6/12/15-6/20/15 Germany Trip Report

[TXTransplant]

I thought I'd start a thread to share our fairytale experience. Traveling are me, TXTransplant (aka Mom) and Junior Traveler (aka JT), who is 10.

We are at the airport, waiting on our 625 direct flight to FRA. I haven't traveled to Europe since college, back in the dark ages of 2000. This is JT's first trip overseas, unless you count that cruise ship stop in Nassau.

For those who saw my earlier posts, I did get a new credit card today. I stopped by my work office (I asked that it be sent there in case it didn't arrive in time) and picked it up on the way to the airport. Apparently, whatever I did to rile the travel gods, they have decided to forgive me.

I kept a pretty extensive journal on my last trip to Europe. I don't see myself doing that now, but this is a reasonable substitute.

I'm not sure how to upload pictures. I'll try to figure that out soon.

Auf Wiedersehen, TX!

 

[carpenta]

Glad to hear your CC is straightened out. We did this trip a couple years ago and it was great, Our daughter was 13 and loved it. Good Luck with the flight and drink plenty of water. When you get to the airport and board the vehicle waiting for you take a look at the speedometer while you cruise the Autoban....they don't do much "granny driving" on that road.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I'm excited to follow along. Next year will be Germany for us and my JT will be 11 at the time. Have a great flight!

 

[sayhello]

Yay! You're on your way! Looking forward to following along!

Sayhello

 

[tgeorge]

Safe travels! Can't wait to read your report. I have a couple other ABDs I want to do first, but this one does interest me as well. Enjoy your trip! I'm sure it will be amazing

 

[TXTransplant]

We are here! My head is a little fuzzy because I didn't really sleep well on the plane. But pick up at the airport was fine and the hotel is great. Our guides are Lexie and Marius.

I think we are going to try to go out for a walk in Heidelberg before dinner. Otherwise, I think we will fall asleep!

 

[sayhello]

We are here! My head is a little fuzzy because I didn't really sleep well on the plane. But pick up at the airport was fine and the hotel is great. Our guides are Lexie and Marius.

I think we are going to try to go out for a walk in Heidelberg before dinner. Otherwise, I think we will fall asleep!

Don't go to sleep! The walk is a great idea. MUCH better to combat jet lag!

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

Managed to make it without falling asleep! We just finished up the welcome dinner, and I'm heading to bed (at 7 pm!).

A few interesting things from the welcome dinner...I think we have a total of 24 on the trip. Some people booked as recently as three weeks ago! But we are ALL ABD first-timers! There is also another single mom on the trip with her three kids.

We were given our lanyards along with a VERY cool 10th anniversary ABD pin (the compass star spins!). I don't know how long they have been giving these out, so maybe most of you have seen it already. We will also be getting some Germany-specific and ABD exclusive pins.

Our walk around town before dinner was lovely. Heidelberg is very charming, and it has a pedestrian-only boulevard that is lined with shops and great architecture. It was very easy for us to navigate on our own.

A couple of pics...the pins and a street performer who looks like she belongs at Animal Kingdom!

 

[TXTransplant]

Just to add...I'm having trouble with double posts, double picture posts, etc. The wifi here is temperamental, so I apologize if my report isn't quite up to par.

 

[sayhello]

Managed to make it without falling asleep! We just finished up the welcome dinner, and I'm heading to bed (at 7 pm!).

A few interesting things from the welcome dinner...I think we have a total of 24 on the trip. Some people booked as recently as three weeks ago! But we are ALL ABD first-timers! There is also another single mom on the trip with her three kids.

We were given our lanyards along with a VERY cool 10th anniversary ABD pin (the compass star spins!). I don't know how long they have been giving these out, so maybe most of you have seen it already. We will also be getting some Germany-specific and ABD exclusive pins.

Our walk around town before dinner was lovely. Heidelberg is very charming, and it has a pedestrian-only boulevard that is lined with shops and great architecture. It was very easy for us to navigate on our own.

A couple of pics...the pins and a street performer who looks like she belongs at Animal Kingdom!

The 10th Anniversary pin is cool! And an ABD of all first-timers! I don't think I've ever had that!

Just to add...I'm having trouble with double posts, double picture posts, etc. The wifi here is temperamental, so I apologize if my report isn't quite up to par.

Don't worry. I'm cleaning up the duplicate posts where I can, and the photos came out fine. Your report is totally up to par!

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

We adored this trip! Have fun! We leave for Central Europe ABD next week!

 

[TXTransplant]

Today was our first official touring day. We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before departing at 930 (no rope-drop madness on this trip!) for a tour of Heidelberg Castle.

After a short bus trip, we were greeted at Heidelberg Castle for a special guided tour. We were divided into two groups, each with a guide who acted and dressed in the spirit of the 16-17th century residents who lived in the castle. The castle itself is in ruins, and we toured everything from the caves and cells at and below ground level, to the wine room, to the interior residence areas, to a large outdoor area that overlooks the city of Heidelberg. At the end of the tour, we received a ticket to ride the funicular down into the city. You can also walk or take the bus back down the mountain.

We rode the funicular back down the mountain and stopped in a gummy shop, which had every kind of gummy flavor and shape you can imagine (including some that are a little NC-17 rated!). We picked up some beer-flavored gummies.

After a treat of gelato, we walked to one of the boat docks along the river and were just in time to catch a cruise. For 11,50 euros we rode on a solar powered catamaran. There was narration describing the history of the city, but I mainly wanted to enjoy the views. We got a nice view of the castle and there is an interesting assortment of both old and modern architecture along the river. The trip took about an hour and was well worth it (as much as I hate to spend any more money for this trip).

After the cruise, we wandered back down the pedestrian Hauptstrasse, stopping in a few shops on the way back to the hotel.

We are resting in our hotel for a little while before our dinner. My son has adjusted to the time difference well...he fell asleep about 7 last night and didn't wake until 7 this morning. I also fell asleep around 7 but unfortunately woke around 3 am and just sort of napped until 7.

I'll post some pictures of the castle and the view from the river cruise in a separate post.

I'll take this opportunity to comment on our hotel here. It is pretty nice. Dinner last night was good...the main meal was nothing special, but wine was included. Dessert was great. I really enjoyed the fresh berry compote with cream. Breakfast this morning was also a great assortment of food, and we ate plenty to tide us over until dinner (the gelato was our "lunch").

The room is fine in size for two people, and probably even three. The bathroom is also adequate, although, I think it could be a little cleaner. Several families enjoyed the pool, and our guides said it is the nicest one on this trip, but we didn't come to Germany to swim (nor do I want to drag a wet swimsuit around in our suitcase). Compared to the hotels I stayed in 15 years ago (as a poor college student) this place is great. But I wouldn't characterize it as luxury or four stars. It's on par with a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn back in the U.S. This particular hotel, though, does provide a 110v U.S.-style plug in the room, which is handy.

Heidelberg is not a very large town (only about 100k, and 20k of them are students), and I suspect this is the nicest hotel in town. The location is great, with everything you would want to see within a short walk. It was crowded at breakfast with what what appeared to be tourists, but there was plenty of food to go around. There were lots of tourists at the castle, too. I had my picture taken several times by some of the Asian tourists. I'm not sure if they wanted photos of our costumed guides or what, but it seems very odd to me to take pictures of complete strangers.

 

[TXTransplant]

A note about the pictures...I can't upload from my phone directly. I get an error message that the file size is too big. So, I have been emailing them to myself (reducing the file size in the process) and then re-saving them to my phone. Unfortunately, reducing the file size also reduces the photo quality. So, I apologize if the photos are a little blurry. If anyone has any suggestions to improve my method, it would be appreciated.

These are all pictures of the castle and the view into town.

Edited to add...these pictures are awful at the reduced size! I'll see if I can do better in the future!

 

[TXTransplant]

More pics of our flower gelato and the view from the river cruise.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Sounds like you had a great first full day. What time did you finish up touring Heidelberg castle? Cool flower gelato.

 

[TXTransplant]

Sounds like you had a great first full day. What time did you finish up touring Heidelberg castle? Cool flower gelato.

We finished up right at lunch time. It must have been about 1130 or 12, because we had time to buy the gummies and eat gelato before catching the 1 pm boat ride. There was a lot of free time today.

Not all of the shops do the flower gelato. And they only do it if you get a cone. This one happens to be right near the square where the funicular drops you off (and right by the store with the beer-flavored gummies, too)

 

[Cousin Orville]

Cool. Enjoy your dinner and next day!

 

[sayhello]

Wow! That flower gelato is really cool!

Do you by any chance have blond or red hair? I've found some Asians are really fascinated by blonds and redheads, and I've had them ask more than once to have their picture taken with me. I think it's a cultural thing.

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

Wow! That flower gelato is really cool!

Do you by any chance have blond or red hair? I've found some Asians are really fascinated by blonds and redheads, and I've had them ask more than once to have their picture taken with me. I think it's a cultural thing.

Sayhello

Nope, I'm a brunette. I don't think they were taking pictures of me specifically, but they were photographing our group. Weird, if you ask me.

 

[SingingMom]

FYI - the Crowne Plaza is the least favorite of the hotels on this trip. Just WAIT until you get to the Kempinski in Munich!!! . Your next hotel is the castle - very different experience. Each room is different. The hotel in Rothenberg is very quaint. I loved the staircase and the breakfast buffet there has a waffle iron & champagne.

But the Kempinski is just amazing. Wish we could have been there an entire week! We are staying at a Kempinski and a Ritz Carlton on our Central Europe ABD next week. Can't wait!