffee.   Most of our time here was spent walking the beautiful streets and immersing ourselves into local German culture.  One highlight (which was just a random visit) was meeting the local butcher, who gave Neal and Brian a personal tour of his sausage making routine at 6am one morning (while I continued to sleep on soundly).  

Ralph Bach, the butcher, showing the boys the various sausages he makes fresh every morning.  

One of the many castles visible from our hotel.

Spaetzle with spinach and mushrooms in a local pub.  YUMMY!

Many pilsners were had during this trip, and this was just the beginning of the evening.

This, as indicated by the squinty eyes, was much later in the evening. A local gave us each a small bottle of liquor to drink. Our best translation was that it is some kind of licorice schnapps, which he promised would "settle our stomachs" for the evening.  We were all wondering why he thought we needed it.  :-) It was a fun evening had by all.

The next day, we took a ferry across the river and this was one site to enjoy on the way.  It was a fortress built in the middle of the river to serve as a toll station for passing boats.  Large chains would be raised across the river and were only lowered after the fee was paid.

Day 2:

 Burg Eltz

I can't even begin to explain how amazing this destination was for us!! It was the perfect way to start our trip, with a drive through the German countryside and a short hike through a dense forest, to suddenly come upon this site:

Here's what is SO COOL about this place......

1. The tours are offered in English, which can be a challenge in this part of the country.  

2. This property has been privately owned in the same family for 33 generations.  

3. All the artifacts within its walls are pieces that actually belong to the family.  They are not reproductions or new pieces.....they are relics that have been with the castle and the family all these years.

4. This is just one of a few castles in all of Europe that have stood completely intact, having never been destroyed by war or plundered by enemies.  In my opinion, the family was a collective genius in the art of politics and power, as they were able to either maintain peace with their neighbors or create enough allies to stave off threats. There was one five year period of a seige, where the family was bombarded by the bishop (the siege tower can still be seen), but they came to terms to save the castle and surrounding property.

5. It is a stunning landscape, hidden within a dense forest, and built along a gorgeous hillside.  It is the kind of place I thought of when I was a child when listening to fairy tales.  It has been rated by many critics as the most beautiful site in all of Europe.  I couldn't agree more.

On the grounds of Eltz.  No pictures were allowed inside during the tour, so most of our shots were around the grounds. 

I appear to be having a serious conversation with this knight, but I was just in awe of how SMALL these men must have been!  Not to mention, many of the suits of armor were 60+ pounds and required a squire to help him mount his horse!  In the background, you can see the boulders of rock that the base of the castle was built upon.

Did I mention no pictures were allowed inside the castle?  Well, the boys were so impressed by this in the kitchen that we just had to sneak a pic.  It is a huge, basically petrified, block of wood, cut from a 500 year old tree from the neighboring forest and was used as a butcher block.  So, it's basically 1,000 years old.  We would like this in our kitchen, please.

Europe Trip Day 1: 

Koblenz, Germany

Our flight into Amsterdam went smoothly, we found Brian with no problems at the gate by the car rental, and with Brian's help we were able to get our car.  Our little Fiat, which we lovingly named 'Fifi', kept up nicely on the autobahn.  That was a cultural experience in itself----driving along with vehicles passing on the left at around 200 km per hour!!!

Meet Fifi

Our first job was to get to the north end of the Rhine River, the Rhine being the lion's share of our journey through Germany.  Koblenz is situated right where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers converge, and was a military post, established in 8 BC.  One of the highlights of walking along it's river walks was the site of the monument honoring Emperor William I on horseback.  Its size is impossible to capture in pictures.  Just trust us when we say it's huge!

Looking through the columns at the base of the statue.

We had a wonderful first meal together in the city, but this may have mostly been because we were all so happy to see each other and were also famished.  The three of us LOVE food, so there are lots of meal shots.  Just bear with us..... 

This is my dish--pickled sausage salad.  I was expecting more greens, but it was yummy anyway.  The highlight for me was the pickle.

Brian won this "meal challenge" (a game we would play to see who ordered the best food) with his liver-filled potato dumplings and saurkraut.  

Neal's meal of various meats and cheeses on heavy breads was also delicious, but turned out to be what we had for breakfast every morning throughout our trip.  

Apple Strudel with vanilla ice cream is something the Germans do well.  I could not get our snooty waiter to explain what the berries were.  If you know and can tell me, I would love to learn!  They tasted like a cross between a cherry and a gooseberry.  

Kulturhotel Koblenz was homey, clean and friendly.  The traditional German breakfast was good, and the owners were very accommodating.  One tip about Koblenz----the city is divided by the rivers, so you need to pay attention to where you book your hotel.  We didn't mind walking, but it was quite a trek to find a bridge to cross the river to get to a variety of restaurants and all the sites.  It is, however, just a few minute walk from the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, a place we chose not to visit (see next post as to why) but is a popular attraction.  

The route is established!

Our itinerary is complete and, let me tell you, this part feels so good!  While we don't have a lot of specific plans for each day, we do have a destination with a booked hotel or hostel for each leg of the trip the first week we are there.  Instead of linking our accommodations and websites of places we visit now, I thought it best to do so along the way when I am there in person to describe and take pictures myself. 

So, in the meantime, the map familiarizes me to the European geography. 
A. Fly into Amsterdam International Airport, where will will immediately drive into Deutschland.
B. Crash in Koblenz, which is on the northend of the Rhine River, and is the area we will be spending most of our time in Germany.  Plans are to visit Eltz Castle, one of the most beautiful and fairytale-like in all of Europe (the little girl in me is probably most excited about this one!).
C. Travel to Rudemheim en Rhein, where we will spend two nights, exploring local brew pubs and vineyards.
D. Dip our toes into France at Strasbourg for a day. Don't even know what to say about this one, other than this was Brian's pick and I have been impressed with what he's had for ideas so far!! :-)
E. End the week in Interlaken, Switzerland, which also happens to be the Extreme Sports Capital of the World (Mom, our life insurance policy can be found in the bottom drawer of our file cabinet). This destination is, in my mind at this point, the grande finale of destinations, as it sits on a lake amongst the Alps.  It makes me want to yodel just sitting here writing about it.

The plan is then to drive the 7 or so hours back to the Netherlands to crash at the brother-in-law's apartment for the remainder of the trip and take day trips by train from there.  I really have it in my head and heart to visit the location of where my Grandpa "Soapy" Zapf was captured during the Battle of the Bulge during WWII.  If I can find it, you better believe there will be a blog dedicated to that experience alone.  And of course, Amsterdam and all the other excitement that comes with that city is in the works. 

Hope you continue to follow along!

Move Over, Betty Crocker!

When I was pregnant with each of my three kiddos, about the best advice I ever got was to start prepping and freezing meals about a month or two before the due date.  Once a baby was born and Neal and I were bogged down with all that comes with having a helpless, needy (and beautiful) infant, there was such relief to be able to go to the freezer, pick out something "casserolish" and pop it into the oven with no more worries for the night.  I am taking that same advice now.

Tonight, I am making Maid Rites (aka sloppy joes, nip nips, loose meat BBQ), and also realize I could create a blog just on all the different names for this sandwich.  I have tripled the recipe and will freeze whatever's leftover after tonight's dinner for the grandparents to heat up while they are here.  My kids are not huge casserole fans, so I have to be creative in what I can prepare for easy reheating.  Here are some of the things we will be preparing over the course of the next couple weeks that take freezing and reheating well:

• EASY Maidrite recipe (and it's super delicious)
• 4 lbs. ground beef
• 1/2 bottle BBQ sauce
• 1/2 bottle ketchup
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• Tator Tot Casserole (this is one they SOMETIMES eat)
• Homemade Mac n Cheese: I'm trying this one: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-homemade-macaroni-cheese-64317.aspx
• Taco Meat
• Chicken Enchiladas: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-chicken-enchiladas/detail.aspx
• Chopped rhubarb (to make bread or crisp quickly)
• Spaghetti Bake: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-spaghetti-3/

If you have any to add for ideas, I would love to hear them!!

Pair any of the above with a fresh fruit and veggie or salad and the night's dinner should be fairly simple.

Tip: We are putting each of these into a disposable tin, so as not to tie up all my casserole dishes, cake pans, and pie plates.  Cover with saran wrap, cover again with tin foil tightly, and write the baking instructions on the tinfoil with marker.  BE SURE TO REMOVE THE SARAN WRAP BEFORE BAKING.