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.