This was initially posted on my previous blog on January 1, 2018.
After enjoying everything I could fit in while in Switzerland, it was time to head to Frankfurt to see my friends and explore the area.
It was around a 6 hour train ride from Interlaken to Frankfurt and it was supposed to be an easy ride with no transfers. Track work derailed my easy ride though. Thankfully the train had wifi so I was able to jump on the internet and confirm my new route which now had several transfers including a bus ride. It was a test of my skills and I am happy to say that I passed and made it to Frankfurt.
I have several friends working in Frankfurt so I was so excited to be able to see them all. Seeing them was the main reason for this visit. Craig picked me up at the train station and we walked around the city a bit. Frankfurt is a modern city so I didn’t see a lot of the German charm, but I was warned about that before getting there. After enjoying the city, we returned to their apartment for dinner and time to catch up.
Since I got to Frankfurt during a work week, I was on my own to explore for a day. Craig and Lee provided the recommendation to take the train to Rudesheim to explore the town and then take a river cruise to see the different castles. Lee and Craig were great hosts and provided excellent directions on how to get where I needed. Germany has excellent public transportation and it was very easy to use.
Rudesheim is an adorable little town right on Rhine River. It was an easy 1.5 hour train ride from Frankfurt. I enjoyed all of the train rides throughout my trip since I was able to catch up on reading some books I had been putting off and the trains were very nice. It rained the entire morning I spent in Rudesheim, but I still enjoyed it. I got my river cruise ticket first thing and then walked around the town for a bit to get the lay of the land. The gondola over the vineyard looked like fun even with the rain so I went for it. The rain stopped for a bit on the ride up so it was perfect timing. The gondola ride takes you over beautiful vineyards with the river in the background and the town below. I had fun taking pictures of the vineyard since I never get that vantage point while at a winery. At the top is the Niederwalddenkmal monument, which was finished in the 1880s to commemorate the unification of Germany after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The gardens surrounding it are beautiful and there are trails that lead to different views, but the rain had started so I didn’t take the time to explore the trails. I also made the horrible choice to wear “nice” flats instead of tennis shoes so my feet were starting to blister thanks to my shoes getting wet. (Reminder to self, just wear tennis shoes. No one cares about your shoe choice and if they do, who cares.) The funicular ride down was interesting since it was pouring rain and the gondolas have open windows. Thankfully the umbrella helped to keep me mostly dry.
I ducked into several stores once in town to avoid the rain. The Christmas shop was cute and I had to get a small present for my family there. Then I stumbled upon a cute wine cellar and was able to taste several German wines. After more walking in the rain and horrible blisters, I determined it was time for a wonderful German lunch. I found a nice restaurant on the river and enjoyed a glass of Riesling, lunch, and a slice of cake. It was perfection.
After lunch (and a quick stop to buy bandaids), it was time to go catch the river cruise. It was still raining on and off so everyone sat inside, which was nice and still had a good view. I was on the ship for 2 or 3 hours and enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate. As it sailed down the Rhine, we were able to see castles at every turn. These are incredible structures and they were all over the hillsides. I didn’t have time to get off the ship and explore these castles, but it was impressive to view them all from the water. I would love to go back though and explore some of the castles that are open for tours. The other fun part about the river cruise was meeting some new people. There was a film class on the cruise and the two instructors were interviewing each student about their proposed documentary they wanted to make. The instructors were sitting at the table next to me so I listened in and was impressed by the ideas and the students. I also met a mother and daughter traveling around Europe together. The more I travel alone, the more I love getting to meet other travelers and hear their stories.
Finally it was time to catch the train back to Frankfurt and go enjoy a wonderful dinner with friends. We went to a classic German restaurant (yum!) followed by drinks at a nice bar nearby. It was great catching up with friends. Even better to hear that they are loving life in Germany.
