Lis and Tyler in Germany

Our good friend Laurel came for a visit and boy did we have a great time. Tyler and I picked her up from the airport in Frankfurt and she was amazingly full of energy and ready to hit the ground running. We got in the car and headed for Mainz, the first stop on our tour of the Rhine. We walked through the rain to the center of town, found a little German restaurant and started chatting with the friendly waiter. Mainz, he told us, was completely full due to a festival. We wouldn’t find lodging, at least not at a reasonable price. So we decided to cut our losses and head up the river. There’s something kind of thrilling about hopping in the car with a map and some friends and just seeing how far you get. Laurel fell asleep, the rain let up a bit, and the drive was beautiful. Around dinnertime, we arrived in Bacharach and decided to stay. We parked the car and had coffee at the ferry dock while we referenced our trusty travel book. For just 16 Euros each we could stay with Irmgard Orth in her Bed and Breakfast up the street, so we took it. As it turns out, it might have been wise to specify that all of the people in our party are full-sized adults. Sweet Irmgard was apparently expecting a toddler, as the third bed turned out to be a folding foam mattress (unfolded length: approx. 5 ft.). Luckily Laurel was both exhausted and generous, so all of us got a good night’s sleep. Bacharach was a very charming town and small enough to be toured in just a part of a day. From there, we went on a boat ride to St. Goar and back, following Rick Steves’ tour from our book. While in St. Goar we grabbed an apricot strudel and coffee for lunch, did a complete tour (again, thanks to Rick Steves) of the castle, and passed up several opportunities to buy terrible German souvenirs. I’m sorry to offend any German readers (or fans of German souvenirs), but honestly. You’d have to see for yourself.